#when your rarepair is so rare that them standing next to each other is a win

[wignalluvion]

look!! at kiki's little coat!!

art from Toshi-sensei's twitter

[tsukasa-writes]

Haha rarepair backstory

Pairing: kazuichi/natsumi(main)

fuyuhiko/hajime(mention)

(Flashback)(Hope peak academy)

Kazuichi pov

I was staring at the reserve course area I wanted to see my friend's sister natsumi I bumped into her at the fountain running after someone she and me hang out for a while I wanted to see her again when I enter the room and I couldn't believe my eyes,fuyuhiko my friend looked like he just beaten up someone everyone in the room was far away and far away and a guy with brunette hair was standing behind "now who's next?" He said everyone stood back from him "thank you fuyuhiko" the brunette said hugging him and I think fuyuhiko blushed while I was overhearing everything

"Hey kazuichi what are you doing here?" It was natsumi "gah!" I jumped which caught the brunette and fuyuhiko's attention "kaz-kun?!"

I was sweating nervously “don't worry big bro he's with me” I took out a big sigh, apparently the boy fuyuhiko was with was hajime nice guy I see fuyuhiko trying to go see me every chance he got and I'm glad fuyuhiko doesn't know I kinda like his sister

…

But…. I think natsumi likes hajime pftt really?! I see them talking and laughing and hajime frequently goes to natsumi’s place and it's annoying…but why? Do I like her? I thought I like Sonia so why?

….

Recently I have been trying to hang out with natsumi even more by asking to hang out with her and yea we hit it off “hey tell me…”

“Tell you what?”

“if your friend had a crush on someone and you don't know how to help them, what do you do?”

“What why?”

“Just asking

“Well….uhh” why do I think she's referring to herself “I think they show each other affection and at least hang out”

“Thanks dude” she fist bump me, is her friend hajime? Does she like hajime?! No way! Hajime has a clear crush on fuyuhiko! He doesn't deserve her- Oh….yep I like her

….

After some time I realized natsumi watched from afar while hajime and fuyuhiko hung out and yep hajime loves fuyuhiko, someone like her doesn't deserve this! She doesn't deserve the same treatment as mine! Hm..y'know what I'm going to treat her to a date without her know

…

I asked her to go with me to my favorite amusement park as a kid phoenix wonderland we had a lot of fun on the ferris wheel, playing random games with each other I even got her a penguin plus hehe on the train I was going to take her home I decided to ask her something

“Hey natty”

“Yea?”

“Do you like hajime”

“Nah he's bi with a heavy lean on guys and plus I liked someone totally different”

I was shocked a bit

“Who?”

“He's actually from the main course he's very funny and super kind I met him by luck and I'm glad he's my friend”

huh sounds like me

“Y'know I actually been trying to get those two together it's been 2 months and they are so In Love fufu” yea they pretty are

“Thanks for taking me out here I barely have any friends to talk or hang out with you”

“You're welcome, you're my friend right?”

“i wish we were more than friends” she mutter something I couldn't fully hear, she hugged me as I waved goodbye I smiled until I saw fuyuhiko staring at the window I laughed nervously as I walked away from the manor

….

One day I tried texting natsumi that next week we had a knights of white play and we want 5 reserve course students “oh so that's why hajime got tackle the other day”

“Wait he got tackled?”

“Yep he's the first pick courtesy of chiaki and fuyuhiko mostly fuyuhiko”

“So will you join?”

Sure fufu I want to spend more time with you!

My heart kinda made a backflip when she texted that “good!”(I'm planning to make a fuyuhiko and hajime pov after the knights of white chapter)(plus this rarepair should be called rare rarepair I'm i right?)

Bonus 1: Kazuichi and Natsumi were out of a bout in the neighborhood it was pouring rain,and Natsumi's head was laying on Kazuichi's lap. “It's nice of you to stay here with me y'know?”

“Yea not like my other classmates wanted to hang out with me

“They're assholes to be quite honest” natsumi's mutter “especially that princess”

“I don't like her anymore’

“I'm glad you did, someone like you don't deserve that type of treatment “

I stroke her hair “I'm glad”

New rarepair <3

[limerental]

Second fill for @witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo, yeehaw. For the prompt Role Swap

Relationships: Regis/Geralt/Yennefer

Rating: M

Content Warnings: references to murder, blood, stab wounds, and corpses of the canon-typical violence flavor, sexually suggestive dialogue, fade to black sex

Summary: Witcher Regis tracks an injured rogue vampire to druid Geralt's cottage.

“And what do we have here?” asked Regis, lacing his long fingers behind his back so that the cottage’s occupants could not see how they twitched to reach for his silver sword.

The woman at the table stretched her long legs and tossed her dark curls over one shoulder and smiled just enough for her slender fangs to catch the light. An ordinary man may have been distracted by her sensual lean in the rough-hewn chair, her fluttering eyelids dark with kohl, the fullness of her red lips, and even Regis, whose body had been mutated and reformed expressly for the purpose of resisting such a distraction, felt his slow heartbeat lurch in his chest at the sight of the strange and beautiful woman.

Or, more accurately, the sight of the woman’s dark fingernails tapping against the pulsepoint of Geralt’s wrist. 

Poor Geralt, who was only human, who in the decades that Regis had known him had never once avoided any trouble that came along, who refused to pack up his mama’s cottage and move into town where things were quieter and safer, who perhaps had not noticed the glint of the vampire’s fangs but very likely had and not been as afraid as he should have.

“Must I repeat myself?” asked Regis, doing his very best to remain civil until civility no longer benefited the human held in the creature’s grasp. 

Ordinarily, he would not fret so much over a single higher vampire, given that in all his years as a Witcher he had never known one to be any more dangerous to a man’s health than any other stranger, but he had been following rumors of a rogue, separated from her order and rejecting all principles of moral decency. 

Through the town of Rinde, Regis had followed a trail of fresh corpses, drained pale. All men, all of a certain social standing, and all unlikely to be missed overly much, but it was the principle of the thing. Namely, the most important principle being that Regis would be paid a very large sum by the mayor of Rinde if he brought back the vampire’s head.

At the site of the most recent killing, he had found a knife black with vampiric ichor held fast in the rigor mortis grip of a dead tax collector and knew at once where any creature of the night who knew anything would seek medical attention around here.

Regis sighed. Poor Geralt. He did not seem to be aware of his uncanny ability to summon danger to his little cottage at the edge of the wood, and he never turned away any of his wounded strays, not even the ones with viscera in their mouths and blood black as night and limbs cold and smooth as marble.

“My apologies, but I must ask one more--”

“What does it look like to you, Witcher?” asked the strange woman. An ordinary man would have been too distracted by the tap of her fingers against Geralt’s pulse to notice the pained wince as she shifted in the chair.

“Well, I can’t confirm such a thing without examination, but it looks to me that that freshly-bandaged wound to your gut will match the dagger I found on a murdered man this morning,“ said Regis, watching Geralt’s reaction as he spoke. No shock or horror showed on the man’s face. Under Regis’ scrutiny, he had the good sense to look sheepish, tucking an errant lock of auburn hair behind his ears and looking somewhere past the Witcher’s head rather than his eyes. “Geralt, my boy, you didn’t notice anything odd about the nature of this woman’s anatomy?”

“Yeah,” said Geralt. “Don’t know as much as you about higher vampires, but I figured gaping abdominal wounds aren’t standard.”

“Very astute,” said Regis. “Yes, most higher vampires only acquire those when their prey does not go down easily.”

“Prey?” The woman’s fingernails tapped against Geralt’s pale wrist. “I��m no predator, Witcher.”

“Your actions have been predatory. Three dead men is as many days.”

“Three men who have been more hostile to the people of this town than I could be if I stayed a year. I’ve killed the predators that you won’t, Witcher. Be grateful.”

“She’s not dangerous, Regis,” said Geralt. “She could have killed me by now.”

Regis pursed his lips while Geralt continued to make a dedicated effort not to look him in the eye. Regis had known the boy since he was a lanky teenager apprenticing with his mama, and so knew exactly what scene he would have walked in on if he had waited another hour.

Geralt very much had a type.

If Regis didn’t know the boy so well, he would almost believe the demure act. As if Geralt did not so frequently think with his cock when it came to dangerous and bloodthirsty creatures of the night. 

“You are very lucky that I love you, Geralt,” said Regis and watched a pink blush rise to the very tips of Geralt’s ears. 

He looked to the vampire. “May I ask your name?”

“Yennefer of Vengerberg. And you are?”

“Call me Regis,” he said, having long learned that trotting out his full name in situations like this was usually a waste of breath.

“Regis,” repeated the vampire, seeming to be tasting the name on her lips.

“Yennefer,” said Regis carefully as he made a show of relaxing his hands from behind his back, aware that he may next say the name while reading her last rites. “What are your intentions toward this innocent druid boy?”

“Regis, I’m half a century old.”

“Not now, dear one, this is an important conversation.”

“Mmmm,” hummed Yennefer, her violet eyes bright with amusement, the pull of her smirk doing nothing to hide the length of her fangs. “You’re an intelligent man, Regis. What would you deduce about my intentions?”

Taking in the scene before him, there were several things that Regis could deduce. He knew with the accelerated pace of higher vampire healing and Geralt's medicinal skills, her wound would be approaching a trifling scratch by now. 

He knew that said vampires only killed their victims in exceptional circumstances, that bloodlust did not compel or blind them, that bloodletting was more of an extracurricular activity than a requirement for sustenance, and that a vampire that broke from her coven would have no access to the resources and safety that such a group provided, leaving her to fight for scraps on the edges of society, endlessly targeted by human ignorance, forced to flee from execution over and over until she no longer could.

Her voice billowed like smoke. Dark fingernails, the black lacquer hiding the deadly sharpness, trailed along the blue veins of Geralt’s wrist. Her other hand traced the grain of the table, drawing closer to Regis with each sweep. 

At last, Geralt met his eyes, speaking without words in that endearing way he had perfected over their decades together. Sighing, Regis tugged at the buckle holding his swords to his back and set them aside. He stripped off his bracers and leather overcoat, watching Geralt swallow hard as he did so.

“I must confess that as I am incapable of reading thoughts, I know very little of your intentions, Yennefer,” said Regis. He toed off his travelling boots and set them neatly by the door, then stood with his hands on his hips in stocking feet before them. “On the other hand, I have been intimately involved with Geralt for most of his life, and I have no need of mind reading to be certain that his intentions include tempting the both of us into engaging in a number of truly debauched acts in the back room of this cottage until he no longer remembers his own name. Am I wrong, dear?”

“Rarely are,” said Geralt, a touch breathless.

As Yennefer’s clawed fingers curled to tug at his arm until he settled himself neatly in her lap, the human's smile was anything but sheepish.

[badatjokezz]

Haikyuu!! Rare Pair Fic Recs

i’ve been so hype about some Hq rarepairs lately now imma list some of my fav fanfics, mostly OiSuga mwehehe.... 

(probably gonna add some more in the future)

Oisuga (Oikawa x Sugawara)

1. Stuck in the Middle With You by overlymetaromantic

It's not the kind of blossoming relationship either of them would expect, but maybe, just maybe, it could lead to something good.

1. In which Suga and Oikawa run into each other on a late night convenience store run.

2. In which Suga and Oikawa inadvertently switch bags and end up with the other’s uniform.

3. In which Suga gives Oikawa the lecture he doesn't want but probably needs, and Oikawa might accidentally be a little in love.

4. In which Oikawa won't shut up about Suga, and Iwaizumi plays matchmaker just to make him stop.

5. In which there is not a date, and Suga likes spicy things much more than sweet.

6. In which Karasuno and Aobajousai hold training camps in the same neck of the woods, and the trip back proves to be more revealing than it probably should.

7. In which there might just be a future to this after all.

(Dis is so fluffy i might die)

2. moving on (growing up) by _helios (neocitz)

‘I’ll do it,’ Suga says, walking into their prep school and dropping his bag on the floor next to Oikawa. He shoves the melon bun and drink forward into Oikawa’s hands, and stands there looking down at him because he knows that he needs to not chicken out.

‘You’ll do what?’ Oikawa looks up through his glasses, eyes wide and confused as the other students stream in around them.

‘The fake dating thing, I’ll do it.’

‘Fuck. Yes.’ Oikawa says with a fist pump.

(It’s been AGES since i read Fake/Pretend Relationship fic, this one is goood)

3. how strange, to be remembered by venusintwelfthFandoms

"He is not formed of the type of dust that makes up stars. Suga is not the type of person that stays in the mind of one like Oikawa Tooru, ten years later. He is formed of the type of dust you shake off, the type that settles into the ground."

Ten years after Suga last steps off a high-school court, Oikawa recollects a "Mr. Refreshing" in a post-game interview, and Suga is left scrambling.

