#((making new tags on the spot like eyy

[dailydolphinsuitjotaro]

I read your aquarium post with Jotaro's voice because it fit him perfectly. You have a great grasp of him, Mun!

(( thank you blessed anon this means a lot to me (๑ˊ͈ ॢꇴ ˋ͈)〜♡॰ॱ

writing it actually helped rekindle my interest in marine science and zoo biology a bit after years of manipulation from my generic tiger parents meme familia forcing me to do medicine. i’ve been reading up a lot more journals on the subject since which has been fun !! so i’m really grateful to the anon who sent me that ask about aquariums in the first place (even though it was probably supposed to be sliiiiiightly confrontational i think haha). bless you fren whoever you are i owe a lot to you

anyway apologies fellas for being less active. some complicated things are going on at home and not sure what the future will bring but hopefully good things will come out of it. bless you and hope yall have a nice day (´,,•ω•,,)♡ ))

EDIT: ALSO I”M REALLY soRRY TO EVERYONE WAITING FOR REPLIES TO THEIR ASKS IM SL oW AS HE Ck ,, , ,

[inonibird]

Sahuldeem/Kaleesh Q&A #4

Here we go again! If your questions are featured here, I’ve included your username in the tags! And do note I’ve also included the spoiler tag. >_> (questions bold; answers italic)

Out of curiosity, what first got you interested in the Grievous backstory? Boy, I wish I had a COOL STORY, but it’s pretty much: General Grievous was randomly brought up in something I was watching and so I started searching around and came across clips of his 2003 incarnation—on two separate occasions over the course of multiple years. It took until the second time this happened for me to latch onto it, possibly because was around the same time as the combined hype for The Rise of Skywalker (which did not live up to it) and first season of The Mandalorian (which did). I very quickly went from “hey, this guy does have a cool design” to “what’s his story?” and the rest is history.

Please tell us so much about Kaleesh biology. How good is their hearing? Are their bones more or less flexible than humans? How much can the average Kaleesh bench-press? How much can Qymaen bench-press? What’s the closest living relative to the Kaleesh in the Kalee animal kingdom? What’s the purpose for the tusks, beyond aesthetics?

I’m in love with your worldbuilding and have about as many questions as Huk Qymaen has killed. Oh jeez, thanks! There are questions here that I HAVEN’T actually put much thought into, oh no! The best I can do without doing some improvisational worldbuilding is: their hearing is at least as good as a human’s; the average Kaleesh warrior can bench-press…uh, more than Sheelal-era Qymaen (sorry buddy); and yeah, tusks are pretty much all about display/aesthetics (they are secondary sex characteristics and...well, more along the lines of “eyy check these out” than “LET ME FIGHT YOU WITH MY FACE”).

Sometime I recommend transliterating Kaleesh words into Cyrillic and running them through Google Translate’s Russian text reader. It’s so satisfying. Долхлава. Какмусмэ. Урукишнугал. Колкправис. Рондеру лидж Куммар. Амаги дин Ку-лиана. Малга Шапра.

(No, I didn’t just spend all night doing this, why do you ask?) First of all, this was really fun to do. It’s still wild to hear these words and names said out loud! Usually sounds spot-on, too. Second and less relevant, I was FAR too proud of myself for being able to remember enough Cyrillic to be able to read all of the Kaleesh words up there. But of course context helps. :’D

You know what would be cool? A picture of the entire Gang together before ... you know. This is something I have indeed considered drawing! Someday… Maybe a candid group photo with some sort of salvaged Huk cam that Amagi and Jindra have just figured out how to make work? xD

So Ronderu’s what, three years older than Qymaen? Two? Three years, weighted closer to four than to two. (note to self: Kaleesh calendar)

I absolutely adore and admire the amount of detail and work that you've put into this fanfic, I really wish this was current canon! This has also gotten me interested in wanting to know more about the Kaleesh–Bitthævrian War and Grievous's grandmother who was in it, while also inspiring me to want to make my own headcanons about it. Thank you so much! It sure is MY personal canon, and I’m so glad there are some folks out there enjoying it and drawing inspiration from it, too. I can’t see myself having the energy anytime soon to flesh out more about the Kaleesh-Bitthævrian War and his great-elder-mother, but it certainly would be very cool to read a short story about it~ ;D (btw, according to the “The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War” article, it was his great-grandmother, not his grandmother, who fought in the Kaleesh-Bitthævrian War. I think Wookieepedia may have been updated incorrectly at some point!)

