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#yuri is a sweetheart but would never admit it
fruitysourlemons · 2 months
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I am FASCINATED by the potential contexts in which all but Sayori would be trying to yank Yugi to pieces. Please tell me more.
Unfortunately, Sayori isn't involved in the story as the dokis' inclusion in my fanfic is mostly based on act two of DDLC. I feel bad for not including her and try to think of ways I can include her, but for now I've decided that she canonically just lives in a different town.
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Monika coerces Yugi into joining the club similarly to how she does MC in DDLC: she asks him to visit the club. In this storyline, though, unlike in DDLC, Monika tells Yuri and Natsuki beforehand that she's bringing a new member, like how Sayori did in act one. So, Natsuki made cupcakes and Yuri would make tea.
Monika knows Yugi has a hard time turning people down, so she convinces him to come by pleading with him and telling him that she promised her clubmates that she'd bring a new member that day. Yugi protests at first, but relents fairly quickly, as Monika had expected. In the clubroom, after being given a warm welcome, Yugi eventually musters the courage to tell the girls that he has no intention of joining the club. Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki are incredibly disappointed, and Yugi can't help but give in to their sad faces. So, hesitantly, he says he'll give it a try with the excuse that it's good to try new things.
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At first, Monika has no problem with Yugi hanging around the other girls. She figures that she can pull him towards her easily with romantic poems and frequent compliments. The whole reason she dragged Yugi into the club was to bring him closer to her. However, she grows increasingly frustrated as Yugi is drawn more to the other girls, hardly giving Monika time with him, and the other girls seem to be attracted to him. So, Monika tries to get his attention away from them by influencing them to fight and bringing up their flaws to Yugi. Over time, she tries more and more desperately and furiously to keep Yugi for herself as her plan fails.
For Yuri, Yugi is one of the only people who speaks kindly to her, pays any attention to her, has interest in her, and really understands her. Yuri had always struggled to maintain relationships and was, therefore, lonely. She never felt like she belonged, nor that anyone cared for her, nor that anyone could understand her, but not with Yugi. Naturally, she grows very fond of him very quickly, and that fondness turns into love and admiration as she spends more time with him. However, Yuri can't shake the feeling that Yugi will leave her, and she refuses to let that happen. Like Monika, she didn't mind Yugi spending time with the others at first. She has no direct intention of isolating him, but she ends up not letting him spend time with anyone but her as her anxiety takes over.
Natsuki hates to admit it, but, she really likes Yugi and cares about him. They have a few classes together, so she's seen him before. She didn't know much at first other than he was shy and seemed very gloomy. As she gets to know Yugi in the club, she learns that he's a sweetheart and that they have several common interests. He doesn't judge her like her other friends do. What frustrates her is that Yugi can't or won't stand up for himself: he gets bullied, never refuses people, and is yanked around easily. Seeing Monika and Yuri's troubling behavior, out of concern for his wellbeing, Natsuki tries to pull Yugi away from them. She constantly bickers with them and passive aggressively points out their flaws and wrongdoings. Over time, she only gets more furious as they continue their behavior and Yugi refuses to stay away from them.
Yugi despises the negative tension pervading the air in the literature club. He can't understand why the girls seem to hate each other. He doesn't like being pulled around by all of them, either. He doesn't like Monika's bad-mouthing, Yuri's obsessive behavior, and Natsuki's anger and bitterness. However, he doesn't have the heart to speak up and potentially hurt their feelings. He just wishes they could all get along. He still enjoys being with them. Over time, he gets more exasperated, yet more complaisant with the on-goings of the literature club.
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agentplutonium · 4 months
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For the writing ask game: 12 and 23!
oooo trope/au questions!! i love talking about these things (PK is asking about this ask game)
12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?
I will admit, this one took a while to think about. The closest I could think of right away was me (very slightly) warming up to the Yandere troupe. However thinking about it more it probably would be age gap fics, specifically in the context that in high school I did not fuck with it at all, but now I don't mind it as long as they're both consenting adults and there isn't some major power imbalance at hand.
23. What's a trope, AU, or concept you've never written, but would like to?
Genuinely? Probably a Hockey/Figure Skater au. Mainly because I think I can do it better than some officially published sources. But that's just one. Or even Figure Skater/Figure Skater (Yuri On Ice AU). A concept that I would like to write though is probably what I mentioned in this Milo/Sweetheart post, because I genuinely want to explore non- (explicitly) sexual touch/tension/passion.
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ofthenoseclan · 7 months
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juri arisugawa.
character: juri i love you sweetheart i wish you best of luck escaping the cycle of patriarchy.... youre absolutely one of my favourite characters in utena. youre in the top three honey. with anthy and nanami side by side. i absolutely love the decision to devote a full character to the quadrant of patriarchal influence that is internalized homophobia. juris method of bottling her emotions until she breaks and lashes out is so tragic and so compelling. every time i rewatch the series i am looking forward to when the episodes focusing on her show up each arc
design: EVERYONE knows this hairdo. this is the toxic femme whos never seen without dark red lipstick on and refuses to admit shes got addiction problems. the way her bright orange colour-coding contrasts with shioris desaturated plum completes the dynamic so well AND the way rukas rich dark blue colour is the polar opposite to hers showcasing the animosity between the pair?? mwah. also i like the little pocketwatch string she has on her pocket to fully sell that sense of regal “i swear to god im better than you. i need to be”
ship: do i even need to say it. juriori unquestionably. toxic yuri stays winning. theyre horrible. theyre perfect for each other. they make each other worse actively. if they just fucking said anything honest to one another their issues would be fixed but they NEVER DO. AUGHHHG
fave moment: the episode 29 duel climax is one of if not my favourite moment in the tv series. the shot where utena breaks juris locket instead of the rose, and everything juri has been fighting for with all her heart just collapses in on itself symbolically,, and she throws her rose on the floor herself, looking up into the rain grappling with her sudden but inevitable ego-death. i fucking adore it . so much . SO much you dont understanddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
wanted to see more of: this is a weird thing to wish for because i know that adding it would make the movie worse in a lot of aspects, but i wish adolescence juri got more screen time. she at least got more focus than miki though to be fair. you gotta give her that
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fluffyuri · 2 months
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“I believe I will be the judge of that. Would you mind taking me home?”
She smiled, offering her hand once more. She may be a little forward but she was quite excited about trying Yuri’s cooking…and spending more time with the sweetheart purplette
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"Oh! Well... I mean sure! Just don't get your hopes up." Yuri lead the way to her home, quite a bit quicker than she was moving before. She would never admit it but being able to cook for anyway was a treat but cooking for Cotton here was very exciting. As she had said, watching Cotton enjoy her food was such a delight. She couldn't explain why but every bite she's watched Cotton take had been filled with such happiness, it was contagious.
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hitoshisbabygirl · 3 years
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Author's Notes ♡: Hi there hey! Welcome back to another collab piece!! This round I try to have him in his pro hero line of work and being his usual soft and caring self. It’s a bit soft but also heated at the end sooo, I love making a softer Kiri so enjoy!! I hope I did this justice~ bunny ❥
Warnings : NSFW again! (◎_◎;)
A use of pet names like twice, if you squint you’ll see a bit size kink and Soft Dom Kiri, fingering, Light cursing, pussy job, Kiri is a soft but huge lover
Word count : About 3.3k!
Paring(s) : Pro hero!Eijiro Kirishima x F!Reader
Summary : Kirishima was used to saving people, and having the joy that comes with it and completing his job, so what happens when he falls for the girl that is his main link to a case?
Enjoy ♡
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Kirishima knew taking this mission with Fatgum would be one of their more challenging ones : A drug ring filtered out throughout a high end hotel with an escort and stripping service. Supposedly they'd traffic with the girls, under trays of food or other masked ways. The menus were keys to what each drug was, and each service was a different type of delivery. They were so close , so very close to understanding what was happening but...they also hit a bump. Most of the investigation was focused on the owner of the hotel but they soon found out that they were barking up the wrong tree. The owner of the hotel wasn't who controlled the flux in the drug ring but a patreon, a wealthy real estate manager for a mob. Sighing, Kirishima rubbed his face, glancing at Fatgum who was writing like a madman at the desk in their jointed room “Hey Taishiro..” Kirishima called as the blonde let out a hum,still jotting notes “We have that other lead right? Uh..” He started as he flipped through his own notes, running over a name “Peaches, the cage dancer?” “Yeah what about her?” Fatgum said as he looked to his red haired subordinate “Why don't we see if we can find her? She should be working tonight right? The other dancer said she only comes in on certain days, and she seems tied to Mr.N'' He siad as Fatgum joined him at his side , reading over his notes “Yeah! If we're lucky we’ll find some more about our lovely friend here”
And with that they headed downstairs and to the giant double door, the sound of thumping music seeping through the crack “Well Red, let's head in yeah?” Taishiro said as Kirishima followed behind. He knew undercover work was difficult, and it didn't help that both had to disguise their identities to the best they could : Fatgum and him both using colored hair spray to hide their hair colors. Taishiro opted to stay in his smaller form more often and wore clothes that were more fancy while under the name “Yuri”. Kirishima on the other hand was his makeshift “Bodyguard” , opting for all black looks and tended to hide his mouth with a black mask, going by the simple nickname “J”. The purpose was for Fatgum to look like another high end boss with security , and that's how it was. As the two entered they were greeted with half dressed to bare women with only covers asking them what they needed or wanted , some handing them drinks and allowing them to wander. The lights were bright and strobing , almost too much to the sober person, so the intoxicated had to be worse. Heading to the back they passed through a curtain into the higher end of things. Men with people at their hips, smoking cigars and watching as more dancers did their usuals, money being handed over , thrown and placed on their person. “Alright how about we split up, il take this seat, see if you can find the cage dancers” Fatgum said as he sat to an approaching girl, the women threw herself to his lap as Kirishima sighed watching him start up as he saw a red light behind another side curtain. Catching his attention Kirishima walked forward, into a darker room with a string of red lights illuminating a cage-like stage. Before he could get far a man stopped him
“Excuse me sir do you have a reservation with Peaches?” Bingo. He found her “Uh no sorry i don't , i didn't know i needed one for her '' He said shyly as the man looked up to him before sighing “Well, then sir i can't help you” Sighing Kirishima looked at the stage again when he saw one of the most beautiful sights he could see. A woman, covered in a red and black piece popped into the stage “Whats the issue Moby?” The women said as her eyes widened to the tall male in her usual empty room “Ah nothing miss Peaches, this guy i guess thought he'd get a show” The security said as the girl still looked to him and smiled waving him in “He does now, put him on my list yeah?” She said as the security stuttered , letting the towering man past “Ah miss, is it okay if my friend comes along as well? He went to a different stage but he would be meeting back up with me” He admitted as th e woman strolled to him , pressing a hand to the cage “He can come too, tell Moby to put him on the list sweetheart” She said before walking away, yelling to the security “Put his friend on the too!”
Soon Fatgum came into the room with him, sitting beside him as more paterons surrounded the stage “the other dont know them, it seems our girl is the one were with now” He whispered as they all looked up to the stage , the setting being set for the act who was coming out. If the hush whispers were anything he knew the girl they were waiting for would be something great.
All of a sudden Kiri could feel his heart in his throat, the woman he had spoken to came out , still dress the same as she waved to the whistling people below, goting to her pole with a jump and started spinning effortlessly, the sight was absolutely stunning ; he'd never seen such a beautiful display before. No one told him that stripping was a form of art, no matter how people tried to look down on it, this was art to him. He now knew why she was so sought after, the grace she had as she moved closer to him through the cage made his heart unironically thump and all of a sudden the throb in his chest moved to between his legs , an embarrassment he wish he wouldn't admit outright until a shove on the arm from his senior “Its alright, i think she likes you” Fatgum whispered as Kirishima looked up, seeing in fact that her eyes were glued to him.
Moving to the front she leaned against it, eyes locked on him as she beckoned him closer, the desperate others trying to reach for her as she smirked , reaching to Kirishima “Why dont you cmre big boy” She said as they whooped and hollered , all smacking him in the back as he gave fatgum a wide eyed look, the hidden blonde, giving him a thumbs up. “U-uhm I-” Before he could say much she tapped the cage , pointing to Kirishima as the security took him around to the opening “You're a lucky guy ; its rare she does a lap dance with fresh faces” The guy said, confusing the hidden redhead “How's that?” He ask “Well whoever spends the most on her usually just gets a leg tap or such, a lapdance is the highest thing she'll do with a crowd” He said before giving him a chair and opening her door “Have fun, she might spoil ya” And withthst he was face to face with the beauty. Walking up to Kirishima she gave him a smile, her smaller hand running over his chest before she took the chair from him , sitting it in the red light. “What should i call you cutie” She whispered before he felt the knot in his stomach tighten again “ Uh..how about..Jay..” He whispered back as she pushed him lightly into the chair “Well then Jay, ill give you a nice show hm?” she giggled, before moving into his lap. Kiri felt himself freeze , she smelt very good, and was too close for comfort. She was warm, and the way she looked at him made him feel like a highschooler all over again “C-can i touch you sweetheart?” He whispered as she settled , her eyes wide as she buried her face in his neck “A real gentlemen, I knew it was a good idea to trust you.
Go right ahead cutie, be gentle with me” she answered as she started to rock, rolling her hips with the thumping of her music. Slowly he put his own hand on her waist, following her constant moving as the group below yelled, telling him to do more or for her to strip even more. He felt her get close to his face before their noses touched, the heat in his chest blooming more as she pulled away. Feeling brave he gripped her hips, pulling her closer and with a gasp her arms moved back to his chest , the two in their own world before realizing there were eyes on them both still. Slowly she crawled down his lap, eyes on his as she ran her hand back on his thighs , her face on his lap as they screamed for more before the curtain dropped, covering them and the guys outside of it begged for more. Sitting back on her legs and letting kirishima catch his breath he held a hand to her , helping her up “T-Thank you for the show Miss Peaches , I feel honored“ Kirishima said as she blinked, before feeling her body heat up “O-Oh uhm why thank you for thanking me, i don't get much appreciation, and most would want your place. I….felt drawn to you so” She admitted before giving him a look “OH and you can call me [ ], but try not to around patreons, they'd be upset they don't know yet and i just told some newbie” [ ] teased as he laughed , agreeing “Yeah definitely. I hope to see you uh, more often” He said before he could stop himself, giving her the same shocked look her face had “I guess you're who've been asking for me.
Here, I'll give you my number and you tell me whenever you need something” She said, holding her hand out for his phone. Fumbling he took his phone out, taking her number in his phone as they walked to her dressing room. Shyly [ ] looked up at the tall boy who insisted on walking her back to her room. Standing ther awkwardly he gave her a shy look back “Uh i know this is random but when is your next show? I love how beautiful you look and i'd...wished to be able to..i'm not sure what id want to do being there” Starting to ramble he laughed and rubbed his head before [ ] grabbed his hands “Hey that's fine, i'll come around more often if you're around i feel safe with my new shield” She teased.
And thats how it was for a few weeks, them seeing her every day she danced and her even coming to see them on her off hours. Kirishima explained why they were really there and it made her heart happy to see change. She decided to help them, giving more information to them, helping them along with their case as it started to close. Before long Kirishima and [ ] had gotten closer, the two of them growing to love the others attention , so much so Fat gum called them out for it “Yknow, when this goes down, you should get [ ] to follow us , she's quite smart , and she could do wonderfully as a partner. She would benefit better from a safe environment” Fatgum said one day while they were finishing their report “Ya think? I do care for her, and I can't stand her coming over and crying about the abuse…...but i dunno what if she doesnt like me like that…”
Kirishima whispered as he felt a hand smack him on the shoulder “Ask her. Can't hurt to ask right? And the way you both give eachother puppy eyes even when she's on stage i'm pretty sure she likes you the same way you like her.” He teased as the red head beside him sighed, hearing a knock at their door. Opening it he was face to face with the girl in question, [ ]. Her eyes glowed as she came in, greeting the two males in front of her. “Hey guys! How's everything going?” She said as she sat on the edge of one of the beds in the room , dressed more casually which made them both have a sense of joy “Ah well we should be arresting him tomorrow once he gets here, I know you work tomorrow night so ill have Kiri be with you, he’ll make sure everything runs smoothly , we’ll all go back to the headquarters and regroup okay?” Fatgum finished as [ ] shook her head, agreeing with the plans as she sighed “I'm nervous but it needs to be done... I , well all of us can't take this anymore...constantly being in fear all the time yknow?” she sighed as she laid back, a comfortable silence falling between them as they all laid around the room “Uhm [ ] can I ask you something?”
Kirishima said as she hummed, cracking an eye open to look at him. Knowing what was to come Fatgum gave him a thumbs up before claiming he had a call to go investigate downstairs, leaving the two of them together. “[ ] I cant stand you in pain...I dunno what i can do for you but...please, let me help you out , come with me , with us. I want you to be happy y'know and ive enjoyed every second we’ve had together..maybe im being selfish, or maybe its silly but...I” Trailing off he looked up to [ ] giving him soft puppy like eyes. Reaching out she placed her hand on his , rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand as she took in a breath to start her own comment back “Kiri...Ejirou, I care about you, so so very much, I wouldn't want to be a burden to you, but I'd love to go with you. Question is , is tit the both of you who want me around or a certain red head who cant take his eyes off of me” She teased as the color in his face flushed to his ears , stuttering as [ ] laughed “Its okay Kiri, Fatgum told me too, that we both care so much for eachother and should admit it, its why im here now actually” [ ] said as she meekly met his wide eyes, not fully thinking he understood her “W-wait say that again?” Kirishima croaked, meeting her gaze as she smiled , tracing his hand that sat beside her leg. Before he could stop himself he tackled her to the bed , pushing his lips against hers. With a gasp she kissed him back, wrapping her hands around his neck as they laid there, sealing their promise to eachother with a kiss. Soon, Kirishima pulled away, but not before tugging her bottom lip in his mouth. Gently he placed his hands beside her face, looking into her [ ] colored eyes, his heart fluttering once more as he kissed her forehead “Im sorry [ ] i just couldnt help it… Uhm am I moving too fast? I can definitely wait until youre ready” He spoke out as the girl under him sat up, gripping his cheeks “Kiri, honey ive waited for us to confess and now youve gotten me riled up, take good care of me yeah? Later on we can be more intimate but for now..I need you” She said, seeing he way the red heads eyes darkened at her comment “Then let me tak good care of you my love”
And with that he slide a large hand down between her thighs, rubbing at a wet patch forming against her panties as he pushed passed them, entering her with teo plump fingers “I gotta get you to relax, i wont fit if youre this tight” Whispering in her ear he picked up the pace, kissing right under her pulse as [ ] sucked in a breath, grabbing onto a strong arm “K-kiri I-” Shushing her , Kirishima leaned over to kiss her lips, speeding up his fingers as he felt her drip between them “Cum for me sweetheart, let me open you right up” He begged. Feeling her stomach tense at his choice words [ ] whimpered, her high hitting her as the sound of him pumping her though it echoed throughout the room. Pulling his hand out from her fluttering pussy and short he smirked, licking her orgasm from his fingers. Giving her a lopsided smile he spoke ‘Cant wait to eat you out..but thatll have to wait. I need to be in you” Sittin up from her Kirishima pulled his shirt off and with a toss threw it uncerimosily into a corner, as well as his pants and her clothes. [ ] couldnt help biting her lip as she saw the bulge under his boxers, a spot of precum at the tip as he palmed himself before pulling them off slowly, the red tip smacking his stomach
“ Like what you see?” He teased as he ran the tip between her sopping folds, a gasp as soft ‘Yes’ falling from her lips “Ill be gentle okay? If its too much tell me, alright?” he said as [ ] agreed , opening her legs more as he started to rub around her clit, catching it with his swollen head. In a trance he kep that up, bucking between her lips as it started to make them both sticky and hot. Soon she couldnt take it anymore, grabbing his hand as she pleaded with him “Please Kiri, put it in already, I can take it” Letting her words sink in he smiled before flipping her to her stomach, pressing his tip against her wet hole “Hold on to something then” was his last warning before pushing in, his tip sliding by with ease as the smaller girl under him moaned, arching her back to take more in his first push. Slowly he kep rocking his hips, pushing more and more in before finally bottoming out, a satisfied groan spilling from both parties lips. Leaning down to her neck Kirishima bit down gently before picking up his pace, holding her hips in place as [ ] whined , reaching back for a hand “W-wait please its too much” She whined as he slowed his hips only a bit , feeling her clench over his own thick member “Youre close again...is me pounding you from behind too much” He cooed, biting a new post on her neck as he sped up again, making the girl squeal “I-i dont wanna cum yet! I dont w-want it to end” She spilled out as she felt the knot in her stomach return, warming her lower body as he kept up his pace, sliding a hand to go between her legs as he searched for her nub, tracing it as he drilled in her from behind. Too quickly [ ] felt it snap, the little bit of control over her rapid orgasm faulting as she came overhim, grabbing the hand on her hip as she weakly rocked back “Thatta girl, keep going you got it...fuck im close too, where d-do you wnat me to cum” He asked as his own hips got sloppy but never slowing down, in fact they picked up more pace as he chased his own high “Im on the pill, please fill me up baby, Eijirou i need you to fill me up” [ ] pleaded. Hearing his name unexpectedly was his demise. He felt himself quiver as thick ropes of cum spilled from hsi tip inside of her spasming and warm walls, a low growl falling from his lips as he rocked the last of his oragsm out, small ‘Thank yous’ and ‘I love you’ falling from his lips. With care he wrapped his arms around her torso, holding her to his chest as he pulled them sideways “Well...i didnt expect the night to go like this” [ ] giggled as Kirishima kissed her shoulder before agreeing “I don mind it...but I meant it...i didnt just use you fro sex or anything..”He said again as she hummed, kissing the hand the laid on her chest “I know...i meant it too..” As the comfortable silence filled the room [ ] felt something hot stir her again. Looking down she could see Kirishima getting hard again> Before she could say anything he spoke “Whenever youre ready, I could go for another round sweetheart” Slightly pushing her hips back [ ] knew she was in for a long night
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clanwarrior-tumbly · 3 years
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For the Christmas prompts can I get 38 or 39 for a Syobai X Reader, 65 for a Yuri X Reader, 21 for a Teruya X Reader and/or a 7 for A Nikei X Reader? That was long gommenasai
Oh it's alright! These are good choices 👀👈
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38) "You're under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss."