(Cute one-shot, Oikawa still remember Mr. Refreshing from Karasuno)

4. all the small things by Authoress for lemedy

Sugawara Koushi.

Oikawa’s brain supplies the name of the person standing at the other end of the aisle before Oikawa can even register him, attuned to spitting out facts about other volleyball players on a second’s notice, even after all these years. Karasuno High vice-captain. 174 cm…no, more like 176 now. Skilled at raising morale and bringing an element of surprise to their strategy. Troublesome. Refreshing. Setter.

The enemy.

(Single Dad! Oikawa, cuuutee ugh)

5. Win Some by kingdra (aroceu) for Icie

Tooru does not have a problem, its name is certainly not Sugawara Koushi, and he is not going to the Karasuno practices just to watch him. Regardless of whatever Iwa-chan says.

(High school romane~)

6. Even as bright as you are? by BKAKCANON

That night when he goes to sleep, he includes "the safety of fairies" on his prayers, making a promise to whoever was listening him, that he'd protect all the fairies and keep their secret safe forever.

[Where Oikawa meets Suga when they are kids and Oikawa believes Suga is secretly a fairy and decides he has to protect his secret all costs.]

(This is basically matches my headcanon)

7. getting to know you by oisugasuga

Suga feels like he’s back on the court then, his heart thudding hard in his ears… so hard he almost misses what Oikawa says. Unfortunately, though, he doesn’t.

"My, my. What a surprise," Oikawa Tooru says. And then… "Hello, Mr. Refreshing."

(Haven’t finished yet but DAMN I LOVE OIKAWA AND SUGA IN HERE, single dad! oikawa, and Suga babysitting oikawa’s kid, def slow burn. Imma follow this fic till death)

8. Dear Reader by hyirule

No one seems to read the paper anymore. But Oikawa likes to for the sports section. One day he finds himself reading a section called "Dear Reader" and finds a submission he can relate to.

Basically messages sent through a page on a newspaper brings to unlikely souls together, who maybe have more in common than they first thought.

(Cannon compliant, simple and... refreshing(?))

9. rest by shicchaan

Tooru looks at the sleeping person beside him as he waits for the lights change into green. The growing fringe of his husband started to cover his eyes but he can still see the beautiful birthmark under the silver haired's left eye.

(Established relationship, fluff fluff!!!)

10. long is the road (that leads me home) by ichweissnichtauch

He thinks about himself, deleting contacts from his phone and throwing coffee cups away without even looking at the string of numbers scrawled in Sharpie ink underneath, and he’s tired of hiding, tired of carefully treading the lines he’d drawn for himself all those years ago.

Just this once, Tooru wants— he thinks he wants to be brave.

Oikawa Tooru is not a stranger to wanting.

(like... 20% Oisuga but i like the way this story follows the Cannon till he get to Argentina)

11. It's Always Been About You by mintycarrots

Every time Tooru had envisioned meeting his soulmate, it was a confession of love, filled with tears of happiness and a lot of making out. It would be a faceless petite girl that would support Tooru in whatever he chose to pursue and would understand when Tooru prioritized volleyball over all else.

It was never a boy on the rival team.

(Soulmate AU)

12. a play in three acts by venusintwelfth

"The first time Sugawara Koushi sees Oikawa Tooru play, he thinks that if he wasn’t so set on volleyball, he’d do well in theater."

the first seijoh x karasuno match through the eyes of suga.

(Kinda poetic i guess, well written af)

13. colors by dazeful

Sugawara Koushi's colorful life as an archer.

(this is like the perfect oisuga one shot ive ever read)

___

IwaSuga (Iwaizumi x Sugawara)

1. And so the moon cried by iwriteinpenFandoms:

The hillocks are the domain of unearthly creatures. Creatures of rot and fog, of music and dance. Like ghosts in the night they travel without leaving footprints, they disappear in a flurry of long dresses and pale hair. Those who are fated to see them risk curses far worse than death. You may hear them, a giggle in the wind. You may smell them, the smell of the fog rolling in through the trees. You should pray you never see them. Iwaizumi Hajime is a simple man. He works a simple farm job and enjoys simple things. After one morning where he woke next to a perfect circle of death and only the memory of brown eyes and cold hands, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to the forest. Will the tales of his childhood play out with him at the center or will he have to disregard all reason?

(Danish Folklore AU)

2. Cry Just A Little by DreadfulMind

Suga was whistling a tune to himself as he opened the door to the bathroom, so he didn't hear the muffled crying through the door. But he could hear it clearly once he was inside. He heard the sharp sob of someone trying to stop.

"Iwaizumi?" He asked, "are you sure you're alright?"

(Simple but c u t e)

3. Generations by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor), mozaikmage

Professional sports blogger Sugawara Koushi writes an article about a volleyball match that bears special meaning to him and his former kouhai: a showdown between Kitagawa Daiichi and Yukigaoka Middle School, ten years after the teams faced off for the first time. He doesn't plan on capturing the attention of the world of sports journalism, and he certainly doesn't expect himself to end up having a thing for one of the coaches involved, one Iwaizumi Hajime.

(Time-Skip, I loved it)

___

KuroTsuki (Kuroo x Tsukishima)

1. Invictus by Chiru

Kuroo T. » So let me get this straight (gay?) Kuroo T. » You want me to pretend to be your perfect and fabulous boyfriend, so that your little freckled friend will stop trying to set you up with cute little highschool girls? Tsukishima Kei » yes Kuroo T. » Aha. Tsukishima Kei » you'll do it? Kuroo T. » I don't know. I missed the part where I get something out of it. Tsukishima Kei » you get to annoy me. Unfortunately Kuroo T. » Tempting, Tsukki, very tempting indeed.

(Fake/Pretend Relationship, some fluff, some angst, i read this in the middle of the night and cried, fortunately happy ending)

2. hold onto hope if you got it by nekolyssi

"Now, in the beginning of their third year of high school, the obnoxious hollering and incessant spirit of his teammates became normalcy to Kei. And now, normalcy is this. Weekly psych meetings. Pharmacy waiting rooms. Prescriptions. Refusal of prescriptions. More prescriptions."

(Not finished yet but yep prolly gonna put this one to one of those best haikyuu fics ive ever read. I wasnt so interested at first but i really like the idea of mental ilness etc, this is g o o d!!)

3. [KuroTsuki Fest Week 2017] Traces by Heartythrills 

Kuroo’s disappeared for a little over a week now, and suddenly a 4 year old who looks like him appears before Tsukishima’s apartment.

(Age regression, fluff)

4. I swear by xArtemisx

Like the shadow that's by your side I'll be there

"What are you doing here, Tetsu? It's cold." Kei asked softly. Tetsurou smiled. Hearing his name came out of Kei's lips is always music to his ears.

"Nothing. I just came to think that whatever memory we make, may it be happy or sad memories, the bright moon and the starry night sky is always there to be the witness. Did you notice?" The alpha answered and Kei nodded. He also noticed it.

"Yes, I did noticed it."

(I love agony and sad ending....)

5. Honeybee by ClosetGoblin

Tsukishima has trouble sleeping one night during a Third Gym Camping Trip. So, he takes his acoustic guitar and passes the time with some music, and gets a visitor. Maybe he doesn't mind Kuroo's voice as he does the screeching that Lev and Hinata call singing.

(Simple but sweet)

6. Say You Like Me by the_madame21

It's been three months. And Tsukishima Kei is going to see Kuroo Tetsurou.

(light angst and.. s m u t. Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamic)

7. trying to get to you by mytsukkishine

Everything came crashing down on Kuroo when Kei had left him alone with nothing but the moon shining down on him.

Wherein, Kuroo was struggling to move on and decided that he wouldn't mind being with Kei again.

(sad beginning? yes. sad ending? y e s. you’re a masochist? come get your juice)

8. Please Hold by ThemooncatFandoms

Kei was expecting Kuroo to do one of two things; Send a text to the office saying that they will have to call back another time and continue what they started, or excuse himself from Kei to answer the call, which was most likely. He shouldn’t have been surprised when Kuroo does neither of those things.

(short but hot. what’s hotter than quiet sex?)

___

Ushijima x Oikawa

1. This Insignificant Pride and Prejudice by Mysecretfanmoments, Pouler (poulerslashes)

Oikawa Tooru graduated high school with the burning desire to succeed in his college career. He'd hoped that might include taking down his arch-nemesis along the way, but when he finds that his college team hosts an offensively familiar face, he can't help but think that the universe might be conspiring against him. After all, what could be worse than playing on the same team as Ushijima?

(It was funny for me reading oikawa/ushijima fic with that “you should’ve come to Shiratorizawa” joke at first but somehow i found this one... endearing :3, cute poor ushiwaka)

___

Atsumu x Nishinoya

1. All the things I love about Yuu by KilluCoulomb

Atsumu Miya is fixated in Nishinoya. The way the boy acts, talks, plays. He Carefully observes from afar, but he slowly warms up to the Libero. Friendship becomes more and more intimate. Atsumu realizes Nishinoya is not that simple guy he met three years ago. And he loves it.

(pro volleyball players AU)

2. i'll see you then by noyabeans (snowdrops)

Nishinoya Yuu and Miya Atsumu build a rivalry and something more.

“Oh, it's Karasuno’s libero,” he says, mildly surprised to see Nishinoya’s face staring back at him from the brochure, grinning wide with his arms folded over his chest.

Contains spoilers for the current manga arc, up to chapter 380.

[seventfics]

Prickly Urchin

Written for @witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

Prompt: Cursed Relationships: Emhyr var Emreis/Sigismund Dijkstra Rating: T (Swearing Language) Content Warnings: None Summary: Few people still alive can say they've met the emperor before his ascension to the Nilfgaardian throne. A young Count Sigismund Dijkstra is one of them. It's just that neither of them knew.

Read on AO3

* * *

“Ah, my friends. Let me introduce you to Count Sigismund.”

Three old gentlemen turn from their muted conversation to look at him—look up at him. Rare to find a man taller than himself, and today is not that day. Dijkstra keeps his smile pleasant as the eldest of the bunch gives him a firm handshake with a not-so-kind side-eye to his build.

This is the first of his ‘courtly’ parties.

In Dijkstra’s mind, the party is merely reconnaissance. In such small and comfortable confines, he can overhear the concerns of the noble elite as they are being spoken aloud, and not from a spy’s penned cipher. He can make note of their political conflicts with each other, their plans for retirement, and if any of it involves the Redanian crown.

He is an agent first. Count is just what the king has chosen him honorable of, and one more weapon to add to his slowly-expanding network.

Of course, attending personally means actually having to mingle and talk with the peacocking arseholes, which is a fucking pain in the bollocks.

He hates the attention his height affords him in times like these. Being noticed means more people bother him with questions and curiosities. But, it also brings whispers to him, names to remember and investigate later.

Adapting is part of a spy's job.

“I’m a humble servant of the king,” he tells the few who look to be snooping too closely at his unfamiliar presence.

“I am a lettered man of Oxenfurt,” he tells the ones who are searching for a status to preen about.

The rest simply get his name, and the evening fest continues.

He doesn’t care about what the evening is about. The important people, the connections, the information—that’s all that matters. Not the distasteful night’s attraction.

"You must stay for midnight, Sigismund. I've a delightful surprise planned for rare auction."

"Is that so?"

The rich love their parties, he knows, and oh how they love a little risqué presentation to end the night.

He is aware of what attending such a fete would also do to his reputation, but that is why, just as they bring out the girls who look too young to be drinking the chilled wine, he slips away into darkened hallways. No one will remember his face among the partying crowd. After a few rounds of drinks, no one will remember the face of the person that sat next to them all night. And he is counting on that.

Most of the guests have been asked to stay confined to the great hall, with servants moving in and out of special doors that connect to the residence’s kitchens. Dijkstra had been tracking the timing of the servant rotations, waiting for the right opportunity to slip through so his evening could start.

The manor is enormous, full of halls and a dozen small rooms, each with their own designated purpose. A book reading room. A letter reading room. A room that appears to be a library, with all of its books covered in dust as if no one’s moved them in a decade. Certainly the lord of the house has too much time in his fucking hands to have a room dedicated to books he won’t read.

Still, Dijkstra makes note of everything in his mental map. Such a place would rarely get visitors, none but a snoop like him on a night like this.

How strange though. A useless, dusty room for a dozen and more servants to ignore. The rest of the house looks so spotless. Smells like secrets get whispered inside these walls.

As he runs fingers through the spine of a book he recognizes from his old Oxenfurt days, he notices the uniform arc of furniture scraping the floor from repeated movement.

He never could resist a secret.

* * *

Of course he also hates musty cellar air worse than dust.

The side of the library’s shortest bookcase gave way to a slim doorway, one he had to squeeze through with effort. “Of–fuckin’–course there’s a bloody fuckin’ cellar under the fuckin’ richman’s house,” he says, mostly under his breath in case there’s someone at the other end of the sconce-lit hall. “It’s practically required decor. Need to make bloody note of that when I hire a mason for my own godsdamned manor...”

