#the colors of the moon au: strawberry

[ask-the-tcotm-au]

So Berry, how does it feel to have a lot of siblings?

It's fun! I like hanging out with all of them! I hope you can meet them soon 'traia!

[upsidedownapple]

Who are you? I'm strawberrymoon or strawberry or berry. Also, what is this place?

*a pink animtronic appears. She has no hint of star power, with an orangeish pink ribbon and skirt, and a more purplish hat and pants both hat and pants with a strawberry pattern. The hat went down to her knees*

*she appears on the star lawn*

How did I mess up the location this bad

I don't know

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── PEREGRINE // FIVE

Series Synopsis: The ways that you and Seishiro Nagi fall together and fall apart over the years.

Chapter Synopsis: You, a new transfer to Hakuho High School, have a first day that is even worse than you had expected.

Series Masterlist

Pairing(s): Nagi x Reader, Kira x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.2k

Content Warnings: unhealthy relationships, cheating, non-linear narrative, probably ooc, angst, nagi is endgame, kira sucks, alternate universe, original characters

A/N: just a reminder that this is an AU so things will in fact be different from how they are in canon (i think this is mostly evident w reo?? he’s really something in this past arc LMAOAO like i love him but he is so…interesting…) also dw guys reo is NOT a love interest he’s just bored and has nothing better to do because he hasn’t discovered the joys of soccer and babysitting nagi yet

divider credits: @/benkeibear

The first time you had a crush on a boy, you made the mistake of telling the girl who you had, at the time, considered to be your best friend. That was what people did with their best friends, so you had pointed at him and squeaked out your feelings in hushed whispers. Now, of course, you couldn’t recall anything about him, not his face nor his name, so irrelevant he had been, but you could not say the same about the girl who had been your first lesson in betrayal. Her, you remembered everything about.

Even back then, she had been tall and slender, with beetle-bright eyes and hair like an oil spill, her small mouth the color of strawberries and her round face pale like the moon. If she had stood beside anyone but you, she would have been widely considered lovely, but unfortunately, Orie Watanabe would forever have to be content with second place — because when it came to looks, there wasn’t a girl in the entire town who could claim to be your equal.

You had thought that that didn’t matter. You had thought that Orie loved you as much as you loved her, that she brushed aside what others said with the same ease that you did, that the comparisons drawn between you two were made by halfwits and easily ignored.

You had thought wrong. Orie had narrowed her eyes at the boy you had told her about, and then she had smiled at you.

“He’s cute,” she had whispered. “You really like him? A lot?”

“I think so,” you had said.

“Like, you love him?” she had said. “My parents told me that love is when you want to marry someone and be with them forever. D’you love him?”

“I dunno. Guess I do,” you had said before returning to your coloring page, shading between the black lines. Abstract concepts such as love and marriage and eternity hadn’t even made sense to you at that point in your life, so how else could you have answered the question?

Because both you and Orie lived far from your elementary school, your parents and hers used to take turns dropping you both off and picking you up again. That afternoon, your mother had been the one who came to get you, her freshly-washed car shining in the afternoon sunlight, her dark sunglasses reflecting the world around her.

“Mrs. L/N,” Orie had said as your mother pulled out of the spot she had been waiting for you in. “Did you know that there’s a boy Y/N wants to marry?”

“Of course there is,” your mother had responded coolly. “Reo Mikage. We’ve told her since she was young that she will end up as his wife one day.”

“No, it’s someone in our class,” Orie had said, despite the way you had kicked her leg and shaken your head at her, pleading with her to stop.

“Orie,” you had pleaded under your breath. She had glanced at you out of the corner of her eye, and it had been such a baleful expression, so foreign on her demure features, that you had shrank back into your seat.

“She’s in love with him,” Orie had said. “She told me in class. She wants to marry him and be with him forever.”

“I see,” your mother had said. “Thank you for telling me, Orie.”

All of you had spent the rest of the car ride in silence. Orie hadn’t felt the need to speak again, so she had only murmured a farewell to your mother and gazed at you over her shoulder before darting into her house and leaving you alone. As for you, you had been too afraid to even move, let alone say anything.

You hadn’t understood it at the time, but you had known intrinsically that you had done something wrong. Those feelings, which you had shared with Orie in the hopes that she would keep them secret, were of the sort that had hurt your mother, hurt her to the point of anger.

“Y/N,” she had said when you had entered the house. You had peered up at her then, still needing to crane your neck to meet her eyes, and at the fearsome expression on her face, you had shied back before you could stop yourself. “Who taught you about such things as love?”

You had stammered, more out of apprehension than anything, your first instinct still to protect Orie, though she had not shown you the same consideration. “No — no one, mother.”

“It wasn’t us, so it must’ve been someone,” she had said, clicking her tongue before her eyes had flicked to the television. “Ah. Have you been watching those silly American movies again? Did you really think you’d get to be Cinderella? Those stories aren’t real. Love isn’t something you can believe in. Maybe other people can chase those kinds of ideals, but we’ve raised you to be better than that.”

“I’m sorry, mother,” you had said. She had sighed then, so aggravated, obviously not believing anything you were saying — and of course she had not. You yourself hadn’t known what it was that you were apologizing for, so how could she have accepted it?

“Love is a luxury that only the most hedonistic and privileged of ignoramuses can indulge in. When things grow difficult, when your existence is no longer assured, you’ll find that love is meaningless,” she had said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Go to your room. There’s no need for you to have dinner tonight. We’ll talk in the morning.”

You had cried until you had fallen into an uneasy sleep, your stomach rumbling and sore, but neither your mother nor your father had budged. You hadn’t seen either of them again until the next day, when your mother had come up to wake you for school.

“Good morning,” she had said flatly. You had blinked at her, your head aching peculiarly, your neck cramped, and then you had scrambled to your feet, kicking the sheets aside so you could throw your arms around her legs.

“Good morning, mama,” you had said. “Can I have breakfast?”

Your mother had patted you on the head. “Do you still love that boy?”

You hadn’t even hesitated. “No.”

She had scoffed at that but motioned for you to follow after her. “There it is. See how easily love fades? In the face of hardship, it’s the first thing forsaken. If a man tells you that all he can give you is his love, then I want you to remember this day and run, Y/N. Run as fast as you can, because if he only has love to his name, then he has nothing at all.”

“Y/N L/N, your uniform is ready.”

You brushed past the amassed throng of parents, making your way to the counter where a woman with glasses was passing out the uniforms for the next school year. It was your first time at this store, but you did not dare let your face betray your nervousness, walking with your head held high and your shoulders squared, your nose lifted in the air as if you found every other person in the room to be beneath you.

“Here you go,” the woman said, sliding the clear packet over to you. “Are you new? I don’t remember ever seeing you before, but our records show you’re a third year.”

“Ah, yes, I just transferred,” you said. “I’ve been attending the girls’ academy until now, but for my final year of schooling, my parents thought it’d be prudent that I have some exposure to a blended environment.”

“Well, welcome to Hakuho High School. I’m sure you won’t regret your decision,” she said.

“I’m sure I won’t,” you said, bowing slightly at her, holding the packet with your uniform in it to your chest. “I’m very excited to be here.”

“We’re excited to have you, dear. Seishiro Nagi! Your uniform is ready,” she said. You smiled tightly and turned to leave, narrowly avoiding slamming into a comically tall, pale-haired boy as you wove through the crowd. Far too lost in your own thoughts, you waved off his mumbled apology, seeing no point in even responding in kind.

Of course, you had lied to that woman. Your parents didn’t really care whether or not you ever interacted with boys your own age. In fact, if they had their way, you would stay shut in your room for the rest of your life, a delicate flower preserved in a state of full bloom. There was only one thing that had convinced them to move you to Hakuho — the fact that Reo Mikage attended.

After all, he was their ultimate goal. If you could just marry someone like that, then you would never have to worry a day in your life. You would always be happy, always be safe, always be secure. He was the ideal of stability and success, and so, in their eyes, there was no one better for you to one day wed.

Unfortunately for your parents, you had long ago decided that Reo Mikage was a person you despised, though the two of you had never met. You had your own reasons for wanting to go to Hakuho High School, reasons which you could never tell them about for fear of losing your one chance at escaping for good.

For being as prestigious as it was, Hakuho High School was a relatively ordinary building. There was nothing special about the place — it didn’t sparkle, and no angels sang when you took your first step through the entrance, self-consciously adjusting your shirt collar and skirt, though you already knew that they were perfect.

This was your first impression on your classmates. The last thing you wanted was to come off across as some kind of an idiot or blundering dunce who could barely even put one foot in front of the other. You had experience being hated, but never had you been afforded the pity and derision of others, and you were not overly keen on earning them now.

Your first period was Physics, and according to the schedule you had on your phone, the classroom was located on the second floor of the high school. You climbed up the stairs carefully but quickly, ducking your head so that you blended in with the masses of students, not wanting to draw any attention to yourself.

It would be embarrassing to pull out the folded map you had tucked away in your back pocket, so you visualized it in your mind, tracing the routes you had gone over in colored markers last night and trying to apply them to the maze of hallways you were standing in. Despite your best efforts, though, you could not make sense of any of it, and as the minute hand of the clock drew closer and closer to when the bell would ring, an uneasiness brewed in your stomach. Were you seriously going to be late on the very first day of school?

Just then, a vaguely familiar looking boy ambled past. You couldn’t quite place where you recognized him from, but it was more than you could say about anyone else in the entire building, and you didn’t have many other options. Swallowing your pride, you chased after him, closing the gap between the two of you and tapping him on the shoulder.

He had a messy mop of cloud-like hair, and his large eyes were the color of turtle-doves. His soft face wore a drowsy expression, like he was not quite yet awake but was rather drifting through the school like a half-asleep ghost, and instead of the typical button-down shirt, he wore an oversized sweatshirt under his blazer. When he turned to face you, your hand still resting on his shoulder, his eyebrows drew together, and he cocked his head in a manner reminiscent of a lost puppy.

“Hello, I’m Y/N L/N! I just transferred here. Um, I think that I’ve seen you somewhere, so I hope you don’t mind me stopping you in particular,” you said. Wordlessly, he shook his head, though you were not sure which part he meant to refute. “Ah, or maybe not. I must’ve confused you for someone else; well, anyways, it hardly matters. I was just wondering if you knew where the room for the third year Physics class was? I have it with Mr. Tachibana, if that provides any necessary clarification.”

The boy stared at you for a moment before he slightly lifted his shoulders in what you could only assume was a shrug. You waited for him to elaborate, to say something or perhaps introduce himself, but he must’ve deemed the response satisfactory, as with that, he trudged off, rounding the corner and leaving you fuming.

What a rude, despicable person. It wasn’t like you wanted to be particularly friendly, either, but when the situation called for it, you could at least pretend like you cared about others. The bare minimum was answering someone’s questions with actual words, but this boy could not even muster up the energy to do that much.

“Psst,” a voice said. You turned to see a girl standing there, her face bright, her hair perfectly curled and held half-back with a clip, her makeup applied with an artful hand. “That’s Seishiro Nagi. Don’t bother with him. Come on, I’m going to Physics as well, so you can follow me.”

“What do you mean?” you said, grateful that not all of the Hakuho students were as standoffish as Nagi. The girl used her hand to cover her giggle.

“He’s cursed. We think he’s the child of the devil or something; only bad things happen to people who talk to him, so everyone avoids him,” she said.

“The child of the devil?” you said.

“Mhm, he’s a total weirdo. He doesn’t speak to anyone, and the only things anyone’s ever seen him do are play video games and sleep. He’s not in any clubs or activities or anything, and he has no friends, mostly because no one wants to go near him,” she said.

“Interesting,” you said. It was a shame, really, that such a slacker was taking up a space at Hakuho. He must’ve been at the bottom of the class, but then again, there had to be those people, too. Not everyone could be number one; there would always be those who came in last, whether due to a lack of aptitude or passion or both.

“I hope you’re okay, though,” the girl said. “You even touched him! That’s basically a guarantee that you’ll be jinxed.”

“He’s just another high schooler. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” you said. The girl shook her head rapidly.

