#kenshi. pick her up and bring her home.

[charlotte-family-apologist]

Post-mission stressing

[iliketangerines]

Kenshi with a pregnant s/o who’s the definition of it girl ((the aliyahsinterlude song)). Like she’s out here with nails and cute outfits and constantly shopping for cute baby outfits but one day some shop employee starting hitting on her and Kenshi gets jealous and is like “is knocking you up not enough to show that you’re mine?”

all for me

a/n: ahsajadhjs, i couldn't fit in the comment but DAMN i want him to say that to me

pairing: kenshi x afab!reader

warnings: nsfw (MDNI), pussy eating, finger fucking, overstimulation, dacryphilia, pregnancy kink, slight lactation kink

Kenshi trails behind you as you shop at the store, looking at the price of the outfits and carefully inspecting the quality of the clothing

you run your manicured nails over the price tag and hum, and Kenshi gently grabs it from you and puts it in the cart, telling you that money is no problem

you’re pregnant, stomach round and full with his child, and you show off the bump proudly with your dress, never shying away from the way your breasts swell and your thighs thicken

you pout at him, but he just kisses you and it’s enough to wipe the thought from your mind

he pulls away and lets you continue shopping, and Kenshi looks through the clothing as well, trying to find which one would be good for his child

you had already been here a few times without him, he’s been too busy dealing with Outworld and the OIA , but he was finally here with you, sharing in this experience with you

he can’t wait to hold your child in his arms, to hold you both close, to get you away from the yakuza and have a quiet peaceful life where his hands aren’t stained

you head to the check-out line, and Kenshi gets distracted with an outfit

he picks it up, unsure if it’s pretty enough, but he hears your laugh and turns his head to see what’s made you so happy

it’s an employee, smiling at you, eying your figure up and down like a slab of meat, and Kenshi feels anger rise within him, clawing at his heart

he hangs the outfit back on the rack and stalks toward the check-out to confront the cashier

they’re complimenting your clothes, your nails, your hair with much too flirty comments, and Kenshi thinks he sees red as you just laugh, oblivious to the flirting

you finish checking out before Kenshi can arrive, and the cashier sends you a smirk and a wink as you leave, but Kenshi shoots a glare to the employee who just smiles back

the swordsman grips onto the handle of the wheel tightly as he drives you back home, and he helps you out of the car and carries the clothes onto the counter

but, he picks you up easily and places you on the counter, kissing you and squeezing at your thighs and hips

you moan into his mouth and ask in between desperate pants what’s got him so angry, and he mumbles into your skin as he trails kisses down your neck and sucks a hickey into your skin

he tells you he didn’t like the way the employee was looking at you, like they had a chance with you when you’re clearly with somebody else

Kenshi rubs your stomach for emphasis, and you pant out into the air, hands gripping onto his hair, as you whine that you didn’t notice, that he knows that you only have eyes for him

the swordsman mutters that he knows, it’s just that you’re too pretty and others want to try and steal you away from him

he drags you to the edge of the counter and picks you up bridal-style in his arms and brings you to the bedroom

he lays you down on the bed and drags your hips to the edge of the bed and kneels down

he flips up the bottom of your dress, revealing the cute panties you have on, and Kenshi kisses the inside of your thighs, lavishing the stretch marks with attention

you whine and grip onto his hair, scratching his scalp, and Kenshi hums at the sensation as he pulls off your panties to reveal your puffy clit

you had always been sensitive, reactive to him and his touches, and now that you were pregnant, you were so so so much more sensitive and whiny

Kenshi loved it

he presses his tongue into your clit, leaving flat firm licks on it, and you whine and grip onto his hair as you cum into his mouth

he laughs and teases you for cumming, he’s only started

you pant into the air, saying you can’t help it, and on the inside, Kenshi’s pleased that you come so easily on his tongue

he sucks and licks at your clit, and you slowly lose your mind as you cum over and over again on just his tongue

your hips jerk and twitch in an attempt to get away from him as overstimulation takes over, but he drags you back to assault your clit with his tongue

two of his fingers spread open your folds and slide into you, curling into that sweet spot inside of you, and you arch your back off the bed as you squirt all over Kenshi’s face

he groans at the feeling and eagerly laps up your juices, desperate to taste all of you

he fucks you on his fingers through your orgasm, and you cry out as he abuses that sweet spot inside of you and sucks on your swollen clit

you sob out as you come on his fingers all too quickly, and when Kenshi finally detaches his lips from your clit and stands up, he can see the way tears run down your face and ruin your make-up

you look positively debauched, eyes glazed over, hair spread out around you, tears dripping down your face, and his cock throbs in his pants at the sight

Kenshi strips off his clothing and lines up his cock with your dripping pussy, and you cry out when he thrusts in you

you reach out a hand for him, and he takes your hand and intertwines your fingers together as he fucks into your drooling pussy

you cry and sniffle as Kenshi trails his other hand all over you: rubbing your pregnant stomach, squeezing your breast, pinching your nipples, rubbing your clit

he groans at the sight when he squeezes your breast and sees your nipple leak milk

fuck, he loves you so much, and he can’t have anyone take you from him

you were his light, his life, his savior from the cesspool that was the yakuza, and he needs you desperately

he whispers he loves you over and over again as your cunt clenches down on him and creams on his cock, and he buries himself deep as he spills his seed inside of you

he stays like that, letting your release and his cum mix and drip out from your swollen pussy

eventually, he pulls out and cleans you up with a cool damp ramp, and he wipes away the tears and make-up from your face

he brings you some water and some cut fruit to snack on, and he lets you nap as he puts away the baby clothes and cooks dinner

the next time you go baby clothe shopping, Kenshi buries his face into your neck and sucks a hickey into the soft skin before entering the store

Kenshi comes up behind you, placing his hands over your stomach and glares at the employee from before, as you check-out

the employee doesn’t say anything to you

[nightmarerodent]

What is Vera (Jacqui and Takeda's kid)'s relationship like with her aunts and uncle?

She idolizes her Uncle Jin. He’s her favorite person (outside of mom and dad of course) and wants to be as cool as he is when she grows up. He tells her watered down versions of stories of his adventures in Outworld and she constantly begs for him to bring her. She has a toy bow and suction cup arrows and is always trying to reenact stuff that he does. Everyone thinks it’s cute that the little four year old loves him so much. He’s the one that gave her the nickname Bunny and pretty soon everyone started calling her it to.

Cassie and Frost often babysit her when Hanzo or Jax aren’t available. They love taking her on little adventures to places like the zoo, the beach, or museums. Vera loves hanging out with them and often doesn’t want to go home after spending the day with them (when she’s not passes from exhausting all her energy).

I know you didn’t ask but here’s her grandparents too:

She’s never once been afraid of Hanzo and sees him more as a teddy bear and fun thing to clime on. She’s constantly under foot, darting between this and that as he walks the grounds of the fire gardens and clan grounds, always asking him and her father when she’ll be allowed to start training because she wants to be a ninja too. The answer is always “when you’re older”. She does the same thing with Kuai Liang who always tells her to ask her mom or dad.

She likes visiting Grandpa Jax on the farm and playing with all the animals. He lets her feed the chickens, and once nearly gave him a heart attack when she somehow managed to pick up the rather moody rooster and walk into the house and kitchen with him in her arms. She didn’t get hurt, the bird was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, and was probably just as shocked as Jax was. He decided it was safer to just not tell her parents about the incident.

She doesn’t actually have any relationship with Kenshi. Takeda is, understandably, very protective of her and his biological father has never been the most reliable when it comes to child safety, or children in general. The relationship between them is still pretty strained and though he does know of her existence, he’s only ever met her on two occasions when she was an infant. He has asked if she has shown any signs of their family gift but Takeda refuses to give him any details and quickly shuts down any conversations about the topic.

[unhingedselfships]

Daikichi trailed good naturedly after his mother. She was happy, light. She had more and more good days, and that made him happy too.

Auntie Ophelia, the nanny that had been with them since childhood, and arguably second mother, was cooking some traditional Mexican dish back home.

Or was trying to.

She'd had a fit when she realized she'd forgotten chillis of all things, and Mom had offered to pop down to the shop nearby to grab some.

Kichi had tagged along to get out of the house.

It was easier to leave Airi home than pack him up, and given Mio was still enamored with the toddler, she'd stayed behind too.

The energy was good, pleasant, and they spoke of life. How school was going, what his friends were up to, if there were any new extracurriculars he wanted to try.

She knew all this already, but it was nice to talk about it. That she cared.

The shop was mostly empty, and he'd been eyeing the snacks. With a laugh she waved him off and told him she'd grab a few other things as well, and meet him at the checkout.

He'd been debating between flavors of Pocky when his phone buzzed. A quick check told him it was from his mother and he opened it to see if she needed him to grab anything.

Mom : Kichi you need to leave out the back now, and don't argue with me. I'll catch up.

A cold chill shot down his spine, and with wide eyes he glanced around the store. He couldn't see much, and certainly not her, but he knew he couldn't waste time. He slipped into the back room and out a service exit. 

Waiting was inadvised, but he did it anyway. Surely she'd be out soon. 

Ten. Fifteen minutes. He lost patience, and slipped back in to look for her.

A quick circuit showed no sign of her, and he was near panicking as he approached a rattled looking worker.

"I'm really sorry kid, there was nothing we could do."

He stood in silence. He knew he needed to get back home but- 

He couldn't quite bring himself to leave.

With a deep fortifying breath, he pulled himself together, and made towards the exit. A quiet buzzing caught his attention and he paused.

His mom's phone.

He knelt to grab it and answered absently.

The voice on the other end was annoyed, "Oh so you finally deign to pick up?"

"Uncle Kenshi?" the teen's voice was wobbly and unsure.

"Kichi-chan? What's going on?"

He sucked in a deep gasp before choking out, "They took Mom."

