#my love for rarepairs stabs me in the back yet again

[jacqcrisis]

How is it not one person has written about Lorath Nahr and Elias hate fucking nasty style? They have a relationship, they have a history, and yet no one has written out one bald pale simp putting the handsome old man through his paces? Am I wrong here????

#diablo 4 #diablo #lorath nahr #elias diablo #i know im not wrong #the diablo community just lacks old man yaoi visionaries #we couldve had it all but alas and so on #my love for rarepairs stabs me in the back yet again

[astxlphe]

Day 2 // Kuniatsu

Kunikida and Atsushi’s relationship, a year after getting together.

love languages / enduring “Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away.” -Louis de Bernieres, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

( @bsd-rarepair-valentines-week) 

(Not sure it fits the prompts that well, but well.)

“Atsushi?”

Atsushi looked up from his paperwork. “Is there something wrong?”

“I’m closing the office.” Kunikida approached to stand next to him, glancing at the files on his desk. “Are you finished?”

“Not yet — I’m checking a few details for tomorrow…” he trailed off as Kunikida scowled.

“You need to wake up early tomorrow. I’ve calculated, you will to be waking up at 5:15.”

“It’s way too early!”

Him and Dazai started the day in surveillance — tailing a suspect in the latest murder case the agency had been asked to help with in the hope of catching their accomplice. And Atsushi did not want to mess this up.

“Unless you go home now.” He checked the time. “To be at full capacity for your case tomorrow morning, you need to start sleeping in exactly 12 minutes.”

“But—”

“You’ll do fine,” Kunikida interrupts, leaning over his shoulder to close the file. “If you get some sleep.”

“…All right.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll go to bed.”

Kunikida nodded sharply, and waited for Atsushi to put his things away. They walked back to their shared dorm together, Atsushi’s hand resting at the crook of his elbow.

Precisely 12 minutes later, they were in bed. Atsushi curled himself up against Kunikida, head on his laps, and closed his eyes, willing to let himself drift to sleep.

The older man turned on his lamp and open his book, his fingers running through Atsushi’s hair, scratching his scalp just enough to make him more comfortable.

A soft scratch at the right spot dragged a low, rumble like sound out of him. “I like that,” he mumbled.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Kunikida asked.

“You made me purr.”

“Tigers don’t purr, they chuff. You chuffed. It was adorable.” He put off his reading light and closed his book. Then, he lied down into bed, pulling himself closer to Atsushi, who immediately grabbed him like a hug pillow.  

“You usually read for longer than that.”  

“As your senior,” Kunikida said, propping himself up on his elbow, “I need to be a good example for you, to make sure you actually sleep. I don’t want to keep you awake; it wouldn’t be professional.”

Unprofessional, as if said senior wasn’t currently sharing a bed with him.  

“You’ve kept me awake plenty of times. Are you…” Atsushi chuckled. “Are you worried?”

“No, I’m not.” Seeing the way Atsushi’s eyebrow almost went over his hairline in disbelief, he elaborated: “I have no reason to.”

Atsushi pushed himself up and kissed Kunikida on the lips. He spluttered a little.  

“Not even a little bit?” Atsushi asked playfully.

Face flushing, Kunikida huffed. “You don’t trust yourself enough, so I have to do it in your place. I know you, and even if your recklessness is the bane of my existence—"

“Wasn’t that Dazai?”

“Yes, it is, actually, Dazai,” he conceded. “But it comes close second!”

“You wouldn’t like me half as much if I wasn’t prone to recklessness?” Atsushi tried.

Kunikida wrinkled his nose. “Maybe.”

It made Atsushi smile. “Thank you,” he whispered. “For trusting me. Now just let me—” He snuggled some more against him, sighed in contentment, and promptly fell asleep.

After wondering how Atsushi could fall asleep so soon after closing his eyes, Kunikida marveled at how calm he felt.  

Loving Atsushi was the most unexpected, yet the easiest thing Kunikida ever did. He had spent a long time denying the strange twist in his stomach every time he thought of him ever existed — because Atsushi didn’t meet 29 of his 58 requirements.

And now there was the calm settling inside him as he listened to Atsushi’s soft breathing, his arms thrown around him, making Kunikida feel warm enough to fall asleep content.

Perfect, he thought. Requirements met or not, this was perfect.  

+

“So—”

Atsushi almost ignored him. “What is it?”

“I saw you and Kunikida leave together yesterday night.”

“How did you— you had already left for an hour!” Atsushi shook his head. “And of course, we left together, we live together.”

“But you never leave work together! He’s having a terrible influence on you. Now you work overtime.”  

“I was only doing overtime because I was worried about today,” Atsushi admitted. ”Kunikida convinced me to stop working.” He shook his head when Dazai gasped loudly, and leaned against the wall. “He made me feel better.”

Dazai wiggled a suggestive eyebrow. “Did he?”

Atsushi rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you a 24 years old man?”

“You’ve changed so much, Atsushi! I can’t tease you anymore — you used to get all red whenever someone brought up you and Kunikida!”

“I’m not blushing anymore because I’m not exactly shy about it anymore. It’s —” he frowned, looking for the right word. “It’s different now.”

And he still wondered, over a year later, why this man had decided he was worth his time — he wasn’t the smartest, most well read, most punctual, most…whatever Kunikida had expected from partner. He was just the brat.

“Different,” Dazai repeated plainly. “Really?”

“Yeah! It’s…comfortable?” He tapped his chin, thinking. “Remember at the beginning? I was always nervous around him because I was so in love with him, and our relationship was really new, and I was thinking about what should I wear, what’s should I say, I was—”

“You were scared,” Dazai completed for him, “of not doing enough.”

Nodding, Atsushi twisted the collar of his coat. “I guess so? And once I wasn’t scared about it anymore, I was scared that my feelings were fading.”

“Couples starting out all over each other and it fades after some time.” He nodded as if he’d come up with the concept himself.

“That’s it. We were just…settling in some kind of normalcy.  and I was worried over nothing.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’m still a bit of a scaredy cat.”

“I don’t think you are,” Dazai said pensively. “You were worried because you care.” He gave him a complicit smile. “Here is a secret: Kunikida was always worried about everything at the beginning too. But Dazai, he’s not going to like that. Dazai, do you think Atsushi would mind? Dazai, tell me if Atsushi likes this kind of flowers! Dazai, Dazai, Dazai—”

Atsushi hid his face behind his hand. “I don’t believe you.”

“I was his resident Atsushi expert. At least, until he figured the formula to make you happy.”

“Dazai—”

“But it’s true! Kunikida is a worrywart.”

“No, Dazai, look! That’s them!”

Dazai peaked from the corner of the street, following his gaze. “You’re right!”

+

Under Kunikida’s paperweight was a little note. Since Atsushi had left before he was awake, he had put it on their table in the morning, and it was covered with his scratchy, barely legible for the average human being handwriting.

“Have a nice day! I’ll see you tonight” it read. He slipped it out from under the paperweight and into his notebook to serve as a page marker.  

The office door opened. “We’re back!” Dazai bellowed, and flounced across the room to end up at Kunikida’s desk. “The police almost didn’t let us go.”

Kunikida’s eyebrow twitched. “What did you do?”

“They just wanted our statements,” Atsushi told him as he walked in behind Dazai. Kunikida kissed him hello, and he noticed the rip in the sleeve of his shirt, just under the shoulder. “He tried to stab me,” Atsushi explained sheepishly.

“He means the criminal,” Dazai clarified when Kunikida’s sharp eyes focused on him.  

“We managed to catch them and gather enough evidence to prove their guilt, and they’re now in police custody. We will give you the report tonight.” Atsushi went on, getting on his tiptoes to straighten Kunikida’s glasses. “They were askew.”

“Did I hear about paperwork? Aaaand that’s where I take my leave,” Dazai announced as he disappeared from their field of vision. “It’s been a long day!”

“Maybe you should wait for tomorrow for the report.” Kunikida looked miffed. “Dazai is bouncing on the walls, he’ll just distract everyone.”

“Are you telling me not to finish my paperwork early?” He smiled cheekily. “Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

“See if I’m this lax with you again,” he scoffed. “It was supposed to be a reward for a job well done, but it seems like you don’t need it. I want that report in an hour.”

“Wait no! Please let me do it tomorrow! I was almost stabbed!”

“Fine! Tomorrow night. But don’t tell the others, they will think I’m going soft.”

“They already think that.”

“Tomorrow, lunchtime.”

“UUgh!”  

+

“You don’t have to help me sew my clothes every time something happens.”

“We would have to buy a new one once a week. Besides, I want to help.”

“Thanks but, we wouldn’t —” Atsushi winced at the thought. “I would bribe Akutagawa into fixing it for me.”

They sat at their table; Atsushi’s ripped shirt spread in front of them. Kunikida held the sleeve as Atsushi did the needlework, closing the hole in the cloth.  

“One day Akutagawa will stop taking your bribes.”

Atsushi snorted. “He won’t. He likes me too much for that.” Not that he would ever admit it. “Dazai was pretty happy when Akutagawa started dragging me to his team dinners.” He made a face. “It still feels weird saying it. You should come, sometimes.”

“I don’t think they would want me here.“

“They wouldn’t mind that much; they think you’re okay.” They had no reason to dislike Kunikida. “Oh, also, Dazai told me something about you today and…” He almost dropped his needle. “I’m not sure I really believe him—”

“What did he say, now?”

“He said you would always ask him for advice? About me? When we started dating last year.”

“That man—” Kunikida muttered. “He promised.”  

“You mean it’s true?”

“Be careful with your finger.” With a short movement, Kunikida adjusted the sleeve’s position so Atsushi had easier access. “It’s true,” he ended up confessing. “I’m not sure how to express this.”

“If you throw random words out, I’ll probably be able to take a wild guess?”

“It’s just that I had such a clear idea of who I was going to fall in love with, I already knew who they were, what they were going to like and then—”

“And then it was me.”

“Don’t say it like that,” he scolded, and cut the thread once Atsushi was finished sewing. “But yes, it was you, and you threw a large, occasionally tiger-shaped wrench in my carefully crafted plans.”

The wording made Atsushi laughed. “So you asked Dazai for help?”

“You two are very close! It was a logical decision, if not a little risky. And I made a list in my notebook.”

“Alright now I’m curious about that. Is it about me?”

He tugged on the shirt’s sleeve, testing the strength of Atsushi’s sewing, and acquiesced.

“What does it say?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“You can’t just tell me you wrote in your notebook, about me, and not expect me to ask about it!”

It was a list of things Atsushi liked.

A long, bullet point list of everything that he could use to make Atsushi smile. Back then, he’d thought it necessary, but he knew all the information he’d gathered by heart now. Like the exact spot to scratch in Atsushi’s hair.

He’d started it without realizing it, and by the time he had over dozen entries, he’d wondered how he ever doubted loving Atsushi.

“Your shirt is fixed,” he simply said. “Do you want to try it on to make sure it’s fine?”

It took a second for Atsushi to answer, during which he stared for what seemed like a long time. “You’re really sweet, you know?” he declared, as if he’d guessed what Kunikida was thinking. Then, he pulled the shirt off the table and put it back on, flexing his arm a bit. “It’s perfect, thank you!”

“Just be thankful it wasn’t beyond repair.”

“I’ll try to keep the number of people trying to kill me to a minimum, I promise.”

#bsd #bsdrarepairvday #kuniatsu #nakajima atsushi #kunikida doppo #this is unedited word vomit i'm sorry #just wanted an excuse to write them being casually affectionate

[dexondefense]

This might be a reach with the rarepairs, but maybe some of Dex with the Waffles? Like either Dex/Bully or Dex/Hops?

I love it.

Dex didn’t dislike Bully, despite what everyone might think.

Luckily for Dex, he had cultivated an aura about him that said he disliked everyone, so the newest freshman was really just a drop in a much larger bucket as far as everyone else was concerned. Not to mention Nursey, whose projected chill was a thin line of frost at best, was only just barely concealing his own dislike for Bully. The jealousy resonating off of him was palpable and therefore a much larger target than Dex disliking just one more person on the team.

And even if their assessment was incorrect, it worked in Dex’s favor so he wasn’t about to look that gift horse in the mouth.

it really was silly, he thought, that they all thought he disliked River so much. He spent more time with Bully than any other upperclassman did, and he was confident that he knew more about him than the rest of the team put together. But pointing that out meant wading too far from land and Dex had never felt comfortable trying to swim when the water was that deep.

Dex wasn’t sure what Bully thought. He tried very hard not to think about what Bully thought, which was part of the problem. As far as he could tell Bully didn’t seem to mind Dex’s standoffish ways. He didn’t seem to have a problem when they walked to classes together on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and at least twice now he had sought Dex out to see if he could help with things around the Haus.

“Why do you think I hate River?” Dex had asked Nursey one night, trying to keep his voice as level as he could as he pretended to focus on the open calculus textbook in front of him. The numbers were blurring together and he couldn’t focus on a single word. He was certain Nursey could hear his heartbeat across the room.

“It’s that look you always give him,” Nursey told him. Dex could hear his chair squeak, could picture Nursey leaning farther back in the cheap rolling chair than the IKEA instructions recommended but he couldn’t bring himself to look. “It’s like hatred man, you always look like you’re just about to deck him. Is it the hair? Like you think he’s cool but he looks like a hippie and you just can’t reconcile it?”

Dex wanted to look back, wanted to glare at Nursey and act like this was normal. Act like he was normal. Instead he turned a page arbitrarily and continued to pretend read the words in front of him. “I think you’re just projecting.”

“I am not-” Nursey’s sentence was abruptly cut off by a crash that Dex couldn’t stop himself from turning to look at as Nursey toppled over backwards onto the floor.

Laughing at Nursey and dodging the pillow he threw in retaliation made the panic in his stomach lessen, and when he looked back to his homework the words were solid on the page again.

If anyone asked who his favorite Waffle was he would have said Hops, but that didn’t mean he hated Bully, not by any stretch of the imagination.

After Tango, Bully had been the only person to ever even attempt to help Dex fix anything. And while Tango had proven to be a much faster learner than Dex would have expected, Bully had actually known what he was doing. So Dex had asked for his help with the dryer, the leaking rain gutter above the back door, and replacing the brakes on his jeep. Bully had asked for help in return with his bike, and it had been Dex who had been the one to sit back and hand over tools. If he’d been braver he might have asked a question, any question at all since he’d never so much as touched a motorcycle before, but he had kept his mouth shut as Bully worked.

He was always doing something with that bike, a Honda not a Harley because they were expensive and pretentious -as Bully had told him at least three times- and Dex wished he knew more about it. Asking questions had never been a strong suit of his.

It was where he found himself less than a week later, his hat on backwards and his flannel tied around his waist as he watched Bully tampering with his own brakes. Dex had no experience with bikes and therefore his own input would be useless so he kept his mouth shut and bit down as subtly as he could on the inside of his cheek to hold himself in check.

Bully was on the ground, the rip in the right knee of his jeans was growing slowly larger with every shift of his leg. His hair was pulled back in a braid, a few strands had already come loose and were sticking to the back of his neck with sweat.

“I think I need a completely different part.” When Bully wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist he smeared a line of grease across his skin. Dex bit down harder on his cheek.

“Need a lift somewhere to pick it up?” He asked when he thought he had his voice under control.

“That would be great.”

Dex took a step forward just as Bully stood up and suddenly they were much closer than they had been a moment ago. It wasn’t weird, not really. There was still space enough for to Bully to clean his hands on the dirty rag he’d pulled from his toolbox. And if Bully wasn’t concerned that Dex was close enough that they rag was brushing his arm with each movement, then Dex wasn’t concerned either.

Bully was taller than him. Not by much, maybe an inch or maybe it was less and Dex just wasn’t used to anyone since Holster being able to look down on him. It felt like a lot more than an inch when Bully finally met his eyes and one corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile.

“What?” Dex’s tone was so much sharper than he had intended that it took all he had not to flinch.

Bully didn’t seem to notice. He never did. “You’ve got like, a massive streak of oil on your chin.” He lifted the rag and for one horrible and wonderful moment Dex thought he was going to press it to his face. Instead he hovered an inch away from his skin, pointing out where the grease was. “You weren’t even working, you were just handing me tools. How does that happen?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Dex’s tone was more hollow than he had wanted, but he managed to grab the rag on the first try with dignity as he scrubbed at his skin. “You’re fucking covered in it.”

“Yeah, but I was the one on the ground.”

“I will leave you here.”

When Bully laughed, it was always on the quiet side, more of a shifting of his shoulders than anything else. He crossed his arms as he did, resting his hip against his bike. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I really don’t want to have to fucking walk three miles both ways.”

“I should make you. Consider it hazing.”

Bully shoulders shook again as he caught the rag Dex threw at him. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m calling it quits for the day after this though, I can buy the part today and replace it tomorrow.” Bully tugged at the bottom of his stained and battered tee shirt, pulling it over his head in one fluid movement. His undershirt was grey and damp and didn’t look any cleaner than the shirt he was now using as a rag to wipe his neck. Something in his spine cracked as he closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side. “I’m gonna head back to my dorm to take a shower. Meet you back here in 30?”

Dex nodded, the skin of his cheek back firmly between his teeth once again. He couldn’t find his voice to speak and wouldn’t trust it if he did.

“Cool, thanks man.”

Dex nodded a second time and took a step back to let Bully walk the bike back around the side of the Haus. He’d had to get special permission to keep it there as a freshman. Ollie had said there had been a senior his frog year who had a bike kept in the shed out back. Wicks had said it would make all of them look cooler to have a motorcycle on the property. Bitty had taken three days to deliberate before he had allowed it.

Dex thought he would look stupid, having to walk alongside a motorcycle to move it somewhere. Bully looked a bit like an action star when he did it, covered in dirt and sweat like he’d just gotten out of a particularly hard won fight scene and hadn’t had a chance to repair his bike yet.

“This is what I’m talking about.”

Dex swore, jumping so hard he nearly kicked over his own toolbox still left on the ground. Nursey laughed as he stepped over a puddle of oil on the asphalt. It made Dex feel slightly better to know it was only a stain from a few weeks ago and Nursey was being stupid for stepping over it. Not that anyone else was there to laugh at him. Or that it was that funny.

“What are you talking about?”

“That look man. You spend all this time with Bully, but you still got that look. It’s kind of scary man, I feel like I’d have shit myself if an upperclassman had looked at me like that when I was a frog.”

Dex felt like his face was burning, but the sun was beating down and he tended to turn bright red when faced with even the slightest bit of emotion. Both factors worked in his favor and Nursey didn’t seem to see anything to take note of.

“He’s just a weird dude,” Dex said after a moment. “I just don’t fucking get him.” He forced the words out after a minute of deliberation. He had never been great at lying.

“The fucking weirdest,” Nursey agreed with obvious relief that their found solidarity. Dex didn’t know if it was because Nursey had been wanting someone to agree with him about Bully, or if he had just wanted Dex to agree with him about anything. Either way Dex felt a stab of guilt and promised himself he would do something nice for Nursey to make up for it.

Because he didn’t really think Bully was very weird, and personally he thought he understood Bully fairly well.

Dex knew he had come a long way since he had applied for Samwell. He had deliberated for weeks, going back and forth on the pros and cons and staring at that tiny pixel rainbow flag on the university website until his eyesight went blurry. Now he was close and comfortable friends with Bitty, and Ollie, and Wicks, and Jack, and Nursey. He had close female friends who were only that - friends. He baked on his own time, and he downloaded a few Beyonce songs that Bitty had recommended. He watched romcoms with Chowder and he wore the purple ‘Save the Whales’ tee shirt that Nursey had bought him.

It had taken him nearly a week to decide, but he’d finally bought those pink tennis shoes at Primark that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about.

If he ever shared those things out loud, he knew it would sound silly. It would sound like nothing at all probably, but they were milestones as far as he was concerned. He was a different person from the one that had showed up at Samwell two and a half years ago and he liked who was becoming even if it was frightening at times.

But they were all baby steps in the grand scheme of things and he wasn’t anywhere near the finish line yet.

So for now he was content to let Nursey and Chowder and everyone else on the team think he hated Bully. Because anger was comfortable and it was familiar. Hatred was something he understood and he didn’t mind if people attributed it to him.

“I don’t get why everyone’s always swooning over him,” Nursey continued.

Dex shrugged one shoulder as Bully disappeared from view in the shed. He kept his eyes trained on the spot he had disappeared and tried not to focus on the heat in his face.  Accepting the truth privately was one thing, admitting it out loud to anyone was a step he wasn’t ready to take. “I mean…I guess I can sort of see it. I think it’s the hair.”

At least not yet.

#check please #bully check please #william poindexter #omgcprarepairs #check please rarepair #dexbully #my writing

[amillionsmiles]

end of year fic meme

tagged by @hailkuvira ; thanks so much, this was fun! (and inspired me to bust out the excel spreadsheets, LOL)

tagging @spacetravels , @sp4c3-0ddity , @anakkin , @leejinkih  + anyone else who would like to have fun w. this

STATS:

Fics posted:

Tumblr exclusives: just going to direct to my masterlists tag, tbh

FF.Net: like we’re made of starlight (TATBILB, 2148 words) are you having fun yet? (i’ll send you the sunset)  (Big Hero 6, 9302 words)

Archive of Our Own: just the lonely talking (The Last Jedi, 1521 words) dj got us falling in love again (Voltron, 5342 words) want your bad romance (Voltron, 2010 words) your hair was long when we first met (Voltron, 7339 words) quantum mechanics, smirks, and other complications of the universe (Voltron, 2501 words) is that a hermit crab in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? (Voltron, 1840 words) you’re deriving me crazy (Voltron, 6928 words) in the nook of a cousin universe (Voltron, 13441 words) head in the game (Voltron, 7804 words) The Future’s Open Wide (Voltron, 14500 words) you only live forever in the lights you make (Voltron, 1485 words) come out your way (Scarlet Heart Ryeo, 3446 words)

Total number: 14, plus tumblr Total word count: 89,174 

Ship/Character breakdown: Ship breakdown: for Voltron, 14 Plance, 6 Sheith, 1 Hance. Big Hero 6 was my usual Tomadashi, TATBILB was Covinsky, The Last Jedi was just Tico sisters feelings, so Gen. Character breakdown: Lots of Pidge, Keith, Lance, and Shiro POVs

Characters that had the main focus: My fave Pidge got a lot of spotlight this year, and I wrote more Lance POV than I thought I would, which was fun!  Besides that, Keith gets the narrator role for most of my Sheith fics, per usual.

Specifics:

Best/worst title? Best title: I’m not even ashamed to admit it because I have the humor of a teenage boy, but is that a hermit crab in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? was definitely my favorite, though it loses some points for being a mouthful, I guess. 2nd place would go to you’re deriving me crazy for the three-way pun. Worst title: come out your way is kind of nebulous I guess

Best/worst first line? Best: i am become blade     “A knife is a close-range weapon.  This is the first thing Keith learns, before the Garrison, before Voltron, before the Blade.”

Worst: welp, this is making me realize that almost all my fics start with just a single line of dialogue. I guess are you having fun yet? (i’ll send you the sunset) which just begins with: “I’m here! I’m here!” Best/worst last line? Best: you only live forever in the lights you make

“Sorry,” murmurs Shiro, but there’s little remorse in it, just a smile pressed against Keith’s temple, a buzzer going off in Keith’s head.  A knee between his legs, their bodies aligning, and Keith thinks of that moment of grace when he releases the ball from his hands, watching it arc away from him with a held breath—and when Shiro finally, finally kisses him, it’s bleachers full of people rising to their feet, the thunderous roar of a crowd, the sweetest of sighs as the ball tumbles, headlong, through the net. 

In case anyone hasn’t picked up on it yet, my heart will always beat for basketball and I think this paragraph really captures the feeling it gives, plus the Sheith kiss doesn’t hurt :’) 

Worst: come out your way       “And she smiles back.” I mean, it works for the two characters and where they are at this specific moment, but it’s not particularly insightful or creative, so I do wish I could have done a little more.

General questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted? I think more! I thought it would be much more slow-going because of college, but going through this reflection has made me realize that I still managed to squeeze stuff in when I got bitten by the writing bug. 

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year? God, this was the year of the Plance Plance Revolution. I remember @flusteredkeith texting me about Plance in like May or something of this year and at the time I was still like “oh that sounds cute” but probs wouldn’t actively ship it myself but now.... here we are....  oh worm What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. My entire ball’s in your court verse, tbh, particularly the Pidge and Lance segments. More to come! :) 

Okay, NOW your most popular story. On tumblr, hold it against me got the most notes. On Ao3, in the nook of a cousin universe has the most hits and bookmarks, while hermit crab has the most kudos.

Story most underappreciated by the universe? My Hunk/Lance Sky High AU, tbh. I had so much fun writing it and was a little sad to see it sent off into the void, but Hance is a rarepair to begin with so I guess that was to be expected.

Story that could have been better? just the lonely talking; I really want to do more with the Tico sisters and their backstories but tbh I’m still not as informed about the Star Wars-verse as I’d like to be so a lot of the fic was just *waves hands*  Maybe another time I’ll take a different stab at it.

Sexiest story? I’m vanilla af but I guess things get semi-steamy at the end of hermit crab, if you ignore the fact that the entire fic reads like a shitpost  Saddest story? in the nook of a cousin universe. I mean, it’s a Kimi no na Wa AU, so that was kind of a given ;) Most fun? want your bad romance far and away. spin classes are something else, y’all Story with single sweetest moment? you’re deriving me crazy wins hands-down for best snuggles and cuddles all around. 

Raising an eyebrow, Lance smirks, moving to the edge of her bed.  Feet planted on the carpet, he pats his knee.

“C’mere.”

“What are you trying to do?” Pidge asks suspiciously, but she goes anyways.

“Nothing.” Feigning innocence, Lance hooks her by the belt loops, pulling her closer into the cradle of his hips.  His legs bracket her on either side, and she laces her fingers behind his neck, waiting.  It’s an old game between them, this process of making him come to her; Lance tilts his head back, smiling, and Pidge rolls her eyes, bending a little to meet him—

—only for him to snake an arm around her waist and tip her sideways onto the bed.

“Lance!” yelps Pidge, her bedsprings squeaking under their weight as they fall onto the mattress.  She means to say more—something about how he’s a dirty sneak, but that gets swallowed by laughter when he starts tickling her, going straight for her neck.

“I—hate—you,” she gasps, squirming as she tries to bat his hands away.  Eventually, she manages to get a leg around his middle and rolls them over, though Pidge suspects it only happens so easily because Lance is happy to yield.  She ends up sitting on his waist, his chest rising and falling gently under her hands.

Hardest story to write? in the nook of a cousin universe, bc plotting was hell, and then also by virtue of it being a commission I felt doubly self-conscious about everything. But it was worth it in the end :)

Easiest/most fun story to write? want your bad romance because half of it happened to me in real life

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters? My Hunk/Lance Sky High AU actually got me to see how the Hunk/Keith dynamic could play out, surprisingly, which was a fun revelation to have. And then writing Pidge/Lance has made me fall back in love with Lance as a character, just realizing how genuinely good and fun and sweet he is.  

Most overdue story? are you having fun yet? (i’ll send you the sunset)  This fic had literally been languishing in my drafts for over a year and a half, and that’s not counting the first seeds of inspiration for it, which had been around way before that. It felt really good to finally get it done. :)

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? This summer was the first time I opened myself up to commissions, and I was pleasantly surprised and honored by the response, so maybe I’ll make it an every summer thing.  I think taking commissions definitely taught me to approach writing with more discipline, which was nice.  I also branched more into “crack” fic and found it extremely enjoyable, so here’s to more of those.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Take more writing prompts, and train myself to treat them as prompts instead of feeling the need to develop a whole full-length fic around it.

Finish your hair was long when we first met

Write more rarepairs for Voltron (heith and kidge are next on my list)

Start my Hogwarts series 

Basketball-verse Plance Part 3 B)

#fic memes #smiles speaks

[crystalchimera]

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Wooden Admirer

Summery: Josuke gets a letter from a secret admirer. Prompt(s): AU/School/Confession Word Count: 1,498(give or take) Character(s): Josuke, Surface, Koichi, Okuyasu(Mentioned), Yukako(Mentioned) Ship(s): Surface/Josuke, Koichi/Yukako(Mentioned) Category(s): M/M, AU, Comedy Tag(s): Minor Pining, Minor Threatening, Almost Kiss Alternate Universe(s): Surface is still around somehow. Other Info: Even though this was written before I remembered about @jjbarareshipsweek2k17, I’m using this for day 5 of rarepair week’s “School” prompt. lol

It was another average day in Morioh with Josuke, Koichi, and Okuyasu all currently in school, trying to live their "normal" lives together. Though, ever since they got their Stands, nothing has ever been 100% normal since. Something they sadly had to accept.

Around lunch time, on their way to their lockers, Josuke had something on his mind. Is it important? Is it life or death? Maybe not the latter, but he sure found it important.

"Hey Koichi..." Josuke asked hesitantly.

"Yeah Josuke?"

"Do you think I'll ever like...get a girlfriend?"

Koichi stopped in his tracks, blinking his wide eyes a few times. "Whoa. I never thought I'd hear you ask such a question."

Josuke slightly jumped. "W-well I mean... YOU have a girlfriend. And Okuyasu has his eyes set on someone. And so far, I haven't really found anyone that I love in that way."

"You also gotta remember that my girlfriend tried killing me at one point."

"Oh yeah...that did happen, didn't it? Either way though, It's not that I'm afraid. It's just that....I guess I feel kinda lonely? Or left out?"

Koichi sighed. "Well, if you focus too much on it, you might miss the person of your dreams."

"Ah...good point..."

"Now come on Josuke, let's put away our stuff so we can eat lunch."

As the two finally make it to their lockers, Josuke noticed something was off. Upon taking a closer look, it seemed that there was something stick between the door.

"Y-yo...Koichi."

"What?"

"Doesn't that pink thing look kinda like a..."

"It can't be, we were JUST talking about this."

His taller peer didn't really care, he was just caught up in the possible idea of someone sending him a love letter. So much in fact, he almost forgot his number combo. Once he got it open, the first thing he did was catch the envelope. Josuke had such a silly grin on his face, Koichi couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh boy!" Josuke exclaimed joyfully.

"So? Is it really a love letter?" his friend asked.

"Let's find out!"

He turned it over, nothing was written on it except ‘To Josuke-Kun~<3′.

" 'Josuke-Kun’? " Koichi questioned.

"That's me~! Now, to open it!"

Instead of being careful about it, he just sort of ripped it open. Luckily though, the piece of paper inside was still in tack. And as such, the letter read as so:

              Hello Josuke-Kun~    I've had a crush on you ever since we first saw each other, it truly was love at first sight! In my eyes everything about you was perfect, your lovely hair, your wonderful body, your cute nose,  oh! It was all just TOO much for poor little me to handle~!

       You may not know, or remember who I am. But that's okay. I'm simply asking for a possible chance to take a closer look at your beautiful face, and maybe even permission to touch that ever so soft skin of yours~

                     Love, your secret admirer~<3'

"You hear that Koichi!? A girl loves me!"

"I...I don't know Josuke. Something about that letter is fishy."

"Are you sure? It just seems like you're trying to be a party pooper."

"Think about it. The last time you checked your locker, which was in the morning, nothing was there. And only NOW, AFTER talking about love letters, you get one. It may be a trap."

"Are you implying....it's the work of an Enemy Stand?"

Koichi blinked a couple of times. "I mean...it could be?"

"But you can clearly tell this is a female's handwriting."

"You're forgetting female Stand Users."

"Dang it, you're right. Alright alright, but I still wanna find out who sent this."

"Sure, go ahead. Just don't get yourself killed okay?"

Koichi turned away and began walking.

"Wha-wait! Where are you going!?"

"I'm starving! I'm gonna get lunch!"

"Aw! Come on dude!"

"Have fun Josuke!"

Josuke sighed. "Well...I guess I'll be doing this by myself then."

Somewhere on the back of the letter it stated were the person wanted to met up at, so, wanting to so badly to find out who sent him the letter, Josuke complied. This lead him into the school's gym locker room.

Scattered across varies objects in the room were white pieces of paper with red arrows on them, pointing and guiding him to where he needed to go. After following them for a bit, he was lead towards a beaten up looking locker. As one would imagine, it stood out like a sore thumb.

Weird? Yes. And because of this, Josuke was very hesitant.

"Uh...hello?"

There were arrows taped all around that one locker, with one piece of paper saying "open the door". Bizarre, very bizarre. But despite that, he followed as instructed. Using his Stand, Josuke ripped open the locker door at the tip of [CRAZY DIAMOND]'s range and placed the slab of metal down nearby.

Looking in inside, the only thing there was a wooden doll of some kind. Pretty sure artists use it help with poses.

"Wha-that's it? A hunk of wood?" He leaned into the locker, touching the doll to move it. Nothing was behind, or underneath it. Turning away in disappointment Josuke let out a sigh.

"Well...there goes that... And here I thought someone was gonna confess their love."

"Oh, but I am."

Josuke turned around SO fast, he was rather startled by the voice coming from behind. Especially since it sounded like his own. Though before he could react, he was caught in a bear hug from behind.

"Hey! What the heck!?" As he turned his sight to face the person, he noticed the wooden doll from before was gone. "What a minute, what happened to the-ahhey watch it!"

The person behind him moved their arms, wraping them around his torso. Right under his chest.

"Ooo~ I knew falling in love with you was the right choice! You do care~"

Josuke's eyes went wide once he realized who that was. He then began to violently rock back and forth, hopping to get loose.

"What's wrong Josuke-Kun? Don't you want me to confess my love~"

"NO WAY! I thought I got rid of you!"

"Aw, you're being so harsh!"

Josuke gripped onto Surface's wrists and tried to slide them downwards, a mistake he quickly regretted as the Stand's tight grip on his jacket only just caused it to pop open. Surface let go and spun Josuke around so he faced him, he then proceeded to slam him against the open locker.

"Hey! I thought you said liked me!"

"Oh, but I do! Sometimes love comes with a little bumps~"

The teen starred at the Stand, expecting a fight of some kind to break out. But instead, Surface placed his head near the other's neck. Once again wrapping his arms around him.

"What are you-?"

"Shhh. Move with me."

"Wait what?"

Surface pulled Josuke away from the locker, one arm moved downwards towards his hip. While the other arm moved up, resting nicely upon the soft, yet muscular pec. At a slow and steady pace, Surface began to guide Josuke into rocking back and forth. Nice, and easy.

The teen tried to break free from the Stand's grip, but was met with a sharp pain in his chest.

"If you leave, I'll stab you right here." he spoke as he poked Josuke's chest with his oddly sharp fingers.

The latter flinched. "Fine..."

Continuing the back and forth moment, Surface once again moved an arm. The hand that rested upon Josuke's pec was moved upwards to his face, allowing the Stand the joy of caressing his soft skin.

It was at this point, Josuke got annoyed.

"What do you want Surface."

The Stand giggled. "Isn't it obvious?" he smirked with a sly smile. "I just want to touch~"

"Ugh, I'm gonna miss lunch! I have no time for this!"

Josuke placed a hand under Surface's chin and lifted it up to meet eyes.

"J-Josuke what are you-!"

He brought the Stand's body closer to him, causing the latter to blush. Leaning in he starred at Surface un-amused.

"You want my love? Fine."

Josuke's lips got closer and closer to Surface, only just causing his blush to grow. Once he was just within a few mere inches of touching his lips with the other, the Stand collapsed onto the ground, slightly startling Josuke.

Looking downwards revealed that apparently, Surface JUST couldn't handle the thought of Josuke ACTUALLY and WILLINGLY kissing him. So he passed out.

"That's....really pathetic. I wasn't even gonna really kiss him, I was just going to place a peck possibly on his cheek and hope that would be enough. But I guess him coming close to kissing me was too much for him. Ugh, glad that's over."

The teen picked up his jacked from off the floor, throwing it over his shoulder before walking out of the locker room, searching for the way to the cafeteria. "Gosh, I hope there's enough time for me to eat before the bell rings."

And with that, Josuke left. Leaving poor ol Surface on the tiled floor, flustered beyond reason.

#JJBARarePairsWeek2K17 #Surface #Josuke Higashikata #JosuSurfa #JJBA #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Surface Josuke #Runic Scrolls #Fanfics #Okuyasu Nijimura #Koichi Hirose #Yukako Yamagishi #Koikako

[ol-razzle-dazazzle]

3 Fandoms Tag

RULES: choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions. Then tag some friends. Thank you @5h1take for tagging me, bless ♡ I choose : Bungou Stray Dogs Touhou Love live ♡ The first character you loved: -Yosano Akiko and Ranpo- I still love them a ton, and they were what got me into the series! -hmm this is hard, but probably Yuyuko and Remilia? I started with EoSD bc I'm original but it wasn't until Yuyuko and Imperishable Night that I started getting into the series -Weirdly enough, Umi- because of her character description in the wikis she was my starter girl in SIF, which is weird because she's one of my least favourites... as for Sunshine it was Mari because I'm a biased Italian and like...heavy metal dude ♡ The character you never expected to love so much: -Atsushi because it's rare that I love the protag like ever but I will protect my sushi boy. Also Dazai, Kunikida and Mori (FOR HIS CHARACTER AS A VILLAIN NOT FOR THE GROSS SHIT) Also my OC Anton Chekhov hahaha~ @suggestaskdailyantonchekov I promise this isn't a shameless plug -Marisa and the entire LoLK cast, bc Marisa is friggin amazing and I will defend the LoLK cast with my life fuck you it's a good game. Also the Taoists, particularly Yoshika and Seiga who are now among my faves. ALSO RENMERRY THEY ARE QUALITY CONTENT -Rin! Because aside from the contest deathblood rin fans it's rare she's on anyone's best girl list which sucks because she's amazing! Also Kanan, for similar reasons- I didn't think much of her but I like her ♡ The character you relate to most: -Dazai... ahaha... I mean I literally quote NLH on a regular basis so don't test me and my comedic crippling depression Rebecca I won't hesitate bitch -Yuyuko for similar reasons as Dazai's jovial yet dark tendencies, and Parsee because I struggle with jealousy a shit ton. Also Kokoro and Nue and Koishi because I'm a very expressive person who has no idea what her personality is -Rin and Nozomi, because I struggle a lot with self confidence despite cheeriness and I try to make myself adaptable to other people. Hanamaru and You for similar reasons, I also feel the need to 'shy' away from things I want because I feel I don't deserve them ♡ The character you’d slap: -Fyodor, also Yosano bc sweaty I want that dissection mmmm nah jk -Seiga because she is as problematic as a touhou character can get and I still love her, at least let your dead pet Yoshika go outside or smth also stab me with your hairpin plz -Honk and Umi esp in the anime need a fucking snickers calm down. Kotori in season 1's ending was also pretty hecking ridiculous. As for Sunshine I want Kanan to pummel me into the ocean, killing me instantly ♡ A character you liked at first but not so much anymore: -Fitzgerald? Like I still love him just not as much. Also Kaiji as a fellow lemon enthusiast but like he's so god damn ridiculous and he hates jazz music (sideeyes our theory time with Ki) -Sakuya and Patchouli because /everyone/ likes them at first, but like there's so many cooler characters outside of EoSD guyssss -Umi for reasons mentioned earlier and also Kotori- most of the second years and the cool year girls rarely got any development rip. As for Mari she went down because Washi Washi ruining MariYou my OTP but she's climbed back up... ♡ A character you did not like at first, but they’ve grown on you: -Honestly most of them! There's always people that portray a character in a way that makes me like em! Rewatching Dark Era while writing my Hashihime AU made me gain a slightly better appreciation for Ango, also Steinbeck because in the manga he's a lot more characterised as opposed to 'lol god don't love you binch' -As mentioned earlier the Taoists, I hated Ten Desires but the fighting games and Yoshika/Seiga's historical inspiration made me love them, even though I love the Buddhists too... -Ruby, because in the anime she kinda got her personality traits stolen by other people but she's still the Rubesty! Also her SISTER relationship with Dia is absolutely adorable. Ruby dev for season 2 cmon. Rin and Hanayo also because they need more love outside of being shipped together as much as I love RinPana ♡ 3 OTPs: -Dazatsu, DaRan(po) and Ranaki! I'm cool with most ships and platonic ones but those are my favs also Chuuatsu. I'm love a lot of the ships -RENMERRY, Yoseiga and Yuyuuka, again with so many characters I love most of the ships -RinNozoPana, KotoMaki and KotoNico! I do like Nozoeli and RinPana but rarepairs need love... as for Sunshine MariYou, anything with Maru and ChikaHane. I'm not a fan of the second year ships but anything else (apart from the obvious DiaRuby) is excellente and I love it I'm on mobile and too lazy to tag just go ahead any of y'all

#tag thingys #love live #bsd #touhou #talk to me about any of these things and I will love you

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

“Who knows in the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise”

Summary: When Lovecraft decides to take care of Chuuya once he is abandoned by Dazai after using Corruption, Chuuya is touched by Lovecraft’s kindness and starts feeling things he thought he had lost the ability to feel

Notes: rarepair week day four! ahhh i actually really love chuucraft u guys, dont ask how or why, and I’d love to someday see more content about them! in the meantime, here’s a really sweet fic about chuuya learning to love a good soft squid and i hope you enjoy it!

*****************************************************************************************************

Chuuya woke up on a couch in an unfamiliar room covered in a soft, thick blanket the color of sea foam. When Chuuya tried to sit up, he was nearly blacked out and collapsed back onto the couch with a searing migraine, unable to hold back a cry of pain. For a while, the pain was so strong he could hardly see straight; everything seemed to bend, to blur, to fade away until nothing was left but the burning agony infesting each of his body’s cells. Even breathing was difficult, and it felt as if his throat and lungs were being scraped raw with every breath. A dull sound, somewhere between buzzing and ringing, infested his ears. At first, Chuuya wondered where the sound could be coming from, but he quickly realized it was in his head.

Corruption.

Even thinking the word made Chuuya sick, made the hot, acid taste of blood in his mouth feel stronger than it had before, made the gentle sunlight trickling in through an open window seem sharp as dagger blades piercing his eyes. Chuuya closed his eyes and rolled over, biting his lip to brace himself against the fresh wave of pain, and buried his face in the couch. It had been years since he had used Corruption; Chuuya couldn’t remember if the pain had always been so terrible or if he simply wasn’t used to it after all the time that had passed.

Or maybe the pain gets worse the more I use it, and I only have a certain number of uses before I fall apart. . .

Chuuya was distracted from his thoughts when a limp, fleshy appendage gently tapped his shoulder. “Awake yet?” asked someone with a low, monotonous voice. “Or screaming in your sleep again?” Chuuya heard them sigh. “You’re very loud. It makes it hard for me to sleep. If I had known you would be so troublesome, I would not have brought you here.”

“Dazai?” Chuuya whispered. The voice did not sound anything like his, nor did the thing that had touched his shoulder resemble Dazai’s hideous, bony, absurdly long fingers, but for all he knew, that bandaged bastard could be playing some sort of prank on him.

“Lovecraft.”

Lovecraft? The octopus? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?!

“What are you doing with me?” Chuuya croaked, trying his best to sound as threatening as he could while wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, unable to do so much as sit up without collapsing in pain. With great effort, Chuuya managed to roll over so he could glare at Lovecraft. “I beat you once, and I can do it again.”

Lovecraft blinked slowly. “Wouldn’t you need your partner for that?”

“Dazai is not my partner!” Chuuya snapped, angry enough to ignore the sharp stab of pain in his head. “And sure I as fuck don’t need his help to kick your ass!”

Lovecraft tilted his head so far to the side that it was resting on his shoulder, extending his bony neck. “Why do you want to fight? Aren’t you tired?”

Chuuya spit in Lovecraft’s direction, but, weak as he was, only managed to get drool on his chin. “Fuck you, bitch,” he hissed. “I’m never too tired to fight.” A wave of naseau struck, and Chuuya couldn’t suppress a groan. “I’ll make you into calamari,” he threatened in a breathless whisper. “I’ll chew you up and spit you out.”

“There’s no need to be rude.” Lovecraft sounded almost hurt. “I only brought you here so you could rest. You seemed so tired after blowing me up, and then your partner-” Lovecraft cut himself off. “Your. . . not your partner. . . left you behind.”

“So you captured me?” Chuuya forced himself to sit up, biting his lip to keep from crying out. “The mafia will come for me,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I’m one of their executives- they wouldn’t just let you take me without a fight!”

But they probably wouldn’t suspect I’m in any danger since you were technically defeated. Maybe they’re expecting me to handle this on my own?

Chuuya closed his eyes. Despite all his posturing, if it really did come to a fight, there was next to no chance of victory. “I’ll never help you,” he murmured. “Or the Guild. I’d rather use Corruption and wind up dead than betray the mafia.”

“You’re very dramatic.”

“I am not dramatic!” Chuuya shrieked dramatically, launching himself off the couch so he could fight Lovecraft. Instead, he landed in a heap at Lovecraft’s feet, whimpering in pain.

Lovecraft patted Chuuya’s head. “It is okay, small human,” he said, lifting Chuuya off the ground and gently depositing him on the couch. “I have no intention of keeping you prisoner- that would be so tiresome. You can leave whenever you want.”

Chuuya grunted. In his condition, he doubted he could make it out of the living room without passing out, let alone make it back to headquarters. Especially, as it just occurred to Chuuya, since he had no idea where he was. Sighing, Chuuya decided that the best thing he could do was cooperate with the squid-man until he was strong enough to put up a fight and hope Lovecraft didn’t murder him in his sleep.

Of course, if he wanted to do that, it’s not like he hasn’t had enough chances already. . .

Chuuya narrowed his eyes and examined Lovecraft’s dour face. “Why did you bring me here anyway, if you’re not trying to use me for something?”

“When I re-materialized my physical form, I tripped over you, and you stayed sound asleep.” Lovecraft almost smiled. “Anyone with that much dedication to sleeping has my eternal respect.”

Chuuya laughed, then groaned as his internal organs contracted. “I’ve been told I’m a heavy sleeper before,” he said when the pain faded a little. “But it’s never been much of a compliment.”

Lovecraft reached out and straightened a stray lock of Chuuya’s hair. “Your hair. . . it is very soft,” said Lovecraft, blushing. “I hope you know that is a compliment.”

Chuuya was too stunned to say anything as Lovecraft left the room. After a moment, he decided the best thing to do was get some rest, then make a break for it. He fell asleep almost instantly.

***

When Chuuya woke up, the sky had already grown dark and the only light in the room came from distant stars. The pain had lessened, became bearable, so Chuuya managed to stand up, gripping the edge of the couch for balance. When his head stopped spinning, Chuuuya saw Lovecraft sitting alone at a table in the dark, eating what appeared to be an entire salmon with his bare hands. When Lovecraft spotted Chuuya, he beckoned him over. “There is enough to share,” he said, holding up a chunk of fish. “I had thought you would be hungry after such a long nap.” Once Chuuya got closer, he realized that the fish was raw. “Dude, that’s just not right!” Chuuya exclaimed, scandalized. “Salmon like this needs to be pan-seared with lemon and served with a fine wine- you can’t just shove it in your mouth raw! What are you a fucking animal?” Chuuya took the plate away from Lovecraft and marched toward the kitchen. In the heat of the moment, Chuuya totally forgot about escaping and returning to the mafia; all his focus was on the fish.

Lovecraft trailed behind Chuuya, staring dolefully at the half-eaten fish. “Where are you taking our dinner?” he asked. “It’s good and fresh. Do you not like fish?”

“I don’t like raw fish,” Chuuya corrected, setting the fish down on the counter and digging through cupboards in search of a suitable pan. “And neither should you.” Eventually, Chuuya found a pan and began rooting through the fridge and pantry for other necessary ingredients. Much to his surprise, he had little to no difficulty finding what he was looking for; he had not expected the maniac who ate raw fish to have fresh lemons and an assortment of various spices.  

As if reading Chuuya’s thoughts, Lovecraft replied, “Steinbeck does most of the grocery shopping. I just get the fish.”

Chuuya turned on the stove, then paused. “You live together?” Lovecraft shrugged. “More or less.”

“Oh.” Chuuya wasn’t sure why he could feel his cheeks flushing; maybe he was feverish after using corruption. He took his anger out on the fish, hacking it to pieces with his dagger and tearing out the bones. “Will he be, ah, joining us for dinner?” Chuuya asked in a calm, even tone he thought Kouyou would be proud of.

“I don’t think so,” Lovecraft replied, staring at the fish. “He tends to leave me alone for a day or so after I go into my true form. He knows it makes me tired.”

“Huh.” Chuuya threw the fish into the pan with a vengeance. “Sounds like a really considerate partner.” The fish hissed in the pan; Chuuya hissed back. He didn’t know whether he was jealous of Lovecraft’s partnership with Steinbeck or if he was jealous because what he had with Steinbeck was more than a partnership.

Why do I give a shit about this walking calamari, anyway?

Chuuya glanced over his shoulder and studied Lovecraft’s face. He was not especially handsome, but there was something to be said about his sharp cheekbones and fathomless eyes. His dark hair looked thick and soft, and it was probably long enough for Chuuya to use as a blanket. Still, it wasn’t his appearance that had Chuuya’s interest: it was his kindness.

Kindness was not a quality you were encouraged to cultivate in the mafia; kindness was a liability more often than not, something to get beaten out of you in the earliest days of training. Chuuya’s ribs still ached when he remembered how Mori had kicked him there after a failed mission where a much younger, softer Chuuya had been unable to bring himself to kill his target. In the present, an older, tougher Chuuya peered up into an alien, expressionless yet somehow kind face and felt his heart stir, almost as if the softer Chuuya had not been beaten out of him after all.

As Chuuya cooked the fish, he allowed his mind to wander, daydreaming about what life would be like if he and Lovecraft put the war between their organizations aside and stayed together in this strange little house together. Theirs would be a quiet life. They would cuddle on the couch beneath the gentle light of the stars and moon, maybe whispering, maybe silent. Chuuya would brush Lovecraft’s hair with remarkable patience until it all hung in a single unbroken silken sheet without so much as a single knot or tangle, and Lovecraft would pat Chuuya’s head. Chuuya would not mind when Lovecraft called him small so long as he said it with a trace of affection. Their life would be a peaceful one, and perhaps it was merely the after-effect of Corruption, but Chuuya felt as if something deep in his bones was crying out for peace.

When the fish was done, Chuuya neatly sliced it in half, put each half on a clean plate, and brought the plates to the table. “You eat every last bite of this and try and tell me it tastes better raw, I fuckin’ dare you,” said Chuuya, pointing his knife at Lovecraft in a mock-threatening gesture. “You’ll never want raw fish again.”

Lovecraft lowered his face to the plate and sniffed the fish. “It does smell nice,” he admitted. He was about to tear into the fish with his hands, but Chuuya handed him a fork and knife, blushing when their hands brushed.

“This way,” Chuuya said, demonstrating how to use silverware on his piece of fish.

Lovecraft copied him, opening his mouth at exactly the same time Chuuya did and popping a bite of fish into his mouth. His eyes widened as he swallowed. “This is. . . not like anything I have ever experienced.” Before Chuuya could ask for clarification, Lovecraft brought out his tentacles and began launching hunks of fish into his mouth so fast that his tentacles melted into a single grayish-green blur. Within seconds, his plate was polished clean.

Chuuya laughed. “That good, huh?”

Lovecraft nodded solemnly. “Very good.”

Chuuya glanced down at his plate, then up at Lovecraft’s hungry eyes, and pushed his plate of fish across the table. “You know what? You can have it,” he said, shrugging as if it was a totally casual gesture with no emotional meaning behind it whatsoever. “I’m not hungry.” Although it was true that his stomach was still upset after using Corruption and it would probably take another day before the sickness wore off entirely, Chuuya would have given Lovecraft his fish no matter what.

Something approximating joy came over Lovecraft’s expressionless face. “Thank you.” He tore into the fish with just as much voracity as before, and when he finished, Chuuya reached out and touched one of his tentacles. 

Deep his heart, Chuuya could feel the hard edges of his mafia shell beginning to crumble away, sinking down into depths unknown, while bits and pieces of the softer Chuuya he had once been began to to ascend, like a sunken ship rising from a watery grave to sail beneath the silver moonlight once more.

“Thank you, octopus.”

#bungou stray dogs #chuucraft #rarepair week day four #here come dat fic o shit waddup