“No, no, you don’t get it! One time, this girl I knew spoke to him, and the next day, her boyfriend dumped her! I really don’t want anything like that happening to you,” she said.

“I don’t think that Nagi had anything to do with that,” you said as you entered the classroom. “Things like curses aren’t actually real, you know. He’s just an abhorrently detached and self-involved layabout. It’s a shame to see, but there’s always going to be people like that, you know. They’re the worst sort, but the explanation isn’t supernatural.”

“Just you wait and see,” the girl said. “By the way, you’re super beautiful. What’s your name?”

“Y/N L/N,” you said. “Thank you. And what is yours?”

“Sonoko Ishioka!” she said. “You should sit with my friends and I at lunch today. I think that you’ll fit in perfectly with the rest of us.”

You didn’t have any great desire to acquaint yourself with Ishioka, but she was the first person who had offered, and after all, she had shown you the way to the classroom, so you hummed in agreement.

“Thank you,” you said, setting your things down in the seat beside her for the time being. Surely, your teacher would reassign your partners for the year once the period began, but until then, you supposed Ishioka was your best option.

“Welcome, class. I am Akihiro Tachibana, and I will be your Physics teacher. I would like to start the session with a warning to you all: this year will be of an unprecedented difficulty. You will be preparing for entrance examinations and completing applications to various universities, and at the same time, your classes will be more advanced than ever,” your teacher said as soon as the bell had finished ringing. He was a tall yet stocky man, his hair more silver than black, his eyes deep-set in his severe face. There was an aged sort of wisdom about him, as if his great knowledge was an accumulation of experiences instead of the result of extensive study.

“Mr. Tachibana is totally intense,” Ishioka whispered to you. “He’s super tough on his students. It sucks that we got stuck with him as our teacher instead of the other one. She’s apparently way nicer.”

“Hm,” you said.

“Since this is your first period of your first day, I will take the moment to remind you that this is your third year, which means that all of you are now in direct competition for the prestigious Hakuho Scholars award,” Mr. Tachibana continued. You straightened in your seat. “For those of you who forgot, the Hakuho Scholars are those two students who receive the highest and second-highest marks on their final exams. Every year, this select pair receives funding from the Hakuho Alumni Association in order to achieve their future goals, and as someone who has been teaching here for almost as long as all of you have been alive, let me be the one to tell you that the award granted is generous.”

“Sounds stressful,” Ishioka said, wrapping her arms around herself. “I bet Reo is going to get the top spot again, so there’s only one slot open. I’m not even going to try. What about you, L/N?”

“Of course, I’ll give it my best shot,” you said, the pleasantness of your voice just barely masquerading the greedy anxiousness simmering beneath the surface. You wouldn’t just give it your best shot — you had to be a Hakuho Scholar. That program was the only reason that you had even agreed to transferring in the first place.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let me read out the seating chart,” Mr. Tachibana said, his voice fading into a monotonous background noise as he listed off the partners that you would sit with for the rest of the class.

You waited for your name to be called, but it took a while. Ishioka was assigned before you, leaving you behind with a promise to meet you at lunch and an empty seat at your side, which you resolved to make your future partner occupy. You were hardly about to move, and anyways, most people were quick to oblige your demands, as you had this method of disguising them as sweet pleas instead of bratty commands.

“Y/N L/N and Reo Mikage,” Mr. Tachibana said.

Nagi had somehow jinxed you. You had thought Ishioka was full of drivel when she was going on and on about it, but she had actually been right, because now you were paired up with the one person you had wanted to avoid for the entire year. What sort of coincidence was this? How pleased would your parents be, that Reo Mikage had all but fallen into your lap before you could even do anything to get him there? And how furious were you, that you could not escape him even when you wanted to so desperately?

“Normally, people move to my table, but it’s nice to stretch my legs every once in a while. Thank you for that.” Even the way he spoke grated on your nerves. Reo Mikage. He talked like a prince, his words dripping with charm and grace, his movements elegant as he pulled out the chair Ishioka had sat in previously so that he could lower himself into it. His clear eyes were a shade of violet that shimmered like mountains in the mist, and his hair was the same color, hanging around his face in a neatly parted curtain. Unlike that accursed Nagi, who was the only other boy you had thus far encountered, Reo wore the expected shirt and tie, his blazer and pants impeccably pressed, his shoes shined to the point of reflection. “Are you Y/N L/N? I don’t recognize you, but neither do I recognize the name, so it makes sense. Are you new?”

“Just transferred,” you said shortly, taking out a notebook and busying yourself with your pencil case, though of course there was nothing in it that could really hold your interest for very long.

“I see,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Uh-huh,” you said. “Look, here’s how it’s going to go: we’re going to get our assignments, and you’re going to let me do them, and then we’ll sign both of our names on the top and get full marks and be quite happy with ourselves.”

“Excuse me?” he said. You unscrewed the cap of your pen, labeling the top of the fresh page with the date and the material that you would cover in that class.

“I don’t have any interest in working with you, but I don’t trust you to do anything on your own, so if it means saving my grade, then I’ll take care of it,” you said. “I won’t complain or rat you out or anything. Not that anything would happen even if I did.”

“What are you talking about? Are you quite mad? I’ve been the top of our class for the past two years,” he said.

“You’re also the son of one of the wealthiest men in the entire world,” you said. “I am certain that those two things have no correlation whatsoever, of course. It’s just an observation I’m making.”

“You’re suggesting that I pay for my grades?” he said. There was a faint color to his cheeks now, but it wasn’t the rosy hue that your mother would’ve swooned at. It was an angry flush that made you snort as you copied down Mr. Tachibana’s slides, not even bothering to look at Reo when you spoke next.

“Pay for your grades, pay for your work, pay for shitty work so you can pay even more to get good grades regardless…there’s unlimited options available for a person with as much money as you, right? I’m not suggesting anything, naturally, so there shouldn’t be a need for you to be so upset, unless what I’m saying is close to the truth,” you said. “Though either way, it doesn’t matter to me. Look, I’m sure you’re used to people asking you to do their work for them, so how about you just act happy that I’m offering? It’ll save you money. Or time. Or whatever.”

“You’re presumptuous,” he said, but inquisitively, without a hint of the rage you had anticipated. “We’ve only just met, and yet you’re speaking aloud these horrible assumptions, which you have made not just about my integrity but also about my wits. I mean, what kind of a person would pay for terrible work just to spend more money on bribing their teachers into accepting it?”

“How could I begin to understand the lifestyle of the rich and famous?” you said. “Don’t bother explaining what it’s really like. As with everything related to you, I don’t much care.”

At that, he laughed. He did not yell or argue or have any other normal reaction. He laughed, throwing an arm around your shoulders and squeezing you to his side affectionately as the bell rang to signify the end of the period. Startled, you shoved him off of you, glaring at him as much because you were flustered as because you were vexed.

“Do you really hate me that much? I’ve never met a person who didn’t like me. It’s interesting. I think that I like you more for it,” he said.

“What?” you said. “No, you don’t. You are as apathetic about me as I am about you. Perhaps there is even exasperation at my impudence brewing deep within your consciousness, but certainly there are no fond feelings between the two of us.”

“Just you wait,” he said, lifting your bag before you even had the chance to reach for it, hefting it over his shoulder like some kind of gentleman. “I’ll make you change your mind. You’ll agree to be my friend one day.”

“Why would you do that? And give me my bag back!” you said.

“What’s your next class? I’ll walk you there,” he said.

“You will do no such—” you broke off in the middle of your staunch refusal. Technically, you didn’t know how to get to your next class yet, so if Reo was offering, then you’d be a fool to deny him, no matter how much you wanted to steer clear of his general presence. “—World History.”

“Aw, I have English,” Reo said. “But that’s in the same area of the school, so it’s not a problem.”

You rolled your eyes. “What a shame.”

“You’re being sarcastic, but soon enough, you’ll mean that,” Reo said.

“Honestly, I don’t get what the end goal is here,” you said. “I’d much prefer if you just left me alone, and you’d have an easier time of it, too. Don’t you already have plenty of friends? If not, then please find some that actually want to be around you. With your income level, it should be a breeze, but should you somehow be unable, then you can probably pay someone to keep you company. Someone who isn’t me, that is.”

“That’s just it,” Reo said. “At the moment, I can easily become friends with anyone in the entire school without any effort at all. The exception is you, which means that you’re the only one I want.”

No. No. No. Reo couldn’t want you, not in any way. Platonically, romantically, even as an unpaid intern…he absolutely could not want you. If your parents ever found out that he was saying such things about you, then you would never hear the end of it. And they would find out. Always, always, they found out.

“Y/N!” Ishioka squealed, bounding up to you and embracing you tightly. You weren’t sure where this sociability came from at first — the two of you were barely anything more than classmates, so she ought to refer to you as L/N. And since when had you allowed her to hug you? Was everyone at Hakuho this brand of touchy? But then you noticed that she had strategically maneuvered herself in between you and Reo, batting her eyelashes up at him, and it all made sense. “Are you still planning on coming to lunch with us?”

“No, she’s eating with me,” Reo said.

“Since when?” you hissed, though you were as much a part of the conversation as a cactus would’ve been, considering how neither of them paid any heed to you.

“You’re friends with Y/N? She and I are very close, so of course, she’ll want to spend time with me today. But you can come as well, Reo; we’d never say no to you,” she said.

“Er, it’s a lovely offer, but I think that I’ll have to pass,” Reo said. You took advantage of the moment to snatch your bag back from him, clutching it to your chest so that he could not take it again. He glanced over at you in confusion before returning his attention to figuring out a way to bow out of eating with you and Ishioka.

“Is it like that, then?” Ishioka said, her eyes darting between you and Reo. “Do the two of you want to eat alone?”

“No!” you said. “No, not in the slightest. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s the opposite of that. I don’t want to eat with him at all. I would much prefer having lunch with you and your friends.”

But Ishioka didn’t want to have lunch with you anymore. She hadn’t said it directly, but she didn’t need to; her expression was pinched and sour, a lemon-sucking sort of expression that you were all-too-familiar with.

“It’s fine,” she said. “On second thoughts, we don’t have any space left at our table.”

Your shoulders slumped. It was the same story again, and though Ishioka wasn’t anyone special nor important to you, just the reminder was enough to pinch at your heart. “Maybe next time.”

“Maybe,” Ishioka said, though most likely, she only did so because Reo still stood there, somehow managing to maintain a dignified air about him despite how out-of-place he was. “See you around, then, Reo, L/N.”

“Thank goodness,” Reo said as soon as she had left. “I really didn’t want to spend time with her. Her and her friends are a little odd.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot,” you snapped. “She was the first one to be nice to me, and now that I’ve made an enemy of her, I doubt anyone else will want to show me any kindness. If this is your attempt at befriending me, then it’s terrible. I hate you even more.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think of that,” Reo said. The apology didn’t feel feigned, which only made it worse — he really was sorry, and he really hadn’t thought of that outcome. Why would he? It wasn’t something he would’ve ever had to worry about.

“Just show me where my class is so I’m not late,” you said. “We’re already cutting it close as it is.”

He was well-mannered enough not to point out that it had been Ishioka’s interference that had delayed you, but then again, although Ishioka had used you as a pretense, her true goal had been Reo, so you were nothing but faultless in the matter of your possible tardiness.

“I’ll wait by this door for you once the period is over, so that we can take our lunch break together,” he said once you reached the entrance to your World History class.

“Do your ears need cleaning? I said I don’t want to eat with you, didn’t I?” you said.

“Who else would you eat with?” he said.

Right. Because stupid Reo Mikage had ensured that no one else would ever want to hang out with you, not after what you had inadvertently done to Ishioka came out — what a bitch, she went for her friend’s crush? And after Ishioka was so nice, too — leaving him as your only choice.

“I’ll eat by myself,” you said. “And you’ll agree to that if you ever want to have even a chance of me liking you, because if I have to look at you for one more minute, I believe that I will scream and then attack you in a most violent and vicious way.”

He grinned at you. “I’ll get to my own class before that, then. See you tomorrow.”

