cottonlemonade

[cottonlemonade]

Booktok Challenge

word count: 731 || avg. reading time: 3 mins.

pairing: husband!Tsukishima x chubby!Reader

warnings: suggestive

“Soooo, you love me, right?”

Your husband looked up from the magazine he had been flipping through in bed when you plopped down next to him, feet crossed, swaying in the air behind you.

“That strongly depends on how the rest of this conversation is gonna go.”, Kei said.

You beamed because that wasn’t a no and stretched to the side to quickly snatch a book from your nightstand.

“I’d like to try something.” Wiggling the book in his face, you looked at him over the top of the cover excitedly, then opened it to get to a red tag somewhere near the middle.

“No.”

“Baby.”

“I won’t tie you to the bed and degrade you.”

You pouted, mumbling something about him always being mean, but suddenly, when it came to the bedroom, he was a saint. You fiddled with the next red tab and opened your mouth to speak when he shook his head again, “I also won’t take you in a public restroom.”

“How do you know what my tabs stand for?”

“Because while your headphones may be noise canceling for you, they aren’t sound canceling for me. I hear what your booktok girls talk about.”

“Fine… what about…”, you grabbed a blue tab and slowly turned the page, holding the marked passage up to him to read. Your husband adjusted his glasses and leaned in to skim the text, then raised a highly judgmental brow.

“And that’ll make you happy?”

“No time like the present to find out!”

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and closed the magazine in his lap. “Fine.”

“Alright, I’ll need you to be a bit more enthusiastic, babe.”

“I’m cold.”, he deadpanned, shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his sweatpants.

To stay true to the scene you had led him out onto the balcony after instructing him to lose his shirt. Even though it was almost July, a heavy downpour from earlier had lowered the temperature significantly, leading your husband to shiver like an angry chihuahua in the cool night breeze.

“Okay, so you stand there and I’ll lean against the wall.”, you explained, “Kinda like this, I think. Wait. Like this, yes. And then you pretty much… kabedon me, basically.”

“I read the scene.”

You remained unperturbed and continued your little rambling, “And then with your left hand you just grab my chin-“

“I get it, I get it. - I can’t believe I’m doing this. Stand still so we can get this over with.”

Your determination quickly turned into giddiness and incoherent screeching when your shirtless husband did as instructed, and his scowl grew deeper whenever you had to stop him before he could even say his line because him towering over you like that, his long toned arm right next to your temple was too much to handle.

“Who did this to- will you stop laughing? I was almost done.”

“Sorry! Sorry!”, you patted your own chubby cheeks with both hands to regain some composure and looked up at him again - all hot in his annoyance and concern about your sanity.

You had to suck in your bottom lip not to squeak again when he - for the fourth time - slapped his palm against the wall to “trap” you and leaned in close, his long fingers grabbing your chin and tilting your face to meet his eyes.

“Who did thi- are you done? Good. Then stop laughing and focus. - Who did this-“ He stepped back again and clicked his tongue impatiently. “One more time. And if you can’t keep it together we’re going back inside.”

“Okay! Okay. Give me a moment.”

He watched as you took a few deep breaths, then rolled your shoulders and slumped against the wall again, expectantly.

This time when he leaned in close he used his free hand to cover your mouth so you wouldn’t laugh, his gaze unyielding as he recited the all-important line, “Who did this to you?…” Because he could feel a muffled delighted scream bubble under his palm he dipped his head to your neck, keeping your mouth covered as he nipped at your skin. Your eyes widened and rolled back when his legs pushed between your plush thighs. Finally, he let go of your mouth just in time for you to gasp his name as he marked your neck again, just like the character in the book.

[cottonlemonade]

Watched and sobbed over K-pop Demon Hunters. Do I wanna write for it? Possibly. But so I do about LADS. *sighs* Anyway, working on some drabbles to hopefully get back in the groove.

[cottonlemonade]

There is an event at my kinda sorta Alma Mater tonight where I got to paint some book edges!

I painted the “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” books because they said to bring paperbacks and those were the only paperbacks I have.