He slows at the small cells that emerge between shadows. There is a bear chained against the floor in one of them.

No—not a bear. Dijkstra squints in the lowlight. It’s long-limbed and man-shaped, with a net of spikes, or quills, sprouting out of its head and back.

Well, well. What a curious prize to have stashed away, is his intrigued train of thought.

The lock clicks when he inspects it, but the thing snaps its teeth at his fingers—suddenly close enough to grab him through the bars—and he is forced to push back to avoid losing a healthy digit. He can’t help the angry, “fuck off,” that comes out of reflex.

After its failed lunge, the creature assumes a defensive crouch. Although the chains keep it from scurrying to a dark corner, it still manages to create a significant distance where Dijkstra cannot touch it or its chain.

Strangely sharp eyes never move off of him, even from behind the shield of a wooly arm.

Dijkstra sniffs, and immediately grimaces at the damp, underground smell attacking his senses. “You’re a cursed thing, aren’t you. Smart. Maybe human once. Well,” he scowls harder at the grime and the pitiful secret inside a richman’s cellar, “you’re lucky I've no interest in mangy pets. I’ve also no taste for pointless cruelty and by the look of things upstairs, that's what's going to happen. So if you’re smart enough to understand a single fucking word I’m saying, get your spiney arse over here so I can pick the bloody lock of that chain.”

The creature stares at him for a gobsmacked, godsdamned minute. A minute that he feels inch by with building sweat, dreading an eavesdropper or worse, the lord coming down to poke and prod at its prize before his little midnight 'auction.'

Slowly, the creature slinks closer, the chain rattling as quietly as chains allow.

Dijkstra blinks to himself. So it is smart.

“I was never here,” he starts, turning the picks almost blindly, “I got lost on the way to the fucking loo, did three circles around the central room. I didn’t see or hear anything about a prickly arse man kept in a basement. I’m not a party person, and I hate competition.”

He mutters his alibi uselessly to the mute creature, with no sarcastic input or snappy retort. It's surprisingly trusting and patient, for an overgrown urchin that has no reason to trust a man he’s never met, especially given the circumstance.

“Phil is going to laugh at me,” Dijkstra continues under his breath anyway, “I came for intrigue and left because the most interesting thing in this house will probably get me killed to have discovered.”

“Thank you.”

Dijkstra raises his hands in mock surprise. “So it speaks.”

As if to be contrary, the urchin man keeps his silence again. Now absurdly sardonic of him. He should be kissing Dijkstra’s foot.

“If that's all, scram.”

The urchin man stands to its full height, which is considerably tall among most men, though not even close to Dijkstra’s imposing build. Not that it seems to be intimidated.

“I won't forget this,” it says, voice heavy with gravitas.

Dijkstra snorts. “You should.”

* * *

Years down the line, Karma finally catches up to the great Redanian Spymaster.

It was only a matter of time. It caught up to Radovid first. Now the Black Sun flies over the Redanian capital.

As a self-serving man, Dijkstra worked for and against both sides of the war. He held no regrets, certainly not for any kings whose heads might have rolled and paved way for better allies and stronger ties to him. He is aware of how an emperor might find that threatening. He’s not like Vernon fucking Roche, who is the most loyal, most frustratingly oath-keeping man he's met.

An enemy to the empire’s will, Dijkstra is brought before the emperor himself. In chains, of course. Can’t have an audience without fucking theatrics. He would do the same.

As he is herded through Foltest’s halls—bastard rest in peace—he is brought to a small staircase, one he takes slowly for his bone-aching leg.

“His Imperial Majesty Emhyr var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd, Lord of Metinna...”

Dijkstra zones out half through the list. He is the tallest man in the room and still his eyes fix themselves on the ground, weary from being herded around half the damn Continent only to be sentenced to death the proper bureaucratic way. At the marked end of the final title, he bothers to look up and sees an ordinary man emblazoned in black robes, red brocade, and gold chains.

And strangely sharp eyes.

He’s hit with a feeling like he’s seen them before, even though it should be impossible. A faded memory nearly rewritten itself into uneventful obscurity crawls out of the abyss.

The emperor stands. An unusual occurrence, going by the startled attention of the guards.

He looks at the spymaster but doesn’t say anything besides a short, apparently cut off, “you.”

Dijkstra has got to give it to him. The bastard gathers himself to gesture naturally really well. He might have even fallen for it, if he hadn’t already caught the wide look in those familiar eyes.

“You are the infamous Sigismund Dijkstra. Or is it Sigi Reuven now?”

“I like the sound of Reuven better.”

The dead silence tells him he broke protocol by not finishing with the obligatory, ‘your imperial majesty.’ More bureaucratic bullcrap that will get him hanged faster.

But the emperor simply blinks. And rounds the table to stand before him.

Dijkstra carefully keeps still, his back straight as it can be with how his busted knee bothers him. Then the emperor says something in Nilfgaardian, and the guards holding his arms behind his back retreat to the doors. Finally, he can put weight off of his cursed leg.

The room wordlessly clears at the emperor's raised hand.

It’s only in the forced privacy that he is spoken to again, with a very cryptic, “I never forget the favors I owe.”

The memory barrels through his tired brain like a horse-drawn carriage without a rider.

“You don’t owe me shite,” he says with a sniff. That urchin—that fucking urchin man he spared one ounce of pity that night. Became emperor of the godsdamned world.

From rags to riches, he thinks almost hysterically.

Emhyr lifts an eyebrow. “Are you sure you do not want an emperor’s favor?”

Well. When he puts it like that.

"Considering what these fun little trinkets promise," Dijkstra emphasizes with the rattling of chains, "I'm not so sure what I can do with that favor."

Now they're in familiar ground. Deals and offers and counteroffers—and the urchin emperor speaks the language like a fluent native.

Dijkstra keeps his eyes level with Emhyr's as the man circles him round calmly. He doesn't turn his head to follow where he steps. He doesn't need to. It's his ears that must stay alert and attentive to the words chosen for delivery.

“You danced around my agents and my own spymaster like they were children fumbling in the dark." Emhyr pauses to round him again but in the opposite direction. His profile is the very portrait of his imperial likeness painted and sold across the Continent. The artist of those really captured his stare. Respectful and arrogant at the same time. "You made a powerful enemy, Mister Reuven, and you've made yourself quite the competitor in the Redanian scene. But perhaps we can talk and see where our disagreements lie.”

“Disagreements? Light way to put it.” He scoffs, but there is no denying how bloody curious he is to test how far a favor from the emperor will reach. “Sure, I'll be amenable to a talk.”

* * *

When he tells Roche, the fucking vassal lord of Temeria just standing around the corner of the throne room, he laughs at the answering disgruntled, constipated face.

“You saved the emperor when he was a cursed urchin, and now you’re the collared prick at his beck and call?”

“Says the whoreson who gave him Temeria wrapped in a pretty bow.” Dijkstra sighs. Roche sighs too, but his is more soulful. “Ah, fuck it. We both gave him the rest of the world on a silver platter.”

“You don’t sound that angry about that.”

There is a creeping truth to those words. A spy adapts, and he is adapting to the current lay of the land and its rules.

Dijkstra taps his newly acquired cane on the polished floor, remembering a shady party and the cellar with an urchin man with too-sharp eyes. What would have happened, had he not freed the beast? Would the world be under a different iron fist, a crueler fist? Would it have all burned down already, with neither him nor Roche alive to bicker about it? Would it have been peaceful, with no room for spywork like his?

“Maybe I wanna see this through.”

He always did love the challenge of an abstruse, unreadable mind to win over. Kings were one thing, but an emperor?

His thoughts must be written plain as day on his face, as Roche looks at him like he's struggling between throttling him, or diving neck first into a clear bottle of Nilfgaardian Lemon.

[foilfreak]

Headcannons for my favorite One Punch Man rarepair: Golden Ball x Spring Mustachio

Both joined the Hero Association around the same time and knew of each other in passing, due to living in the same city, but didn’t officially meet until about 8 months in, and as a result of that, these two did NOT like each other at all during those first 8 months. Spring Mustachio thought Golden Ball was just another crass and reckless delinquent using heroism as a legal outlet for violence, and Golden Ball thought Spring Mustachio was an entitled rich boy who was probably paying his way up the hero ranks. When the two heroes were finally forced to formally introduce themselves to one another at the first annual Hero Association banquet, or some other equivalently pointless publicity stunt the Associacion probably put on at some point or another, they were shocked to find just how wrong their initial judgments of one another actually were.

Despite Golden Ball’s appearance, what with the bleach-blonde hair, slightly baggy clothes, tall, muscular frame, and the lollipops that Spring Mustachio correctly guesses are a substitute for cigarettes, Golden Ball is actually incredibly intelligent, having earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering (this particular headcanon is inspired by @batneko) from a highly prestigious university (currently considering going back for his PhD if he can save up the money), and all of his signature weapons are his own personal inventions. Likewise, Spring Mustachio, despite having the appearance and persona of someone who grew up having everything handed to him on a silver platter, had long ago rejected the escalator to success his parents had offered him in the form of taking over as head of their family business, in favor of going out on his own to explore the world and everything it had to offer, mastering the art of swordsmanship and opening his own restaurant (where even after hiring a decent sized staff, he still took up menial tasks such as washing dishes and serving guests) along the way.

After getting to know each other at that first meeting, the two heroes became surprisingly fast friends, their personalities mixing rather well together on top of having many shared interested, and even began hanging out outside of their hero duties, where they already spent a considerable amount of time together considering how frequently the Association paired them together for missions. Most of their time outside of work was spent at Spring Mustachio’s restaurant, engaging in casual, slightly teasing conversation over onion rings and a couple rounds of beer after a long day of hero work. Later on into their friendship however, it became much more common for Golden Ball to also come into the restaurant during the day to bother the older man during his shift, not that Spring Mustachio minded the company one bit, especially if it meant having a couple of extra hands available to dry the dishes he’d just washed. It eventually got to the point where it was pretty much common knowledge throughout the city that if Golden Ball wasn’t out on a patrol or sent away on a mission for the Association, the first place you ought to check if you’re looking for him would be Spring Mustachio’s. Likewise if it’s Spring Mustachio you’re looking for and the restaurant is a no-go, try your hand at getting ahold of Golden Ball, cuz wherever he is, chances are that Spring Mustachio is standing right next to him. Its a wonder how the whole city doesn’t start assuming the two are dating when they begin referring to each other as ‘Gold’ and ‘Spring’, during hero work, and exclusively by their first names when off the clock.

The two heroes remain nothing more than close friends for full year after their first meeting, and while both had developed more-than-friendly feelings for one another over that time, neither were planning on doing anything about it, not wanting unrequited feelings to potentially ruin the incredible friendship they’d formed, among the other internal struggles that come with accepting that you’re attracted to other men in a society that, although no longer criminalizes homosexuality, definitely still doesn’t view it in a positive light by any means. Spring Mustachio has been in the closet his whole life and plans to keep it that way to avoid the potential social backlash. Golden Ball on the other hand didn’t realize he was bisexual until grad school and has since only managed to work up the courage to come out to his (thankfully incredibly supportive) family and closest childhood friends. Needless to say neither of them were in the headspace to even think about confessing, especially when they had so much to lose should it not go well, and both heroes were content to simply let their feelings die out over time if it meant that their friendship would remain intact.

Things change however, when Golden Ball’s place gets totally trashed in a monster attack, and the younger man finds himself staying with Spring Mustachio at his house until it can be repaired. Now not only do both men have to deal with their budding feelings for one another, but they also have to deal with their budding feelings for one another while also figuring out how to coexist in the same space, made even more interesting by the fact that Golden Ball has two pitbulls, Gizmo and Tonka, and Spring Mustachio isn’t the biggest fan of dogs (spoiler: Spring Mustachio falls in love with the sweet little puppers and spoils them absolutely rotten, much to Golden Ball’s amusement). Over the couple of months it takes for Golden Ball’s apartment to be fixed the men learn several things about each other that never would have come to light in any other context, including, but not limited to: Spring Mustachio’s extensive collection of alcohol bottles from all the drink’s he’s tried over the years (and of course all the stories that come with those bottles), Golden Ball’s horrific nicotine addiction being the result of an undiagnosed anxiety disorder that got BAD toward the end of undergrad and was forced to come to an end when he had a heart attack at 25, the tumultuous relationship Spring Mustachio has had with his family (specifically his parents) since breaking away from the plan they had created for him, the fact that Golden Ball is easily the biggest nerd that Spring Mustachio has ever met (and probably the smartest too), the brief run Spring Mustachio had as a competitive fencer in his early 30s that Golden Ball thinks he should get back into, the adorable way Golden Ball talks to his dogs when he thinks no one is listening, and so much more.