You stuck your tongue out at his receding back and prayed that he grew bored of this new game of his quickly, lest you be driven to insanity before the end of the month.

taglist (comment/send an ask to be added): @mariyumemi @naatggeo @prettyarsxnist @noble-17 @rinitoshisgirl @stuckindreamland06 @little-miss-chaoss

[tsams-is-my-hyperfixation]

◀ | ◼ | ▶

[NONVERBAL SUN AU: Eclipse.]

Sun's head was hurting as he walked over to the desk, sitting in a chair. It was after hours, and the lights were dimmed. Moon crawled over. "Sunny, are you okay?" he asked his daytime counterpart, who just nodded tiredly. He put a hand on his head. "Just a headache..." Sun responded. "But we're animatronics, how can we get headaches?..." Moon asked, curious. Sun actually didn't know. Maybe it was something more...

"Moon, would you mind checking my systems?" Sun asked him. Moon nodded, crawling over to Sun, who sat down on the floor. "I need you to power down..." Moon told him. Sun did as told, powering down. Last thing he heard was Moon going into his mind to check...

~~~

[MOON'S POV:]

Sunny's head was all fun and games, quite literally! Cute little strawberry plushie's jumped up and down on the trampoline, while cartons of Chocolate Milk danced in the fridge. It wss all bright and colorful. Moon loved it. "I love this place!!!" he exclaimed. Then he shook his head. He was here for Sunny, not for the fun. He saw a yellow glow from the desk. He crawled over, to see someone who looked exactly like Sunny, but glowing brightly.

"Ooh! What's your name?" he asked them. They turned too look at him, giving him a dirty look. "First, stop crawling and stand up." the glowing Sunny said. "But I don't know how..." Moon mumbled. The glowing Sunny just stared at him, dumbfounded. "How do you—" he sighed in exasperation, getting up and grabbing Moon by the arm before jerking him upwards. Moon almost fell, but the glowing Sunny caught him. He was able to stand with glowing Sunny's help. "My name is Eclipse." the glowing Sunny—no, Eclipse—said. "I like your name!" Moon told him happily. "I'm Moon!"

"Nice to meet you I guess, Moon..." Eclipse mumbled under his breath. The lights grew brighter, causing Moon to flinch and cover his eyes. Again, the light hurt him, because he was darkness. Poor guy. Eclipse looked thoroughly surprised, before turning off his glow and hugging Moon. Moon hugged back. "Are you the thingy in Sunny's head that's making his head hurt?" Moon asked. "I guess I am..." Eclipse muttered. Moon just poked him innocently. "Bye bye, Clipsy!" Moon said innocently. Eclipse looked at him, before hesitantly waving goodbye. Then, Moon went back to the real world.

~~~

[SUNS POV:]

Sun opened his eyes, powering back on. He glanced at Moon, who seemed too be fine. "What happened?" he asked his nighttime counterpart. "The thingy hurting your head's name is Eclipse!" Moon told him. "YOU GAVE IT A NAME!?" Sun exclaimed, dumbfounded. Moon just nodded. Sun face planted. "Whatever floats your boat, Moony..." he mumbled. He pat his brother's head. Innocent little Moon...

"Sometimes you're an idiot...but that's okay, because you're my little brother. You are my world..."

THE SILLIES! Tagging people who might like it even if we aren't mutuals: @goodolddumbbanana @noinoi999 @ikamigami @multifandomcutie13 @thekillermaretwinz @inkyucu @skyuvu123 @ryomaandgundhamkin @coffee-the-bat @sen-sational @dagh0stking @ilikescience-confession-blog @tsamsconfessions123 @silly-a-777 @nosleepygay @eddwardharrison @bloodmoon-da-idiot @lunarlovesbeanbags @mo0ndr0p @sleepy-hall @a-fucking-tornado @rayofmfsunshine1201 @darksuns-beloved-pet @letthebloodrunlikeariver @astrofairy06 @sunny-sourzii @upsidedownapple @yelesomeblue @deyisacherry and literally anyone else. Half the people on here are not my mutuals and half of them are. If you would like your tag removed, just ask me and I gladly will. REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED!

[soobnny]

the things we define as love — kim seungmin.

trope. strangers to lovers. college au. just fluff and a rly shy side of seungmin.

synopsis. a study of love through the lens of a tired photography student who has long given up on romance

word count. 2.4k words

warnings. none

note. i thought of this idea during one of my art classes n the stars aligned cuz when i opened pinterest .. low and behold a photo of seungmin with a camera. that’s what birthed this fic basically

What are the things most thought of when asked about love?

Is it the colors you use to paint its beauty in your head? Is it the taste of old chapstick you don’t quite remember the brand of anymore? Is it the reminder of something more painful that left you in resentment?

There are many things Kim Seungmin associates with love – oranges and strawberries freshly picked from the market, the way autumn leaves fall after having held on its tree for so long, the sunrise that greets him when he wakes up, lingering just long enough for him to finish his morning routine, and the way sand falls beneath his feet when he visits the beach.

There are other things too, like photography and its ability to capture moments that otherwise would’ve been gone forever, and like the old couple in front of him.

Seungmin feels a spark in his fingertips, aching to snap a photo of the purest, unadulterated definition of love right before his eyes. He thinks it would be a lovely addition to the project he’s working on for his major subject in photography.

Clearing his throat, he approaches the couple sitting peacefully together by the bench.

They smile up at him, and Seungmin scrunches his face at the thought that he had disturbed their time together.

“Hi. I wanted to… ask permission to take a photo of you two? It’s for a project in my class, we’re supposed to take photographs of the things we define as love, so I was… yeah, I was hoping, if that was alright?”

Seungmin brings a hand at the back of his neck, scratching shyly at his request to which the old woman just smiles fondly at.

“Of course! Honey, did you hear that? This lovely young boy says he wants to take a photo of us.”

She turns to her husband, and Seungmin bites back the urge to take a photo right now – of their excitement, of their sparkling eyes, and of the way they try to fix up the wrinkles of their shirts. The old woman sets her purse down, posture straightening as she loops an arm around her partner. He has a matching grin on his face, actions slightly delayed as they move to angle themselves better.

“Is this alright?” A smile paints their lips and Seungmin nods, sending a thumbs up before grabbing the camera hanging from his neck.

The click of the camera sounds, and Seungmin sneaks in a few shots of them eagerly waiting at a view of the photo.

When he steps forward, they’re already making space for him in between them, and he takes the seat politely. With his camera out to show the picture, he can’t help the way his heart squeezes at their sweet mumbling and the way they thank him for such a lovely photograph.

“This is for your project?” Seungmin nods abashedly at the question, growing even more shy when they ask to see the photos he had taken so far.

While Seungmin has been fairly confident in his skills, he’s suffered through quite a bit of burnout recently. He’s not quite sure he’s escaped it yet which is why he had urged himself to come out today, willed himself to work on his project. He bites down at his lower lip while skimming through the photos on his camera.

There are some of his friend’s pets, the tranquility of the ocean, the stars littering the night sky accompanied by the moon. They shower him in compliments at the sheer beauty of how the images are captured.

“No partner?” A blush sports the boy’s cheeks with the question asked, shaking his head and staring down at the camera in his hands.

In all honesty, Seungmin has long given up on the idea of romantic love for himself. He had the urge of wanting to fall in love years ago – back when he had so much love to give. This had stemmed from the stories and movies where he had caught a glimpse of the love he wished that he had. However, longing and patience can only go so far together, and with years of no one by his side, he’s bound to lose a little bit of hope.

So, he busied himself in his studies.

He finds comfort in believing that someday he’ll know of love that way, but he had long given up on it at present.

As if having read his mind, the old lady places a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it too much. You’ll know when you meet them. It will sound like… a train whistle.”

Seungmin is a little lost, a puzzled smile on his lips as he nods his head to urge her to continue.

“There’s this old story by Haruki Murakami of a train whistle in the night. Imagine waking up completely alone in the darkness, and you can’t hear anything, and you don’t know the time. It’s like… like having sunk at the very bottom of the ocean. Have you felt this way before?”

While the old lady speaks in riddles, this is a feeling Seungmin is far too familiar with. He knows all too well the claws of loneliness and the heavy weight of aching hearts and drowning lungs. It has forced its fingers down his throat far too many times, making him believe that if he disappeared right now, no one would even notice.

“But you hear the sound of a train whistle, even if it’s far away in the distance. The clock starts ticking again, and you fall back on the ground. It brings you back to reality, makes you feel heard.”

Seungmin’s fingers pause from fiddling with the shutter, turning to look at the lady. There’s something in her expression… of understanding that he’s never quite fallen into contact with before. Like she’s so sure of it.

He looks back down at his camera, but he makes no move to take another photo.

“It’ll come.” With that, she stands from her seat, flattening down her dress. Her hand comes in contact with her husband’s almost immediately, and they turn on their step to walk back to where they came from.

With a final wave and bright smiles, they disappear into the distance. Huh, how strange.

He emerges back to reality with the sound of his ringtone, and he fishes for his phone tucked in the pocket of his jeans.

“Hey, I have that film you need to develop your photos. I’m at the Soul Cup cafe right now, maybe you can drop by to get them?”

“Ah, thanks Hyunjin. I’ll be right there!”

He gets up from the bench himself, having already forgotten of his earlier interactions as he trots back to his university. With his camera safely packed in his camera bag, Seungmin hurries his steps to catch Hyunjin before he leaves.

The sun hasn’t gone yet by the time Seungmin arrives, and he quickly walks into the cafe in search of his friend.

It isn’t difficult to find the silhouette of a man with long pink hair, especially when the coffee shop he liked to frequent wasn’t the most popular among the campus. Although, it seems that someone is with his friend, sitting at the same table with papers strewn around.

“Seungmin, my photographer, you made it!” Hyunjin gets up from his seat, greeting him with a smile and a side hug before directing his attention to you. “Ah, this is (name). (Name), this is Seungmin.”

Seungmin’s breath gets caught in his throat the moment you turn around to exchange pleasantries. His eyes travel around your face, studying your features.

Seungmin isn’t dense, never judges anyone for their looks, but he finds your beauty to be the type subjected to photographs in art galleries. It’s one someone can spend forever admiring and analyzing and never get tired of.

Really pretty, he thinks as he extends a hand to shake yours.

A certain warmth envelopes him when he meets your hand.

“Here’s your film.” A bag is shoved in his general direction, and he grabs it and hugs it by his chest. And then, he’s forced to say his goodbye’s when Hyunjin’s attention shifts back to his own project.

Kim Seungmin sees you again a few weeks after your first encounter.

You’re crouched down on the sidewalk, paint smeared on your hands and clothes. You must be in the art department with Hyunjin, and something about that makes so much sense as Seungmin looks at you. You’re just the type of person to attract art, whether it’s because you create it or because you inspire it.

A closer look at you reveals your messy hair, blown-out by the wind, and a lopsided grin on your face as you call out to the small puppy just by the distance.

He feels the familiar twitch in his fingertips to take a photo. The sight he’s subjected to is too beautiful to not capture. If he took one quick enough, maybe you wouldn’t notice at all.

Seungmin seems to underestimate the actual distance between you and the loud shutter of his camera when he takes the photo. It’s not one of his best moments, and in the moment, he wishes the ground would just swallow him up so he didn’t have to deal with the consequences of his stupid behavior.

His face is already flush with embarrassment the moment you turn around to catch whatever had made that sound.

“Seungmin?” You remember his name, you actually remember his name, and god it couldn’t have sounded any sweeter. Does honey usually drip down the tone of your voice?

When you walk towards him with confusion etched in your face, Seungmin double backs. In the moment, he seriously considers standing in the middle of the road to meet his death instead of facing the embarrassment of explaining to you that he had just taken a photo of you because he thought the moment looked too pretty not to last forever.

He is all nervous laughter when you stop to stand in front of him, head tilted as you stare down at his camera. “Did you just take a photo of me?”

His own words tumble out of his mouth as he tries to explain himself. “Yes, and I’m sorry, I know I should’ve asked for per—“

“Can I see?”

“What?”

“The photo! Can I see it?” You look up at him with a smile, hands behind your back as you sway back and forth while waiting for his response. Only now does he notice the paint on your cheek and the flutter of your eyelashes and the specs of light in your eyes.

Oh god, his stomach doesn’t feel so great, having you look at him like that.