[cottonlemonade]

Also, lemme yap into the void for a second. There is this song that comes to my mind every once in a while that was the OST to some super obscure horse game I played as a kid (real cool, I know) and just. Why do the lyrics go so hard for no reason at all:

Song: Everything I need - Ingrid Marguerite (it’s not even on Spotify and you can only listen to it with a super low quality MV on YouTube. It has those early 2000 soft pop vibes.)

Mind you, the lyrics have zero correlation to the game.

[cottonlemonade]

Please 🥲

god take all my period cramps and give them to atsumu miya

[cottonlemonade]

“I’m too pretty for academics.”, you whined and slumped dramatically over your textbook, chubby cheek smooshed into the paper. The words on the page stopped having any meaning long ago and with a pout, you turned your head to look at your friend (and longtime hopeless crush) Ushijima.

“Don’t you think I would make a great sugar baby?”

“Absolutely.”, Semi piped up from across the table, “You’re just cute enough to forget all your annoying whining.”

“Oh! - Oh! Is that how it is, Mr “I forgot my hairdryer and so I cried in the showers after practice”?”

“I can’t believe you still bring that up.”

“It was like… three weeks ago.”, Tendou noted, eyes hooded with mischief.

Ushijima looked from one to the other and raised his pen as if in class, waiting for the teacher to call on him.

“Apologies. But what does a sugar baby do?”

You shot up and searched his eyes trying to figure out if he was serious or if it was one of his rare deadpan jokes that went over most people’s heads.

This seemed to be a sincere question, but Semi and Tendou were still buffering, frowning, trying to determine how they should react.

Ushijima went on: “I know a sugar baby gets money from a sugar parent and they get spoiled with gifts and things alike. I know this, because Satori refers to me as his “sugar daddy” whenever I get him a soda from the vending machines. But then what?”

Tendou bit his lips to stop from snorting and Semi apparently tried to jumpstart the one brain cell he borrowed from Shirabu earlier. Since no one said anything, Ushijima asked, “What does the sugar parent get in return?”

Tendou cleared his throat “Well, in some cases - not in ours, though -“, at this point he wagged his finger between himself and Ushijima to make it very clear, “whatever the… sugar parent wants in return varies. Some want arm candy for events, some want saucy favors - intimate favors… sex”, he clarified at last because his friend still seemed lost, “and some just want a feet pic every once in a while.”, he ended with a shrug.

“And anyone can be a sugar parent, right?”, Ushijima asked.

“Please stop calling it that.”, Semi pleaded under his breath.

You and Tendou nodded and confirmed.

“Then… I guess I can also be your sugar daddy, y/n.”

Your face turned boiling hot and you scrunched your hands in your lap to stop from screeching. How did he always say the most unhinged things with the blankest stares?

Even though you turned his offer down, he would still keep coins in his pocket for whenever you wanted a drink, just in case.

a/n: based on a conversation with @haikyu-mp4. Thank you for always being the Tendou to my Ushijima (and thank you so much for adding the perfect final line).

[cottonlemonade]

The fact that in order to write I actually need to sit down and write and not just daydream is such a scam.

[cottonlemonade]

Thinking about how Ukai would be a superb boyfriend during your period.

You’d drag yourself to his store during your precious lunch hour, partly because you just cannot handle sitting at your desk at home anymore, partly because you need a hug and a couple dozen kisses and mayhaps some chocolate.

He’d look up from the inventory books and his face softens when he sees you walk in. You’d shuffle around the counter into his arms and collect the first two or three of the much needed kisses, before wandering around the shelves looking for a good snack to take back with you while you update each other on your day so far.

You watch as he scans the things you picked and then meets your eyes with “That’d be zero yen, please.”

And you almost wanna cry because he smiles so gently and in love. While you put everything in your bag, you talk a little longer, and he grabs a new snack bar from beside the register and opens it for you to try.

You close your eyes in bliss as soon as it hits your tongue because it’s just what you needed. Keishin watches amused as you melt dramatically over the counter, “Oh my god, this is incredible!”

And he just smirks and puts his index finger under your chin to say - honestly, kinda seductively -, “I’ll keep it in stock for you.”

You feel your face flush and your throat tighten and you reply with all seriousness, “You’re so hot.”