These things of course only cause their feelings to worsen and the situation just continues to spiral out of control from there. Im torn over whether I want them to actually get together in like a nice, mature way, like they ultimately end up talking abou their feelings to just get them off their chests, you know like adults, or if i want them to confess after getting into a huge fight, like maybe one of them got really hurt and some things they didnt actually mean were said and so they didn’t talk for a bit but then they end up tracking each other down and confessing after the tension finally snaps or something like that. I’ll leave that up for you all to decide but what i will say is that they get together just as Golden Ball’s apartment is finished being rebuilt, but with his lease being up at the end of the month and having already settled rather comfortably at Spring Mustachio’s place, he decides not to renew the lease and just stay where he is, much to Spring Mustachio’s delight.

As for their families, Spring Mustachio tells only his older sister and younger brother, who are confused, but ultimately supportive and happy that their brother found someone he truly loved and wanted to be with. His parents end up finding out somehow and while they aren’t exactly thrilled about it when they first learn that their eldest son is dating another man nearly 20 years his junior, they are, to their credit, polite and avoid making any inappropriate comments on the rare occasions he and Golden Ball do agree to visit the estate for dinner. Golden Ball initially only tells his parents, but things rarely stay secret for very long in his family, and not even a week goes by before his grandparents are calling asking if he’ll be bringing his new boyfriend to the cookout at the end of the month. Spring Mustachio has a fantastic time meeting the plethora of grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and close family friends that make up Golden Ball’s wonderfully lively family, though he does end up getting thrown into the pool by Golden Ball’s older brothers at some point, as is custom treatment for “new members” of the family. He doesn’t seem to mind all that much, especially when Golden Ball’s mother finally breaks out the baby pictures and he gets to coo over how adorably plump his boyfriend was as an infant, much to said boyfriend’s growing embarrassment.

For professionalism’s sake they decide to keep the relationship on the dl and though the two are rarely seen apart, they save the more intimate moments and actions for behind closed doors. No need to give the press an excuse to start shit.

Let me know what you think of my headcanons and what your headcanons are for this rarepair if you have any!!!

[goldencursive]

Chapter Two: 1965 words

Title: bro, will you be my bro forever, bro?

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Kaminari Denki/Sero Hanta, Kaminari Denki & Sero Hanta

Characters: Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Uraraka Ochako, Ashido Mina, Hagakure Tooru, Midoriya Izuku, Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki

Additional Tags: BNHA Rarepair Week 2021, Fake/Pretend Relationship, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Humor, or At Least an Attempt at Humor, Carnival, Meet the Family, a wedding wheeee, its not kamisero's lol, POV Kaminari Denki, POV Sero Hanta, POV Alternating, Mutual Pining

Summary:

alternatively titled: five times denki and hanta pretend to boyfriends and one time they actually are

“Brooooo, look at that!” Eijirou’s excited voice calls from ahead. The Bakusquad were hanging out at the fair during a rare day of relaxation. Most of the other members of their class are scattered around the fairgrounds somewhere, but right now, the five of them - minus Kyouka, who’s on a date with Yaomomo - are standing in front of a small contest stage.

“Wow,” Hanta remarks. “That is a giant Pikachu plushie.” Denki gapes at it. It’s in a sitting position, arms out, face beaming. It’s as big as he is. He wants it.

“I want it,” Denki announces out loud. “It looks so soft and cute and huggable. Can you imagine the cuddles you could get out of it?”

The Pikachu is sitting close enough to the front of the stage that they could touch it if they want to. Well, if they had really long arms. Like, arms twice as long as their legs, while holding one of those claw grabber thingys.

Okay, maybe they can’t touch it, but still. They can see it close up in its full, fluffy glory.

“Hey, you guys admiring our Pikachu plushie?” A bubbly girl with bright green hair pops up from behind it. “You can win it from our contest! Couples only, starts in an hour. I can give you a sign up sheet if you want it.”

Denki turns to Hanta immediately, because he might not have a boyfriend, but he does have a best friend who he’s totally not crushing on what do you mean and who owes him so many favors for charging his phone. “Hanta, bro, please. I have never wanted anything more in my life.”

Mina snickers and drapes her arm around him. “Didn’t you say that last week about the cake Sato made?”

“His cakes are like heaven and angel tears rolled up in the burrito of the gods, okay? Don’t judge me, Kiri said the same thing.” Denki crosses his arms, pouting. “Anyways, I have never wanted anything more in my life, Hanta, please help me.”

Katsuki smacks Denki in the back of the head (but nowhere near as hard as he would have in first year because they’re totally friends now, no matter how much he likes to deny it). “Idiot, you didn’t even see what kind of fucking contest it is. Don’t just jump into it without being prepared.”

“Says you,” Mina snickers.

“Oi, you wanna die?!”

“I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me,” she answers playfully, ducking behind Eijirou.

While Eijirou tries to defuse the Bakubomb, Denki turns to the sign next to the Pikachu. “How well do you know your partner?” he reads. “Hey, that doesn’t sound too hard! We know each other pretty well, I think,” he says, turning to Hanta. Although he’s not sure the kind of information he knows, like how Hanta still sleep with a blanket his mom made

“I mean, it’ll be fun,” shrugs the taller boy. “I’m down.”

Denki cheers, and accepts a sheet from the girl. “Let’s gooooo.”

<><><><><>

An hour later, they’re sitting across from each other with a whiteboard in their hands. The three couples sit at tables arranged in a row with the two hosts in front of them and the prize Pikachu on a raised pedestal behind them.

“All right, let’s get started!” cries the bubbly girl from earlier. “I’m Hina and this is Yumi.” She gestures to the pink haired girl beside her, who cheerfully waves to the crowd gathered in front of the stage. “This is our ‘How Well Do You Know Your Partner’ contest for couples. It’s a lot harder than you’d think! We host this every day at the same time, so if you wanna participate but missed out today, you can always come back tomorrow! Now, can we get some introductions from our couples? We’ll start with you two,” she says, gesturing to the couple on the right of Denki and Hanta, a shy looking boy and brown haired girl.

They wave to the audience, introducing themselves as Yui and Haruto. “We’ve been together for over a year now, so I’m certain we’ll win!” the girl, Yui, says, smiling.

“All right, long term relationships are the best for this kind of contest! How about you guys?” Hina continues, gesturing to Denki and Hanta.

“What up, people? I’m Denki, and this is Hanta, my best bro and the love of my life.” Denki gives Hanta a dopey smile that’s not hard to fake because it’s not fake, and playfully bats his eyelashes, making Hanta crack up.

“Bro, stop, you’re going to make me blush in front of all these people,” Hanta says between snickers.

“What a lovely relationship! We love the ones where you can play around with your partners,” Hina says with a grin. “Now, what about the last couple?”

“I’m Ayaka and my girlfriend is Sora,” grins a girl with hair red enough to rival Eijirou’s. “We’re just here for the Pikachu!” Her girlfriend smacks her arm for being so blunt, but Ayaka’s grin doesn’t falter.

“That’s right! Our lovely prize, a giant stuffed Pikachu plushie, will be in the possession of whoever wins our contest! Now, our rules.” Hina looks over to her partner, who smoothly jumps in.

“The rules are simple: we’ll ask twelve questions of varying difficulties. Each of our contestants have a different color based on the seat they sit in, red or blue. We’ll direct our questions to either color. For example, if we ask Blue what Red’s favorite color is, Blue will write their guess on their board, while Red writes the correct answer on theirs. You’ll have thirty seconds to answer the question. Everybody got it?” She looks back at the contestants, who all nod back at her.

“Then let’s get started!” smiles Hina. “First question: what is Blue’s favorite food?”

Okay, blue, that’s Hanta. Denki looks down at his whiteboard, thinking. The first two things that pop to mind are oranges and soy bean flavored food. But which does he like better? Can he write down both? Is that allowed?

“Ten seconds!” Yumi calls. Ok, no time to agonize over it. Denki quickly scribbles ‘soy bean flavored stuff’ down. Hanta drinks soy bean milk all the time and hardly ever steals Denki’s orange juice, unlike SOME people who shall remain unnamed (cough *mina* cough cough). “Time’s up! Please flip your boards around to show the audience!”

Denki cranes neck to see what Hanta wrote. “Hey, we wrote the same answer word for word,” he says, grinning at Hanta. “High five!”

“Looks like everybody got this question right! Congratulations!” says Yumi. Hina makes a show of adding points to a large whiteboard bearing their names. “Next question: when is Red’s birthday?”

Denki writes a neat “July 29th” on his board, smiling as he remembers the first time they told each other their birthdays. Denki had been so excited to find out that their birthdays were only a month apart.

“All right, another easy point for everybody,” cheers Hina. “Keep it up! The next question: what is Blue’s favorite hobby?”

Favorite hobby, huh? Well, they don’t really have time for any serious hobbies outside of hero-ing, but Denki remembers oohing and aahing with Mina and Eijirou over the beautifully hand-woven rugs and tapestries all over Hanta’s room. His family owns a crafts shop, and Hanta had gotten into weaving that way, saying it was fun playing with the patterns he could create and good stress relief as well. So, weaving then.

“Let’s check out your answers,” Yumi says, calling the time. “Hm, looks like Yui and Haruto are the only ones missing this question.” Yui, sitting in the blue seat, frowns at her boyfriend for getting it wrong, but softens when he murmurs something back.

“I’m surprised you remember I like to weave,” Hanta says, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Denki snorts. “Your room is covered in the stuff. It’s kinda hard to forget.”

The next few questions go by without a hitch for Denki and Hanta. “Hey, we’re doing pretty good,” Hanta says. “We’re the only ones who have a perfect score right now.”

“Heck yeah, that Pikachu’s gonna be mine,” grins Denki. He’s honestly kind of surprised that they were the ones with the perfect streak, even though they weren’t even dating. But he can’t deny the burst of satisfaction that comes with getting each question right, and further cementing their brohood.

“Okay, we’re getting into the last few questions now. Who was Red’s first kiss?” Hina asks deviously.

Aw, shucks, this might actually throw their score off. Denki’s not sure if he’s ever told Hanta who his first kiss was since the guy wasn’t really anybody special. Actually, Denki kinda feels bad for forgetting the dude’s name as he scribbles down “a boy in middle school.” When the timer runs out, Hanta’s board only has a question mark on it, and he smiles sheepishly at Denki.

“Sorry for not knowing,” he says.

“Nah, dude, you couldn’t have known since I never told you,” Denki says, brushing it off. “But, hey, we still have the lead!” he continues, beaming. Hanta returns his smile with a wider one. Honestly, Denki could get drunk off Hanta’s smile, sweet and goofy and always there, like the way All Might’s always smiling, but softer and infinitely cuter.

Get a grip, Denki, he scolds himself. He’s definitely going to notice if you keep staring at him. So he looks towards the two hosts and gets ready to answer the next question.

“What is Red’s weirdest fear?”

Huh. It would be an easy point if the question were biggest fear since it’s common knowledge that Denki hates spiders as much as Katsuki loves swearing, but weirdest fear? Denki has lots of fears, ranging from insects to angry pomeranians (thanks katsuki) to forgetting his homework to Midoriya with no sleep (you’d understand if you saw it). And it has to be one that Hanta knows, so what about...sand foxes.

Okay, listen, Denki knows next to nothing about sand foxes, but he does know that their faces are NOT NATURAL and CREEP HIM OUT, so DON’T laugh at him. Seriously, the first Denki saw one, he couldn’t stop thinking about that face for hours. It still haunts him to this day. And it's definitely a weird fear that Denki complains to Hanta about all the time.

“Alright, let’s see your answers!” Looking around, Denki sees that only he and Hanta got this question.

“Dude, we’re totally gonna win,” Denki whisper-shouts excitedly, leaning into the table. “Look at how far we are compared to everyone else!”

It comes as no surprise, then, that they do end up winning. The contestants line up in front of tables. “Hey, that was a great game! In third place, unfortunately, is Yui and Haruto, with six points.” Kinda strange, that the couple has been together for over a year and they have the lowest score, Denki muses. Meh. Worked out in his favor. “Second place, we have Sora and Ayaka, with eight points. And finally, our winners, Denki and Hanta, with eleven points!”

Denki whoops, turning to give Hanta a high five. The other two couples walk off the stage while Yumi and Hina hand over their prize. “I know this Pikachu is huge and kind of hard to carry, so you can leave it here until you’re ready to leave,” Hina tells them.

“Promise we won’t let anyone steal it,” Yumi adds, winking.

“Nah, I think we have to go now,” Hanta says, shaking his head. They say goodbye to the two ladies and rejoin their waiting friends, carrying the heavier-than-expected plush between them.

“Bro, it’s even bigger up close!” Eijirou raves.

“And it’s so fluffy I’m going to die!” squeals Mina. She strokes it reverently. “Denki, you have to bring it to our next Bakusquad sleepover.”

