#akashi's ideal girlfriend

[starsformyuniverse]

|Reconciliation|Bokuto Kōtarō|

Synopsis: Y/n l/n and Bokuto live two completely different lives.Your settling down and in law school while he's still playing volleyball.With a shocking turn of events, will you two reconcile again?

AN: Sorry I been gone!just tired but I'm back and ready to give you guys more of stories! <3

|02: New Beginnings

Chapters:

|01: The first day of forever

You weren't the type to admit things, but this time, you couldn't back out of this one. You tried to shove it deep down, within you. Forget about it, move on with your life, but you know. Everyone knows. You would not even be surprised if Bokuto even knew. You never held anyone as close to your heart as you held Bokuto.

Shifting out of your thoughts, you sniffled and looked at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes were red and puffy, your mascara was stained from all the crying, and your hair was a mess. You looked like you lost a fight with a middle-school girl.

You laughed at that thought as you took a few minutes to do the daily tasks needed for human survival. You did your hair, took the makeup off and brushed your teeth. You threw on a pair of leggings and a blue sweater Akaashi let you borrow. You smiled as you looked way better.

Thank god for Akkasshi

"N/n! Are you coming??"Akashi asked.Snapping out of your thoughts, you quickly tried to find your shoes as you yelled back,"Yes! Hang on !"Akaashi was always so early to things.You on the other hand.. were not.You and Akaashi were going to go look at a roommate's apartment kinda thing. You both knew you couldn't stay there with your ex living there and all.You both also knew you could not stay with Akaashi. Even though you hadn't seen your ex in days, you still felt his presence  as you stepped out into the living room of the apartment you guys shared." Ready?" He asked, giving you a warm smile as he opened the door out into the old moldy hallway that smelled of mill dew and old lady.

You hate change.It generally makes you psychically sick and sometimes really dizzy.It happened once in junior year of high school. You got sick during a big volleyball tournament and got genuinely really sick. You hoped and prayed that whoever this roommate was did not have a girlfriend or anything. The last thing you need is someone's crazy girlfriend up your ass anything to live with their partner as a roommate.

"Look...Um n/n I should tell you now",Akaashi trails off nervous as his eyes dart around waiting for your reaction.

"That apartment that is looking for a roommate… Is an old friend of mine." He trailed off. Your heart stopped. You felt nervous and very worried."... who?"you ask, trying not to make it obvious you were kinda getting worried . Akaashi wanted what was right for you. He knew this wasn't ideal, but he cared about you and wanted you to get out of that apartment with your ex.Your mind raced as he was silent.Who was it?? Oikawa?? No,he's in Argentina.Iwazumi?? He's with him out there. Hinata?? Your mind raced trying to scramble to find who was the candidate but Akaashi mustered up all his courage and with a big sigh and some worry he turns to you and says...

"Bokuto"

AN: Heyyy I am back!<;3

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

What are your thoughts and headcanons about how Akashi would fall in love? Can I ask you to describe an OC that is like Akashi's ideal girlfriend/future wife in a headcanon way? Interview said that he likes elegance and dignity in a girl, so, considering your long, detailed, very accurate thoughts, would you share your thoughts?

I don’t mind at all! Let’s see…actually when I thinkof Akashi’s perfect girlfriend/future wife I think about what I call a “FlowerGirl” (For this, I’ll call the OC “Hana”) Let me now show you what I mean for FlowerGirl:

I don’t believe that Akashi could ever be interestedin a high class girl, he seems to be bored about his own world; evencanonically, he’s always more curious about the “commoner world” of hisfriends. That’s why she’s a normal girl.

She’s been brought up from his traditionalistgrandparents, so she has perfect manners and a deep knowledge of the correctetiquette.

She seems a fairy, straight out from a fairy talebooks. Fair, elegant and delicate traits. Long, soft hair. Thin and tiny, anair of frailty surrounding her. Big, shiny eyes and a kind smile.

She doesn’t wear makeup usually, maybe a light one onspecial occasions. She looks good with everything, but prefers simple butrefined clothes: dresses and skirts with shirts, pastel color are the best onher. Obviously, she takes care of herself and looks always tidy and smart. Shelikes putting flowers in her hair.

She’s a bit shy and gets flustered easily, but she’salso really friendly and generous. Always polite and very kind, ready to help others withoutthinking twice; maybe slightly naïve and innocent. She gets enthusiastic about everything,even the most little things and loves to share her passion with others. Good listener and quiet speaker,likes to see the bright side of everything, modest and sober. Dreamer andpractical at the same time. She can be clumsy, in a cute way.

She’s a lot of patience, however when mad she becomeschildish and pouts in adorable way that it’s impossible to take seriously.Being really stubborn, only a sincere, heartfelt apology can make her smileagain.

She works in a flower shop as a part timer to pay forher studies. She’s going to take a Literature’s degree in the future.

First encounter? I have this head canon that one day Akashi,after a reunion with the GoM at Maji’s Burger, decided to walk home by foot.The others had mocked him for being too spoiled, always coming with a limousine,so he had decided to try to do like them. However, he hadn’t considered theweather and he found himself drenched by the rain when was midway, without umbrellabut too proud to call someone to pick him up. Trying not to lose his cool, hesearched shelter under the canopy of the nearest shop: a small but picturesqueflower shop. Our lovely girl, Hana, seeing the stranger (who seemed a prince)outside the door, dripping wet, immediately let him in, bringing towels and ahot cup of tea. She refused his money as a “compensation for the bother” and justlet him wander around her while she arranged flowers and took care of plants,waiting for the rain to stop. They talked quietly all the afternoon, Akashismoothly conversing and learning more about her. Something in Hana rememberedhim of his mother, maybe her sweet smile or the way her eyes lightened up whenhe laughed. From that day onwards, he stopped taking the limousine and startedstopping at the shop every time she had a turn.

At first she’s slightly struck but how healthy he isand, in particular, ready to spend everything for her. She’s never beinginterested in money or luxuries, so she patiently tries to contain him whilealso assuring him that she appreciates the thought.

Akashi plans their date as if they were war missions,in every detail. There’s nothing he loves more than seeing her excitement, herstarry-eyes or hearing her laughter. He’s also very romantic, borderlinecheesy, and sometimes he exaggerates. She’s now used to it and just kisses himlightly suggesting he has overdid it. Again. At first however, she panicked andget really embarrassed. (Going to Paris for the first date wasn’t his bestidea.)

Akashi loves learning common things from her, how awashing machine works for example, even though he had already planned, whenmarried, to live in a mansion with the appropriate number of servers. She’sagreed to his treasured plan, but only if during University they’re going tolive together in a normal apartment.

Akashi loves to bring her to high society’s partiesand always arranges everything so that she is more beautiful than usual (he’s ashow-off). That said, no man apart from him is allowed near her. She initially feelsout of place and uneasy, but for the sake of his smile tries her best to enjoythem and to impress the others hosts (she often fears not being enough or being considered unworthy of Akashi).

I totally believe Akashi would be the most jealous guyever. The first months they were dating, he paid a bodyguard to follow her andprotect her during her shifts at the shop. When Hana discovered it, she got madfurious and scolded him for an hour and half to make him stop it. He was forcedto agree, but started to pick her up personally (to ease his worried heart).

Even if she’s quite scared of his Emperor’ side, shenever backs out. Does she think she’s right? Then I’m sorry, but nothing willmove her, much to Akashi’s exasperation. Akashi for her is human and with flawslike everyone else (flaws that she knows well), so she never falls for his intimidatingor melodramatic acts.

She’s the Rakuzan Princess, addressed as “Himd-chan”.They treat her like the wife of their mafia’s boss, sheltering her from everything(really, everything. She can’t even bring shopping bags by herself when they’rewith her.) Not that Akashi would have ever accepted a different treatment, butshe truly cares about them.

Hana goes to every single match, sitting quietly inthe first seats. She doesn’t screams or yell, but looking at Akashi playing herwhole face lightens up; she clenches her fists for the adrenaline, her eyesglued to her boyfriend and lips bended in a proud smile. She loves his slenderfigure, the way he moves and rule the court with confidence and charisma. And whenAkashi feels her eyes on him, becomes unstoppable.

After a match, she waits patiently for him at theentrance of the gym and, from the outside, she seems a very refined andcomposed lady, but, when he finally sees Akashi, she literally jumps up. She rushestowards him, stopping a few centimeters far from him, and shows him her most beamingsmile. “Congratulations for you victory!” says and Akashi smiles back, before placinggently a hand behind her head and pulling Hana towards him. First a small,chaste kiss on her forehead as a thank you, then a passionate one on the lipsbecause he loves her smile too much to wait until they’re home. On their wayback, she recalls all the coolest moment of the match and tells him how excitedshe was, sincerely complimenting him.

Akashi is a tease: surprise kisses, sudden hugs, bold statementsin the middle of nowhere…he wants to see her blushing, he wants to see that shewants him. However, he never goes too far, otherwise he knows she’s going topout and force him to sleep on the couch.

He has the habit to mark her with a hickey on the neckto “mark property”, even if she always scolds him for that.

Hana always begs him to play the piano or the violinfor her, curled up on the couch. He writes new pieces just for Hana.

She’s good at singing and Akashi usually tries tobribe her to listen to her voice, since she’s shy. When he plays, sometimes shesings to accompany him.

Akashi teaches her how to play shoji and chess until she’sgood enough to win against Midorima. However, she prohibited him from lettingher win: when she’s gonna beat him, it’ll be only thanks herself. (Akashi wasawestruck and incredibly proud when she said this.)

Sometimes he reads aloud books to help her sleep.

Hana is unable to walk with high heels, but, whenAkashi chooses her outfits for the party, he always picks up a pair of them.This way, he has an excuse to not leave her side for the whole night (and he findsfunny how often she falls, grabbing onto him with a little yelp) and then to bridalcarry her home. He truly loves bridal carry Hana.

-Akashiwants children, dozen of children, because the motherly smile Hana gives to babiesis the sweetest thing he’s ever seen. I bet during her first pregnancy he’sgoing to be the more overprotective and sweet husband ever existed, probablytoo much for her

[hunterartemisanime]

KnB Commentary: Kise Ryouta and the Curse of Being “Pretty Boy” in Shonen Anime

Cheerful, extroverted, happy-go-lucky and sunshine with a face, Kise Ryota is the screen ikemen in Kuroko no Basket. Although Kise is a cult favourite, but I think he is sometimes pushed aside with Momoi. In KnB people tend to focus more on the other GoMs rather than Kise. Here is my take on how Kise Ryota’s character and his types are scorned in Shonen Manga.

Shonen and Shojo manga revolve around two different dimensions: while shonen manga focuses on friendships, journeys and solid characteristic developments, shojo manga focuses generally on the romance parts, interpersonal relationships, appearance and struggles of the ordinary main character. Both manga lauds ordinariness and makes the ordinary extra-ordinary one just by showing that they have the possibility to be sublime. While Shojo manga greatly appreciates male beauty to the point of worship, Shonen sort of looks down on male beauty: anyone who identifies himself as good looking, or wants to be good looking is put down by others around him. Let’s see how Kise fell into the same trap.

Kise is introduced in the story in a very Shojo manga fashion. He is looked from the female point of view of Seirin’s girl students as he walks down the main pathway of the school. That piece of scene almost reminded me Takumi Usui entering school in Kaichou wa Maid Sama. From that point, wherever he goes he is greeted and surrounded by female population en large, much to the annoyance of his team members and opponents. Similar to the effect of “male gaze”, exists a “female gaze” which supposedly decides the desirability of a boy, especially in a high school setting. Kise, being handsome by the contemporary Japanese standards thus somewhat becomes the focus of the female gaze which makes males around him conscious and equally anxious. This phenomenon can be asserted with Momoi’s first encounter in the anime with Kuroko in Aida Gym pool. When Kuroko is hugged by a very beautiful and buxom Momoi Satsuki, the boys on his team lament: “I am so jealous of you Kuroko, hope you’ll die.” This was from a rather “harmless” and “normal” bunch of High School Basketballers, then just imagine how it effects the powerhouse boys with similar primal instinct and with greater ego. Thus Kise is treated with hot-and-cold attitude from males around him: be its his former teammates or current.