And he laughs and feeds you the next bite of snack.

a/n: it’s Ukai yearning hours. Y'all know this is chubby reader. He is such a chubby girlie enthusiast. He’d give amazing hugs as well and rubs his warm hand over your back and everything. Ugh. This man.

[cottonlemonade]

Thinking about Atsumu’s chubby darling running to him after a national match where he barely got to be on the court.

“Ahh, baby, you were fantastic!”

The setter grinned brightly when you jogged the short way across the court into his waiting arms.

“Nah, Tobio did all the heavy liftin’. I just got a few points, is all.” You frowned at this uncharacteristic display of modesty but caught onto his spiel a moment later when he went on, “Ya know, Tobio coulda done that all by himself.”

“No, you were amazing. You were responsible for that match point of the fourth set. You played like a god.”

“Layin’ it on real thick, huh?”

“Are you feeling better?”

He shrugged, “Yea.”

You hugged him again, and he let out a relaxed, deep breath when he pulled you tightly against him, burying his face into the crook of your neck. He knows you’ll always cheer him on, no matter what.

[cottonlemonade]

I need this as a print, please 🥹

onigiri miya pop-up store 〖 illustrated for omakase - twitter: @/miyaosamuzine in 2022 〗

[cottonlemonade]

It’s so freaking cute! Ahh!

the living room is enveloped in darkness when you finally click 'save' on the research paper you've been hacking away at all day, having hardly moved from your perch on the couch save for the occasional bathroom break.

rubbing at your tired eyes profusely and slowly pulling down the bright screen of your laptop, you idly flap a hand toward the cushion on your right side to pet your dog between the ears.

she's been lazing beside you on and off since this morning, revelling in long belly scratches and ear massages whenever your paused to mull over what you wanted to write.

but instead of soft fur, your palm comes down atop skin—a nose, an open mouth, and a line of drool that runs down a cheek.

"wha?!" atsumu startles, shooting up and looking at you blearily, his blonde locks sticking out in every direction.

your dog, meanwhile, sits curled up on the floor instead, eyeing your boyfriend dubiously as he flails. she huffs.

"i think you stole her spot."

atsumu blinks, wiping a hand over his face and yawning, and he looks indescribably soft as he pouts. "yeah, well, i'm next in line for yer attention now."

as if on cue, his phone lights up on the coffee table, osamu's name on the screen.

"absofuckin'lutely not—" atsumu grumbles, leaning toward it to push it further away.

you grab him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him backward, and his face lights up in satisfaction as he falls over top of you, hair hanging his face, his hands firmly planted on other side of your head.

"hi," you whisper.

he grins. "hey."

his lips feather over yours, thumb stroking your cheek.

and then the house echoes with a series of loud knocks from the front door, followed by a shout, "GUESS I'LL GO EAT THIS MYSELF IF YA WANNA RISK TSUMU'S COOKIN' TONIGHT."

atsumu groans, collapsing on top of you, the sound petering off into a defeated whine.

"i'm hungry," he mumbles against your shirt.

"better go let him in then," you laugh.

[cottonlemonade]

Fake Dating [part 2]

word count: 1865 || avg. reading time: 8 mins.

pairing: post-time skip!Asahi x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff, slice of life, pining

warning: spoilers

request: fluffy-spicy, fake dating with crush

[part 1]

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

Asahi repeatedly flopped his head into the pillow of his childhood bed he had long since outgrown.

How difficult was it to say, “No, actually, I think you’re really beautiful and I’d love to have some coffee with you. Very much as a date!” Maybe he should text you. To clear the air. But then again, what if you really only wanted to be friends, and he’d ruin his chance of even just talking to you.

Stupid stupid stupid.

While he marinated a little more in his self-pity, his phone buzzed, and for a ridiculous second, he thought it was you until he realized you didn’t have his number yet. Craning his neck to the side, he grabbed his phone and squinted at the screen in the darkness. It was a new picture from Nishinoya, lounging on a beach somewhere. Asahi gave the picture a thumbs up and wanted to put his phone back onto the nightstand when it buzzed again.

The new text said “Hey, I wanna show you something, pick up when I call!” and Asahi had barely time to finish reading when his friend’s call ID filled the screen. Tired and only about an eighth of the way through his wallowing, Asahi picked up and was met with the bright, tan smile of Nishinoya.