[whiptrip]

ON NAMES.

takeda. takahashi. two last names, a severed and mended lineage. he has a first name, but it is one he barely answers to, so tied to what life was like before.

growing up, there was never any mention of takahashi. he was just klahan takeda. keeping kenshi’s name would draw unnecessary attention towards them, and it would needlessly give takeda the idea that he lacked something, that he needed a father figure in his life when suchin could raise him on her own.

suchin takeda. klahan takeda. they were a family, and that was good enough.

but the takahashi lineage is cursed, cursed to have its mistakes constantly catch up with every generation it brings, faultless and innocent as it may be. suchin’s involvement with kenshi gets her killed, and his last memory of his mother only grew to sting more once he learned the full context of it all. there was never an accident. she knew the red dragon were coming.

a tight hug, a kiss to the temple, a promise to come back for him. 

she never did.

when it is kenshi that comes for him, he refuses to go, even when the friends his mother left him with urged him to -- he didn’t understand the urgency, didn’t understand who kenshi was, but every second wasted was a second they got closer. when glass shattered as shots poured into the home, when he’s tackled to the ground just as the man he’d been calling uncle falls with a shot to the neck, blood pooling on the floor between them, klahan freezes in terror. he still didn’t get it, he still didn’t understand -- but what was there to get? they were coming after kenshi, and they were coming after him because of it.

and so kenshi picked him up and set off with a single destination in mind. he would leave the boy with the shirai ryu, who would be able to foster and train him until kenshi was free of his pursuers. there were scarcely any moments of peace, blood followed them wherever they ran to and already a child’s resentment grew -- why did he have to see this? he felt sick.

he just wanted to run. from them. from kenshi. klahan wanted to go home.

but in those odd moments of tranquility, sleeping through the day so that they’d be able to travel under the cover of night, they talked. or kenshi tried talking. for every question he posed, takeda asked five back -- each one heavier than the last, answers full of context that would go lost on such a young child, or whose answers would only upset him further. kenshi was never the best at dealing with children.

but one question stuck between them: he’d never asked klahan for his name. he knew it, he’d heard klahan’s last guardians mention it, he read it through the child’s own mind, but they had never properly introduced themselves.

my name is kenshi takahashi, what’s yours? takeda. i’m takeda. ... well met, son.

takeda didn’t want him knowing his name, and so kenshi would refrain from it, although an unearned sense of disappointment rang through sento. the boy was a takahashi, and he should refer to himself as such -- but that’s all he was, a boy. he wasn’t a warrior, he was an untrained child their involvement has only brought ruin to. leaving him in hanzo’s care would be kindness on their part.

and so, when they finally reach the shirai ryu grounds, that is how kenshi introduces him: this was his son, takeda -- whose face only grows sour when hanzo appends takahashi to it in a questioning tone, wondering why kenshi never spoke of a child.

he was not takahashi. he was takeda. he was his mother’s son and not his father’s accidental legacy. and no one here deserved to know his name.

but the world cares little for what he sees himself as. once it was clear just who’s spawn he was, word spreading through kenshi’s ever increasing list of enemies and friends, takahashi was who he was. and maybe that’s what had him connect so deeply and so quickly to the shirai ryu -- in the clan, he could carve a name out for himself.

takeda, GENIN of the shirai ryu. takeda, CHŪNIN of the shirai ryu. takeda, CHUJIN of the shirai ryu.

people would learn to respect him for what he has achieved, at their own cost if need be. for as far as he cared to think of the man, takeda believed himself to have surpassed him -- but he wasn’t intent on proving it so soon. kenshi finally appears at one of his graduations, and he had the gall to act proud, as if he had ever done anything to help takeda achieve his skills.

all that kenshi taught takeda was to run. from responsibility. from danger. from life.

but all the context he was too young to understand before, all of the questions takeda had that went unanswered -- kenshi was finally willing to speak, if takeda was still willing to listen. in exchange, his father would help him figure out the depth of his powers, the singular gift his lineage had to offer.

takeda accepted. later, he would find that it was hanzo that arranged their meeting, and takeda was almost mad... but he understood. he knew the friction between takeda, who he had taken in as his own, and kenshi, who he considered a close confidant, was something that wore down on hanzo’s own patience and comfort, stuck between a rock and a hard place. and so he stepped out from between them, stopped being a spacer for their aloof and obtuse behavior, and forced the two of them to work things out.

and they... did. somethings he still wouldn’t forgive his father for, but he didn’t hate the man as much as he thought he should, once. he wasn’t the same eight year old child, who had never as much as seen a bad cut. ten years had passed, and he’d been baptized by carnage and bloodshed, stripped down to his very core and forced to rebuild. in part, he understood kenshi’s reasoning, faulty and detached as it was. they weren’t so dissimilar, and the name takashi stopped tasting so bitter.

an acquired taste, some might say.

takahashi takeda -- he is his mother’s son, as he is his father’s heir. the good and the bad, takeda is made of all that came before him, and he has learned to live with it while making sure to never lose himself in the process.

klahan, suchin’s brave little man.

[facets-and-rainbows]

Blue Exorcist 10th anniversary book Q&A session

The 10th anniversary book has a section where Katoh answers 100 questions submitted by fans on Twitter, so here they are translated/paraphrased! May contain manga spoilers up to the recent flashback arc, so be warned.

(Note that I’m playing it very fast and loose here because there are A HUNDRED OF THEM, so not exact wordings, but it should capture the gist. Lemme know if there are any you want elaborated on)

1. Katoh likes the feel of traditional drawing more than digital but is impressed with how far digital has come

2. Meph THOROUGHLY ABUSES spacetime to watch all his shows and ensure that he gets all the merch he wants

3. Did the girls take all of Yukio’s school uniform buttons in middle school? Yes, they did (apparently it’s like A Thing for girls to ask for a button from their crush at middle school graduation, based on some sad movie from the 60s where a guy who got drafted as a kamikaze pilot gave a girl one of his uniform buttons to remember him by)

4. Rin's tail is about a meter long

5. There are tons of servants working at Mephisto's mansion. Belial is in charge of them

6. Katoh borrows from all sorts of neat real locations when making settings

7. Katoh identifies with pretty much all the characters the most! Except Lucifer.

8. Demon designs she's proud of include the impure king and hachirou, pretty much anything that was the main one in an arc

9. Katoh lists a bunch of her favorite musical artists/music she’s listening to recently: King Gnu, Official Hige Dandism, Kenshi Yonezu, BAD HOP, Sakanaction, Keyakizaka 46, Hypnosis Mic, Aimer, B’Z, Queen Bee.

10. Awww the rabbit manga that characters are often reading isn't just Robo to Usakichi, it's an even older one that she drew as a little kid

11. She likes industrial style interior designs

12. Rin and Yukio alternated who got the top bunk growing up, because they couldn't agree on it lol

13. Katoh cares a whole lot about panel layouts and speech bubble positions, might even be her favorite part of the process (it shows!)

4. Katoh does NOT have a mashou, lol

15. Rin has probably been practicing in secret so he can learn to carry stuff with his tail

16. Izumo probably got into shojo manga around 1st grade, her mom had some around the house

17. Specialty dishes: Rin - lots of stuff but especially nabe Yuri - stuff you can throw together quickly Shiro - stuff he learned from Yuri and/or cookbooks, alongside teaching Rin Yukio - Does. Not. Cook.

18. Can't pick a favorite place she's been on research, but there's no place like Japan

19. Kinzou's band isn't currently meeting because demons, but he's probably still thinking of new songs

20. Hardest characters to draw: anyone with detailed flowing hair. Hardest to write for: Lightning and Gedouin. She had to go read books about serial killers specifically for material for Gedouin, lol 

21. Suguro actually gets a dorm room to himself, though allegedly Yukio is technically assigned as his roommate, lol. Didn't end up that way what with Yukio being a teacher and also Rin’s whole...situation

22. Shiemi makes some of her own hair accessories! Cute

23. Katoh doesn't mind if you include stuff with fan letters but check with the editor first

24. Time for making each chapter: Planning/storyboarding: 1-5 days. Sketching: 3-5 days. Drawing/inking: the rest. Just...the rest of the time

25. Neither Suguro nor Izumo have dated before and neither is currently dating. But that's probably just because things were hectic for them! It could happen

26. Yukio breaks 5 or 6 pairs of glasses a year, someone get this kid a strap or something

27. How many spare glasses does Yukio have? Check the fanbook lol it's in there (dang it Katoh)

28. The demon she wants us to pay the most attention to is Lucifer. Because plot.

29. What's under the Order's big meeting table? It's a BOTTOMLESS PIT and if you fall in it you DIE that's what makes it COOL (laughs)

30. What are the job requirements for the angelic legion? Literally just Arthur liking you and inviting you to join

31. She WANTS to do more character profiles but just hasn't gotten to it

32. Rin's tail feels like a cat tail, texture wise

33. The "red Assiah fire" is literally just actual fire nothing special

34. Rin's current hair color is light blue fading to white at the ends

35. Thoughts on Rin's growth: she likes that he stays positive in awful situations and she also thinks it's very main character of him to face the past instead of avoiding it

36. Mephisto didn't purposely surround Rin with stuffed animals when he woke up after going crispy. Mephisto's bed is just Like That

37. Kurikara was based on a cool sword she found in a sword book, but that one was technically just a ceremonial sword. The symbol on it us a Sanskrit letter kaan (sp?) associated with Fudou Myouou

38. Kuro can communicate with normal cats and hangs out with them often

39. Sometimes Shiemi's skirt is extra fancy around the hem what's up with that? Apparently it's an optional accessory that comes with the skirts help I haven't noticed this and don't know any fashion terms in any language

40. When coloring, Katoh always tries to have an overall theme in mind ("emphasis on blue" etc) so it comes together in the end

41. Yes the twins are genetically related to Shiro because of Goro (she says they're like his nephews but I say GENETICALLY at least they'd be indistinguishable from his children)

42. Strongest mom of all the strong moms around here? Yuri! Did you SEE her give birth??

43. Are you careful about your own health Katoh-sensei? Not particularly! Her mom has had to bring her food at work sometimes! Don't do this at home kids

44. At the dating events Shura goes to, does she drink cocktails in moderation? Yeah, she probably downplays her normal drinking habits at these things. But normally she's down for just about any kind of drink