Kise is thus definitely an eligible bachelor and he surely knows it. However his self-awareness is without vanity or narcissistic edge. He is shown to be appreciative of female attention and not portray himself as a “playboy” or a “Scorer”; he is never addressed by anyone as “charan poran” (womanizer) in the series. This is a very contradictory attitude in Shonen anime. In shonen anime Male sexuality have very limited outlets: either one should be hyper-celibate and not pay attention to any organism marked as female, or one could be hyper-sexual to the point where they objectify the female form in a not so respectable manner--there is nothing in the Middle. In KnB Akashi, Kuroko and Midorima fall in the former end of spectrum while Haizaki Shogo and Aomine Daiki fall into the latter. Even dating and having girlfriend can make you the object of male scorn: in the anime Grand Blue, the department of Mechanical Engineer has a secret pact to stay single and when they find out that Iori Kitahara is living with Chisa (who is his cousin), they almost throw a violent fit. The male solidarity in Shonen thus ostricise the males who express appreciation in female company and show interest in courting and romance. Kise is snubbed in a similar manner for showing interest in a more feminine side. A same kind of snubbing was delivered to Hiroshi Fukuda of Seirin when he confessed on the rooftop that he wanted to get into the team for dating someone. In Free Momotarou Mikoshiba too, is either ridiculed or snubbed by his teammates for openly admitting to like Gou Matsuoka.

Out of all the Generation of Miracles characters, I think Kise is the most discriminated of all. His discrimination is the unsual kind: he is too important in the plotline to be comic relief like Takao and Izuki and he is too cheerful enough to be the bad boy. So what kind of discrimination does he face? He faces the discrimination for being good looking. Yes, there is a thing to be discriminated for being good looking. I also think Kise has been played within the character of being the “dumb blond”. He is portrayed as “pretty boy” and is expected to limit himself within it. His cheerful attitude is often met with cold shoulder and it is absolutely normalised within the storyline. Unlike other players who greet their rivals outside the courts with a broody attitude and slightly glaring eyes, Kise is the one who advocates “Yesterday’s rivals are today’s friends”. This is a very positive attitude to use in real life to keep the unhealthy competitiveness in check, but it is met with a scorn in the anime. It is shown as if being cheerful is the by-product of being good looking and the former should reflect the latter. This is perhaps the reason Kise’s playing style was completely sniped out of the scene from being “the best of all”. According to the society, a good looking person is just an eye-candy for anyone to drool over and if they have too much agency or talent people enviously comment “(s)he gets all that because of the looks”. It stems from the insecurity of one person having too much social power. The entire thing is very limiting. Kise is not only good-looking, he is acing his modelling career, a field which is highly demanding and taxing and at the same time he is doing well in basketball also in a nationally reputed school. These attributes somewhat gets overshadowed because he is somewhat only identified on screen for his looks. This fact is highlighted with his rivalry with Haizaki Shogo. Haizaki, instead of acknowledging Kise as a player, “marked his territory” by “boning” one of the girls claiming to be Kise’s girlfriend. 

Kise is very much aware of the fact that the swarming bunch of girls are intrinsic to his image, especially as a model and for this reason he tries to be respectful towards them. However, he does not identify the admiration of the fan-brigade with genuine affection. This is the core fact which Haizaki misinterprets about Kise that he derives power from the admiring fangirls. Haizaki despite being the antagonist is pretty much shares the similar prejudice with the people near Kise: that Kise Ryota begins and ends with looks and even his playing style “perfect copy” is less than original. But Kise is not the prejudices that surround him, he is affectionate, loyal and genuine with enough dedication to pursue what he loves. The ideal type of Kise : “a girl that won’t tie me down” says a lot about him. He is eager to meet someone who will respect him for who he actually is and not for his looks or fame. He too is someone who grew out of seeing the surface and judge to observe someone and understand---that is how he started to respect Kuroko at the first place. At the end, when he loses to Touou, he sheds the image of a “cool handsome boy” and cries like a baby in public; something his own captain Kasamatsu or his former teammate Midorima could not do. This shows a lot of courage and strength but also shows that expressing ugly emotions in a public can also be dignified and not necessarily be stripping to masculinity.

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[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hi, I read the post where you said Kuroko knows Momoi and Aomine are oblivious to their feelings for each other. I am 99% sure in one of the Replace novels Kise looks at Momoi and Aomine (in Teikou) and thinks that they are oblivious to their feelings for each other. Why do you think they’re oblivious? Maybe M can be since you can like 2 ppl at once and she likes Kuroko but M has big boobs and A loves boobs, and she likes basketball. I’m really surprised A doesn’t actively want her romantically.

Yeah, I think it was mentioned that Akashi, Kuroko and Kise know.

I think oblivious here is only Aomine really, Momoi is just in denial. I mean she for sure doesn’t like Kuroko romantically and I’m like 99% sure from many scenes, that she's also well aware of that. Now as to why she behaves the way she behaves I can only guess. I always just thought that she’s just in denial of her feelings for Aomine, so she created this whole “I’m in love with Kuroko” theater bc of this. Like as we know Kuroko doesn’t take it seriously and she also knows perfectly well that Kuroko doesn’t take it seriously. 

And if she was in love with Kuroko truly, after the Teiko split she would go with him, I mean bc like tbh no matter how great someones friendship is (and Aomine and Momoi have been friends for forever), if you fall in love, you still pick your love (like Akashi who desperately wanted to take Kuroko with him). Like Shion and Safu can be mega great friends, he’ll still pick Nezumi and go with him, given a choice; Sousuke and Rin - wonderful friendship, but again once Haru was in the picture, it went bye-bye Sousuke. It’s just what happens in real life, too. So the fact that she decided to stay by Aomine’s side, I mean she didn’t do it bc it was the school of her choice or smth.. we know that she’s a very intellegent gal, despite her pretending to be a barbie sometimes, so I think she knows about her feelings for him, she just doesn’t want to go there if you know what I mean. At the end of the day everything that she does, she does for Aomine, whether ppl like it or not. So to me, it’s like she knows about her feelings for Aomine, she just chose to pretend it doesn’t exist, bc of reasons and maybe along the way even also a bit started to believe her own lie.

As for Aomine, well he’s dense af, I mean, it’s been mentioned that he’s so dense, that he’s almost impossible to talk to. Not to mention the fact that he’s always running around with all those boobies magazines and models, so it’s kinda not surprising that Momoi tries to pretend that she’s not into him lol. But yeah, she’s practically his ideal, he always describes, who is right under his nose, so I guess it’s funny.

Aomine is also very bad about noticing ppl’s relationships in general, he doesn’t get it and doesn’t seek one for sure. From what I saw I think he just doesn’t even think its needed. He’s ok with porno magazines and basketball. So he simply doesn’t even consider having a girlfriend. It’s not even about Momoi per se.

They still flirt with each other and act like a couple and that’s what Kuroko and Kise see obviously. Aomine does it unintentionally, I think, like he genuinely probably doesn’t get what he’s doing. I also think he most likely does believe that she’s in love with Kuroko, bc he doesn’t have enough brains to catch the truth as many guys btw who watch KNB.

Like that one homophobic not a long time ago commented under my akakuro vid: “Kuroko has a girlfriend, so stay mad, fags” xD I was like “Momoi is canonically Aomine’s girl, so.. stay an idiot?”.

But I mean, yeah, there are ppl who truly believe that Momoi is really Kuroko’s romantic interest. Guys especially. They probably also read those Niguo scenes like “omg his dog doesn’t like her” lol. I think Aomine is also one of those. But I personally don’t even see Momoi/Kuroko as one-sided, I mean, she likes Kuroko for sure as much as everyone there, but she certainly doesn’t see him that way, I mean sometimes her performance looks close to idiotic and comedic, which doesn’t quite work with the fact that we know perfectly well, that that’s not who she is. 

And there are 3 characters in KNB who hide their real feelings this way btw.

Now some ppl believe that they’re in a “love rosie” kind of situation, when bc they were friends for so long that they tend to overlook each other as romantic partners, but I honestly don’t see it like that. I wasn’t surprised when I found out that they’re canonically intended couple, bc they’re really written like this. I definitely didn’t see them as “they behave like siblings”. And I don’t know what sibling would look for so long under their sister’s skirt and comment “that’s pretty bold of you to wear such underwear today”, but like to each their own xD

Tbh I very much approve, bc they’re not one of those gooey, pinky, dumb hetero relationships in animes, that I don’t even know where their feelings came from, you know. I mean, she handles him perfectly and loves him despite knowing all of his flaws and still wants to stick around and she’s practically the girl of his dreams, so I mean, in KNB I’m surprisingly like okay with all the who author thought belongs with whom situations.

[katsukisbimbo]

Ayah can i get the types of S/O that would be good for the GOM??

hi love! so sorry!! i don’t take requests anymore because i’m focusing on my smaus. hope you understand!! but lemme indulge jus bc

kise

i feel like kise would want a girl who would appreciate his beauty but also put him in his place. he’d want someone who would understand his busy schedule and still cheer him on even thought he’s kind of neglecting them. kise is a very nice boy who knows his morals and i feel like he’d want someone like that as well. also they’d have to be chill with his somewhat flirty attitude and not take it seriously or just put him in his place.

murasakibara

this boy LOVES to mf eat bro. he wants someone who knows how to cook and lets him indulge in his snacks bc if he doesn’t get his snacks someone is going to get crushed. i also feel like he would want someone who would baby him?? like he’d want someone who would watch out for him and take care of him, even though he wouldn’t say it out loud. he would want a s/o that’s very mother like and gentle, the complete opposite of this giant.

aomine

don’t EVEN get me started on this. he’s such a dick i love him. he OBVIOUSLY wants someone with big yiddies. no questions asked. but if he falls for your personality i don’t really think he’d care for you physical appearance. he would also love it if he had a s/o who plays ball like him and WITH him. especially if they had the same style of playing,, bruh daiki would go HAM like literally no mercy. also he wants someone who’ll FEED him like someone PLEASE feed these giants they’re STARVING.

midorima

this baby. this daikon. this carrot. this man is amazing ily yaddy. i feel like he’d want a s/o whos kinda like takao but more calm. i mean,, they say that your ideal type is your bestfriend in whatever gender you prefer. he would need a s/o who would understand his beliefs of horoscopes and would probably rope them into it too. he would want a s/o that’s smart and doesn’t really get into trouble.

kuroko

this baby would love an outgoing s/o. like i said,,, your ideal type is your bestfriend in whatever gender you prefer them in. kuroko is always surrounded by very outgoing people so i feel like he’d want his s/o to be outgoing as well. but his s/o would have to know and understand his limits with social interactions because i know bb gets tired and just wants to go home and cuddle. aLSO CUDDLES!! GIVE HIM CUDDLES!!

akashi

this is my literal daddy. but anyways. he wants a s/o that’s a mix of sophisticated but also chill. like when it’s emperor daddy akashi he’d be super strict and want his girlfriend to behave and not embarrass him. but when he reverts back he’s more carefree and happy basically. he would also like a s/o who has an interest in basketball so that he can teach them and would also like his s/o to cheer for him and tell him he did a good job bc baby needs love.

[dragon-star-light-knb]

Your First Kiss With Him

Full disclosure I can’t write kiss scenes so I’m sorry for this mess.