Denki laughs. “You know it!”

<>

one thing that i couldn't find a proper place to add in: i promise denki's not being inconsiderate in assuming the pikachu all for himself! they had a convo abt it while they were waiting for the contest to start

part one | part three

[junionigiri]

BNHA Rarepair Month - Day 14 - Desire

for @bnha-rarepair-month

Summary: Shinsou watches as Monoma makes them dessert. (Part 0.5 of the Coffee Shop AU)

Relationship: Monoma Neito / Shinsou Hitoshi (MonoShin)

Rating: T

Warnings/Notes: Alternate Title: Dessert First ;) Hot n heavy stuff up ahead but nothing explicit! This is somehow related to the Day 21 AU I’m cooking up lol

Links: AO3 | FFNet

Shinsou Hitoshi thinks he must be going insane.

The scene in front of him is admittedly mundane. Monoma Neito, owner of Monoma's Boulangerie et Patisserie, making desserts. Today, they're in the Shinsou's kitchen at his apartment, and not at the larger one in the blonde's critically-acclaimed bakeshop. Instead of the chef's uniform he wears to work, he wears a simple white polo shirt over rose-coloured Bermuda shorts, with Shinsou's lone purple striped cat apron covering much of the view upfront. His face is one of pure concentration as he expertly whisks one concoction after another.

It's such a rare sight to see Monoma so serious. Even rarer to see him with his mouth closed. So isn't it weird that all Shinsou wants to do is to break his concentration and to have his tongue shoved deep inside that infuriating mouth?

Yep. Shinsou's going insane, because he's spent the past half-hour sitting on the counter, all previous desires of collapsing on his bed and sleeping until he has to wake up for his next 24-hour ER shift dissipating. Instead, he spends more time fully awake, staring at the blonde with as much concentration as he has making them another pretentious French dessert. He hasn't even bothered to change out of his scrub suit, or to pay attention to the cat since he got home from the hospital.

(Well, at least Mackerel isn't paying attention to them either, since Monoma has already fed him. The tabby cat lounges lazily under a bar of sun next to the window, paws curled and twitching. The perfect picture of comfort.)

"There." Monoma places the pan inside the oven and shuts it. He dusts his hands in satisfaction. "Now we wait."

Now that he's out of the zone, the serious look in his eyes are gone. Shinsou huffs at the loss-it's one of his favorite looks on him. Not that Monoma's any less cute with his usual acrid facial expressions, but when he's not being so damn abrasive, man. That boy can sure turn heads.

Right now, though, he snapped back to his default pestiferous mode. The blonde's smirking at him with those steely blue eyes. "So you've been awfully quiet there. Like what you see?"

"Just really weird to see you shut up for once."

He chuckles as Monoma pouts at him. The other boy walks nearer to him, peers up at his tired purple eyes. "My my, Dr. Shinsou. Here I am slaving away in the kitchen to feed your starving ass and all you have for me is verbal abuse. Aren't you just shameless?"

"Sure," the purple-haired man retorts. Because it goads him to come closer. "I only spent the past few weeks saving lives and making a difference and all that heroic shit. Maybe being a little shameless in front of the most shameless man on the face of this doomed planet is what I deserve after all that."

Monoma raises a blonde eyebrow at that remark. "My hero," he says mockingly.

Shinsou smirks. There's a split second that he sees Monoma's eyes widen just a fraction, as he realizes too late what's about to happen. In the next, seamlessly, he sneaks into his mind and grabs hold of it.

In the next instant, Monoma's face is free of any traces of that teasing derision, or any other expression for that matter. Shinsou likes this look on him just as much-he doesn't get a lot of opportunities to use his quirk anywhere, and to use it on this man who actually enjoys slipping under mind control just makes him giddy.

"Now, chef, you spent all morning making a mess in my kitchen." He's spent a lot of effort not to look too giddy though, even as he feels the thrill watching the way Monoma is just staring at him quietly, like a pet, waiting on his next command. He knows that having that deadpan look on his face drives the blonde crazy. And he wants him to go extra crazy today.

Shinsou picks up one of the bowls on the counter, one filled with the still-softened mixture of white chocolate and cream. He dips two fingers in the mixture, gathers a generous serving of it that drips down up to his wrist, and holds it up in front of him. "Clean this off. With your mouth."

Monoma obliges. He uses two hands to hold on to Shinsou's hand and obediently starts licking the chocolate off slowly. Tortuously. Using just the very tip of his tongue to take minuscule dollops of the liquid from his fingers. His eyes are blank, but they're staring right into his, almost challengingly. Figures that the first person who figures out how to be sly even under mind control would be him.

"That's not gonna get it clean enough," he drawls as boredly as he can. "Come on. Give it all you've got."

Not breaking his disconcerting eye contact, Monoma takes the mess in his mouth and starts sucking. He makes an agonizingly good show of hollowing his cheeks and taking his fingers up to his knuckles. He runs his tongue at his palm, the sides of his wrists, covering his bare skin generously with warm breaths. His hands grip his wrists a little tighter in his best efforts.

"There. Good, Neito." His free hand reaches out to the other man's head to caress those soft, golden locks. He knows that Monoma enjoys this, enjoys it even more to hear his name in that low purr that Shinsou uses when they're alone. He knows, too, that if he isn't under mind control, he'd be leaning in closer to his touch, just like a cat.

But Shinsou's feeling like a bit of an S today-he doesn't feel like giving Monoma what he really wants. At least, not so easily. Besides, the kitchen's still a bleedin' mess. Also, he's really effin' sleep-deprived. Mid-stroke, instead of a gentle caress, he suddenly pulls on Monoma's hair. With a yelp and a pop of his lips from Shinsou's fingers, he snaps out of mind control and looks at him, bewildered.

"What the-"

Shinsou also likes the pure, unaltered look of offense on that pretty blonde face. He chuckles, turns around and begins walking towards his room. "Later. Clean up the kitchen first. I'm going to take a nap."

Even though he does good on his promise not to use his quirk to make Monoma do chores, the blonde is still awfully pissed off. He enjoys the way he practically hears Monoma pout behind him. "You're such a bastard, Shinsou."

"I'm tired. I've every right to be a bastard," he drawls absently, then feels himself freeze mid-stride. His mind goes blank as he feels the familiar tightening at the center of his mind once Monoma takes over.

Oh shit.

"Like I'm letting you get away from me like that, Doctor Shinsou. I haven't seen you in 3 weeks," he hears him say smugly. "Now turn around and come back to me."

Shinsou calmly does just that. He stands in the small space between Monoma and the counter, instantly feels the warm tickle of the other man's breath on the skin of his neck. Feels the devious stare boring holes right into him.

He has the bowl of chocolate and cream on one hand. Shinsou watches with interest as he dips his whole entire hand in the bowl, entirely covering the skin of all of his fingers, his palm, the skin of his forearm. "I'm sorry for making such a mess," he says, his voice a cloying sing-song as he puts the mess over his own cheek in false contemplation, "… but I think I need your help cleaning this all off. With your mouth, if you please."

Even with the mischievous look in his fox-like eyes, Shinsou thinks it looks ridiculous. He would have laughed out loud if he weren't under mind control. Still, he obeys him. He licks the cream off his fingers, feels the sticky concoction on his cheeks and over his own fingers as he holds onto his arm. He doesn't know if he's able to top the absolutely obscene look Monoma gave him earlier when he did the same thing. Although, the way the blonde's biting his lower lip is a good indication that he might be close to that.

He isn't even done with the hand when Monoma takes it away from him and pulls him closer, so he can start working on his face. With his captured mind, Shinsou obediently licks chocolate off his face. He's a little annoyed at how they're making a bigger mess of the kitchen and each other, with the sticky mixture getting all over the counter and all over their skin and hair and his beloved purple cat apron, but any impulse to fight against Monoma's control dies down with each hungry moan that comes out of those thin lips.

"Mmhm, Hitoshi," he purrs, as the tip of his tongue cleans off the corner of his mouth. "Come a little closer."

All pretense of cleaning totally gone, their mouths come for each other, all tongues and teeth and hunger. By this time, Monoma has let go of his mind, and the only thing stopping Shinsou from putting a stop to this is his own, out-of-control desire to keep on tasting him.

And taste him he does. He flips them over so that the smaller boy's back is against the counter, so that there's a little more stability as he continues to ravage his mouth and the skin of his neck and collarbone. The weeks passed by him stupidly quick because of how busy it is at the ER, and he only remembers just how long 3 weeks without Monoma is now that he's writhing under his touch.

Their mouths separate with a loud sound as they spend a moment catching their breaths. "Hey," Shinsou says, staring right into Monoma's eyes and swollen lips. "I missed you, Neito."

His fox-like eyes look up at him, equal parts tender and smug. "And you were gonna sleep on me."

All he wants now is to bite that smart mouth, but before he's able to, the oven dings. Simultaneously, they turn to the appliance, each giving it a dirty look for all the good it does them. Monoma exhales loudly and gently pushes Shinsou off of him.

"Well, that's that. Dessert first." As much as he loves Shinsou, he loves desserts just as much. He moves for one of the potholders hanging along the wall, when Shinsou takes a hold of his wrist and effortlessly pulls him back in his arms.

Monoma makes a sound of protest, complains something about the creme brullee overcooking in the oven, but he shuts him up with another kiss. His tongue works its way inside his sweet mouth once more as he lifts the smaller boy by the waist.

"Hitoshi," Monoma says warningly. Despite that, though, his legs go around his trunk and his thin arms go around his neck. Shinsou inhales all the sweet scents gratefully and smiles against his messy chest.

"What? You said dessert first."

With an impish smile on his face, he carries his weakly protesting, chocolate-covered lover into the showers.

[clarkgriffon]

The 100 ask/tag game!

via: “Hiatus is long. I am bored. Let’s ask each other some questions!” (<– question list at the link)

Tagged by @iishallbelieve <3

1. Which character should teach you how to sword fight? I’m in between Bellamy and Indra because Bellamy is y’know... Bellamy, but I think I’d have to go with Indra just for the tenure. This is what she does.

2. Alie or Diyoza? Diyoza, certainly. ALIE’s not very redeemable whereas Diyoza is my Gen-Z queen.

3. You can watch the next season together with one character, who died in a previous season. Who do you choose? WELLS JAHA. We’d sit together watching S6 and bond over loving Clarke and knowing she deserves more.

4. What would you give your favourite character as a birthday present?

Can I give Clarke the gift of love, support, and peace of mind? Okay, if not that, something artsy fartsy for her to use, but beyond pencils or paper or paint or whatever, something fancy she’s never gotten to use before.

5. Your 5 favourite friendship moments? The first five that come to mind are…

Clarke and Raven hug in 2x05, “Sucks, but I’m dealing with it”

Jonty High Fives (all of them)

Harper comforts Emori in 5x03

Wells and Clarke watching football in the flashbacks

Bellamy and Raven in Season 5, “How many phDs does great grandpappy blake have?”

6. Moments that made you temporarily dislike characters, you usually like? Bellamy’s decision to put the flame in Madi made me temporarily dislike him, as well as Clarke’s decision to stay in Polis in early s3. Also all of Raven’s actions in 5x12.

7. Moments that made you like characters, you usually dislike? Kane’s quest for peace in S3 and being willing to work with the grounders made me like him more, all ALIE scenes were just so iconically acted even though I didn’t like her, I liked watching it.

8. Favourite Skaikru outfit? Clarke in the gray henley from Season 1. You know the one. Also Clarke’s jacket from 4x13/S5.

9. Favourite Grounder outfit? I loved Bellamy in Azgedan gear; also Lexa in the Commander’s big suit thing with the red sash that Octavia also wore for a hot second in Season 4 or 5. Oh, and idk if this is “grounder gear” but the blue jacket with the cross strap Clarke rocks in S2.

10. Grounder, Skaikru, Mountain Men or Wonkru aesthetic? Skaikru.

11. Favourite Trigedasleng quote? Ai gonplei ste oden.

12. A character you’re completely indifferent about? At this point Kane. I liked him in S1 when he was the pseudo-antagonist, but S2 onwards he’s fizzled for me.

13. A character you want to like, but just can’t? Maya! I know she was a fan fave in Season 2 but every time I watch I just can’t connect with her.

14. Resurrect 3 of your favourite characters and kill off 3 of your favourite characters in exchange. Oooh, okay, I’ll resurrect Monty, Harper, and Lincoln and kill... Diyoza, Shaw, and Miller in exchange.

15. Favourite season aesthetic? In between S1 and S2, I love the scenery of S1 the most, but outfit and costuming aesthetic-wise, S2 was so well done from the grounders to the Mountain Men to Skaikru assimilating in with the grounders.

16. Favourite soundtrack moments? You know what I’m gonna say. “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” It’s a masterpiece. “Kettering” by the Antlers in 1x13 is also great. Plus anything Tree Adams creates.