45. Lucifer just really likes oysters okay

46. How many pages of manga does Katoh draw in a day? If she's being good about self-care: three. Maximum number ever: TEN

47. Mephisto is one of those folks who can eat like a garbage compactor and never gain weight. Possibly because his body resists that sort of change the same way it resists aging etc

48. First food Rin cooked: fish burger type patty. Yukio's favorite things Rin cooks: fish simmered in soy sauce, yellowtail with daikon radish. It's fish all the way down

49: Did Rin ever get more monthly allowance from Mephisto? It doubled! He gets TWO 2000 yen bills now (rip) [T/N: That's uh, that's USD $37.26 a month or 33.10 euro]

50. Why isn't Rin more popular with the girls? He gets nervous talking to them, plus he's too oblivious to notice even if he DID have some fans

51. Why change Suguro's hair? She gets bored with keeping everything the same, and she wanted a visual representation that he was getting serious and going into kind of a training arc

52. Things Katoh pays extra attention to when drawing: trying to capture the feel of whatever she's drawing (like "that looks warm and soft" or "I bet that guy stinks" cough Lightning cough)

53: Does Rin take after Yuri more? (He's got her eyes!) Katoh tried to draw Yuri so she looks like both twins. Personality, too - Yukio has her smarts and Rin has her optimism

54: Do you ever wanna be like Mephisto? Well she'd like to be able to get away with just ANYTHING EVER, but no, let's not be like Mephisto

55. Konekomaru not only carries around a cat toy in case he meets any cats, he MAKES cat toys to carry around based on what he thinks the cats would like

56. How'd you come up with Shima? Go read the fan book!

57. Do the kids have Twitter/Instagram accounts? Rin - probably not. Konekomaru might be on some social media. Paku and Izumo are totally on instagram

58. Is there something Rin makes that you wish you could try? All of it! That's the whole idea! He's good at cooking!

59. Will we ever have a (G-rated) reveal of what ALL of Mamushi and her family's tattoos look like? Maybe! She'll think about it

60. Does Arthur have a repertoire of different hairstyles? Not really, he just puts some of it up on the top. Heck he might even have people to do that for him

61. If you wrote a shojo manga what would it be about? She'd have to do a lot of research before even coming up with a story, since there are so many style differences between the genres aside from just the subject

62. The other two of Mephisto's top 3 favorite foods: Cup ramen and....f-fried bubblegum?? Is that a THING???

63. Where do you start when drawing a character? Usually the outline of their face but if it's a complex pose/composition she'll start with whatever's in the foreground (like hands)

64. If Katoh could have a familiar, what demon would she choose? Mephisto. As the all-powerful author, she might actually be able to command him as a familiar!

66. If you swapped Yukio and Rin's relationship around what would change? not much, you'd pretty much have Rin going to the Illuminati and Yukio going to the past

67. Top 3 foods/souvenirs to try in Kyushu? Well she doesn't know what’s good CURRENTLY but when she was there she always used to like burdock tempura udon, hakata torimon (a kind of manju with white bean paste inside), and Chikae style cod roe. today I learned Katoh went to high school in Kyushu

68. Katoh listens to music a lot while she's storyboarding, then when she and the assistants are all drawing and inking they put various videos/movies and stuff on in the background

69. For all his hitting on girls, is Shima actually popular with the ladies at all? He's got enough girls in his life that he probably COULD find a girlfriend if he really wanted, but the double agent thing tends to get in the way. He still wouldn't be as popular as Yukio though (side thought/translator’s note: Shima would be proud of being number 69.)

70. Katoh has the ending planned out in a big-picture way, but there are still a few details here and there that she's fretting over

71. It's cute when the boys put their ties over their shoulders when they're working on something! Where'd that come from? She just figured a tie might get in the way and that seemed like a realistic way to get it out of the way

72. Looks like Yukio is getting some facial hair! What about Rin? They're both about the age for it, but maybe Rin can't grow a beard yet. Maybe a little peach fuzz here and there

73. Katoh's favorite blue exorcist merch? There were some exorcist licenses a while back, and the exorcist pins. Basically it's really cool that these little accessories she drew ACTUALLY EXIST NOW, LIKE YOU CAN HOLD THEM IN YOUR HANDS

74. Okay realtalk how long do we have left, I don't want the series to end yet? We're solidly in the second half by now but it's not, like, ABOUT to end yet

75. Katoh would be a Knight meister, based on what characters she likes to play in games and such

76. How many people in the whole exorcism cram school? More than you think! She doesn't give a number but apparently licensed exorcists also attend classes for new meisters, etc, so there's a wide age range attending

77. How's Arthur feel about, like, studying Taming on the way to becoming Paladin? He's at least mostly accepted that you have to use demons to fight demons effectively

78. Konekomaru started wearing glasses in his first year of middle school, so like 7th grade (more recent than I thought!) He has one spare pair, in contrast to Yukio lol

79. Katoh's current obsessions? Ghost/scary stories! She's even been going to live readings of them recently

80. Media Katoh consumes for inspiration? A wide range of foreign teen drama, horror/suspense, shojo manga, light novels, anime, etc. Special focus on things where two boys are in conflict or there are brothers involved

81. If they weren't exorcists what jobs would they have? Rin - chef. Yukio - doctor. Shiemi - uh, florist?

82. Inspiration for the design of True Cross Town? Katoh and her assistants gathered up a bunch of references, picked out stuff they felt matched the tone, and mashed them all up together

83. Did you use any references etc for the school/exorcist uniforms? She says she probably should have but she just kind of made them up before publication

84. Favorite part of drawing? For color pages, picking out a color scheme. For black and white, drawing in all the little details (though she doesn't always get time to lately)

85. Once again confirms the demon kings' weird hair is a representation of their horns. ADDS THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE DEMONS CAN'T SEE THE WEIRD HAIR

86. Now that Yukio's at the Illuminati, where's he gonna get his Jump SQ and spare glasses? Well he probably never planned to stay for long, but hey it's a big ship and they might have an optometrist and/or newsstand there

87. Do you base the demon characters on any references etc? Not really, she just gets a general idea of popular demon designs and then makes up her own in her own style

88. Merchandise Katoh personally wants to have made: stuff that an adult could just use in their day to day life. Also, it's not gonna happen, but if her favorite figure brand made AoEx figures she could die happy

89. If Beelzebub's host body was a beautiful woman, how would Shima react? Would the womanizing win out over the bug phobia? Katoh replies that Shima would probably just faint from being near a girl that pretty, before the bugs even got involved

90. Will the twins ever get to smile and eat dinner together again?? We'll just have to wait and see!

91. What do you check at a "scenario check"? what's a scenario check man I dunno They check for people being out of character or the setting feeling off. They had a lot of these checks for the anime, but they also do them for the drama CD, games, and all that other stuff where multiple authors are involved

92. Why does Shura use baldy as an insult for people who are clearly not bald? She feels like they have some kind of metaphorical, mental kind of "baldness" and she's calling them out on it. Whatever that means

93. After Blue Exorcist ends, what do you want to draw next? She has SO MANY IDEAS, SO MANY

94. Did Katoh make up the Shinto chants that, for example, Izumo used against Gedouin? They're assembled from bits of actual Shinto prayers according to what feels right in the scene

95. Yukio reads the Jump SQ, right, and, just hear me out here, he likes gag manga, right? Does this mean he reads Salaryman Yukio? It's something he would read, but let's say that in the AoEx universe there's just a very similar manga that he finds oddly relatable

96. What do Yukio and Shima do in their free time on the Dominus Liminus? oh my god you guys this ship has so many amenities.  Yukio probably spends time reading in the library, which they totally have. There's also, like, a gym, and a movie theater, and a THEATER theater, all of which are free. Shima probably hangs out at the pool (!) and goes to the movies, and hits on illuminati girls, lol

97. Easiest character to draw? The ones with boring simple hair, lol. Lightning gets an honorable mention for ALSO not having eyes in most shots, but Rin wins--he was specifically designed to be easy for Katoh to draw because that's what you want in your main character

98. How do demons understand gender? They just possess whatever feels like the best match to how they feel in Gehenna, whether that's a man, or a woman, or a rat, or whatever

99. Where do you start when you're coming up with a story? She starts with character design and how the characters relate to each other. Currently she's just continuing an existing story, so she works on splitting up the overall plot into episodes and fleshing it out with scenes and information about characters

100. When do you feel most happy? She honestly feels like she lives a very happy life overall. Mentions noticing a lot of little things, like how nice her cats' heads smell when she cuddles them or taking a nice cold refreshing drink of water. There's happiness in everything. aww.

[misora-msby]

goddess of love [chapter 33]

(there is a timeskip since the last chapter of about five to six months)

“still... i can’t help but feel a little bad for suggesting all these guys to you and having them turn out to be bad,” kiyoko sighed as she took a sip from her tea, “you really did have faith in me.”

“b- but, you can’t beat yourself up over it! you did introduce me to some really nice guys and the reason we broke up wasn’t because of you!” you insisted.

“i suppose so... still, i wish i could’ve done better for you,” kiyoko gives a slightly sad smile.

you pouted, unsure what to say at this point. perhaps you shouldn’t have relied too much on her, or have called her a goddess because of what she did for one couple.

“i think it’s fine... and i don’t want you to beat yourself up over it, kiyoko-san,” you eventually say after a few moments of thinking, “i’m bad with relationships too, you know! so it’s definitely partly my fault!” you laugh in an attempt to make the mood a little more light hearted.

it seemed to work as the woman sitting across the table began laughing lightly before shaking her head, “maybe it’s both of our faults?”

“yeah! let’s go with that if it makes you happy!” you giggled.

the two of you continued your conversation, chatting about whatever came to mind. from how her life with tanaka was, to how you were excited to try out a new café that had recently opened. though midway through your conversation about yonezu kenshi’s newest music video, a waitress came up to your table, “i’m very sorry to interrupt you two, dear customers, but we have a 90 minute time limit on our café. if you could kindly make you way to the cashier, that would be great,” she spoke with an apologetic smile.