Akashi:

You watched your boyfriend working on something for the student council. You were thinking about what one of your friends asked you earlier. It was if you Akashi have kissed yet and you had to answer no because you hadn't. Sure, you had kissed guys before because you had a few boyfriends before this but there was no spark, and you were worried that it would be like that if you kissed Akashi.

You didn't want that to happen. You loved being around him and talking to him. He was perfect and seemed to click with your personality; granted you haven't told him everything but you weren't ready for that yet. Anyway back to the problem, you wanted to kiss him but weren't sure how to go about it.

"Is there something wrong?" Akaski questions grabbing your attention.

"Nothing just thinking about something." You reply waving your hand dismissively not paying much attention to him.

"What was that something?"

"Kissing." Your eyes widen at what you just said. You cover you mouth with your hand say a couple of curse words in your head.

Akaski stands up smirking and walks over to you. "If you wanted to kiss me that bad you could have just asked." He leans over the desk and kisses you. You eyes widen in shock and melt in to the kiss; you could feel the spark. You run out of breath and pull away blushing hard core.

"I have to um..... Help fill water bottles." You grab your bag bolting out of the room. Akaski starts laughing as you run away. Basketball practice had gotten over already plus your reaction to the whole thing had been adorable. He had to admit you weren't that bad of kisser either.

Aomine:

Aomine never had been one for waiting and you weren't either. So it confused those around you why you were waiting to kiss your boyfriend. You weren't the one waiting it was Aomine. Honestly you didn't understand and you had tried, but it was Aomine who was avoiding it. You couldn't figure out why he was so nervous to kiss you. You figured do he had his first kiss already and has much as he boosts about himself you would be shocked if he didn't.

You were done with beating around the bush and decided to do something a little bit reckless and foolish. You decide to to trap Aomine in into a spot he couldn't get out of just kiss him there and then solving the problem once and all.

.

.

.

Hopefully.

You found him on the roof and took this as golden opportunity. This was only going to work once and if he did catch on to what you were planning well you choose not think about it. You approached the sleeping man like a ninja. You placed your hands on his shoulders making him wake up. Before he knew what was happening you leaned in and kissed him.

Aomine eyes open wide in shock, but he relaxed and kissed back seeing that it was you kissing him and not some random girl. You pull away and bolt to the door laughing. Aomine gets up and chases after no way you were getting away not without kissing him again.

Kagami:

Kagami was acting super jumpy and you couldn't understand why. Every time he talked to you he seemed to want to ask you something, but he would panic and run off. This was happening all week and you had enough of it. You trapped him after basketball practice in the guys locker room. It wasn't the ideal spot, but you were going to take what you could get.

"What have you trying to ask me all week Kagami?" Cutting straight to the point.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do and if you don't so help I will make your life a living hell."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me, you may be my boyfriend but trust me you don't want to make me mad."

"I wanted to ask if it is ok to kiss you." Your eyes widen at the information. A huge smile makes it way on to your face and tackle your boyfriend in a hug. You nod your head and press your lips to his. It was the best feeling in the world.

Kise:

You watch as your hyperactive boy friend reads a cute and sweet story that he wrote out loud to the class for a project we had to do. It was all about this guy wanting to kiss his girlfriend for the first time, but every time he tried his girlfriend would become distracted by something or someone. It was unknown to you that the story was about you and Kise.

After class got over you asked him about the story. "Did the guy ever kiss his girlfriend?"

"Do you want to find out?"

"Yes." Kise leans in a gives you a peck on the lips. "See you later (F/N)-chii!!!" Leaving you a blushing mess and putting two and two together.

Kuroko:

You skip down the hall to the gym. It was Wednesday so you and Kuroko would go and get milkshakes. Kuroko was waiting for you by the door. You smile and wave excitedly running over to him.

"Hi Testu..." Before you could react you were falling forward. You could see the ground coming and you braced yourself for impact. It all happened so slow before you realized it Kuroko was trying to catch you. But the force was to much and you took him out with you.

Opening your eyes slowly you see that you are centimeters away from his face. Both of you look into each other's eyes with longing. You lean down and kiss him. You brain was yelling at you that you are crazy and you needed to get away, but you know, you didn't listen. You felt Kuroko kiss you back and sparks flew.

Midorima:

It had been a strange morning. Your brother, the Cancer one, had given you a kiss on the forehead. On top of that one the Cancer regulars had give you a kiss on the hand. You didn't understand, but your Aunt said you would get it as soon as you saw your boyfriend.  With a pink scarf around your neck you headed off to school confused and lost. You rushed around the school trying to find your boyfriend with no luck. You had given up a walked into class.

It was one more minute before class started and he still wasn't there. Suddenly the door opens and Midorima walks in, but the thing was there was blue paint splattered all over him, his shoes were wet, and there was um.... Bird poop on his jacket. He looked incredible pissed off and as soon as he saw you he stomped over pulled on your scarf.....

.

.

.

And he kissed you. As soon as pulls back he is blushing tenfold and the whole class was going wild. Even the teacher was cheering. He then rushes out of the room shouting something about changing. It took awhile but you figured it out. Cancers had the worst luck and the only way to avoid it was to kiss (Z/S). But you got a kiss from you tsundere boyfriend so it was a pretty good day for you anyway.

Murasakibara:

You had formed a brilliant plan to get your boyfriend to kiss you. The Pocky Game. "Hey Atsushi do you want to play a game with me." You ask sweetly.

"Sure." He say eating chips.

You pull out the box of chocolate pocky and he looks at and back to you. "Do you know how to play?" He nods which shocks you a little. You figured you have to explain it.

You pull out and pocky stick and place one end you mouth and motion for Murasakibara to do the same. Next the game starts. You keep your eyes on Murasakibara the whole waiting for the moment for you lips to connect. When they do you feel fireworks flying from the simple kiss.

Let's just say you two kept playing until you ran out of pocky.

[courtingstars]

Notes for The Vanishing Prince: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight has been posted! I don’t have nearly as many notes this time. (Which is good, because it took me a lot less time to draft this post. XD;) Still, I did want to bring up a couple of things that I thought might be worth mentioning.

And as always, I updated the inspiration board for this fic over on Pinterest, so feel free to check out the new images if you feel like it/have access to Pinterest. (The most recently added images are at the top, so when you scroll down, you’re basically going backwards through the story.) And with that, onto the notes...

(Cut for the ramblings of a writer who overthinks everything, and also some very important notes about omurice, because I LOVED writing that part…)

Akashi and His Mom, Plus Heian Poetry

This is basically just a note to say that I really loved being able to write the scene with Akashi and his mom. <3 I think it’s the first scene of them together that I’ve posted online…? (Though I’ve written lots of scenes where Akashi talks about his mother, or has a very brief memory of her.) I wrote something short about them for Mother’s Day years ago, but I never finished it, sadly. So it felt nice to finally be able to include a glimpse of how I see their interactions.

Also, the part about Japanese poetry is indeed a thing! A lot of the Heian-era poetry in Japan revolves around themes of courtly love, and because of how courting worked in that time period, they often feature various forms of pining-for-your-lover-from-a-distance. So like Akashi says, there was a folk belief that if you were missing your lover enough, you would appear in each other’s dreams, so that you could at least be together in the dream world. Like this site about the poet Ono-no-Komachi explains, “the intensity of one's feelings for one's lover could induce him to appear in one's dream or could cause one to appear in his dreams.” I always thought that was a fascinating concept. (Also the idea that Akashi would be studying those poems at six years old is just really funny to me? But anyway. //laughs)

Akashi’s Issues, Poor Guy

I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but I thought it might be worth mentioning… One of the things I really wanted to explore in this fic (and the series as a whole) is the reality that working on mental health problems can be a very difficult and often nonlinear process. While it’s not the only plot line of the story—and I definitely don’t claim to have done a great job with it by any means, though I try my best!—I felt like it was important to take the time to show how a person’s struggles with mental illness don’t just get solved overnight. Akashi has been fighting a lot of the same problems throughout the series, because these kinds of emotional hang-ups and coping mechanisms aren’t easy to change.

To be honest, it felt somewhat counterintuitive to me as a writer, because back when I was trying to publish original stories, there was this idea that you weren’t supposed to write characters “brooding” for too long or repeat the same issues/mistakes over and over. Basically, the characters needed to show growth quickly, and passages that could be seen as repetitive should probably be cut, because they weren’t “progressing the story.” While I can understand that idea in a writing sense, I tend to feel like it’s not a very fair representation of what it’s like to struggle with mental health. (Which also applies to a lot of other kinds of personal issues/growth as well, honestly. Change is just hard in general.)

So I’m definitely trying to walk a balance between not writing the same scenes over and over, while also showing Akashi’s struggles as an ongoing journey for him. The latter was really important to me, both as a writer, and as someone who’s had cycles and setbacks with my own mental health stuff.

Bokushi Is Still Kind of an Asshole, Lol

On kind of a similar note… I have no idea how Bokushi comes across as a character at this point in the story? //laughs But if anyone finds him to be kind of a jerk, I will say that’s an intentional choice, at least. Ideally, I wanted him to be likable but still flawed, and I do find him hilarious personally, but… Hopefully it’s obvious that I don’t think he’s a perfect person, by any means. XD;

I think I’ve said before that I really want to use this storyline as a chance to explore my view of his character—and the why/how of how his personality differs from Oreshi—in as much detail as possible. Hopefully it ends up coming across as nuanced in the long run… But if nothing else, I hope it’s at least fairly interesting to read! Because I do find him extremely interesting as a character.

Omurice!

So here’s my major cultural note for the chapter… I’m guessing a lot of people are already aware of the fact that Furihata’s favorite food in canon is omurice, since it tends to pop up in AkaFuri fics a lot. For anyone who’s not familiar with the dish, omurice (a borrowed compound word for “rice omelet”) is a Western-inspired Japanese dish that’s extremely popular as a comfort food. (This type of Western-inspired cuisine is generally called yoshoku. Which I think I also mentioned in Storming the Castle, but… it’s been awhile? //laughs)

So basically, omurice consists of pan-fried rice that’s usually seasoned with either ketchup (often considered the more homey/classic version) or demi-glace sauce (more often seen in restaurants). Like in a lot of fried rice recipes, vegetables and meat are added to the rice, and then the whole thing is served beneath a super-fluffy egg omelet. It typically looks like this, or this. I’ve made it before, and enjoyed it way more than I expected. So while I was writing this chapter, I couldn’t resist preparing one of my own (for research purposes of course, lol):

I’m not a good cook, to put it mildly, but I was proud that this one came out a little better than the last time I tried it. XD

To me, the coolest thing about watching someone prepare omurice is the part where they plate the omelet... This can be done a few different ways, and some take more skill than others. (I totally cheat, by making a single-layer omelet and just setting it on top of the rice as best I can. XD) The most difficult way (and the way Furihata does it in the fic!) is to layer the omelet on top of itself while you’re cooking it, so that it becomes a kind of pouch that you can slice open over the rice. There’s a great animation of this process over on my Pinterest board, and I also really recommend two videos on Youtube if you’d like to see more… This clip features an amazing chef from the most famous omurice restaurant in Kyoto, and this one is an iconic scene from Tampopo, a classic Japanese film. To learn more about the context of those clips, and about omurice in general, I also recommend this really fun article about it.