“Uh, sure. Of course!” He fumbles with his camera, clicking on a few buttons before pushing the camera towards you so you can see better. You nod your head, studying the photo before lifting your head back to look at him curiously.

“What’s this for?”

He gulps. “A project… for my class. I’m… I’m in the Photography Department.”

Nodding your head, you flash him another lopsided smile. “You take really pretty pictures. Photography suits you.”

He sends his own boyish, shy smile directed to you at your compliment, bowing slightly in thanks. You simply giggle, shaking your head and telling him you were just telling the truth.

“Can you take another one? I wasn’t aware you were gonna take one so my hair looked a little funny.” You point out, immediately flashing him a grin and a show of a peace sign as if waiting for him to snap a photo in that moment.

He does.

And since then, he has taken multiple photographs of you.

When you would see each other around, you would jokingly strike a pose, and he would take a photo. It’s one of the moments Seungmin treasures and looks forward to.

Usually, he would simply float through the days, unable to feel the ground beneath him, unable to quite tell the time. However, while his days were usually downcast, he finds a little ray of silver lining in the way you smile at him goofily while you readily pose for the camera.

The habit remains even when you meet each other at the Soul Cafe again, Hyunjin as the common friend.

He takes multiple photos of you and Hyunjin that day, some candid and some planned – but when you laugh with your head pulled back and your eyes tearing up just a little at a stupid joke, Seungmin has his camera down.

This sight, of you laughing wholeheartedly, is something he has to see with his own two eyes. He doesn’t think any lens or any photo could do the sight justice.

Hyunjin asks him to walk you home since your dorms are closer to each other, and he happily obliges.

The walk back is short, but it’s still time together, and that was enough for Seungmin.

“Goodnight, Seungmin. Let’s meet each other again!”

Seungmin blinks, unmoving from his position with his hand still lifted in the air from waving at you prior. Your words echo in his head again and again.

Let’s meet each other again.

You want to see him again soon, intentionally this time. You genuinely enjoy his company that you would like to meet him again. Somehow, it’s something Seungmin can’t fathom.

And then you laugh, and it’s a sound that cuts through years of loneliness.

Blood rushes to the tip of his ears, heat engulfing his entire being – a warmth similar to that when he had first met you. He can’t help but stare at you, unable to do or say anything by how dumbfounded he was at such simple words.

When you smile at him one last time, Seungmin can’t help but think that, of all the things that can be associated with love in this world, he thinks none of them quite does it justice like you do.

Seungmin ponders over your words and your shared interactions for the past few weeks on his way home. A gentle smile sits on his face, all because of you and your pretty smile and the brilliance that encompasses the entirety of you.

And then he hears it – quiet, and from a distance. The sound of a train whistle in the night, one so faint he can barely hear it. The clock starts ticking again, and he feels the ground he’s walking on beneath him.

“Oh.” Realization dawns on him, the nudge in his heart visible in his face.

“I see what the old lady means now.”

[upsidedownapple]

*she took her hand and stood up*

Hi! I'm strawberrymoon, or strawberry, or berry! Who are you..?

*her voice was very quiet and sweet*

*a blue portal opened, and a pink animtronic fell out. She was 7'2 with a purple pink hat with strawberry's woth pants that matched it. Her ribbons and skirts were a more orangish pink, and her bright pink eyes glowed slightly*

*she fell on her face*

(Her name is one word, btw)

*Astraia whirled her head around at the sound* Huh? Oh! Are you ok, miss? *she ran over to help her up*

[ventique18]

Twisted Wonderland Illustrations Masterlist 1

🌸 Links under the cut 🌸

Regular Style

Malleus Draconia

You've got me under a spell (suggestive warning)

POV Malleus loves you (gif)

Lost in the Beach House with Malleus

Fae Princes (Creon Hytherion crossover)

A little but sunny

Season of love

Glorious

Happy Birthday Malleus 2024

Lecture notes scribble

Smart casual

An unexpected encounter

Love at first realization

Kisses

Morning coffee

Sakura matcha

Little star

Expressive dragon

Sunflower

Book 7 if

University AU ID card

Love gestures

Kundiman (Love Song)

Colors

Love

Fool in love

Contamination (+ Azul)

I like you (I love you)

Fate

Wish Upon A Star

Kiss Day

Tsunotarou!

Sketches

Beloved (yandere)

Beach boi

My everything

Summer day

Fae

Enchanted

King of the Abyss

Tipsy

FMalleus x MYuu

Warm

Papa

Papa Hornton

Young master

Solitude of the moon

Gentle flower

Love language

Cute

Desire 🔞

Faceswap

Hatchling

Hot kiss

Matching tamagotchis

Others

Cloudcalling with Lilia

Best friends day Grim and Scarameow

Shelter (Maleanor and Malleus)

Jameow employee of the year

Twst meow delivery (overblotters)

Idimeow express

Vilmeow express

Jamilmeow express

Azulmeow express

Leonameow express

Riddlemeow express

NRC Top Secret Elite Squad

Papa and Mama Draconia's Valentine's date

Strawberry tyrant (Riddle)

Assemble, mighty rabbit knights! (Silver and Sebek)

HBD Leona 2022

HBD Leona 2023

HBD Silver 2022

HBD Silver 2023

HBD Silver 2024

HBD Riddle 2022

HBD Idia 2022

HBD Idia 2023

HBD Azul 2022

20-pixel tiny boys (Diasomnia)

Unusual expressions (mal, vil, leona, azul)

Distressed expressions (mal, leona, riddle, jamil)

Love Shot (Leona)

Transit (Diasomnia)

Malleus' parents headcanons (oc)

Witch Princess (Meleanor Draconia)

Chibi Style

Malleus Draconia

Mallemeow express

Potato farmer

Hedgehogleus

Meowlleus Drawrconia

He bounce

Bocchi

Soaring boys

Sleepy Diaso

Dragon and girl

Aranara Malleus

'Puter Malleus

Tiny hearts

Tandemalleus

Baby Malmal loves you

Malleusaurus

[bumble-the-sun-bee]

bitty bots master post (for the time being

This au is now a collaboration au with @zoranight16 ^^

heads up, there's a bunch of reading and I'm still figuring stuff out

Some bitties are aggressive or territorial, especially in the Sol Eclipsed bots . An example is the Strawberry Eclipse bitties. Most of the albino ones (nicknamed strawberry milk morphs) are more defensive while normal and melanistic ones (chocolate dipped morphs) are more reserved and don't tend to cling to their owners until a strong bond is made

Runts are traditionally lighter in color but not albino. If they have the melanistic gene, they'll appear much darker than others with the same gene that aren't melanistic. Runts with the albino gene will usually be either completely snow white, mixed with very faint tints of their originating kind, or grayed out tones.

The main three categories are Luna bots, Sol bots and Eclipsed bots.

Luna bots tend to either be more social (Lunar based) or quiet (Moon based) but it can vary based on subspecies as well

Sol bots (Sun, sometimes others) tend to be the most sociable and usually won't get territorial.

Eclipsed bots on the other hand- they're definitely a finicky bunch. We have the Lunar based Eclipsed (Bloodmoon) and Solar based Eclipsed (Eclipse) both can get highly possessive of territory and owners. Some exceptions are if they were in a "litter" with bots of other types. Some Eclipsed bots gain the personality of normal Sol bots (Solar for example)

We (me as the owner of bitty adoption center)actually keep them (the bitties) in open "play pens" so people can stop by and play with some of them (like a cat cafe) so feel free to! Some of the bitties get along better than others so some are grouped together while others are separated to prevent damage to the bitties

not all the bitty bots are food themed!

Normal versions of dca characters are here too!!

While yes, there are different categories of bitty bots (traditional, sweets, fantasy, ect) it's not just stuck to foods

Some mutations can occur but they aren't defects. Most of the mutations add to how unique a bitty can be. Like extra functional limbs or tails perhaps.

Bitties can have combos of two kinds. Two berry based bots would have a result of a Cobbler bitty with both “parents” colorations and genes. The percentage of how much of each parent is present can change a lot. Some genes are dominant and recessive so it is really up to fate.

Rays can come in different lengths! Some bitties will have shorter rays or only half a head of rays. This can sometimes happen when a Sol bot mixes with a Luna bot. This can also happen between two Sols or two Lunas, it all depends on genes and if they're recessive or dominant traits.

Most bitties range from 4-10 inches in height, runts usually being an inch or two smaller than their normal counterparts.

Some albino runts end up with poor vision

A group of any of the berry themed bitties is called a bushel/ cluster

(more to be added)

[pidge-it-up-archive]

As Aristophanes used to say...

A Kagehina PJO AU | 6,673 words | Main Tags: First Kiss, Getting Together Read it on AO3 According to Aristophanes, humans were originally spherical beings, with four arms, four legs, and a single head with two faces. They were powerful and had the ability to move in any direction. But the gods, fearing their strength, split them in half, leaving each of them longing for their other half, to be whole again. And that is why people search for their soulmates—because they were once one and are now two, and they long to be reunited.

Duality is a funny thing. We often hear that opposites attract, but that’s not always the case. Some opposites are naturally repellent, refusing to mingle no matter how much we wish they would. 

Oil and water, for example, share the same space, but they’ll never blend, always drawing invisible lines between them. North and south poles of a magnet: they pull away from each other as if the mere thought of connection were unbearable. Darkness and Light. Where one exists, the other is absent—constantly in opposition, each one negating the other.

So, logically, the two of them should have been like that. Two separate worlds. 

“But eclipses do exist, don’t they?” Hinata interrupted as Kageyama voiced his thoughts. “What? I’m right!” Hinata squealed at the glare he received. 

“You’re not, dumbass! Eclipses have nothing to do with light and dark , they’re about… the sun and the moon, or, or… Day and night, if you will.”

“Well, it’s not like we have anything to do with light and dark either, dumbass ,” Hinata grinned back the insult. “Just because your dad’s a bit shady and you choose to be all bleeeh and gloomy doesn’t mean that you are the darkness” Hinata trembled his fingers with the word, in phantasmagorical fashion. 

“I’m not bleh and gloomy!” Kageyama pouted. 

Hinata let out a snort. “Yeah, right, Mr.” —he pressed his hair down and frowned in an attempt to mimic the boy before him— “woo-is-me-I-don’t-go-along-with-anybody-and-I-all-better-off-alone!” 

Kageyama rolled his eyes. “You know what, you’re giving me a headache.”

“That’s not my fault. That's because you were trying to think and we all know that’s not your strongest suit. ”

“Oh, fuck off. Like you’re one to talk!” Kageyama jumped to his feet. “Wanna practice or not?” He didn’t wait for a reply as he got up and headed to the arena, confident that Hinata would follow.

And Hinata did, of course, as he always did, ever since he stepped foot in Camp Half-Blood almost three years ago.

The first time he saw Hinata Shoyo was in the Summer before his freshman high school year. 

He was walking to his cabin to get settled when this little too-much-orange thing came running and bumped into him. He didn’t stop, he simply yelled back “Sorry!” and went on murmuring “Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom”.

Kageyama glared in his direction as the boy—short, freckled like the strawberry fields, with hair the exact same color as the camp shirt—went straight to Artemis’s cabin. “You’re going the wrong way, dumbass!” He yelled. The boy stopped, dancing in place with his hands on his shorts. “Apollo’s cabin’s that way”, Tobio pointed to the cabin to his right. 

The boy’s eyes widened. “How— Nevermind! Thanks!” And he ran to the right cabin. 

How did you know? Tobio knew the boy would ask. He would have scoffed if he had had the chance. Some people who get into Camp are seriously incognito, but not him. It took only a fraction of a second to understand that that boy, whoever they were, was a child of Apollo. 

And Kageyama might not have prophetic gifts, but as he stood there amidst the cabins surprisingly amused rather than annoyed at the boy, he knew his life would change. Don’t ask him how. It was… A tingle in his bones, almost. A heat underneath his skin. And from that day on, Kageyama was acutely aware of him all the time, which was… Odd.

Kageyama loved that camp with everything he was, taking everything he did there seriously and with dedication. All the training and games and simulations, he’d approach it with a stern look of concentration on his face and put all of himself into it like they were real, like they all were a matter of life and death—mostly because one day, they might be. 