“well, i guess it’s time to get going,” kiyoko nodded to you and daintily dabbed at her lips with a paper napkin, “where will you be heading after this, y/n?”

“ah... i have a free day so i might just wander around or go home...” you shrugged, “how about you?”

“right... i’ve gotta pick up my parents’ pet dog from the vet,” she hummed, checking her phone’s reminders.

at the mention of a dog, your eyes lit up, “d-dog? did you say... pet dog?”

kiyoko cocked her head at you as you walked to the cashier before realising what you were trying to ask. she giggled and asked, “would you like to come along with me?”

“oh, yes please!”

and while you had fully intended on going to coo over kiyoko’s cute pet (who you had only seen in photos), you were currently more interested in the very cute intern at the clinic.

“ah, hirugami... sachirou-san? i didn’t expect to see you here,” kiyoko greeted in surprise.

“oh? you were karasuno’s manager, weren’t you?” the man (supposedly named hirugami) asked.

“yes, i was. i’m surprised you can remember me, hirugami the immovable,” she laughed.

the two continued to converse casually about the old match, as if it had only happened yesterday while it had actually happened just over four years ago. you stood awkwardly behind kiyoko, staring up at the former middle blocker with curious eyes.

the day of that match, you had been watching from the stands and while you did think hirugami was a very good blocker, you never thought much about him as a person. but now that he was standing in front of you...

“i’m going to go bring mocha-chan out. please wait here a few minutes,” he smiled and left his spot at the front desk to go into a different room.

once he had left, you stepped closer to your friend and whispered, “kiyoko-san, please introduce me to him.”

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♡ WOOO LETS GO NEW GUY HIRUGAMI!!!! he’s an underappreciated man lets give him some love ok 😤😤😤

♡ what’re ur thoughts on him tho? owo

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[barnesangel]

Stargazing

Masterlist

Summary: Bucky and the Reader are out stargazing when one of the constellations brings back old memories to the Reader leaving Bucky feeling guilty.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1649

Warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of a death caused by illness

A/N: I had this idea when I was observing the lunar eclipse last week. I hope you like it and if you do, please leave some feedback, it’s greatly appreciated!

(gif was found on giphy)

Bucky laid on his back, one hand behind his head and gazing up at the millions of stars sparkling in the sky. His other hand was intertwined with Y/N’s, his thumb rubbing her knuckles and squeezing occasionally.

He readjusted his arm beneath his head as it threatened to become numb or start to tingle uncomfortably, “Can we see any of the planets now?” He spoke his question with hesitance as he had asked her lots of other questions during the time they’ve been laying there.

But the thing wasn’t that he wanted to know, he needed to know. She talked his ears off day in day out about how great astronomy and the skies beyond earth were. And when Bucky wasn’t there to listen to her, she would latch to Thor’s side and let her curiosity about the nine realms run its course.

Of course, Bucky couldn’t have his girlfriend by another man’s side more than his own. So, he started borrowing her books and read through each of them within a week. But as fate wanted it, his brain couldn’t keep the information saved for long enough and he eventually forgot more than half of it.

“Nope,” she started after a short chuckle left her lips, “we can’t see them now. Not one, which is a shame. There are actually five planets we can see. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.”

Bucky let out an understanding hum, squinting his eyes as if that would cause one of the planets to appear out of nowhere. He relaxed his posture once more, taking in a deep breath while he let the smell of freshly cut grass put his mind even more at ease.

“But,” Y/N piped up again, “do you see this really bright star? That’s Altair, he’s one of the closest stars to the earth and part of the constellation called ‘Aquila’. Essentially, Aquila means ‘Eagle’. The top of Aquila forms an inverted ‘V’ and Altair is near the point. It kinda makes the head and wings of the eagle. A line goes down from Altair which then forms the body of the eagle.”

She pointed at the brightest star in the sky and flailed them around to map out where the eagle was. Once Bucky spotted it on his own and Y/N continued to explain its meaning to him, he turned his head in her direction and smiled to himself when he noticed the passion written all over her face.

Bucky’s brain didn’t exactly pick up what she said but when he heard a hitch in her breathing and her voice break slightly, he furrowed his brow in concern. He sat up on his elbows and twisted his body in her direction, shuffling closer to her.

“Doll? What’s wrong?” His voice was hesitant as the sudden shift in the air overwhelmed him a little. Sure, he knew what to do when she started crying or was in a bad mood, but he could usually prepare himself.

This came out of nowhere.

A few tears trailed down the side of her face and she tried to wipe them away as soon as she felt them. But it was too late, Bucky had already noticed and now regarded her with a worried expression.

She let out a sniffle and rubbed the sleeve of her hoodie over her face in order to get some of her composure back. Inhaling a few deep breaths through her nose and letting them escape her parted lips. She closed her eyes while beating herself up for losing her cool like this.

Y/N kept her eyes on the twinkling stars in the sky so she didn’t have to face Bucky and his pitying stare, “The person that taught me everything I know about the universe, constellations and the other worlds was my grandmother. She had a huge telescope in her backyard and it was the perfect spot to observe the stars and see the moon up close.

Her favourite constellation was the Aquila. She could literally talk for hours about it – what it meant, its origin and so on. She even named her care dog ‘Altair’, she loved it that much.

When I was in high school, doctors told her she had a brain tumour. And while they could remove some of it, most of it remained. A couple of months later she lost her eyesight and it went downhill from there. She died in her home a year after she was diagnosed and I’m still not quite over it.

My grandmother practically raised me. She was the only person in my family that knew about my powers and let me practice them in her backyard. I admired her and everything she did so much that when she died, I couldn’t take it. I refused to acknowledge that she died, I think I still do most of the time. She was the only person that ever fully accepted me for who I was and didn’t back down when I lost control.

I’ll owe her forever and I hope I can make her proud with what I’m doing now.”

During Y/N’s explanation, Bucky moved so he was facing her on his side and propped his head on his hand. His gaze on her didn’t falter for a moment and he wiped some of the tears that spilled from her eyes away.

Every word she spoke hit him deep and caused a wave of uncomfortable pain to wash over him. It wasn’t the kind of pain someone experiences when they physically hurt themselves.

No, it was that pain that starts to grow deep in someone’s chest area and then spreads through the whole body in short waves, pulsating through them like the blood in their veins.

Bucky felt with her instead of for her.

He hadn’t noticed that her crying had stopped and that she was now looking at him with concern written on her face. He also hadn’t noticed that he started crying until he felt the heat in his eyes disappear and trail down his cheeks.

Y/N reached up and did the same Bucky had done for her earlier, she wiped his tears away and let her hand rest on his stubbled face.

The pair stared at each other for what couldn’t have been more than a minute; but to them, it felt like years. Words that neither of them had the courage to say aloud were exchanged with the emotions flashing across their eyes.

The spell was broken when Bucky whispered something. Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as she wasn’t able to hear him, still too lost in his blue orbs and their conversation. Tilting her head to show him she didn’t understand what he said, her head returned to earth and he had her full attention now.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered his warm breath that fanned her face providing her with a calming contrast with the cool night air. She let his words sink in for a moment before she looked at him curiously.

“What are you sorry for, Bucky?”

“Everything. Everything that happened to you and put you through so much pain. If only-“

Before Bucky could go any further, she held up a finger and put it on his lips to shush him. When he stopped talking and peered down at her finger, she sat up and inched her face closer to his with an earnest glint in her eyes.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Bucky. You weren’t there ten years ago so don’t you dare put the blame on yourself. I know you’ve gotten used to doing that with everything, even if it wasn’t your fault. But you don’t have to redeem yourself with me, you never had to.

Besides, I’m okay now. I might’ve lost my family when my grandmother died, but I found a new one. Right here, with you, Steve. Wanda, Natasha – hell, even with Tony. You guys are my family now.”

Y/N lowered her finger from Bucky’s lips and replaced it with her own. She brushed them against his in an almost hesitant motion, parting the moment they touched to see if Bucky had anything to say.

But when his lips chased hers, she smiled to herself at the obvious answer he gave her. Their kiss deepened, and his hand wound itself in her hair as she laid back down on the soft grass. She turned her body to the side and rested her hands on his chest right above his heart, feeling it thump evenly against her fingertips.

The kiss didn’t deepen much as they relished in the feeling of each other’s embrace and the reassurance of the other’s presence. Their mouths moved in sync with one another and Y/N could almost feel everything around them brighten up despite the darkness of the night that surrounded them.

When they parted, Bucky rested his forehead against hers after kissing the tip of her nose eliciting a giggle from her. He grinned back at her and cradled her face in his hands, gazing deep into her eyes.

Suddenly, a movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he turned his head towards the sky. Glancing at the stars still sparkling brilliantly in the sky, he smiled to himself when he noticed Altair shining even brighter than before.

He pointed at the sky, catching Y/N’s attention causing her to look up as well. Once she did, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before muttering into her hair,

“See, your grandmother’s watching us, and she seems proud.”

“I hope she is.”

---

Taglist: @thatsunacceptable - @jitterbuck - @kuro-no-kenshi

Feel free to leave a message or ask if you wanna be added to my taglist!

[thirstdrafts]

Wooing (mortal Kombat)

I made these in Watty, wanted to share here, too. I think about them too much when bored.

All characters belong to #netherealm studio

How would the characters of Mortal Kombat Woo you?  You are a new girl/ boy on the SF team as an assistant and you find that the members are fighting over you.  They all plan to get you to like them and begin to try and impress you in hopes of landing a date.

Scorpion: Turns out Hanzo is a beast of passion.  He doesn't really try to get alone time with you, but makes sure to  leave you flustered with compliments.  He hopes that you will fall for him due to his sweet nothings.  He's a bit shy to admit his feelings without knowing that you feel the same, but truly he is at the edge of blurting it out if you don't start flirting back.

SubZero: Kaui is pretty relaxed in appearance, but deep down he is nervous as hell.  He asks you to join him for some lunch and tea in a quiet space.  He is nothing but a gentleman.  He is awful at small talk, but does his best to indulge you.  You realize that for a ice baring killing machine, he is actually really soft.