The thing I find the most interesting about omurice is that it’s such a popular comfort food, so it’s often associated with home and family life. That’s why in The Fast Train to Kyoto, I was inspired to have Furihata’s mom make him omurice when he’s having a bad day. At the same time, though, the dish can also have a bit of a “lovey dovey” connotation to it? Like how in this survey it was one of the top foods that Japanese guys said they would like their girlfriends to make for them. (Hence the trope of decorating the omelet with a ketchup heart, as Bokushi mentions, in his extremely Bokushi way. //laughs)

For all these reasons, I tend to think of omurice as the perfect favorite food for a character like Furihata. It definitely inspired how I write about him, especially when it comes to things like his family life as well as his romantic side. <3

So How About All Those Storming the Castle References Huh

This is just a quick note to say that if anyone happened to be confused by some of the references in this chapter, a lot of them were referring back to events from Part Two of Storming the Castle. (Like the first time Furihata saw Akashi’s dad, the huge portrait of Akashi and his parents in the ballroom, the butsudan altar, the secret passage with the stairs, the ghost, etc, etc… Also the character of Ginhara, since he’s the butler who runs the mansion in Tokyo.)

I tend to be pretty indecisive about exactly how much detail I should use to explain something that happened earlier in the series… Since I know some people might not have read the earlier fics, and at the same time, I don’t want to be too repetitive for those who have? In any case, if anything was confusing/unclear, it was probably a callback to that story. (Oh, and there was also a callback to The Fast Train to Kyoto, about when Akashi and Furihata talked about becoming friends!)

Well, that’s it from me this time around. Thank you so much for reading, as always. As I mentioned in more detail over on Ao3, I really hope everyone is staying safe where possible, and supporting each other in this difficult time. I will do my best to get the next chapter posted very soon. <3

[thekuroiookami]

Akashi, Kuroko, Kise, Kiyoshi, Takao, Mayuzumi having a girlfriend who's so emotionally withdrawn but one day they caught her crying - not the pitiful crying with all the sobbing sounds and scrunched up face, rather her expression is pretty neutral and almost poker-faced, only she's shedding tears. Comfort scenario please, thank you. :)

Warning: Hella lot of text under the cut, because I got carried away. Sorry about the shortness of Mayu’s scenario. I hope this is to your liking, anon :)

Kuroko

People often wondered ifKuroko and you were really dating. There was nothing to signify it, other thanthe both of you just nodding at whoever was asking. You never seemedparticularly more happy to see Kuroko than you would a weather forecast. No onehad ever seen you holding hands, much less doing anything romantic. To allintents and purposes, the outside world viewed you as friendly strangers.

What they forgot wasthat Kuroko had spent a lifetime observing people. He could see the tinydetails others couldn’t. How your eyes stayed on him when he entered the room.The way you drummed your fingers on the tabletop when you were happy, followingan invisible melody. How you moved just a little closer when he was walking byyour side.

So when he got back homeone day, he could tell right away that something was wrong. He could see it inthe subtle changes in your stance, the rigid set of your shoulders. He calledout to you, concerned.

“____-san, I’m back. Iseverything alright?”

He almost dropped thebooks he was carrying when you turned to face him. It was the passionlessvisage of someone who was used to carrying the weight of their feelings deepwithin them. Were it not for the moisture trickling down your cheeks, therewould be nothing to give away the extent of your grief. But he knew that waswhat made it all the more significant.

You looked up hopelesslyat him as he approached. He waited in reassuring silence, giving you thestrength to speak. It came out as a whisper.

“Kuroko-kun, he’s gone.Yuki-kun is- is dead.”

He blinked for a moment,then recognition dawned. You were talking about your lovable family pet, anenergetic husky. His brows furrowed, sure he’d misunderstood. “He wasn’t ill,was he?”

You shook your head inthe negative. “He was run over by a car. It was an accident, but…I don’tunderstand. Why Yuki-kun? He was- he was just a puppy. He didn’t do anythingwrong.” Your nails bit into your palms, but the sting didn’t lessen the painany.

Kuroko reached out andcarefully unfolded your fingers, one by one. “You’re covered in mirin, ___-san.Let’s get you cleaned up.”

You looked down at yoursoaked clothes, noticing for the first time the rice wine you had spilled whenyou received the phone call. You hardly noticed as Kuroko led you into thebathroom, filling the tub with water and scented bubbles. In a haze of sadness,you numbly complied as he coaxed you out of your clothes and into the tub.  

It wasn’t until hishands began lathering shampoo into your hair that your muscles began to relax.Kuroko’s touch was gentle but firm, brushing sensation across your scalp. Youshut your eyes, feeling a stray tear drip to your chin.

“Kuroko-kun? Do youthink Yuki-kun was in a lot of pain?”

He paused, handsstilling in your tangled locks. The silence went on for so long that youwondered if he had heard you at all. Then:

“I can’t say for sure.But I’m certain of one thing. Yuki-kun was happy, until the last moment. He hadonly happy memories of the world he knew, and the people who loved him. He’dwant you to know that, I think.”      

You stayed motionless ashe proceeded to rinse out your hair, turning his words over in your mind. Ifthere was one thing you knew about him, it was the fact that he would never lieto you. Kuroko always spoke after considering his words. A weight seemed tolift off your shoulders as he washed away all the foam. When Kuroko was midwaythrough ruffling your hair with a towel, you clasped his wrist.

“Thank you. I think Ineeded that.”

He stopped drying tobring his face closer to yours. You blinked into placid blue irises as hishands framed your face with the towel.

“It’s harder for thepeople who’re left behind. I know it’s not quite the same, but I was leftbehind once. You want to hold on to what you have, but everything is justpulled from your grasp. What I’m trying to say, ____-san, is that only time andnew experiences will ease the hurt. And that I’ll be there for you as long asit takes.”

You stared at him,overwhelmed by a mix of gratitude, sorrow, confused anger, under all of whichwas an insistent chant in your veins – that this person was the one, the onewho was woven into the fabric of your very being. You rested a palm on his coolcheek.

“I love you, Tetsuya. Idon’t say it enough, but I really do.”

For the first time thatevening, he smiled. “I know.”

Kise

It was the idealstay-at-home date. There was a comfortable couch, made even more so by thejudicious application of pillows and a fluffy throw. An appropriatelysentimental film was playing on the TV. From the way you had been languidlydraped against him, Kise had high hopes for the evening taking a more sensualturn. He strolled back into the living room with a refilled bowl of popcorn andhis customary cheer.

You didn’t seem tonotice his return so he took the opportunity to induce a smile – a rarecommodity given your taciturn nature, but all the more precious for it -  and clapped his hands over your eyes.

“Guess who, ___-cchi!”

But the expectedreaction never came. Instead, Kise was the one left shocked as you jolted andhis fingertips encountered a dampness. He lifted his hands and stared at thedrops sparkling on his skin.

“___-cchi? Areyou…crying?”

Any semblance of calm hemight have had was scattered when you ducked your head instead of replying.Anxiety had him vaulting over the back of the sofa to crouch in front of you.You reluctantly looked up as he tipped up your chin. Amber tipped eyes widenedas he confirmed his suspicions.

“You are crying! Oh my god, what happened?Did someone get hurt? Is your mother okay? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

You frowned, the tightfeeling in your chest temporarily abated by the barrage of questions. “How did youeven- It’s nothing that serious. Calm down.”

“Don’t hold back fromme,” he chided. “You never cry. Never.It’s even worse because you’re sitting there, looking as calm as usual, butyou’re crying! ___-cchi, I can’t handle the suspense. Please, just tell me whatmade you sad.”

You wondered if laughingat his reaction would push him off the proverbial cliff. You decided not totest your luck. “It’s nothing, Ryouta. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just pretendit ever happened, okay?”

He was nothing if not persistent.Kise’s voice had moved into dangerously calm territory as he repeated himself.“___-cchi, I want to know. Tell me.”

You sighed at thecommand in his tone and clasped your hands together. “It was the movie, if youwant to know.” You glanced at him. He was still regarding you intently, so youcontinued.

“It’s just soheartbreaking. They’re such good people. I don’t understand why they can’t staytogether. It’s so unfair.” It was silly, you knew, but somehow the thought ofsomeone being denied happiness, even a fictional person, made your heart hurt. Youcould feel the tears threatening to spill again.

Kise’s eyes slid to thescreen, shaded with thought. “I don’t have an answer to that, ___-cchi. Lifejust is unfair sometimes.”

You pursed your lips,worried at the dark cloud hanging over his demeanour. It abruptly vanished whenhe blinked and returned to his usual happy grin. His thumb came up to wipe awaya droplet clinging to your lashes.

“What I do know is thatI won’t let anyone come between us. I’m never letting go of you, no matterwhat. Have faith in me, ____-cchi.”

You nodded once. “I do.But…I could really use a hug.”

He spread his arms wide,eyes warmed to a liquid gold. “Your wish is my command, princess.”

You shuffled into hiswaiting embrace, instantly feeling your world right from the contact. Kisehummed as he tucked the blanket securely around you, cocooning you inaffectionate warmth. Your eyes drifted shut, lulled by the steady rhythm of hisheartbeat. “Ryouta?”

“Hmm?” He dropped a kisson your forehead in assurance.

“You don’t think I’mfoolish for crying over a movie, do you? I mean, it’s understandable-“

His reply was instant.“Never. Your honest feelings are what make you you, ___-cchi. And I could neverdislike you. Would you hate me for the same thing?”

It was a rhetoricalquestion, but your response was measured. “Well, there was that one time…”

“___-cchi, how mean! Andafter everything I just said, too!”

You patted his armconsolingly. “I was just kidding.”

He gave you a long lookand then you suddenly found yourself pinned to the sofa. Half-lidded, glitteringeyes swept your surprised face. “Prepare yourself, ___-cchi. I don’t let go ofgrudges easily…”

Akashi

Smiling politely, Akashiclinked his glass with another and silently wished this party would be oversoon. He glanced across the room to where you were surrounded by a cluster ofwomen, nodding at something someone said. As if by instinct, you looked up athim, tilting your head in question. He smiled slightly and shook his head,returning to his conversation. It seemed like everything was alright, which iswhy it took him a while to notice you were missing.

After the soiree, hereturned to your shared bedroom to find you sitting at the dressing table,motionless. You seemed to be staring intently at something, head bowed.

“___? Would you like totake a bath first?” He drew closer, loosening his tie, sleeves folded up.

You didn’t respond. Hiseyes narrowed as he saw that your hand was clenched around a hairbrush,knuckles white. He tried again.

“____, my love. Look atme.” He inhaled in shock when your chin lifted, eyes meeting his in the mirror.

Your face was as stillas ever – you had never been one for extravagant, or really, any displays ofemotion – but your eyes were written with heartbreak. Akashi felt a sharp throbin the region of his chest as he noticed a tear track down the curve of yourcheek. His hand lifted to cup your face in a reflexive response.

“Sei. Am I really…am Ireally enough?” Your voice was quiet with despair.

His eyes widened. Almoston default, his mind began racing with the worst possible outcomes. “What?”

You took a deep,shuddering breath. “They said- they said I wasn’t good enough. That I’d nevermatch up to you. And I know it doesn’t make sense, but I can’t help thinkingit’s true. It’s not like I’m pretty or talented or all that smart. Not likethem, anyway.” You dropped your gaze to the brush, mouth tipped down afraction.

And that’s how Akashiknew how deeply it had hurt you. Silently he swore to find out just who had theaudacity to try and cause you distress. In the meantime, you were here and youneeded him. He wouldn’t fail you.

“It’s true.” Your eyessnapped to his in surprise as he knelt to take your hand. “You’re not pretty ortalented or smart.” You shrank back, hurt beyond comprehension.

“No,” he continued, “youare clever. Clever enough to keep a person who can see the future guessing. Andmore wise than I’ll ever be, because you know me better than I do. You’re nottalented because you don’t need it. Your gift is the art of kindness, somethingthey will never have.”

Your tears were flowingwithout check now, blurring your view of crimson hair and star-bright eyes. Hekept speaking, rubbing soothing circles over your wrist.

“And you will never bepretty. You are breath-takingly, unreservedly beautiful. So much that I have toremind myself to look away or risk drowning. So,” he concluded, touching hislips to your fingertips, “they were correct. We will never be a match becauseyou are far more than a splintered soul like mine deserves.”