But… that was sort of the problem. He did, but most of the campers didn’t.

He was basically raised in that Camp—taken by his own mother at age of 5— but his experience didn't keep people from avoiding him like the plague, opposite to what happens to other experienced campers, because apparently practicing with him was exhausting, physically and emotionally.

According to everyone else, he was rude, always yelling at people even when they were at their limit, which was never even close to being enough for him. Fighting along his side could end up in a serious wound because he’d never coordinate his movements with his partner— which is bulshit! He was doing what was the best move, it wasn't his fault others refused to keep up . So it’s been a while since he showed any real interest in any of the campers. If everyone would turn their back on him, he would turn his back in return. Campers came and went—names he never learned and faces he never memorized—but he would stay. And he was better off alone.

But then it came him . He didn’t even know his name yet and still, all through that first week, if you had asked him where the short orange boy was, he would somehow know how to answer. It was as easy as pointing out the sun in the sky during the day. 

Because you see, Hinata Shoyo—as he would learn later—was not just the son of the sun. He was the sun. Expansive, flashy, and annoying. Impossible to miss—either by the way its light offends the eyes of those used to the dark or by the way its heat burns the skin used to the cold. 

But as much as Kageyama found it all annoying, he couldn't deny it came perfectly in handy during Capture the Flag. 

Kageyama sensed him before he saw him, a prickle at the edge of his awareness. He turned sharply, just in time to see the arrow sail toward him. It was so off course that he didn’t even flinch, stepping aside lazily as it sunk into the dirt with a pitiful thunk . A laugh escaped him—short, sharp, and derisive.

“That was pathetic,” he muttered.

He knew he would be welcomed by the Red Team’s new campers—the orange Apollo kid (who Kageyama was sure was the one who shot the worst shot he had ever seen an Apollo child shoot), twins from Demeter, and a boy from Aphrodite. Ares cabin was sadistic like that, putting them first to give them a little taste of what a battle can be, but also to just slow down and signal when the enemy is approaching. 

Two more arrows streaked toward him, both were even worse than the first. Kageyama sidestepped them with ease, closing the distance between him and the archer in a matter of seconds. 

When he was close to reaching the archer's hiding spot, he was attacked then by the twins. Kageyama disarmed the first with a single blow, sending him sprawling, and the second barely had time to raise her weapon before he knocked it from her hands. The boy from Aphrodite tried to go at him for the sake of trying but didn’t even put up a fight. 

Another arrow was shot; it missed its target once more. This time, when Kageyama looked up, there he was. Orange hair leaking out of his elmo, arm shaking with the strength it took to arm the bow; courageously—and foolishly—standing his ground. 

Kageyama took a step forward, a cat playing with its prey, and the kid dropped the bow and drew a sword in a quick motion. Adorable, he thought. As if! The kid stood awkwardly, his posture was all wrong and his grip on the sword was so laughable that Kageyama almost didn’t bother. Almost. But something about the fire in his eyes made Kageyama hesitate, just for a split second.

It was enough.

The kid lunged with startling speed, his blade nicking Kageyama’s arm before he could react. The pain was negligible, but the fact that it had happened at all set his blood boiling.

“YES!” the boy shouted, triumphant. His grin was bright enough to rival the sun, and Kageyama’s temper snapped.

“Beginner’s luck,” Kageyama growled, stepping forward with purpose. He brought his sword down in a powerful arc, but the kid wasn’t there. He spun to follow, striking again and again, but every swing hit empty air.

“Will you—” Another strike, this time adjusting mid-swing to catch the boy off guard. Their blades finally clashed, but the smaller boy’s grip faltered, and his sword clattered to the ground. “—stop moving, damn it?! ”

Before the boy could scramble away, Kageyama swung the flat of his blade against the back of his knees, dropping him to the ground. For a moment, they locked eyes—one filled with rage and determination, the other with mounting irritation.

“And stay down,” Kageyama snapped, looming over him.

But the boy didn’t stay down. Even as he knelt there, gasping for breath, he started to push himself back up. His legs shook, his hands scrabbled at the dirt, but the fire in his eyes never dimmed.

“Seriously?” Kageyama muttered under his breath. He was raising his sword again when the sharp blast of a horn cut through the air.

The game was over.

Kageyama lowered his weapon with a scowl, turning his back on the boy. But as he walked away, he couldn’t shake the image of that defiant grin and the way the kid refused to quit. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

The next day, he found the boy at the arena training even before him. He was usually one of the few who went there before dawn, enjoying the chill air and the quiet—he was there mostly for the quiet—of an empty arena. Annoyed, he decided to find someplace else to practice—alone—for the day. But the next day, there he was again. And the next, and the next, and the next, and by the end of the week, Kageyama was fed up with it. 

“You really should give up on that sword,” he said as he approached the boy. 

The boy looked up, frowning. “What, why?”

“Because you suck at it.”

“Isn’t that the point of practicing, though?”

“A 1000 times 0 is still zero.”

“I don’t see your point.” 

“Urgh, forget it. Do what you want.” Kageyama had given up on giving up and was halfway off the arena when the boy called him back. 

“Wait, you– You’re good at it, right?”

“At what?”

“Well… everything, I suppose? You’re the King of the Arena, aren’t you?”

Kageyama glared at him. “That doesn’t mean what you think it means.” 

“What do… What do I– No? Well, whatever. Could you teach me?”

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

“Ask around, Sunshine , and you’ll know.”

“Well, I don’t care what the others think. No one else wants to teach me, the sword.”

“Who’s no one?”

“Everyone.”

Kageyama sighed. “You know, everyone might have a point. You’re small and you’re fast. You’d do much better with a dagger.”

“But I don’t want a knife! The arrow, and the dagger, they’re… they’re cool, and they’re awesome, but I want this!” He branded the sword on their faces. “I really want this.”

“Why?” 

“I just– I just want it, is that not enough reason?”

“No, that’s—” Kageyama started, that is not enough reason, he’d supposed to say, but then he saw it, in his eyes. The same flare that made him hesitate that night on Capture the Flag. This will and determination he hadn’t seen in a long time, if ever. A fire burning brighter than Hestia’s flame, hotter than Hephaestus's forge. 

It wasn’t just stubbornness or blind courage; it was something deeper, something primal. A refusal to yield, to break, no matter the odds.

And he caved. “Fine.”

The sun came out. “I’m Hinata Shoyo.” The boy reached out his hand.

Kageyama snorted. “You’re a child of Apollo and your name is Hinata? ”

He blinked, head tilting to the side. “Right… I… Never thought of that…” Hinata looked sheepish. “And you are…? I assume calling you King isn’– ”

“Kageyama Tobio,” he interrupted.

“And…?”

“And what, dumbass?”

“Who’s your godly parent?”

“You… You seriously don’t know?”

“Nope.”

“You really are an idiot,” Kageyama shook his head as he drew his sword. A beautiful black metal that reflected the red of dawn. “I’m a child of Hades.”

Hinata was a fucking nuisance. He was clumsy with the sword, his stance was nightmare-worthy, and he tripped on his feet more often than a 5-year-old first-time dancer with two left feet. 

But he always got up. Always. And that Kageyama could admire. 

In the nine years he had been at camp, Kageyama had never met anyone who matched him in determination and stamina. But, as it was proving to be a constant right now, everything else in Kageyama’s life was not applicable to that fucking orange ball. 

From that day forward up until the last day of Summer, they trained for at least an hour before the sun was up in the Arena, and then when others started to show up, they’d hide in the forest and continue, unrelenting. It was the most fun Kageyama has had in years. 

By the end, Hinata was surely better. Not good, but better.

“You’ll see,” Hinata had said as they laid back on the ground, panting after their last training session of the summer. “When we come back next year, I’ll be able to beat you in a fight.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“Yes, I will! Because my father is the god of prophecies, so my dreams actually mean something,” he flashed out the tip of his tongue when Kageyama flicked his forehead.

They said goodbye to each other with an e-mail address on a piece of paper and a promise engraved on their little fingers.

Needless to say, they kept in contact during the school year

Kageyama started sending detailed instructions: what exercises Hinata should do every day, what to eat to build stamina, and tips to avoid injury. With each message, came the eary feeling that he would be ignored because part of him expected Hinata to lose his discipline halfway through the semester. Most people did, after all. But Hinata never did. Not once.

Every single day, without fail, he sent Kageyama a picture after his training; sweaty, sometimes looking so exhausted he could barely hold his phone steady, but always determined. Always smiling. And if the time Kageyama kept staring at each picture exponentially increased with time, that was for his knowledge only and no one else’s. 

As weeks turned into months, their talks drifted away from training altogether, slipping into moments of shared jokes, idle chatter, or stories that neither of them quite realized they were looking forward to. 

And just like that, without their knowledge or consent, they became more than training partners. They were friends. 

When Kageyama arrived at Camp the next year, he headed straight for the arena, and, as reliable as ever, there he was, keeping up with Ryūnosuke Tanaka, a veteran child of Ares. 

“Yo, dumbass!” Kageyama yelled at the arena's edge, crossing his arms. Hinata took a moment to beam at him, and Kageyama was close to yelling at him for allowing himself to be distracted like that as Tanaka advanced, but Hinata’s reflexes were sharp, and when Tanaka struck, he was able to step aside just fine. Kageyama rolled his eyes. “If you lose to him, I won’t fight you for a whole week!”

He knew nothing fuelled Hinata more than a challenge; the fight was over in less than a minute, with Tanaka on his back and a smiley Hinata cheering on top of him. 

Kagayema had to give it to him: Hinata has improved. A lot. But still, there was no way he could hold up a real challenge to him. But that didn’t make the boy sad, or frustrated, like it did to many people before. Like he said, nothing fuelled Hinata more than a challenge. 

The second Capture the Flag of the Summer got them in a special situation: Apollo and Hades cabins were on the same team. 

“Alright, let’s see…” Daichi, head of Nike started. “The usual go-to is to always send Kageyama on his own to scan the field, but I think I wanna try something different.”

Kageyama raised a brow at the leaders of the campaign. 

“We think it’ll be good for Hinata to stick with you.”

“What? He’ll slow me down!”

“Wow, thanks a lot!” Hinata cried. 

“It’s true! You’re like… better than last year, but still!”

“He’s the only one of us who can even bear to be near you, King, for whatever god-forsaken reason. And everyone knows that he’d rather follow you like a minion than be with his own cabin, anyway,” Oikawa, Head of Aphrodite, sneered.

“Hey, you—” Hinata started, never one to let it go when people called Kageyama ‘King’ with that undertone, not after he learned what they meant by it. 

“Let it go,” Kageyama muttered under his teeth, holding him back. “Fine,” he glared at Oikawa before slowly turning his gaze to Daichi. “We go together. What position?”

“You’ll guard the flag.” Daichi smiled. 

Kageyama didn’t know what was on Daichi’s mind, but he had proved to be as good a strategist as Kenma, from Athena, so Kageyama didn’t argue. 

And may Zeus strike him if Daichi hadn't been a genius with that decision. 

It had been one thing to fight against Hinata, but the moment they were put on the same side and had to fight with each other, the game changed. Maybe it was because they had spent so many times fighting the other that they had memorized the patterns of their movements, or maybe it was just some sort of divine connection, that Kageyama wouldn't put past them. Whatever it was, Kagayema had never felt so good on the battlefield. 

He didn’t have to order Hinata around—yelling to go here or there, to duck down or jump. He just did it, as if he could read Kageyama’s thoughts before he even formed them. It was effortless, like breathing—an unspoken understanding that made their movements seamless. And for the first time ever with a partner, whenever Hinata took the lead on a movement, he followed. 

Near the end of the battle, when they found themselves surrounded, they stood back to back, and something clicked. 

Kageyama would never admit it, not in a million years, but as they moved in perfect harmony, he couldn’t help but think of that old tale about how humans once had two heads, four arms, and four legs, until the gods split them apart and cursed them to wander the earth, searching endlessly for their other half. Because there, amid the chaos of the battle, back to back with Hinata, he couldn’t tell his and Hinata’s movements apart. 

They were one: one body, two heads, four arms, and four legs, just like they were meant to be.  