“Buenos tardes, mi amigo!”, he called, “That’s how they say Good afternoon, my friend here in Peru.”

The small window in the bottom corner of his phone showed that only one of Asahi’s eyes was visible. The other was still hidden in his pillow.

“Hey.”, he said, muffled, “What’s up?”

“What’s up with me? What’s up with you! Were you sleeping or something?”

“It’s 3 a.m.”

“So?”

“Nevermind. What did you wanna show me?”

Nishinoya tapped the screen and turned the camera, doing a slow swipe of the landscape.

“Look at this!”

Finally turning his whole face to the phone, Asahi only vaguely made out the stunning white beach with the strikingly blue water that sparkled invitingly in the midday sun - his glasses still sat on the side of the sink in the bathroom, if he remembered correctly - but he got the gist. Maybe he should ask him for advice. Nishinoya had always been self-assured and strangely wise in his own way.

“Nishi,”, he began while the other was still very busy panning the camera around, “I met this girl today and-“

There was a commotion on the other side and the video began to violently shake as if someone was fumbling to catch the phone. The microphone cracked a few times and in between he heard a curse, then finally Nishinoya’s face filled the screen again.

“Proceed.”, he said calmly, and Asahi dropped his head back onto the pillow, half of his face once again hidden in embarrassment.

As he recounted the events of the evening, Nishinoya reacted as Asahi expected - with snorts of laughter and knowing eyebrow wiggling.

“Did you text her already?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well, don’t do that waiting three-day thing. I have come to learn women don’t actually like that.” He absentmindedly rubbed his left cheek as if remembering a slap, then snapped out of it with a small shake of his head and said, “Text her now.”

“It’s 3 a.m.”, Asahi reminded him.

“So?”

“What would I even write?”

“Something like, “Hey, beautiful, this is Asahi, the guy from earlier. Just wanted to tell you that I don’t think we should fake date. How does marriage sound to you?” But you can paraphrase.”

He did paraphrase, then hovered over the send button for a few seconds before pressing it.

Nishinoya, who saw him typing in silence, asked excitedly, “What did you write?”

“Hello, this is Asahi, the guy from earlier, and here is my number.”

“Ugh, come on! I gave you a foolproof template! Fine. Once she texts back, you’re gonna tell her.”, seemingly content with having gotten his point across, he switched topics, “How is Miyagi? Did you see the coach?”

“I did. He told me to send his regards to you. He got the postcard you sent from Norway.”

“Awesome. Man, I could really go for those yakisoba buns right now… do you think Sakanoshita Market ships internationally?”

Asahi sat up straight, staring at a pop-up window at the top of his screen.

“She texted back.”, he said quietly in disbelief.

“She texted back?!?”

“She texted back!”

Quickly turning down the volume on his phone as Nishinoya’s voice echoed through the completely silent Azumane home, Asahi popped in his earphones for good measure.

“What did she say?”, Nishinoya asked urgently.

“Hey there, perfect timing. Just got back from the restaurant and am getting ready for bed. It was nice to meet you. When will you be back in Tokyo?”

“Tell her now. Tell her that you don’t wanna fake date. Tell her, you wanna have her babies! Seahorse style.”

“I gotta ask, do these lines ever work on anyone?”

“It’s all about confidence, my friend.”

Asahi took that as a No.

For a little while longer, he texted back and forth with you about a date to meet - a calendar date, he had to clarify to Nishinoya, before finally saying good night.

Nishinoya was very disappointed that he, Asahi, hadn’t straightened out the situation yet and made him promise to do so in a few hours once the sun was up.

Mumbling something noncommittal, Asahi waved goodbye and ended the call as well. He rolled over onto his back and tucked a hand behind his head, staring at the dark ceiling.

He would tell you. Eventually, he thought.

You opened the door to the busy café a few days later and looked around. Just as expected, Asahi was easy to spot - you already knew he was taller than everyone else around him, but there was something different in the way he held himself as compared to a few days ago in the restaurant. The city air seemed to relax him as if he was back in his element in his well-fitted sports coat and bold colors. His hair was tied back as it had been that night, and black-rimmed glasses and white loafers completed the outfit. You felt slightly underdressed.