You reached a tremblinghand to his hair. “Sei, that’s not- you aren’t broken. At all.”

He smiled wryly. “Ifthat’s true, it’s because you made it so. You see, neither of us needs to beperfect. Because we have each other. Because we complete each other. So don’tdoubt yourself, when you do, you doubt me.”

You couldn’t help asmall smile. “And we know you’re absolute.”

“Exactly. Now, shall Idemonstrate that with my actions?”

Kiyoshi

Humming a catchy jinglehe’d seen on TV the other day, Kiyoshi closed the front door behind him. Aftercheerfully announcing his arrival so you wouldn’t be startled, he startedputting away the groceries in the fridge. He pondered the merits of making nabefor dinner, absently weighing a leek. A sudden crash had him looking up in bewilderment.

He padded into thebedroom, eyes crinkled with worry. “What happened, ___?”

You looked up blankly athim, barely aware of the tears streaking your face. He took in the sight of ashattered vase, your melancholy stillness and…was that blood on your fingers?The fear hit him with all the gentleness of a speeding truck, had him joggingover to your frozen form. Careful not to disturb the shards of glass glintingon the floor, he cradled your injured hand, examining the wounds.

His breath ruffled yourhair as he spoke. “Thank goodness, it’s not very deep. Did you trip oversomething, ___? You’re normally not very clumsy.”

Somehow his observationmade you feel even more miserable. A fresh wave of tears threatened to engulfthe last dregs of your composure. Your eyes squeezed shut, the heel of one handpressed to your forehead. It was this last hint of frustration that alertedKiyoshi to the depth of your distress.

“Ah, sweetheart, I’msorry. I didn’t think before speaking. Here, let’s take a look at those cuts onyour hand.” You breathed in sharply when he lifted you off the floor, yourknees hooked over a sturdy arm.

“Teppei, your knee-“

He cut you off a smile. “It’sonly till the couch. And you don’t weigh anything anyway.”

Kiyoshi set you down onthe sofa with heartrending care and set about to disinfecting the wounds. Youflinched a little when he swabbed at a cut, but otherwise made no complaint. Hegave a nod of satisfaction when he was finished.

“Done. Just be carefulfor a couple of days when you’re washing things. Now, do you want to tell mewhy you’re in my jumper?”

You hugged the well-wornfabric to yourself, reluctant to answer, or speak at all. He tilted his head inpatient inquiry, giving you the time you needed. Finally, you sighed.

“It’s that time of themonth and I’m just feeling down. It’s nothing.”

Kiyoshi blinked.Whatever he’d been expecting to hear, that wasn’t it. He put a soothing hand onyour shoulder. “How can I help?”

It wasn’t as if he had areference to go on. He mournfully reflected that having a female sibling wouldhave helped. Clearly, this was more difficult than he knew, if you were intears. You never cried.

You rubbed your eyeswearily, oblivious to his train of thought. “It’ll pass. I’m just so tiredright now. Everything is trying to stab me – my back especially – and I can’tseem to do anything right. I thought having some flowers in a vase would help,but look what happened. I wish I could just go to sleep for three days and nothave to deal with this.”

His lips curved downwardwith sympathy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. There is one thing I can do foryou, though. Wait here.” You watched him stride off in fatigued confusion, andslumped down with a blanket over you.

He returned with a bowlof fragrant liquid and a large towel. “Sit up for a moment, ___.”

You complied, though youweren’t sure where this was heading. He spread the towel over the couch andindicated that you should recline on it. “Lie down on your stomach please.”

“Teppei, what’s in thebowl?” It smelled like summer and flowering fields.

He gently tugged on yourwaist, guiding you to the desired position. “Lavender oil. My grandmother usedthis for my knee sometimes.”

You were too drained ofenergy to argue, so you did as he asked. His hands sliding up under the jumpermade your shoulder-blades hunch in response. He stroked an apologetic circleover your neck. “Just close your eyes and relax, okay?”

Kiyoshi’s hands trailedpure bliss over your skin as he began to massage the oil into your back.Tendrils of heat spread from the warm oil into your spine, unwinding the tensemuscles in slow increments. You exhaled in relief as his calloused fingerspressed down on a sore spot, coaxing the ache out of your cells. The steadytempo of his palms, combined with his distant humming, inevitably cloaked youwith drowsiness.

You lifted your headslightly when he chuckled. “You’re so delicate, ___-chan. My hand can easilyspan your waist.” You felt him test the width of your torso, fingers spreadingin measurement.

“That’s because you’re absurdlyhuge, like a bear,” you mumbled sleepily. “I’m an average size, thanks.”

His laugh was the deeptenor of a bronze bell. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

You flushed a little,and went back to soaking in the scent of lavender. Very soon, you felt yourselffade into slumber again. Kiyoshi touched an oil-slick finger to your cheek andsmiled softly.

“Everyone has their gooddays and bad days, ____. I’m glad I get to be there for all of yours.”

Mayuzumi

As a person who didn’t careto talk much, Mayuzumi knew there were different kinds of silences. Angry oneswhere restraint barely held down furious words. Companionable ones where youbasked in the comfort of familiarity. Awkward ones where self-consciousness wonout over the yearning for friendship. And then there was the soundless spacethat comes with shock, as the body struggles to catch up with what the mind can’tquite bring itself to process.

Such a silence ensuedwhen Mayuzumi found you on the roof, your normally animated eyes glazed overwith a dark despair. On the outside you looked as implacable as ever, seeminglyas calm as he was disinterested. But the tears that streamed down your facespoke for themselves, and they told a story of complete heartbreak.

He closed the distancebetween you almost instinctively. His fathomless gaze settled on your bandagedankle. “Is it…hopeless?”

Something in you seemedto curl up and die at the question. “The doctor said I was lucky to make itthis far. But I’ll never dance again. And if I can’t dance…then there’s nopoint. I don’t know who I am without it.”

The words hung in theair, heavy with unrealized potential. Eventually Mayuzumi broke the stillness. “I’msorry.” He was, though he knew it was useless. But there was no choice to bemade here; your pain was his too.

Your answer was a bitterlaugh. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault I’m only half a person now.”

His mouth curled downunhappily. “That’s not true. It was part of you, but not all of you. I know itfeels like everything that you’ve worked for has been erased, but that willchange. Trust me.”

You looked away, unableto bear this newfound reality. “But what do I if it’s not dancing? That’s all I’mgood at.”

He shrugged. “Sing.Paint. Read. Learn something new. Or you can change the shape of the world tosuit you. Teach someone else to dance.”

You took in a shudderingbreath and caught his sleeve. He merely watched, eyes softened to somethinglike understanding. Your voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it all thesame.

“Will you stay with me?”

He heard all the thingsyou left unsaid. Whether he would still love you when you couldn’t loveyourself. Whether he would brace you for the darker days. Whether it waspossible that this meant a change in pieces of the puzzle, rather than anincomplete end.

“Of course,” he replied.“Always.”

When his lips came downover yours, it felt like an inevitable piece of a symphony. You let go of yoursadness, your crushed dreams, a piece of your soul, as he drew them all out withthe soft brush of his mouth. He seemed to drink in your sorrow and make it hisown, tongue flicking over your last tears. Your breathlessness became thesymptom of a sweeter sickness when he finally lifted his head.  

Your irises flickered tohis, conveying the beauty you found in this bond, where your mouth could not.Mayuzumi smiled ever so slightly as you breathed his name. “Chihiro.”

Familiar as he was withsilences, he knew what words the gaps held. “I love you too.”

Takao

The locker room wasalmost empty when Takao finished showering after practice. Towel slung lowaround his lean hips, he rummaged around in his backpack, frowning when hecouldn’t find his cellphone.

“I could swear the soundcame from around here somewhere-“

He jumped as the doorsto the locker room exploded open. Takao stiffened with surprise when you walkedin, head bent and fists clenched. The two other occupants in the area yelledand scrambled for cover. He watched you with an expression of bemusedbafflement.

“____-chan, what areyou-“

“Takao-kun.” That wasall you said before wrapping your arms around him, hugging him tight enough tobreak a rib. He flailed and put an arm around your waist. You buried your noseinto his bare chest. He yelped at the contact.

“Yargh! That tickles!___-chan, let go for a second, I’m still wet. You’ll ruin your dress!”

You stubbornly shookyour head and pressed even closer. Takao stared at you helplessly for a momentlonger before sighing in fond exasperation. He managed to prise you off.Belatedly he realized that not all the water on his skin was from the shower.

His heart lurched atyour deadened gaze. “Whoa! You’re crying? What’s wrong? Who do I need to kill?”

Only the waver in yourvoice gave away the fact that your composure was barely holding up. “Takao-kun,I don’t know what to do. They’re saying that the paper won’t count- and afterall the work I put into it, the professor accused me of stealing it as well- I’dnever do that- oh god, it’s such a disaster.”

He sorted through thetangle of words, patting your head as he talked. “So in a nutshell: thelecturer with a grudge has failed your term paper and with it the entire class.But they didn’t just stop there, they also accused you of plagiarism?”

Your grip on his biceptightened. “He said I hadn’t referenced a book, but I had, it was just anearlier edition. He also said something about copying the structure of anessay, but that’s not even possible.”

He sighed. You bit yourlip as a tear crept down your cheek. Takao brushed it away and murmured softly.

“Hey. This is what we’regonna do. Tomorrow, you’re going to the appeals office and telling them aboutthis. They’ll contact your department and get the paper rechecked. It will sortitself out. So don’t worry, ‘kay?”

His reasonedinstructions brought you a measure of calm. You wiped your eyes with your sleeve.“Alright. Sorry for just jumping on you like that.”

He laughed good-naturedlyand winked at you. “No problem, ___-chan. I’m here to be jumped anytime.”

You rolled your eyes ashe walked away to get dressed. You sat on the bench, working out your jumbledfeelings and finding it easier to breathe after Takao’s reassurance. You lookedup when he returned and crouched with his back to you.

“Climb on. I’m treatingyou to a piggy-back ride today, since you were upset.” His smile was blindingin its intensity.

Your face turned red asyour realized what he proposing. “N-no way. It’s too embarrassing, and I’m tooheavy.”

He tutted. “Tsk, tsk, yeof little faith. After all these years of towing Shin-chan around, you think Ican’t carry a girl for a few minutes? Maybe I should princess-carry youinstead-“

That alternative waseven more mortifying, so you hugged his back, willing him to stop talking. Hechuckled and shifted to lock his arms around your legs, standing up in a fluidmovement. You hid your face in his shoulder, telling yourself that this didn’tfeel as comforting as you thought it did.

You were halfway homewhen Takao spoke again. “Ne, ___-chan. We all know how hard you work. Yourteachers too. Everything will be fine, I know it.”

You leaned forward a littleto nuzzle his cheek. “Thanks, Takao-kun.”

He grinned, devilishwith intention. “How about you return the favour? Starting with a kiss…”

[ranami68]

My Valentine's Day

Fandom : Kuroko no Basket

Characters : Akashi Seijuurou, Aomine Daiki, Kagami Taiga, Kuroko Tetsuya, Takao Kazunari, reader

Summary : scenario when you (as a reader) want to give chocolate to you basketball-baka boyfriends on Valentine’s day

Note : Okay, first, it’s not Valentine’s Day anymore so i’m really sorry that i post this so late now 😂 second, i’m going to use (F/N) which means First Name as your name. Since i’m used to wattpad and this story was originally meant to be published in wattpad last year (lol) but i didn’t. It seems to be a waste if i delete it, so i decided to post it here. Sorry if you find any OOC in here. 

Enjoy reading ~

Akashi

Today is Valentine’s Day. And you have made a chocolate for your beloved Mr. Emperor. But the problem is…

“Akashi-san, please accept this. I bought it yesterday from a 5-high rank chocolate store.”