17. Favourite warpaint? Lincoln with the smears across his face while being taken by the Mountain Men.

18. Which characters would you want to befriend, if you were a character on The 100? I’ve answered this before and I think Monty and I would get along best.

19. Choose a character to get drunk with. Clarke, for sure. She’d drink me under the table but I’d get to see drunk!Clarke.

20. Would you rather live on the dying Ark or in the Bunker? The dying Ark, who the hell would pick the bunker? The Ark was a managed society with rules and no death arenas...

21. Ride a horse or drive the Rover? I’m not a fan of horse riding or driving, but I actually know how to drive so I’d pick the rover.

22. Who is worse, in your opinion: Dante or Cage Wallace? Cage, absolutely. Dante was interesting and compelling (my favorite villain, actually) because of his complexities, which Cage just lacks. Cage is straight-forward evil dude.

23. If your OTP isn’t canon: how do you want their first kiss to happen? This is actually from an ask I answered ages ago, but I’m just gonna copy/paste what I said because I think it still stands: “They’ll be sitting, maybe joking in That Bellarke Way^tm, and the shot will start as a Medium shot, and then the conversation gets slightly deeper than either of them is really comfortable with after all this time. Bellamy will lean in, slowly, testing if it’s okay, to see if she’ll pull back, and she doesn’t. She lets him kiss her, slow and sweet, and she kisses him back; it’s a close-up shot now. This kiss isn’t the intense middle-of-war type of kiss, but a slow, we-both-know-we’re-in-love-but-we-won’t-say-it-out-loud type of kiss because that’s all they can handle in their current states.”

24. Favorite rare pair? Is Princess Mech a rarepair? I love them, especially in Modern AU. Also, Niytavia.

25. Most badass fight scene? Indra and Bellamy in 5x10 is really good, Anya and Clarke in 2x04 is a contender, also Octavia in S4 where she murders those people with the hatchet.

tagging @talistheintrovert @jordanjaspermcgreen @el-corazon-y-la-cabeza @eyessharpweaponshot @fen-ha-fuck-you @chase-the-windandtouch-the-sky @loveisalwayswise @aainiouu @chants-de-lune this is a long one, so feel free to ignore, or if you want to do it and haven’t been tagged, feel free to say I tagged you!

[starcitysirens]

So.. many... questions...! I found this blog first when looking for all things Sara Lance and then I found your Hellcanary fic when I was looking for any Sara Lance x John Constantine fic (there are surprisingly few) and now I'm trawling through your whole blog again, looking for all things Sara Lance. Again. So what do you like about LoT and what do you hate about LoT? And what do you like about what they've done with Sara and what do you hate? What are your hopes/fears for the future?

Hey there! Ah, Hellcanary, the mother of all rarepairs. I’ve accepted the responsibility of providing us all with content. That’s the crap part about liking rare pairs, you have provide your own fics and gifs. That fic had a really good response (the most comments I’ve ever gotten on a one-short in this fandom) so I definitely want to continue writing them. I have like 4 things for them I’m at various stages of writing. We’ll see which one actually turns into a story.

And now for the heavy stuff. I’m going to keep it as brief as I can because I could keep going for a long time. What I love about Lot is the ‘found family’ theme that is central to the show. That all these people were broken in some ways and they came together and they found strength in each other. But what I’ve liked about it is that they didn’t stop being broken, love didn’t ‘fix them’. And yes, I like the humor and the crazy but I like it when it’s balanced. There’s a difference between not taking yourself too seriously and making yourself the butt of the joke, and I feel like season 3 got way too close to the last one.

My general issue with this season is that most of it does not feel earned.I understand this isn’t the popular fandom opinion right now, but this show just feels really shallow to me right now. In their quest to be funnier and crazier, they’ve sacrificed a lot of the heart and so the moments they want me to be emotional about just leave me feeling empty. It’s really hard for me, as a writer, to watch this show and not see all the gaping plot holes all over the place.

I stopped trusting the show the moment they killed Stein off in the manner they did, and then wrote Jax off and never mentioned him again. And I know Rip isn’t a super popular character but I’ve yet to understand the narrative purpose of anything that they did with him this season. My fear is that next season they’ll try to go even crazier and reach the point of no return, because they’re at the tipping point where the characters are starting to feel like parodies of themselves. Comedy and good character development are not mutually exclusive things, so figure it out writers.

And for Sara, I’m sort of in the same place. I really loved her character arc through seasons one and two, from fighting her bloodlust, to her grief over Laurel and then all coming to that moment when she’s holding the Spear and accepting all her past trauma, understanding that everything that happened made her, and finding strength in that, I thought that was very powerful. But then I feel like they undermined that this season with the whole death totem/i am death/i don’t deserve love bullshit. It felt tacked on there in the service of the romantic storyline they gave her. I’ve just felt like her characterization has been flip flopping all over the place to fit whatever thing they want to pay off in the episode. I still love her, she’s still my fave, but I am frustrated by this.

But what has disappointed me the most this season regarding Sara is how isolated from the team and the missions she is. What I loved about Sara as a leader (and even before, in season one) is that she really was the glue holding everyone together. She was always the one to talk people through their problems and we haven’t seen her do that much this season. And she was always the type of captain who was in there in the thick of the mission with her team. She was rarely in the field at all this season. I feel like they just have her stand there at the console and bark orders at people and that’s it. That’s her leadership style now. I understand they wanted to give her a romance this season, and I was really excited about it before the season started, but I just wish they’d found a way to tell that story without sacrificing other parts. Again, unpopular opinion but I’m not going to apologize for not liking something.

For next season, I want them to dial everything back a bit and focus on what makes the show great: the character dynamics. And also, I don’t want them to fuck up John Constantine too badly. 

Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough. I’m not sure how much sense this made. Feel free to send follow ups and I’ll reply privately

[shadowhuntersrarepairnetwork]

SHADOWHUNTERS RAREPAIR SECRET SANTA GIFT for @banshee-cheekbones​

Title: Home for Hanukah

Pairing: Simon/Raphael

Rating: PG

“Simon! Simon don’t you-ah!!”

Raphael shrieked and threw his hands over his face as his boyfriend threw a snowball at him. He started shouting in Spanish and reached down, grabbing some snow and smacking a laughing Simon in the face. “Take that, Lewis!”

Simon looked at Raphael in shock before he knelt down to make another snowball. “Is that a challenge?”

Raphael smiled and stuck his hand in the snow. “Yes, yes it is.”

Simon yelped as another snowball hit him and he dove behind a tree to avoid another one. They continued their snowball fight, their laughters echoing, until Simon’s grandmother called them back inside.

“Boys! The sun will be going down soon, come inside and warm yourselves up before we light the menorah.”

Raphael who had tackled Simon into the snow, stood up and offered his hand out. “Shall we?”

Simon took Raphael’s hand and smirked, before tugging the man on top of him, earning a chuckle from his grandmother as he shoved a bunch of snow down the back of Raphael’s jacket before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Okay. Let’s go back inside. I’ve officially won.”

“For now,” Raphael growled, standing up once more. He ran towards the house before Simon could attack him with more snow.

Elaine made the two of them change before thrusting a cup of hot chocolate in both of their hands. “Go sit on the couch and warm yourselves up before you end up sick,” she said before going back into the kitchen to finish up dinner with Rebecca.

They snuggled up together on the couch and Simon grabbed the quilt on the back, tossing it over their laps. He leaned against Raphael, giving a content sigh. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming here tonight,” Simon replied. “I know Hanukkah isn’t your thing, but-”

“It means something to you, Simon,” Raphael said. “And that’s enough of a reason for me.” He smiled at Simon before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m more than happy to spend time with you during this time.”

Simon returned the smile and rested his head on Raphael’s shoulder. “I still want to say thank you.”

Helen sat down in the armchair next to the couch and watched the couple fondly. Simon caught sight of her watching and blushed as he pulled away from Raphael. The old woman smiled at him. “Don’t stop on my account,” she said. “You two are very cute together.”

“I’m just glad you’re accepting of this.”

“After everything I’ve seen in my life, you being happy is more important than the gender or religion of the person you’re with.”

Simon smiled. “Thank you, Bubbe.”

Once the menorah was lit and they ate dinner, everyone came back to the front room to eat dessert. Helen and Rebecca had made doughnuts earlier that day filled with different kinds of jam, which everyone happily ate.

“Shall we open presents?” Helen asked. “Simon, will you grab the gift bags off the dresser in my room?”

Simon nodded and walked into the front room a minute later with his arms full. He carefully set them down on the coffee table. “Would you like me to hand them out?”

Helen nodded. “Please, there are names on all of them.”

Simon picked one up and looked at the name before smiling softly and turning towards his boyfriend. “This one is for you.”

Raphael looked at it in surprise. “Me?”

“Yes you,” Helen said. “You are dating my grandson and in my eyes that makes you a member of this family.”

Raphael hesitated for a moment before accepting the gift bag. “I didn’t bring anything for anyone, I-“

“It’s quite alright, Raphael,” Helen said, a soft smile on her face. “You didn’t have to, but I wanted to get you something so I did.”

“I-I-thank you,” Raphael said before pulling out the tissue paper and taking out a book that contained several short stories involving vampires and other creatures. “Oh wow. Thank you.”

“Simon told me about your fascination with vampires, so when I saw that I thought of you.”

Raphael smiled and looked up at Helen. “Thank you. I really appreciate this, and for letting me spend Hanukkah with you.”

Helen returned the smile. “You’re welcome, Raphael, and you always have a spot at the table for future holidays.”

“Well, I plan on being with Simon for a very long time, so I think I will gladly be around for more holidays.”

The family continued to open gifts, Elaine having given Simon and Raphael a combined gift of matching Star Wars mugs and hot chocolate mix to go with it.

Afterwards, Simon stood up and grabbed his and Raphael’s gifts. “I’ll go put these in our room. Be right back,” he said before pressing a kiss to Raphael’s cheek and heading down the hall. Raphael watched him for a moment with a smile on his face before turning back around to see Helen looking at him.

The woman stood up and grabbed the wrapping paper scattered about. “Raphael? Would you help me?”

Raphael nodded and stood up, grabbing the rest of the wrapping paper before following Helen into the kitchen.

“You really love my grandson, don’t you?”

Raphael nodded. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I rarely feel attraction to anyone, but Simon…” He paused for a moment and smiled. “He means alot to me.”

“I have known people like that, everyone else thought them to be broken but I thought they were just fine,” she said, laying her hands on his shoulders. “I’m glad you and Simon met. I can tell you love each other very much.”

“Thank you,” he said. “Can I ask you something?” Helen nodded and Raphael opened his mouth to say something before shaking his head and looking down at the ground. “I don’t know how to say it actually.”

“Just say it, Raphael.”

Raphael looked back up at her. “Simon asked me to marry him.”

“Oh!”

“But I didn’t say yes.”

Helen looked at him in surprise. “Why not?”

“I don’t know. I know I want to spend as long as I can with Simon, but even as a child I never saw myself getting married.” Sighing, he turned away from Helen and leaned against the island, watching as the snow fell outside. “He doesn’t show it, but I know that not giving him an answer upset him, and I hate doing that. We had enough of a rocky start. We didn’t get along at all when we first met, but now I can’t picture myself without him.”

Helen stood beside him and placed a comforting hand on his back. “And I’m sure he feels the same way.”

“Then I should say yes?”

“I think you should do whatever your heart tells you to do, Raphael,” Helen replied. “You’re a good man, and regardless of if you get married or not, I think Simon will love you and be happy with you.” She smiled softly at him before giving him a hug. “And whatever you decide, this family will still love you.”

Raphael returned the embrace. “Thank you.”

She pulled back after a moment and smiled again. “Will you grab some wine glasses and bring them out into the front room? I need to find that bottle of wine I bought.”

As it grew closer to midnight, everyone decided to retire for the night. Raphael dragged an intoxicated Simon to their shared room, Simon stumbling and giggling the whole way.

Once they reached the bedroom, Simon jumped on the bed and immediately rolled himself up like a burrito with the covers. Raphael chuckled and closed the door. “You don’t want pajamas?”

Simon shook his head before hiding it under the covers, his reply slightly muffled. “No, I want snuggles with my boyfriend.”

“Well this boyfriend isn’t going to snuggle you unless you change,” Raphael said, unbuttoning his shirt. “And your sister was kind enough to get us matching pajamas.” Simon unrolled himself from the covers as Raphael picked up the Stormtrooper pajamas. “These look pretty comfy, don’t they?”

Simon nodded. “They do.”

He got off the bed and grabbed the other set of pajamas, his being Chewbacca. Once they were dressed, they got under the covers and Raphael pulled Simon close, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’m glad you invited me.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Simon?”

“Hm?”

“I think you deserve an answer.”