Mileena:  Mileena is flirtatious in nature with a hint of danger. She spends her free time knitting and doing needle point.  Only Tanya really knows that... and Hanzo, since he didnt want her teddy.  She wont make you a teddy, not wanting to pour too much time into something that might be yet again rejected, so she under does it and makes you a pair of wool socks.  But they are like the best socks and you adore them.  She'll likely go home and start to make you something new.

Kitana: Kitana doesn't really need your admiration, but she wants it.  She spends her time looking at you from a far over her fans.  She will wait until she gets you alone to have small talk on the beach.  She needs to make sure you are the one.  She has been alive long enough to know that love doesnt always last.

Lui Kang: He is cocky, to be honest.  His main goal is to make Kitana jealous, but it's not really working.  He does like you a lot, though.  Kang is most likely to take you to a fair and win you all the prizes that you want all night. In the process he will find you more desirable.

Baraka:Baraka won't tell you that he likes you.  Since you're human, he is too afraid you will reject him, since he is Tarkatan.  He shows his affection via sneaking into your home and sharpening your knives and pruning your plants.  He knows you wont notice, but to him the little things mean the most.

Bo Rai Cho: He asks you to call him BoBoo and is all together funny.  He actually will share his best booze with you and you know how he is about that.

Cassie Cage: She will try to encourage you to run a marathon with her.  Her goal is that if you train together then you will be around her more.  Maybe that is all she will need to get you to feel for her.  She will act silly while working out and "accidentally"  bump you often. 

Ermac: Ermac urges you to open up to him.  He often gives the best advice and doesn't fuss when you call him Mac.  Sometimes, he will give you piggyback rides while he floats.  He worries he's in the friend zone.

Erron Black: He doesn't sugar coat anything and is completely up front about how sexy he thinks you are.  He takes you to a shooting range after finding out that you dont really know how to fight or use a gun.  Being part of Special Forces, you are not actually part of a squad, rather serve more as an assistant.  He is adamant that only he teaches you to protect yourself.

Fujin: Fujin is actually pretty chill.   He takes you out on long car rides and lets the winds blow your hair.  He took you to a drive in once, but really he only watched you.  You didn't notice, to his dismay.  He insists you wear a sweater when you hang out during the chilly seasons.

Goro: He "borrowed" Johnny's $500.00 sunglasses.  Goro doesn't really know what mortals like. You caught on pretty quickly but found it funny and never let him know.  Johnny is in on it and decided to let it be.  He thinks they look better on you anyways.

Jax:He takes you out to do seasonal things. Pumpkin patches, farmers market, picking strawberries, apple orchards.  He is the expert on this stuff.  He thinks togetherness is the sweeter part of the date.  He holds your hand and carries all of the stuff you get.

Jacqui: She is more classic than one would imagine, but she will go dutch at the movies.  She smuggles in the snacks and you get the tickets.  You movie hop half the day and when you are almost caught she graps you and pulls you out the back entrance.  You're captivated by her laughter.

Johnny:  He's exactly what you would think.  He takes you to diner and then to a club where he buys you as much to drink as you want.  Aside from signing autographs his attentions on you.  He rents a limo to make you feel special and brings you home really late.  He walks you to the door and hopes for a kiss.

Kano:  Kano acts not interested.  He thinks girls/guys like guys who don't care.  Maybe hes right, but he slips up now and again when.  When he does he actually blushes and stutters. 

Kenshi: Kenshi will take you for a walk in the woods.  He will come up with any lame excuse to get you alone.  He also used his telepathy to his advantage.  Knowing what you like to do is important on how he will create dates later on.

Kung Jin:  Jin's a sarcastic ass, but only he can pick on you.  He will beat any of the others up if they try.  He tried to show you how his weapon works and when you are alone he tries to smooth talk you.  He will close in for a kiss and then pull away to make you crave him.

Kung Lao: Kung Lao is timid and doesn't take much after Kang in this department.  He tries to teach you martial arts at night when everyone else is resting and listens to everything that you say.  He worries about being friendzoned, do to his complex, but remedies it with playful nudges and tackling you a bit longer than needed.

Quan Chi: He uses his magic to get you to like him.  He sends flowers to your room via portal and deems it "Room Service. "  He tells you he likes you and wants you to join the netherealm.    You worry that he doens't take your job seriously, but hes really smooth.

Raiden: Raiden is bothered that he likes you, actually.  You being mortal puts him on edge and hes afraid to touch you.  After being around you some time he will open up.  He brings you calming storms while you sleep and if at all possible will cause storms to get you out of doing things that you do not wish to do.

Rain:  Rain is the reason you wont wear a white tee shirt.  He also steals you the best things ever.  You tried to reject them, but he just started hiding them in your room.  He calls them loving treasure hunts.  You are conflicted.

Reptile: He would prefer his own kind, but you are good to him.  He shows you his appreciation in small ways and hopes that you don't find him repulsive.  He brings you back exotic plants from his missions.

Smoke: Smoke is quiet and worse at small talk than SubZero.  Most of the time he only stares at you.  He surprises you one day and takes you to a hot spring far away.  He still won't talk but you understand that he is trying.

Sonya:  She tries to bury herself in work so that she can claim that she needs you for office affairs.  The more you work, the less time you have for the other combatants to get in the way.  She's not great with emotions so this is the best way to go at it.

Takeda: He takes after his old man with reading your mind, but he prefers to venture out into the city and take you to strange, new places.  He's a bit of an adrenaline junky, honestly.  He has to be, with his father,  master and friends trying to knock him out of the running.  Kenshi tries to bring him down where he lacks in court ship and Hanzo is extra rough during training now. 

Tanya:  She is sure to show her loyalty to you.  She puts the others in their places when they get too out of hand, but it is really just a ploy to get you to notice her.

=======================================================================

I might make some one shots out of these.  WHo knWS

[dothewrite]

Can you write soulmates au with the matching tattoo? If yes then can you write a scenario where iwaizumi and reader-chan are best friends, knowing each other since they were childrens and our quiet and introverted reader slowly falls in love with him, but they aren't soulmates. And she doesn't believe in soulmates or true love, because of her parents. And iwaizumi secretly falling in love with her but he found his soulmate (sorry for being specific)

Iwaizumi’s such a cool cucumber all the time even though he’s like, perpetually fiery, so I just gotta make him stumble at something in life. This is 7k of undiluted shame and rambling, but I hope you like it. :) Thank you for waiting!

[Edit: I am SO SORRY that I completely forgot that it was supposed to be a matching tattoo instead of just a soulmates thing. I am an idiot. Tell me if you’d like to read what you actually asked for and I’ll write a drabble to make it up to you.]

You spoke in a voicelike pure-whiteporcelain… the smell of winter.Within my heart, asilently raging stormrose up, along thisdarkened path.Then twinkling starsfell down from overhead…So immersed in them,I was nearly broughtto tears.                      - orion, Yonezu Kenshi

In a world whereeveryone wants to know who they’re made for, or who’s made for them, you’re anodd specimen. There’s sexual orientation, and then there’s sexualorientation, and yours is ‘realist’. Your mother never lets up for a singleday, telling you that it would be lovely if a girl your age would bring a niceyoung man home for dinner once in a while- and it’s okay if it’s a girl! Itmakes you feel a little sorry about your state of affairs each time, and itstings your eyes when you have to tell her that you don’t want to rush things,despite the world’s certainty of its affairs.

She understands, andthere’s a soft sadness in her eyes that makes you rush in and hug her until sheforgets all about soulmates, or the emptiness of your fingers.

“Your father and Iwere a terrible match,” she used to tell you each night if you asked about thelittle red thread tied around your pinkie, and why hers is broken. “I mean, wegave it a go-” and then she’d look at you and press a wet kiss against yourforehead, “-that’s how we had you, my little gem, but it was never for us.”

“Why is it broken?”You’d still persist underneath the covers, and she’d sigh a long, weary sigh.

“Because we brokeit. And then I found your stepfather, and here we are.” She’d look at you withthat longing, hopeful expression on her face, and you’d stare right back withthe wide eyes of a child listening to a fantasy story. “You’re happy, aren’tyou?” She asked this every night before she left your bedroom, and each nightyou’d tell her the same thing.

“I’m happy, mummy.”You’d reply, and she’d start to smile with a loud sniffle. Then that was it,each night, you’d be tucked into bed without further ado and you’d drift offinto dreams about finding your own prince charming, just like your mom had.

Then, a few yearslater when you were all grown up and being led by the hand to your third yearof primary school, people started making fun of you. You didn’t notice all thatmuch, because it was a terrible year and you don’t even remember spending itanywhere with anyone. Young children, including you, didn’t understand exactlywhat having a soulmate meant, only that everyone had it, and it was a funnygame to see who could follow their line the fastest- you got bonus points ifyou were skipping class for it. You always joined in, and you were very proudof your record for being the one who had skipped the most classes, the one whohad made most of their friends laugh because you had that fearless look on yourface that wasn’t suited for searching for romance at all.

Then, third year came,and your thread broke. It started fraying in class when you pickedabsentmindedly at it, and then it got worse when you picked at it in the showertoo, and then when finally one day you had to run back to your house becauseyou forgot your pencil case, you realized that you weren’t connected toanything anymore.

You didn’t go toschool that day. Nor for the next few days to come.

There’s a buzzaround the air that only desperate, decomposing students can create in thenarrow hallways of a high school in Japan. You’ve just come from lunch in thevery crowded cafeteria after all your friends had abandoned you for some lastminute cramming, leaving you to finish your ramen alone.

“Why am I notsurprised to see you so damn calm?”

Once upon a time,you’d start to blush and lapse into silence at the mere sound of Iwaizumi’svoice, but time has done you wonders, like exposure therapy, and although youthink you’ll never quite get over that incredible growth spurt of his, he’s notquite as overwhelming as he used to be. You pull out your notebook from thebook slot on the underside of your desk and wave it lightly at him.

“I have my notesright here.”