“Please accept mine, kaichou(president). This chocolate arrived this morning from France.”

Well, there it is. Apparently, your boyfriend, the student council president of Rakuzan, is really popular. Of course you know that he is popular. He is handsome, rich, and smart. He is like the ideal of prince charming in white horse for the girls. Although he is more like an emperor than a prince. He admited it too.

Nevermind that, you were trying to give him chocolate but everytime you found him, he was surrounded by girls. They weren’t that aggresive like Kise’s. But everytime you heard about the chocolate that they wanted to give to him was expensive and absolutely delicious, it made you feel uneasy.

Maybe i should have just bought him a chocolate from the store. The most delicious and expensive one.

It was almost the end of the day. In the end, you didn’t speak to Akashi at all today.

You were about to open the door to your empty classroom when the door suddenly opened by itself and someone pulled you in. You bumped into his chest and when you lift your head, you saw Akashi.

“What is the meaning of this, (F/N)?”

“Huh?”

“Where is my chocolate? You haven’t give me one yet. You have made it, right? I know you have. Two days ago, you bought the ingredients.”

“What? You were watching?”

Akashi leaned his face to you, holding your wrist. He kept leaning forward to your face and made you keep stepping back until your back touched the wall.

“Answer my question, (F/N). Where is my chocolate?”

“Eh.. I…” you averted your eyes from him trying to find a good excuse.

Akashi leaned his face to your neck and kissed it. You gasped, “Wait, Seijuro-”

“Give me my chocolate.”

You closed your eyes while he was kissing your neck. “Okay, okay, get off first.”

Akashi stopped kissing you and you gave him the chocolate you kept in your pocket.

“I know what you’re thinking, (F/N).”

“Huh?”

“You thought that your homemade chocolate aren’t suitable for me. And that the chocolates i received from the other girls are more suited for me to eat.”

You stared at him surprised because he knew what you were thinking.

Akashi opened the chocolate and ate it. He licked his lips and said, “i only want your chocolate. You have made this chocolate by yourself with your feelings in it. I don’t need some chocolates that i don’t even know the one who made it.”

You blushed while he kept eating your chocolate. You didn’t even know if you should be happy or angry or embarrassed because he figured out your feelings.

“It’s really annoying how you can know about my feelings without me saying it.”

He smirked, “of course i know. I’m always right.” He leaned his face to yours again and said, “by the way, i have to punish you for not talking to me during school day today.”

“Eh? What will you do?”

“(F/N), do you want to taste your chocolate?”

“You already ate all of them.”

He smirked again and kissed you on the lips. He pulled away and moved to your ear, “thank you for your chocolate. It was delicious.”

You blushed as he kissed you on the lips again.

Aomine

“Yo, (F/N).”

“Hey, there, aho.”

“I told you that’s not my name”, Aomine sat up while you were standing near him. The two of you were currently at school rooftop during lunch break.

You grabbed the chocolate in your pocket and gave it to him.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Chocolate.”

Aomine took the chocolate, “you’re giving me this, (F/N)? Is there a poison in it or something?”

“There are bees.”

Aomine threw your chocolate to the floor, “ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?”

“Wha-HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!? IT’S VALENTINE’S TODAY, YOU IDIOT!! HOW COULD YOU THROW THE CHOCOLATE YOUR GIRLFRIEND MADE YESTERDAY FOR YOU!?”

Aomine blinked then took your chocolate again, “so, is there something in it?”

“IT’S JUST CHOCOLATE, AHO!!”

“Okay, okay, chill out. Stop yelling, geez”, he opened the chocolate and ate it.

You just stared at him still angry with his ignorant attitude. Seriously, how come i fell for him, anyway?

“Hey, (F/N), don’t just stand there. Sit here”, Aomine patted the floor next to him signalling you to sit there.

You sat beside him and asked, “how is it?”

“Hm? Oh, well, it’s edible. Unlike Satsuki’s”, he answered blankly.

“That’s not a compliment, aho.”

“Stop calling me that. Why don’t you try one?” He bit the square-shaped chocolate and leaned toward you making you bit the other side of the chocolate.

You blushed as you saw his face keep coming closer to yours eating the chocolate. His lips finally crashed to yours and you were kissing with him for seconds.

He pulled away and said, “i guess it’s too sweet”, he ate another chocolate ignoring you who were speechless with red face.

Aomine looked back at you and smirked,“what? You want more?”

You blushed even redder and said, “shut up, Daiki!”

Kagami

“Hey, Kuroko. You know what date it is today?” Kagami asked when he was eating the burger he brought with blank eyes.

“February 14th.”

“Then, that means today is..”

“Valentine’s day, Kagami-kun. You didn’t forget, right? You were so excited yesterday because today is your first Valentine with (L/N)-san.”

“Sh-shut up, Kuroko! I know that! I didn’t forget. It’s just that (F/N).. she..”

“Hasn’t said anything about Valentine and hasn’t give you anything.”

“Stop cutting me, Kuroko!”

“Taiga!”

Kagami flinched upon hearing your voice then looked at your direction.

“You have practice today, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then, you can go home without me.”

“Huh?”

“I have something to do and have to go home earlier. Okay? Then, see you later.”

Kagami just stayed silent with his mouth open staring at you getting out of class while Kuroko was staring at Kagami with his usual poker face.

Time skip

The practice was over. Kagami just couldn’t believe that his girlfriend didn’t say ‘happy valentine’ to him or give him chocolate. Kagami left school all gloomy.

Kagami had arrived at his home. He unlocked his door and opened it but stopped when he heard your noise.

You came closer to him panting then holding your knees. Kagami closed his door and stood in front of you waiting for you to talk.

You stood up still panting and said, “T-Taiga, uh, how should i say this..” You handed him a bag of charred chocolate cookies with both of your hands. Your face turned red, “I-I’m sorry for giving this to you this late. But it’s still February 14th. Please accept it, Taiga.”

Kagami’s face turned red too as he took the cookies and mumbled, “hm, it’s fine.”

“And another thing. Those cookies, it may taste a bit bitter. I’m sorry, Taiga. I have tried my best since yesterday but those cookies were the best i can make. If it doesn’t taste good, don’t force yourself, okay?”

Kagami’s eyes widened, “you.. have been making cookies since yesterday!? You could have just brought some.”

“Well, today is our first valentine”, you smiled at him.

Kagami blushed. He opened the bag and ate it. He had to admit that it was bitter but after seeing your face still red and you were still panting, he forced a smile on his face.

“I can’t say it’s delicious but it’s good enough. Thank you, (F/N).”

You smiled again then hugged him.

“It’s almost dinner time. Do you want to eat with me, (F/N)?” Kagami asked as he patted your head.

You nodded and followed him inside.

“Oh, and (F/N)”, Kagami turned back and smiled, “Happy Valentine.”

Kuroko

“Good morning, Tetsuya-kun!”

Kuroko turned his head to look at you. He smiled, “good morning, (F/N)-chan.”

After you caught up with him, the two of you continued walking to the classroom.

“(F/N)-chan, i don’t have practice today. So, do you want to go somewhere?”

You smiled to him and answered, “sure.”

Time skip

The two of you were sitting in park. You looked around you and found a lot of couples. You suddenly blushed.

“What’s wrong, (F/N)-chan?”

“No. It’s fine”, you grabbed your bag and took out a big box and gave it to him. “This, it’s chocolate cake. I made it yesterday.”

Kuroko took the box and opened it.

“I bring a spoon.”

Kuroko giggled as you took out the spoon and gave it to him. But, he didn’t take the spoon. You were confused, “what’s wrong, Tetsuya-kun?”

Kuroko stared at you and said, “(F/N)-chan, will you feed me?”

You blushed again, “e-eh?”

“You don’t want to?”

You stayed silent before you shook your head and said, “no, i’ll do it.” You cut the cake small and brought the cake to his mouth with spoon.

Kuroko bit the cake. He smiled and said, “it’s so delicious, (F/N)-chan. You’re a good cook.”

You blushed furiously. He took the spoon in your hand, “let’s switch, (F/N)-chan, you have to eat too.” He took the cake to your mouth as you said ‘ahh’. The cake melted in your mouth, indirect kiss.

The two of you kept eating the cake feeding each other in the park until sunset.

Takao

“(F/N)-chaaannn!!”

Takao ran into you and hugged you from behind. He quickly got off and walked to face you. Before you could speak anything to him, he shove a red rose to you. You blinked looking at the rose and then looked at him. He was smiling sweetly. You took the rose as he said, “Happy Valentine, (F/N)-chan.”

“Happy Valentine, Kazu-kun”, you answered with red face.

The students in the corridor were all staring at the two of you. And it was silent.

Suddenly, a tall green-haired boy appeared behind Takao. He sighed, “Takao, if you want to do something like that, do it somewhere else.”

“Why? I’m just showing my love to (F/N)-chan. You don’t have to be jealous, Shin-chan.”

“Die!”

You giggled looking at the two of them. Takao looked back at you and said, “so, where’s my chocolate, (F/N)-chan?”

You sweatdropped. Takao tilted his head. The bell rang. You ran to your class and left him behind. Takao stared at you confused.

You haven’t talked to Takao again since this morning. You tried to avoid him in every possible way. This made you felt guilty but you had no other choice.

After school, you intended to go home directly because Takao had a practice today. You walked out of classroom but suddenly, someone held your hand and you ran with him. It was Takao. You wanted to pull off but you couldn’t.

The two of were at the back of school behind the gym. You were panting after the run while Takao was looking at you seriously.

“Why did you avoid me, (F/N)-chan? Did i do something bad?”

You looked at him.

“Today is Valentine’s Day. A day for couples to spend time together. You didn’t forget, right? Why didn’t you answer me this morning? Why didn’t you give me chocolate?”

You felt really guilty. Takao had a sad look on his face. Then, you took a bottle from your bag.

Takao accepted it with a confused look.

You gulped then bowed, “I’M SORRY, KAZU-KUN!”

“Huh?” Takao surprised because you yelled loudly.

“Yesterday, i was excited to make a chocolate for you. I couldn’t decide what to make. I decided to make a cake but it failed. So i tried to make a cookie but it failed again. After i realized i couldn’t bake, i made a chocolate. It was a success. I was happy but i was careless and made the chocolate fell to the floor and it broke. I was so sad. It was already 11 pm. I wanted to make something again fast but i ran out of ingredients. Then i went to bedroom and sleep. I wanted to buy you a chocolate from store the next day but i didn’t feel right. I wanted to give you something that i made but i couldn’t so i just made a hot chocolate for you this morning. But you gave me rose, i felt guilty. So i decided to make a new chocolate after school and give it to you after your practice over but.. but…”

Takao just stared at you listening your long explanation. It took seconds to make him understand what you were saying. Takao looked at the bottle in his hand. He opened it and then drank it. You lifted your head.

“It’s good, (F/N)-chan. It’s been so long since i last drank hot chocolate. Thank you”, Takao smiled.

You had a guilty face. Takao came closer to you and said, “it’s fine, (F/N)-chan. I don’t care what you give to me. As long as you give me something, and there is love in it, i will be happy. Besides, i’m glad you didn’t buy a chocolate from store. I’d prefer what you made.”

Your face flushed red. Takao kissed your forehead then hugged you. “It’s really cold. We should get in”, he said.

You nodded.

“Oh yeah, (F/N)-chan, will you wait for me?”

“Huh?”

“We haven’t really talked much yet today. I wanted to spend time with you”, he said frowning.

You laughed, “okay.”