Simon opened his eyes, looking suddenly sober. “Raph, do we have to do this now?”

“I wanted to say yes.”

Simon blinked a few times, trying to process Raphael’s words. “I-I thought you didn’t want to get married.”

“I said I never pictured myself getting married,” Raphael said. “And I’m still unsure of how I feel about it, but I do know that I care about you immensely, and I want to spend whatever time I can with you.”

Simon continued to stare at Raphael for a long moment before he was cupping Raphael’s face and kissing him. “I love you.”

Raphael smiled. “I know.”

“I should go get the ring,” Simon said. “I brought it with me, I don’t know why but-“

“Just go to sleep, Simon,” Raphael lauged. “You can find it in the morning.” He wrapped his arms tighter around Simon and sighed contentedly. “Your grandmother is going to be very happy.”

“How do you know?”

“I might have let it slip that you asked me.”

“You did what?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Raphael replied with a yawn. “I needed someone to talk to, and I didn’t want to call Magnus.”

“He’s practically your father, he’s going to be upset you didn’t talk to him.”

“He’ll get over it. Now go to sleep, you’re already going to have a nasty hangover when you get up.”

“Yeah, I did drink a little much tonight, didn’t I?”

“Not as bad as Magnus’ New Year’s party last year.”

Simon let out a giggle. “I barely remember that.”

“It’s okay. I still have videos.” He pressed a kiss to Simon’s cheek. “Good night, Simon.”

“Night, Raphael.”

When they came out for breakfast the next morning, Helen was the first one to spot the ring on Raphael’s finger. She smiled and hugged them both tightly, congratulating them.

[bellarkefanfiction]

For the month of October, Lina got the chance to catch up with @kay-emm-gee, author of Small Favors, The More Things Change, Bedgate and many, many more, which you can find here. 

BFF: Tell us about yourself!

Kayla: Hi, I’m Kayla - twentysomething, from the USA, graduate student in cancer biology. And to keep myself sane from science, I spend a good chunk of my free time watching TV and reading. I adore any type of romance story, and those of the fantasy, sci-fi, and historical genres most of all. And, when I’m too tired to read or write, I’m also an avid knitter! #grandmastatus #proudofit

BFF: When did you start shipping Bellarke?

Kayla: Pretty late compared to most, I think? Not until season 2, even though I loved their dynamic from the beginning. I was intrigued by the idea of shipping them by the end of season 1, but I can’t say I really committed until The Hug^tm from 2x05 (I love that I have to specify which hug now lol) and then they went straight to OTP status from there!

BFF: How long have you been writing fanfiction?

Kayla: Funny enough…I actually wrote fanfiction when I was eight or nine, based on Pony Pals (I was obsessed with horses for many of my younger years), I believe, for a class assignment. So that was technically my start haha – but I guess my first published fanfiction was on FFN for Avatar The Last Airbender, a little piece that was supposed to be a prologue for a longer Zuko/Katara post-series multichapter AU…which I planned out entirely but never wrote (some things never change!). I posted a few other things there (for Smallville, Gossip Girl, The Infernal Devices series) but I was more in a reading stage then and couldn’t get enough of fanfiction (Tempest in A Teacup or Stormbenders, anyone??). I didn’t hit a prolific writing phase until Bellarke! And then the floodgates opened and I couldn’t stop writing, for them or for other ships too.

BFF: Are you a part of any other fandoms?

Kayla: Game of Thrones is something I have gotten into writing for recently, although it’s mostly for rarepair ships, which is strange for me (shameless plug for my sideblog, @winterfellslady). I’m usually very much about the narratively obvious pairings, but the Thrones universe is so expansive that it’s hard not to see so many possibilities. Aside from that, I’ve written here and there for a lot of other fandoms: Teen Wolf, A Court of Thorns & Roses series, From Dusk Till Dawn, The White Princess, The Shannara Chronicles, Reign, & Black Sails.  

BFF: Which of your fics was easiest to write, and why?

Kayla: First one that comes to mind as ‘easiest’ was my Peaky Blinders AU oneshot (Our Glory Days Are Numbered). It was a 3AM fic idea that just would not go away, and so I sat up and wrote it in less than an hour with barely any edits. It was a rare experience of producing something I was super proud of, super quickly. The process is usually much more laborious for me when it comes to fics that I want to stand out. As far as multi-chapters, strangely enough, my first one (Small Favors) was easiest to write? I think it was because I had very concise & defined ideas for each chapter, so it kept it simple and the ideas didn’t run away from me…like they do most times now.

BFF: Which fic did you find most challenging to write?

Kayla: It’s a tie between my modern scientist/lawyer AU i pick my poison (and it’s you) and my modern Sense & Sensibility AU by insensible degrees. The first never sat quite right with me (still doesn’t) because I never felt like the scientist perspective/experience came through smoothly enough. The second was tough because I had to power through writing it in its entirety before posting, which was a resolution for me so I didn’t leave it unfinished, but wow was it difficult. It ended up working, but it took almost a year to write (and honestly, it only got finished because @hawthornewhisperer gave me such good feedback & encouragement along the way so shoutout to her for that!). Even so, it’s probably one of my favorite fics that I’ve ever written.  

BFF: What do you predict will happen in season 5? Especially for our favourite duo?

Kayla: After being separated for six years and not knowing if the other is alive, Bellamy and Clarke are gonna have a lot of baggage to work through. Since I’m always here for the Bellarke Angst, I hope, predict, and expect we’ll get that in boatloads. Also, I don’t necessarily predict this will happen, but I’m interested to see if the Clarke & Madi dynamics mirrors season 1 Bellamy & Octavia at all, and if so, how that plays into Bellamy & Clarke’s dynamic (for better or worse). I’d love to see Bellarke get together on screen, of course, but honestly…I just want them to be each other’s centers again in season 5, that’s really all I ask for!

BFF: Do you have a specific process for your writing?

Kayla: Music is essential – I need thematic/atmospheric music to really get in the groove. Most of my Spotify is playlists for different story ideas actually. Aside from that, nothing too particular. I tend to edit as I go, which isn’t the most effective way to write, but I’m too much of a perfectionist to do proper draft editing.

BFF: Do you have any plans for other fics you’d like to write, if so could you spoil or tease us?

Kayla: Real life has been higher-than-average busy for like a year now, so I can’t find much time to write (and I’m working on Game of Thrones fics when I do find it), but there is one Bellarke fic WIP that is holding my interest right now. It was a request from a follower celebration winner for an Anastasia AU, but I wanted to put a spin on it, so I’m making it steampunk! Honestly, it’s the most inspired I’ve felt for this pairing in ages, which is promising. Here’s hoping the inspiration and motivation stays high!

BFF: What advice would you give novice writers?

Kayla: Keep writing. Even if you hate it now, it’ll make you better. And, later, when you do get better, don’t hate something you wrote early on, especially if you loved it when you wrote it. It’s where you came from, where you started, and it’s proof that practice makes a difference. And while you should mostly write what you want to write, it’s also okay to write for others. Because honestly, sometimes writing something that you definitely know other people will like or love is a safe way to boost your confidence (and get you motivated on stuff that you aren’t sure people will like!). One of the best tricks I’ve come across, and I use it often. Lastly, use a placemarker (like a unique, random combination of letters that you can easily Ctrl+F for) to note in the text when you need to look up a fact or something, and keep writing, instead of trying to find the info at that moment. It’s a useful way to prevent falling down a research hole and instead allows the inspiration and words to keep flowing.

We thank Lina and Kayla both for bringing us such a lovely interview! Please look forward to next month’s author interview!

[foxes-evermore]

I've noticed you like kevin/aaron do you mind sharing any headcanons about them as they're an extremely rarepair and most people hate aaron so I can't ask alot of people.

Ummmmm an opportunity to yell about my rare otp and how much I love Aaron Minyard?? Yes ??????(this took so long, im sorry D: )

Kevin gets into arguments with the foxes a lot and he’ll just stop mid-sentence sometimes and gesture angrily at Aaron like “can you back me up please???” and Aaron just closes his laptop or whatever and goes to stand by his bf and opens his mouth like hes gonna say something to the others and then just shakes his head and pats Kev on the shoulder and leaves

Aaron is low-key a meme king and Kevin doesn’t really understand contemporary social media but Aaron trains him to respond to memes educates him, and if you listen closely you can hear Aaron whisper “and we’re roommates” into the darkness at 3am right before you hear a half-asleep Kevin snore loudly and yell “OH MY GOD, WE’RE ROOMMATES” and then the sound of a startled Nicky jerking awake and falling out of bed while cursing

Aaron is everyone’s first line of defense when it comes to his bf pushing health food on them. The two go shopping together and every time Kevin turns to look at something, Aaron scans the cart and pulls out anything that’s too green. They get to the check stand and Kev is like “I swear I grabbed an artichoke??” and Aaron is like “guess all that healthy shit isn’t helping your memory at all is it? We walked right past that stuff and you didn’t even stop to look, babe”

Aaron is the only person that Kevin trusts to string his racquet

you’ve heard of andreil sleeping facing each other, now get ready for Kaaron sleeping facing away from each other. Aaron always sleeps facing the wall with the blanket over his head because he got used to trying to block everything out when his mom would bring guys home or when she would get into these drunk yelling matches with Luther on the phone, and Kevin sleeps facing the room because he used to watch Riko sleep and wonder how the soft quiet boy became so hard and cruel,,

(tl;dr,,, Kevin and Aaron feel safe at night with the warmth and weight of the other against their back)

sometimes Andrew and Aaron both wear long sleeves and Kevin can’t 100% tell them apart, so he’ll casually sit next to one of them and the boy doesn’t say anything, seems to lean into Kevin a bit even, so he’s like “ah ok this one is mine” in his head, and then he goes to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek and a book comes flying from across the room followed by a glare and “IM Aaron, you asshole,”

Kevin starts to get up to go sit by the other twin, but a hand grabs his wrist and pulls him back down and the twin next to him goes “what the fuck, Andrew? He knows it’s me, he’s not stupid like Neil”

(Neil got as far as “yes or no” last week before Aaron realized what was happening and shoved him off the couch)

Kevin nods and cautiously puts his arm around Aaron(?), and Aaron turns to “kiss” Kevin but actually just presses his lips to his and mutters “retract your arm, you fake bitch, I know you couldn’t tell it was me”

[mikazau]

Oikawa Rarepair Week; Day One

Prompt: birthdays //  height  // soulmate Pairing: Oikawa Tooru & Kunimi Akira

This is dedicated to @soupfulness and her Kunimi & Oikawa comic that was recently posted. It was completely captivating and for the start of this week, I wished to try write something for that particular rare pair as I seemed to find potential in two-

I’ll be trying to write for the whole of @oikawararepairweek and hopefully I’ll get through it. Thank you to all who stopped off to follow, repost, like or just take a moment to read!

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to message or send through an ask. Constructive criticism is always welcome and gladly received.

A Shadow of a Doubt

In this world, one’s soulmate are not determined by a matching mark. Neither the first words formed upon one’s lips, nor the names that curl around their body, the basis of pairings that are meant to be. Instead, one looks for shadows.

A person has their character, their personality with both flaws and perfections. A shadow is a reflection of the person, something that follows them around unknowingly, forever stuck to their owners. They display all that you are, all that you can be and all that you might be.

However, to find your shadow back, one must first find their soulmate. For those who have another destined for them at birth, will be born with their soulmate’s shadow that forever trails them around. To get their own back, there must be mutual understanding between the pair with all things between the two resolved. And a simple kiss will do the trick.

Kunimi was never one to care about soulmates. Why bother going forth with one’s soulmate if they were already infatuated with another? He wasn’t as lazy as everyone thought he was and even if he was lazy, the raven haired male was not one to abandon ship without considering it first.

It took him far longer than expected for him to spot it, but when he did, he could not help wondering- Wondering why. Why did the universe think a person like him would suit someone like Oikawa Tooru? Oikawa was popular, hardworking, skilled in volleyball and he did not stand a chance of being next to him as a soulmate, much less as a partner. There would be many that would glance at him with both envy and spite for snatching away the bachelor from his pedestal, so he wouldn’t. However Kunimi could not deny any part of it. It was not a lie that they were soulmates when the wavy haired shadow clung to him, standing upright unlike him and still undeniably good looking despite not being the real person. It was not a lie when he spotted his shadow trailing the infamous senior, boring flat hair and all. It was not a lie to say that he, Kunimi Akira, held the position that many a girl (and possibly boy) would die to have. He never planned on telling though, not when-

“Kunimi-chan~” That familiar teasing voice was accompanied by an arm that swung around his shoulder and the person in his thoughts appeared at his side. More than likely, the third year was going to end up requesting for help in some ridiculous thing- “You’ll protect me from Iwa-chan right?”