“Hey, I hope you didn’t wait long.”, you said as you put your bag on the empty chair next to you and sat down.

Asahi smiled and shook his head, pouring you a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. After ordering your coffees and each a slice of cake, you got down to business, a new page in your notepad at the ready in front of you.

“Alright. If we want to pull this off, I think time management is gonna be important, so we should both know when we’re needed for the other one. How often are you back in Miyagi?”

“At least once a month, usually it’s every two weeks for a weekend. My dad has a carpentry business so I also help him deliver big projects sometimes like a wardrobe or a kitchen. Plus, they lend a hand around the village so much that they promise people my help. And I’m not even there.”, he rubbed the back of his neck.

You frowned a little and matched his awkward smile.

“You’d think your dad has an employee to help him.”

“Yeah… you would think that. But he isn’t exactly… logical like that.”

Turning your pen in your hand to have something to do, you said, “It’s always like that, right? With parents that own their own businesses, I mean.”

“Yeah, it’s as if they’re only waiting for their children to be old enough and then-”

“Free labor.”, you said in unison and laughed.

“My parents do that, too. Whenever I go to visit for a bit I am being put right back to work. Exhibit A, last weekend.”

“Oh yeah, that one time I went over for New Year’s and my exams had just finished and I remember, I had this really nasty cold.”, Asahi said, fixing his glasses, “And as soon as my temperature dropped below near-death my dad told me to help him in his workshop.”

“You’re kidding!”

He shook his head and gave a pained sort of grin with a shrug.

As you leaned back in your chair you scoffed lovingly, “Now, see, and those are the same people that call at 11 pm panicking because they think we hate them because they can’t log into our Netflix anymore.”

Asahi snorted into his water glass and apologized a second later when the waiter stepped to your table to set down a tray with your drinks and food.

A short comfortable silence followed in which you took your first bites of cake, then pushed the plates into the center of the table with encouraging smiles, silently offering the other a forkful to try. When you pulled your plate back to you it almost pushed the notepad into your lap. Right! You’d already forgotten about it.

“Okay.”, you began after taking a sip of your drink and he sat a little straighter when he caught on, “Let’s say you have to go back twice a month.”

He nodded but interjected, “I think in those times we can mostly get away with FaceTime or even just texts if needed. My parents would understand if I don’t bring you back every time my dad has a big delivery.”

Humming in understanding you wrote it down.

“What about family functions? Anything coming up?”

The calendar on his phone was consulted.

“Nothing major.”, he said as he scrolled.

“Alright, then I’d just come with on random visits? - Okay. Let me see. My dad’s birthday is next month. We’re gonna have a BBQ, sooo… I’d bring you along then? That should also give us enough time to tell them that we’re dating and set up a whole narrative. I don’t know how involved your parents would be-“, you paused for a moment and he shrugged.

“I never introduced anyone to them.”

“Never?!”, you asked a bit too loudly.

He ducked his head a little and his cheeks turned pink.

“Nope, it never… uhm… lasted long enough to introduce anyone.”

When you cocked your brow, he turned the question around, obviously awkward about being the center of attention on this particular subject, “What about your parents?”

“They’ll wanna know everything about our first date but afterward they’re gonna be chill. They might ask how you’re doing every so often but they usually lose interest in my boyfriends pretty quickly.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, they… they don’t last long usually either. Or are just kind of… jerks? So my parents don’t really wanna invest energy into them.”, before the mood could dip completely, you brightened your voice again, ”Meaning they’re gonna be absolutely thrilled about you. They couldn’t ask for a better fake boyfriend.” You chuckled a bit. “The birthday is on the third June weekend. We can have our stories straight until then, right?”

Asahi looked at you and his mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to say something but then thought better of it. After another short pause, he said, “Yes. Sounds good.”

a/n: request for @sillytoya

@haikyu-mp4 has been forced to listen to me ramble about this for days and helped me editing like the champ she is ✨

[cottonlemonade]

Haikyuu characters and the Pokémon I think they'd have [Part 2]

[Part 1]

a/n: thank you to @stellar-haikyuu for Ennoshita’s squad and @haikyu-mp4 for overall input!