After that battle, if the time he spent staring at Hinata exponentially increased with time, that was for his knowledge only and no one else's. 

The following summer, a week before he had to return home, Kageyama had a dream, and by the time he woke up, nearly 3 in the morning, he had a mission, assigned by Hades himself. His task was simple in theory, an in-and-out situation, perfect for someone like him—a child of Hades with the ability to shadow travel. 

It was close to 4 AM when he was ready to leave. Trying to shadow travel from inside the Camp’s wards was exhausting, so he had to walk away until he felt the mist around him shimmer, and shadows become more malleable. When he had finally walked far enough, he stretched his arms over his head, popped his neck to one side and the other, and took a deep breath. 

As he exhaled, he felt the pull from the darkness, his body dissolving into more sense than form, an uncomforting but familiar fe— Something touched his shoulder.

His last coherent thought before the pull consumed him was a sharp, resounding, “Fuck.”

The added weight threw off his concentration, and instead of arriving at his intended destination, he and the unexpected passenger dropped out of the shadows mid-transit. He hit the ground hard, followed by the other body falling on him, the force knocking the air out of his lungs in a painful “oomf.”

Before he could fully process what happened, the body on top of him rolled to the side and—much to his disgust— puked .

Kageyama turned his head sharply, eyes wide, nose wrinkled in disbelief as he registered who the “idiot” was.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, DUMBASS?” he bellowed.

Hinata, still green and disoriented, groaned with his eyes squeezed shut. “What was that ?”

Kageyama’s glare could’ve burned holes through steel. “What are you doing here?” He ignored Hinata’s question. 

“You were leaving without saying goodbye!”

“I wasn’t—Wait, what? Oh, gods, help me.” Kageyama groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration. “I have a mission, idiot! Were you following me?”

“Yes,” Hinata admitted, looking unashamed despite the situation.

“Why?! It’s the middle of the night!”

“I had a dream,” Hinata replied matter-of-factly. “And I was right. ”

Kageyama nearly screamed. “Oh, get off! You can’t be here! I have a mission, and you need to go back to camp!”

“Why can’t I go with you? Why didn’t you tell me anything? Does Chiron know?”

Kageyama sighed, raising a finger. “Because it’s not assigned to you.” Another finger up . “Because my father told me to do this as soon as possible. I wasn’t going to wait for you to wake up and tell you I’d be gone for twenty minutes.” And another finger. “And yes, of course, Chiron knows.” 

“What’s the mission?” 

He dropped his hand. “None of your business. Go back to camp. ”

“No.” Hinata stomped like a child throwing a tantrum. 

“Excuse me?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re definitely not.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll… you’ll fuck it up. ”

“I won’t! You know it! We’ve spent the last two summers—”

“This isn’t Capture the Flag, Hinata. This is serious!”

“All the more reason you shouldn’t do it alone!”

“No, it’s not. You’re just jealous I got a mission, and you didn’t!”

“The fact that I think you shouldn’t do this alone has nothing do to with my jealousy.”

“Ah, so you are jealous?” 

“Not the point! The point is! You’ve been alone long enough and I'm tired of people thinking you thrive in it. You don’t. You hate it, you’re just too proud to let them know. It’s a dangerous mission—”

“You don’t even know what the mission is!” He muttered. 

“ —and it’s not fair that you have no backup. Besides, if I dreamed about it, there must be a reason for it. So shut it, and let me come with you.”

Kageyama huffed, affronted. He hated him. Gods, how he hated Hinata and that stubborn, blazing look in his eyes. They kept staring at each other, neither willing to cave. But staring at Hinata when he looked like that— overconfident — was a little bit like staring at the sun. You can’t do it for long. 

“FINE!” Kageyama snapped, throwing his hands up. “But if you puke on me again, I’ll leave you behind!”

Hinata did puke again when they arrived at their destination—but not on him, which was a win. Kageyama, grumbling under his breath, pulled a small bottle of mouthwash from his sling bag and tossed it at him. Hinata took it gratefully, managing a sheepish smile once he was back on his feet.

“Where are we?” Hinata asked, looking around. There were a dense forest surrounding them, the dawning sun barely visible throught the trees. Behind him, stood a tall stone wall, with a round rough entrance leading to a cave. 

“Mormo’s Island,” Kageyama replied, his tone sharp.

“What’s Mormo?”

“It’s who’s Mormo,” Kageyama corrected, as he led into the cave. “She’s our target.”

Hinata grimaced, hesitating to follow. “We’re… getting in there?” 

“Yep.”

“But… It’s gonna be dark.” 

“That’s why this is my mission,” Kageyama sneered. “You can wait here.” 

“No way! I’m coming!” He ran after him. “Nishinoya taught me a nice trick it will be useful– wait!” He halted at the entrance. “Let me…” Hinata concentrated, closing his eyes. 

Kageyama could only stare as the boy started to make noises, tensing his body, almost like— “Are you gonna shit your pants or something?” 

“Shh, don’t distract me!” Hinata barked, sticking his tongue out. The sight was weird at best, but Kageyama couldn’t hold back the affectionate roll of his eyes. No. Not affectionate. He was irritated. He was no t thinking he was adorable or something. But then, suddenly, Hinata’s skin started to glow. He opened his eyes, analyzing his own hands. When he looked up in Kageyama’s direction, he hated having to go back on his own words. Nevermind, he was adorable as hell. 

“You glow,” Kageyama said, trying to hide his awe. 

“Yep!” Hinata skipped like a kid handed candy. “Now we can go! C’mon!”

Kageyama blinked as his pocket-size sun entered the cave, shattering the dark around him. What the fuck? He had never seen any of the Apollo kids doing that. Was it a secret between then or something? He shook his head. That was something for later. 

As they entered the cave, he explained the mission to Hinata. 

Mormo was what could be a mixture between a boggart and a vampire, kidnapping kids, punishing them, and turning them into her small fleet of demons. Child demons. Thanatos is not particularly a fan of her, meddling with the balance of life and death unnecessarily, and every time she spawns, he sends someone out to kill her. This time he asked Hades for help, and Hades asked him.

Kageyama led the way, with the dim glow of Hinata’s skin casting long, flickering shadows, their swords glinting faintly in the pale light. 

The air grew heavier the deeper they ventured into the cave. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating them with the dull silence, broken only by their steps and breathing resounding within the humid walls. “This place is so creepy,” Hinata muttered, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly.

“Focus,” Kageyama said sharply. “We’re almost there.”

“How do you even know where to go? We passed like… 4 or 5 different tunnels.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Try?” Hinata was curious by nature, but it was obvious by the shaking of his voice he was talking the nervousness away. He needed the distraction. 

“It’s just… The dark? I have a weird awareness of things in it. Kinda like a bat but instead of sounds, the… darkness guides me, you know?”

Hinata chuckled. “That was actually pretty easy to explain.”

“Well, how would I know your brain would be able to catch up?”

“Hey, I’m not–”

“Shhhh” Kageyama put a hand on his mouth, making them stop. He gave Hinata a serious look and he understood. Closing his eyes again, he was able to turn off the glow of his skin. His body immediately tensed when the dark engulfed them, but Kageyama dropped the hand from his mouth to his shoulder and slid it to his hand. He ignored the gasp Hinata let out. “Don’t let go,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Hinata nodded, but when he realized he probably couldn’t be seen (he was wrong, Kageyama could see him just fine) he squeezed Kageyama’s hand. Thank the gods it was dark, so Hinata couldn’t see the blush that dared to creep out his face. Kageyama squeezed his hand back, a sign that they should move. 

Slowly, Kageyama led them forward. Hinata couldn’t see where they were going anymore, but he felt the twist and turn of the cave, doing so more sharply now than before. Finally, they were able to see a faint blue light emanating from around the corner.

Kageyama let go of Hinata’s hand, shifting his grip to hold his sword firmly with both hands. He pressed himself against the wall, his movements careful and precise, the blade angled low but ready. His breath was steady, measured, as he leaned forward to peek around the bend.

Hinata followed closely, his heart hammering in his chest. The glow grew stronger as they inched closer, illuminating the rough walls with an ethereal shimmer. Kageyama tilted his head just enough to see what lay ahead—and froze.

He motioned for Hinata to stay back before stepping cautiously out, his sword raised slightly. Hinata ignored him, as usual, and crept after him. His eyes widened as the space opened up before them in a large chamber.

At the heart of the chamber, sprawled across a jagged throne of stone, was what had to be Mormo. Her grotesque form lay still in slumber, the bioluminescent fungi casting an unearthly glow over her figure. Leathery wings folded tightly against her body, sharp claws draped over the edges of her throne. Her face was a disturbing blend of hideous and eerily human, the features softened only by the stillness of her sleep.

“She’s asleep,” Kageyama murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. His grip on the sword tightened, the tension in his shoulders clear.

Hinata swallowed, his eyes darting to the fungi-dotted walls and the dark corners of the chamber. “What do we do?” he whispered back.

Kageyama didn’t answer. He stepped forward cautiously, each movement silent and deliberate. Hinata stayed back, his sword shaking slightly in his grip.

When Kageyama reached her, he raised his blade high and drove it down with a clean, precise strike. Mormo let out a faint, strangled gasp before dissolving into ash.

“It’s done,” Kageyama said flatly, and his voice, though quiet, was carried by the echo of the chamber.

Hinata frowned. “That was way easier than I thought—”

A shrill screech interrupted him, followed by another. And another.

“Uh, Kageyama?” Hinata’s voice trembled as small, twisted forms began to emerge from the shadows, their glowing red eyes locking onto them.

Kageyama’s jaw tightened. “Her demons.”

The creatures surged forward, their claws glinting in the faint light. Kageyama ran and grabbed Hinata’s arm. “Hold on—” He called the darkness and it pulled them in, but not for long. He lost his grip and they fell again, swords clinking on the ground. “ Fuck!”

“What happened?” Hinata shrieked, voice muffled by the hand on his hand, probably holding back the contents of his stomach again. 

“I’m too weak. Just run!” Kageyama grabbed his sword and Hinata’s hand again, guiding them through the darkness once more. But suddenly, they heard the shrills and the steps approaching them head-on. “Shit, get behind me!” 

Hinata did as he was told, taking deep breaths trying not to panic. It wasn’t easy, he was—

“Fuck!” Hinata has never heard Kageyama curse so much. “There’s more coming from behind. You gonna have to fight too!”

Hinata swallowed the bile down his throat. He understood what he was saying. He tried to concentrate again, picturing the warmth within his heart as a sun, pushing it out. He pictured the feel of the sun on his skin… He opened his eyes. Nothing. Shit shit shit shit shit. He tried again. Nothing.

“Hinata, now!”

“I can’t, I can’t, I’m—”

“Fuck, forget it. Just—” Kageyama repositioned them until they were back to back. “Just stick to me”, he said firmly.

The demons were there. This was it. Hinata nodded, his breathing shaky. “Got it.”

The first demon lunged, and Kageyama’s sword met it midair, slicing cleanly through. 

“Turn left!” Kageyama barked, and Hinata obeyed, twisting to match Kageyama’s movements. Another swiped at Hinata, and he ducked, swinging upward in a wide arc. The creature shrieked and crumbled into ash.

“Swing, now!” Kageyama’s voice cut through the chaos. Hinata swept his blade horizontally, cutting through two demons at once. “Nice!” Kageyama said, a hint of a grin in his tone. The two were moving as one, just like they had so many times before, their steps perfectly synchronized. 

Huh, funny… Hinata suddenly caught himself thinking. Wasn’t he supposed to be terrified? But at every twist, as each move of their swords hit something, he found himself relaxing into the rhythm, trusting Kageyama’s commands and the subtle shifts in his body.

He closed his eyes for a moment, relying on the feel of Kageyama’s presence to guide him. Despite the danger, there was an exhilaration to their teamwork—a connection he couldn’t put into words. Kageyama felt it too, of course, as he always had but was proud enough to keep only to himself. 

“See! Aren’t you glad I came along?” Hinata yelled over the shrieks of the little demons, his voice not giving any sign of tiredness. No, he was ecstatic. 

“Absolutely not! If you weren’t here I’d be already out of this place!”