That is an interesting revelation in the new chapter! I was wondering, is Zigmash & the concept of 'Planet Name' Spice something you created, or are you building off of something from the EU? Ah, so Aza just refers to zigmash as “Kaleesh spice” for lack of a better descriptor; it’s clearly a drug and it’s from Kalee, but it makes it offworld so rarely there’s no general term for it. Zigmash itself is my invention; Kalee’s resources were not considered valuable to the Yam’rii, but that’s not to say they have to be entirely nonexistent! (in this case, there is DEFINITELY stronger, more desirable spice out there in the galaxy; as Aza herself notes, it’s more the scarcity and unusual source that makes it marketable).

Sooooo the kaleesh babies

They are adorable, mother instinct activated!

But then i realized something, read it somewhere else on the Internet that said Grievous had like 30 children after Ronderu's death, any specific thoughts on that I'm just curious👀

(Qymaen doesn't look that fertile but who knows) I mean. Well. Yeah. Give him time. (and…10 wives…) >_> ...Also Kaleesh reproduction ≠ human reproduction, wheee~ ........................You’ll learn more about all of this in Part Three.

What do Zaebar’s and Amagi’s kakmusmal look like? I do plan on drawing them sometime! (that reminds me, I still need to draw clan sigils! augh! so many plans, so little time!) Most kakmusmal look pretty similar, since they’re all carved to fit the general shape of Kaleesh faces, but they use different animal skulls (common to the region) for the base. Zaebar’s is likely from a pakozri, and Amagi’s is made from an amsi.

[pugszler]

personal update <3

hiiii :> 

so first things first, i’m sorry i haven’t been reblogging as much stuff lately. i haven’t been getting as much content as i’d like on my dash recently (bc ppl keep leaving tumblr, switching fandoms, blocking me, etc) so there hasn’t been much for me to reblog. :( i want to get more content but it’s always very hard for me to go searching for new blogs to follow bc i always try to make sure they’re not gross ppl or anything (amongst a bunch of other things i look for when following ppl). 

also i’m super sorry about the lack of bnha content i’ve been posting too. i’m still in the fandom!!! lol i still care about it a lot and i still want to continue to share content (both my own and others’). i just... kinda fell off of doing my usual thing where i check every bnha blog i reblog from to make sure they’re not a gross person before i reblog anything from them. i would initially “like” the post i wanna reblog and then go back through my likes later when i have free time to check the blog, etc. but... i kinda stopped doing that since like october or something bc of my declining lack of mental energy and motivation. :( so i just haven’t been reblogging any bnha fanart bc i’m afraid of reblogging from a pedo or a gross shipper or an e slur stan or something.

i haven’t made any progress on my bnha wips in the past year either... but i DO still intend to finish them, like i REALLY WANT TO!! and i plan to. i just... need to get into the right headspace again. 

i....... am currently working on a new fic right now tho. it’s uh. haha. for a different fandom entirely. (dfkhgdgjfdg it’s a self-insert reader/character fic for an otome game i played recently and i accidentally fell in love w one of the guys oops. eyy switch players, u guys heard of a game called “kitty love”? lmao date the tsundere guy so you can read my fic when it comes out lmao)

on a more personal level, i have been doing... all right. i was in a pretty bad spot towards the end of 2020. Very low motivation to do anything and i experienced a few fallouts with some friends, so that sucked. but thankfully things are a little less stressful now and i’m on some new meds and i’ve been a little more energetic lately! :) 

also i’ve been trying really hard lately to get into a relationship lately? i’m super fucking lonely lol. so i’ve been using okc for online dating. haven’t really spoken to anyone on there lately tho. honestly, i wish tumblr had a dating scene? like. i just really think i’d get along better with tumblr users rather than non-tumblr users, yknow? (cringe, right? lmao) anyway i might look into that more in the future (there’s probably tags for personal listings and stuff idk). might even make a dating profile of my own to post on my tumblr blog for anyone to check out if they’re interested in tumblr dating too?

think that’s about it. pls feel free to hmu anytime, whether you’re a mutual or a follower. i Desperately need new connections and friends, as always. i am Always excited to hear from ppl who like me and want to get to know me! <3 

hope you’re well and thank you for reading! <3

[aiicheerios]

Title: Store bought Pairing: Kuroo Tetsuro/Yaku Morisuke Rating: G Word Count: 3567 Tags: post-canon, established relationship, domestic fluff, baking Summary:

“Wait, so let me get this straight. All this is because neither of us likes cooking- like we always have -and you're too embarrassed to admit that that hasn't changed just because we're in college now?"

Yaku stopped fiddling with the ingredients to fully turn his attention on him. "Yeah. Absolutely. Now you gonna help or do you have something else planned for tonight you astaxanthin?"

[ao3 mirror]

eyy i can finally post this yay

surprise @priintaniere i was your secret santa for the @haikyuusecretsanta exchange!

funny enough i actually love all the ships you listed (you even had my favorite!) but since i never get the chance to write kuroyaku i wasn’t about to pass that up so this was a lot of fun to do!

I hope you like it as much as i did writing/drawing it!

"Uh, Yakkun?" Kuroo looked around their normally clean (due to it almost never being used) kitchen that was now covered in various baking supplies with Yaku in the middle of it. "You know that I'm all for learning new things about you but since when do you bake?" In the past year they'd been living together he'd hardly ever seen his boyfriend cook, let alone bake. Not that Kuroo did either but hey, take out was invented for a reason after all!

"I don't." Yaku answered quickly. "Hey you're free for the rest of today right? Come over here and help me with this."

Kuroo stared blankly at him. "Right... remind me what," he gestured at the accumulation of ingredients "this is exactly?"

Yaku rolled his eyes. "The party. With the guys from Nekoma. Did you forget what we planned oh, four months ago?" He turned his back to Kuroo in favor of searching for something in their cabinets. "Whatever. If you can't it's fine, just try to stay out of the kitchen until I'm done. Don't want you messing up the cake and end up giving everyone food poisoning tomorrow."

The jab wasn't a serious insult but it still bruised his pride enough for Kuroo to feel offended. "If that's how you feel then why'd you ask me to help in the first place?"

"I refuse to use that step stool to reach into our stupidly tall cabinets- where the hell is the- the," Yaku mimed a frustrated stirring motion, "you know, the mixing thing with the wire things!"

"Wire thi- you mean a whisk?" Yaku let out a victorious 'YES!', stating how he'd been trying to remember the name for literal hours with no luck. Kuroo couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's reaction. "You do know that the party's tomorrow right?"

"Why do you think I'm making this now? Some of us can't get Christmas eve off, Tetsuro ." Yaku smiled to himself, pleased at the way his boyfriend's cool exterior crumbled at the use of his given name. Honestly, he always complained about how Yaku never called him by it but whenever he did, Kuroo would become a sappy mess and get embarrassed by it like he was some schoolgirl and not the nineteen year old college student that he was.

"Why do you only call me Tetsuro when you're trying to one up me or when you're angry!" Kuroo pointed accusingly at him. "That wasn't even the point I was trying to make here. Yakkun, you know they'd be fine with us just buying a cake don't you? They're not that picky- not even Kenma's that picky!"

Yaku held up the whisk he'd been searching for triumphantly. "Found it!" Kuroo golf clapped for his personal win and, deciding to humor him, Yaku responded to it in kind with a couple of over the top bows to his audience of one with a cheesy grin.

"And that's not the point here Kuroo."

"So what is the point then? Because I'd love to know."

"The point , is that we're in college now." Yaku moved his boyfriend aside as he went to rummage in the fridge. "We're supposed to be more mature now aren't we? Set an example for our former underclassmen- here we are." After successfully finding the milk he'd wanted, Yaku turned to find himself trapped between the fridge and Kuroo who was not at all bothered by their position. As if he was either, deep down.

Kuroo's arms easily found their place around Yaku's waist and he pulled the libero close so there wasn't any space between them. "We're plenty mature already even without a cake to prove it."

"Mmh maybe, but mature people don't max out multiple restaurant reward cards in a month because they're too lazy to buy groceries and cook for themselves." Using the milk, Yaku pushed Kuroo back two steps. He leaned up teasingly into Kuroo's face. "Don't you think?"

Kuroo was too stunned to try and stop Yaku from ducking around him and back to the kitchen island. "Wait, so let me get this straight. All this is because neither of us likes cooking- like we always have -and you're too embarrassed to admit that that hasn't changed just because we're in college now?"

Yaku stopped fiddling with the ingredients to fully turn his attention on him. "Yeah. Absolutely. Now you gonna help or do you have something else planned for tonight you astaxanthin?"

"It’s docosahexaenoic acid! And I thought that offer was revoked since I'd just 'give everyone food poisoning'?"

Yaku laughed. "I'll give you a chance prove yourself first. If we end up accidentally killing someone tomorrow though I'm pitting the blame all on you."

"You said we, that makes you an accomplice!" Kuroo dodged a crumpled up napkin that came flying at him. He narrowly avoided another as he made his hasty retreat to their bedroom. "I'll be back in a sec! Just gonna shower and change first, try not to miss me!"

"Oh be quiet!" Yaku called after him. "And make sure whatever you change into is clean! I don't want a repeat of the chloroform incident." He grimaced remembering what had happened on that day, at least from what Kuroo had told him.

Kuroo's disembodied groan rung out simultaneously with the sound of the shower turning on. "Babe I told you it was an accident! I didn't know it had spilled on my shirt!"

Instead of responding to him, Yaku spent the entirety of Kuroo's absence retrieving everything else they'd need for the cake. Almost everything. The last thing they needed was the largest mixing bowl from the set Yaku's mom had given them as a gift when they'd first moved in together. The very same one Kuroo had teasingly placed on the highest possible shelf in their already stupidly tall, as Yaku liked to put it, cabinets and there it'd stayed ever since unneeded.

Unneeded until now that is.

Yaku was seriously contemplating how bad the consequences of climbing up onto the counter and just going on his tiptoes to get it would be when an arm that was definitely not his reached up behind him and effortlessly got it for him.

"Step stool not working?" Oh he could just hear the teasing smirk in his voice.

The fully prepared argument on how he didn't- shouldn't have to use that stupid step stool in his own home died the second Yaku got a good look at his boyfriend.

Kuroo's stupidly ecstatic grin could often get Yaku to overlook a lot of things. His amazingly cliched ideas of what a romantic set up was for their anniversary, the sappy send off speech he'd prepared when they'd retired from the club at Nekoma, even the entire week he'd spent trying to make up for accidentally trashing three weeks worth of homework Yaku had set aside thinking it was junk. He could overlook all of those easily, but this?

This was by far the worst one and so Yaku could not possibly be asked to overlook it.

Kuroo was a good looking guy, sometimes too good Yaku would think when he'd catch others staring for too long, but not even he could successfully make the red and green monstrosity he was currently wearing look good. The offending clothing was a horrible green sweater with red trimming and a picture of an anatomically warped Santa somehow pouring milk up and over him directly into a glass that was balanced somehow perfectly on his butt. It was hands down the worst thing Yaku had ever had the misfortune of seeing.

"So," Kuroo smiled wide in anticipation. "What do you thi-"

"I'm staying over at Suga-kun's tonight." Yaku responded immediately.

"Yakkun!" Kuroo tried to call for Yaku but he wasn't having any of it. He just barely was able to catch his boyfriend before he was able to leave the kitchen. Kuroo buried his face into Yaku's hair, hugging him from behind. "Don't be like that babe, you know you love it."

"I hate it."

"'Kay but you love me!"

"Who knows why. You- stop!" Yaku tried to squirm out of Kuroo's strong grip but he didn't budge, only nuzzling closer. A tighter than comfortable squeeze made Yaku groan and Kuroo whine at the noise. "Get off me already! We still got a cake to make."

Yaku was finally able to get him to release by jabbing an elbow into Kuroo's stomach. The former captain doubled over, apparently he'd hit him a lot harder than he thought. A quick kiss on the head in apology was more than enough for him to jump back better than before.

"Yakkun don't leave me for Sugawara," Yaku couldn't help the small smile that formed at what sounded like the beginning to one of Kuroo's sappy statements. "Only I get to hear those cute noises you make." Ah. False alarm. Just for that Yaku flicked him in the exact same spot he just kissed.

Kuroo gaped at him, feigning hurt. Yaku only shrugged. "You deserved that."

"Excuse me? I have done nothing wrong ever."

" Tetsuro... "

Kuroo straightened up into a stiff salute. "Yes sir."

Amazingly enough, even though they absolutely hated cooking and didn't have much of a talent for it, they two of them weren't half bad at baking. So long as they had a recipe to follow made by someone who actually knew what they were doing, of course. Until it came to the actual baking part of the mix.

"Where's the pan we're pouring this in again?"

Yaku nodded off to the side as he went back to mixing their nearly finished batter. "Right there. Where it's been this entire time."

It was not a baking pan. Kuroo picked up the small tray. "Yakkun this is a cupcake tray."

"I know. That was the closest thing we had. Why do we even have that anyways? Neither of us have ever used it."

"Until today?"

"Until today." Yaku did a few more quick stirs of the thick chocolate batter. "I think that's good enough. What does it say to do next?"

"Yaku, you do know that this thing only holds six cupcakes right?" He knocked once on the tray to emphasize his point. "There's no way that's going to last those guys five minutes."

He waved his free hand at him. "We'll just make some more then. Next step?"

"Ok but still, there can't be enough for everyone in that one batch of mix we made,"

"Testsu..." Yaku's grip on the bowl tightened.

"That'd be like telling Kenma he's only allowed to play one game for the rest of his life,"

"Testsuro..."

"Or like telling Bokuto to not try one of those all you can eat meat challenges-"

"Tetsuro- hey!" Yaku scowled at the satisfied look on Kuroo’s face as he popped the finger he'd sneaked into the batter into his mouth. The irritated flush to his face turned even brighter when Kuroo moaned exaggeratedly in delight at the taste. "I hope you get salmonella from that."

Kuroo tried to pull him into his arms but Yaku wasn't having any of it. He stepped further away, holding the bowl protectively to his chest. "Knock that off."

"What? It's good! Besides wouldn't we have to taste test it eventually anyways?" Yaku stared coldly at him. "I'm helping! And might I add, you can get salmonella from raw cookie dough, not cake batter. I would've thought you knew that, Yakkun." In the moment his boyfriend made a move to swat at him, Kuroo was quick to take advantage of the now unprotected state the bowl was in and stuck his finger into it again.

"Will you stop that! You're getting your dirty hands in something other people will be eating tomorrow!"

Kuroo waved him off, thick batter splatting on the counter. "I don't have germs! Besides it's not like I haven't already had my hands in it!" his eyes lit up suddenly.

Yaku stepped back wearily. "...What's with the face?"

Instead of answering Kuroo crept closer to his boyfriend who immediately took a step back to keep the distance between them. "Why're you backing up Mori-kun?"

Yaku became torn on whether to keep his eyes on him or look away from embarrassment. "I don't trust this."

"You don't trust me? I'm hurt Yakkun."

"Not right now with that look on your face I don't. What're you doing?" He eyed him suspiciously. Kuroo hadn't been known as the scheming captain for nothing after all, and while he may no longer be a captain the scheming part definitely still lingered.

"Nothing bad I promise! See?" he even made a big show of making an X over where his heart would be. "Would I ever make you do something bad babe?"

"Yes."

"Yaku..."

Yaku shook his head. "Nope. Nuh-uh, don't even try and deny that one. Just tell me what it is you're planning here."

Kuroo sighed but finally surrendered. "I just thought maybe you were mad because I stole the taste testing job from you. So me being the caring boyfriend that I am, thought I'd offer you a taste as well." Kuroo offered up his finger he'd dipped in the batter up to Yaku's mouth.

Yaku gave him an unimpressed look.

"Come on even if it could give you salmonella- which it can't, I'm pretty sure -I'd be right there besides you suffering."

Yaku snorted, unable to fight off an amused grin. "Well that sure convinced me. Don't ever become a salesman Kuroo, you'd be terrible at it."

"So is that a no to the taste test?"

The worst he could do is just go in for a kiss instead… which isn't really a loss either.

Sighing, Yaku finally allowed his guard to drop and opened his mouth for it.

That was his first mistake.

Instead of sticking the batter-dipped finger into his mouth or even going ahead to kiss Yaku like he thought he would, Kuroo chose to boop him on the nose with it. Some of the batter began dripping down his face. Yaku tried hard to scowl at Kuroo but with the way he looked like he was just barely holding back from laughing at Yaku, it probably didn't look as threatening as he'd like.

"Kuroo..." Yaku's voice was calm but they both knew that was only a front. He could feel some of the batter land around his mouth and could only imagine how ridiculous he actually looked right then.

The former captain pointed at his own mouth. Clearly fighting, and not succeeding at all, to keep a crooked grin from forming. "Y-you got a little... right here."

"Thanks."

"Here let me just," before Yaku could make any move to stop him, Kuroo had leaned down and licked the drops of batter on the seam of his lips. He gasped in surprise, allowing Kuroo to slip his tongue into Yaku's mouth in a brief and sweet, both literally and figuratively, kiss. When he pulled back Kuroo's face was as red as Yaku's felt.

Yaku placed the bowl back onto the island, amazed in his own ability to not drop it during the entire exchange. He bit down on his lower lip, mouth still tingling from the kiss. It wasn't their first, not by a long shot, but it definitely felt like a first of some sort.

"Was that supposed to shut me up?" all of the previous pent up tension and anger was gone already but Kuroo didn't need to know that. Not that he was positive he didn't already. He also didn't need to know how lightheaded that kiss had left him feeling. Hopefully Kuroo didn't already know that either.

Kuroo wasn't looking at him. In fact, it looked like he was making a conscious effort not to look, like it was impossible to face Yaku all of a sudden. He hid his face in his elbow, arm raised so that Yaku could only just see Kuroo's eyes that were determined to not make any contact. It wasn't a very effective disguise since his ears were now burning the same dark red that was probably still coloring his face.

"I- um," Kuroo tried to look down at Yaku but was only able to last a few seconds before looking away again. "I was just planning on messing with you but," he cleared his throat, voice scratchy. "I actually did mean to let you have a taste so that uh, that happened."

Now it was Yaku's turn to try not to laugh, only he was much worse at it and wasn't trying nearly as hard as Kuroo had. It took all of two seconds for him to break and Yaku was doubled over pointing and laughing at his thoroughly embarrassed boyfriend who had let his own guard drop to defend himself, face still ablaze.

"Ok I get it, you can stop laughing now!"