“Huh, weird...this wasn’t here a minute ago.”
“What?”
“It never hurts to look up every once in a while.” Shobai pointed his cigarette upwards, and you followed it to see mistletoe hanging just above you two.
“...oh...uh..y-yeah that’s awful funny, huh?” You smiled awkwardly.
“Isn’t there a tradition to this or something?”
“A-Ah no..I don’t know what you mean.” Even though there was no clear way out of this situation, you were hoping somebody nearby would notice the awkwardness and come rescue either you or him.
Then again..maybe just one quick kiss wouldn’t be so--
‘N-No! What am I thinking?!’ You mentally scolded yourself, only to hear a huff of irritation from Shobai.
“Jeez, don’t overthink it. You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss-” But he was surprised by the sudden kiss from you. 
It was just a mere peck, already done before he could blink, though it couldn’t erase the fact that you just kissed the Ultimate Trafficker. “D-Done..I’ll be...chugging eggnog if you need me.” 
You quickly dashed off to the food table, internally dying of embarrassment.
He was still trying to process what the hell happened but he had to admit...you had guts making the first move like that.
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65) "No, we're not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking."
“My dearest..I feel bad for saying this but-”
“Yuri come onnnn, surely we got the money for-”
“No, we’re not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking.” Huffing, the spaceman shook his head as he continued wrapping the presents, feeling a bit guilty for saying no. “I’m sorry but it would be too much responsibility. At least for right now.”
“So...you’re saying we can get one at some point in this relationship?” You beamed with hope.
“Maybe, if it makes you happy. But..my only concern is...” However he trailed off, mumbling something you couldn’t quite hear over the sound of tearing wrapping paper. You tilted your head slightly. “What was that last part?”
“...n-nothing.”
“You sure about that, sweetheart?”
“.......”
“My beloved comet?”
“........”
“...you think I’m gonna pay more attention to the dog, don’t you?”
Yuri’s defeated sigh was a clear answer. But you just laughed and kissed the top of his head. “C’mon, don’t tell me you’re gonna get jealous of pets now, too. Trust me..no animal in the world could ever replace you.”
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21) "How did you manage to get tangled up in tinsel?"
“A-AH!! [Y/N]!! I-I need help!!”
“Oh jeez what crashed this time?” After recounting the Christmas trees, you quickly made your way to the next room with your list, wondering what disaster took place. 
You decided to help Teruya take inventory on the decorations for the Kisaragi Foundation’s holiday party tomorrow. Of course you weren’t expecting any payment--you were just a friend helping a friend.
Although you expected to walk in on some freak accident, what you saw instead was...quite amusing: the former ultimate merchant’s body was ensnared in tinsel of all colors.
“Jeez..how did you manage to get tangled up in tinsel?” You shook your head in amusement, before looking up to see a knocked-over crate, deducing that the garland ended up spilling down onto him. Poor guy.
“Beats me..” Teruya mumbled, struggling to unwrap the tinsel from his leg. “I wanted your help to avoid accidents like these..but...guess luck isn’t on my side, huh?”
“Nope. But hey, I guess I should check off one more Christmas tree.” With a chuckle, you held up your list jokingly. “We just need to find you some lights.”
“H-Hey! That ain’t funny..I could’ve died!” He stammered in embarrassment.
“You’ll live.” Despite your attempts to take a sneaky picture with your phone, the click was audible enough for him to notice, his blush worsening by the second. “Oops..well..a little bit of blackmail material never hurts, right?”
“D-Delete that a-an’ help get this offa me, ya heathen!!!”
“Alright, alright, you big baby. Just hold still.”
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7) "You invited over HOW many people to the holiday party?"
“Wait. You invited over HOW many people to the holiday party?!!” Nikei did a spit-take before spinning around to face you, mortified at what you told him merely five seconds ago.
“Oh uh, not a lot of people...just the entire class.” You chuckled as you set down your e-handbook, glancing at the message you sent to the chatroom you created. “Any second now this chat should be lighting up!”
As if on cue, you heard several blips from your tablet. Sure enough nearly everyone wanted to attend the Christmas party, some even deciding what they’ll bring. 
The only one who hasn’t said anything so far was the journalist himself, who frowned as he stared at the messages. “Do we have to invite Mikado?” He grumbled.
‘Oh..he’s only worried about him?’
“Nah don’t worry, I added everyone to the chatroom except him.” You reassured, patting his arm. “He and Monocrow won’t have a clue. But even if they did find out...I still wouldn’t invite him.”
“Thank god..” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Without him I can finally get a proper story on a Hope’s Peak Christmas party!”
“That’s the spirit.” You chuckled.
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jaskierswolf · 3 years
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Born to Make History Pt.2/3
A Geraskier Ice Skating Fic (with Yuri on Ice Influences) - On AO3
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Geralt couldn’t seem to calm his heart and it was fucking annoying. He’d managed to watch Jaskier in secret for years, ever since Yen had become his coach. He wasn’t sure why today had been any different. He couldn’t be angry at Ciri for letting slip that they’d been to a few of Jaskier’s performances when their schedule allowed. With any luck Jaskier would assume it was for Yennefer.
But it was Jaskier.
It had always been Jaskier.
He’d first seen Jaskier skate three years ago when Yen took over as his coach. He’d popped into the rink to collect Ciri. The rink had become a neutral spot to handover without Ciri getting upset as she loved to watch the skaters, even as a baby. So he’d snuck into the end of Yennefer’s session to find the most beautiful man gliding around the ice. He was in training gear but it was still tight enough that Geralt’s could see the firm muscles of the figure skater. Geralt’s mouth had gone dry and he’d been completely entranced. There was no music in the rink but Geralt could hear it anyway as the man had glided and danced and leapt around the rink.
Until he’d seen Geralt watching him. At that point he’d tripped over his toe-picks and fallen flat on his face. Geralt had been so embarrassed that he’d grabbed the two year old in her pram and fled from the rink before the skater could regain his composure.
It happened almost every time after that. If Jaskier spotted Geralt whilst he was skating then he would trip or mess up. So Geralt tried to keep his distance. He didn’t want to be responsible for Jaskier injuring himself. He couldn’t have that on his conscience not when Jaskier clearly had a glittering career in front of him.
Except for today Jaskier hadn’t spotted him until the end of the routine and Geralt hadn’t run away. They’d had a conversation, they’d even skated together with Ciri acting as a sort of buffer between them. Geralt still kept his distance, preferring to watch as Jaskier taught his daughter the basics of figure skating.
Geralt almost wish he’d brought his old figure skates with him instead of his hockey ones. He reckoned he could still do a double toe loop maybe even a triple. He doubted that he would have as much grace as Jaskier whilst doing it though. He was built for hockey and he was out of practice. He could lift Jaskier though, the figure skater was almost as tall as him and well built but Geralt was strong enough that, if given the chance, he could definitely lift him.
Not that he’d thought about it.
Much.
And now they were getting coffee. It wasn’t a date. Geralt kept telling himself that but Jaskier’s hand was gripping his arm as he laughed at some joke he’d told that Geralt’s hadn’t heard. Ciri was holding Geralt’s other hand and chattering happily with the figure skater. Geralt was stuck between the two of them feeling like he’d walked out of one of his dreams, a dream he hadn’t even allowed himself to imagine.
“Geralt?” Jaskier’s hand squeezed his arm and he looked up to find Jaskier’s beautiful cornflower blue eyes looking at him.
“Hmm?”
“Are you alright?” Jaskier frowned and licked his lips.
God, Geralt wanted to kiss him.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Jaskier flicked his fringe from his eyes and chewed on his lips again. It was fucking distracting. Did he even realised how much Geralt wanted him? Geralt would have to get him some lip balm to try and stop the never ending lip licking. Otherwise they would never get through a conversation without Geralt’s brain cutting out.
“How do you have your coffee?” Jaskier sang as they entered the rink’s coffee shop. Geralt noted his often sang random sentences. He recalled that Yen had said Jaskier had composed his own free skate music.
His free stake music was ridiculous but catchy. Geralt had caught himself humming it more than once during practice. The song just wriggled its way into your head a refused to leave. By the end of the first week of the figure skating season, the whole hockey team were singing it. Jaskier could have easily become a musician if he hadn’t fallen in love with skating.
“Black.” He grunted.
Jaskier made a face and wrinkled up his nose. “Oh god, really?”
Geralt chuckled. “No but that’s what people assume.”
Jaskier rolled his eyes. “That is not the question I asked. Come on, let me get you coffee, as a thank you for catching me earlier.”
“Caramel latte.” Geralt mumbled. “I need the sugar for training.”
Jaskier laughed and god even that was beautiful. “You and me both!” He strutted up to the counter to order whilst Geralt found a table with Ciri.
She sat opposite him and watched him intently, her chin resting on her hands.
“What?”
“You like him.” Ciri stated. It wasn’t even a question.
“Hmm.” He hummed nonchalantly. His daughter was perceptive but he wasn’t ready to admit it just yet, not aloud, not where Jaskier could potentially hear him. He glanced over at Jaskier who was busy flirting with the barista and Geralt’s heart sank.
Definitely not a date then.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Why had he let his hopes get up? What would Jaskier see in him? His grey hair made him look decades older than he really was, his eyes were a weird yellow colour, nothing like Jaskier’s gorgeous cornflower blue eyes. He had less grace than a new born giraffe and little to no musicality. He was in so many ways, Jaskier’s opposite, but then again, they did say opposites attract and fuck was he attracted to Jaskier.
The object of his desire laughed at something the barista said and then he turned to face Geralt with a dazzling smile. Geralt returned the smile weakly, still feeling a little nauseous from having his crush to close to him and yet so unobtainable.
“Why don’t you tell him?” Ciri asked, her nose scrunched up as she tried to figure out why Geralt was being a coward with his feelings.
“It’s more complicated than that.” He muttered and ruffled her hair.
She shook his hand off and pouted. “Why?”
“Just is.”
“Yeah but why?”
Geralt sighed. “He won’t like me back.”
“How do you know?”
Geralt groaned. Bloody children and their endless curiosity. “I just know.”
“Know what?” Jaskier asked as he passed Geralt a large coffee cup. He put the coffee carrier down on the table and carefully handed Ciri the smaller of the two. “Careful, sweetheart, it’ll be hot.”
Ciri rolled her eyes and gripped the cup between her little hands. “Duh.” She muttered.
“So know what, Geralt?” Jaskier asked again as he bit his lip. They was chapped from too much time spent at the rink and Geralt couldn’t stop himself from staring.
“Hmm?” He replied, blinking as he vaguely registered Jaskier’s question.
“Dad said he knows that you won’t like him.” Ciri stated matter-of-factly and Geralt’s brain suddenly snapped into gear.
Shit!
Jaskier choked on his drink and Geralt almost knocked his all over the table. “I’m sorry what?!” Jaskier shrieked.
Geralt groaned and hid his face in his hands. “Ciri!”
“What?” She snapped. “He asked!”
“Go find your mother.” Geralt muttered sharply. His hands were shaking and Jaskier was just staring at him with his radiant blue eyes. “Now. Ciri.”
“But—”
“Now.” Geralt insisted and pulled out his phone to send Yennefer a quick heads up before sighing and turning towards Jaskier. “Sorry. She’s just a kid.”
“Geralt, I—”
“No, it’s fine. I understand. I’m just sorry you found out.” He cut Jaskier off before he could hear the words that would break his heart.
“No but Geralt I—”
“It’s fine, Jaskier.” Geralt reassured the skater. “I can stop coming to your performances.”
Jaskier stood up with a wave of his arms. “Geralt, would you just listen to me, you emotionally constipated himbo?!” Jaskier yelled and Geralt’s mouth snapped shut.
Fuck.
Jaskier put both hands on his hips and glared at him. “You’ve seen my routine?” Geralt nodded but didn’t say anything. “Have you worked out the story yet?”
Geralt frowned. “Eros, sexual love?” He grumbled.
Jaskier chimed a laugh. “The story of seduction, Geralt. I am the seductress trying to woo my playboy lover.”
“Playboy lover?” Geralt repeated.
Jaskier tossed his fringe from his eyes. “Famous hockey player who could have anyone he wants, formerly married to the most successful and most beautiful female skater of our generation?”
Geralt felt his cheeks heat up. “I’m no playboy.”
“No. Perhaps not, but my story was better.” Jaskier shrugged and licked his lips. His cheeks were as red as Geralt’s felt.
He furrowed his brow. “You were trying to seduce…me?”
Jaskier scratched the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. “Well I didn’t think it would ever work. God, Geralt you are way out of my league!”
Geralt laughed. Out of Jaskier’s league. It was Jaskier who was out of Geralt’s league. The way he skated was absolutely breath taking, if he good just manage to land all of his jumps and maybe increase the difficult of his routines he would be dominating men’s skating. There wasn’t a single skater in the Grand Prix final that could out perform Jaskier. Yennefer would and had disagreed but none of the others were able to enchant Geralt the way that Jaskier could, and fuck, his Eros routine plagued Geralt’s dreams.
How many times had he dreamed about peeling off the sequinned black outfit? The skirt that flick up to reveal that little tease of blood red. Fuck. It was hot. It drove Geralt mad and the way Jaskier licked his lips at the start of routine and winked at the audience.
Out of his league.
It must be a joke. How could Geralt even begin to compete with his beauty?
“Geralt!” Jaskier whined, snapping him out of his Eros fuelled daydream. He refocussed on the real Jaskier’s face. The skater was pouting at him and it took every ounce of Geralt’s self control not to kiss him.
“You think you’re out of my league?”
Jaskier nodded and Geralt just laughed again.
“God, I’ve wanted you for years, Jask.” He admitted with a shake of his head.
Jaskier’s jaw dropped. “No.”
“Yes.”
“You mean we could have been…?”
Geralt nodded. “Yes.”
Jaskier groaned and flopped back into his seat. “Fuck me.”
Geralt took a long sip of his caramel latte as he watched Jaskier despairing over the potentially lost time. He hummed. “Normally I would ask you to dinner first.”
Jaskier’s eyes snapped up to meet his gaze. “Geralt!” He was blushing brightly but a playful smile danced on his lips. “How about I ask you to dinner?”
Geralt smiled and nodded, today was suddenly seeming a lot brighter. “Dinner it is.”
Jaskier reached across the table and Geralt took his hand. It was warm from where Jaskier had been holding onto his coffee, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Geralt was still reeling over the fact he was allowed to hold Jaskier’s hand, after so many years of watching him on the ice. He’d always seemed so far away. A joyful presence in both Yen and Ciri’s life but never his, and for some unknown reason Jaskier had wanted him.
“Why?” He asked.
Jaskier raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Why?” He repeated the question.
“Why did you think I was out of your league?” It wasn’t exactly what he’d meant but repeating Jaskier’s earlier words were easier than trying to think of his own.
Jaskier laughed and squeezed Geralt’s hand. “Because look at you!” He gestured with his free hand. “You’re bloody gorgeous.”
“So are you.” Geralt mumbled.
That seemed to give Jaskier pause as his mouth opened and shut a couple of times. “Yeah. Well. You’re more gorgeous, and you’re this famous ice hockey player, Captain of the Kaer Morhen Wolves, ex-husband to the Yennefer Vengerberg, the Ice Queen. Father to the sweetest most adorable little five year old. You have everything. Why would you want me?”
Geralt felt his expression soften as Jaskier’s gaze fell to the table. “Because you make me hear the music even when there’s none playing.” Jaskier frowned and chewed on his lip. Geralt sighed and ran his thumb along Jaskier’s bottom lip, pulling it free from his teeth. “You keep doing that. It’ll start bleeding.”
“Yeah well.” Jaskier muttered breathlessly.
“Being famous means shit all.” He sighed as he pulled away from Jaskier’s face. “No one gives a fuck about the person underneath. I’m just the ice hockey hero.”
Jaskier scoffed. “Well, then, Mr Ice Hockey Hero. Who is Geralt Rivia?”
Geralt chuckled. “You sound like press.”
“You don’t mind if I record this do you?” Jaskier teased and moved the small pepper pot to sit in the middle of them. “It’s easier than taking notes. I’d rather this just be you and me, without a notebook.”
“Jaskier!” He growled.
“Now, we’ve all heard about your skills on the ice, tell me…” Jaskier paused dramatically and licked his lips. “do those skills transfer to the bedroom?”
Geralt barked a laugh. “I wish I could say I’ve never been asked that in an interview before.” He groaned.
“No!” Jaskier giggled.
“Hmm.” He agreed. It had been just after his divorce with Yen and the press were trying to market him as the next playboy bachelor.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you dodged the question, Geralt.” Jaskier teased.
Geralt tilted his head and smirked. “If you win the Grand Prix final, maybe you’ll find out.”
Jaskier gaped. “Geralt!” He groaned. “That’s just not fair. I’ll never win.”
Geralt just shrugged.
“You’re joking right. God please tell me you’re joking.”
Geralt didn’t answer.
“Geralt!!” ______________
Next
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toonstarterz · 4 years
Text
BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #167
Hey, I’m not dead!
Yeah, sorry that took a while. Had a lot of real-life shit to work through, honestly. In any case, I finally sat my butt down to really crack down on yet another fun-tastical chapter. Tomoko’s actually doing what a lot of quasi-incel degenerates are afraid to do in high school and is taking an actual stab at self-improvement. Will karma rear its ugly head, or is the series now beyond that point?
Chapter 167: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Spend My Time Wisely unlike me
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This is a really pretty shot and...that’s about it. Real pretty. 
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Oh dear! The friendship disease has disrupted Tomoko’s gremlin-like body clock and has her waking up early like a healthy human being!
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Reminds of that one Gintama episode. You know, that one with Kagura and the sick kid and you don’t care, do you?
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I know Japan prides itself on its cheap, quality goods, but Tomoko is a real penny-pincher, eh? Well, she’s a Gen Zer, so I can’t complain.
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Not sure if this makes me sound like a perv or whatever, but hot damn, the detail on this model is stupidly good. I mean, just look at the patterning on that bra. You can really tell when Ikko’s really getting into the art.
They’re really milking the armpit fetish, aren’t they?
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Tomoko...sweetie...my girl...
You don’t even have a dick. I mean, sure, you could find it fascinating from a purely educational, not-applicable-to-you perspective. And yeah, I suppose it could be useful if you were to start a sexual relationship with a noncanonical male. But to be honest, I can’t help but take it as more signs of your gender dysphoria here. 
I mean, hey, whatever floats your boat.  
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Well, they say kids learn more about practical knowledge out in the real world than in school, don’t they? 
Then again, coughgoogleitcough.
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I always thought Tomoko was just having some kind of psychosomatic experience when she talks about being de-energized from a lack of sexual stimulation. 
Now I’m inches from calling that shit an actual, physiological withdrawal.
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Ah, the good ol’ days. Back when future prospects felt like a lifetime away and you could spend days on end dicking around, lamenting the need to get serious, and disregarding your resolve right after because you secretly didn’t really care.
...I gotta stop projecting.
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Despite Tomoko proving time and again that she can be a crass-hole with a negative outlook on life, it’s when she does childish things like laying your head on your arm when studying and cuddling her plushies that her innocent side pops up and you realize that Tomoko’s a legitimate cutie. 
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Fake-smoking? Tomoko, stop! If you keep this up, you’ll turn from a deconstruction of a cute, moe girl to becoming an actual cute, moe girl.