His eyes widen,impressed. “Does this mean you actually studied for our quiz?”

“Nope,” you shakeyour head, and a small crease of a smile worms it way up to your cheeks, “butlife must have an end, and I will end with dignity.”

Iwaizumi’s snort isso loud it almost echoes, and you start giggling along with his grin. “Right,shogun. I’ll see you on the other side.”

“You might pass,Hajime-kun, don’t give up just yet.”

“Pass?” Iwaizumilooks at you confusedly, before going ‘ah’ when he realizes what you mean. “Oh,I’ll just be waving to you from the other side of the river of success.” Hisgrin widens, as it only ever does with you. “I’m going to pass, dammit. Ididn’t suffer through Shittykawa’s study sessions for nothing.”

“…Tooru?”

“Yeah,” he raises aneyebrow, “something wrong?”

You shake your head.That satisfies him enough that he gives you a nod and a thumbs up, and walksback to his seat with the traces of your conversation together still lining hiseyes.

It was a little odd.You hadn’t expected him to have studied with Oikawa, not when Iwaizumi hadalready found his soulmate. In his same class, even! Some people are just thatblessed, and she’s quite the beauty too. Most of your friends have alreadytaken to sneaking around, spending time with their soulmates if they knew them,and study sessions were the golden period of opportunity. Even for peoplewithout soulmates, because, this is high school, and everyone wants to date,and socialization is the lifeblood of youth, isn’t it?

The very thought makesyou blush and want to wither away at the same time, because your heart isn’tready for this at all. Not dating, nor the quiz. The class falls into amakeshift hush when your teacher finally strolls in with a mug of something inhis hand, a far too happy expression on his face, and you join in the suddenshuffle of notes being put away and prayers being said. You dare a peek atIwaizumi on the other end of the classroom and he catches you in the act- yourcheeks colouring instantly- but he offers you a crooked smile and you expire alittle inside.

All in all, youthink when you face the blank piece of paper with an equally blank expressionon your face, you think that any quiz is probably easier than being a teenager.

Things are always alittle easier with Tooru around. There’s something to be said about hisresilience against life’s trials, and although you haven’t quite shared thesame crib as him as you did with Iwaizumi (although he did with Iwaizumi too-it’s a weird infant love triangle, now that you think about it), you find inhim a different kind of comfort. You hope he finds some in you too, because yousee the exhaustion that lines his face when he thinks nobody’s looking, and allyou can do is offer a shoulder that you know he won’t lean on.

It’s after school,and luckily you’re on cleaning duty today and Oikawa has volunteered to staybehind with you, despite the fact that he usually goes off to practicevolleyball on his own whenever he has the spare time. You’re not quite surewhat’s changed, but you feel that something has, because you’re sittinguncomfortably underneath his stare as he perches on the edge of your desk, nota speck of shame in sight.

“They’re going tocome by and ask if you want to go for some shopping and karaoke this weekend,”he says without any context whatsoever.

You blink. “Are younot going, Tooru?”

“Of course I am,” herolls his eyes like it’s the dumbest thing he’s heard, “but I’m just giving youa heads up. I offered to invite you but you know Iwa-chan. Has to do everythinghimself.” You squirm in your seat when Oikawa pins you with that knowing lookof his, and he seems find the way your face flushes several hues of pink veryfascinating. “I know, by the way.”

“Know what?” Yousqueak.

“That you like ourIwa-chan.” He hops off the desk and instead drags another chair to sit rightopposite of you. “You’re terrible at hiding things from your face.”

“I thought I wasdoing alright,” you mumble, fighting the urge to hide behind your school bag,“Hajime-kun hasn’t noticed yet.”

“Yes, well, henotices very little,” Oikawa declares boldly, despite the fact that the both ofyou know he’s very wrong on this account. “It doesn’t matter, I’m not here tobug you about it.”

Squinting a little,you peer at him curiously. “Then what are you here for?”

He shrugs like it’snothing to him, and looks out the window with his chin in a hand. “Just to giveyou some company. His soulmate is coming with, if you’re wondering.”

Ah, now there wasthe fresh youthfulness in your best friend. Who in their right mind would skipout on a chance to get to know their soulmate more? Especially when it’s sorare anyone makes the discovery this early in life, you think it’s a terribleblessing and a curse at the same time. Anyhow, none of that is relevant to youanymore, no when you’re no longer privy to that exclusive group of individualswho are looking forward to the rest of their romantic lives, and here you are,having lived several years already knowing that nothing will make the brokenstring on your pinkie whole again.

No, that isn’t quiteit. You’re not being entirely truthful with yourself, and from the way Oikawais looking at you, you know he knows too.

“Do you believe insoulmates?” The question hits you out of the blue, and you gape a little.

“Nobody’s asked methat before,” you gasp.

“They should then,”Oikawa tucks his lip underneath a row of teeth and chews on it, “it’s stupid toassume that everyone believes in the same things. Some men still don’t believein menstrual pain, did you know?”

“I do,” you’regiggling now, and there’s a small tug upwards on his lips, “now only if yourfangirls heard you talk about such things!”

Oikawa shoots you agrin then, a rare one that appears less and less often the more time he spendson the opposite side of Shiratorizawa, and you discover belatedly that you’llmiss it if it ever disappeared. “All I’m saying is that the string doesn’tdictate your life. It shouldn’t, because then what’s the point in getting toknow other people? Idiotic notion, if you ask me.”

“Is that what youbelieve, Tooru?” And he looks down pensively at the crimson thread around hispinkie and his unknown stranger assigned to him by divine intervention. “Youhaven’t been looking for your soulmate.”

This time when helooks at you, it feels like looking into the endless darkness of the universeand in his hazel eyes holds a mystery of life that’s about to be unravelled ina single moment of sincerity.

“I believe that Ican fall in love with whomever I choose. If that person is my soulmate, then sobe it. If it isn’t, then so be it.”

It all comes up toyou in a swift moment, and you feel the choking truth scrabbling for purchaseagainst the sides of your throat and your chest suddenly shrinks from too muchair. Oikawa is still looking at you with those beautiful eyes, and quietly, heasks you again: “do you believe in soulmates?”

In another world,perhaps, you could learn to be half as brave as the man in front of you.

“I don’t want to,”you breathe, and it’s a heavy thing that sinks in between the both of you. “Idon’t want to.”

As such, you’reinvited and dragged along to the group-date on Sunday anyway, because there wasnever any hope of you saying no to Iwaizumi’s earnest face, no matter howgrumpy his brows are. It’s a slightly chilly day, and you’ve not quite dressedas warmly as you wish you had, but you’re ready to spend some pocket money on amuch needed emergency coat.

Shopping turns outto be quite the difficult affair when boys and girls want to look for verydifferent things. Or rather, boys crazy about volleyball and the rest of younormal humans have to roll your eyes and hand it to them- their enthusiasm isunrivalled, so strong that everyone gets barrelled along into shopping for newshoes for their upcoming tournament. You personally have never really been intophysical activity, and you find that part of you a sore point when Iwaizumicomes up to you more than once asking for your opinion, and all you can come upwith is a stuttered ‘the dark grey looks slimmer, I think’, instead of anythingsubstantial. He had looked satisfied with your comment, gratified even,but nothing could stop you from glaring at your own very un-sporty shoes inabject embarrassment for a few minutes afterwards.

Perhaps you had alldreamed it in your mind, his expressions, because when you all finally settledown into a massive booth that fits six people along with at least ten bags ofshopping, Iwaizumi hasn’t glanced at you once. It’s a small place famous forits tonkotsu, very popular with the younger crowd, and the buzz of noise anddishes around you makes you almost dizzy. It feels that there’s barely enoughspace in your head for your thoughts, let alone the sounds of fifteen otherpeople’s conversations.

“You alright?” Aconcerned voice pops up from opposite you and your head shoots up. Iwaizumiwatches you with his stern expression, tinted with worry although his hands arestill firmly pressed to his side. In a bitter moment, the thought that if hehadn’t spoken up at all, he’d look like he didn’t care. Yet as quickly as itcame, you brush the thought away, ashamed of your ungratefulness.

“I’m fine,” you tellhim with a reassuring smile, “it’s just a bit crowded in here.”

He nods slowly, eyesroaming the place. “A place this good is bound to have a full house on theweekend. I’m sorry about the noise. Did you want me to step out with you for abit?”

His sleeves arerolled up, and you can see the string tying him and his soulmate together bunched up like veins along his toned muscle. She’ssitting right next to him, an equally concerned expression on her face, and yourealize that in your wildest dreams, you couldn’t be as wonderful a person asshe could be. To be jealous of something fated- what a pitiful person you are!

“I-”

“-C’mon, let’s go.”Tooru interrupts you with enviable timing and drags you up with a firm butgentle hand on your arm. He bumps into the person on the other side of him, buthe waves the mutters off with an air of confidence. There’s nothing else youcan do but obey, stricken dumb by how right Iwaizumi looks with hissoulmate, and the steps you take feel more like stumbles out of the busyrestaurant.

It’s nearing lateevening and the hum of activity bleeds out into the open street from indoors.People with their bags, their books, hurrying to their next meals, groups offriends you recognize from the year below you laughing and bumping into eachother as they push their way out of the busy department store opposite yourrestaurant. Neither you nor Oikawa are leaning on anything, wary of gettingyour clothes dirty, but his hands are loose by his side and although he isn’tquite facing you, you can feel his undivided attention prickling at your skin.

“Better?”

“Yes,” you take afew experimental breaths, and yes, it is a bit more comfortable out in the openwith fewer people. “It was probably just the oil from the kitchens getting tome. Would you like to go back in?”

Oikawa doesn’tanswer, continuing to stare out at the bustling road and you join him in hissilence. You knew it was probably unrealistic to spend too much time out here,it wasn’t very polite on a group outing after all, but you can’t find it in youto pull yourself away from whatever peace and quiet you can find.

You’re surprised outof your reverie by the loud sigh that leaves Tooru’s mouth and you turn to seehis gaze on you, almost a foot higher than your head. “You two are really amess, aren’t you?”