“But it’s fun! Right?” Hinata felt Kageyama crouching, which meant he had to jump. He did, and Kageyama killed another one. 

“Yeah!” Kageyama… laughed? He laughed !! “It is!”

The fight lasted for another minute or so. As the last demon fell, silence returned to the chamber. The two stood there, panting and covered in ash, grins plastered across their faces.

“We did it!” Hinata exclaimed, spinning around in excitement. But as he turned, his sword caught something solid.

Kageyama yelped, stumbling back. “What the fuck?”

Hinata froze, horrified to realize his sword had struck Kageyama’s side.

“Oh my gods, I’m so sorry!” Hinata yelped, dropping his weapon. “Shit, shit, shit!”

“You stabbed me!” Kageyama shouted, clutching his side.

"Not on purpose!" Hirata cried, helping Kageyama to the floor, who hissed in pain. “How bad is it?” He fumbled in the dark, searching for the wound. Kageyama grabbed his wrist — his hand was sticky and Hinata knew it was bloody — and guided it to the wide cut on the side of his torso. It was deep. “Oh gods, oh no no no no! Where’s the nectar?”

“It’s,” Kageyama said, reaching for his sling bag and freezing when he didn’t find it. “Fuck…” he said between his teeth. 

“What?” 

“I think I lost it when we fell.”

“Shit! Okay, I can go find it,” Hinata tried to get to his feet, but Kageyama refused to let go of his wrist. 

“Hinata, calm down. You can heal me, can’t you?” 

“What? No! I’m shit at that! I suck at everything, you know that! You keep saying that, and I don’t listen! I just had to come along, didn’t I?”

“Hinata.”

“I fuck everything up, I don’t know why I didn’t listen to you. Or to everyone else! 

"Hinata, focus!"

"You'll die and it'Il be my fault. Gods, your dad's gonna—" his words were cut out by a kiss.

Wait . A what now?

It took more than a second for Hinata to realize what was going on. But before he could react, Kageyama broke the kiss, but kept his hands on both sides of Hinata's face. When did they get there?

"Shoyo, listen to me,” he pressed their foreheads together. “Do you have any idea of what you just did? You fought a horde of demons with your eyes closed. And won. Unscathed.”

"B–Because of you," Hinata blinked, trying so hard to be able to see. He needed to look into Kageyama’s face right now. 

"Not because of me. I fought my share, you fought yours. The ones you took down are your own merit. You don’t suck! You were brilliant.” His voice was so soft. Hinata didn’t know he could be this soft. 

“I– I…” He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what was happening. “I was just following your lead.”

“Yeah,” Kageyama breathed out. “That’s the thing. The most fucking important thing: you trusted me." 

"I always trust you." Hinata shut his eyes, surprised at how true it sounded. How true it was.

"Exactly.” Maybe Hinata was going crazy, but he could swear Kageyama was smiling just by the sound of it and the slight movement of his face against his. “And I trust you too. I know I'm always messing with you—"

"So now you admit it!"

"—but—shush it! But I see you working harder than everyone else on that camp. So yeah, your healing is not like Nishinoya's, but you can do this."

Hinata took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. Kageyama trusted him. Kageyama Tobio trusted him. He could do this. He could do this. He would do this. 

"Will you kiss me again?” The words were out of Hinata’s mouth before he could make sense of what he was saying. “You know, as a little push?"

Kageyama managed a laugh out, before leaning in and pressing his lips against his. This time, Hinata was ready. He slid his finger under the sweaty hairs at Kageyama’s nape, pulling him in slightly, before parting his lips to deepen the kiss. Big mistake.

"Fuck!" Kageyama whined in pain.

"Shit, sorry."

"Just fucking heal me already!"

"Yeah, yeah, on it!” Hinata took a deep breath, positioning both his hands on the wound. Shit , there was so much blood. In whatever the hell had just happened between them, they neglected to keep pressure on it. Stupid, stupid! If something happens— NO! He shook his head. Focus. 

‘Channeling it with music usually helps’, he remembered Nishinoya saying. Okay. He’s got this. 

Kageyama could see the way Hinata frowned, even in the dark, the concerned look on his face, giving way to determination. He started to hum a melody under his breath, and Kageyama allowed himself to close his eyes, relaxing his head on the crook of Hinata’s neck. He smelled like summer, even after everything. 

Little by little, he felt the burning of the wound ease-out, and his mind cleared a bit. It was then he recognized the melody. 

“Is that the song from Tangled?” 

He felt Hinata’s shoulder shake slightly. “Yeah,” he chuckled. 

Kageyama opened his eyes, raising his head a bit to look at Hinata. Oh. He was glowing again. He swallowed dry. “Why?” 

“Helps with the intent,” Hinata allowed himself to raise his eyes to Kageyama, finally able to look at him after everything. His hair was disheveled, gluing to his face due to the sweat— but that wasn’t news. He was used to seeing that. He had blood on his neck, probably from Hinata’s hand earlier. But his eyes… His eyes, always sharp, were now soft, reflecting the golden light. The breath got caught on Hinata’s throat. How did he never notice before? He was beautiful. 

Before he could stop himself, he leaned forward again, stealing a chaste kiss. Kageyama sighed against him, relaxing even more. The pain must have lessened by now. They broke apart, and Kageyama went back to resting on Hinata’s shoulder, happily listening to the humming of the Healing Incantation from Tangled. His last though before he passed out was ‘ I’m in love with an idiot’.

Two days later — because both had to rest before managing the trip back — Hinata got the scolding of his life back at the Camp, being ordered to take over a thousand tasks from his brothers for the rest of this summer, the next, and winter break.

“But you don’t come here during winter break,” Kageyama said, stretching before their daily practice. 

“Well… I didn’t .” Hinata looked sheepish. Kageyama raised a brow. “Well… You do! And I really really don’t want to wait another year to see you again!” He blurted out. 

Kageyama rolled his eyes affectionately. “You’re an idiot.”

“Your idiot!” Hinata beamed. 

And Kageyama wanted to argue with that, but… Well, it was true, wasn’t it? “Enough talking. Wanna practice or not?” He didn’t wait for a reply as he got up and headed to the arena, confident that Hinata would follow.

And Hinata did, of course, as he would always do. 

[crows-templets]

New template master post!! Part one

Nature themes

River/wind normal

Dino very short

Fish normal

Apple farm normal

Fox/star normal

Strawberry normal

Dark forest normal

Pink flower normal

Ocean long

Bird normal

Space normal

Moon/plant normal

Star normal

Dark themes

Gatekeeper normal

Lovely dark extra long

Unthemed dark normal

Crowley extra long

Drinking/smoking normal

Werewolf normal

Hell normal

Creepy/dark long

Demon/fallen angel normal

Coffin candy normal

Crow/red normal

Misc. themes

Cola normal

Valentines normal

Heart<3 normal

Pink bear normal

Sunset normal

Unthemed 🍂🥧📔💼 normal

Film normal

Party normal

White/tiger very short

Archery normal

Glass normal

Cute games normal

Emo/scene normal

Lovesome&crow normal

Archery genderqueer normal

Doctor short, horizontal

Casino themes

Casino long

Table top games medium

Music and games normal

Hazbin hotel and helluvaboss

Alastors mom medium/short

Adam normal

Alastor normal

Charlie Morningstar long

Zestial short/medium

Actor au valintino short/medium

Valintinos moth girls normal/long 2 matching

Husk short/medium

Sera normal

Velvette normal

Carmilla normal

Lucifer normal

Angel dust normal

Angel dust again normal

Angel dust take three medium

Emily normal

Rosie normal

Fizzarolli medium

Stolas normal

Millie/moxxie normal

Blitzø normal

Verosika normal

Color themes

Pink/red very short

Blue stars normal

Orange clock normal

Purple/red/white very short

Red/white normal

Yellow normal

Blue🌀 normal

Brown normal

Light themes

Saint Michael very short (like his brother -🖤)

Angelic normal

Kid like themes

Bright unthemed long/medium

Rainbow regression normal

Wally darling normal

Ghostly rainbow normal

Tiny Tina very long

Fnaf superstar daycare normal

Kidcore normal/long

Music themes

Lovely music normal

Different lovely music Normal

Music/star normal

Taylor swift normal

Music long

Misc fandom

Other mother normal

Wybie lovat normal

Coraline jones normal

Shinso Hitoshi normal

Mina Ashido normal

Catnap normal

Dogdays normal

Airy object show normal

Dakota Cole normal

Invader zim normal

Your doom normal

Magnus archives normal

Cult of the lamb normal

[caramelstarlight]

CaramelCutie - AUs

Hello! If you saw this then you’ve probably following me, I got recommended to you, or a certain tag!

This is me if I was a Smiling Critter!

Feel free to keep reading or just scroll on by!

INFO: (Things that are ALWAYS in the AU, no matter what.)

•Animal : Canis Lupus / Wolf

•Pendant: Sparkles / Star ✨

•Straight

•She/Her

•Extroverted,Clingy,Artistic, clueless, acts before thinks, gullible, funny, and a mix of most of the critters. (Extroverted like Hoppy, likes the crescent moon like CatNap, passion for art like Crafty, passion for romance or love like Bobby, Smart in some ways like Bubba, likes stars like Kickin and my favorite critter is DogDay!)

•Has made at least one plushy or mini smiling critter of every canonical critter.

•Hangs out with CraftyCorn the most (Best Friends) and DogDay (when not gushing over him.)

Appearance: Crescent moon earring (left ear.), star bracelet on right, white leg warmers with a star pattern on both legs.

•Physical appearance of Ears, Tail and Eyes. (Tail will always have the star and thing at the end, ears will look the same and always has noticeable eyelashes. You don’t need to draw it though!)

•Pink and soft fluffy fur, white paws and stomach, tip of tail is also white and the star on it as well, Doe Eyed.

•Probably gonna try remake it.

•Shortie.

Personality:

“A kind, caring and forgetful person among the critters, always expressing her interest in many topics and cheering up whoever she can! Easy to tease and flustered, but always bounces back up to her feet and keeps everyone smiling and laughing. Often clueless and a bit too kind and gullible while being a people pleaser.”

•HUGEEEE and VERY obvious crush on DogDay, (doesn’t try hiding it at all.) usually getting all flustered and shy around him or blushing when he’s around.

Scent:

•Strawberry / Caramel.

SPACE RIDERS AU - @onyxonline

(I’m so sorry there’s a billion Headcannons. Scroll to the end for a summary.) COLORED VERSION:

•Has a huge and obvious Crush on DogDay (and dreams of him lmao, even made a little plushie of him. (The mini critters / ruined critters, that but with his outfit.) and mimicked / matched a few things with him and the rest. If you put her in as background character, feel free to have that mini DogDay being carried around in my arms! I would love to see me carrying a tiny DogDay or just watching him from afar for some reason-?)

•Can also make mini plushies of other Critters that aren’t canonical and are part of the Space Riders Crew.

•Works as a BackUp for DogDays crew / the Smiling Critters if any of them are too injured to go out, or unhealthy in general.

•When not being a backup, usually helps around within the SpaceCraft by doing maintenance, cleaning, cooking, programming, nursing, gardening, experimenting, and mainly Quality of Life. (I guess you can say I’m HouseWife material-?)

•Occasionally visits each critter (if allowed by the person) to check up on them and sometimes brings gifts or things they wanted (if I remembered.)

•Has keys to Everyone’s Bedroom / Room within the Space Craft. (Skirt pockets, only has keys if allowed to enter that persons room by them.)

•Also takes over others jobs if needed and has the time too. (Feel free to add her doing various tasks around as well! Maybe me holding the Mini DogDay plushie I made of the Space Riders AU while I work. Just giving ideas!)

•Often asks Crafty (her bestie) on how to stop thinking about DogDay when I get the chance too.

•Has keys to almost all the rooms for Maintenance or any other job I do.

•The lines that are on her outfit are Pink, sometimes teased for being a bit shorter then most of the Space Riders. (I feel like most of their heights is around 5,4ft - 6ft. My height for it is 5’0. Noticeable height difference.) White Jacket/Outfit,Boots,Skirt and Leg Warmers. (Leg warmers are a bit less bright of a white to distinguish between Leg Warmers and Skirt.) The belt is black.