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I only just noticed that Tomoko’s wearing a “happy” shirt. Remember when she was sporting the “alone” shirt back in year one? Even her clothes get character development.
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Oh, shit. Your girl Yuu-chan talking this whole cram school thing seriously even though she’s at a disadvantage. You see, this is why Yuu is literally the best. Despite being at the “top” of the school clique food chain, she has not once ever felt like “bottomfeeders” like Tomoko and Komi were below her in any way. Sure, she knows they’re weirdos, but she makes those acknowledgments without judgement, and all while putting herself on the same leveling field. She doesn’t love them ironically–she loves them sincerely, and that’s why Yuu is awesome. 
Sorry if this turned into a ramble, but Yuu only gets like, one panel of dialogue nowadays and I wanted to make the most of it. 
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Tomoko be raising that “phone-call” flag like a motherfucking chad. 
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...
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Oh, sorry. I saw Yuri with her hair down and lost track of time.
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Damn, Yuri’s pretty.
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Black leggings at home? That’s exactly the kind of conservative attire Yuri would wear and only Yuri could look amazing in. Seriously, If Ikko hadn’t become a manga artist, she would have made a damn fine fashion designer.
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And Tomoko be crushing that “home-visit” flag like a motherfucking chode.
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I could make a pretty tasteless joke about how “haha, Yuri will never look at you like you’re trash like she does at Tomoko,” but, 
a. it’s just the angle of the smartphone like Yuri said, and
b. you’d probably prefer to get denied like that, wouldn’t you?
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I can’t help but wonder if Tomoko realizes just how homoerotic she sounds. Like, does she have any inclination that her borderline-sexual harassment jokes could easily be misconstrued as flirting? Sure, she might be using the old excuse that “we’re both girls, so it’s fine right?”, but given that Tomoko at least knows about LGBTQ+, you’d think it would have at least crossed her mind.
Or maybe, on a sadder note, Tomoko doesn’t see it as flirting because she really does have zero faith in her own attractiveness...  
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There is no heterosexual reason for this exchange whatsoever.
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Alright, so I’m a dude, so...hell do I know. But do girls typically not wear bras when just lounging around the house? I know Tomoko is the kind to just wear tank tops if she can help it, but I always thought that was a characterization unique to her, and that other girls wear bras for the comfort and support like any other undergarment. I mean, sure, Yuri’s kind of reserved, but I wouldn’t think wearing a bra at home would be considered an oddity, yeah? I ask this out of genuine curiosity, but I’ll stop before it gets too creepy.
Side note, you can officially tell when Yuri gets pissed by her nose crinkles.
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I could give a long, analytical spiel about why Yuri didn’t give Tomoko a straight answer and speculate on what she was doing, but I eventually realized the answer was actually really simple:
It didn’t fucking matter to the story.
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The last time Tomoko had one of these “I know!” moments, she ended up trimming her pubes on a class trip. But surely Tomoko’s character growth wouldn’t allow something like that to happen again, would it not?  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Adorbs.
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Can’t fight awkward with awkward, can you?
Tomoko, what are you playing at? You just said that video chatting was erotic and tried to get Yuri to lewd herself for you. And now you were planning to appear on-screen totally naked and you somehow don’t see any sexual implications for this at all? Finding it funny would be an elementary schooler’s mentality. If you seriously have no confidence in your sexuality, then sweetheart, you need some help. 
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You ever notice that Tomoko can lie through her teeth when trying to screw with people, but when lying to be nice, it sounds so phony? I think that says a lot about the kind of person she is.
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Ya’ll knew I was gonna add this panel, didn’t you?
I was never one to go crazy about blushing anime girls ‘cause to me, it always felt like it stemmed from some sadistic desire to see girls look uncomfortable. So while I can’t get behind it for reasons like that, I can admit that Yuri’s blush is fucking precious and I think that’s because I love seeing her so emotionally transparent for once. It feels rare, raw and well-earned after all this time, so yeah. A++ 
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Oh, Tomoko, if only you knew that skill often has nothing to do with it. Yuri’s not embarrassed because she sucks at humming, but because you saw a side of her that she only lets out in private. Trying to reassure her is a good move, but putting the girl on blast like that is not going to end well.  
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I felt like the vibration alone would’ve left a huge-ass crack on Yuri’s phone screen. This whole moment is like eleven tiers of funny because even though Tomoko is probably miles away, the impact of Yuri’s punch still jostles her. It also helps that we can visibly see Yuri’s fist come down mere millimeters from Tomoko’s mug. 
There is no escaping her wrath, Tomoko.
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I feel you, girl. For me, nothing beats a good ol’ burger and fries after a hard day of studying.
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Careful there, Tomoko. If there’s one thing that studying has taught me (other than I hate it), it’s that you could get serious burn out if you go all-out on the first day, especially if you’re typically not a regular studier. Always make sure to get dem breaks in. 
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That sounds like the kind of line you’d see in a mainstream shounen action manga like [ ]. I don’t even have a direct reference here, so feel free to fill in the blank.
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Hey, with Tomoko’s luck, I was expecting karma to hit her harder than Truck-kun in an isekai anime, so I consider this a small loss. 
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Man, remember when we were young and had ambitions as high as the sky, and we all wanted to change the world by being firefighters, astronauts, idols, and presidents?
Kind of sucks that “financial stability” has become our goal in life as we enter adulthood. Perhaps that’s just the mindset creative-types like Tomoko have towards the STEM industry when it’s hard to see what makes that world so personally fulfilling. 
Oops, my opinions are starting to seep in, so let's move on.
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Nooo, don’t do it, Nico Tanigawa Tomoko! Don’t sell out your passions for financial security even though it’s a totally viable career decision! How else are we going to validate the pursuit of our artistic dreams?  
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How in the hell is Tomoko balancing that drink? I’m willing to let it pass for rule of cute, but I don’t care how secure that cup is. One wrong move and those practice sheets are done for. 
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Jesus Christ, Nemo is on some otherworldly dimension of cute right here.
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I don’t even think Tomoko is trying to one-up her or anything. This is already the most effort she’s given to study in a single instance, so I think she genuinely just wants to share this personal accomplishment.
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You know, while it’s already been established that Tomoko and Nemo have different tastes in anime, that doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t watch the same show, right? Just for different reasons. While Nemo would watch her cute slice-of-life series earnestly, Tomoko would probably watch them ironically MST3K-style. In any case, it’s a good way for them to find some common ground.
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Bruh, Nemo must be over the fucking moon for this opportunity. Think about it: when was the last time she’s had someone to watch anime with her? After concealing her power level for so long, this could be the first time Nemo has had a fellow anime fan to geek out over a series with. And not just discussing it afterward, but actually reacting to a live episode together.  
Nemo may give Tomoko all kinds of shit, but this is actually what she wanted all along, wasn’t it?
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Boy, Tomoko sure gets pretty demanding when she’s sleep-deprived, huh? I’d hate to see how loose her inhibitions get when she’s stark-raving drunk.  
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Is this referencing the Quintessential Quintuplets anime? I don’t know anything about it other than that’s a kickass title.
Hey now, Tomoko, beggars can’t be choosers. Let Nemo give you the play-by-play at her own pace. She’s even acknowledging that you hate the source magazine without a hint of judgment. She’s gonna go places.
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At first, I thought all this recent armpit content was just an incidental joke. Then I thought it was the mangaka slyly inserting their fetish into the series. Then I realized the series turned the joke on its head and made it a meta-reference about their very thing their readers were accusing them of. 
Well played.  
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You ain’t slick with that leg service, Nino Tanigawa. Just sayin’.
Seriously though, I love the dynamic going on in this conversation. Tomoko and Nemo are approaching the discussion from different outlooks, the former looking at it from a degenerate’s perspective and the latter looking at it more optimistically. But even so, they’re not trying to “get the upper hand” like they might've done before. They’re simply having a totally organic talk about what they do and don’t like about the series, while still recognizing each other’s personal preferences. For once, it’s completely devoid of passive aggressiveness and it really shows how earnest their friendship has become.
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At some point, I think Tomoko’s consumed so much near-pornographic content that pretty much all anime, manga, VNs, etc. looks like the same hentai to her.  
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Every fiber of my being says that this is a reference to Komi-san Can’t Communicate, but it could just as well be the mangaka shooting themselves in the foot for a good joke. In any case, I do like how they point out shy, socially awkward girls is a rising trend that borders on romanticizing communication problems. 
Does that make Watamote a hipster manga since it did the whole “social anxiety girl” shtick before it was cool? 
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I wanted to make a pretentious joke about how basic that anime sounds and how I’m so above a show that panders to the masses, but even I like junk food, so I’ll spare you the hypocritical humor.
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If Ucchi caught a glimpse of this, she’d probably explode right on the spot.
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I spent a good five minutes trying to decipher how Tomoko’s sleeping expression could be seen as “happy”, and I realized that it’s not that she looks happy. It’s that she doesn’t look unhappy. I’d imagine that those plagued by anxiety and stress have it evident on their face when they sleep, so the fact that Tomoko fell asleep in relative bliss must mean she’s had a pretty satisfying day. To top it all off, this is one of the few times someone–and Nemo of all people–has seen Tomoko in all her vulnerability. 
And you know what? Nothing bad happened. No punchline undermining the moment, no sarcastic quip, no embarrassment. Just genuine sweetness and it really speaks to the series’ faith in its heartwarming moments.
As a final note, I just wanted to thank everyone again for their patience. I’ve been trying to put a fresh spin on this, making it a little more comedic since its honestly getting harder to “analyze” without constantly repeating myself. It’s a lot of fun, and I hope you guys enjoy it for what it is.
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luvr4writings · 7 years
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Title: Heels and Point Shoes (5/?)
Rating: T
Pairing: Victuuri, slight Otayuri if you squint
Tag: Dancer AU!, Slow burn, a lot of fluff, Ballet Dancer Yuuri, Ballroom Dancer Victor
Summary: Victor, international ballroom champion at age 27, decides to retire after his partner decided to get married. He cannot seem to find any more inspiration for his choreographies like he had before. So, he decides to move to America to teach and opens up a small studio in Detroit. Due to a mishap, he ends up sharing one of his two studios with a ballet academy opened by a retired Japanese prima ballerina Minako Okukawa. One late night, while deciding on a routine to put to his more advanced tango students, he sees one of Minako’s ballet teachers, Katsuki Yuuri, practicing a choreography of his own to one of Victor’s music that he had used for a routine in the competition before and he is drawn in like he never has before.
Comments:
Long time no see!!
Yes, I'm still writing this fic! Things get short of time when you're graduating with a degree. Luckily, stress is still present enough for me to continue writing.
The support and comments from all of you have been amazing! I'm glad my ballroom experience is useful in other fields!! (And here I go talking about careers again gahhh)
In celebration for the new YOI movie that was announced (I'm still screaming about that and the stage show they gave in the event) I give you the next chapter!
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protezioni · 5 years
Note
🖊 for Aki, Izami and Namito!!
OF COURSE!!! I am glad you asked them, love you!! This was really fun to do! (Tumblr dont fail me now)
Aki
She is definitely a character who I will love writing because she is just a very loving person, but she actually isn't the most positive person from the mainest characters! (The main characters are actually all the leaders, but other people get to shine of course)! All the leaders actually agree that she is also the best leader, but they don't tell this to their members because it often leads to big fights- and honestly, she probably is. She knows how to balance responsibilities with her closeness to her team! She also is respected by her team because they KNOW how talented she is, and even Bren from all people accept her as a leader.
She has a backstory where she had several fake friends who only got close to her so they could abuse her kindess, but she wasn't straight up bullied. She often let this get to her and this actually leads to her current personality where she shows she loves everyone for real because she doesn't want anyone to feel the way she felt back then. She has joined the famiglia for several reasons, but to not go to major spoiler territories: she is actually replacing a member. She joined after a member left, and she actually also took their previous role- which was as a capo. We will have a futher look on her backstory though once we get to that part!
She also is one of the members who may be depicted as weak by other famiglias, but this is only because she doesn't immediately resort to violence. She isn't the type to shed blood if not needed, and well- She is a messenger? She would prefer talking things out and she also has a close eye on allies! But if you fight her, you will realize how wrong you are. Incredibly wrong. She also has a good control over her emotions a lot, and she may normally be a sweetheart and kind, but she does know when she shouldn't be. It will be a rare occurence when you'll see her angry... BUT YOU WILL!
Also some random fun facts she used to want to be a dancer and like, she does a lot of exercise and stuff because of it! Also the reason why she's the capo of Crew Tre besides her replacing the previous one is because she has flexibity for her body and decisions!
Izami
He is a straight up bitch for a good part of the series. However, he is just holding back a lot of positive ones because that's how he grew up after an incident happened. He can't express himself properly, and it usually transforms to backlashes or even an insult he didn't truly mean--- but he would not be aware of it anymore. But don't worry, he gets better as the story continues! He may not be the best with emotion, but he is extremely talented in fighting and he takes it as the only way he could truly help his famiglia. This ends with him being a bit prideful, and someone who tends to be the first attacker without even thinking. His strategy in fighting also changes over time, so he doesn't go by full instinct anymore!
He doesn't tend to be affectionate to anyone, but it does reveal that he has a soft spot for people he has known for a long time as long as he believes he didn't so anything to disappoint them--- because he ends up covering his guilt with some kind of exterior where he'll rather be disliked by them instead of getting close to them again with the same thoughts staying in his mind. He believes that he could be rather selfish, but he really doesn't do anything about it. People do look at him differently though, specifically Crew Cinque. They know him well and could read him like an open book--- they are probably the Crew which has no wall in between each other as they expose each other ALL THE TIME.
His backstory ended up leading him to a somewhat the negative side effects of a specific scenario... Which I cannot say because that is major spoilers, but his sibling was able to get over it and become positive. He might be quite harsh, especially to the people he perceives as weak too... Because he sees his past self in them so that happens sometimes. But don't worry, as I said, it gets better! But yeah, it does influence his current personality a lot and it is hard to actually get close to him. He would be productive over people he cares about but he just never really admits it.
He was one of the earlier members since he was the one who accepted the role of the mafia faster than the rest. He was actually one of the only main strand members who was in advancement training done by Hiyaro, but it was willing by his choice! Also he is also a ripped bitch, so like... He is muscular. He can throw Ko's whole bed out of the window. He can throw the whole library shelf at Tilear. He is a strong boy.
Namito
HE IS THE BEST BABY BOY, A SWEETHEART, A SMALL PURE BEAN!!!! Okay but talking about him, he is really a small kid who actually really is scared of the people around him, especially if he has just met them and they haven't done anything relatively good to him. He has a major fear of medical equipment and he feela uncomfortable if people point out jis scar because of his past. While he's still young, he takes it as something that triggers his past memories and therefore, hates it being brought up. Once he does age to a teenager, he actually points it out as something he considers a memory that he survived and was saved by the greatest parents he could ever ask for!
Namito was essentially supposed to be a kid who was only given to the Protezioni because parents believed that their place was still an ongoing orphanage, but as time passed by- his backstory really got developed and I think it would have been more striking if he was saved. So that is his backstory now! He also was initially supposed to be a child who was mute, but now I've decided he only learned how to talk properly once he wasn't with his previous "father figure" anymore. He talks in some gibberish and through non-verbal cues from the start, but he gets to learn better later on!
Okay but he IS a precious bean because he loves making things for the people he loves. He's a creative kid who loves learning about art in any kind! He also attempts to get closer to people who he sees as more lonely or angry-- and this is because he genuinely believes no one deserves to be unhappy and lonely! So he does his best to get close to those kinds of people and trust me, the Protezioni members who are more on the lone wold side does get close to him. They love him a lot. Everybody in the Protezioni loves Namito. He loves everybody too! The allies too! Also, he is close to the Retribution Gang as he is with the Protezioni! (AKIRA, YURI AND SHIGURE BELONG TO SO STAN ZETA @zetacomic )
Namito actually gets to learn how to fight from a very young age because he literally lives with the mafia, and someone made a decision it was for the best. He will be trained by a character who doesn't show up until later though! But trust me, his tutor tries his best not to give him injuries or else some people would murder him if he did.
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melodiesofrigel · 5 years
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Tales of Femslash Week 2019 - Day 3: Elegance (Ristelle)
Hello! Although I have a little experience in writing, this is my first time writing fanfic and I’m SUPER nervous to post it. Constructive criticism is definitely appreciated, just... go easy on me, I guess? Anyway, this is for day 3 of Tales of Femslash 2019!
Rita wasn’t sure if she should be offended or amused when the bottom of the invitation read, “NO EXCUSES. I will see you at the dance, whether you like it or not.”
She sighed. Really no way out of this one, huh?
Quickly, she listed the pros and cons in her head.
Pros:
Estelle
Cons:
Everyone else
It’s a ball
Stuffy outfit
Dancing
Obviously, albeit reluctantly, she was going.
***
Rita’s hand hovered over the sturdy inn door. Was she crazy? Probably, but she needed help. And there was only one person she could ask.
Swallowing down her trepidation, she gave a couple of shy knocks and waited. The door opened to reveal a purple bedhead poking out from a gorgeous white silk bathrobe. “What’s—Oh! Hi, R—“
“Judithcanwegodressshopping.”
Judith giggled. “What?”
Rita was suddenly extremely interested in a small crease in the door. “Can we go dress shopping?” she managed to squeak out. But even though she was still averting eye contact, she could see (or sense, rather) Judith’s face illuminate with amusement.
“Color me impressed.”
“Huh?” Rita looked up to see a smug grin stretching across Judith’s face.
“I half-expected you to show up to the dance in the usual mage getup.”
Rita crossed her arms defensively. “W-well, I just don’t want to stick out. I figured that I might as well just go to this thing, a-and I’d rather not draw any unnecessary attention.”
Something knowing glinted in Judith’s eyes, and it made Rita uncomfortable. “Give me a couple of minutes to get changed. Then we’ll go.”
Rita nodded and shut the door before Judith could say anything else.
She knows she knows she knows…
Hardly any time passed before Judith came bouncing through the door, wearing a white knit crop top and leather shorts. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
An unsettling knot found its way into Rita’s stomach.
***
The boutique was overwhelming, to say the least. Rita had no idea where to start, and the heavy incense wasn’t helping in the slightest. Frilly silk and satin in every color from old vomit green to brilliant sunset orange crowded her vision. Fortunately, Judith seemed to know what she was doing.
“How about this one?” came the familiar voice before Rita had even processed the complete visual eruption.
Judith was standing in the corner, holding up a long, simple, velvet dress in deep crimson with a strapless sweetheart neckline.
Rita shook her head immediately, feeling her cheeks growing warm. “Too… provocative.”
Her companion laughed. “What, this thing? This is nothing!”
“To you, maybe.”
“Well, what are you looking for?”
The question caught Rita off-guard, making her feel a bit silly. She just assumed that she would know it when she saw it, but none of these dresses stood out to her. They were all too… feminine. “I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“Try this one on then,” said Judith, handing her a lilac satin ballgown with a sea of ruffles for a skirt. The neckline was a lot higher and studded with rhinestones.
“Definitely not.”
The Krityan handed it over to a very reluctant Rita. “Never know until you try!” she sang. “C’mon, it would suit you! Plus it goes well with pink.”
It took Rita a few seconds to process what she said. “Pink? What do you mean?”
Judith looked back at her, her face contorted in overexaggerated confusion. “Did you say something?”
That’s when it hit her. Oh.
“N-nothing!” stammered Rita, running to the dressing room to try on the gown. She could’ve sworn she heard a restrained chuckle coming from behind her, but chose to pay it no mind as she occupied herself with trying to figure out how the hell this thing works.
Five minutes later, she managed to pull the stupid frilly thing over her head, making her look more like a birthday cake than a human being. Cursing Judith under her breath, she waddled out of the dressing room to the best of her ability while being weighed down by several pounds of fabric. She was greeted with a squeal.
“You look so adorable!” cooed Judith.
“Kill me.”
Judith muttered to herself, clearly concentrating on something. “Nah,” she eventually decided, “not really your style.”
There was a brief sense of relief for Rita. “Thank you!” However, it was quickly squandered by Judith’s next words.
“Let’s try something else.”
Rita groaned, wondering why she was doing this thing anyway.
Estelle, she reminded herself. Do it for Estelle.
***
Two hours and several theatrical productions’ worth of fabric later, and Rita still wasn’t any closer to figuring out what dress she was going to wear.
After a vicious battle with one particular baby blue dress that trailed behind her, she sighed in defeat. “This would look great on--” she caught herself, “--someone that isn’t me, but none of these seem to… suit me, you know?”
Judith furrowed her brow in concentration before smiling. “I’ve got it!” she said, tugging Rita out of the boutique.
“Where are we going?”