“I-It’s just me, Ithink,” you stammer, confused as to how to proceed from this less thanflattering statement. Still, you know he’s right, and what’s more, you agree.You are a mess, everything’s a mess, and all you have going for you at thismoment is the hope that when you graduate, maybe you can forget about this messentirely.

Almost echoing yoursentiments, Oikawa announces into the air, “we’re almost graduating. I don’tknow what goes on in either of your heads but time waits for no man.”

“I wasn’t expectingit to…”

“So take it from me,the person who has never had enough time. If you’ve nothing to lose, why not gofor it?”

Nothing to lose?There was everything to lose- your friendship, the quiet trust built up fromsolid years of growing up, his life, and what about his soulmate? Therewas a circle in hell for people who broke two people who looked so wonderfultogether, apart.

What if it didn’twork? What if you’d never have anything more than a broken thread on yourpinkie, and the last chance of being happy had disappeared the day it snapped.

“Your mom would bereally sad if she knew.”

“…What?” You askfaintly.

Oikawa tuts andshakes his gorgeous head like he’s explaining something profoundly obvious to adullard. “You came running to me the day you came back to school, remember?When your thread broke. You were crying and everything- it was horrible, youalmost got snot on my new sweater- but you had that anger in your eyes when youtold me that you’d be happy anyway, thread or no thread, because your mom washappy without hers. So? Where did all that go?”

“I was nine!”

“And you were asmarter kid at nine than you are now at seventeen.” Oikawa replies savagely,and his accusation slaps you in the face with a nice dose of humility. Therestaurant feels a world away now, where you had been planning on lettingeverything be and getting through the years like Iwaizumi had never meant moreto you, and you just know that you can’t go back. You couldn’t bear to be aterrible person and sit opposite his soulmate, whose kindness and innocence youhad come to envy for no redeeming reason at all.

“Go home,” Oikawatells you a little more kindly now, and you nod wordlessly. “I’ll tell themthat you’re feeling sick.”

He doesn’t give youa chance to say anything else, because he spins on his heel and strides backinto the restaurant like he’d never been out in the first place, and slowly,your mind reaches your feet to take you in the direction of your home, step bystep.

Still. ‘Thankyou’, you tap into your phone, and a reply buzzes right back withinseconds.

‘I know’,is all Oikawa replies with, and it brings an unbidden smile to your face. You think that you must be a little blessed at the very least,with a friend like him.

It turns out thatwhen you successfully suffer through the majority of a social gathering only toleave because of ‘illness’, people are either incredibly suspicious, or veryworried. Luckily, your track record is stellar, and the only expression thatturns up on each person’s face as they ask you all throughout the day atdifferent times if you’re alright, is worry. You’ve never had to quietly andvery awkwardly assure so many people of your health in one afternoon before,but the break did you some good. Your mother had immediately sensed somethingwas wrong the moment you walked into the house, slightly miserably, but she hadleft you alone after a few deflected questions and offered you a small tray ofbiscuits as a peace offering. You’d made your way through it slowly as thenight grew later until you were almost suffocating underneath your blanketsbecause of what an idiot you’ve realized you were.

The thing is, theytalk about these things with such ease in stories- those childhood friends goon an adventure and find out the love of their life was right there all along!-but in reality, it’s quite a dreadful experience for you. The harder you try tosolve your stress, the worse Iwaizumi’s imagine in your head gets, and the lessyou want to say anything at all.

It was just a sillycrush, something you really thought was unfair and most likely to never workout, because he’s found his soulmate; you’ve yet to meet anyone your agewho wasn’t with their soulmate. Who were you break anything up?

Then the man of thehour inevitably shows up as you’re trying to make your way back to your desk asinnocuously as possible, and your own unfamiliarity with melodramatics thatkeeps you from gasping out loud in surprise.

Iwaizumi leanscloser to you at the noise, the worried press of his lips the only thing youcan recognize in your swimming vision. “Are you feeling any better? Did you eatsomething bad as a snack or something yesterday?”

It feels like hisworried face is all you see these days.

“Not really,” youanswer with utmost vagueness, growing more nervous with every passing momenthe’s standing in your personal bubble, “I’m alright now, I think I was justdehydrated.” He doesn’t look very persuaded, so you add, “that’s what my momsays, anyway.”

“Good. I trust yourmom more than you when it comes to your health,” he says, blasé, a challenginggrin teasing his mouth and the crushing guilt leaves you quickly at the sight.

Although, he doeshave a point, and the memory of many nights of denial brings an embarrassedblush to your face. Iwaizumi seems to squirm a little underneath your silence,and the bold grin starts to melt off his face until all that’s left is a quietfeeling of awkwardness. He clears his throat, and your eyes flicker up to watchhim underneath several wisps of hair that’s fallen in front of your face.

“I’m sorry to haveworried you,” you offer, unsure.

“Oh,” he looks amildly surprised and shakes his head a little strongly, “well, as long asyou’re fine.”

“…Okay.”

“I…”

Pigs must be flyingtoday for Iwaizumi Hajime to be flustered. He wasn’t even flustered when he’ddiscovered his soulmate, or when they confessed to him, or when he had shruggedwithout a moment’s hesitation. It’s dreadfully contagious, however, and soonenough you’re almost hopping on your toes from how flustered you are too.

When Iwaizumi triesagain in a pained tone, you startle. “Are you… Do you have time after schooltoday? Want to go… somewhere?”

He doesn’t add toit, but his expression is clearly regretting realizing the great irony ofasking you to hang out, the day after you got sick from hanging out. It makesyou almost chuckle, but you keep it firmly under wraps, otherwise it’d blowyour already terrible cover that perhaps you weren’t quite so sick after all.

“That sounds nice,”you reply softly, sounding a lot more confident that you feel. “I’ll wait foryou at the gates, maybe?”

Iwaizumi nods,relieved, and turns away reluctantly, because there’s really nothing much elseto do than to go to class once the conversation is so clearly over. You givehim a little wave to usher him on his way, and when you’re almost immediatelycrowded by a curious Oikawa, you don’t mention how there’s always volleyballpractice on Mondays.

The rest of the daygoes infuriatingly slowly for you, and without the benefit of a romantic windowseat, you’re left to your own devices of actually paying attention to class ina desperate attempt to make the clock turn faster. You think you’ve never beenquite nervous in your life, and the suddenness of his company does nothing tosoothe your nerves. Have you done something wrong? He looked rather like he’dnot do this at all, so it might be bad news. Or maybe he needs to tell yousomething he thinks you might not like.

You don’t know howmuch more tense things could be between the two of you. Unless he’s gettingmarried the moment he turns eighteen. In that case, yes, it could get worse,marginally.

Still, for how muchyou’d been wishing the day would pace itself at least faster than a limp slug,the end of the day comes rushing at you like tidal wave, and you find the bellringing long before you’re mentally prepared for a very awkward few hours.Perhaps he had been putting this off for a long time, perhaps he didn’t want todo this more than you did, perhaps it was just something to be done.

You change into youroutside shoes with the weight of dread pulling at your limbs until you feel asif your feet are dragging you along towards the school gates. There’s a quietcough that you realize is supposed to grab your attention, and you look up tofind Iwaizumi already waiting for you, leaning against the brick. You smile,and faintly realize that he’s grown up so fast you’d barely had time to catchup.

“Let’s go then,” hesays quietly, so you follow him, falling into pace beside him. You’re farshorter than he is, and it doesn’t help your heart when he suddenly glancesback at you and slows down to a speed you’re more comfortable with.

All you can hear isthe blood rushing about your ears, whilst your pulse drains simultaneously witheach block the two of you pass, and still you have no clue where you’re headed.

“Want to get somecoffee?” Iwaizumi asks, almost as if he’s read your mind.

You smile wanly.“Okay. That’s very American of you, Hajime-kun.”

“Right, that’s me,American man with a gun and my favourite food is hamburgers.”

“Now that justwasn’t funny,” you grin.

“Yeah? Then why isit every time I actually try, you’re cracking up and in tears?”

You’ve nothing tosay to that, because he’s right, and you’re so embarrassed you could die. Youdidn’t know it was that bad, that you were that obvious, and you wish that partof you wasn’t so incredibly see-through and flimsy like cling-film. If he noticesthe sudden redness to your face, Iwaizumi doesn’t comment on it.

Whatever he wants totell you, or has planned obviously doesn’t involve the walk to the café itself,and most of it is spent admiring nature and trying to ignore the awkwardness inthe air. Your introverted nature has almost ensured you a lot of practice withawkward moments and moments where you want to run away, but feeling this waywith Iwaizumi of all people is an utterly new experience. One that you wishdidn’t set your nerves on edge, and reprieve can’t come fast enough when thetwo of you finally reach the café, with at least a whole person’s space betweeneach other, and your step falters a little when he holds open the door for youand you can’t quite remember what to do after that.

His amused raise ofan eyebrow still does things to your heartbeat no matter how awkward you’vebecome. You try terribly hard to stop yourself from thumping at your chest tocalm down, which would require possibly a lot of reassuring that you haven’tlost all of your marbles.

“I’ll go get you adrink then. Latte with extra sweet, right?”

“Yes,” and all theblood in your body relocates to your face, “thank you.”

“No problem,” hethrows you an easy smile and you have to quickly sit down in your seat beforeyour legs start to dissolve into the air.

It’s a tense fewminutes alone at the table. If he’s putting so much effort into this meeting,it couldn’t be too bad of an announcement, right? If he’s still smiling, itcan’t possibly be earth-shattering. Your thumbs twiddle almost spastically. Ormaybe he’s just being extra nice because it’s terrible news. Embarrassing,life-changing news that will leave you to salt your coffee with your own tears.

Iwaizumi promptlysits himself down in the chair opposite you, and you immediately shut your mindup. Maybe you were being a little melodramatic. Maybe.

“So, uh, how wasclass?” He tries, clearly jumbled up, and it makes you feel slightly betterabout yourself.

“Terrible,” youlaugh, “I don’t know why I bother paying attention in class.”