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 1/14/19

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | Viz Media – The scenes in this book of the rave, before, after and during, as well as what comes next, are fantastic, and the volume is worth picking up for that reason alone. That said, the romance in this third volume is the weak point. Kei abruptly disappears from Emi’s life right as Emi is ready to move into Kei’s life permanently, and while the family issues that Kei has to deal with are understandable, the author seems to think it’s 1959 and not 2019. You have phones! The journey by bus is a long one, but completely doable! There is no need for the ambiguous “maybe ever after” of this ending. That said, overall I found this series highly enjoyable, and if they want to do a sequel with Emi alone running raves, I’m cool with that too. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 14 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mizusawa has made it to the semi-finals of the national tournament, facing a team led by Megumu Ousaka, a candidate for Queen. Although Chihaya ultimately loses against her, she makes quite the impression on her opponent and others, causing one observer to think, “I never knew another girl this good existed.” I loved that it’s Desk-kun who seals the team’s ultimate victory, but less than an hour later, they’re facing formidable opponents in the finals. Fujisaki is full of Class A players but Chihaya’s opponent has an additional advantage: her grandmother is the reciter and she’s especially attuned to her nuances. Tense, fun, addictive, emotionally rewarding… I always want more when I get current with this series. – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vol. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – In Japan, sports manga tend to have varying endings, with either the team winning it all or losing in the semis and resolving to try harder. North America tends to see a lot more of the former, so hope you like our heroes winning. It’s as well-handled as you’d expect, and I really enjoyed the development shown in Kuroko, Kagami, and Akashi here. There’s also a nice epilogue where Riko reminds us there’s a new tournament in the Spring, and they have to recruit! But for now let’s enjoy both their victory and the fact that the old Miracle Generation have mostly resolved their differences. The last shot has the old middle school picture balanced with his high school team, which is lovely to see. Do we get the sequel? – Sean Gaffney

Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 7 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Last time, I was a little worried that drama fueled by misunderstandings would become the norm for Lovesick Ellie, but I’m happy to report that no longer seems to be the case. While it is true that Ellie’s classmates get the wrong idea about her relationship with Kaname and Ohmi is freaked out by this rival, never at any point does Ohmi think she’s actually cheating on him. In fact, he opens up to Kaname about his insecurities, potentially making a friend in the process, and takes a good look at the kind of boyfriend Kaname could’ve been to her that he presently can’t be. With his focus on acting how other people expect, and remaining the other girls’ princely ideal, he’s never acknowledged Ellie as his girlfriend. Now, he’s ready for people to know how special she is to him. I’m so glad this series is back on track! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 33 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I will admit the high point of Magi for me was the resolution of my ship, and the rest is just gravy. (Though I did enjoy the naive Alibaba being horrified at having a fight with Morgiana—that seems to have lasted five seconds.) But yeah, Sinbad’s still trying to make the world be at peace, and his methods are growing more and more horrible, as Kou’s dramatic cessation from the Alliance causes him to challenge God and emerge with the “it’s OK if I just mind control everyone to see it my way” solution. Sadly, Aladdin does not see this as anything but despotism. Aladdin is right, of course, but this is still Alibaba’s title, so he gets to mediate between these two. Who will he side with? – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 1 | By One | Dark Horse – There were several reasons why I was interested in reading Mob Psycho 100, the two most prominent being that One is the original creator of One-Punch Man (which I have been greatly enjoying) and that there was so much excitement surrounding the Mob Psycho 100 anime (which I still need to watch). But the main reason that I’ll continue to read Mob Psycho 100 is that I absolutely loved the first volume. Shigeo is a young man with superhuman powers which he tends to control by suppressing his emotions. Life being life, and middle school being middle school, there’s only so much he can bottle up before exploding. His mentor is Reigen, a spirit medium whose only extraordinary skill seems to be the ability to somehow convince others that he’s a legitimate exorcist despite all evidence to the contrary. Mob Psycho 100 is terrific, with a great sense of quirky humor and heart. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 6 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The volumes of Queen’s Quality seem to alternate between characters saying that Fumi is too weak and characters saying Kyutaro is too weak, and this time around it’s the latter, as he really gets put through the ringer here. The training they have to take on may involve some unsettling looks at Fumi’s background and heritage, which to be fair we’ve known was coming since the first volume. I admit I am somewhat surprised by Ataru’s promotion to sidekick-type character, but he serves it well, though there’s also a nasty flashback to his past I’m sure he’d rather do without. This wasn’t the best volume of Queen’s Quality, but that’s likely as it was transitional, and it’s still pretty solid. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Asahi’s time as a captive in the underworld is brief, though it does afford us a few nice scenes in which the worried Water Dragon God is trying to find her. Instead, most of the volume is focused on Kurose, a boy from our world who seems to have become the plaything of Tokoyami, the god of the underworld. Kurose had a horrible home life and after potentially dying, he wakes in the underworld and is promptly whisked off to a village where he experiences kindness and a loving family for the first time. That is, until war comes and the Water Dragon God refuses to notice his desperation to save someone he cares about. I’m left to wonder… did this all really happen, or was Tokoyami mentally torturing him to create an ally in a vendetta against the Water Dragon God? Very intriguing! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There was a surprising swerve in this volume. After dealing with rescuing Asahi from turning into a rotting zombie, and seeing the Water Dragon God have to deal with these pesky things called feelings, the rest of the volume is devoted to sketching out the tragic backstory of Kurose, the mini-villain from the end of the last volume. Not only is he merely a useful puppet to the true Big Bad, but he’s also a lot closer to Asahi than she might suspect, and has a suitably tragic backstory—in more than one world. I was expecting the adorable little girl he befriends to be horrible killed, and she is, but that may not be the end for her, unfortunately. Riveting. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

Konnichiwa, new follower here! I followed after reading your Akashi's ideal girlfriend reply, so, can I ask the same for Midorima? Interview said that Midorima likes older elegant girls and I have my hc that a girl kinda just kinda resembles Bakao would be great for him. Like you know, Midorima does put up with bakao after all

Hi dear new follower! Obviously I can, ask everything you want! Even because, honestly, MidoTaka is my favorite ship concerning Midorima and so, I agree with your reasoning. I’ve read in the interview that he likes older girls and…well, this eccentric OC popped up! I hope you enjoy her, this is what I picture when I think of his ideal girlfriend.

-she has a curvy, but toned body; straight black hair, she usually wears a ponytail. Narrow, catlike eyes and a smirk always present on his full lips. She moves like a dancer, has a suave and loud voice and enjoys feeling pretty. She wears what gives her a mature, but bold appeal and has a soft spot for lip-glosses.

-She’s an enthusiastic girl, with a bubbling personality; she loves teasing others, especially the emotionless or stiff ones. Energetic, hardworking and stubborn. Always in search of fun, new experiences and things to discover. However, she’s human like everyone else and so she’s her own weaknesses and insecurities: she looks for stability and certainty in other people, since she’s frequent mood swings; she is always afraid of being…excessive or annoying, but never says it directly. The fact that she jokes continuously, makes it difficult to understand when she’s serious, nervous and worried or when she’s simply being melodramatic and ironic. It’s as if she speaks by allusions, waiting for the other person to interpret and then reassure her. Due to her role, she’s also very diligent about her responsibilities and has all the qualities that make her a good leader.

-She’s the third-year leader of the Shuutako Cheerleading Team. Her passion is inspiring and supporting the athletes so they can do their best and achieve winning, feeling someone pushing their backs. She’s very popular at school, especially between the first-years, but has few close friends since she can be hard to deal with.

-She encountered Midorima during his first year. At first, she was feeling…dejected about the new, formidable player who seemed to attract all the spotlight on himself. She didn’t feel like cheering on him: he was a genius, he didn’t need it and just ruined the best part of basketball. However, seeing him playing, she started to change her mind, being attracted by his coolness, his calmness during the perfect shots…there was something magnetizing in his perseverance, in his self-confidence. Everything changed the day she had to stay at school longer than usual, to work on a particular difficult cheer, and ended up passing by the basketball’s gym; there, she found Midorima practicing without break, alone; he had fire burning in his eyes, focusing only on the ball and trying to perfect a movement that for her was already flawless. She remained awe-struck, she thought guy like him didn’t need to work hard, to sweat and fail, but she was wrong. Something inside her awoke and from that day she started to pay even more attention to him, noticing how serious and collected he seemed to be, but also all the different expressions sometimes his teammate could make him show…She wanted to see more, to discover more of what that guy hid inside of himself. So, she started ambushing him after practice. At first, Midorima was damn startled by that boisterous third-year, jumped out of nowhere, chirping about cheerleading and basketball and teasing him continuously, and he hoped for her to disappear and leave him alone. Unfortunately, she made acquaintance with Takao and the two, bonding immediately, formed the “How To Exasperate Shin-chan Club”. Her presence became a constant in his life: during lunch, she would kidnap the two of them, after practice she would stay back with them cheering loudly to put his patience to the test, during matches her voice would became the only one he could recognize. She was like a tornado, swirling into his life without escape. And, at some point, Midorima started to find stupidly cute the way her eyes enlightened when he showed an exaggerated reaction to her teasing, worth of praise the way she guided her cheering team like soldiers on the battlefield, sweet her smile when excitedly commenting his match afterwards. Midorima learnt to distinguish her genuine smile and the insecure, nervous ones; he searched relief from stress and pressure in her carefree enthusiasm. Before he could realize, he longed to hear her calling “Shin-chan!” while throwing her arms around his waist to see him blush.

-It takes them a bit to get together: she can never muster the courage to be direct, he just thinks that’s impossible. Thanks God, Takao is there to be the Cupid they need.

-Even after she graduates, she still comes to all the matches and cheers louder than everyone, much to his embarrassment.

-She loves to be cheesy and flirty just to see him stiffening and blushing. With time, though, Midorima builds up a good resistance to her and learns to tease her in his own way.

-Midorima rarely takes the initiative, since she does it for three people’s worth, but he’s very sensitive to her mood’s changes. When he realizes that she’s unsure or is trying to understand if she had exaggerated, he takes the first step and make sure she doesn’t doubt it anymore. He has enough patience for both.

-She likes to play the role of the older, mature woman that has to be respected and treats Midorima like he was a child. He always scolds, reminding her that first, he’s taller; second, with her personality she’s even more childish than him: she had lost the right to be respected when she burst crying because he didn't want to buy a cat.

-After they start dating, Midorima begins bringing her everyday her lucky item. Even if she had mercilessly mocked him for that from the start, she collects and keeps all of them. If someone touches her precious gifts, she become a beast.

-She’s the big, funny sister of Shuutako who spoils the first-years and mocks the older ones. Everyone love when she comes because Midorima softens and lets them breathe. (I have this head canon that Midorima is going to grow enough to be Captain in his third-year. A terrifyingly strict captain, balanced by his vice Takao)

-She gets along very well with Akashi and Midorima still doesn’t understand how the heck it’s possible

-Midorima had dunked only once in his life and only because she threw a tantrum about it. After he did it, she whistled saying “That was really sexy Shin-chan!” but then jumped in his arms laughing and added “But I prefer your cool three-point shots more!”

-One day, they were at the park for a walk but Midorima found a ball and an empty basketball court. He couldn’t resist and started trying few shots. She, pouting, decided to test his reactions and let some guys, wandering near, approach her. In less than a minute, the ball hit perfectly the head of one of the boys, followed by the too tall green-haired boyfriend. “I’m sorry.” Midorima threatened fixing his glasses and trying to murder them with a glare. She immediately burst into laughter, exclaiming, “You’re so jealous Shin-chan!” and kissing him on the spot. He growled, understanding she had played him again, but grabbed her either way by the wrist and dragged her far away from the bunch of astonished, terrified guys.

-Sometimes, they go to a basketball court and Midorima teaches her how to shot. It’s one of the few moments she blushes deeply and can’t calm down, being caught in his arms from behind and his low, cold voice whispering what to do in her ear.