The purple-haired woman said nothing, pulling Rita through the streets of Zaphias. She was whisked past high-end inns and jewelry stores before finally settling on another boutique. However, instead of sequins and sparkles and an avalanche of color, it was filled with sleek and polished mens’ suits.
“What do you think?” asked Judith.
Rita’s eyes widened at the sight. “I mean, am I allowed?”
“I never pictured you as one to play by the rules.”
Rita crossed her arms. “It just m-makes sense to blend in with everyone else. Like I said. Before. Wouldn’t a girl in a suit stand out?”
Judith put a finger to her lips. “Maybe, but you’d be comfortable! So who cares?”
“You’re right,” said Rita, sighing. “Let me just find something simple and get this over with.”
It didn’t take long for her to spot a simple black suit that looked flexible and comfortable enough. It was also much easier to figure out how to put it on, which let her walk out of the dressing room in record time. Of course, Judith wouldn’t stop gushing.
“You look so handsome in that! Just wait until Est--”
“ALRIGHT!” Rita yelled, cutting her off. Judith just flashed that obnoxious knowing smirk. “How do I wear this thing?” She indicated a strangely shaped piece of black fabric in her hand.
Judith took the object and pulled it around the white collar on Rita’s suit. “It’s called a tie, silly.”
“I knew that!”
She chuckled and tied it into place.
Rita stared in the mirror, a little fascinated with a whole getup. It made her feel polished and powerful. She could easily tell that it was better tailored for her body type than any of the fancy gowns she had tried on earlier that day. Even though the white collared button-down shirt underneath the suit jacket made it a teensy bit stuffy, she had to admit (only to herself, of course) that sacrificing function for fashion was necessary in this case. “I’ll go with this one,” she muttered.
***
The seconds ticked by at a snail’s pace as Rita sat at the edge of the inn bed, face buried in her own clammy hands. The only thing occupying her mind was the endless barrage of anxieties racing through it.
What if she thinks the suit looks weird?
Of course, there was no way of knowing with Estelle. Rita could show up to the ball in a trash bag and Estelle would still shower her in praise. That was the princess, all right.
What if she already has a date?
That one hurt more. They had gone their separate ways after recreating the world, as they had their own business to attend to. Estelle was constantly caught up in royal dealings and politics, while Rita was summoned across the world to provide her insight and ingenuity. It was rare that she would cross paths with any of her traveling buddies, and the distance between all of them was one of the main reasons Estelle organized the ball in the first place.
The one year anniversary of the new world. This brought Rita to the next obvious conclusion: Estelle was everything you could wish for in a girl. Passionate, empathetic, humanitarian, and not to mention, quite beautiful. She was the embodiment of elegance.
That was a standard Rita couldn’t meet in a million lifetimes. Estelle deserved better, and considering how much time they had spent apart, Rita was willing to bet she already had better.
Part of her thought about not showing up at all. If she had to watch Estelle dance the night away with some rich, handsome man, she was better off not going.
No, she interrupted. If she really does have someone else, then I will respect their relationship. It hurt, but she only wanted Estelle to be happy. So put on that suit, march up there, and have a damn good time.
Though, it wouldn’t hurt to get off her butt and maybe try to gather some intel. That meant asking someone for help.
She groaned as she realized she only had one option. Yuri and Flynn are helping Estelle set up, and Karol and Raven are both no’s. So…
Ugh.
For the second day in a row, she knocked on the door leading to Judith’s room. Judith answered almost immediately. “Still need my help?”
Rita didn’t see an easy way out of this with her dignity still intact. “Sort of,” she admitted.
“Well, I’m all ears.”
“I can see that.”
Judith laughed. “My, you have a sense of humor!”
“Who said I didn’t?” said Rita, furrowing her brows.
“Oh, nobody. Now, what did you need help with?”
“J-just a question.” Rita’s entire face was on fire. “Is… Is Estelle seeing anyone?”
Rita had never seen Judith look so smug. It was scary. She had the sudden urge to punch her face into something that wouldn’t make Rita feel like a blubbering idiot.
“F-forget I asked!”
Somehow, Judith was able to maintain that… expression… while also looking thoughtfully off to the side. “Why, I don’t believe she is,” she sang, much too high-pitched.
Rita contemplated slamming the door right then and there and forgetting that the conversation ever happened, but if she was already in this deep…
“Judith?”
“Hm?”
It took a lot of shifting her weight from foot to foot before she felt ready to ask, “C-could you help me, then?”
“With what, exactly?” Man, she hated that tone of voice.
“E-Estelle.”
Judith gave her a light punch on the shoulder. “Hey,” she whispered, “you’ve got this. Stop worrying so much. Besides, I should really start charging you for my help.”
“I don’t need a pep talk!” cried Rita. “J-just tell me what to do!”
“Do you know how to dance?”
Rita groaned.
“Awww. I’d teach you if I knew.”
“You don’t know?” asked Rita incredulously.
Judith shrugged. “Never really had the time. Or the need.”
An awkward silence hung between them, only to be finally broken when the older woman caught a dangerous gleam in her eye.
“I have an idea.”
Those four words were enough to make Rita terrified.
***
The short-fused mage was about three minutes from burning Judith’s hair off after several hours of no response. The Krityan had simply run off, telling Rita that everything would be ready before the ball started.
Apparently, the setup didn’t involve letting Rita know what the plan was.
Great. I still have no idea what I’m doing, and I have about half an hour to figure it out.
At first, she was more than willing to occupy her time fixing the clips holding her hair back and smoothing the same few nonexistent creases in the suit jacket, but she remembered something.
I need to get her flowers… I think.
What if she takes it the wrong way, though? What if she’s not interested, and then she feels uncomfortable? I mean, again, I haven’t seen her in a year. I doubt she even sees me as a friend anymore.
The internal debate continued as she exited the hotel and began to walk up to the castle. She was so distracted with her mind’s insistent WHAT IF’s that she didn’t register a flower shop on her left until she had already passed it.
Screw it. Buy the flowers now, and if you chicken out, you never have to give them to her.
WHAT KIND.
A flash of pink caught her eye. Let’s go with those.
“Pink carnations,” said a voice behind her, making her jump. It was an older woman with warm brown eyes and an apron. “Always a good choice.”
Rita just nodded and paid at the desk where the woman was stationed.
She continued up the path, carnations tucked behind her back, as if she was afraid someone would see them. The castle approached far too quickly, and as the proximity increased, the population density of obnoxious rich people also increased.
That was a correlation she could live without.
When she finally reached the front gates, there was a man in a multicolor suit who was checking invitations and admitting guests.
“Rita Mordio,” she stated confidently, holding out her invitation.
“Rita Mordio?” he repeated.
Am I not on the list? Please tell me I’m not on the list, I could just go back and forget about all of—
“I have a note for you.”
“Huh?” Well, she hadn’t expected that.
“From Lady Estellise herself.”
Oh no. Rita gulped and took the note with one trembling hand. She proceeded into the main hall, where most of the guests were gathered, and took the time to read the note.
“Dear Rita,” she read to herself. “Meet me at the top of the Sword Stair. I’ve been hoping to catch up with you. From, Estelle.” Holy crap.
Gathering whatever courage she could manage, Rita made her way over to the door that would lead to the Sword Stair.
***
Climbing the Sword Stair was not fun. Rita was unwilling enough when it came to a fancy ball, but walking up a long incline in a suit made of several layers was another level of “no thank you”.
“RITA!” A familiar squeal broke her out of her annoyed trance as she saw her running toward her.
Estelle wrapped her arms around a stunned and flustered mage, holding her tight. She had a slight aroma of cinnamon and strawberries about her.
“It’s been so long!” the princess babbled. “I’ve missed you so much! Oh, I really should’ve visited, or sent you a letter, or something, but I’ve just been so busy with everything, and--”
Rita had to cut her off. “H-hey, Estellise, it’s alright. R-really.”
Estelle broke the embrace to pout at her ‘which is adorable but don’t get distracted.’ “You don’t have to be so formal, you know,” she said. “Please, it’s Estelle.”
“A-alright. So uh… why did you call me up here?”
Estelle looked confused. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Rita did a double take. “Wait, what?”
“I came up here after I got your note.”
“I never… Huh? I got your note!”
“What?”
“What?”
Suddenly, realization struck with the force of a hammer. Judith, you’re dead. But her mind didn’t really have time to process her neverending frustration with the Krityan because holy crap it’s Estelle it’s actually Estelle it’s her.
Estelle had slightly longer hair than the last time Rita had seen her, leaving a few strands in the front while most of it was pulled back into a bun. Her light blue eyes featured a mature glint that Rita swore she had never seen before.
And that dress.
Oh no, that dress.
Baby blue silk that matched her eye color perfectly hugged her waist and cascaded in a wide waterfall away from her hips, stretching all the way to the floor. It was held up by two straps that went around her neck and formed a large bow in the back. Bright silver earrings in the shape of crescent moons were hanging low from her ears.
“Rita?”
“You… uh…” Rita tried to find something to say that wouldn’t betray the thoughts going through her head, but the warmth rushing through her head and the furious pounding of her heart made it impossible to focus. “Y-you look… g-gorgeous.”
Estelle smiled, and if Rita was feeling especially optimistic, she might’ve admitted that she saw a light sprinkle of pink dust her cheeks. “Thank you! That suit looks great on you!”
“Th-thanks, Estelli--Estelle.”
“So…”
“So…?”
Estelle reached forward and grabbed her hand. Rita was too shocked to process what was happening as Estelle dragged her into the center of the platform at the top of the Sword Stair. “Remember this?” she whispered.
Whereas Rita’s heart was pumping erratically before, it felt as though it had completely stopped when she realized where they were. Her mouth moved faster than her brain as she said, “I’m so sorry. I feel like there was something I should’ve done sooner.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” said Estelle, giving a small, sad laugh. “It’s good to know you haven’t changed much. But really, it doesn’t bother me. Alexei can’t hurt me anymore.”
“Good. If there was even the smallest chance, I’d burn that bastard to the ground.”
Estelle laughed again. Note to self: Make Estelle laugh more often. “I don’t doubt it.”
Rita finally remembered the flowers in her left hand she was hiding behind her back. “Um… H-here!” she said, awkwardly holding them out.
Estelle looked shocked, but happily took them.
“Are they, um, good?” Rita mentally facepalmed as soon as the words left her mouth. Smooth.
There was no mistaking the bright red color flooding Estelle’s cheeks at this point. Her eyes widened as she examined them. “They’re great!” she declared.
Rita cleared her throat. “That’s good.”
“Do you want to dance?”
“WHAT.” Aadkfjhawiefakdfiaiefhuiahfafafiehfiaiadhfklahewkjfha.
Unfortunately, Estelle seemed to interpret her response differently. “I-I’m sorry, I just… I shouldn’t have assumed, and--”
“No, no! We can dance!” The last thing she wanted to see was Estelle upset.
“Are you sure?”
Rita was struggling to maintain her composure. “Yeah, I just… C-can you teach me?”
Estelle beamed. “Of course!” She set the flowers aside and eagerly put one hand on Rita’s shoulder and the other on her hip.
Rita temporarily forgot how to breathe.
Several seconds passed. “Your turn,” said Estelle.
“Huh?”
Estelle giggled and took her hand off Rita’s shoulder to grab her hand instead. She guided it to her own shoulder, before doing the same to the other hand with her hip.
“There isn’t any music,” murmured Rita, amazed at her ability to speak.
“We don’t need music! Just step with me.”
Estelle’s soft gaze of adoration was replaced with an almost childish exaggeration of concentration. Her movements were careful and calculated, though not nearly as anxious as Rita’s. The poor mage spent the whole time looking at her feet, just trying not to step on Estelle’s toes. It was an awkward shuffling of dress shoes with only hurried apologies every time toes were crushed or shoulders were squeezed too hard to break the silence.
Estelle finally spoke up. “I… Um… Thank you for this.” Her eyes darted to the side. “Listen, I know this isn’t really your thing, and I’m sorry if I made you feel awkward. Just… Can I try something?”
Rita nodded.
The princess’ grip tightened. “You have to trust me.”
Another nod. “I trust you.”
Estelle gulped and shifted the hand on Rita’s shoulder to hold her hand instead. The hand on her hip snaked around her waist. She planted one foot forward, her nervousness obvious in her trembling.
Then, Rita was falling.
Her stomach dropped and she opened her mouth to yelp, but an arm supporting her back caught her expertly and sent sparks up her spine.
“You alright there?” asked Estelle, still holding her up, far too close to her face.
Since when did she get this strong? “Y-yeah.”
Estelle helped Rita to her feet, but still held onto her hands. “I hope I didn’t scare you!” she cried. “It’s something I learned in the dance lessons they gave me called a dip, and I thought it would be fun, but--”
Mustering bravery and boldness completely foreign to her, Rita copied Estelle’s previous stance and swung her into a low dip, startling her out of her tangent. Estelle squeaked, abandoning her attempts to remain composed and throwing her arms around Rita’s neck for support.
Once she was over her shock, Estelle smiled back, still hanging from the mage’s neck. “You got it!”
The sight before her nearly made Rita drop her. The princess was gazing up at her fondly, unmistakable rosy pink pooling in her cheeks. A couple strands of her hair had fallen out of the bun and were just barely tickling her nose and chin. The way she was contorted had to be painful, right?
But if Estelle was in any pain, she was doing one hell of a good job hiding it. Her gown, which might have otherwise given the impression of a lively morning beach, was perfectly still, instead giving an illusion of timelessness. There was no strain in her arms, no wobbling or shaking, just… elegance caught in a freeze frame.
Elegant.
That word had always bothered Rita. It was what she wanted to be when she was younger, what everyone told her she should be.
It was what she rejected in favor of being feared. Intelligent. She couldn’t stand the idea of someone else needing to save her.
But Estelle was the embodiment of elegance. Every movement was poised, every word sweet and light.
And that was what Rita saw in the woman draped over her arm. Elegance.
That was probably part of why she was so surprised and at a loss for words when said gentle embodiment of elegance yanked on the back of Rita’s neck to pull her down into a passionate liplock.
Just part of why.
Ohmygdsasfhjkogdhkgeeujgjljgfgkgdrawgh. To summarize, at least.
Rita was too stunned to do anything other than gently kiss her back, her brain still trying to catch up to the present time. Estelle’s lips were like the softest cushion, but glazed with sweet strawberry gloss.
After what was either two seconds or two years, Estelle hastily pulled herself out of Rita’s arms, stumbling to her feet and temporarily shattering her image of perpetual grace. She looked… scared. She would open her mouth, seem to choke on her words, then close it again.
Does she… Is she afraid I’ll reject her?
Rita’s eyes widened at the notion. That terrified expression was too much to bear, and before she knew what she was doing, she pulled Estelle into her arms and kissed her again.
And again.
And again.
As many times as it took for her to be reassured that Rita felt the same way.
And maybe a few more than that, for good measure.
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quickeningheart · 5 years
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Four
   Alley watched Charley and Throttle banter back and forth, feeling as if she'd somehow stumbled into an episode of the Twilight Zone. She just couldn't get past how … well, how alien Throttle was, yet her cousin was laughing and teasing and treating him just like she'd treat any longtime friend or family member. It was disconcerting, to say the least.
   She considered making a strategic retreat to her bedroom while the pair was distracted, until Throttle suddenly perked up, his head cocking to one side as his ears twitched back and forth. Alley bit her lip to hold in a smile; he reminded her of Mercedes when something had caught her attention. “Whoops,” he announced a moment later. “Party's over, ladies. Looks like the bros are back.”
   He'd barely finished speaking before the distinct rumble of motorcycles pulling into the garage—heralded by the clang of the welcome bell—announced their arrival. Alley glanced longingly in the direction of her room, but Charley (the traitor) grabbed her by the arm and steered her back into the living room, forcing her into the very same chair Throttle had been sitting in. Alley's skin crawled, imagining she could feel the prickle of shed fur against her back and legs.
   “Maybe you could go warn them to come up slow and steady and not like a herd of elephants, huh?” Charley suggested. Throttle saluted playfully and took the stairs two at a time down to the garage.   She turned back to her cousin and offered an encouraging smile. “Come on, Alley Cat. Relax! Throttle isn't so bad, is he?”
   The jury was still out on that one, but Alley had to admit she'd been getting used to the golden mouse. There was something pleasant about his voice. It was kind of soft and husky, like smoke and velvet in her ears. And his demeanor had been calm and relaxed. He’d treated her gently, even though she could tell he’d been a bit irritated by her reaction. “I guess not,” she sighed. “He’s pretty … nice.” She frowned, remembering. “But, that big gray one…”
   “Modo? Oh, don’t let his size fool you. He’s a pussycat!”
   Alley barked a laugh. “Oh, sure. A pussycat. The big, angry, man-eating kind.”
   Charley pulled a face at her. “Don't be ridiculous. Look, there's a lot of bad blood between the Martian mice and rats, and mistaking one for the other is sort of an insult on their planet, but Modo feels bad for scaring you. Give him a chance, okay? He’s a sweetheart when you get to know him. A real gentleman. And he really loves his mama. You can't go wrong with a guy who loves his mama, right?”
   “I dunno. Norman Bates really loved his mama.”
   “Alley Davidson!” Charley choked on a laugh. “Stop it! I'm trying to be serious, here!”
   Alley huffed and relented. “Well, what about the little white one?”
   “Vinnie?” Charley chuckled uneasily, shaking her head. “Hmm. What can I say about Vincent Van Wham?”
   “Anything you like, Sweetheart! My stunning good looks? My sparkling personality? Pick a subject!” A grinning white-and-silver face appeared like magic over the back of Alley's chair, causing Alley to squawk and fling herself out of it. She landed on the floor with a thud, flipping over and crab-walking straight into Charley's legs.
   Charley slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, for the—Vinnie! Could you try not to give my cousin a nervous breakdown?” she snapped, shooting him a black look amid sniggers from his bros.
   He grinned sheepishly, easing around to take Alley's place in the chair. “Sorry, Sweetheart.”
   “Does he always call you Sweetheart?” Alley whispered.
   Charley patted her shoulder. “He calls everyone Sweetheart. It's kind of his thing.” She rolled her eyes. “You'll get used to it.”
   Modo approached slowly, and Alley eyed him as he towered over her, giving her a polite nod. She nodded back and fought the urge to scramble under the couch. Mostly because there was no way she would fit.
   “Just wanted to say, I’m awful sorry for scarin’ you like I did,” he rumbled. “Me an' rats don't get along so well, but it wasn't right, losin' my temper. My gray-furred mama always said the first impression's the lastin' one, an' I guess I didn't make such a great one on you. I'd like to set that straight, if I can.”
   Alley nodded absently, but she was hardly listening; her eyes had locked on the giant's right arm. It wasn't a flesh-and-blood limb. It looked like one of those bionic arms that she'd only ever seen in science fiction movies. Good grief, this isn't the Twilight Zone. It's turned into Star Trek, she thought, biting back the hysterical urge to giggle. “D-did a rat do that to you?” she asked instead … and jumped when Charley smacked her across the head.
   Oh. That had come out a little rude, hadn't it?
   Modo glanced at his arm self-consciously. “Nah,” he said, his voice calm. “Ol’ Karbunkle’s the one responsible for this.”
   She frowned. Now why did that name sound familiar? She thought for a bit, before remembering. “Oh, he’s that freaky scientist guy,” she murmured. “The one who looks like a mutant.”
   Charley gave her a surprised glance. “You’ve seen him?”
   “Oh, yeah.” Alley gestured to her head. “Throttle did that … mind-meld trick to show me what was going on. The same thing he did to you when you first met.”
   There was dead silence. Vinnie and Modo pinned a squirming Throttle with probing stares. “It’s easier than tryin’ to talk my way through everything,” the golden mouse protested to their raised eyebrows. “There was a lot to cover, all right?”
   “Hey, not judging, Sweetheart!” Vinnie held up his hands, his mouth twitching. “Just better hope Carbine doesn’t find out.”
   “She won’t find out. It wasn’t like that, anyhow!”
   Alley glanced at Charley, who looked as confused as she felt. “Am I missing something?” she whispered.
   Modo glanced at them. “Well, directly touchin' minds is sorta intimate,” he explained, tapping his temple. “It’s useful if we’re in a bad situation and need to exchange intel without gettin’ caught, but for a male and female to join minds in a casual setting, it's kinda…” He trailed off, clearing his throat and taking a sudden fascination with the ceiling as he nervously scratched under his chin.
   Luckily, Vinnie was there to take over. “That sorta stuff is usually reserved for the bedroom,” he finished, grinning and waggling his eyebrows comically. “It’s a fantastic way to increase the intimacy between mates during—”
   “Vincent.” Throttle, who was looking increasingly mortified, cut the white mouse off with a smack of his tail.
   Alley glanced up at her cousin, still confused. Charley's face had turned pink, but her eyes were dancing with mischief as she turned around on the couch, resting her chin on her crossed arms and pinning the squirming mouse with a playful stare. “Throttle, you hound,” she teased, her voice filled with laughter. “Puttin’ the moves on us like that, and we never even suspected. I never knew you had it in you!”