"N-no hold on. You- you mean to tell me you were trying to screw with me," Yaku paused for a fit of laughter. "ah-and you ended up backpedaling so hard that you slipped me some tongue to make up for it?" Kuroo's telling blush was enough for him to have to grab onto the edge of the island to keep his balance as Yaku dissolved into another bout of relentless laughter.

"I was trying to be smooth! You know, sweep you off your feet, make you swoon kind of thing." the sentiment sounded sweet sure, but the means was still ridiculous.

"Yeah how'd that work out for you? You look like a sunburnt tomato Tetsu!" Yaku was laughing so hard tears were welling up in his eyes and his stomach was beginning to hurt. It took Yaku a moment to realize that Kuroo had been quiet for a while and when he looked up after wiping unshed tears from his eyes, he was quickly embarrassed by what he saw.

Kuroo was staring at him. But it wasn't the angry 'are you finished yet?' stare or the mortified 'kill me already' stare Yaku might've expected to see. The way he was being stared at was how Kuroo often looked at Yaku when the libero usually didn't notice, with complete and unabashed adoration and awe. Way too sappy for Yaku to handle head on, but he wasn't a quitter so he wasn't about to look away first.

"What's with that face?" Yaku's laughter calmed down. "I got something on my fa- actually forget I said that." he wiped the rest of the batter off with the back of his hand, some of the previously fading blush returning.

Kuroo was still staring, somehow completely missing the chance to tease Yaku in retaliation. He whined needily. The sound sent a shiver up Yaku's spine. "Why you gotta do that Yaku?"

"Do what?"

"Call me Tetsu while doing that cute snorting laugh of yours. It's just not fair, that's playing dirty."

Using that stupid pout while saying such embarrassing things is what's unfair! Damn you Kuroo!

"And I don't snort." he said under his breath. Yaku's resolve was wearing thin and if Kuroo kept this overly honest act up, he wouldn't last much longer. They hadn't even put the cake in the oven yet!

Yaku reached past him and dragged the cupcake tin over to where he was. "We're not done here. C'mon, you sprayed this with the no-stick stuff right?" Kuroo didn't look completely snapped out of whatever sappy, lovey-dovey mood he was in but he still nodded dumbly to answer him. "Right... then I'll just pour this in and we can finally throw them in the oven and call it a night."

"Uh-huh..."

Pouring out the batter was a good enough distraction for the moment, but Yaku could still feel Kuroo's eyes staring besides him. He wanted to squirm under it but Yaku's stubbornness was not to be tested. The few spared glances he gives him are enough for Yaku to have the whisk in a death grip as he sharply scrapes the bowl's contents into the tin's cups.

"Kuroo if you keep staring at me like that I'm gonna put you in the oven." Yaku finally snapped. He stared Kuroo down, daring him to respond.

"Aw, I'm just admiring the man I love." he didn't miss the teasing lilt in his voice. At least it wasn't the sappy tone from before. "anyway, even if you did shove me in there it wouldn’t be anything compared to my burning love for yo-!"

Yaku smiled, a little glad that his boyfriend was back to normal. "Yeah, yeah, be quiet."

He slid the tray inside the pre-heated oven then turned back to Kuroo.

"So," Yaku took a step forwards so there was hardly any space between them, "we've got thirty five minutes. What now, captain?"

Kuroo blinked in surprise. "Oh so it's captain now?"

Yaku shrugged. He patted Kuroo on the back as he walked around him to their living room. "Just thought I'd help you get a little bit of your pride back that's all." halfway out of sight, Yaku called back, "You coming?"

Kuroo didn't hesitate to scramble after him, nearly knocking some of the mess they'd made onto the floor in the process.

Forty two minutes and six somewhat charred cupcakes later, they had to try again with their leftover batter. Still, it was better than store bought.

bonus:

[cupnoodle-queen]

CHASING SUNS: Chapter 7 Change Hands

1,978 words Oooh look, an important plot development! *rubs hands together* Tagging inspirationals/baes @nifwrites @themissimmortal @blindbae <3

The drive back to HQ was tense. Cam leaned against the passenger window, her breath fogging the glass as she rubbed blood from the corner of her eye with the sleeve of her black undershirt. The gash had clotted for the most part but the spot above her eyelid was refusing to let up. She wiped the glass of condensation.

Cam learned early on that driving in a vehicle with Gladio in such close proximity was the worst thing to exist. More than anything despite how little she knew the man, there was nothing else she’d rather do than reach over and stroke the tattoo feathers of his forearm, following them up and around his back, where the rest of it hid beneath his black tank top. She blamed it on the Astrals; It was all their fault.

Gladio glanced at her while driving a straight stretch, running his palm back and forth over the steering wheel. He contemplated keeping his mouth shut, letting the drive be silent, but decided against it. “Your eye hurt?”

Cam kept staring out the window. “Not really. Shoulder does.”

Gladio sighed. “Right, sorry ‘bout that.” He stole another glance. “Why the hell were you taking on that thing by yourself, anyways? You don’t seem well-equipped enough to -”

“Excuse me?” Cam looked up at him, her eyebrows angled. “What do you mean, well-equipped? I took that thing down with one handgun, if you don’t recall.”

“I-I mean like-” Another look. She was so plain, so ordinary. So, civilian. She didn’t belong in this business. He groaned. “You, haven’t been hunting for very long, right?”

Cam tried not to take offense to his prying look. “No, what of it?”

“Why this one?” Gladio grabbed the hunt flyer in his right fist, waving it. “Why a red? And with a gun? You’d be better off with swords or even daggers for that kind of asshole.”

“Well sorr-y for not being a weapons expert,” Cam flushed with annoyance. “I killed it though, right? So your argument is invalid.”

“Psh, you got lucky and you know it.”

“You really know how to put a damper on things, don't you?”

“Good, maybe you won’t do it again.”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?!”

Gladio’s hands tensed on the wheel. He accelerated a bit, but eased off the gas once he noticed the change in speed. “Just...why put yourself in that kind of danger?”

Cam frowned. “What do I have to lose?”

“Uhh, your life for one thing.” He focused on the road, the telltale winding turns near HQ coming up. Almost there. “Unless that’s, you know, not important to you…”

She never considered herself the kind to let life go just like that, but since Nolan’s death she did feel less safe, less attachment to the living. The most attached she felt was to the man in the driver’s seat, but that was the doing of stars and not her own. “No, it’s important to me. Sorry, just a bad day, err week perhaps…Month...I don’t know.”

Gladio didn’t pry as he exited the tunnel and into hunter HQ, pulling into an open spot near the first aid shack. 

Just as she hopped out of the Jeep Greyson was on her, pulling her into a rib-crushing hug. “What the hell, Cam?! You went on a hunt by yourself?!” He leaned back from her, his eyes bulging at her cut. “Goddammit, are you alright?”

Cam exhaled, stepping back and rubbing her sore shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, just getting it checked out, if you’ll excuse me…”

She ducked into the large shack, Gladio exceptionally close behind her, closing the door in Greyson’s face. Cam could hear his voice faintly from outside, “alright, I’ll wait here then…”

The clinic reeked of rubbing alcohol, though the distinct metallic tang of blood hung in the air. A younger man in a suit covered by a stained lab coat looked up from a magazine as Cam entered the office. “Eyy, just closed down for the night sweet-cheeks, ‘fraid ya gonna need to come back-”

He sat up straighter as Gladio came into view. “Oh ehh, evenin’ Mr. Amicitia, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Gladio stepped next to Cam. “Think she needs stitches, or something.”

Dino got up from his desk and circled around it towards the two of them, his face crinkling when he caught sight of Cam’s wound. “Aye, he rough ya up, dollface? Lemme take a look at ‘dat.”

Cam closed her eyes as he prodded her face, gently separating the cut where it had begun to scab over, checking the depth of the wound. He hummed and ho’ed. “Eh, kinda shallow. Definitely gonna scar, though. Sorry hun, least you’ll intimidate the fellas.”

He reached over to a small caddy, opened it up and pulled out some iodine, wetting a gauze pad with it and taking care to clean the cut without disturbing the skin as he dabbed along the gash. Across from Cam, Gladio leaned against a cabinet full of medical supplies, his expression indistinguishable. Whether lost in thought or just really interested in watching Dino work, Cam couldn’t tell.

Dino soaked up the antiseptic with a clean pad before applying some strips of suture tape to the bad spots. When finished he leaned back, admiring his handiwork. “There ya go, doll. Good’as new.”

Cam offered a bleak smile and thanked him before her and Gladio left the clinic. As promised, Greyson was outside waiting for them. “Fuck, Cam. I’m sorry, I-”

“You won’t be training her anymore,” Gladio announced, his shoulders rolling back a bit. “I’m taking over.”

Greyson seemed taken aback. “B-beg your pardon?”

“If you'd've trained her with proper weapons instead of cop outs she might’ve walked away without a scratch.”

Woah. Cam gaped at him while Greyson’s eyebrows shot up. “Hey, we were getting to those eventually,  she had to start somewhere!”

Gladio scoffed. “Fair enough, but I’ll take it from here-”

“Perhaps I can decide on my own instead?” Cam interjected, crossing her arms. It wasn’t like her to delve head-first into conflict, again something influencing her with it but she steeled herself, sighing and looking at her dead fiance’s best friend. “Greyson, thank you for helping me get this far, I really appreciate it, but I think I have a lot to learn from him.”