[cottonlemonade]

Tipsy boyfriend! Suna who gets all rosy-cheeked and snoozy on your shoulder.

Increasingly tipsy boyfriend! Suna who points randomly at the menu to order his next drink, while not taking his eyes off yours.

Almost drunk boyfriend! Suna who severely underestimated the strength of the Long Island Iced Tea and scrunches his face at the taste of the cocktail but tells you unprompted he’ll finish the whole thing to prove how much he loves you. You fail to see the correlation.

Drunk boyfriend! Suna who loses all sense of personal space and public propriety and practically crawls into your lap wanting you to hold him.

Drunk boyfriend! Suna who shows you a private folder on his phone where he collects all the hilarious memes and adorable animal pictures he saves that you sent him over the years.

Drunk sappy boyfriend! Suna who tells you he should have confessed to you when he had the chance and then lights up when you blow his mind by telling him you’ve been dating for three years.

Drunk clingy boyfriend! Suna who doesn’t want to let go of your hand even when you arrive at your apartment.

Drunk weirdo boyfriend! Suna who lays on top of you on the bed because you lost your balance on the way to the shower. He sucks in your cheek and lets it plop back out and giggles when you start laughing.

Drunk cat-coded boyfriend! Suna who props himself up but instead of letting you shower starts kneading the fat on your tummy like a cat making biscuits and is genuinely hurt when you tell him to stop because it tickles.

Drunk cuddly boyfriend! Suna who wraps both his arms and legs around you when you’re finally ready to sleep and while drooling tells you he loves you so much. He’s so out of it, he doesn’t even remember all the evidence pictures you’ve taken throughout the night.

[cottonlemonade]

Fake Dating [part 1]

word count: 1957 || avg. reading time: 8 mins.

pairing: post-time skip!Asahi x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff, slice of life, pining

warning: spoilers

request: fluffy-spicy, fake dating with crush

Asahi was barely listening to what his dad was talking about. In between bites of pork cutlet, he threw glances across the room to you, his eyes following almost in a trance as you weaved through the many tables without spilling a single crumb or drop from the plates and bowls balanced on your arms. With a perfectly practiced customer service smile, you engaged in polite small talk with the regulars of Miyagi before you were called back to the kitchen to pick up the next order.

Asahi pursed his lips in thought at the Tokyo Curry Bun shirt that bulged a little over the waistband of your jeans, wondering if this was simply a pick-up at a thrift store or if you could possibly live in the capital as well. From the way the locals bombarded you with questions, it didn’t seem like you were the usual waitress.

“Your food’s getting cold.”, his dad noted with a knowing smile, and lightning fast reflexes secured him an end piece of his son’s tonkatsu. Mrs Azumane, to their right, clicked her tongue in loving disapproval and placed half an egg in Asahi’s bowl in turn, joking, “Honey, don’t steal his food, he’s still growing.”

His dad jumped at the opportunity, “Any more and he’ll need a two-story home just to stand up straight.”

Both parents laughed. Asahi had heard that line a million times, so he just ignored it, choosing instead to carefully chew a piece of pickled radish while his gaze kept pulling in your direction.

“Why don’t you just ask her out, son?”

“What?”

“That waitress. It’s easy, I’ll show you.”

“Dad, what are you doing?”, Asahi asked, panic rising in his voice as his father lifted his hand and called, “Over here!”

You turned your head to scan the small room for who had tried to get your attention and put on a fresh smile when you made your way to them.

This wasn’t happening. Asahi saw his life flash before his eyes.

“Excuse me, Miss.”, Mr Azumane began good-naturedly, “My son had a question.”

He gestured to him with an expectant grin, and Asahi hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“Another glass of water, please.”, he said.

Looking a little perplexed, you nodded and were about to go back to the kitchen for his order when his father interjected.

“Wait, please.”, and under his breath, still plenty loud enough for you to hear, he said to his son, “Asahi. Come on. Just ask her out.”

“Quick and easy like taking off a bandaid.”, his mom added.

While the horror that both of his parents were actively pushing their fully grown adult son to ask out a girl in front of them made it impossible for him to speak, a middle-aged man came up behind you.