•Uses crescent earring as a way to communicate (like an agent.) if needed.

•Often seen all around the space station, doing various tasks or multitasking, when relaxing or on break, just cuddling the Mini DogDay plushie I have. (Actually asked him to model for it, 😭🩵)

•Has a fear of the Dark and Abandonment, with severe Inner Child wounds and can break easily. In this AU it’s strengthen since people have to go in and out, as well as the dark being inescapable because it’s space.

•Contacts the leader of each crew to see if they need help on their mission, if they say yes, immediately goes out and heads on over to help for free.

•Has the power of Stars, such as moonlight, sunlight or stars in general. (Lighting up places, summoning the moon with stars for a bit, sending stars at enemies, idk if that makes sense lmao.)

SUMMARY: Big crush on DogDay with a mini plushie on him, does majority of the jobs here (Maintenance,Cleaning,Gardening, Cooking, experimenting, programming, and nursing.(Housewife material.), helps others and checks in on them, keys to almost all the places in the spacecraft, helps with missions, powers of stars in general.

HighSchool AU by NoirzVault on Twitter / X.

•5ft in height, participates in Art Club with CraftyCorn as the leader. •Also carrying a mini DogDay plush everywhere (Big simp for DogDay here.) in the school.

•Signed up for Student Council as well for Vice President or Treasurer.

•I can’t reveal much since I’m making a map for the people at PlayTime High on YT!

[ask-the-tcotm-au]

(Strawberrymoon refrance sheet)

(W/o shading)

(And w/)

Her text will look like this.

Her system for updates and other stuff will look like this.

[salternateunreality2]

More AGSZC Flirting, ND AU, cuteness, and crack crossover

Disclaimer: not an expert

AU setup: all the boys are neuro-spicy except Angeal, who has depression/anxiety. I HC that GZ are more ADHD-leaning and SC are more Autism (ASD)-leaning

From: the archives of my convos with @strayheartless

--------------------------------------------

Genesis: Well, hello there~

Cloud, signing: -Genesis. Love you but melt down soon. You touch you die.-

--------------------------------------------

Literally

Zack and Genesis go really hard on wooing, but Cloud and Sephiroth respond to their first coherent attempt with a simple "sure", and it leaves them discombobulated. Subsequent attempts are met with similar practicality and honesty.

-

Genesis: My love, my moon in the night, my sun in the day..

Cloud: k, bed or couch?

Genesis: I WASN'T FINISHED

-

Zack: Dear Sephiroth. My love for you is more vast than the ocean...

Sephiroth: Oh, I remember this cue. You want a kiss. *kisses*

Zack: AFGESSFWAECCREWEKJBGT I WAS GETTING THERE

-

Zack: Clouuuuddddd ugh you're SO COOL, I want to have your babies!

Cloud: wtf man, we're both dudes?

Zack: AngeAL, you are such a DADDY, I want your babies!

Angeal: *the color of a strawberry* Zack! We are in public!

Zack: Genesis give me your babies

Genesis: Zackary, I will give you something alright. ;)

Zack: Sephiroth, you are so hot, I want to bear your children!

Sephiroth: You don't even have a vagina, much less a uterus.

-

Zack: CLOUD YOUR CHEEKS ARE SO CUTE I COULD LITERALLY BITE THEM OFF

Cloud: 😐🍴 *holding up a fork in defense* *suspicious.exe*

Angeal: he means metaphorically, honey

Cloud: *relaxes a little* I knew that.

Genesis: but he will definitely bite a bit ;)

Cloud: 😑🍴

-

Genesis: Mm, my love, your kisses are the nectar of the goddess, your tongue a fine wine...

Sephiroth: I had cereal for dinner, it should taste like fruit loops .

Genesis: 😮‍💨shhhhh

[ask-the-tcotm-au]

I-i-its fine, though. We can fight him off

*after a while of stumbling through the woods, Berry would find herself in front of astraias' home*

Hey, 'traia! How are you?

Oh hey, strawberrymoon! It’s nice to see you again. *she smiled*

[f4unlette]

𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒 ♡꒰ᵕ༚ᵕ⑅꒱

꒰ 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜: i go by nana, i use they/them pronouns and i’m bisexual ♡ in terms of gender identity, i identify as genderqueer.

aquarius sun, capricorn moon and leo rising. turning 18 in just a few days!

i’m an intp-t, atheist, feminist (trans inclusive) and leftist.

i have a cherub tattoo on my forearm :) i got it done at a motorcycle concentration ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

although i do keep up a personal weight tracking post, this is no longer an 3d blog. i do not want to expose outside people to such an unhealthy lifestyle. if you’re currently in recovery, i wish you the absolute best ♡

꒰ 𝑑𝑛𝑖: p3dophiles and ddlg accounts run by men, conservative/right wing propaganda, which includes white supremacy propaganda, homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny or any form of hatred. i’m fine with (body) horror and gore to a certain extent, as well as nsfw and mental health vent accounts. f4tspo or fatshaming isn’t allowed, either.

꒰ my pinterest ꒱

꒰ how to stay occupied ꒱♡꒰ low cal meals ꒱

꒰ 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑖 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒: super sonico figurines, vanilla, peach, cinnamon or strawberry scented candles, big dogs, stuffed animals, hair accessories, side swept bangs, pyjamas, antiques, queer media, tawog, pink hair, hydrangeas, pink sparkly nails, car rides, hand holding, pastel colors (my faves are #c3d4e7 and most shades of light pink), late autumn and winter, dove products, fragrances/perfume, lip balm, sol de janeiro ‘71.

i loveee butch and masc lesbians sm, and that’s my taste in women basically ♡

i’m a long time fan of sanrio and my favorite character is pompompurin ૮ - ﻌ - ა⁩ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

꒰ 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠: gaming, music, psychology, sociology and history (art, political, fashion, morbid), photography, crafting (clay), baking, writing, organizing things, beauty/self care and fashion (rococo and victorian, vintage, gothic, lolita, jojifuku, coquette/dollette, mori kei, winter clothing), shopping (mostly looking at whatever’s on sale and debating whether i should buy it or not. rarely ever give in).

my absolute favorite youtube channel is kubz scouts (been a fan of jay for years :D)

꒰ 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠: my homemade tomato and tuna cream pasta, cereal bars, flan pudding, sweet strawberries and cherries, chocolate and almond éclair, s’mores, chocolate cookies, warm milk with honey, pain au chocolat, chocolate, milka choco wafer, kfc’s strawberry milkshake and o’cheddar burger, cinnamon rolls, chai latte.

i’m also a fan of portuguese, italian and chinese cuisine.

꒰ 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐: mostly radiohead, lana del rey, deftones, dazey and the scouts, she wants revenge, megan thee stallion, nicole dollanganger, hole, fiona apple, jack off jill, elliott smith, the cure, jeff buckley, lalleshwari, kali uchis, mars argo, chet baker, icp, msi, poison girl friend, tommy february6, petal, mitski, system of a down, slipknot, korn, type o negative, doors, frank sinatra, billie marten, mazzy star.

꒰ 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠: peaonyo, mitsuna vinilo, narumi hosokawa, trash kitty, alberto vargas, neil brinkley, aya takano, nikolay tolmachev, takato yamamoto, whyn lewis, shozo ozaki, bridget davies, élisabeth louise vigée le brun, paul césar helleu, jean baptiste greuze, alice rey colaço, josé malhoa (painter)

꒰ 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠: nintendogs, mysims (nintendo ds/3ds), mouthwashing, schoolgirl supervisor, needy streamer overload, genshin impact (tartaglia and kazuha main, ar59), animal crossing: pocket camp (going strong for over 6 years! frett and daisy are my favorite villagers), class of ‘09, ddlc, fnaf sl, dead plate and cold front, re7 and village, outlast, chilla’s art and puppet combo games. anything indie horror, survival, choice.

꒰ 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑠: girl interrupted, brokeback mountain, but i’m a cheerleader, the children’s hour, call me by your name, donnie darko, buffalo ‘66, requiem for a dream, fight club, the basketball diaries, stay (2005), nightcrawler. any movie where jake gyllenhaal takes on a leading role ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

꒰ 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎: banana fish, bloom into you, kase-san and morning glories, mob psycho 100, devilman crybaby, moriarty the patriot, bungou stray dogs, tokyo revengers (i♡ senju and kazutora a lottt, and i wish shion could’ve been more relevant), junji ito manga, classmates/doukyusei, brutal satsujin, boy meets maria, the summer hikaru died. my favorite genre is girls’ love.

𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

[come-home-official]

Come Home

Come Home is a story by Emmitt L.T. Thatcher (they/he). They have worked on this for a year or so, and was inspired by works like:

Project Ember by 2am Animations (Capcut and YouTube)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians(and all subsequent books/series) by Rick Riordan (Books)

Greek Mythology

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (books)

Emmitt made sure to incorporate a lot of diversity into their story, such as;

People of color

LGBTQIA+ characters

Characters with trauma/PTSD

Different body types

*Emmitt does not have PTSD and they are not a POC, nor do they claim to be either. If you have tips on how to write characters who are these things, please tell them.

Come Home is a fantasy novel with side romance and a lot of work and time put into the story making.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's meet the main characters! Feel free to ask Emmitt about any of them, they will happily answer your questions.

Icarus "Russ" FLARE, 20 years old (He/him)

Russ is the main character of Come Home. He's a transgender pansexual male who has trauma from being in a war as a child. He is Clanae, a species special to Come Home, which are sort of like elves from pop culture. He is the main translator for the cast, as he knows how to read and speak both Clanae and Celvin.

Voice claim: i told the moon about you by Ethan Jewell

Jason "Jace" Notch, 23 years old (He/him)

He is one of the main characters and is Icarus' love interest for most of the book. Across the book, we will find out that Jace might not be the loving, compassionate, and kind man we know him to be. He is a gay man and he has minor PSTD from his abusive childhood. He is a Celvin, which is the name for humans in Come Home.

Voice claim: Freeze Your Brain by Ryan McCartan

Sera(Seh-rah) Pérez, 25 years old (She/her)

She is one of the main characters and is a sister figure to Icarus. She is a transgender lesbian female and she gets jealous easily. She was the person who took Icarus in when he had nobody. She is a Celvin.

Voice claim: How Lovely by Reinaeiry

Kyre(Kai-uhr) Snowe, 26 years old (They/them)

They are one of the main characters and is Sera's love interest for most of the story. They are a nonbinary bisexual person. They are a Celvin, but they are learning how to read Clanae.

Voice claim: How I'd Kill by Cowboy Malfoy / D'Angelo Wallace

Lacy Dexter, 32 years old (She/they)

Lacy is a side-main character and she is the commander of the Clanae army. She is a demiromantic and demisexual woman. She is Clanae and she is the oldest of the entire cast. She has mastered Clanae magic, but prefers her bow and sword.

Voice claim: Our Word by Jessie Shelton

Asher Dexter, 32 years old (He/they)

Asher, like his sister Lacy, is a side-main character. He's an asexual omniromantic man. They are the second oldest and is Lacy's twin, being just a few minutes younger than her. He is a Clanae and is learning Celvin. He has mastered Clanae magic, but is the least recognized as strong. He is Kyre's best friend and Mateo's ex-partner.

Voice claim: IDK If I'm a Boy by Blue Foster

Mateo Raine, 30 years old (He/him)

Mateo is one of the antagonists and is Celvin, however, he understands Clanae and can read it. He has mastered Victorian Fire, the Celvin's magic, and he is an omnisexual man. He is one of the villains, but ends up getting redeemed.

Voice claim: Hex by 80purppp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Links to CH things on Emmitt's main blog:

Questions they answered

Song

Royal AU

A scene they're writing

Their sister's oc

Lore sneak-peak

Draft

Brief rundown of series

More questions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CH Tags:

come home by emmitt

clanae and celvin

icarus flare ch

jason notch ch

sera pérez ch

kyre snowe ch

lacy dexter ch

asher dexter ch

mateo raine ch

dexter twins ch

sword and sparrow ch

candle and flame ch

strawberry lemonade ch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Playlist for the series below: