#oml this got long | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Tumblr has been providing a Korean-language service since 2013.

cupophrogs · 2 months

Note

i want to grab ur ocs under their arms and make them dance like cat owners do with their cats

Ah! Thank you so much! Speaking of arms-

Poppet has none! They don't have any lips either...

You know how a tiger will gnaw off it's own leg to escape a trap? Well, the Minis certainly got a feast out of it! After taking a small vat of acid to the face and resisting the Prototype, Poppet was strung up with the rest of the Smiling Critters and left to the mercy of the Minis. So, despite the agony and the blood loss, Poppet chewed through sleeves and sinew until they were free. They've mostly been hiding in their box ever since.

Close ups!

Fun Fact: Poppet's box is hooked up to the Gas Production Zone, so it functions like a stasis chamber. Whenever Poppet is inside, the lid locks, and Poppet basically goes into hibernation. It's the only reason they haven't starved, and why the box must be wound to open! Turning the crank shuts off the gas so it doesn't leak when the box is opened. There is an internal mechanism so Poppet can get out without help, but it takes a break in the gas for them to be awake enough to pull it.

#Poppet got messed up man #my beloved rotten rabbit #and yes they absolutely left the rest of the Critters to die #not deliberately! don't get me wrong!#but they were afraid and already bleeding like hell #and how does one undo belts without arms?#All they could think about was getting away #Poppet was pretty friendly with everyone (except Catnap)#Poppet basically saw Catnap as “the problem child” lmao #They were besties with Hoppy though (Fellow bunnies y'know?)#Poppet did help a few of the critters later on! Hoppy survived the longest.#Catnap tore her apart personally #i adore them sm #poppet spring #rotten poppet #poppy playtime oc #poppy playtime #jester oc #oml y'all have NO IDEA how long the back image took #holy shit/pos #phrart #art #character design #the three d’s #armless #tw gore #cw gore #cw body horror #cw injury

74 notes · View notes

genghisthebrain · 5 months

Text

gay things wednesday addams definitely does because she's gay: a masterlist:

dates women

dates enid

goes to pride and threatens the entire bloodline of a random drag queen because said drag queen implied that enid's nails were not perfect

has a thing for xavier (this is gay because xavier looks like he had tuberculosis as a child and now looks like a lady who could never overpower wednesday in a physical or social setting)

does crimes (inherently homosexual)

runs a fandom tumblr (or multiple. brittana or swanqueen. it's clearly one of the two)

has made powerpoints on the gay undertones of music she listens to (this includes classical music)

could probably recite the whole of glee by heart if put to the test

cello (as a violinist who used to play in a string ensemble, i think like 80% of us are gay now. evidently the strings made us homos)

THE HUG (TM) (you all know the one) (it was gay)

danced to lady gaga at the rave'n in the gay ass dress (absolute slay)

i can fix him complex (this is prevalent in queer women who spend a lot of time reading fanfiction. and on that note:)

reads fanfiction. of all kinds. lesbian

writes fanfiction. of all kinds. lesbian

makes the homolone pun every christmas (to the extent where home alone is formally banned from the wenclair household)

drinks pumpkin spice lattes (yes she does no i will not accept criticism)

magic (magic is gay)

being the child of the bi4bi supercouple morticia and gomez

mental illness

summons spirits from visions (i'll have whatever she's taken)

pain tolerance (important to be able to deal with pain when you have to deal with the emotional trauma lesbian media gives us. killing eve i'm looking you right in the eye)

highly intelligent (all gays are extra smart)

investigates crimes/supernatural happenings (it was a very formative experience for me as a gay girl to wish for a crime to happen around my area so i could investigate it)

teacher crush on ms thornhill (we all had them don't you deny it)

emo of some variation (queer and you know it)

whatever the grumpy x sunshine fuck was going on with hers and enid's room

summarily, wednesday is a lesbian, and i love and respect her for it

#wait_no on ao3 #wednesday 2022 #wednesday addams #enid sinclair #wenclair #wednesday x enid #wednesday headcanons #oml what happened to this #it got long #oops #lesbianism #sapphic #wlw #wlw love #happy 2024

84 notes · View notes

soulcluster · 2 months

Text

@pulchralilium / aerith

A woman in a pink dress selling flowers in Mideel.

There had been no other thought in his mind since hearing of the rumor. The men who talked about her couldn't give him a name or anything more than a description of her appearance, but it was enough for Cloud to up and leave Edge without warning.

Returning from the northern crater and seeing the lifestream surge up onto the surface made him think he, like the planet, could start anew, for her sake if nothing else. Yet he hadn't been able to keep that hope. Day by day, the yearning in his heart grew, weeds growing in the spaces of his heart where he hoped for flowers.

Now that long lost feeling of hope re-gripped him. It could just be a wild rumor, a coincidence, he didn't know, but he wouldn't rest until he knew.

It took several days for Cloud to arrive in Mideel. The little village was still recovering after being attacked by Ultimate Weapon, but they were thriving. Homes and stores had popped up from the shambles and what had started as a few survivors was now a small village. He hoped she was among them.

Cloud had barely slept on his way here but he pushed forward, eyes scanning the threadbare crowd with hope. She would stand out among them, he could almost see her now, just as she had been when they met in Sector 8.

it was the sound of her voice he heard first, and for a moment he wondered if he was hallucinating. But the he turned and he saw her, as alive and smiling as she had been before he found her on the altar. Before...

Cloud stared openly, rooted to the spot and his breath caught in his throat. He wasn't...hallucinating, right? If he was...he hoped it continued...

#c: cloud strife #pulchralilium #oml #i got long but i was having feelings #im gonna be crying so much over this thread

14 notes · View notes

raytm · 2 months

Text

to gaze upon the eaves of the passing, amorphous buildings in awe. the glistening of stalactites tapered to blunt, convex points. they revealed his reflection in billowing streaks of colour, nebulous around the edges, waning away as it skirted to the other side. he could have stared into its frosted, ethereal world for hours, fractals of shimmering light dancing across his vision. his stomach lurched, knees threatening to buckle as serval’s stride continued on and he sank into the snow, hitching forward inelegantly. the alcohol settled in him as warmth, imbuing his senses with a pleasant distortion. this place, often bleak and wintry, was far more benign when witnessed slantwise. his laughter was a sweet baritone, untethered to ludicrous things like decorum. serval shook her head, either nonplussed by her brother’s descent into delirium or finding it hilarious, incongruous to their soirée’s dignified air. her hair, long and blonde, shone with a lustre of starlight, whipping back and forth on the brisk, eventide wind. her laughter sung with a dulcet cadence of incoherence, not because she was inarticulate, but because he was drunk. one, two, the crystalline glasses of effervescent wine were sweet, and even their father’s hibernal lower did not jerk him from his stupor. he had ushered them over, brandishing his arm like an incensed, seizing branch, lowering his voice to a seething hiss, take your brother home. it wasn’t a request. stumbling through the early evening snow was far more thrilling than a ballroom of stifling vanity and perfunctory niceties. the streets were vacant, cast in arresting shafts of sputtering street light, oil lamps burning away, their flames high and quivering. where the undulating swells of darkness stopped the light became loose strands, lambency wreathing through the spills of ink before fading away. these otherwise familiar sights were augmented in his inebriation, so much more enthralling now than ever before. “ move it, slowpoke.” his sister’s scolding is gentle, a lenience afforded to so very few. he blinks at her, slowly, allowing her features to bleed into clarity. “ home - right, home.” often, that word held with it an insurmountable weight, manacles that kept him adhered to his family’s noble name and inherited responsibilities. now, it felt like the benevolence of a smoldering fire, chasing the lingering chill from his bones. the fireplace was imposing, built of old, clay bricks and filled with neatly chopped logs. the aromatic scent of still glowing cinders, the quiet stillness that accompanied it, that felt more akin to home than any tepid gatherings of family ever did. Gepard leans into her, his shoulder bumping into hers, bracing himself for another, labored step, then another, his thighs felt like gelatin. “ we’re going home.” it was spoken softer, a whisper of chattering teeth and rallying sobriety. his sister nodded, turning her attention back to the street and the two of them continued on, lurching just a little less now.

#⋆⁺₊❅. 𝐺𝐸𝑃𝐴𝑅𝐷 𝐿𝐴𝑁𝐷𝐴𝑈. › 𝐢𝐜.#alcohol /#gepard drabble #ok now i write the angsty one #i love the landau siblings sm you have no idea #this happened 1 time and he got an hour long lecture the next day as well as a headache oml.#never again.

7 notes · View notes

dekusleftsock · 11 months

Note

I love your analyses so much! Especially the one about why bkdk and togachako aren't toxic. You really changed my mind on bkdk, so thanks for that!!

Awww you’re so sweet!!! Ty!

I feel like fandom has a habit of either exaggerating something, or straight up using the wrong terms because they don’t know what the term really is.

Toxic, abusive, etc are so wildly used for so many different things. And authors intent also gets lost in that. A story and it’s interpretations can easily be taken and malformed and destroyed. Prime example would actually be the first Matrix released in 1999. It’s a movie about trans identity, the allegory being confirmed by the authors years later, yet most people remember the matrix simply because of the “red or blue pill” scene, taking it as a silly joke.

So I feel like it’s really easy to get trapped in the whole “this ship is toxic” mantra, especially on platforms that aren’t tumblr. (Tumblr too ofc, but it’s easy to just find a post and create a new opinion since the algorithm isn’t necessarily built to keep you in an echo chamber)

And it also just feels toxic itself? It doesn’t promote critical thinking to just say “this ship is abusive”, especially when that word is so unbelievably watered down.

Going back to authors intent, if you told me “Yoon Bum and Sangwoo are toxic and abusive as fuck from killing stalking” I’d say, “no shit Sherlock” because it was from start to finish supposed to BE THAT WAY. (And anyone who says they aren’t I fully don’t trust you that was absolutely not the point of killing stalking) BKDK always falls into this toxic/abusive mantra because of the bullying and the general rough dynamic that Katsuki creates. And that’s stupid in my opinion. Most of its hatred is built off of people’s own experiences with bullying and a refusal to let a character grow and change when they have a trait they don’t like. For some reason people see mass murder or serial killers as more redeemable or better people than childhood bullying. WHICH THAT BULLYING???? MOST OF ITS RETCONNED NOW AND BASED OFF OF ASSUMPTIONS OF WHAT BAKUGOU ACTED LIKE.

The killing yourself comment he told deku? Literally retconned. I’m so done with that shit. Like I could attempt to tell these people why character development matters more than their stupid fucking opinions, but atp I’d literally rather just say “it’s retconned” because it fucking is.

Any opinions people have of togachako being toxic or something I’ve just straight up brushed off as misogyny. BECAUSE IF A MAN WAS IN THAT DYNAMIC… IF A MAN WAS THE HERO… IF A MAN FIXED HER EVERYONE WOULD FUCKING LIKE IT

Because people like when men fix women. But ochako doesn’t WANT to fix her. She likes the current toga. She just doesn’t want the murder. Good fucking day.

#this got so long and went off as a tangent for no god damn reason oml #anyway I feel very close to the they’re gonna be cannon zone and I’m excited #bkdk #they make me so sillay #togachako #ugh #ty for the ask tho it was sweet and genuinely made me smile

37 notes · View notes

turning-the-kaleidoscope · 2 years

Note

Protective hug with Reigen and one of the kids?

this got so out of hand. so out of hand. thank you so much for the prompt! <3 i really went. frickng. this is 8.6k. but I’m really really happy with how it turned out! <3 ty again for the prompt

- future fic bc I love post canon potential, protective reigen, Teruki’s parents are the worst, heavily implied child abuse/neglect (not pictured), etc. married terumob at the forefront with backburner married serirei. because I’m a sap. everyone is protective of teruki and shigeo.

hope you enjoy! my formatting broke while copy/pasting to tumblr shdjkfsdf so here’s the AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43243897

~*~*~*~*~

Reigen is balanced precariously on his hand-me-down stepladder replacing the blinds when Teruki bursts into the office with a sound like a gunshot and nearly vaults Reigen to his death.

“Teruk—!” Reigen yowls, flailing. He's lucky enough that the blinds had already been secured to the window—he grabs ahold of the rail and steadies himself, then hops down the three steps to the floor. "Holy shit, don't do that to me—”

Teruki's across the room before Reigen's collected himself. His hands chain around Reigen's arm and the fear in his eyes brands straight to Reigen's soul.

“She found us,” Teruki blurts. “She knows where we live, Reigen, she—”

“Okay, okay. Calm down.” Heat rips through Reigen's chest. Teruki is twenty six years old and all Reigen sees behind those eyes is a scared child. “Who found out where—”

Oh.

Oh shit.

“Shit,” Reigen says out loud. He grips Teruki by the shoulders to hold him steady. Not even Claw could make Teruki tremble like this. “What happened? Are you and Shigeo okay?”

“We’re okay,” Teruki stammers. His gaze flickers around like he's expecting someone to hurt him. “Shigeo got the door, but she knew who he was and I never even told her I was gay. How did she know who he was? How did she know—”

This has been the one lingering fear that has followed Teruki every year of his life. Claw has come and gone. Natural disaster has come and gone. But his parents—somehow they’ve managed to cling like the roaches they are, digging their grimy hands into whatever good things Teruki builds for himself.

Not this. Not fucking this.

“I don’t know how much she knows,” Teruki says. “He told her off but she said she’s going to come back. What are we supposed to do when she comes back?”

Reigen hugs him. It feels like what Teruki needs. “It’s gonna be okay,” he says. The rage within him seethes and bleeds into the ferocity of the hug, but he can’t do anything about it. “She doesn’t get to do this.”

Teruki hugs him. Reigen’s hug is angry; Teruki’s hug is afraid. “What are we supposed to do? She hasn’t done anything for years, if we take it to the police—”

“She’s done enough.”

“We can’t prove anything.”

“We can try.”

“Shigeo answered the door,” Teruki says halfway through his second cup of tea.

Reigen stops fidgeting with the blinds to join Teruki at the couches, sitting across from him. Teruki has been mostly silent thus far, breathing and sipping tea while recollecting his bearings. The sign on the door has been flipped to Closed.

“He told me he’d handle it,” Teruki goes on, “but I didn’t like the thought of him being alone with her. I don’t. So I went with him.”

Reigen nods. He’s trying to keep things comfortable for Teruki’s sake, but anticipation gnaws. “What did she want?”

Teruki leans back. He swishes his tea and watches it until it’s still again. “... Apparently she and my father got divorced,” he says. “I figured it’s been coming for years, but she picked a weird time to tell me.”

“Yeah. Sounds like manipulation to me.”

Teruki’s smile is bitter. “That’s what Shigeo said.”

“What about your dad? What’s up with him?”

Teruki shrugs. “I’ve met him maybe… twice? He was always away when I was growing up. I don’t know if he ever wanted to be a father in the first place.” Teruki swirls his tea again. “They had to sell the house after the divorce, so she’s living alone just outside of the city. She gave us her address in case we wanted to… visit. I guess? She said she wanted to ‘reconnect’. Not apologize, just reconnect.”

“What’s she expecting? A family reunion?”

Teruki huffs. It’s the first smile that’s seemed at all real since he got here. “Shige’s family would tear her apart. Ritsu’s been wanting to for years.”

Reigen can empathize.

Teruki reaches the bottom of his mug and settles it on the coffee table between them. “Sorry,” Teruki says. His eyes are red, and he sniffs while he tucks loose hair back into place. “I appreciate you letting me stay for a while. Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Reigen says. He hates that he can’t do more. “Do you guys have a game plan? What are you gonna do?”

“We’re going to file for a restraining order,” Teruki answers. “I hoped she would leave me alone once I was an adult, and I probably would’ve been okay with never pressing charges as long as she just… stayed away. But now she’s— stalking us. Enough that she knows where we live and who Shigeo is. If she’s willing to go that far, I don’t know what else she’s capable of.”

“Yeah, no, that makes sense.” Especially after a divorce. Knowing what he does about Teruki’s parents, it probably wasn’t a clean break. “And I meant what I said about security cameras. You and Shigeo already have a bunch of them outside, don’t you? Do they record audio?”

“Not yet. Shigeo’s getting those installed today.” Teruki rubs his arms. “I feel bad for leaving him at the house alone, but… I just, needed some time away after she was there.”

The wrath is back. That this person is managing to make Teruki feel unsafe after all these years is despicable, much less in his own home that he’s built for himself with his husband.

“Shigeo understands,” Reigen says. “It probably gave him some time to regain his bearings. You know how he is. Just call the police if she starts snooping around the place again, alright? I mean that. And call me, too.”

“Yeah.” Teruki grabs his shoulderbag. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

Reigen nods. He jots a mental note: make sure Shigeo still has that spare key to the office. Teruki and Shigeo have a litany of places to hide out before the office, but if they need somewhere last second that’s completely detached from friends and family, Spirits and Such isn’t a bad choice.

Teruki leaves with a short and tired goodbye and Reigen watches the sidewalk from the window. Once he sees Teruki turn the corner on the curb, he drops the blinds and locks up for the night.

Then he calls Shigeo.

He gets a single ring in before Shigeo picks up. “I almost killed someone today.”

“Yeah.” Reigen runs a hand through his hair. “How literal is that?”

Shigeo dodges that question like it’s a landmine. “I recognized her,” he says. “And she—somehow recognized me. I thought I could just tell her off and it would be over, but then she started talking about him and—” Shigeo heaves in a deep breath. “I told him not to follow me. He didn’t listen. How much did he tell you?”

“Just that she was trying to guilt trip him with the whole ‘divorce’ thing,” Reigen says. “And that you were pissed.”

“I still am. She gave me—she gave me her address. I almost—” Another very, very deep breath. “Reigen.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it too much.” Reigen doesn’t know what he would do if he ever met Teruki’s parents, but he’d probably end up with a fun story to tell his roommate in jail. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if it were me. It sounds like you held it together pretty well, all things considered.”

“She knows I’m married to him,” Shigeo says. “How does she know who I am?”

“What about social media? You guys kind of keep up with that, don’t you?”

“We do, but our accounts are private. She shouldn’t be able to see anything, not unless she’s getting updates through somebody else.”

“Gotcha.” Reigen could punch a wall. “Damn it. Teruki talked to me, but have you talked to anyone?”

“I talked to Ritsu. He told our parents. They’re upset.”

Teruki’s parents set off an airhorn in the lion’s den with the Kageyama family alone. Ritsu is fiercely protective of his brother and subsequent brother-in-law, and the Kageyamas are fiercely protective of their sons and subsequent son-in-law.

“I also went to the gym for a few hours after I got the security cameras fixed.”

“Well, good.” The concept of that makes Reigen want to die a little, but weight training has been a good outlet for Shigeo’s overwhelming mental state over the years. “Are you home now?”

“Mm. I got takeout from Teru’s favorite restaurant, but I don’t know how much he’s going to eat.”

“Makes sense. I know you’re already going to, but make sure he eats something.”

“I will. I’m glad he talked to you. I have to call Ritsu back, he’s going to help me get the motion light installed tomorrow.”

“Alright. Oh—however much you paid for dinner, let me know. I’ll reimburse you.”

“What? No, you couldn’t…”

“I haven’t treated you kids to ramen in years, this ain’t gonna break the bank. Just text me. And don’t tell Teruki until you really feel like it.”

“… Okay. Thank you, Shishou.”

It’s no use telling Shigeo not to call him that. He already knows—now, the kid just saves it for nostalgia and the verbal equivalent of a hug or a promise, which is ridiculous but also makes Reigen emotional if he thinks too hard about it. Being fourty does that to a person, maybe.

“Call the police if you get suspicious.”

“That goes without saying.”

“Call me too. I want dibs.”

“Family first. But you can deal with the leftovers.”

“Well, I suppose that’s only fair. Nothing hurts more than rubbing salt in the wounds.”

Shigeo kind of laughs. It’s as much of a laugh as he’s going to get out of the kid given the situation. “Thanks again.”

“Sure thing.”

Shigeo hangs up. Reigen packs up the office and calls Katsuya on his way home.

Shigeo is seated on the couch with a book, still bristling, when Teruki walks through the door of their home.

Shigeo tries to shove his anger aside because Teruki has never liked seeing Shigeo upset, but this is one emotion he can’t stuff, and Teruki doesn’t like it when Shigeo stuffs emotions either. Maybe it’s better that Shigeo doesn’t pretend everything is okay.

“Hey,” Teruki says, letting his shoulderbag slip to the floor.

“Hi,” Shigeo says. “I got takeout for dinner. You should eat something, even if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah, uh.” Teruki laughs, a little nervous and a lot ashamed. “I’ll do what I can. Thanks.”

Shigeo nods. He puts his book off to the side and drops his legs, opening up his arms. He makes grabby hands at his husband. “Come here.”

Teruki exhales deeply. He kicks off his shoes on his way over to the couch and collapses into Shigeo’s chest. Shigeo wraps his arms around Teruki’s head and hooks his ankles over the backs of Teru’s knees, wishing he were tall enough to envelop him completely. He draws his aura around them both and pours as much safety and as much love into it as he can.

Teruki knows that Shigeo loves him and would protect him, but he has to feel it.

Teruki’s arms slip under Shigeo’s back as he hugs him, too. His coiled-up aura unfurls against Shigeo’s, scared and stressed but trusting. Shigeo reaches for it with a thought.

“St-Stop,” Teruki gets out weakly, even as he burrows into Shigeo’s hoodie. Shigeo frowns, confused. “Y—You’re gonna make me cry, Shige.”

Shigeo presses deeper. It’s not fair, but he couldn’t possibly pull away. Teruki hiccups and clutches the back of his shirt.

“This is your home,” Shigeo says. His heart feels fierce, but broken, and he tries to keep his voice steady for Teru. “She doesn’t get to take your home away from you. I won’t let her.”

Teruki’s tears seep through Shigeo’s hoodie, next to his heart. “God.” He laughs wetly and brings a hand up to cover his face. “I thought I could hold it together longer than this.”

“I’m not really going to let you do that, either.”

Teruki huffs. Shigeo lets his aura bleed into Teruki’s and runs his fingers through his blond hair until the jitters in Teru’s aura soften into a thrum. It’s still more sensitive than his bassline, but no longer as frightened.

“… Thank you,” Teruki says. Shigeo nods. “Have—… Did she come back?”

“No. I would have told you if she did.”

“Right. I, um. I’ve been thinking about getting a hotel for tonight. My head’s spinning.”

“Would a hotel really help?”

“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to try.”

“I think it might,” Shigeo admits quietly. “I—I want you to feel safe, Teru, but I don’t want our home to be a place you run away from. Your mom can’t take this home away from you.”

“I know, but…” Teruki trails, then sighs, curling his knees against Shigeo’s ribs. “Maybe I don’t know.”

“I’m here, too,” Shigeo reminds him. “As long as I’m here you’ll never have to see her.”

“I don’t want you near her, either, Shige.” Teruki’s fingers press over Shigeo’s heart. “I don’t want her anywhere near you.”

“I’ll keep a barrier up. We have plenty of cameras and Ritsu is going to help us with motion lights. If we’re here, then we’re home. She can’t touch us here.”

“Nothing’s ever stopped her before,” Teruki croaks. His aura is starting to crumple again. Shigeo presses him closer.

“You were alone before,” Shigeo says.

Shigeo’s phone rings. Teruki flinches and Shigeo smooths his hand over Teruki’s shoulder-length hair as he digs his phone out of his back pocket.

“It’s my mom,” Shigeo says.

Teruki relaxes and Shigeo answers. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi Mom,” Teruki says loudly.

“My boys,” Mom says. Her smile is just as audible as her concern. “Are you two home?”

“We’re home, why?”

There's a knock at the door and no question as to who’s behind it. Teruki huffs incredulously as he slides off of Shigeo and Shigeo gets to his feet. They head to the door together and Shigeo pulls it open.

Mom yanks Teruki into her arms the second she gets a visual on him.

Teruki hardly has the chance to jump before he realizes what’s going on and he’s sinking into her embrace. He’s taller than her, but he finds a way to press his face into her shoulder while she runs her fingers through his hair.

“Oh, Teru,” Mom whispers.

Teruki’s arms squeeze around her shoulders.

This is how it should be. It should be like this when mothers come to visit.

It was not like this when Teruki’s mother showed up. She spoke in clipped and entitled tones with condescending words—she singled him out as her son in law and he loathed it. She called Teruki her son and herself his mother and he saw red. He told her to leave and she asked what gave him the right. That she has the right to see her son and that he has no right to keep her away.

“It’s going to be okay, love,” Mom murmurs, hugging Teru close. “We’ll figure this out.”

Teruki nods and steps back only to be met with an armful of Ritsu, despite Ritsu’s reluctance initiating physical touch. Teruki returns the hug with a joke about Ritsu’s height. Ritsu scowls but stays right where he is.

This is how family should be. Family should be like this, not like—

Mom locks Shigeo into an iron hug. It’s parental and full, but a different hug than the hug she gave Teruki. This hug digs into Shigeo’s heart like an elbow in the ribs. It grounds him.

She’s angry, too.

“We’re going to solve this,” Mom whispers into his hair. “I promise. That woman isn’t going to lay a finger on Teruki.”

Shigeo wraps her up with his arms and his aura. He nods.

Teruki’s mother told him that they have no right to keep her away.

Soon they’ll have the right to keep her away.

“We just need witnesses,” Tome says. “That’s it, right? She’s already a disgusting person, all we need is a way to prove it and get that restraining order.”

“It’s not that simple,” Serizawa says, watching her pace around the office. “She could contest the restraining order. The court doesn’t have to grant it if they can’t find a genuine cause.”

“So we prove it,” Tome reiterates, stopping in front of him and pivoting fully to make her point. “We get whatever evidence we’ve got lying around and drop the gaffle on her ass.”

“You can do all sorts of stuff in court if you know the system,” Reigen says, folding his hands. “Teruki and Shigeo don’t have a chance if she hires some skeezy lawyer who knows their stuff.”

He thinks twice. Teruki said his mother’s living in an apartment outside of the city… Reigen lived in an apartment outside the city until he and Katsuya were able to afford a larger one together closer to the office. Any apartment that far out is cramped and cheap and doesn’t at all suit the lifestyle Teruki described of his mother.

He wonders how much money Teruki’s father walked away with in the divorce. Maybe she couldn’t hire a lawyer.

Tome throws her hands into the air. “Okay, so whatever. Teruki’s mom can’t win. She can’t win.”

Katsuya interjects. “As much as I understand the urgency,” he says, “going before a judge is not black and white. Especially not in family court.”

“Besides, Teruki and Shigeo haven’t even decided how they wanna handle it yet,” Reigen butts in when Tome opens her mouth to argue. She’d make a good judge if she ever decides anthropology isn’t her thing. “We should wait to hear from them. There are plenty of ways to go about this.”

“They may even try going through the esper division of law,” Serizawa adds. “Shigeo mentioned looking into that. The only qualm is that this mother isn’t an esper, but they could still have it settled in a hybrid court. Especially since Shigeo is also an esper.”

“Wait, I didn’t know about that part.” Reigen spins the chair around toward Katsuya. “What the hell is a hybrid court?”

“I’m not sure myself. Shigeo said he’s looking into it. I think Shou is helping.”

Tome drops onto the coffee table with a groan. “I guess that checks out. Shou’s mom sort of had to deal with that when his dad went off the rails. But how’s that work when the espers are the ones wanting the protective order?”

“That’s why they want to involve the esper legal system,” Serizawa says. If Tome’s anger is problem solving and Reigen’s anger is cheshire smiles, then Serizawa’s anger is something quiet and very, very dangerous. “It’s the only way to ensure that she doesn’t try and flip this back on Teruki.”

“Right.” Reigen puts his head in his hands. The thought of his mom somehow finding a way to blame Teruki for all of the abuse makes him want to throw up. And punch a wall. “Damn esper descrimination.”

Tome looks disgusted. “That’s a thing?”

“After the Claw shitshow, yeah.”

“How the shit—she’s gonna spin this like it’s Teruki’s fault?”

“We don’t know that she would,” Reigen says. “And could you get off the coffee table? The hell do I have couches for.”

Tome kicks her feet up onto the table in defiance. “So what? Do we just sit around and wait for something to happen? I hate that.”

Reigen hates it, too. “Teruki and Shigeo are still figuring out how they want to handle this. If they go for a permanent protective order, they’re gonna need evidence. That’s step one.”

“Alright, evidence.” Tome leaps up and finally leaves Reigen’s coffee table alone. “I’ll talk to Shou and see if we can scrape anything up records-wise. He’s always down to clown on shitty parents.”

“Don’t do anything illegal.”

“You’re the one person who doesn’t get to tell me that. That woman’s got a lot of nerve messing with my boys. She can’t win.”

She shuts the door behind her. Reigen hangs his head.

“It’s going to be okay,” Katsuya says. Stupid husband telepathy or whatever the hell. “Once Teruki and Shigeo decide how they want to handle this, I’m sure they’ll let us know if there's anything we can do to help.”

Reigen sighs. He can’t argue with that, and frankly doesn’t want to. “Right. Wanna go get ramen?”

Katsuya grabs his coat.

Teruki and Shigeo are set up on the couch with a dusty cardboard box sitting open on the coffee table. Teruki flicks through loose polaroids and album sleeves. Shigeo sorts with him.

“This one’s an option,” Teruki says, carefully drawing a photo from its lamination. He’s so young in these pictures—he can’t even remember when or where most of them were taken. Empty memories. “You can, ah… tell I wasn’t being taken very good care of.”

Shigeo looks at the photo over Teru’s shoulder. It’s objectively not a bad picture, Teruki just looks… sad, and thin, and there's a bruise on his head. He looks maybe five or six, which means he was actually seven or eight, and he’s holding his mother’s hand. It might've been the last time he ever held her hand.

“You’re so small,” Shigeo says with no air.

Teruki blows all the air out of his own lungs and leans back. “Yeah. It’s good evidence, though, right?”

He hates the smile that claws its way onto his face, all muscle-memory. Shigeo hates that he smiles when he’s trying to hide something. Teruki hasn’t slipped into the bad habit this instinctively in years.

Shigeo reaches for the photo. He stares intensely at it for long enough that Teruki feels self-conscious. “Did—” Shigeo pauses. “The bruise,” he says. “Did your mom…?”

“What? Oh.” Shigeo’s stress is making more sense. “Maybe once or twice? It didn’t happen a lot.”

“So she did.”

“Not often.” Teruki doesn’t have vivid memories of being hit. He has vivid memories of her voice and her damn words, and maybe being cornered in the middle of it. “I was mainly just left alone a lot growing up, and it was around the time Claw started catching onto me. She was way more into pretending I didn’t exist.”

Shigeo nods, stiff, and when he doesn’t stop staring at the photo Teruki reaches over and takes it out of his hands. He isn’t trying to upset Shigeo anymore than he already has, and in all honesty seeing his own face like that for too long is dragging up drowned memories. He doesn’t want to think about any of this.

He settles the photo onto an empty patch of coffee table. “Evidence pile,” Teruki says.

He hates every part of this.

Why’d he even keep the stupid cardboard box? Nostalgic childhood nothings, loose photos, the methodical albums his mother was so particular about keeping as he grew up. She always was particular about her image. He can’t say he grew up much different, but he’s not the person he used to be. When she kicked him out of her home he stole her precious albums to take with him, both to spite and remember her.

He still remembers the way she held his hand in that picture. It wasn’t because she wanted to.

“What if it’s not enough?” Teruki whispers.

“We might not even need so much evidence to get the temporary protective order,” Shigeo tells him. “Especially since the esper court is getting involved. They’re familiar with Claw. The fact that your mother abandoned you when she knew you were being hunted isn’t something they’ll let slip.”

Teruki takes an enormous breath. “Yeah.” God, his lungs hurt. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” His head hurts, too. “I, ah, I have a couple bills that accidentally showed up at my old apartment instead of my parents’ house. It should be enough to prove she had me living alone as a pre-teen.”

Shigeo nods. “You have her text messages, too. We have enough. It’s going to be okay.”

“Yeah.” Teruki breathes and this time it aches instead of burns. “Thanks. I know this is a lot.”

“It’ll be over soon.”

Teruki feels a little better after that. He finds a couple more pictures of himself as a child and even some he took of his apartment when he first moved in. Shigeo brews a fresh pot of tea while Teruki digs around in his old filing cabinet for those old bills. By the end of the night, well past ten o’clock, they’ve assembled a small arsenal of evidence to be taken to the court house first thing in the morning.

After changing into comfortable clothes, Teruki scrolls through his phone while Shigeo brushes his teeth. Teruki thinks it takes longer than usual, but he’s on-edge, so it’s more likely that he’s reading into things he shouldn’t. Shigeo turns out the light on his way to bed. Teruki sets his alarm. Shigeo curls up on his side of the bed, taking half the comforter with him as normal. Teruki runs warm, so it’s alright.

Realistically, he won’t be sleeping much tonight anyway.

Shigeo stretches over to kiss his temple. “Goodnight.”

Teruki kisses the top of his head. “Sleep well.”

Shigeo rolls onto his side and Teruki watches the ceiling. It’s a still evening, a mute note in the air. Shigeo shifts a little. Teruki takes a couple deep breaths.

Shigeo shifts again. Then again. His breath hitches.

“Shige?” Teruki reaches for him, with his aura first and then with his hand. “Are you okay?”

Shigeo fails to stifle a brittle sob.

Teruki is more alert now than he was seeing his mother’s face at their door.

“Hey.” Teruki gets in close. He searches blindly for Shigeo’s hand and slots their fingers together when he finds it. “What’s going on?”

Shigeo’s shoulders shudder. He presses Teruki’s hand to his lips, taking thin breaths. “You were so small,” Shigeo whispers, the tremors reaching his voice. “Why would anyone—how could anyone hurt you like that? Y-You were— Teru.”

Teruki’s gut wraps itself up in one giant knot. He shouldn’t have let Shigeo see the pictures—or at least he should’ve been more aware of how it would affect him. He wraps his arms around Shigeo’s stomach and tugs him back against his chest, not sure of what else to do. Shigeo doesn’t relax into him, nor does he pull away. His breaths rattle over Teruki’s knuckles.

“I’m sorry, Shige.”

“I’m mad,” Shigeo snaps. “And—...”

Teruki wishes he could see his husband’s face. He hates the part of him that’s relieved he can’t see his husband’s face. He squeezes Shigeo closer and Shigeo’s turbulent breaths dissolve into hiccupping sobs.

“You were so small,” Shigeo hitches. “Y-You were so small.”

Teruki wants to take all the things that make Shigeo cry and rip them apart. He never wanted to be one of them.

“It’s okay,” Teruki says.

Shigeo snarls. “No it’s not.”

“Sorry, that’s—that’s not what I meant. I’m okay. Okay?” He doesn’t feel very okay, but he doesn’t feel like it’s a lie either. Shigeo is rigid against him, heaving like a board refusing to buckle in a hurricane, and Teruki threads his fingers through Shigeo’s hair. “Let me hold you.”

“I should be doing that,” Shigeo bites, his voice wet. “I should be the one holding you.”

“You have been, Shige.” Teruki draws his fingers across Shigeo’s scalp, tracing his hairline. “You always do. Please.”

Shigeo sobs.

Teruki curbstomps his panic and buries his face against the top of Shigeo’s head, smoothing his hair repeatedly. Shigeo finally sinks back into him but the stress in his chest won’t let him relax, and Teruki hates that this isn’t a problem he can solve.

But Shigeo is letting him hold him.

“It’s okay,” he whispers into Shigeo’s hair. “Shh. We’re okay.”

He can’t remember the last time Shigeo cried like this. The occasions are few and far between and Teruki never knows what to do with his voice. His hands keep Shigeo close. Both of Shigeo’s hands clutch one of Teruki’s against his face and hot tears run over their knuckles.

“S’Sorry,” Shigeo whispers through his tears, hoarse. “I’m sorry, Teruki.”

Teruki nuzzles the top of his head and squeezes his eyes shut when the burn turns scorching. “Don’t apologize. I don’t mind.”

Shigeo twists around to bury himself in Teruki’s chest, then he cries until he falls asleep.

The courthouse opens at nine o’clock the following morning. Teruki and Shigeo are downtown by eight fifty. Teruki speaks with the clerk and hands over the forums he filled in advance.

The esper division of law is going to get involved.

Shigeo isn’t as upset as he was yesterday, but the tension never left. He was tense even as he slept. If Teruki weren’t so strung-up himself he would be able to comfort him better.

The esper court takes over as soon as Teruki brings up having been hunted by Claw as a child.

It makes him sick that his mother’s threatening text messages are somehow more relevant evidence than the pictures of him as a child, given how Shigeo reacted.

That his mother is stalking him to the point of showing up at his home does not look good for her.

The temporary protective order is granted.

Teruki and Shigeo take a taxi home late evening with a yellow folder between them, a court date ahead of them and Teruki’s hand in Shigeo’s.

“I’m going for a walk,” Shigeo says as soon as they’re through the door. He doesn’t ask if Teruki wants to join him, so this is probably a subtle way of telling Teruki he needs time alone. Teruki nods and hangs up his coat as Shigeo pivots back out the door. Teruki slides all the locks into place.

He gets the tea kettle boiling. The folder sits on their dining table, which has seen less use than their coffee table this week. Teruki stalls by glancing about his and Shigeo’s home. Humbly furnished and full of pictures; a few fingerprints in the paint courtesy of Tome and Shou; the bougie coffee maker as a wedding gift from Reigen and Serizawa; his mother-in-law’s choice of cutlery and his father-in-law’s electric mixer; fridge magnets that Ritsu mailed while he was off at college.

That’s not all. He could look at anything in this home and tie it back to somebody precious in his life. This home is made of connections and promises and it’s Teruki’s and Shigeo’s and whoever else they welcome into it.

Teruki cuts the heat when the kettle whistles. He grabs his phone from the living room.

Reigen’s stepping into his and Katsuya’s apartment when his phone goes off. Some fumbling and light switching and shoes-kicking later, he gets through the door and answers the phone. Katsuya’s shoes are already here and the light’s on in the living room.

“Heya,” Reigen says, starting down the hall.

“Do you wanna serve my mom the restraining order?”

“Heya?”

“We got the temporary restraining order today,” Teruki says. “We have a court date, but she needs to be served before that can happen.”

“Oh damn.”

Katsuya looks over from the couch in the living room with a question and concern. Reigen waves a hand and Katsuya nods, understanding. He’ll explain after the call. “When’s the court date?”

“November seventeenth.”

“Gotcha.” Reigen hugs the phone between his cheek and shoulder, tearing a post-it note from the fridge to write on. “So, listen, as satisfying as that sounds, are you sure Shigeo doesn’t want to do it? Or I guess maybe that’s not allowed depending on what’s in the order. What about Ritsu?”

“We talked about it. Shigeo could, but we think it’s for the best that you do it. If you’re willing, we’d love to give you the honor.”

“... Well. In that case, gimme a time and place.”

Teruki gives him a time and place.

Friday, because she told Shigeo and Teruki that she would be at her apartment on Fridays if they ever want to ‘stop by’, and she’s located about where Reigen assumed. A tiny studio apartment on the outskirts of Seasoning City. A dank ride through a cheap train and a long walk through cold wind and autumn leaves.

Reigen double-triple-quadruple checked the proof-of document to be filed once Teruki’s mother has been served, and Katsuya and Tome looked over it for him. So did the Kageyamas sans Teruki.

Hanazawa Eiko is the woman’s name. Reigen only learned that recently.

Instincts say he’s the wrong person to handle this sort of legal jargon, but he’s determined not to be. This is for Teruki and Shigeo. People usually hire lawyers or mediators to do this stuff because it’s easy to get wrong. Reigen refuses to get it wrong.

He knocks on the door of apartment 417 and stands back and waits. The envelope is worth its weight in tears. The doorknob rattles. Then turns.

Then he’s staring into the face of Hanazawa Eiko.

She looks nothing like Teruki from her brown hair to her brown eyes to her confused and unhappy face. She has more frown lines than Reigen has years to his name.

“Hello?” Hanazawa Eiko says. She stands in the door with her whole body, taking up as much space as possible. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Reigen Arataka,” Reigen says. “I’m a friend of the Kageyama family. Including Teruki.”

She’s still confused, but the unhappiness tilts into interest. “Teruki.”

“Yep. I’m just here to give you this.” Reigen presents the file to her with both hands. “I’ve been given the honor of serving you.”

“What?” She rips it out of his hands and opens the slip.

“Ah, if you could not read it in front of me—”

“What is the meaning of this?” she says, meeting his eyes. She must’ve read enough to have gotten the gist. “He’s blindsiding us with this, now? Where is this even coming from? His father—” Fury, for half a moment. “His father is going to be devastated when he hears, don’t you understand?”

“Probably not as devastated as Teruki,” Reigen says. He shouldn’t, but. “You got on without him the first twenty six years of his life. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Fine?” She laughs, and he hates how it rings in the air. “My son stabs me in the back and you mean to tell me this is fine?”

Reigen stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Listen.” She shuts her mouth, brows drawn tight. “What exactly is your goal here?”

She’s gritting her teeth behind her lips. “I want my son back.”

“Gathered that, but why? Are you so angry he’s living comfortably without you that you have to come in and ruin that? Or do you have a conscience after all and you’re trying to soothe it in the way that best suits you?” He pauses. “Or maybe you’re lonely.”

Her face contorts. It isn’t anger. Not quite. “What do you know about our family?”

“I know Teru’s made his boundaries pretty clear,” Reigen says, “and what he’s asked for isn’t unreasonable. You tracking him down to his home regardless of what he’s asked for tells me everything I need to know about you.”

“What do you know about raising an esper?” Ah, sure. He could’ve expected this. “That boy put me through hell. All I ever wanted was for him to show a little appreciation.”

He thinks of Mr. and Mrs. Kageyama at Shigeo’s wedding, their tears and their laughter and their pride. He thinks of the jokes lovingly ladled at poor Ritsu about how finicky he’d been with the flowers. He thinks of the way they love and how much they’ve had to handle between their sons, and how angry and devastated they’d be if someone dared lay a finger on them.

He thinks about walking Teruki down the aisle. It’s not the same as raising someone, but it’s a culmination of all the things it should mean to be a parent.

“I’m not gonna argue with you,” Reigen says. “But if you’ve got a single self-preserving bone in you, you’d cut this shit out and let Teruki go.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“You’ve gotta understand. It’s not me. Maybe it’s the guy behind the counter at the discount drugstore. Maybe it’s the guy working nights at the restaurant no one really goes to. If it’s not them, it’s the person who owns the floral shop, or the woman who goes to the park every day with her kids. Or it’s a shady psychic business. The personal trainers at the gym. That weird girl with a telescope you wouldn’t give a second thought.”

“You’re espousing nonsense now?”

“What I mean to say is, this city is full of people who love Teruki and are looking out for him,” Reigen says, “and all of those people have people who are looking after them. I don’t know what foot you think you have in the door, but you’re gonna lose your chance to walk away real fast if you keep pushing. It’s not a threat. I just thought if you won’t do it for him, maybe you’d do it for yourself. That’s all I’ve got. Goodnight, Hanazawa-san.”

He turns away.

“Wait!”

He stops. Eiko’s got a hand reached toward him, but she hasn’t closed the space. The envelope crinkles under the strength of her grip.

“I—” Eiko begins, but that’s as far as she gets before the distress on her face tilts into something that could be shame, maybe, if not for her denial. She stares at her hand and then at the envelope and then at the ground. “I do want my son,” she says. The confidence is gone. The entitlement isn’t, but it’s changed. “I—...

“... If you really care about Teruki,” Reigen says, “you’ll leave him alone. The only decent thing left for you to do at this point is to walk away.”

“Walk away?” Her face is incredulous. “The reason why he’s mad at me to begin with is because I walked away, and now that’s what he wants? How am I supposed to know what to do if nothing is ever good enough for him?”

God, Reigen does not want to have this conversation. It’s not the walking away that made Teruki put his foot down—it’s the neglect, the abuse, the abandonment. But this is not a person he can speak logically to. He can explain it to her until he’s blue in the face and she isn’t going to understand.

But her question isn’t disingenuine.

Goddamnit.

“He told you to leave him alone,” Reigen says. “I don’t think he can make it any clearer than that. You had a chance. You lost that chance. You don’t get to choose when you’re a part of his life again, if ever.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“... Become a better person,” Reigen says. “Do it for yourself and for the people you’ll meet in the future, and leave him out of it.”

He leaves her behind. She doesn’t call out to him again.

The seventeenth of November comes with a dry and biting cold. The one client Reigen had scheduled for today bailed, which likely isn’t a good omen, so he cranks his apartment space heater to max and leaves the office closed. He has no shortage of emails to catch up on. Not to mention the months-long anticipation building towards today.

He hasn’t heard from Shigeo or Teruki, and probably won’t until this afternoon, maybe early evening. Staying distracted with emails will help.

He gets a call just after noon. Shigeo.

He’s never picked up his phone faster. “Shigeo, hey.”

“She didn’t show up.”

“How d— what?”

“She didn’t show up,” Shigeo reiterates. “The judge gave us everything we asked for. The whole order, we got everything.”

“You—wait, what? She didn’t show? She missed the hearing?”

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t know, the court is going to get in touch with her, I think. But we don’t have to be involved. We’re… We’re done.”

“Holy shit.” It was— easy? Reigen doesn’t want to think of it like that because it was hell for Teruki, but just like that? “That’s—How’s Teruki doing?”

“He’s… kind of in shock. But he’s good. We’re going to get food and go home.”

“Right. And how are you doing?”

“I’m also in shock, but good. I wasn’t expecting everything to be granted.”

“Yeah. That’s good, though, isn’t it?”

“Better than good. If the order was just around Teruki and our home that would have been enough. The esper division was really sympathetic and a lot of people in the courtroom recognized us from what happened with Claw, I think, and when his mother didn’t show up— Oh, Teru’s back. I’ll call you later.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Bye.”

Shigeo hangs up. Reigen sits there stunned.

Just like that? Eiko didn’t show. Which also means she didn’t contest. He’s a little bit pissed that she didn’t show up, actually—could’ve at least had the professionalism to handle this properly—but on the other hand, it does mean she didn’t contest.

It’s not like she would’ve had a choice. Contesting the order would’ve just made her look like shit, especially if what Shigeo said about the esper courts is true. Showing up was a basic courtesy, as was expected of her. Teruki would have been granted the order either way.

But bitterness aside, maybe this was her way of letting him go.

Maybe this was her way of running trying to save herself. Who knows.

… In any case, trying to psycho-analyze her isn’t worth his time. The years to come will make her intentions pretty clear.

His phone pings. Group chat notification.

[barbie and ken’s spiritual successor] The judge granted the protective order. We got everything we asked for.

Tome’s the first to hop on and react with Serizawa right behind her. Ritsu is more generalized in his response, which likely means Shigeo called him personally like he called Reigen. Reigen pops in with a response similar to Ritsu’s with a dash of Tome to make it convincing; if Teruki is keeping details scarce while processing his mother’s no-show, he’ll play it cool.

“Let’s hear it for freedom!” Tome slams her mug into Shigeo with reckless abandon. “I knew you guys had it in the bag! There was no way she was gonna win after everything she did.”

Spirits and Such’s favorite ramen shop has somehow stayed in business all these years—maybe solely on the patronage of Spirits and Such, but even so it’s a good ramen shop and the owner doesn’t mind their bombastic group dinners. They’ve got the whole crew with them tonight—Tome, Ritsu, Shigeo, Serizawa, Teruki, Reigen. Feels like old times.

“Ah, yeah.” Teruki rakes a hand through his hair, twirling noodles around his bowl. “My mom actually didn’t show up to the hearing, so we won by default.”

“Oh, seriously?” Tome leans back, taking a large swig of peach-flavored soda. “That’s weird. Would’ve thought she’d be the type to fight.”

“Yeah, well.” Teruki glances sideways at Shigeo, who glances sideways back at him. They both face the group. “Thanks for sticking it out with me,” Teruki says. “Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve gotten through all of that without you guys. This… This has been a long time coming.”

“Overdue, if you ask me,” Reigen says, slurping ramen. “Don’t sweat it.”

Teruki smiles, and it’s real. “Thanks.”

Tome calls for a second round of noodles.

Shigeo shuffles out of the bathroom, dressed in cozy clothes and toweling his hair dry. His footsteps quiet and Teruki feels his gaze. “Teru?”

Teruki hums, lost in thought. His mother’s photo album is across his legs, missing several incriminating photos and leaving behind the rest. Shigeo draws close, settling at Teruki’s side.

“I should get rid of this,” Teruki says.

The words hang. He turns the page.

“Do you want to get rid of it?” Shigeo asks.

It’s a spread of him running through sprinklers over the grass of his parents’ lawn. It was the last good summer he had up until middle school. “I feel like I should,” Teruki says. “... I feel like I should want to.”

“If you’re sure you want to get rid of it, that’s fine,” Shigeo says. “But if you have any doubts at all, then it’s fine to hang onto it, too. It’s not something you can replace.”

Teruki hums again.

Shigeo leans into his shoulder. “Are you coming to bed soon?”

“Yeah.” He turns another page. Shigeo yawns and nudges under Teruki’s arm. “You can go on ahead, I’ll join you in a bit.”

“I’ll stay.”

“You’re just going to fall asleep on me.”

“You like it when I do that.”

Teruki huffs. “You’ll say it with that much confidence?”

“Sure.”

Teruki leans into the back of the couch, taking Shigeo along for the ride. Shigeo drops his head onto Teruki’s chest. “What did I just say,” Teruki says, but he’s too damn smitten for his own good. An old coworker warned Teruki about the novelty of marriage and how it gets old and tapers off, but he’s been married to Shigeo for four years and if he could do it all over he’d still choose Shigeo.

Shigeo reaches up to poke him between the eyes. Teruki nearly sneezes. “Excuse me.”

Shigeo’s smile is made of sleepy adoration. “You make this face sometimes,” Shigeo says. “It’s cute.”

“I ma— what.”

Shigeo shrugs and turns into Teruki’s chest, settling down.

“Wait, no you don’t, explain.” Teruki grabs him by the shoulder and tries to extract him. “Explain what that means. What face is it? I’ll make it more often.”

“Maybe now would be a good time to go to bed after all.”

Teruki pushes the album off his knees, wraps both arms around Shigeo’s stomach and essentially suplexes the both of them across the couch. Shigeo yelps. Teruki fails at not laughing.

“You’re hilarious,” says Shigeo. “Do you wanna go to bed now?”

“Alright, alright.” Teruki sits up, releasing Shigeo. “Go on ahead, I’ll get the lights.”

Shigeo slides off of him and to the floor before ambling to his feet. Teruki zips the album shut and clicks out the lights, double-checking the deadbolt and then following his husband into their bedroom. Shigeo has starfished himself on the center of the bed, which is just as well. Teruki drops over him sideways and Shigeo jerks awake with breathy ‘eep’.

“Sometimes,” Shigeo says, his voice empty, “I think it would not be so bad to have two beds.”

Teruki knows he’s joking, so he laughs. “We could get two beds. Push them together.”

“Oh, and then when we’re fighting we can separate them.”

“I’ll gradually just inch mine closer and closer as the night goes on…”

“Like a serenade.”

Teruki makes a garbled noise. “Like a what?”

“A serenade, like in that romcom we watched where the wife was upset and the husband cheered her up by singing.”

“Wow, Kageyama, I didn’t know you were such a hopeless romantic.”

“We have matching socks. And it wouldn’t be romantic if I actually sang to you.”

“Maybe not romantic.” Teruki twists around, propping his elbows up on Shigeo’s chest. “But it’d be cute. I’d forget all about being mad at you. Just try it next time we’re fighting or something, I guarantee it’ll work.”

“Our marriage is doomed.”

Teruki kisses him. Shigeo goes quiet, startled—then he presses forward. Teruki wraps his arms under Shigeo’s shoulders to pull him close. Shigeo’s fingers thread into his hair. It’s quiet and it’s gentle—familiar and tired and soft. It’s just a kiss, but it’s nice.

They pull away at about the same time. Shigeo’s eyes are so deep. Teruki strokes Shigeo’s cheek with his thumb.

“I love you,” Teruki says.

Thank you.

“I love you too,” Shigeo says.

“… I think I’m gonna keep the album,” Teruki decides, smoothing Shigeo’s hair off his face. “Until I know for sure.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“Yeah.” Teruki leans in again and Shigeo meets him in a shorter kiss. Teruki pulls away, cups Shigeo’s face in one hand. Shigeo’s eyes are so dark that it’s hard to tell what color they are, but the red shines clearly under the moonlight. Shigeo blinks up at him. His brows pinch.

“Teru?”

“Yeah?”

Shigeo touches his face. “You’re crying.”

“Oh.” A tear splashes onto Shigeo’s cheek. Good timing. “I—I guess I am. Uh.”

Shigeo’s thumb brushes underneath his eye. It’s such a tender gesture that Teruki’s chest caves in. He tries to breathe through it, scrubbing his face.

“Sorry, sorry, I—” It hurts. “I was just thinking—I love you, you know that, Shige?”

“I do.” Shigeo’s voice is so, so kind. “I love you too.”

Teruki sobs and Shigeo tugs him down, pressing Teruki’s face into the side of his neck. Shigeo runs cold. It feels nice. Teruki wraps his arms underneath Shigeo’s neck.

“I don’t deserve you,” Teruki gasps.

Shigeo’s fingers filter through his hair again. One arm winds around Teruki’s shoulders. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“You’ve put up with so much from me.”

“Not really.”

“You have, Shige.”

“It’s been worth it,” Shigeo says.

Teruki doesn’t know what he’s feeling. It’s hard to tell where the pain ends and relief begins—mainly he’s overwhelmed and he’s in love and overwhelmed with the thought of being loved, and overwhelmed with the thought of that love not coming from his mother, for as many years as he thought he was over it.

More overwhelming still is the possibility that she does love him, but would sooner go his whole life hurting him than show it.

He means to keep the photo album. It’ll stay in the back of the closet where he has to go out of his way to see it.

Shigeo’s wedding ring gets caught in Teruki’s damaged hair as he runs his fingers through it.

Teruki wishes he were at a better vantage point to crush Shigeo as close as physically possible. He also can’t fathom drawing back.

“Thank you,” Teruki weeps.

He feels Shigeo nod. “I don’t regret anything,” Shigeo says. “But I especially don’t regret you.”

That does it. Teruki goes for the vantage point, yanking Shigeo into his arms and wrapping him up in his aura. Shigeo squeaks, which is cute and hilarious and also makes Teruki cry harder. He’s holding something precious who holds Teruki’s heart like it’s something precious.

Shigeo is so, so gentle with Teru’s heart.

Shigeo acquiesces to the new position. He draws his aura over Teruki like a blanket and lets Teruki hold him. Teruki still feels like he’s the one being held.

“I don’t regret you either,” Teruki whispers.

Shigeo traces tiny shapes against Teruki’s chest. It’s all he can realistically do with his arms pinned. “That’s nice.”

Teruki laughs. And chokes on it. And laughs some more. It doesn’t take long before he realizes Shigeo is crying, too.

It isn’t over. It might never be completely over. But it’s forward.

He can be okay with just moving forward.

#cloud writes #answered ask #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #terumob #serirei #hurt/comfort #fanfic #future fic #idk how it got this long idk how #but here it is!#oml #<3

130 notes · View notes

echidnana · 11 months

Text

constellations! (a prsk unit shuffle)

been thinking about this for a bit so decided to make a post for it! this is our master post for our sekai shuffle units. each group includes background for each character :)

this was initially just a reason to play dress up in the costume menu but now it's a full fleshed out au. oopsie

edit 1/31/24: there are a few small changes we've made that are outdated in this post! we switched after dark's name to Crescendo at Dawn, and switched kohane and minori's band roles (kohane is now the drummer and minori the synth player).

(ID in alt)

1) All/egro (school sekai)

shiho, kohane, minori, and an + meiko

- shiho is still trying to become a professional band member- she spends most of her time in live houses and practicing on her bass. however, she doesn't feel very satisfied with where she's at. shiho wants to be in a band as part of a group, and not just as filling in like she is now.

- an hangs out around live houses pretty often, both for singing and listening to different groups. she starts playing guitar as a way to expand her musical abilities after seeing a particularly impactful band performance. while hanging around the live house shiho works at, they become acquainted. they get along really well because of how serious they both are about their music and dreams. while shiho wants to become a pro musician, an wants to be part of an event that surpasses radweeknd. however, after spending more time with shiho, an starts to think about going pro. after knowing each other for a bit, an suggests they team up and form a band as it would be good experience for both of them. shiho is hesitant at first because she feels like an is more dedicated to vivid street and the community there than going pro, but eventually agrees.

- Minori, as an idol fan, wants to do the same thing her heros do- spread hope through music! she's trying to decide how to do that when she meets kohane and Shiho. she hears shiho playing the bass and loves it! after some convincing, shiho takes her and Kohane to a live house to see some bands perform, and Minori falls in love with the atmosphere and power of the drums. she decides to start learning how to play and throws herself into practice. after a bit, she asks shiho if she'll help her and Kohane learn to play as a group better, and before long, the four of them are all playing together.

- kohane played the piano a little bit as a kid, so after seeing a band play at the live house with shiho and Minori, she decides to try it again! she gets a synth and starts playing with Minori for fun before they both realize they really love it and are serious about playing. they get shiho to help them practice and an tags along (since they're sort of partners). kohane is instantly stricken by an's singing and her resolve to play is solidified!

- the four of them, although at first not officially a group, start playing together so often that it just makes sense for them to go pro together. minori and Kohane initially picked up playing their instruments to try it but both ended up totally deicated to playing, Minori in order to spread hope and Kohane in order to achieve her dream with her friends. an is super stoked to be a part of a full band, and while shiho is hard on them to make sure they have a fast pace, she's elated to have a group of people who genuinely share her dream.

2) BlastOFF! (stage sekai)

tsukasa, ena, shizuku, and nene + kaito and rin

- tsukasa, instead of aspiring to be an actor, wants to become an idol! I think it's very in character for him. he wants to be a star and spread hope and joy through performing on stage :)

- shizuku, after quitting being an idol, runs into tsukasa for the first time in years. his enthusiasm and motivation to become an idol reignites her passion for it and she offers to help him become a professional idol through both her dance/singing abilities and connections in the idol world

- Nene, having quit singing, misses it a lot. one day she sings in an empty classroom, assuming everyone has already left. tsukasa overhears, declares she has the most beautiful singing voice he's ever heard, and begs her to give him lessons. after much convincing, she agrees because she's a bit endeared by him (and, though she wouldn't say it to his face, thinks he'll become a great idol that inspires a lot of people) and misses singing a lot.

- ena, instead of being an aspiring artist, is a dancer. she works really hard but doesn't have a lot of natural talent for it, similar to shizuku, so she has to put a lot of effort in. she took lessons up until middle school before being told by her dad that being a professional dancer is unrealistic and that she wouldn't be any good at it. after this she mostly dances in private, recording dance covers and such to post online. she and Tsukasa were classmates in middle school and practiced dancing together, but after that, ena did online school and they lost contact. tsukasa, now taking steps to become a professional idol, comes across Ena's channel online and reaches out to her, asking her to give him dance lessons!

- the group, initially with the goal of the girls helping tsukasa become an idol on his own, (re)discover how much they love the idol world and end up deciding to become an idol group together! it works out well since shizuku is already well known and Ena has a decently large following online, combined with tsukasa's larger-than-life personality and Nene's quieter demeanor. they balance each other out in a way that works really well for an idol group

3) AQUILA SQUAD (street sekai)

ichika, akito, haruka, and mizuki + len

- Akito has the same storyline- he sees radweeknd and becomes determined to surpass it! instead of meeting Toya, however, he becomes a duo with Ichika. he really respects ichi's dedication and maturity in regards to music and has a lot of respect for them

- Ichika still loves music and decides to begin doing street performances as a way to both build confidence and be closer to the music world. ichi and Akito are sort of aware of each other as they're both the same age and do performances on vivid street, but they don't team up until Akito watches ichi performing one day and asks if they'd be interested in becoming a duo. Ichika, who has a lot of respect for Akito as a performer, accepts.

- mizuki becomes involved in the music scene on vivid street as a way to be themself- vivid street has a ton of queer musicians and community, so they turn there to feel more accepted. the sense of community is incredibly important to them so they start spending most of their time there (also hanging out with an at weekend garage!). they become friends/acquaintances with Akito first and knows Ichika through him

- haruka, after quitting being an idol, visits vivid street to see an and becomes enamored with street music and performances. she feels like the performers are all incredibly authentic and reaches the audience on a personal level, similar to how she felt with being an idol. she starts spending more and more time in vivid street, eventually beginning to sing again at weekend garage with an's encouragement. that's how she meets everyone else, agreeing to join their group in order to reach more people and continue performing with others.

- they're all very dedicated to their music. akito's dedication mostly comes from his experience with radweeknd, ichika's from Miku music and the way one can communicate through music, haruka wants to use music to be her authentic self and spread hope, and mizuki wants to be accepted as themself and into a community. they're all able to find this in vivid street and begin to enter events as a way to build experience in the hopes of putting on an event that surpasses radweeknd.

4) Smile x Parade (wonderland sekai)

airi, emu, kanade, and saki + luka

- airi quits being an idol due to feeling she isn't really making a difference for people. a little later still bummed out, she goes to phoenix Wonderland and sees some of the shows. they cheer her up immensely and she realizes it's the first time she's been able to genuinely smile and laugh in a long time. it's like a switch is flipped and she realizes how plays/musicals can reach people and the impact they have. she decides she wants to give theatre a try! that's when she meets emu, who's trying to put a troupe together in order to save the wonder stage. airi agrees, of course, and becomes the troupe leader as the senior performer of the group

- emu's still trying to save the wonder stage. just when she's worried she won't be able to find anyone to help, she meets airi!

- saki has just been released from the hospital and is excited to live life as a teenager! she goes to phoenix Wonderland since she hasn't been able to go in so long and gets super excited about the shows, as they had such a huge impact on her as a young child. she decides she wants to get a part time job at pxl as she sees the amusement park as a place of youth and joy! while applying, emu meets her, and adores her bubbly and can-do attitude. she asks her to perform with her on the wonder stage, which saki happily agrees to! since saki does still have health issues, when she isn't able to do the more physical performances she contributes by writing the scripts! it's her way of staying involved in the plays without having to keep up with the rigorous demands of rehearsals.

- kanade is still working to compose music that will save someone. after visiting pxl and seeing a musical, she's inspired to try composing different types of songs, beginning to write musical numbers. kanade keeps going back to pxl to be more immersed in musicals. emu recognizes her and how intently she pays attention to the shows, so she asks if she'd like to be involved with performances at the wonder stage! kanade decides that by composing music for live shows she can reach an audience even more directly and agrees to emu's offer.

- the group puts on shows on the wonder stage, successfully preventing its destruction and bringing more attention to the park! even though they all have their own strengths (airi and emu are the main performers while saki and Kanade are more ensemble + crew) they're able to come together as a cohesive unit and perform.

5) After Dark (empty sekai)

mafuyu, toya, rui, and honami + miku

- Mafuyu turns to music in order to cope with the pain he's experiencing and comes across rui's songs. similar to what happened with kanade, Mafuyu tries to use rui's music as a catalyst to better understand himself. they end up connecting and talking online while Mafuyu begins composing his own music separately.

- in middle school, Rui turns to composing music as a way to vent his loneliness and frusturation. he posts his songs online and withdraws from the world around him, focusing on making more music and inventions as a way to cope. after meeting Mafuyu, he realizes that his music actually has an impact on people, and wants to use it as a way to connect with others like him in a way he wants able to in real life.

- Toya, instead of going to vivid street, withdraws completely to his room and starts drawing. he uses art as a way to cope and rebel against the expectations set for him. his art is really expressive and cathes rui's attention after he makes a piece based on one of rui's songs. they connect online after that.

- as honami was more and more isolated and felt like she had to pretend in order to be accepted at school, she comes across rui's music. it leaves an impression on her, and she decides to attempt making a video for it. it doesn't go super well but she feels like it's how she can contribute since she can't draw, and she's pretty good with computers/editing software. although it's not very polished, the video honami makes very clearly expresses the message of the song, and it catches rui's attention. they talk more after that and Honami meets everyone else.

- after the four of them connect online through music, they begin making music videos together. all of them contribute to the music composition and idea stages while Rui polishes the instrumentals, Mafuyu writes the lyrics, Toya makes the art, and Honami compiles the video. they work like this for a bit before discovering Sekai and mafuyu's mask falls, and they all in turn become determined to help each other. they all have a lot of internal pain and use their creative processes to cope with that.

+ 6) the Vocaloids!

bonus v singer looks!

#this got so long oml #our posts #unit shuffle!#sekai shuffle #sekai shuffle au #project sekai au #prsk au #constellations! (a prsk unit shuffle)

14 notes · View notes

babstheyaga · 11 months

Note

ik you’re uncomfortable with pregnancy and all that but I’m gonna assume the actual kids being there doesn’t bother you that much?? as shown with soundwave so can I share something that happened that make me think of FMOD while I was out and a family was there?? basically a kid wanted to be held by their mother all the time and the dad got annoyed because he was trying to hug and kiss his wife on their date so I couldn’t help but think that with mirage and bumblebee 😭😭 the way i could see them actually be so possessive of reader that they’d be jealous if their own kid was occupying too much time on their hands much to reader’s happines especially if the baby was still being breastfed they’d look on in envy like “those are MY tits not yours” even though they were the ones who gave reader their baby so she *literally* could not escape them 😭😭 tied down forever or whateverr

haha i hope this wasn’t too much?? just can’t keep fmod out of my head at all … too scrumptious for my brain to stop thinking about it constantly /pos pos pos

hope you have a great day tyler!! 🩷💗💖💝💕💞 whatever direction you wish to go with your fic (as you mentioned in your A/N in the latest chapter) i hope you do it!!! plot/filler or even sex scenes don’t make a difference since whatever you write always has something thrilling and exciting in it !! :))!!!!

BEE AND MIRAGE GETTING POSSESSIVE OVER READER EVEN WITH THEIR OWN CHILD??!?!!?! oml... omg...

i'm SANE you guys i am PERFECTLY NORMAL!!

no but seriously, you guys are just tying me into the thought of pregnancy more and more by the second...

but like- okay hear me out... out of ANY of them bee would be the father figure to like- teach the child how to eat properly because he's like- scared the kid is gonna end up being like him with his eating disorder and like-

and mirage is like the overly possessive dad that just like- refuses to let both reader and the kid out of his sight at all given times of the day like- oml guys i'm nORMAL i SWEAR

but like- the co-parenting between the two?!?!?! like bee and mirage get into little debates on who gets to hold the kid while reader is like dealing with something like optimus or some cra- holy crap optimus. omg... what the hell would HE do??

(spoilers ahead)

Optimus is kinda a softy for kids, but not in a way for like- "aww kids i love kids! i'm so good with kids!" no he NEVER kills children because he plans on recruiting them!

(spoilers oml i can't stress this enough MAJOR spoilers)

Optimus is known for taking valuable teens from their Decepticon familys and turning them into soldiers. Arcee, BumbleBee and Mirage are exactly that. Arcee never plans on talking about her parents, later in the series BumbleBee will talk about his, and Mirage is very open about it. But like-... What the HELL would Optimus do if reader has a child born into being a Autobot?? ESPECIALLY FROM SOME OF HIS CLOSEST RECRUITS MIRAGE AND BEE???

I'm debating now on if he would go two different ways with it... Either he would become an almost fatherly role like he has with BumbleBee, or would be become a drill sergeant roll like he has with Arcee?

Oml- so many idea holy moly- So like... What if- Like- Probably not gonna happen, just a headcannon, but like- What if Bee tries to get the three of them out of being a Autobot? Like, Bee doesn't want the kid to go through the same experience that everyone has, so he finds a way to just... Get them out of there? Holy crap, that would make such a good ending for the series... Omg... Stimming omg...

#holy moly #so excited #i got VERY excited seeing a long post in my inbox #I LOVE it when you guys are just as obsessed as I am #all of you kiss me #right now #just a smooch come on please #i'll suck your toes?#what do you want baby i got you #you want your dick sucked?#okay lemme tye up my hair two seconds baby i got you #omg so happy #i'm like smiling so big #oml #stimming #so happ #god i love asks #related to fmod

7 notes · View notes

baeshijima · 1 year

Note

im rewatching haikyuu and when i saw ushijima my brain went: sophie

so true tophie is still alive and real 😩

#omg a convo !?#mutuals !!#gn i havent used that ship name in so long oml #throwback to the wakatoshi chara analysis i made bc i got so annoyed at the mischaracterisation in the fandom 😭😭

8 notes · View notes

thewardenofwinter · 1 year

Note

Happy WBW! Tell me about a monster, creature, or animal species you invented for your WIP <3

Happy WBW Ella! Thank you sm for the ask <3

All of my absolute favorite creatures that I have made for one of my WIPs is for The Resurrectioners which is quite a recent project so I haven't worked out ALL the kinks yet but here we go! Please don't feel obligated to read all of this, I sort of info dumped everything lol.

(terms to keep in mind because they will eventually get their own post: Revenants are humans that are brought back from the dead by a Resurrectionist (a necromancer). Revenants who possess special abilities related to the nature of their death are called Resurrectioners.

Cadavers:

Cadavers, also known as The Famished, are ghoulish humanoid beings that are failed attempts at necromancy. Their body is alive but has no soul to inhabit them, causing them to lose all signs humanity. They are effectively zombies who crave the flesh of other cadavers and humans under the guise that eating a human will give them a soul. The longer they are alive and the more flesh they consume, the more powerful they become so it is impertinent that they are destroyed as soon as possible.

Calling hours:

Calling hours is the time in which cadavers are created and can be disposed of without any special tools or need to be burned. After calling hours have ended, it is important that you either behead or burn the bodies of cadavers.

Procession:

A group of cadavers who follow a wailer, usually in groups of ten or more. Killing the mourner will cause the rest of the cadavers to scatter with no leader and make them easier to pick off one by one.

ARRANGEMENTS

Cadavers are ranked based on their abilities and how long they have been alive. The arrangements are named after the four stages of death:

Pallor: Identified by increased paleness of the body due to lack of blood flow after death, usually these Cadavers are only hours or days old and have not consumed any flesh up until that point.

These are the easiest to kill and can usually be extinguished with blunt trauma to the head. These retain most of their physical human characteristics and are effectively normal zombies. They do not have to be burned or decapitated after death.

Algor: Cadavers that reach the algor stage are usually faster than those in pallor. Usually these cadavers are around three days old. At this stage the corpse begins to lose it's ability to produce heat, so these ghouls' main goal is to try to keep warm by eating as much as possible.

Their presence is usually felt through a very sharp drop in temperature in the general area. A gunshot to the head will usually take these down fairly easily. They are the most likely to cannibalize their fellow cadavers. It is considered rare for any cadaver to reach any stage after algor for this very reason.

CALLING HOURS HAVE ENDED

Rigor: After death the muscles contract and become rigid due to rigor mortis. Since muscles need energy to function and the body is no longer producing ATP, these cadavers must eat much more amounts of flesh to be able to move without becoming stiff and frozen. Cadavers in the rigor stage are usually identified by a frozen expression on their face.

The cadavers have enhanced strength and resilience to all physical damage and high amounts of energy if well fed. A shotgun would be a close call, burning or beheading is a must as the body will attempt to regenerate even after the head has been severed.

Livor: These cadavers are usually around a week old and have reached the final stage of their life cycle and are very violent. They are identified by their skin darkening on their extremities from blood collecting in certain parts of their body due to gravity.

If a cadaver reaches the livor stage, you might as well call in the infantry (or the resurrectioners.) Unlike other stages in the arrangements, cadavers in the livor stage do not seek to eat people but instead seek to cause bodily harm. It is suspected that this is because they understand in their age that no matter how much they eat, they will still hunger and use that anger out on anything they can. They are known for killing a person and just leaving their body without feasting off of them at all, which causes it's own problem because then other cadavers can come steal their kill.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

Wailers:

These cadavers retain their ability to speak and scream in very loud, high pitched shrieks. These loud noises attract cadavers to a specific area as they usually hunt by sight and hearing alone.

Buffers:

These cadavers are quite large due to bodily fluids forming pressure inside of them. Once shot or stabbed, they will leak this fluid out of the wound. Getting any of their blood or fluids on you will not only burn your skin, but it emits a strong sent that other cadavers can smell and search for.

Coroners:

Coroners most closely resemble properly resurrected revenants and are failed attempts at making resurrectioners. They seem to have most of their human cognition, spare a lack of any morals or ethics. They have special abilities much like them but are unable to control them which can cause damage to property and humans in the area.

— M. Warrin

#this took me so long to type oml #when I was first outlining I didn't have cadavers but I really wanted to have an imposing threat lingering all around #got the inspo for these bad boys from a tool lyric that said 'seperate the body from the mind' so thanks Maynard #are these inspired by left for dead special infected? yes. yes they are.#The Resurrectioners #current wip #writeblr #monsters #using my mortuary knowlege for actually becoming an undertaker? nawwwwww #zombies!!!#writing community #WBW #asks #my writing

6 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

yonnvonn

Sin título

yivadigitalposts-blog

Yiva Digital

beerchunsub-blog

My life

ffaucotl

Under construction... for now.

atouchofhandz

A Touch of Handz