She turned to look at Gladio, his eyes...hopeful? It lasted but a brief second, but it was there, just long enough to give her resolve. “Alright, your turn I guess.”

Gladio nodded and stepped back, heading towards the bar. He spoke over his shoulder. “Meet me when you’ve collected your bounty. You owe me a cold one.”

Cam felt genuinely good about herself, the mark on her hip seemed to inject confidence into her bloodstream as she watched Gladio walk away. Greyson’s question pulled her from her thoughts. “What did you hunt?”

Cam whipped her head back to him and smiled, retracting somewhat at the sting of tension against her cut. “Naga.”

His eyes turned into saucers, gaping. “You what?! No fucking way....”

“Yes way.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket, opened it up to the photo gallery and showed him the trophy kill. Greyson’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit, Cam! You took that down by yourself??”

“Yep,” she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit smug. “Three clips in total. It doesn’t like being shot in the face.”

“No shit,” Greyson shook his head with a massive grin. “Nolan would be so proud of you.”

At the mention of his name Cam frowned for a brief moment, though she knew he was right. Nolan would have been proud of her, finally standing up and having a fighting chance. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Cam left Greyson and went to collect her earnings, an impressed Dave almost not believing she did it by herself, but he’d counted out the gil and made a side comment about underdogs and betting oh her more often. “Good to see that flyer finally gone from the hunt board,” he mentioned, rubbing a stubble-dusted chin. “You’ll be making a name for yourself in no time.”

“Just doing what I can,” Cam shrugged.

“All we ask. Anything helps.”

She stuffed the couple thousand gil in a tight wad and shoved it deep in her pocket before stepping inside the bar.

It was a busy night, the damp air outside keeping everyone indoors. Cam located Gladio easily, her mark finding him before she even caught sight the man and she headed towards him. He wasn’t alone, though she was glad to see Steph was nowhere to be found.

“Heya, Cam!” Prompto slid along the booth seat to give her a spot. “Heard you’re really shooting for the stars, eh?”

“Yes, rather impressive a feat you managed to pull off.”

That voice, it was uncanny to a fault. The man who spoke however, was not. “Have we met?”

“If I’m right in assuming,” he began, adjusting his dark shades, “You sold me some beetroots at market, in Lestallum.”

Cam’s eyes widened, realizing the three of them were the same group of friends from that day two years prior. They were missing one, though...She didn’t touch on that. Might be fresh wounds. “Good memory.” She looked him over once more, deciding he at least seemed to be a familiar face, though not in the same condition. “You didn’t um, have those scars though…?”

A heavy sigh. “Correct.”

Prompto took an opportune jab at the three of them. “Sheesh, you guys trying to start a club or something?”

The three of them shared perplexed looks. Prompto groaned. “Uhh, your left eyes? I look like a sissy next to you three.” He left to grab the next round, not before Cam slipped him a hundred gil.

After introducing herself properly to Ignis, she shuffled into the booth and leaned against the wall. She was tired, but something kept her going. The proximity to her soulmate if she had to guess. Cam was buzzing, her knee bouncing and tapping the table as she spoke up. “So, what’s on the agenda for training?”

He rubbed the underside of his dark beard, scratching at it. “Couple of hunts to get warmed up, then I’m showing you how to duel. Best way to get your reflexes up.”

Cam’s eyebrows hiked up. “Duel? Really?”

“Yes, really,” Gladio leaned back in his seat as Prompto returned with four frosty beers. He nodded and thanked him and took a swig. “Sparring with a partner will help you better than any daemon could because you’re matching up with one of your own species.”

“Brutish way to phrase it,” Ignis chided, “though accurate.”

Cam had already begun peeling the label from her beer bottle, fraying the paper edges as she looked up at Gladio. “Alright, what do I need?”

“Use some of that small fortune you just got paid and buy yourself a short sword.” He paused, considering something. “Make that two short swords.”

“Two? That-”

“Gladdy, hun?”

Cam’s skin crawled, the melodic voice ice against her ears. Steph was approaching their booth, a strange lilt to her expression that made her look both sinister and innocent at the same time. She couldn’t trust it. Steph spoke again. “Gladdy, you didn’t text me that you got back. What’s the big idea?”

Gladio sighed, but seemed apologetic. “Sorry, babe.” He rose from his seat to put his arm around Steph. “Cam, this is-”

“We’ve met,” Cam stopped him. She noticed the daggers in her tone so she forced some sensibility in her voice. “Nice to see you.”

“All the same.” Conceited, above her.

Cam’s side flared up. She left her barely dented beer on the table and bid them goodnight, storming out of the bar for the second time that evening.