Before the smaller male could reply, Iwaizumi appeared at the other end of the corridor, shooting the setter a glare as he stormed over. Kunimi held respect for both of them, but even he knew not to get in the vice-captain’s way when he was about to lecture his childhood friend.

“Oi! Don’t bother our juniors!”

“Ehhh? But Kunimi-chan here doesn’t mind, does he?” As the two began to bicker over him, Kunimi drifted back into his thoughts. It doesn’t take much to notice that the two popular third years were meant for each other. Oikawa and Iwaizumi balanced out, setter and ace, captain and vice-captain. And as much as he wanted to get the truth out and the soulmate business over with, he was not stupid enough to interfere whilst the two were still sorting out things. To be honest though, it wasn’t him that was the problem, it was the masses of girlfriends Oikawa had. They were all pretty, chatty, wonderful unlike him-

Suddenly, the weight off his shoulders vanished.

“Iwa-chan is too slow~”

“Get back here Trashykawa!” Luckily, Oikawa managed to avoid Iwaizumi by disappearing off quickly, having learned from previous experiences that sticking around would only get the currently annoyed male riled up even more. Iwaizumi’s brows furrowed. Following that, a sigh soon escaped his lips as the annoyance went out with the breath he was holding in. Kunimi took it as his indication to leave.

“Kunimi.” Iwaizumi hesitated before allowing the next words to sound the air. “He might be stupid, but he is looking for you.” Oh. Iwaizumi knew. Although Oikawa was the observant one, the raven haired male was still able to take in things. Especially for his teammates and friends.

Awkwardly, a hand went to run through his hair as the first year turned back around.

“I would only hold him back.” Came the indifferent voice. “And even Iwaizumi-san would be more suited for Oikawa-san than me.” It was then that his shadow - or rather, Oikawa’s - decided to speak up by giving a protest. You couldn’t feel a shadow’s touch, but you could still see their actions. How he pointed towards Iwaizumi. Listen to him, the shadow seemed to say, stomping his feet when Kunimi didn’t quite do as he was told.

A laugh sounded the air as Iwaizumi let out what he had been holding in. “He’s just like Oikawa- Childish, stubborn and demanding.” As   if offended, the shadow started complaining, crossing his arms. Knowing Oikawa, the shadow most probably would be pouting now. Having seen this many times before, he only gave a glance and sighed.

“He would be happy to know.”

“I’m not going to ruin his birthday with this.”

There was no use fighting with Kunimi on this matter, not when he was this stubborn and had thought about this over the years already.

Perhaps one day it would be him instead of that girl, fingers entwined as he smiled quietly along to some ridiculous thing that Oikawa was saying. Maybe their shadows would match as they walked together slowly - softly - footsteps sounding in the silent air. Not today though.

“Someday, I’ll tell him, Iwaizumi-san, but not this day.” For now, he held his distance and his admiration, quietly waiting for the future around the corner. If it came to him, it did and there was no point forcing it. 

[schrodinger-s-kitten]

APH rarepair week 2017 Days 6 & 7: Sleep & Four Seasons!

Pairings: Liechtenstein/Belarus(main) & England/North Italy(sorta background)

Rating: T

Warnings: a bit weird, mentions of death.

So I tried to join the two prompts and ended up with this clusterfuck of a story. Hope you enjoy!

Magic Cures For Insomnia

~=o-o=~

“We all know there are four seasons. They change naturally, according to the Earth's position around the Sun. now, for example, is winter in the South Hemisphere and summer in the North, because the South Hemisphere is inclined away from the Sun, while the North Hemisphere is turned to it.

Of course, my duty as the narrator is to enlighten you: that is complete bullshit.

Yes, there are four seasons, and this knowledge won't stop you from enjoying them, but the thing is: it's the spirits' job to bring the seasons to Earth. Nothing to do with that 'Earth's position around the Sun' crap.

There isn't only one per season, of course. Spirits aren't that powerful. They all work together to bring you spring. When one dies, the other spirits teach them to help in season change. Sometimes, the spirits even fall in love. Yes, again. What a burden to their ethereal hearts.

Oh! There’s a new spirit. It's a young woman. Short blonde hair and green eyes. She wears a ribbon on the side of her head. Her name is Lily. Natalia is bringing her to the other spirits.

Lily is very confused. After all, she was taking a master's degree in astrophysics. Scientists don't believe in magic. But well, now her whole being is magic. After a brief explanation of her situation, she smiles and asks if she can see her brother. They answer she can, but he won't see her. Someone who can see spirits in life is very rare; almost nobody chooses reincarnation.

At the end of the day, Lily has already understood what goes on, and they'll start teaching her to use magic the next day. She asks Natalia, who's now her assigned guide, if she can go see her brother. She misses him a lot. Natalia says she can't go on her own yet, but agrees to take her.

So she does. Natalia dims her aura, which is a little foul, before entering the house. Lily's cheerful aura makes the ambient light up. Her brother is in her bedroom, sitting on her bed. His eyes are red and his face is flushed, despite having no expression as of now. Lily touches his shoulder and, although her hand phases through it, her brother feels the warm energy course through his body. He doesn't recognise it, of course, but it makes him feel better.

Staying in the material world is draining Lily's energy too fast, and she and Natalia go back to the ethereal world. Spirits don't need rest, so Natalia takes Lily on a small tour of the bubble she'll live in. It takes time enough for the sun to rise, and Lily now knows her way around the bubble, so they're happy with that.

That day, Natalia teaches Lily the basics of magic, and Lily's a fast learner, which is a good thing, because Natalia isn't the most patient spirit there is. By the afternoon, Lily can evaporate water and create clouds, and they assign her to said job while she's in training. Some spirits great with magic faded, and they need others to substitute them.

That night, Natalia takes Lily to her brother's house again. This time, he's in the kitchen, making one of Lily's favourite dishes. When he feels her energy, he smiles.

Time passes. A month later, Natalia has taught Lily all she needs to manipulate weather, and now she has to advance on her own. She insists on keeping a friendship with Natalia, who agrees; she's never had a friend besides her family in life, and having a friend now would be nice. She keeps those thoughts to herself.

Natalia and Lily now work in the same section: snow and blizzards. They talk to each other everyday there's winter somewhere. Natalia doesn't like to admit it too much, but she's been having more fun than she's ever had. Lily knows how to keep a conversation alive. She also goes to visit her brother every night she can, by herself now, as she learnt how.

One day, Lily asks Natalia what he life in Earth was like. Natalia says she's died only a few years ago in a plane crash, leaving behind an older sister and older brother. Lily asks her if she visits them, and Natalia shakes her head. She should, says Lily. It's important to visit your family.

When winter ends everywhere, they go visit Natalia's family.

They live in Russia, in a town near Moscow. It's not the place Natalia died. Her brother is in the kitchen, making dinner, while her sister sews a shirt back together. Natalia's aura, usually sinister, becomes gentle. She approaches her brother and touches his scarf. Her brother stills as the energy courses through his soul, which feels who the energy comes from. Her brother turns around and, although he can't see Natalia, feels the air where Natalia is. He calls Natalia's sister, saying he thinks Natalia is there. Her sister smiles, stands, and walks to her brother. Even though they aren't sure if Natalia is there, they send her prayers and tell her they still love her. The air becomes peaceful.

From the back, Lily smiles.

Remeber how I said spirits sometimes fall in love too? That's the case of Lily and Natalia. With time, their line between friendship and love blurs more and more, until they've gone past it. It's not until a long time later they realise they're in love. There are no confessions needed; they can feel it in their auras.

Of course, their families have to pass away at some point too. Natalia's brother and sister understand and embrace spirit life fast. Lily's brother, the mathematician, takes some more time to do so, but accepts it.

I can't say they live happily ever after, but they enjoy the peaks and laugh at the troughs after they happen, and that's what matters, right?”

“Ve~ England, your bedtime stories are so strange…” Yawned Veneziano. England blushed.

“I-I couldn’t think of anything else.” He looked at the floor. Veneziano giggled.

“It’s all right.” Veneziano kissed England’s cheek. “Goodnight,” he murmured, snuggling against England.

“Goodnight.”

[pocket-luv101]

Lawhiru {4: Midnight Walk}

@thelucariosfish here you go!

“Excuse me!” Lawless was taking a shortcut through the park on his way home when a voice stopped him. He followed the sound and was shocked by what he saw. Perched in a tree was teenager with a small, white cat in his arms. The relief on his face was clear as he said, “Thank god you stopped.”

“What’s a kid like you doing out so late at night? And in a tree no less.” Lawless had to laugh at the audacity of the situation. He just returned to Japan that day for his sister’s birthday and he didn’t think that his visit would become so eventful so suddenly. Usually, he wouldn’t bother with humans but he had to ask. “Why are you up there?”

“This cat was stuck in the tree and I wanted to help him. We both ended up stuck. I was worried about dropping him and I can’t climb down with one hand so I’m glad that you came by. Take two steps forward.” He ordered and Lawless raised a brow at him but he walked forward. Too late, Lawless realized what his intentions were as he jumped off the tree.

The moment was so painfully familiar to Lawless that he stiffened slightly. But seeing him fall, he forced his body to move and rushed to catch him. A soft warmth fell into his arms and he instinctively held him against his chest. He was about to chastise the teenager for jumping so thoughtlessly but he stopped when he beamed a smile up at him.

“Nice catch but you can put me down now.” Lawless gently lowered him to the ground. After he did, the teenager shifted the cat into one arm and held out his free hand to him. “Thank you. My name’s Mahiru.”

“Lawless.” He answered shortly and shook the hand Mahiru held out to him. Lawless thought that they would part with them but suddenly the cat began to struggle in Mahiru’s arms to get their attention. The cat scratched his hand and he accidentally dropped it with a wince. It would’ve fallen on the ground but Lawless quickly caught it. “Woah, calm down.”

The cat stopped struggling when Lawless lightly scratched its ear. Mahiru leaned closely next to him so he could look down at the cat. “You’re pretty good with him. Do you think he got hurt though?”

“I’m pretty sure the only one hurt is you. How’s your hand?” Mahiru held out his hand for him to see and Lawless took it gently. The scratch on the back of his hand was small and it wasn’t deep enough to draw blood. His hand was surprisingly soft and Lawless found himself lifting it so he could kiss his fingertips. “Doesn't look too bad. I think you’ll survive.”

“That’s good to hear.” Mahiru quickly took his hand back with a blush. Lawless kissed his hand casually but it still caused Mahiru’s heart to quicken for a moment. He had a slight American accent and Mahiru wondered if he was a foreigner and that was the reason he acted so forward. “Are you from overseas? I thought only people from the 1800’s kissed people’s hand like that.”

“Some say I have an old soul. A gentleman always kisses the damsel after the daring rescue.” Lawless chuckled secretively. He wondered how Mahiru would react if he told him that he was an immortal vampire. The cat’s purr brought their attention back to it. “So, what are we going to do with this guy? I can’t keep him because I’m going back to New York next week.”

“My apartment doesn’t allow pets.” Mahiru said ruefully. He leaned down to pet the cat and his hair brushed Lawless’s nose as he did so. It was an innocent enough gesture but Lawless couldn’t help but note how close they were standing now. “I really hate to have to him in a pound. I’m pretty sure it’s not even open this late.”

“… I think I know a place that’ll take him in.” Lawless offered. He didn’t know why he was bothering with a cat and what would come to it since it didn’t really affect him. But the concern and kindness in Mahiru’s eyes moved something within him. “My brother works for this giant family and I’m sure they won’t mind taking in a cat. I can take him there right now.”

“That’s wonderful.” Mahiru’s smile made the night seem a little brighter. “Which way is it?”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Of course. I need to make sure that the home is suitable. I’m going to worry about him unless I’m certain he’s safe.” Lawless was a little confused by the decisive nod Mahiru gave him. He didn’t have to worry about the cat anymore and any societal obligation he had to the cat was gone. But he stayed by his side as they walked through the night.

Even though he was a little dumbfounded by Mahiru’s behaviour, he was also intrigued. It didn’t take him long to discover that his kindness was genuine and not because of societal pressure. Lawless lived long enough to know how rare that was.

As they walked together, they spoke to each other. Lawless tried to stay vague but Mahiru’s honest smile was infectious and he found himself telling him more than he first intended. It was almost like they were close friends meeting again after years. When it was time for them to part, Lawless found himself a little disappointed. He wanted to talk to Mahiru more.

“Well, I should be getting home now.” Lawless said and he could see a small frown appear on Mahiru’s face before he smiled.

“Wait, can you give me your hand?” Mahiru took out a pen and scribbled something onto Lawless’s hand. “This is my number. The next time you’re in Japan, call me. We can check on the cat together."

Lawhiru is one of the underrated rarepairs but its my third fav Mahiru ship. I didn’t know if I should make it an AU or not but I ended with writing a “what if” scenario of how they would meet before Mahiru becomes an Eve.

[Send me a number and a pairing and I’ll write a short fic for you]