   Alley promptly choked as the meaning hit home, turning an accusing, slightly-horrified gaze to the golden mouse. “You were putting moves on me?” she squeaked.
   “No!” he yelled as the rest of them cracked up. “It wasn’t like that!” He groaned, wiping a hand over his face, under his field specs. “You guys are never gonna forget this, are you?”
   “Hell, no, lover boy!” Charley blew him a playful kiss, which earned him a jealous glare from Vinnie and more laughter from Modo.
   Alley abruptly decided that enough was enough, and scrambled to her feet. “I, um, I've gotta go … do … something,” she muttered, and beat a hasty retreat to her room before anyone could stop her. She slammed the door and slumped against it, sliding to the floor with a thump. Mercedes's snout appeared from the nest of wood shavings and shredded paper towels she'd burrowed into, whiskers twitching curiously. Alley crawled over to the cage and poked a finger through the bars to tickle the rat's nose. “Good grief, Mercy,” she sighed. “What the hell did I get myself into?”
     ~*~*~*~*~
   Alley hid in her room for an hour, paging through the picture scrapbooks she'd brought with her from home. She missed home. She missed her parents. She missed her friends. She even missed Chaz. She wished she had a phone so she could call Chaz, just to hear his voice. Then again, lately he didn't have much to say to her; he was still pissed that she'd broken up with him two weeks before leaving for Chicago.
   She turned the album to a page filled with photos of herself and her friends; lounging on the beach; at a pool party in Yuri's back yard; her and Chaz cuddling under a blanket beside a bonfire…
   She examined the closeup of her ex-boyfriend giving the camera a deadpan stare and a thumbs up, and wrinkled her nose. Well, maybe “pissed” was too strong a word. Chaz didn't get pissed. Mildly annoyed, maybe, when he could be bothered to care. That was the problem with Chaz. He was tall, handsome, well-mannered…
   He also had the personality of tile grout.
   “Ugh,” she grunted, slapped the album shut and shoved it into a corner of the room. She decided maybe she didn't miss him so much, after all. “I can’t believe I wasted an entire year on that walking doormat.”
   Mercedes twitched her whiskers, climbing the side of her cage.
   “Well, he was really cute!” Alley defended herself. “And he did have nice manners. Also didn’t hurt that his parents are loaded. Too bad he didn’t have a romantic bone in his entire body. I mean, I’m the one who always had to plan the dates! And forget about making out. You’d think I was diseased or something, the way he always shied away from kissing.”
   Mercedes squeaked at her.
   “I know, I know,” she grumbled. “That’s what I get for being shallow and dating a cute rich guy. He was probably gay. I mean, I’m gorgeous, right? What straight guy in his right mind wouldn’t want a piece of this?”
   Mercedes replied by crawling into her nest of wood shavings and shredded tissues and curling up to sleep.
   “Gee. Thanks for the heart-to-heart. You always know just what to say.”
   Alley staggered to her feet. Her butt and legs had gone numb from sitting cross-legged on the floor for so long. She hobbled to the door, opening it a crack to listen outside. There was absolute silence. She peeked out, then crept down the short hallway to the living room. Charley and the mice were gone. In their place stood a pile of wooden parts that she recognized as the pieces of her furniture. They must have gone ahead and taken the bed and dresser apart to get them up from the garage. Alley felt momentarily guilty, knowing she should've helped. It was her furniture, after all.
   She crept down the stairs far enough to peek into the brightly-lit garage, where she noticed her bus had been parked in an unused corner. And there was Charley, surrounded by a pile of car parts, working on fastening a door onto the frame of a car. “Are they gone?” she called.
   Her cousin stopped working, lifted the welding mask from her face, and turned to give her cousin a hard stare. “For now,” she replied. “They're coming back later, though. I promised them dinner and movies for their help.” She folded her arms across her chest, radiating disapproval.
   Alley suddenly felt as if she'd been caught by her mother sneaking in late after a party or something. “Okay, what?” she asked, mirroring Charley's stance.
   “I don't appreciate the way you treated my friends,” the redhead scolded. “They did their best to welcome you in their own way. They don't interact with a lot of humans, you know. It's not like there's proper etiquette for introducing two alien species to each other. Yeah, they're a bit startling at first, but I think you totally overreacted. The Alley I remember was never such a shrinking violet.”
   “I—But you—And they—Well, what about you?” Alley sputtered, switching from shamefaced to defensive in two seconds. “Maybe I wouldn't have 'overreacted' if you hadn't waited until thirty seconds beforehand to tell me I was about to meet giant talking alien mice!”
   Charley blinked, then cracked a small smile. “You make a good point,” she conceded.
   “Damn straight, I do.” Alley's own lips were twitching despite the scowl she was trying hard to keep in place. “I warned you I was bringing a pet. The least you could've done was return the favor!”
   Charley choked out a laugh. “Alley, that’s mean! They're not animals, no matter what they look like. They're as much people as we are! They just happen to possess tails and fur coats and hail from a different planet.”
   “I know that.” Alley sighed, hopping up to sit on Charley's tool chest.
   “Will you promise to at least try and get to know them. I mean, if it wasn't for them, most of this planet would've been strip-mined and shipped off to Plutark by now. They're really heroes, if you stop to think about it. They deserve a little respect.”
   “Okay, okay. I promise I'll give them another chance, and I won't even run screaming for the hills this time.” At Charley's dubious look, she added, “Scout's honor!” and held up four fingers.
   “That's the Vulcan peace sign, Alley.”
   “Pfft. Whatever.”
   Charley sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I'm so glad we had this little chat.”
   The colorful blond laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Anytime, Charley-girl! What else is family for?”
Next
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donutpwns · 6 years
Text
Little Brother Blues - Part 5
Part 4 - Part 6
His vision blurs again as he stares at the page in front of him and it takes him a moment to realize it's not just another part of the thing that just makes no sense to him. With a groan, he rubs at his eyes under the pair of glasses he'd finally given into wearing and blinked until the words became somewhat readable. He turns to the notebook where he had started keeping his makeshift cipher to help him translate, finger trailing over the symbols to find the match. Square with a squiggle, no not that one, the other square with a squiggle. Ugh.
Why couldn't Ford have written the damn thing in English? Or Spanish, Stan could read that as well as English. Hell, he'd have settled for Russian, he could at least stumble his way through that somewhat passably thanks to Yuri. But this weird alien, made up language? It's taken the better part of the last five years to get just a mostly helpful cipher figured out. There were usually some things that were wrong but Stan could usually figure it out. Mostly. Passably.
He chances a look at his watch and can't suppress another groan at the time it shows. Four hours until opening, five if Stan wanted to say screw it to the old people that came first thing. But they were the ones quickest to buy souvenirs for grandkids that didn't give a shit. Extra sleep versus money. As if that was really a choice at this point in his life. He could only steal so many parts and it wasn’t like he could steal Ford’s mortgage payments. Then again, maybe if he broke into the bank he could…no, too much attention.
He's so tired. Seasonal rush of tourists have been running him ragged; he really needed to get a way to run the forest tours while not on his feet. And then the portal had been keeping him up later and later. He'd hoped once he'd gotten the panels to work again he could flip the switch but the power wasn't communicating somewhere; he was lucky to get the portal to spark. He'd blown out the power three times in as many weeks trying to figure out where the disconnect was. Maybe it was time to steal a few more books on electrical engineering and skim them until they made sense? He needs to find a new supply of copper wiring too. Maybe the streetlights downtown had been repaired so he could steal them again.
A yawn effectively shuts down his thought process, brain function shutting down and rebooting. Holy Moses he is tired.
He gives a regretful look back to the portal that looms in the other room. He needs to get some sleep if he's going to be able to work. When he glances back at the book, the words start to blur again, ink running together when his eyes move over the page; he has a feeling that he's not gonna get much more work done tonight anyway. He looks back up at the portal again and for a second swears he sees it glowing again with an old silhouette in it. Sleep deprivation and guilt were never friends to him though they had always found kin in each other.
“Tomorrow, Sixer. I promise. I can feel it, I'm almost there.” He repeats the same line he's said almost every night for the last five years, puts the same confidence into his grin that he does when he tells the cops he had nothing to do with whatever they're asking. He closes the Journal, placing his hand over the one on the cover to see the extra finger stick out of an otherwise perfect match. “High six.” He mutters under his breath, trying to will himself to find comfort in the gesture. It never works but maybe someday it will.
Tomorrow he'll get it. It'll be fixed and Ford will be back and Stan can apologize properly. Tomorrow. Everything will make sense again after he gets some sleep.
“YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT, HUH?”
Tap tap tap
Stan jolts awake, hands slapping down on the middle console and the door as he searches around. Mabel's face is pressed against the driver side window that's slightly cracked due to the heat. Right. He was picking the kids up from the lake. Stan shakes his head to get the remnants of the dream out of his mind and to get his brain back into the present before rolls the window down the rest of the way. She's got the boys behind her; all of them are red everywhere their skin shows. Probably should've given them sunscreen. Oh well.
He gives Dipper’s sun-reddened cheek a pinch when the boy steps up to the driver side door just to laugh when the boy swats him away. It brings a rush of fond memories to the surface; he almost swears he can smell salt mixed with the telltale scent of sun touched skin. “You kids are going to be peeling like little monsters in a few days.” he feels the need to point out as the three of them climb into the backseat.
Mabel’s amazed sounding “Cool!” mixes with Dipper’s disgusted groan and Stan shares a laugh with the girl. He can see Ford slumping against the door, a tired look on his face. Apparently Stan wasn't the only one that had needed a nap.
“Too much excitement for you, huh, Sixer?” he teases naturally though the bags under his brother’s eyes are a little concerning. Did he have those this morning? Stan can’t remember; he had been too focused on what he was going to say to McGucket to pay much attention to the kids.
This reminds him of what he’s learned. It eats time. The thing eats time. How the hell were they supposed to fix that? Stan didn't doubt that they could, he'd pulled Ford from another dimension for heaven's sake; there wasn’t much he couldn’t believe they could get done. But the how was a little mind boggling. Maybe the kids would have some ideas once they could sit down and think everything through together. They were both smarter than Stan, could probably see something he couldn't.
He'd never admit it to anyone, but he wishes he could talk to the older version of Ford about this. Heck, if the positions were reversed, Ford probably would've had a fix before nightfall on the first day. If he'd cared enough to do so. Probably would've done it just to prove he could. Been all smug about it and the kids would've thought he was so cool. Jackass.
The thoughts threaten to spiral him into a bad mood but he tries to shove it down. His issues with his brother are well documented at this point but they're a problem for another day. Stan's a big fan of why do today when it can be done tomorrow, or better yet when you can con someone else into doing it for you? Now, wouldn’t that be the greatest con, getting someone else to deal with his emotional baggage for him. Heh.
"We saw a chaimera, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel yells, hanging halfway over the passenger seat. She flails her arms as they pull out of the parking area to start the journey back to the Shack. “It was super cute! But then its mama came and we had to punch it!”
Stan laughs at that, “What did I tell you kids? Few things in this world can’t be solved with a good punch.” he angles the mirror so he can see them all and feels his good mood dip when he spots Ford asleep against the door. Running around for a few hours in the sun shouldn’t have him so tired. Hell, the past few days have just reminded him why their father had such a strict bedtime for them as kids. “What’s up with him?”
Mabel settles back into the seat and reaches under the passenger seat to grab her scrapbook she had apparently stashed there. Stan really needs to teach her how to pickpocket; girl was shockingly sneaky for a bundle of loud sparkles. “He fell asleep on the boat on the way back.”
Dipper nods. “I think his head hurts. He's been wincing and rubbing his temples when he thinks we're not looking.”
“Just like you do!” Mabel grins and moves her hand in a waving motion with her fingers spread. “Twins!” she began scribbling on a page of her scrapbook. “He punched a snake though so I think he's okay.”
Stan’s thoughts split into two directions at that. First that a snake was much less impressive than a dinosaur as far as punching reptiles was concerned. Second is worry because maybe he shouldn't be letting the kids go off on adventures that might be dangerous. He knows that they can handle themselves, of course, they're all very tough and smart, but he feels a resurgence of that old fear bubbling up inside him. The fear that kept him lying for the last thirty years but especially this summer. The fear that had him checking on the kids randomly at night sometimes to just ease his nerves that they were still there. The fear that had him angling the mirror to see Ford again, frowning at the wrinkle in his brow as his mini twin slept.
Ford is still asleep by the time they arrive back at the Shack as the sun is setting and barely makes a fuss when Stan picks him out of the seat. The kids run into the house ahead of them while Stan puts him in his room. While he’s there, maybe he checks his brother over for snake bites. And maybe after he’s relieved to see that his brother was bite free, he takes the time to take off his brother’s shoes and cover him with a blanket. Ford’s sleeping so he can never tell anyone and Stan will never admit to it.
The air in the hall is filled with the delicious scent of chocolate that Stan is more than happy to follow. It leads him to the kitchen. He can’t help a smile at the sight of Mabel standing on a chair in front of the stove, stirring a pot with an overly large spoon. Dipper is putting four coffee mugs of the table that already has the last bag of marshmallows in that Mabel hasn’t devoured yet on it. This is exactly what he had in mind when he said the kids were smarter than him.
Stan grabs one of the small jars of glitter from the cabinet and sets it next to the mug with the pink, glittery M painted on it. “Scooch over, sweetheart.” he bumps Mabel with his hip and takes the spoon from her. “Kid, drop a handful of those in my cup before your sister eats all of them.” he calls to Dipper, pointing to the bag.
“Ha, like that would stop me.” Mabel laughs as she jumps down from the chair and hurries over to the table.
The table is spattered with drops and drips of spilled chocolate by the time all their three cups have been filled, thanks mostly to Stan not having the best of aim. Oh well, he’d just ask Soos to clean the kitchen tomorrow; boy was always happy to do whatever Stan asked of him. Stan’s happy to see he got a good helping of the marshmallows before Mabel had attacked the bag. Her cup is to the brim of overflowing, though Dipper’s not much better, just less glitter. If there’s anything their family shared, it was a sweet tooth. That and horrifically bad vision, as the kids were no doubt going to learn in a few years.
Stan takes a long drink, savoring the thick, sweet taste. It was nice to just sit with the kids, a taste of normal in the mess that their lives had been. Man, maybe they should have a movie night soon. Some bad horror movies at 3 am sounded like a great idea. Ford liked even the bad movies; it was funny to see how amazed his brother was over even the worst effects. Sometimes Stan forgot how much things had changed since he was a kid.
“So I think we need to look through Journal 2 again and do a sweep of the forest, see if we can’t find the thing that bit Great Uncle Ford.” Dipper suggests after a few minutes. He shifts in his seat so he can, apparently, pull a map out of his pocket and unfold it on the table. He’s got various sections marked with red marker. “If we can’t find out what it was, maybe we can just find it again and capture it.”
Stan sighs and moves to pull out the page that McGucket had printed out for him. Well, the normalcy was nice while it lasted. Back to his full time job of trying to save Ford. “This is what it is. It eats time.”
Dipper snatches it instantly and maybe Stan has a little bit of pride in the way the boy lights up when it comes to learning something. He’s never really understood the appeal of studying or learning a bunch of stuff you were probably never going to use, but it was nice to see how happy it made people like Dipper or Soos. Then again, maybe if he’d actually paid attention in school it wouldn’t have taken him thirty years to fix the Portal.
Dipper’s nose wrinkles as he reads over the page. “It eats time?” there’s a pen in his hand though where it came from Stan has no idea. “Something in its venom…”
“Like a snake?” Mabel suggests while she shakes a good helping of glitter over her cup and stirring it with a spoon. “Don’t they make, like, anti-venom? Or maybe Blenjamin can help. We could, like, challenge him to deadly laser tag again. Get another time wish!” she mimes firing a gun, complete with laser sound effects. “Glarg-far or whatever! If it can do infinite pizza, it could probably do, like, re-old man-ening.”
“I feel like that would be a grievous abuse of our truce with him.” Dipper frowns.
Stan shrugs, “I’m always for grievously abusing something for personal gain. I ever tell you guys about the old lady that helped me smuggle rare kittens with a hyper cuteness gene? Convinced her we were legally getting them to a cat charity. Pretty solid scam for like six months until the cops raided her garage.” he lets out a fond sigh. He’d made a lot of money off that. But cat scams were always high risk; so many scratches. Now it was all about puppies.
Dipper rolls his eyes but Stan can see the smile on his face. “Still. I think Mabel might have a good idea with the anti-venom.”
“All my ideas are good!” she says with glitter smeared across both cheeks.
“Right. Sure.” another eye roll. “But yeah. Maybe if we catch the thing we could like...study it’s venom? See if there’s an antidote. Maybe Ford could help him.”
Mabel reaches over to pull the bag of marshmallows closer to herself. “Wouldn’t that mean letting him in one of the labs? I thought we were, you know, not letting him see that stuff cause of all the questions. You know with the whole being a crazy scientist and the stuff with the portal and how him and Stan are idiots.”
Stan lets out a mildly offended grunt but doesn’t really argue. At least she’s also calling Ford stupid.
“Maybe we should tell him about...what happened?” Dipper winces as he says it, plunking an extra marshmallow into his cup and giving it a stir. “I mean, keeping secrets doesn’t really seem to help us accomplish much. And it’s getting really hard to keep coming up with reasons why he can’t look at certain parts of the Journals. If he can go to the lab with me, maybe we could figure something out?”
Stan glares into his cup, poking a floating marshmallow down into the cocoa until the burning liquid stings his skin. “Listen, I’m not exactly his biggest fan, but the kid doesn’t deserve to know about what a mess our future is.” Stan doesn’t want to have that conversation, not again. And maybe he doesn’t want to lose Ford again any sooner than he has to.
“But maybe Ford will remember all this when he’s grown again and he won’t be as mad.” Mabel pipes up, cheerful as ever with a thick, glittery chocolate mustache. She grabs another handful of marshmallows from the bag and shoves them into her mouth. “An’ den you cah hug eh oht!” her cheeks puff out like a squirrel.
Stan shakes his head, “Pumpkin, there’s a bigger chance of me giving all my money to a ‘charitable cause’” he does the air quotations for emphasis, “than of Ford and me making up. I tried for thirty years to make things up to him; a week as a runt isn’t going to change that. Once he’s back to normal, he’ll remember how much he hates me and things will be status quo again.”
There’s the sound of rubber squeaking on the hardwood floor and then a second later, the back door is slamming in the doorframe. Stan is on his feet in a heartbeat and at the window with enough time to see Ford running towards the woods. He swears under his breath and chases after his brother. He nearly stumbles down the stairs that lead down from the back porch. “Stanford! Get back here!” he yells after him, grabbing the broken railing to catch himself. His chest constricts when Ford turns to glare at him; why could he still see so much of his adult face in that expression, even with all the baby fat? Stan tries to shove that down, crush it down to fuel for his grin. “Come on, Sixer, come back inside.”
“I heard what you were saying, Stanley!” Ford jabs a finger in the direction of the house. There’s a shake to his whole body as he steps back, moving into the darkness of the yard. “You said I hate you!”
Stan takes a step forward, moving slow like he would if it was an injured animal and not his own brother. “You just heard the wrong part. C’mon, get back inside.”
Ford shakes his head. “No, he said we...he said I didn’t--” he stamps his foot before meeting Stan’s eyes again. Stan is caught off guard by the heat in his stare. “What happened to the Stan o War? Why don’t we have it? Why aren’t we sailing, Stanley? Tell me!”
Frustration is building inside of him; this isn’t the time for this. “It--that’s complicated, Stanford. Trust me, it doesn’t matter, just--”
“It matters to me!” he slaps a hand to his chest, voice raising, taking another step back. “I want to know! I deserve to know! It was our dream and you won’t tell me what happened to it! You all keep lying to me! It’s not fair! What happened?!”
Stan can feel his eye twitching and a throbbing starting in his temple. “Ford, this isn’t the time to talk about this. Come back inside and we’ll--”
“Why? Why is this not the time?!” Ford’s voice raises to a full blown yell, his fists at his sides. “Tell me why you won’t tell me!”
“Because I said so and I'm the adult, Stanford!” he starts marching towards him, longer strides getting him closer faster than Ford can stumble backwards. “Now stop being childish and get back inside!”
“Just because you look like Dad doesn't mean you have to act like him!” the words are a slap; Ford instantly covers his mouth with both hands like he had just swore as Stan freezes in his place. “I--I didn’t mean that. I mean, I just...I deserve to know. I just want to know why.”
A bitter bark of a laugh escapes Stan before he can even process it. The words echo in his head, catching on the walls to ignite a spark that lights the fuel he’d shoved down. “You want to know what happened?” he sweeps his hands out in front of him, gesturing to the space that was still between them. “I cut the rope and let it drift out to sea!”
Ford had destroyed their dream when he’d replaced it with one that was entirely his own, but Stan had physically destroyed it. That was what he was good at. He’d driven to the beach and cut the rope with the salt air stinging his eyes because like hell would he let Ford have it. Ford hadn’t wanted their stupid childish dream, hadn’t wanted Stan, so he wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of being the one to bid the boat a goodbye. He’d have burned it if he’d had the gas and matches.
Ford’s arms go slack at his sides, all the anger and indignation melting away into a stunned expression. “You...you cut the rope?” his voice shakes with the kind of emotion only a kid can show; like a nerve rubbed raw and left exposed to the world. “Why? Why would you do that?!” his voice catches on a hitched breath. “Why?”
The fire begins to die as quick as it flared, leaving Stan with the old feeling of being empty and cold. “Because things don’t work out, Sixer. It’s…” he runs a hand through his hair and looks away. “Because it’s not us against the world. Because life isn’t what we planned it to be. It’s not what either of us wanted, but it’s the way life is.”
“You said I hated you.” Ford shakes his head and when Stan looks at him again, he can see the wet streaks catching the light on his cheeks. “Do you hate me?”
“What? God, Ford, no.” he moves in front of his brother, dropping to one knee to grab his shoulders. “Sixer, I could never hate you.” Not this Ford, and not the older one either, really. Everything he’s ever done has been for their family. So much work, so many sleepless nights and fighting to get Ford back. It didn’t go the way he wanted, no part of Stan’s life did but especially where his brother was concerned. But he didn’t hate him. Could never hate him. And as pathetic as it was, Stan knows that if Ford were to ask for his help again, just like thirty years ago, Stan would come running. “Never.”
Ford drops his chin to his chest and his shoulders are shaking under Stan’s hands. “But I can hate you. That’s who I become. He was right.”
Pines men don't cry. He hears the words of their father in his head but he still has enough shame from Ford's comparison to keep them from falling from his tongue. He doesn't want to be that man; he is okay being lots of different people, many of them ones he could never be proud of, but not him. He never wants to be him. Instead, Stan gives his shoulders a squeeze, feeling uneasy with the use of the pronoun game. “Who was right, Ford?” he gives him a little shake in hopes of getting his brother to look at him. “Sixer, who have you been talking to?”
“I’m going to fix this. I’m not going to let myself be that. I'm not going to let me ruin everything.” Ford looks up with a determined look on his face. Stan nearly falls back when he lunges forward, his arms wrapped tight around Stan’s neck for a moment. “I'm going to make it alright again, Lee. I promise.” Before Stan has a chance to react, though, he’s pulling back and taking off towards the woods again.
“Sixer! Wait!” Stan tries to snatch him but he’s too quick. “Stanford! Stanford come back!” by the time he’s back on his feet, Ford has broken through the treeline. In the dark, there’s no sight of him once Stan reaches the trees. He cups his hands around his mouth. “Stanford! Stanford!”
His voice echoes through the trees but the only response he gets is the sounds of animals scattering. For the fourth time in his life, his brother has disappeared.
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jbankai89 · 6 years
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Never Let Me Go [41/41]
A/N: To say that this epilogue got away from me would be a massive understatement—it wound up being approximately three times as long as one of my usual chapters for this story. Whoops?
I just want to say here—thank you. This story has been in my life for nearly a full year, and the response to it has been nothing short of staggering. The comments, likes, recommendations...in less than a year this story has surpassed practically every marker of my other stories, and I'm just amazed and humbled by the response. So thank you guys, so, so, so, so much for all of your support throughout the process of writing this, whether through chats on Tumblr, to comments, kudos, or bookmarks on AO3, it's been an amazing journey. Though I do plan to post the alternate story, Hold Me Close ~eventually~ (and maybe a short Phinami piece!) I do need a break from this 'verse for a bit, so chances are the next YOI fic that I pose will not be part of this universe, but something else, because my poor brain needs a break. If you want updates on what I'm doing or you wish to either send me an Ask or message, you can get in touch with me on through this blog, or on Instagram via jibwritesandcooks.
Again, thank you, and I hope you guys enjoy the epilogue! ^.^
Five Years Later
“Mama!” a voice screamed, “Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama!”
A tiny blonde girl barrelled into Yuri's legs, nearly making him fall over, and he glared down at his second born.
“What is it, Helina?” he asked as he crouched down to scoop her up, and sniffling, she wrapped her little arms around his neck in something close to a chokehold. “No, really what's wrong?”
“Hana did it again!” she shrieked into Yuri's ear, and he groaned.
“Yuuri!” Yuri barked, and Yuuri came barrelling downstairs, his face white as he gazed at Yuri and his distraught daughter.
“What is it?” Yuuri asked, “we're sort of busy up there—” Yuuri broke off when Minami screamed, then added, “so this better be important.”
“I don't give a flying finger of fate if you're exorcising a demon or anything else,” Yuri snapped grumpily. “I'm playing Mat` to six girls down here. Now, would you please tell Hana to stop sitting on Helina and farting?”
“Oh, not again...Hana!” Yuuri shouted, “Hana get your little butt over here now!”
“I didn't do it!” a muffled voice called out from the direction of the playroom, followed by the distinct patter of Hana rushing over to her mother, pigtails swinging, and her hazel eyes bright with mock innocence. “Whatever she said, she's a big fibber, Mama!”
“I did not fib!” Helina cried indignantly from her perch in Yuri's arms, “Hana is the fibber! She sat on me, and farted!”
“All right, that's it!” Yuri shouted, just as four other faces peeked out at him from the playroom's door frame. “From this day forward, no one is to fart in this household ever again! Am I making myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Mat`,” Helina said.
“Yes, Dyédya,” Hana said at the same time.
Yuri set his youngest down, and she scurried off before he could say a word, with her cousin hot on her heels. Yuuri was standing next to him and smiling, while Yuri shook his head a little.
“I swear, I never sounded batshit crazy before I had that little demon. Alvinia was perfect, then I had...her.”
“Demon Child Number Two?” Yuuri asked innocently, and Yuri snorted.
“You can talk,” he retorted, and Yuuri smiled at him apologetically, before he quickly changed the subject. “How's Minami doing?”
“Nine, nearly ten centimetres,” Yuuri replied. “He's in a lot of pain, but Phichit and the midwife are helping. I think Phichit being all supportive and not moving from his side for sixteen hours is keeping him calm, so...less pain.”
“Have I missed any good lines?” Yuri asked with a small smirk, and Yuuri covered his mouth as he began to laugh.
“Well...no, not really. Mostly lots of crying, and oh, it hurts, oh it hurts sort of thing. No swearing, you still hold that title.”
“Damn straight,” Yuri replied, making Yuuri laugh again, just as another cry sounded from upstairs.
“I better get back up there,” Yuuri said. “Are you good, or do you want Viktor to come down and give you a hand?”
“Beka should be home soon,” Yuri replied as he shook his head. “We'll swap out after he gets back.”
Yuuri nodded and headed back up, and at nearly the same moment Otabek burst through the door, stacks of pizza boxes balanced precariously in his arms, and from the playroom Yuri could hear a unified cry of, “pizza!”
Makkachin lunged at the door with an excited bark, but luckily Yuri caught his collar, stopping the attack short as Otabek was swarmed with youngsters, who had circled the alpha and began chanting, “Pi-zza! Pi-zza! Pi-zza!” in an eerie sort of way, as though they were performing some sort of bizarre ritual.
“Hang on, hang on, girls!” Otabek cried as he led them all towards the kitchen and dining room combination. “I need plates, and someone needs to get the drinks and chicken wings out of the car—Alvinia?”
“Augh, Äke, why me?” she whined, and placed her hands on her hips as she pouted at her father.
“Okay, um, Yuriko, why don't you—” Yuri coughed pointedly, cutting Otabek off. Otabek turned to him, and Yuri raised his eyebrows pointedly. “No, wait, Avi, car. Get the drinks. You're a big girl now, and you can help. Yuriko can go with you.”
“Does it still means I hasta do it if Mat` made you say it?” she drawled, and Yuri snorted a little at her comeback.
“You heard what your Äke said,” Yuri added. “Go get the drinks before your cousins all die of starvation and thirst. We promise to save a cheese slice for you.”
Alvinia groaned again, and swept a strand of black hair from her eyes that had fallen out of her long braid as she sauntered towards the door with Yuriko following more quietly. The moment that they'd gone, Otabek and Yuri began to snicker as Yuri pulled down the plates, and Otabek organized the pizza boxes, with the cheese and pepperoni ones stacked on top.
“Oh, Yura,” Otabek said with another chuckle, “we are in so much trouble when that girl hits puberty...”
“I wonder whose fault that is,” Yuri shot back teasingly, while he offered Otabek a sly smirk, and set down the plates next to the boxes, and then went for the plastic sippy cups. “But, Beka, I am proud of you for sticking to your guns today and not letting her have her way. I admit, we probably should've started earlier, but...”
“We've started, that's what counts,” Otabek added with a weak smile as he piled plastic knives and forks on top of the plates. “But it's still so hard to say no to her...she's our baby, you know?”
“And about to start Kindergarten,” Yuri added with a sly grin. “I almost laughed when that woman said she wanted more diversity at her school, when in walks little Avi, with her alpha and omega parents, and speaking not one, not two, but five fucking languages perfectly. I don't think I've ever seen someone go for the approval stamp so damn fast.”
“Little Avi and her attitude,” Otabek corrected, “I bet you twenty bucks that she becomes an actress or something, she's just got so much damn sass.”
“She got all her sass from me,” Yuri whined, “how come you never told me I could be an actor?”
“Yuri!” Otabek protested, and his eyes widened with horror when Yuri's pout became much more pronounced. “Well, I just...and you're just...erm, what I mean to say is that—”
“Uh, Beka?”
“What?”
“I'm teasing.”
Otabek opened his mouth as he stared at Yuri, then closed it again. He opened and closed his mouth a few more times, before he finally said, “you're a terrible person, I'm running on three hours of sleep, and I'm not talking to you anymore.”
Yuri barked a laugh, then turned to the group of girls, all seated at the table and chattering away happily, and cupped his hands around his mouth as he called, “okay! Who wants what pizza?”
“Wait, wait!” Alvinia shrieked from the front door, “don't forget me!” without another word, she raced into the kitchen, tripping over the threshold as she went, and toppled down with a yelp, spilling canned drinks everywhere, but thankfully, none of them opened.
“Oh, Zha`nym,” Otabek cooed as he rushed away from the counter and over to Alvinia, who was sitting up slowly, one of her knees reddened, and her bottom lip quivering.
“I fell,” she said, sniffling a little when she looked up at her father. “M-My knee hurts.”
“Oh, your poor knee,” Otabek said as he scooped her up and carried Alvinia over to one of the stools next to the breakfast nook. “Let's have a look...Yuri? Could you get those drinks?”
Yuri pursed his lips a little, but nodded as he scooped up the cans and set them aside, while out of the corner of his eye he watched Otabek fetch an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it in a tea towel, and pressed it to Alvinia's reddened knee, while she continued to sniffle and rub at her eyes.
Deciding it best to not lecture his child just yet, Yuri turned back to Yuriko, who had toddled in with the box of spicy chicken wings, pointedly walking carefully as though she was afraid of falling like Alvinia had.
“I have them,” Yuriko said in a rush and held out the box, and Yuri chuckled a little as he gazed down at the blue-eyed girl, her braids swinging and her cheeks flushed with shyness.
“What do you have, sweetheart?” Yuri asked, and her face went redder.
“The...the...chicken things.”
“Chicken wings.”
“Chicken wings,” she repeated, and beamed when Yuri offered her a small smile.
“Yeah,” she replied, her pigtails swinging. “Is Avi okay?”
“She's fine,” Yuri replied, “just a little bump. Her Äke is gonna fix her up.”
“Oh, good,” Yuriko smiled. “Avi runs a lot. She gets a-cited, and runs, and gets bumps that only Ağa can fix.”
“Yes, well, maybe this will teach her to not run with her arms full,” Yuri replied with the same smile as he took the wings from the girl, and set them on the counter with the pizza. “Can you do me a favour, Yuriko? It's a big girl job.”
“I'm a big girl!” she piped, and grinned. “I can do it, Dyédya!”
“Good, I know you can,” Yuri replied, and patted her head once, making her giggle. “I want you to go to the dining room and ask everyone what kind of pizza they want, and what drink. Can you do that for me?”
“That's a big job, Dyédya!” she said, puffing her chest out importantly. “I can do it!”
“I know you can,” Yuri said with a chuckle, and gave her a small nudge. “Go on, go ask your siblings and cousin what they want.”
“'Kay!”
Without another word Yuriko darted out of the kitchen and headed for the dining room, at the same moment, Yuri spotted his own child trying to sneak back to the table with the others unnoticed, but froze when she caught sight of Yuri watching her.
“What have I told you about running in the house, missy?”
“That...it's cute?”
“Try again.”
“Sorry, Mat`,” Alvinia replied with a frown and distinctive puppy-dog look in her eyes, which had no effect on Yuri whatsoever.
“I have told you a hundred times—no running in the house, especially when you're carrying stuff in your arms. No dessert tonight.”
“But, Mat`—!” Alvinia protested, whining audibly, but Yuri ignored it.
“No,” he said. “You do not run in the house. Go sit down, we'll bring out the food in a moment.”
Hanging her head, Alvinia shuffled out of the kitchen, just as Yuriko hurried back in, her face still flushed with excitement from doing her big girl job.
“Viktoria, me, and Helina wants cheese, and ehbody else wants pepperonis and cheese,” she said proudly. “And...and, me, Viktoria, and Hana wants coke, and Helina wants root beer, and Antonia wants sprite.”
“Got it!” Otabek called proudly from the counter as he opened the boxes and plated the requested slices, while Yuri took the soft drinks to the sink and cracked them open, thankfully with minimal overflow before he transferred them to the sippy cups. They also plated a slice of cheese pizza for Alvinia, as well as a coke, and carried everything out to the table two by two, to a chorus of thank yous from the girls—except Alvinia, who was still sulking.
Yuri stood by his daughter's side, his eyebrows raised and arms crossed. Her eyes seemed even more green than usual when glazed with tears, and though she could get virtually anything she wanted from Otabek in this state, she and Yuri both knew that her Mat` was harder to break, and Yuri merely stood there, not saying a word, until Alvinia mumbled a sullen, “thank you, Mat`,” before Yuri smiled, and stepped away.
“You want to trade with Viktor and Yuuri for a bit?” Yuri asked as he stepped back into the kitchen, where Otabek was pulling out the Grown-Up Pizza—vegetarian for Phichit, meat lover's for Viktor, and all-dressed for everyone else—except Minami, who was a little busy at the moment. “Yuuri suggested it just before you got back, but I said we might go up after you got in. Minami's still got a bit of a way's to go—Yuri told me that Minami was at nine centimetres the last time it was checked.”
“How dilated does an omega have to be to give birth again?” Otabek asked as he cracked open one of the coke cans over the sink, then sipped at the foam quickly. “I remember Helina was eleven or twelve...”
“Alvinia was eleven, Helina was fourteen 'cause she had a really fat head,” Yuri said as he helped himself to one of the pizza slices. “It can be up to fifteen, so anywhere from one to five more hours, depending on how big the baby is.”
“That's not a wide divide at all,” Otabek said sarcastically, and Yuri chuckled as he nudged the alpha's shoulder. Otabek laughed as he grabbed the chicken wings and a sharpie, and began to scrawl something on the top of it, making Yuri eye him curiously.
“What're you doing?”
“Baby chicken wings,” Otabek explained as he held out the box for Yuri to see, which now read, It's a, with a large blank space for girl or boy. “Once Minami and Phichit have their kid, I'll fill in the rest, reheat them, and bring them up.”
“Minami's going to love that,” Yuri said as he chuckled, “honestly, maybe the baby is just one giant buffalo wing, that's literally all he's been eating for the last nine months.”
“Oh, but you forget that time that Phichit made him those cauliflower-sriracha buffalo things!” Otabek said, and Yuri snorted as he recalled the pandemonium that ensued after Minami had whipped the faux buffalo wings at his mate, and the catastrophe of Phichit getting some of the sriracha sauce in his eyes.
“Those two made Alvinia's pregnancy look like a breeze, I swear,” Yuri said with another snicker. “It was just one drama after another after another after another...”
“And now they're ready to make our army of children an even seven.”
“Seven is an odd number, Beka.”
“Well, what would make it an even number—” Otabek began, but broke off with a laugh when he saw the scowl on Yuri's face. “Just teasing, Yura.”
“No more kids, Beka, I mean it,” Yuri said sternly, “two is more than enough for me.”
“I know, really,” Otabek said as he swept in and offered Yuri a light kiss. “I'm sorry that I brought it up.”
“Do you actually want more kids?” Yuri asked seriously as he glanced up at him, “seven is...a lot. And already it's pure, nonstop chaos in the house, and the one time we did the No Kids Camping Weekend for just you and me, we had to come home early because Yuuri called to tell us that Helina was having a fit, and kept screaming for us.”
“Seriously? No,” Otabek replied with a chuckle as he moved to stand at Yuri's back, and pressed his palms to the omega's flat stomach, making him shiver. “I just loved seeing you pregnant...I just find it so hot, and with Helina you were horny all the time...”
“Maybe I should apply to be a surrogate,” Yuri teased, “rent out my uterus to people who need it...”
“And turn me into a jealous monster for flipping out at the idea of some other alpha's sperm inside you? Hell no, Yura.”
“Then I think we need to be mature adults, and resist the urge to make more babies, even though it makes you all hot,” Yuri said as he got on his toes to peck Otabek's lips. “Come on, let's go check on the mother-to-be.”
Otabek smiled at him warmly as he nodded, and Yuri moved to perch the pizza boxes and chicken wings on top of the fridge and out of Makkachin's reach, while Otabek loaded himself up with plates of pizza slices, and Yuri grabbed the drinks—including Otabek's opened one—and they checked on the girls once before they headed upstairs.
“Shift change!” Yuri called as they reached the landing, and Yuuri and Viktor both poked their heads out of the room at the same time, and their faces brightened when they saw the load that they were carrying.
“Pizza!” Viktor cried cheerfully, and bounded forward to relieve Otabek of two of the plates, while Yuuri helped himself to two of the drinks.
“Careful,” Yuri warned with a vague smirk as Yuuri accepted the drinks. “Alvinia brought them in...and face-planted on the way into the kitchen.”
“Running again, was she?” Yuuri asked with a warm laugh. “That girl really doesn't lack for energy. Is she okay?”
“Fine,” Yuri replied, and shrugged. “Otabek freaked out, big shock—”
“—I can hear you, Yuri—”
“—and iced it right away, so she's totally fine.”
“Well, that's good,” Yuuri said with a small, relieved smile. “Come on, Viktor, probably a good idea to not leave the girls alone too long...”
“Coming!”
Without another word, the pair turned and descended the stairs, and Yuri watched them go with an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Come on,” Yuri said to Otabek after they'd gone, “let's go see how Mama is doing.”
As if on cue, another whimpering cry sounded from Minami and Phichit's bedroom, and Yuri and Otabek made a beeline for it, poking their heads in to see Minami laying on his back, his face shiny with sweat, and Phichit at his side, with the midwife in between his open legs. Several towels had been laid out on the bed, and both of Minami's cheerleaders were coaxing him through the latest contraction, while tears streamed from the omega's eyes, intermingling with his sweat as they disappeared into his hair.
“I can't do this,” Minami whined, “I can't, it hurts too much...”
“Yes you can, love,” Phichit said as he kissed him and mopped his forehead. “Remember what you told me? You said to me that you wanted to have our baby in a place that you felt safe and comfortable, and you said that you wanted a home birth. I know it hurts, sweetheart, but it's almost over. You can do this. You're so strong—way stronger than me. And if you can put up with months of shit from a psychotic alpha, you can totally do this.”
“But it hurts, it hurts, I can't—”
“Don't think about it,” Phichit said, “this is just a moment in time. In a little while, you'll be able to hold our child in your arms, and all the pain and uncomfortableness will be forgotten. You're stronger than this, love, just relax, and let your body do what it needs to do.”
“We got spicy buffalo wings for you when you finish?” Otabek offered, breaking up the dramatic scene, and Yuri buried his face in his free hand with a groan.
“What?” Otabek said, “what did I say?”
When Yuri looked back up, Otabek appeared confused and a little lost by the blank looks he was getting from Minami and Phichit. Yuri set down the drinks he had been holding, relieved Otabek of his pizza plates, and took his hands gently.  
“My dear alpha, I beg you not to help me,” Yuri said sweetly, causing Phichit to snort.
“It's like I have a disease,” Otabek mumbled as they sat down at Minami's bedside, Yuri close enough to take Minami's hand, and the omega smiled at him weakly. “Every time there's an omega in labour around I just say the stupidest shit...”
“Using chicken wings as an incentive isn't nearly as bad as that time you panicked when I went into labour for Helina,” Yuri said dryly, and Otabek flushed at the memory. “As I recall, you ran out of the hospital room, came back with a bunch of balloons, and told me that you brought me flowers.”
“At least Avi liked them,” Otabek retorted teasingly, “she kept calling them baba-loons.” Yuri snorted a little at Otabek's words as he turned his attention back to Minami. At the same moment, he groaned as another contraction hit, and his hand tensed in Yuri's weakly.
“Ohh...” he whined and his head fell back on the pillow. “Phichit, it hurts...”
“It's okay, love,” Phichit said as he moved in to gently kiss his forehead, “you can do it, just breathe, that's it...”
As the contraction passed, the Midwife, who had been relatively quiet up to that point, straightened up, and she offered Minami a warm smile.
“Honey, I have good news, you are almost done,” she said, her smile widening when Yuri, Phichit, and Otabek all gasped at once, having not anticipated this moment for a while longer. Before Yuri could ask if she meant what he thought she meant, she added, “I see the head, so now's the time to start pushing. Are you ready?”
“I—I think so,” he replied as he nodded, his gaze swivelling from Phichit to Yuri as he spoke. “Yeah, I think I'm ready.”
“All right, hon, now, when I say push, I want you to bear down and push as hard as you can, okay?” she said, and Minami nodded, though his eyes were bleary with both uncertainty and exhaustion. “And...push!”
Yuri, Phichit, and Otabek all echoed the midwife, crying “push, push, push, push!” at the same time, while Minami screwed his eyes shut, bowed his head forward, and pushed as hard as he could. When the contraction passed, he slumped down against his pillows with a sharp gasp, his chest heaving, while he continued to cling to Phichit and Yuri desperately.
“Great job, Minami, you're getting there!” the midwife said. “Are you ready for another?”
“No,” he replied with a whine, but he was smiling weakly, as though he knew that he had to push either way.
“Okay, come on, push, push, push! You can do it!”
Minami pushed again, this time accompanied by a scream, tears and sweat dripping from his chin as the first bit of white, viscera-coated flesh began to poke out from between Minami's spread legs, while he squeezed Yuri's hand so hard that his fingers began to go numb.
“Almost there, come on,” the midwife encouraged, “you have the head almost out, push!”
Minami screamed again, his face red, and Yuri, Phichit, and Otabek cried out joyfully as the baby made it the rest of the way out, and the midwife began to wipe it down as it let out a gurgling, raspy cry, its little eyes clenched shut, and Yuri and Otabek exchanged excited grins as the midwife handed the wrapped child to Minami, and held out a pair of specialized scissors to Phichit.
“Would you like to cut your son's cord?” she asked, and both Yuri and Otabek grinned as Phichit blinked back tears, and accepted the scissors.
“I have a son,” Phichit said weakly, his tone bordering on dumbstruck as he followed the midwife's instructions to cutting the cord, “I have...a son...”
“First boy,” Otabek whispered to Yuri to keep from ruining the moment, and Yuri smiled as he nodded.
The little baby boy was still crying as Minami held him and cooed at him, trying to settle him down, while the midwife pulled Phichit aside and murmured something to him, and he nodded a little as he sat down next to Minami and whispered something in his mate's ear. Minami's eyes widened, and he nodded as he asked, “how long do we have?”
“We better go soon,” Phichit said, “I don't want you to get an infection.”
“What's wrong?” Yuri interjected, “Minami, are you all right?”
“Apparently my boy ripped his way out of me, so we gotta go to the hospital and get me patched up,” Minami said, “I'm really tired, though...”
“If Phichit is okay with it, he can carry your son, and I can carry you to the car, you can borrow some of Yuri's maternity leggings, and we'll break out one of those doughnut cushions...”
“It's just a small tear,” the midwife added with a reassuring smile, “but I'm not qualified to suture, though, so a hospital would be best.”
“I'll go with them,” Otabek offered, “you can stay behind and tell everyone the good news.”
“The doctor may want to keep you on for a day or so for observation,” the midwife added, “so everyone can come visit you at the hospital a bit later, once you've had some rest.”
“Okay,” Minami said with a weary nod as he hugged his son close. The baby had finally calmed down, but was still a bit fussy as he lay curled in his mother's arms. “I wanted to stay home, but honestly, I'm too tired to argue.”
“I know, sweetheart,” Phichit said as he stroked Minami's hair, then leant in for a kiss. “But it's for the best, you know that.”
“I do,” he agreed with a weak smile.
Between Otabek and Yuri, they got Minami ready to leave, and Otabek carried him to the car, while Phichit stayed close with their infant son swaddled in his arms. They had been immediately swarmed by the other kids when they headed downstairs, but Viktor and Yuuri managed to keep them back as Phichit carefully put his newborn in the baby seat, while Otabek gently set Minami down next to it upon the doughnut-shaped cushion, then turned back to Yuri and offered him a quick kiss.
“I'll call as soon as you guys can come visit,” Otabek said as Phichit crawled in next to Minami, wrapping his arms protectively around his mate, while Otabek moved towards the driver's door.
“See that you do,” Yuri said with a wry smile, and leant up for another kiss. “Love you.”
“Love you too, Yura. Be back—”
“Wait!” Phichit called, and both Yuri and Otabek whipped around in alarm, only to see Phichit smile at them apologetically. “Sorry. I just...you can tell everyone his name, please? We picked out names before he was born, and...his name is Aran.”
“Aran Chulanont,” Minami added with a weary smile, and Yuri laughed a little as he closed his hand around the edge of the door.
“I'll tell them, don't worry. Just worry about you and your perfect little boy, okay?”
“'Kay,” Minami said with a slightly dopey smile, and Yuri shut the door.
Yuri took a step back as Otabek started the car, and smiled warmly as he waved off his mate and the newest addition to their family.
“Mat`, what happened, what happened?” Alvinia demanded as she burst out of the front door and rushed forward. Yuri immediately scooped his daughter up, while Helina chased after her sister, and latched herself to Yuri's leg. “Where is Minami-oji going? Is he okay? Is it a baby? Dyédya Viktor said it was an ostrich.”
“Your Dyédya is a big fibber,” Yuri said with a laugh as he set Alvinia down, and took her and Helina's hands, and led his daughters back inside. “They had a little boy, and they're calling him Aran. Minami-oji needed to go to the hospital because he got a little hurt, and they just need to make sure he's okay. Äke went with them to make sure that the doctors take good care of him and your new baby cousin.”
“Mama?” Helina asked around her thumb, which had been popped into her mouth.
“Yes?”
“What's an ozz...ozz...ozzwitch?”
“Ostrich, baby,” Yuri said with a chuckle as he shut the door and picked her up, supporting her with one arm while he continued to hold onto Alvinia's hand at the same time. “It's a really big bird that can't fly.”
“Is it bigger than Äke?”
“Much bigger.”
“Is it bigger than Dyédya Viktor?”
“Much bigger.”
“Is it bigger than Prádyed?”
“It's really, really big, dummy!” Alvinia said suddenly, and Yuri's eyes bulged, at the same moment that the girl at his side paled when she realized that she'd massively fucked up.
“Where on Earth did you hear that word?” Yuri asked softly, and he saw his daughter visibly swallow.
“I don't know?”
“Try again.”
“Um...um...” Alvinia's eyes darted left and right, her little brain clearly trying desperately to come up with some sort of explanation, when Viktor entered the hall with Yuriko in his arms. At the same moment, Alvinia pointed at her uncle and screeched, “Dyédya Viktor did it!”
“What?” Viktor squawked, “no, I didn't!” He paused, and blinked. “Hang on, what didn't I do?”
“Do we have to have another kids are sponges talk?” Yuri asked as he led the girls farther inside, then gently nudged them back towards the playroom where the other three were. They got the hint at once and scurried away quickly, while Viktor set Yuriko down, and she did the same. Once Yuri was certain that they were out of earshot, he turned his full attention back to Viktor. “Alvinia called her sister a dummy, and said that she heard it from you.”
“Viktor!” Yuuri cried, apparently having heard the discussion, and strode into the hall to face off with his mate. “We've talked about this! I've only just gotten the trio to stop calling their little sister buttmilk.”
“I'm sorry!” Viktor whined, “I was talking to Pot—” Viktor broke off abruptly and glanced at Yuri, who raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Erm...I was talking to one of our animals and called them a dumbass, and Avi heard me so I told her to not use that word, and she asked if dummy was okay...”
“And of course, being the brilliant parent that you are, you said yes,” Yuri filled in as he rolled his eyes, and Viktor flushed a deep red.
“Sorry,” Viktor mumbled. “She rushed off before I could correct her, you know how she is.”
“A neverending ball of energy, yeah, I know,” Yuri said, and snorted. “It's fine, just...try to curb your language around my kids. If I can resist dropping the F-Bomb, you can resist saying dumbass, dumbass—oh, and if I catch you calling my cat a dumbass ever again, I will beat you to death with a shovel.”
“It never ceases to amaze me just how kind and warm you are, Yurio,” Viktor teased as Hana toddled into the entryway, her thumb popped into her mouth, and her plush bunny rabbit dragging along the floor. She stopped in front of Viktor and held up her arms in a silent bid to be picked up, and Viktor indulged her at once. “You all right, sweetie?”
“Avi said that the baby went to the hopital,” she said from her perch in her father's arms, “how come?”
“Minami-oji got a little boo-boo that they need to look at, that's all, my lovie. We'll go see them soon.”
“Is it really a birb, Otets?” Hana asked, “you said it was an hostawich, and Avi said that an hostawich is a birb.”
“No, not really,” Viktor replied with a warm chuckle, “it's a boy. Minami-oji and Leung Phichit are calling him Aran—what's wrong?”
Yuri pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing at the sour look that crossed the little girl's face as she said sullenly, “boys never play right. Will he be an omega or apha?”
“We don't know yet,” Yuri filled in as Hana turned towards him just as Helina wandered out into the hall, much in the same fashion that Hana had, and tugged on Yuri's hand until he relented and scooped his daughter up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on Yuri's shoulder while he added, “they'll probably find out at the hospital.”
“I'm a bee!” Helina piped, and smiled proudly when Yuri laughed. “And you is an O.” Helina moved her little hand, presumably to poke the tip of Yuri's nose, but missed spectacularly shoved the digit as far up his nasal passage as it would go. Yuri yelped and pulled her hand away as she giggled, and he shook his head at his tiny terror with a wry smile.
~*~
“Ah, so Minami and Phichit had a little boy, did they?” Nikolai asked, and Yuri nodded into the camera. His grandfather looked well today, sitting up in his bed with a cardigan pulled on to stave off the autumn chill. “And what did they name him?”
“Aran,” Yuri replied. “It's Thai, I think. He looks so much like his Mat`, but he has Phichit's hair. He's very cute. As soon as Minami's feeling up to it, we'll bring him and the kids in shifts to the home to visit you.”
“Bring them all at once, synok, I am not so aged yet that I cannot handle a little chaos,” his grandfather replied with a chuckle. “I was seeing the doctors before you TimeFaced me, they found some of the feeling coming back to my left side, if this continues, they say I might be allowed to go home soon.”
“FaceTimed, Grandpa,” Yuri corrected with a laugh. “And did they? I must have missed their call, usually they let me know the second your condition changes.”
“It was only a little stroke, Yuratchka, I am fine—”
“A massive cerebral event is not a little stroke, Grandpa,” Yuri interrupted sternly, “I want you around for a long, long time, so you just make sure you focus more on getting well, and not rushing out of that place, all right?”
“Yes, yes, Yuratchka,” Nikolai replied with a warm chuckle, and Yuri shook his head a little as he smiled at his grandfather, hoping that despite his dismissive tone, he actually understood his condition better than he was letting on.
“Would you like to say hello to Helina and Alvinia?” Yuri asked, and Nikolai smiled, nodding his head a little.
Yuri mirrored his grandfather's expression as he got off his bed and went to the door, cracking it open as he called, “Alvinia! Helina! Come say hello to Prádyed!”
He listened to the thundering of his girls racing up the stairs as he backed onto the bed and lay down, roughly two seconds before the girls leapt onto the bed with him, and poked their little heads into view of the camera, beaming at their great-grandfather.
“Prádyed, look!” Helina piped as she held up her bandaged index finger.
“Oh, my! What happened to your little finger?” Nikolai asked with another chuckle, and Helina bounced excitedly in her seat at the attention from him.
“It got caught.”
“In what?”
“Avi's teeth.”
Yuri snorted as he eased back against the pillows upon his bed, one child on either side of him, chattering away with their great-grandfather happily, while they all waited for Otabek to get home from the hospital.
~*~
Four hours later, bordering on nearly eight o'clock, Otabek pulled back into the driveway, smiling with amusement at the pack of excited, chattering children who raced up to the stopped car, all demanding questions about Minami and the baby all at once.
“Minami-oji is fine, the baby is fine—oof!” Otabek grunted as Alvinia launched herself at him, and he hefted his daughter up as he added, “we can go visit them tomorrow, if you want.”
“But Ağa!” Antonia protested while she clung to his leg, “we wants to go now! I wanna see the baby!”
“I know, sweetheart,” Otabek said with a chuckle as he patted her head and slowly picked his way through the herd of children, making his way to the front door, where Yuri was waiting to offer him a kiss in greeting. “But it's late, it's almost bedtime, and Minami-oji needs to rest. Having a baby is a lot of work.”
“Damn straight it is,” Yuri muttered over the discomfited cries of the kids protesting bedtime, and Otabek snorted softly.
“Come on, everyone,” Otabek called as he wrapped his free arm around Yuri, still holding Alvinia with the other, “some hot chocolate, then bed! The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner we can visit Minami-oji tomorrow!”
To Yuri's overwhelming shock, the proclamation was not met with more complaints, but instead all the kids zipped inside without another word.
Including Alvinia, who all but leapt from her father's arms and followed the others inside.
“How...how did you do that?” Yuri asked softly, a note of awe in his voice as Otabek laughed and leant in for another kiss.
“Black magic, mostly,” Otabek teased, and Yuri snorted as they headed inside to find all the girls seated  politely around the dinner table, with Viktor and Yuuri in the kitchen, chatting happily and bringing two kettles to a boil while they filled up six heatproof sippy cups and kid-sized mugs with hot chocolate powder. Amusingly, Yuri noted that every time any of the girls began to talk, one of the others would hiss to silence them, and their mouths would immediately snap shut, as though they believed that they would not get to visit the baby if they made a sound. Yuri didn't mind this so much—it made a nice change from the usual chaos that preceded bedtime.
“Hot chocolate time!” Viktor called as he and Yuuri carried in the drinks for the girls, along with a plate of homemade cookies, and he began to dole out the treats to a resounding cheer, which made Viktor's smile broaden.
“I love this, you know,” Yuri murmured to Otabek as he watched Viktor and Yuuri hand out the before-bed sweets. “This whole family thing. I love it. Even when I'm plotting the murder of our kids, I still...all this, it's so good.”
“I know that you do, baby,” Otabek replied softly as he pressed a kiss to Yuri's temple, and the omega turned to kiss his mate properly. “It's obvious how much you adore them, even when you want to kill them.”
“I can't wait to see Minami and Aran tomorrow,” Yuri said, “was he doing okay when you left?”
“Phichit never left his side, and Aran was nursing when I headed home,” Otabek replied. “Aside from when he was first born, he's a quiet baby. Phichit was bragging about it practically the whole time.”
“Compared to all the little demons we have running around here, I can't exactly blame him for bragging,” Yuri muttered, causing Otabek to snort softly.
That night, very much like Christmas Eve, all the kids were eager to go to bed, anxious as they were for the next day to come in order to meet the newest member of their family—especially Helina, who had belatedly realized that the addition of Aran meant that she was no longer the youngest.
“I'm not the baby anymore, am I?” she asked curiously as Yuri scooped her up and placed her into her bed, and she gathered her plush bear close to her chest as she stared up at her mother.
“No you're not, love,” Yuri said as he sat down on the edge of her ocean-themed comforter and petted her hair lightly. “How do you feel about that?”
“I dunno...Hana said ever-one ferdot about her when you had me. Will you fordet about me when the baby comes home?”
“You will always be my baby, Helina,” Yuri murmured as he kissed her forehead. “No one could ever make me forget you.”
“I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too, baby.”
~*~
After story time and a final kiss goodnight, Yuri and Otabek switched rooms, with Otabek going to see Helina, and Yuri to Alvinia.
Alvinia was lying on her side under a comforter covered with dinosaurs, her plush cat Kisa in her arms, and she smiled a little when she saw her mother step inside.
“Hey, Trouble,” Yuri said teasingly as he moved over to her bed, and she giggled a little.
“Hi, Mat`,” she replied. “I'm not so tired yet, but I want tomorrow to come so I can hold the baby. Will tomorrow still come even if I never sleep?”
“Tomorrow always comes,” Yuri replied as he reached out to run his fingers through his daughter's dark, glossy hair, crimped and creased from the braid it had been in all day. “But you should probably try and sleep—when you don't, your body doesn't like it, and I don't think you want to feel all funky for when you see the baby tomorrow.”
“I'm the biggest big sister,” Alvinia said proudly, “I'm even biggerer than the triplets, even though they're oldest. I'll protect the baby from all the bad stuff, even if he's a boy.”
“I'm a boy,” Yuri pointed out, “and so is your Äke.”
“But you can't help it.”
“And the baby can?”
“Äke said babies is like...like Play-Dough.”
“They are, but that doesn't mean they can decide if they're a boy or a girl. It's just nature. Aran can't help that he was born that way—it's not his fault, so it wouldn't be fair to make him feel bad about it.”
“Then...how come Minami-oji and you and Yuuri-oji all feel bad?”
“Bad about what?”
“About being omegas,” Alvinia explained, “I hear you sometimes...you saying it's so bad to be an omega...or something. If you can't help it, how come you feel bad?”
Out of the mouths of babes, I swear...Yuri thought with a soft chuckle as he leant in and kissed Alvinia's cheek.
“We'll talk about it later, all right? We've all had a busy day, and now you need to sleep.”
“D'you promise we'll talk about it later?”
“Yes, love, I promise.”
~*~
Yuri sat with Alvinia a while longer, then after checking her closet and under her bed for monsters, Yuri traipsed back downstairs where the others were all watching Fried Green Tomatoes. Yuri was happy to cuddle up with Otabek, who offered him a kiss before pulling him close and draping the checked blanket over both their legs. Neither Yuri nor Otabek said anything—after so many years, there was nothing that needed to be said, and they happily relaxed for one of the last peaceful evenings they were likely to have before the baby came home.
When the credits began to roll, Yuri reluctantly extricated himself from Otabek's warmth with a soft sigh as he said, “I think I'll head to bed, it's been a long day, and the kids are gonna be wired tomorrow. Have we decided on what time we'll be going?”
“I thought around noon, but Phichit-kun promised to text me to let me know how Minami-kun's feeling tomorrow,” Yuuri replied from his spot on the sofa with Viktor, apparently quite content to stay put for the time being. Otabek, on the other hand, stood up, and Viktor eyed him incredulously.
“This isn't an office party, Otabek,” Viktor pointed out, “just because one person leaves doesn't mean we all have to.”
“And snuggling with my lovely, limber, and nubile mate beats making idle chitchat with you two any night of the week,” Otabek quipped. “Nighty night.”
“All these years and you're still so mean,” Yuuri whined as Yuri chuckled and reached for Otabek's hand.
“Which means he must be my soulmate,” Yuri replied without missing a beat, causing the other couple to snort as he and and Otabek meandered towards the stairs.
The pair bond went through their nightly routines in relative silence, and after pulling on their pyjamas and sliding into bed—careful to not dislodge Potya, who was napping on the end—but instead of reaching for his book as was usual for Otabek these days, instead the alpha tugged Yuri close and kissed him gently.
“What was that for?” Yuri asked as he reached up to twine a lock of dark hair between his fingers. “Not that I mind, but...well, you usually only kiss me like that when you have bad news.”
“It's not exactly bad news,” Otabek hedged, “but my therapist keeps telling me to be as open and honest with you as possible, but I think it's something you might react to badly, which is understandable, so I thought I should tell you ahead of time...”
“Tell me what, exactly? Just be clear and you'll know pretty quick if I'll react badly to it or not.”
“Well, while I was at the hospital...well, you see, the thing is...they tested Aran for his secondary sex status, and he's...he's an omega.”
“Oh, um...I see,” Yuri replied awkwardly, running a hand over his face as he took a breath and tried to process what he was feeling.
“Yura, this isn't Russia,” Otabek said firmly. “No one is going to take him away or hurt him. He's safe, you're safe, Yuuri is safe, and Minami is safe. None of you will be hurt for what you were born as.”
“I know that,” Yuri said grumpily as he cast a glare towards his partner, “but he'll still be treated differently for what he is, and we can't...we can't change it.”
“But you can prepare him, and protect him,” Otabek said as he began to gently stroke Yuri's hair. “That kid will have not one, but three omega mothers who can tell him how to keep himself safe. I can't imagine an omega child growing up in a more accepting and loving home than this one. No matter what happens, I know that he'll be safe and loved.”
Yuri sighed as he pressed his cheek to the side of Otabek's chest. As an alpha, he wouldn't be able to understand the terror that Yuri now felt at the prospect of the little boy that would grow up in such a world that did not want him, save for his procreation abilities.
Otabek ran a hand down Yuri's back in a vain attempt to comfort him. Otabek would never be able to understand why Yuri was so deeply affected by this news, and why Minami and Yuuri, by extension, would feel it too.
Yuri tried to sleep, but rest did not come for a long time.
~*~
The following morning was so chaotic that Yuri had little time to dwell on the news that Otabek had given him the previous night. It was filled with morning baths, the braiding or styling of hair, toast and eggs, orange juice in sippy cups, and a general excitement, for today the kids got to meet their new baby cousin.
With coffees in hand, the four adults loaded the kids into the van and drove off, stopping at a doughnut shop (much to the kids' excitement) on the way, to pick up some celebratory treats for Phichit and Minami.
“None until we get to the hospital,” Yuri said sternly, and the kids all let out a collective groan.
“You're no fun anymore, Dyédya,” said Viktoria.
“Can't we just...share one little one now?” asked Antonia.
“Burma!” screamed Hana suddenly, and all heads swivelled towards the four-year-old.
“Why'd you say Burma?” Yuri asked bemusedly.
“I don't know.”
From the front seat, both Yuuri and Viktor snorted, causing Hana to grin wildly as they headed for the hospital, all of the kids still trying to convince Yuri to let them have a doughnut, but the omega wouldn't budge, much to the dismay of the children.
The family made it to the hospital without further issue, and as they stepped inside, Yuri holding onto Alvinia and Helina's hands, Otabek supporting the box of doughnuts and spicy buffalo wings (the box of which now read, it's a boy!) and Viktor and Yuuri holding onto two kids each, they all ran into a familiar face.
“Hi, Doctor Boobie!” Alvinia chirped at the sight of her, and the Pediatrician's face turned a blotchy red as the adults just barely managed to hold in their snickers.
“That's Doctor Rudy, Avi,” Otabek said, and the woman smiled weakly as Alvinia continued to grin, and threw out her free arm for the doctor to see.
“Look, look! See? All better!”
“Yes, I can see that,” the doctor said with a small smile. “No more broken bones for you, right?”
“Uh huh,” she replied. “We're going to see Leung Phichit and Minami-oji today. He had his baby yesterday!”
“Oh, how exciting,” she said warmly, “are you going to be a good big sister to the baby?”
“Uh huh. He's a boy, but Mat` says he doesn't mean to be, so I'll be good.”
“There's a good girl,” she said, while Yuri offered her an apologetic smile, and the doctor shook her head dismissively while they parted ways. It hadn't been the first time Alvinia had called her Doctor Boobie, after all.
“Who wants to push the elevator buttons?” Viktor asked as they slowed to a stop in front of the hallway filled with four elevators, and predictably all the kids began shouting at once. “Quiet, quiet! Hospital Zone, no shouting!”
“Otets?” Hana asked.
“Yes, love?”
“Whas a Hopital Zoom?”
“It means you have to be quiet, because people come here to get better, and they can't if you make lots of noise.”
“Oh, okay.”
“So, let's pick some elevator pushers scientifically,” Viktor continued as though there had been no interruption, and he raised his hand, booping Alvinia on the nose, making her giggle.
“Dip, dip, dip,” he began, pointing at a different child every time he spoke, “my little ship, sails on the ocean, you are—it,” as he finished the rhyme, his finger fell on Helina, who began to grin. “Okay, Helina, you can push the button!”
“Yaaaay!” Helina cried, and Yuri chuckled as he picked her up, and she smacked the UP elevator button as hard as she possibly could.
Inside the elevator, Viktor repeated the very scientific child-picking method, and Viktoria got to select the Maternity Ward's floor, though she pressed the button much more gently than Helina had. The girls all let out tiny squeaks of excitement when the elevator doors let out a soft ding before they slid shut.
Curiously, after Viktor's Hospital Zone talk, all the kids managed to keep relatively quiet—that is, until they made it to Minami's recovery room.
Minami was sitting up with little Aran in his arms, still looking exhausted, but more relaxed than yesterday. The girls each let out their own excited squeal, and at the same moment, Phichit pressed a finger to his lips.
“The baby is sleeping,” he said softly, “so you have to stay quiet, okay?”
The girls' mouths all snapped shut as they nodded, while Viktor began to push chairs closer to Minami, and Phichit motioned for the children to come forward, and they all sat on the edges of the bed, looking in on the sleeping baby curiously.
“How come his face is all squishy?” Helina asked, her brow pinched with curiosity as she gazed at the infant.
“He's a new baby,” Minami replied softly, “as he gets older, his face will get less squishy. All new babies look like this.”
“Mama?” Helina turned to where Yuri had sat down, “did I look squishy?”
“The squishiest,” Yuri replied with a chuckle, and her little face brightened as he turned back to look at the baby.
“Helina?” Minami asked, “do you want to hold him?”
“Oh, I don't—” Otabek began, but Minami shook his head a little.
“She's a big girl, I'm sure she can do it.”
“Watch his head, just in case,” Yuri warned while Helina nodded excitedly, and Viktor hastily got his phone out to snap a picture.
Minami nodded, and turned to the three-year-old. He held out the baby, and gently instructed her on how to hold him and support his head, and Helina beamed when Minami said, “good!” as she held him in her arms.
“I can...I could be the one to take care of him sometimes,” she said hopefully as she gazed up at Minami, “like when you need to have a nap?”
“Of course you can, Helina,” Minami said warmly, and Helina grinned again.
The first (and more precarious) round of Pass the Baby began, with each of the children getting a turn to hold Aran. It was going rather well, at least until the baby got to Hana, who instead of passing the baby to someone else, promptly proclaimed, “I'm done!” as she dropped him in her lap.
With a small yelp, Minami scooped Aran back up, but the baby—thankfully—had managed to survive the ordeal. After that, peace once more descended upon the group.
That was, until Alvinia got her turn, and Aran promptly began to cry.
“He hates me!” Alvinia cried dramatically as the other girls giggled, and Minami reached out to take the baby back, and Alvinia promptly crawled into Yuri's lap with tears in her eyes.
“He doesn't hate you, baby,” Yuri said as he rubbed her back consolingly, “he's probably just hungry, or has a wet diaper. A crying baby doesn't mean he hates you.”
“He's hungry,” Minami filled in as Alvinia continued to sniffle, and both mother and child looked up to see Minami holding Aran to his chest and smiling at her. “He doesn't hate you, sweetheart. Once he's finished eating, you can try holding him again.”
Alvinia nodded, but it seemed as though she was reluctant to try again. Yuri held onto her and continued to rub her back, but she still looked positively devastated for making the newborn cry.
“Okay, Avi,” Minami said as he finished feeding and burping the baby, “wanna try again?”
Still sniffling a little, she nodded, but would not move from her mother's lap. Minami tried to shift closer, but hissed in pain. Alvinia's eyes widened, but before she could say a word, Phichit swept in and  took to the task of transporting baby Aran from Minami to Alvinia. This time he did not cry, but let out a tiny gurgle of contentment as Alvinia held him carefully, her eyes wide with awe.
“He's so little, Mat`,” Alvinia said softly, while Yuri reached out to touch the baby's chubby cheek. “Was I this little when I was a baby?”
“Littler,” Yuri replied with a warm chuckle, and offered his daughter a little squeeze, making her giggle. “You were always my perfect little girl, just as Aran is Minami and Phichit's perfect little boy.”
“Am I perfect too, Mama?” Helina asked, and both Yuri and Otabek laughed out loud.
“Yes, baby, you're perfect too.”
“D'you want a turn with the baby, Mat`?” Alvinia asked softly, “you haven't had a turn yet.”
“I'd love a turn,” Yuri replied, and held out his arms, chuckling a little as Alvinia instructed him on how to hold the infant, and he followed her every direction diligently before the little mother hen finally handed Aran over, and Yuri gazed down at the little baby omega in his arms with a bittersweet smile.
“Hello there,” Yuri whispered as he felt his voice catch, and he supported the infant in one arm while he wiped his eyes with his free hand. He felt Otabek step up behind him, and he rubbed his back while Yuri rocked the baby gently. “You have such a great life ahead of you, little one...so many people who love you, and in a place where you'll never be hated, or imprisoned, or hurt for what you are. You're safe. And though I still worry for you, I know that you'll be loved and supported no matter what, because we all love you, and...you'll never have to be afraid to be yourself.”
Otabek kissed Yuri's cheek from behind as he held the baby, still rocking Aran gently.
“That's good advice,” Otabek murmured as he wrapped an arm around Yuri and rested his head on his omega's shoulder as he gazed down at the infant. “He'll be loved and kept safe, no matter what.”
“I used to feel like safety wasn't real,” Yuri murmured, softly enough that the children nearby weren't likely to hear. “It was just...lies we tell ourselves so that we don't feel so scared all the time, but that's not true, is it? We really are safe.”
“We are,” Otabek replied as he shifted, one hand moving to Yuri's chin, and he coaxed his head up until their lips met in a gentle kiss. “And we always will be.”
The End
A/N: And Scene. Thank you guys so much for reading <3 If you like my work, consider throwing a few bucks in my Digital Tip Jar, every penny is appreciated! (especially cuz today is my birthday :P)
NLMG Masterpost
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ellayuki · 7 years
Text
01.08.’17
you always make me so breathless
chris, phichit, and snapshots of an improbable romance
yuri!!! on ice, chris pov
phichitmetti week - day 2 - domesticity: pets (and also ‘nicknames’ but less of that) -  on pets, and which is better in general, cats or hamsters (and chris realising he wants more of what he and phichit currently share).
~
he places the back of a hand dramatically to his forehead, eyes closed, and a woeful look on his face, and bemoans dramatically.
‘oh, whatever shall i do? however shall i live? i am wounded! wounded, i tell you!'
chris has to raise an eyebrow at that, amused. 'now you're exaggerating, sweetheart,' he says good-natured. ‘you know a person’s taste in pets is not up for dabate.’
phichit moans again, flopping onto his side where he’s lying down on the bed, arms flopping up above his head. chris shifts against the wall next to him, his thigh a hand’s width away from phichit’s hands. ‘yes, but the fact that hamsters are cuter than cats is also not up for debate. you know it, i know it, everyone knows it.’
chris rolls his eyes at him, buries a hand in phichit’s hair and ruffles it fondly. phichit yelps but doesn’t pull away, laughs instead through the light flush spreading on his cheeks to his ears.
‘that’s a matter of opinion, and you know it,’ he says, voice low. that blush is always too adorable, and chris loves seeing it, seeing it spread and intensify depending on how he talks or what he does.
‘yuuri would agree with me on this,’ phichit says with a cute little pout, and chris wants to bite at it.
‘yuuri is a dog lover, victor, too for that matter, their opinions hardly count in this.’
‘yes but yuuri loves my hamsters.’
‘yuuri had to live with you and your hamsters for how many years? three? four? i think the most he’ll admit to is liking your hamsters because they’re yours.’
phichit harrumphs at that, and buries his face into the bedding.
‘…whatever, they’re still better than cats.’
chris has to shake his head fondly at the petulance in his voice. it’s too cute.
‘you’ll change your mind once you’ve met my darling.’
phichit nuzzles his face down into the sheets, moves closer until the top of his head is pressed tight against chris’ thigh, but doesn’t look up.
‘…thought i was your darling,’ he mumbles, and chris barely understands him. and he almost melts at the cuteness of it all. (seriously, he never thought he’d ever manage to abuse the word ‘cute’, especially in relation to a single person, yet here he is.)
he bends down, carding gentle fingers through soft hair, and places a light kiss to it.
‘don’t worry, mon petit, you are,’ he says quietly in the small space between them, and it sounds more like a confession than anything he’s ever said in the past few months since this started.
phichit finally turns to face him, face red, and bottom lip caught between his teeth. there’s a small, almost tremulous smile on his face.
and chris realises that, despite everything, they haven’t actually spoken much about what this thing between them is, what their feelings really are, where they want it to go. they’ve only seen each other a handful of times since that first kiss in boston, kissed and touched and had some harmless fun, but they’ve never had time to just… be together like this, a quiet moment away from the rest of the world, where the giddiness of meeting again turned into something calm and soft and soothing.
he decides that he likes this just as much as he likes the fun times. it’s different, less rushed, and it feels like they don’t have to go their separate ways again in a day or two.
he pulls phichit up against him, pulls his head under his own chin, and takes a deep breath.
‘anyway,’ he says, before words they’re not yet ready for escape his lips, ‘my cat is beautiful and you’ll fall in love with her the moment you meet her, you’ll see.’
phichit doesn’t say anything for a second. then, as he finally relaxes against chris, he asks, quiet, shy, ‘and when will that be?’
and chris starts making tentative plans for christmas. 
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akatsuki3519 · 7 years
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Your top 5: favourite 'One Piece' characters, least favourite 'One Piece' characters, anime guys, anime guys that you would date (:P ;)), waifus, favourite opening songs, favourite anime endings, manga, favourite non-anime shows and favourite anime!!! That's quite a list!! Obviously, please feel free to pick the ones that interest you the most!! :D If I think of any more....I'll be sure to put them in your ask box!! ;)
Thanks so much for these, they’re great!!
Favourite One Piece characters: (I have SO MANY, but I think this is accurate! :P)1) Roronoa Zoro2) Monkey D. Luffy3) Trafalgar Law4) Jinbe - if he doesn’t join the crew I’m gonna riot, he’s just the best:’)5) Donquixote Rocinante/Corazon 
Least favourite One Piece characters:1) Blackbeard/Teach - one of my least favourite anime characters EVER, I can’tstand him!! I can’t wait to see him get his ass kicked…2) Akainu/Sakazuki - I hate him too, for obvious (spoiler filled) reasons…3) Trebol - he’s so annoying… >.4) Charloss - I wanted to just say the Celestial Dragons as a whole (except onefamily who shall remain nameless because massive spoilers) but that’s kinda cheating, so I picked my most hated one >:(5) Hody Jones (I just mildly dislike him lol)
Anime guys:1) Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)2) Yuuri Katsuki (Yuri on Ice)3) Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)4) Makoto Tachibana (Free!)5) Rin Okumura (Ao no Exorcist)
Anime guys you would date: (this one was actually REALLY difficult, I changed my mind so many times and had to discount some of my faves for various reasons XD)1) Kiyoshi Teppei (Kuroko no Basuke) - he’s an actual angel 2) Trafalgar Law (One Piece) - okay, so he’s kind gruff and messed up but he’s actually a great person, even if he won’t admit it… :’) I was gonna say Roci but I figured Doffy would likely kill me so maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea lol3) Asahi Azumane (Haikyuu!!)4) Shizuo Heiwajima (Durarara!!)5) Sakuragi Rokurouta (Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin) - a bit of acurveball perhaps, I haven’t seen this show in quite a while and rarely talkabout it (partially because although it’s excellent, it’s very graphic and Ifound it very hard to watch), but I remember loving this character so much,he’s such a sweetheart and really looks out for the younger kids in the show
Waifu’s:1) Yona (Akatsuki no Yona)2) Nico Robin (One Piece)3) Celty (Durarara!!)4) Bishamon (Noragami)5) Machi (Hunter x Hunter)
Favourite opening songs: (okay so for both OP’sand ED’s, I took into account the video for the OP/ED as well as the song,otherwise it would have taken me days to decide!! >.1) Death Parade OP (Flyers by Bradio) - so, SO catchy! 2) One Piece OP 16 (Hands Up by Kota Shinzato) - the song never fails to cheerme up and the footage in the OP is excellent too (and spoiler free! :P)! I haveto mention that this is tied with OP 14 (Fight Together) though… sorry I knowthat’s cheating! XD I prefer the video of OP 14 (has spoilers though) but thesong of OP 16 so they kinda add up to me loving them both the same in the end!3) Haikyuu!! OP 4 (Fly High!! by Burnout Syndromes) - love the song and it’svisually STUNNING as well, the camera angles are phenomenal!! 4) FMA: B OP 5 (Rain by SID) - again, love the song and video 5) Kuroshitsuji Book of Circus OP (Enamel by SID) - and again, love the songand video! I particularly love how the credits are incorporated into the OPtoo!!
Honorable mentions: I feel the need to say I adore all the Durarara!! OP’s, bothNoragami OP’s, Akatsuki no Yona OP 1 and Naruto Shippuuden OP 6, I feel reallybad I couldn’t include them!! >.
Favourite ending songs: 1) Bungou Stray Dogs ED 1 (Namae Wo Yobu Yo by Luck Life) - beautiful melody and beautiful animation 2) FMA:B ED 2 (Let It All Out by Miho Fukuhara) - one of my all time faves!3) Parasyte ED (It’s the Right Time by Daichi Miura) - beautiful, beautiful song!4) Aldnoah.Zero ED 1 (A/Z by Hiroyuki Sawano, vocals by Mizuki) - I love all the music in Aldnoah.Zero, it’s composed by Hiroyuki Sawano after all :P5) Battery ED 2 (Wakamono no Subete by anderlust) - stunning ED… not so good show lol… this one JUST won out over Tokyo Ghoul ED 2 due to the video being gorgeous
Honorable mentions: Baccano! ED, Rainbow ED (first time I heard Galneryus and was blown away by the vocal range), Haikyuu!! ED 3, SnK ED 1, Kuroshitsuji ED 2, Higurashi ED 2, HxH ED 5, Durarara!! ED 2
Manga: (I’m excluding HxH because I’ve only read/amreading the Dark Continent arc in the manga lol)1) Akatsuki no Yona2) Noragami3) Ao no Exorcist4) Rurouni Kenshin5) Kuroshitsuji 
Favourite non-anime shows:1) Dexter - still haven’t finished it, oops…2) Masterchef - I’m obsessed with food/cooking programmes in general lol3) Daredevil - I really enjoyed the first season a lot! 4) Casualty - haven’t watched it in a few months… >.5) Game of Thrones - I’m only on like season 4 but I quite enjoy it tbh lol
I don’t watch much TV at all but I’m probably forgettingsomething… I also really liked Doctor Who when David Tennant was the doctor, notso much now though
Favourite anime: (I’ll probably change my mindtomorrow but anyway :P)1) Hunter x Hunter - this is definitely no. 1 anyway 2) FMA/FMA: Brotherhood - can’t decide, sorry… T.T3) One Piece4) Code Geass5) Kuroko no Basuke
Guilty pleasure anime! :P (one you sent me after this message! i.e. shows I liked that a lot of people didn’t. Therearen’t many of these tbh because I’m very selective with the shows I choose towatch, so I’m also gonna include ones I’m embarrassed I liked lol…)1) Sword Art Online - I really liked the first half a lot, and I also thoughtthat scene in the parking lot near the end was really good lol. I definitelydidn’t hate the second half of the series as much as some people… 2) Black Bullet - I really enjoyed this one okay lol3) Highschool of the Dead - listen, Ecchi aside, I thought this show was prettygood… the Ecchi was SO unnecessary though, it really annoyed me, it wouldhave been a great show without it!4) Trickster: Edogawa Ranpo ‘Shounen Tanteidan’ Yori - okay, so I gave this a 6 and gave it a pretty hard time when I reviewed it, my main thought after the last ep being ‘what was the point in that??’, HOWEVER… I really enjoyed and looked forward to it every week? So I dunno this is a weird one for me lol5) Kuroshitsuji II - PLEASE DON’T DISOWN ME GUYS I’M SORRY! XD This season was objectively awful, but I didn’t hate it for some reason…? I mean I definitely didn’t love it either lol… but I don’t think I had as strong a hate for it as the rest of the fandom… it was a really messed up season though, Alois creeped me out big time… 
Favourite anime endings: (the other one you sent me after this message!)1) Code Geass (R2) - there’s a S3 coming out so I guess you could discount this as the ending of the series now lol… but it was fantastic T.T AND I don’t think I had it spoiled for me beforehand! Massive plus! :P2) Kimi no Na wa - is this cheating? >.3) Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Yes, there are some loose ends (that are continued in the manga), but I think even as a stand alone show the ending was very satisfactory, I loved it!4) FMA: Brotherhood - just a really satisfying and complete ending! 5) Clannad: After Story - I was just so relieved it ended the way it did, I couldn’t have handled it otherwise haha… T.T
Honorable mentions: ACCA, Shouwa Genroku, Angel Beats!
And that’s it!! :D Thanks somuch for these they were such great asks!!
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