“Is everything alright here?”, he asked and looked from the patrons to you. He wiped his hands on the black apron wrapped around his middle, seemingly having just come out of the kitchen.

“More than alright.”, Mr Azumane boasted, “My son was just about to ask your waitress for her number.”

“Is that so?” The newcomer looked Asahi up and down as much as he could while he was sitting in front of him - although, even then, he was almost as tall as the chef.

“Well, sweetie, don’t be shy. Give it to him.”

“Dad.”, you sighed.

“What? He’s grown up handsome. And you know the Azumanes! They lent us their wheelbarrow when we redid the garden shed for your fifth birthday, remember?”

You bit back the remark on your tongue (you mean, two whole decades ago?).

“You know where he should take you?”, Mrs Azumane said excitedly, leaning over the table and tapping a finger on the plastic water bottle in the center, “There is this uhm - argh, what was it, honey? Like a- a Chinese-fusion restaurant that opened in Sendai.”

“Ah, good idea!”, Mr Azumane agreed, “And I think there is a park with a fountain nearby where you can take a walk after. And no need to hurry back, you two.”

At this point, you wore a blank expression, listening to the unbridled enthusiasm of the parents, searching for some kind of hidden camera that would explain this absurd exchange.

“If you’re still unsure,”, Mr Azumane said and turned his body to his son, but keeping eye contact with you, “look at this!” His hand went to grab Asahi’s upper arm, “Look how strong he is.”

“Give him your number.”, your father pushed gently as if you were a toddler too scared to ask a shop owner for ice cream, “If you don’t remember it, I can give it to him.”, then he muttered to himself while patting his pockets for his phone, “I think there were two fives in there.”

Luckily, saving you from any further comment on the helpfulness of that info, the next round of guests arrived, and you bowed to the Azumane family before hurrying over to greet the new customers.

You stepped outside into the cool evening breeze and took a deep breath. The small restaurant always became so stuffy after a while, the air thick with the smell of spilled beer and smoke clinging to people’s jackets from a quick cigarette break.

A couple of moths fluttered around the warm lightbulb above the entrance, and besides the occasional laughter or call for another drink, nothing disturbed the peacefulness of the countryside. Coming back after spending years in Tokyo, the silence of Miyagi was almost eerie. There was always noise in Tokyo, morning, noon, and night, all hours of the day. Hectic, loud, urgent noise, but here time seemed at a standstill. Since the restaurant was at the edge of town, you could look out into complete darkness that was sparsely dotted with occasionally flickering street lamps. Crickets chirped nearby, a cat sauntered down the sidewalk, quiet as a shadow, and after a while, a lonely truck traveled along the dirt road on the other side of the rice paddies. The sweet smell of wild wisteria that wafted over mixed with the residual smoke from the overfilled ashtray by the door and spelled nostalgia. It reminded you of the many afternoons helping your parents after school and during time off from university.

You closed your eyes for a moment.

Only a few more days before you had to go back to the city, and, while you couldn't wait to see your friends again, the quick Miyagi detox always did wonders for your creativity. It was amazing how many panels you got done this week.

“Hey.”, a calm voice said behind you, but it made you jump a little nonetheless, “Sorry!”

When you turned around, it was the guy from before, the one your parents were practically planning a wedding for already.

“Nono, all good.”

He had his jacket bundled in his hand and his long brown hair, previously falling quite majestically over his shoulders, was now tied to a neat bun.

You felt his eyes studying you before he said, “Sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it.”, you said genuinely and then gave a low sigh before shrugging, “Parents.”

You figured his mother and father were still finishing up inside, probably falling into the typical small-town small talk that could last anywhere between five minutes and three hours.

To fill the silence that followed, you asked, “Hey, you went to Karasuno, right? And played Volleyball?”

He nodded, surprised.

“I saw your game where you crushed Oikawa’s team.”

“Oh, you went to Aoba Johsai?”

This time it was on you to nod, “I went with a friend to cheer on her little brother. Takahiro?”

“Ahh, Hanamaki. The second ace, right?”

You raised your hands in defense and grinned apologetically, “If you say that, I’ll believe you. I have no idea about Volleyball.”