“You aren’t laughingat me, are you?”

That man is far tooobservant when he wants to be. You shrug, but the smile can’t quite leave yourface. “Just a little.”

Iwaizumi makes anattempt at looking put out, but there’s a light in his eyes that doesn’t quitedim when it comes to you being cheerful. You wager he knows, what this is doingto your nerves, but he probably is too preoccupied with his own to do anythingabout it.

“I was thinking…” hefinally begins, but pauses abruptly when your drinks are finally brought to youby an amused looking waiter. There’s a terrible silence until the staff memberwaltzes too slowly out of earshot, and by then, Iwaizumi’s face is beet red andhe almost looks horrified at his own thoughts.

“You werethinking…?” You prompt, and he almost sighs disappointedly at something. That’sfor you to do, you think to yourself, but your lips remain sealed.

“I was thinking…would you… oh God this is worse than what Shittykawa told me but… would you, Imean- oh fuck it, I like you, okay?”

You’re not quitesure what Tooru has to do with anything other than the fact that he’s a generalbusybody when it comes to private affairs, but you nod, like to a small child.

“Of course, I’d hopeso,” you tell him. “We’ve known each other for so long, I- I hope you like me,at the very least.”

Good lord, maybethis was what he was going to say. To tell you that you’re still friends, buthe might be eloping. Or dying. Or telling you that he’s actually gay and hopingthat you won’t hate him. Nothing in this world could possibly make you hateIwaizumi, you admit to yourself, and that is probably not a good thing.

He, on the otherhand, looks like he’s about to implode. You’ve never seen him be anything moredramatic than ‘long-suffering’, so this is an incredibly novel experience.

“That’s- yeah, ofcourse I like you, but that’s not what I meant.”

“O-oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Itmakes you want to say sorry again, and Iwaizumi sees it on your face so hehurries to cut you off before you do. “I… I guess what I’m doing is confessing.Just… without the letter, or the chocolates. And this isn’t exactly a rooftopin the sunset either.”

He’s rambling, butit doesn’t matter. You freeze, despite the sudden spike of fight-or-flightresponse that bangs its gong in your head, and this is going all wrong.How- how is that he looks nervous, and you’re being confessed to; youcan’t help it, it’s another sort of reflex when your jaw locks into place andyour gaze jerks immediately to his hand Iwaizumi catches your shift inattention- he hasn’t looked away from you for a second, that brave soul- and hetugs at his sleeve reluctantly, trying to keep himself from covering it.

“I have a soulmate,yeah,” he says, rather redundantly in your opinion, because everyone who’sheard of Iwaizumi knows he’s found his soulmate, and the last time you checked,it still wasn’t you. “I just… do you believe in soulmates?”

“This again,” youbreathe slightly hysterically, and the thought that maybe Oikawa Tooru is thegreat puppet master of the universe crosses your mind several times inoverexcited laps.

“Huh?”

“No,” you respondmore clearly, “I don’t want to.” His expression falls a little, and you quicklyclarify, “I mean- I don’t.” You don’t need to glance down anymore to know thatyour thumb is already reaching towards your bare pinkie to rub at itself-consciously. Iwaizumi follows your movement, and in one heart-stoppingmoment, he pulls his hands off his mug and reaches to grasp your hand in thefirmest grip you’ve ever felt in your life. He gives your cold, clammy hand aconfident squeeze, and you feel the warmth of his palm squeeze your frail hearttoo.

His eyes are burninginto yours and it hurts- whether from the intensity, from your imagination orfrom all the insecurity he seems to be searing away from your soul into ashesthat fall around you like cherry blossoms, because he’s your childhood friend,your Iwaizumi, and if anyone can carry out miracles, it’s him.

“It’s hard to notbelieve in something everyone else thinks is common sense, huh.” He says withaching gentleness, lips curling into a woeful smile that shatters all the wallsyou’ve worked so hard at building, block by block. In just one sentence,without prompting, he has said what you thought nobody else would be able tounderstand. “It’s one thing to live against it, and another to just live…without it.” There’s a pointed silence, and his fingers tighten around yours;you know that instance he’s talking about all the times he’s seen your facetorn up because of your broken string and his intact one, the first gap in thegaping abyss that’s grown between you and the rest of your peers.

Of course, all ittook was for Iwaizumi to bare his soul to you, and the bridge falls andsuddenly, you feel like you can have faith in yourself again. Even if just alittle.

“I got used to it,”you say, voice smaller than you imagined. “Mom, and all. It wasn’t like Ididn’t know.”

The biggest questionis still unsaid when Iwaizumi nods with tender understanding. He’s keepingquiet, and you’re not ready enough to ask it of him yet. In case this is just adream, in case it wasn’t what you had been wishing for all this time.

Miracles, like yousaid. He performs another like it’s nothing, and the words come up without youneeding to spare a glance.

“I… I believed in itat first. Who doesn’t, in the day and age? But…” His voice begins to waver, andin a single historic moment of bravery, you turn your hand over so that you’reproperly holding hands, and you squeeze back too. You hear his breath hitch,and you’re more sure of this than anything else you’ve been. “I… I guess I justcame to love you, more and more. I didn’t realize it at first, because youweren’t on the other side of my string, and even though sure, it’s easy withher, like I barely have to try and we fit, but… you…”

You’re crying alittle. “You make me want to try to fit, even if we might not. Right?”

“Right.” And hesounds like he might be crying too. He isn’t, when you look away from yourjoined hands, the sure expression evergreen on his face, but his voice betrayshim.

“I don’t know muchabout love,” you murmur, “all that I do it’s from my mom or from books, butI’ve always found something romantic in the fact that you get to choose who youspend the rest of your life with. To love again. Who says that we’re onlyallowed one great love in our lives, and everything else will pale incomparison? Why can’t we have two? Three? As many as our little hearts tell uswe need, because we’re us, right?”

He’s silent, cuppingyour every word in his hands like the water of life, and for the first time ina long time, you’re not here with Iwaizumi, your crush. You’re with Iwaizumi,the only person you ever thought was for you, and would probably be for a verylong time. There’s no wealth in the world that could buy genuine understanding-and in a dizzying moment you feel so much more blessed than anyone with a red thread.Despite yours breaking, despite the odds of being born anyone else in theworld, you were born here, in a small town in Miyagi, and you met him.

You hope that heknows that no matter what comes of you two, you’ll forever think him beautifulbeyond compare.

“’Better to haveloved and lost than to have never loved at all’,” Iwaizumi says with a smile,“they used to say that a long time ago. I guess it doesn’t really apply whenwe’ve all got threads.”

“They just assumeyou love, don’t they?” You match his smile with your own, a bit watery but verytouched.

“I’d rather letmyself love who I want, than love what’s just there. Something I had to fightfor, instead of sitting there and letting it happen.”

If Iwaizumi tried topersuade you to jump off a cliff with that amount of earnestness, you would doit without a second’s hesitation.

“You’re making avery convincing argument, Hajime-kun.”

He laughs that richlaugh of his and you feel your cheeks colour again like normal. “It’s onlyconvincing if it works.” He leans forwards like he always does in that way thatsteals chunks of your lifespan. “So? What do you say? Want to give it a trytogether?”

“It’s…” you can feelthe edge of each syllable along the grooves of your tongue, ready to leave yourlips, but they just won’t come, “will it break? The thread. Will it come back?”

He waits, like it’sthe one thing he was certain to come from this whole conversation.

“You… will you beable to go back if you realize you’ve made a mistake?”

Iwaizumi answers youlike god answers prayers- with conviction and a love that can only come fromdeep within. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t change how I feel, and that doesn’tchange what I think. We can try and try again until we find something thatworks. If it doesn’t, I know that I’d never regret it having happened.”

This man is tooblinding, and you barely deserve him. Maybe a few days before and you wouldhave said something very different, but this time your ‘alright’ comes in awhole exhilarated rush and the moments where he pushes even closer to you topress his lips quietly against yours for a mere moment feels like heartbreak-already happened, so intense that nothing could possibly outdo this singlemoment ever again.

“I- we’re in acafé!” You hiss once your brain restarts itself successfully, but Iwaizumi onlyfalls back into his hair with a satisfied grin on his face that borders onsmug.

“Is PDA a no then?”

“No!”

“A shame,” hemurmurs lowly, and something alive curls in your gut from the way his voicewraps around his words like they’ve been coated in syrup, “I’ve always wantedto try that kissing thing that Oikawa always does with whatever girlfriend hehas.”

‘Kissing’ makes yourhead steam with embarrassment, and if you had your hand back to yourself youwould most definitely cover your face with it. “You’ve been spending too muchtime with Tooru.”

“Probably,” Iwaizumisays ruefully, “what’s done is done, I suppose.”

Indeed, it was, andon Iwaizumi’s finger, the red thread lies snapped, on the table, like it hadnever been whole in the first place. It only takes a short glance at yourexpression for Iwaizumi to fall back into sobriety and very slowly, as iftrying not to spook you, he gets up and gently pulls the chair from under you.“Let’s go,” he suggests, and you’re the first to pad out of the coffee shopwhile he gives the table a cursory look over for forgotten items.

The previousconversation falls into a lull, a comfortable one, that accompanies the dimmingsky. You feel like there should be more embarrassment, more nervousness aboutfirst-times after your lives have been flipped over in one single afternoon,but there isn’t. There’s only the feeling of comfort and companionship thattakes its place between the two of you and pulls you closer together likemagnets. There’s a smile on your face while you walk, and his is alight withanticipation for whatever is to come.

First, it’s yourshoulders that bump. Yet, you barely even pause when you feel Iwaizumi quietlysliding his hand over yours and he hooks his pinkie around your own.

“I love you,” hesays into the road ahead, like he wants to say it just once, in case he nevergets to again.

“I-I know,” youcan’t help but stammer, but the deep chuckle beside you emboldens you. “I loveyou also,” you try again, and he hums.

You might never know what it’slike to have a complete thread, to have a destined soulmate, but you think thatin any reality, having someone so wonderful understand you so wholly is theclosest thing on earth to finding one.