He smiled and turned to look at the night sky as he said, “Man, that game was what - six years ago?”

His wistful expression led to your next question, “Do you still play?”

“Oh, no. That was my last year, actually. Volleyball is great and all, and I love it, but I was never as passionate about it as the other players.”

“Then- what do you do now?”

You had meant it in terms of hobbies, but he replied, with a hint of pride, “I’m a fashion designer.”

“Oh wow! - And here I am still trying to figure things out.”

“What do you do?”

“Nothing nearly as cool as fashion design. After uni, I took a job at a publishing company to help me get a leg up in the industry and, well, I’m still there.”

“What do you want to do?”

You folded your hands behind your back and leaned against the railing separating the sidewalk from the road, facing the entrance of the restaurant where he stood. The metal with the chipped paint was still a little warm for the day’s earlier sunshine.

As you looked at the guy, wondering if you should really just tell your life’s dream to a total stranger, your mouth was already way ahead of you.

“I’d love to have a little bookstore. Somewhere people can come after work or studies to relax. A manga café would be ideal, honestly. I’d have ramen and snacks and cakes on the menu, and cozy reading nooks you can crawl into with a whole bunch of pillows. I could even sell my own comics, and maybe once a month I could have a movie night there for the customers.”, you met his eyes again and straightened, slightly concerned about yourself just spilling the beans to anyone who’d ask. To save what little was left of your mystique, you added, “Or something like that. I haven’t really thought about it that much.”

“Clearly.”, he said as a small smirk came to his lips.

With a lazy kick, you sent a pebble rolling into the small gap between two planters next to the door.

He really did seem like a sweet guy.

“Hey, so… did my dad ever give you my number?”

“Oh, yeah, uhm.”, he put a hand in his pocket to produce a neatly folded napkin.

“But I was gonna throw it out.”

You grinned teasingly, “Why? You don't want my number anymore? We could grab some coffee once we’re back in Tokyo.”

His eyes widened, and his lips parted in shock, and he was apparently at a loss for words. You waited, but he didn’t say anything. A quick pull of disappointment you hadn’t expected yanked at something in your stomach.

You must have misunderstood, you thought, and swerved, “As friends, I mean. And if you want, we can just tell our parents that we’re dating so they stop trying to set us up with random strangers.” You laughed kind of awkwardly, while he still just gaped like an admittedly adorable fish.

To downplay your nerves at having so spectacularly failed at flirting, you said brightly, “Text me, okay?”

Even in the dim light, you saw his cheeks blushing - probably in secondhand embarrassment - as he nodded and then, before he could say anything else, he was pushed out of the way by the opening door behind him.

“Ah, there you are! You ready to- oh! Did we interrupt something?” It took his dad exactly 3 seconds to get back to his matchmaking ways.

“Nope, nothing at all. Let’s go.” The guy ushered his parents down the sidewalk towards their car.

You watched as he opened the doors for his tipsy mom and even tipsier dad before getting into the driver’s seat himself - not before he paused for a moment and gave you a small dorky wave that had you giggle to yourself.

a/n: request for @sillytoya

the biggest thank you to @haikyu-mp4 for lending her brain to figure this one out

[part 2]

[cottonlemonade]

Ahoy lovelies! Just popping in to let you know what I’m working on:

> Asahi multiparter (Fake Dating - request // almost finished the first chapter)

> part 2 of “Pokemon I’d think the characters would have” (lemme know if there is a character you’d like to see on there!)

> Atsumu multiparter (Pokemon AU)

> Noya multiparter (post-time skip)

> 1 more request from the last event (Komori)

> theoretically a Futakuchi multiparter

> and theoretically a Brazil Hinata multiparter as a continuation to the How You Met (imma be so real here, I started working on this May 2024)

> a whole bunch of soft and silly drabbles that are floating as dialogue scraps in my WIP document and voice memo app 😬

[cottonlemonade]

Haikyuu characters and the Pokémon I think they’d have [Part 1]

Friday night well spent, I’d say 😎

Did I purposefully choose increasingly unhinged pictures for them? Absolutely.

(Thank you to @stellar-haikyuu for the fossil idea for Tsukki and the obvious Bulbasaur for Yamaguchi!)

[Part 2]