-She has a soft spot for Midorima without his glasses and with hair combed back, she finds it really hot, so she frequently steals them. Little she knows that Midorima finds her wearing his glasses even sexier.

-Midorima secretly loves the quiet, serious and focused look that she unconsciously shows from time to time; for example, when she’s studying or when she’s reading a book in silence. It’s a rare sight, but he always catches and enjoys it.

-The number of sighs and defeated groans Midorima emits in her smirking presence can only balance with the number of faint, quick smiles he shows.

-She never stops moving, is hyperactive, so Midorima has to literally cage her against his chest to read his book peacefully. And being hold by him, it’s the only thing that calms her down probably.

-For pure luck, they’re going to study at the same university, even if with different majors. Thanks to that, she manages convincing him to live together in a shared apartment, much to his precocious ageing. Or, at least this is what he says, the truth is that the two years’ difference has always been something difficult to deal with for them.

-When they argue, she likes to take Midorima’s lucky item of the day and break it in front of his eyes, with a big, menacing smile plastered on her lips. Or, she stuffs his pillow with Natto. Midorima instead, just chooses the most impenetrable silence and avoids any kind of physical contact. That’s why she’s usually the first to apologize.

-She gets drunk easily and, in those cases, she can become really annoying or very whining; either way, Midorima just picks her up, throwing her on his shoulder, and bring her home scolding her during all the way back.

-Midorima starts to play the piano again only to listen to her singing.

-She cooks, he does the chores. It’s an established rule for survival.

-Midorima’s younger sister loves her. They build a strong bond and, when together, mess so much with Midorima that he usually tries to escape to Takao’s house. Everything fails when his best friends just joins the two devils and collaborate to his destruction.

-They call each other by their given names only in the most intimate moments, otherwise she calls him “Shin-chan” and he still uses her surname.

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

I don't know if the ask box is open but if it is: can I get a scenario based on that murasakibara ideal girlfriend post? where a guy says something nasty towards her and yosen and the gom get protective?

Yeeesssss my dear! I love writing about protective characters,totally one of my favorite scenarios/hc! Since you asked for a scenario, Iwrote it as you were the protagonist! I hope it’s okay! Enjoy it~

 The ProtectionSquad

 It was a quiet, late afternoon. Well, maybe notexactly quiet.

That morning Yousen had a practice match and you,Murasakibara and Himuro took advantage of the free afternoon to meet up withthe Generation of Miracles. It had passed some time from the last time you’dseen them, so you were a little giddy. The Yousen team escorted the three of youtill the designated Maji Burger, with numerous, worried recommendations and thepromise to pick you up later.

You entered, holding Murasakibara’s hand and talking quietlywith Himuro about some adjustments you believe itwas better to do about the training schedule.

“X-cchi!” called a loud, bubbly voice and you easilyindividuated the shiny hair of Kise. All the guys were already reunited,sitting on a far, bit secluded table. You waved happily, dragging with you agrunting Murasakibara.

“Oi X, Himuro!” Kagami greeted, eating a mountain ofburgers next to Kuroko and his vanilla shake, who smiled politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you again.” Akashi softlywelcomed you, in his usual polite manners.

“Oi.” Aomine just gave you a nod, stealing fries froma pouting Kise.

“We’re finally reunited.” Midorima observed, while yousat between your boyfriend and his best friend.

“Takao is not here today?” you asked politely to thegreen haired boy, who shook his head.

“He’d to study for a make-up test.” Explained with aquick smirk.

“How did the match go?” Kagami asked to Himuro,licking some ketchup from his fingers.

“It went well, we crushed them.” He answered softly, asmirk on his lips.

“Man, I can’t wait to play against you!”

“Kagami the season isn’t started yet.”

“Neeee, Aominecchi eat yours! Stop eating mine.”

“I already finished mine. Yours are better.”

“You liar!”

“Shintarou, when could we play shouji again?”

“I’ve promised to train with Takao this week but…”

You chuckled softly, gazing affectionately at thebunch of loud, strange guys you had the luck to meet.

Murasakibara squeezed your hand gently to attract yourattention; you turned to him and met his purple eyes.

“I’m going to buy something to eat. You stay here.”Told you, standing slowly up, “I’m going to bring you something good.” He addedletting go your hand to pat your hair.

You smiled happily and nodded to him.

“Thank you, Atsushi.”

The exact moment your boyfriend disappeared around thecorner, looking for the cashier, the guys seated at the table behind youstarted to snickers. They were just little punks with big bodies and loosemouths, but you couldn’t stop yourself from listening to their words.

“Are you serious?” one sniggered, raising on purposehis voice, “Have you seen the girl with that bunch of guys?”

“It’s a harem or what?”

“Well, her body is big enough for everyone.”

“Man, she could probably eat them.”

“A carnivorous cow.”

You clenched your fists and lowered your eyes on thetable, trying to breathe and calm down, remembering the loving words ofAtsushi, but it was too much. You hadn’t done anything, yet were being verballybadmouthed like that. You were ashamed of yourself even though you knew youshouldn’t feel like that. You felt tears welling up, even if you were trying tofake a smile. You didn’t want to let them see you were hurt. You knew they werejust stupid, but it hurt. It hurt your fragile heart. It made second-guessyourself again. What if, what if…

A loud splash woke you up from your depressingthoughts. Looking up, you opened your eyes wide ad the sight of Himuro standingup and an empty glass in his hands. The boy seated behind him, the one whostarted the thread of comments, were drenched in coke from head to toes, staringat him horrified.

Only then, you noticed that the entire table hadfallen in a tense, angry silence

“If you say another word against my manager, I’m goingto make you experience the pains of a living hell.” He stated quietly in acold, low voice.

“Shintarou, do you believe that calling my sniperswould be an exaggeration?” Akashi asked innocently, before directing his politesmile towards the punks while waving his phone. Red eyes burning with hellishflames.

“Against scum like them it would be a waste.” Midorimareplied, fixing his glasses while looking at them as if they were filth on thestreets.

“We can’t use snipers, Akashi-kun. Hiding the corpsesaway is a pain. We have to choose something more suitable.” Kuroko addeddeadpanned, appearing suddenly behind one of them, who screeched acutely forthe scare. When the hell did he arrive?

“I agree with Kurokocchi.” Kise said in a light,bubbling voice, “They’re not worthy. I prefer the old way, the good beating toa pulp. Don’t you, Aominecchi?” asked innocently leaning on Aomine’ shoulder; asly grin danced on his lips while his golden eyes pierced holes in the punks.

Aomine huffed annoyed, frowning at them. Then hepressed a hand on the table and slowly stood up, towering surrounded by a blackaura.

“Oi,” addressed them with his rasp, growling voice,“Don’t be idiots and apologize properly to her. Or we’re going to make youregret it.” Threatened seriously and the guys could swore they had seen apanther roaring behind him.

“Good words, Aomine! I hadn’t felt like beating someoneup in a lot of time!” Kagami supported him jumping up and cracking his knuckleswith a wide, menacing grin.

At this point, they all wanted to crouch on the floorand cry, because those big player were damn mad and scary, but they stillhadn’t seen the worst.

Suddenly, a big, rough hand descended on thecoke-drenched guy who had started everything and gripped tightly around hishead. He was lifted until he could only desperately kick in the air and he metthe eyes of a purple monster.

“What have you done to my X-chin?” Murasakibara asked ina dead tone, anger fueling him from the inside. He tightened his hold, as if hewas trying to break his skull.

The punks screamed terrified and, stumbling upon eachothers, started escaping from the restaurant, abandoning their friend.

The one caught yelled terrified.

“I’m sorry! I’m deeply sorry! I shouldn’t have saidanything! Please forgive, please don’t kill me! She’s the most beautiful girlI’ve ever seen! I was just envious! And stupid! Please let me go. I don’t wantto die.” Begged with tears in his eyes. They were going to kill him.

You, who had remained seated on your chair all thetime, completely petrified and amazed, found the strength to stand up and grabMurasakibara’s sleeve.

“Atsushi,” you called in a low, trembling voice, “It’sokay. Let him go. He had apologize.” You asked gently. You didn’t want yourboyfriend to be caught up in troubles for defending her, it was enough likethat. And you didn’t like to see him that mad.

Murasakibara looked at you and your sweet, but firmeyes and grunted.

He harshly let the guy drop with his ass on the floor.

“Vanish.” He just growled, towering on him and heliterally disappeared from your sight.

And in a matter of seconds everything returned asbefore; you looked amazed as the guys resumed their conversations like nothinghad happened and Murasakibara pulled you to sit down. Himuro casually pattedyou on the head, while talking with Kagami about basketball. Kuroko was beingthe referee in the argument over fries between a pouty Kise and a smirkingAomine, while Midorima and Akashi discussed about shouji. Your boyfriend put infront of both of you a trail full of your favorite food.

“So that you can remain pretty.” He only said in awhisper, before picking up a fry and waiting for you to open your mouth.

You finally started giggling, shaking your head withdisbelief.

“You’re all absurd but…Thank you,” you murmuredsoftly, looking affectionately at your table and, even if nobody replied, fromtheir quick smiles or the glint in their eyes you knew that everyone had heardyou.

[thekuroiookami]

KnB (Akashi x Reader): The Queen’s Gambit - Part 5

A month and a half after the spectacular first date, the Rakuzan basketball team was still congratulating themselves on their matchmaking ability. Hayama liked to point out vocally and often that he was the one who’d initiated the whole thing, but Mibuchi insisted it was really his influence that sealed the deal. Nebuya didn’t care much either way, and was just glad the captain was no longer irritable.

It was quite the opposite, in fact. Akashi hadn’t really softened up since you started dating – the training regime was still unforgiving, the Interhigh was coming up – but he was less inclined to crack down on perceived errors and deficiencies. He would overlook it if someone collapsed and didn’t make it to the 100th push-up, or if someone wanted to leave a couple of minutes earlier on the last day of the week. Everyone was immensely glad for your presence, the rookies most of all. It didn’t hurt that you and your mother liked to bake every once in a while, and made enough to feed conquering armies. They had seen even the normally implacable Akashi flinch at the sound of Momoi’s culinary skills, so there was much to be thankful for.

Suffice it to say, the team was more invested in your relationship than both the people involved. So when you two eventually had a falling out, they scrambled to repair the rift, because they needed you more than Akashi did.

It all started when he asked you to the party. No, it was before that, when the truth came out.

It was one of those rare afternoons when both you and Akashi were simultaneously free to have lunch together. Your schedule was usually nowhere near as busy as his, but both the kendo and basketball tournaments were soon, so you often had to spend your free time on organization. Normally, if you didn’t have club practice, you’d wander over to watch Akashi and the team train, doing your homework on the bench and chatting cheerfully to whoever was taking a break (usually Hayama, until Akashi came over, eyes glinting), but recently you hadn’t even had time to do that.

That day, however, by some twist of fate, the both of you were leaning on a banister, out on the school roof, luxuriating in a moment of peace.

“It feels like it’s been too long since we’ve seen each other, Seijuro.” You tipped your head back, soaking in the sunlight.

“We saw each other this morning, ____.” He sounded vaguely amused.

You gave him a sideways look. “You know what I mean. We haven’t spent even a full ten minutes in each other’s company since our last date two weeks ago.”

You’d been on two dates since the Very Interesting Sunday (as you liked to think of it), once on a relaxed outing where the both of you wandered around a museum and watched a movie afterwards, and another where you’d spent a few hours letting Akashi teach you the basics of basketball. While there was no way you actually had a hope of beating him in a game, you still managed to confuse him by being unpredictable. He had been especially intrigued to find that ankle-breaks didn’t work on you – a side effect of not having a brain wired to basketball and of kendo training, which was designed to keep you stable on uneven terrain. That had been memorable, but also ages ago.

“I apologize, I have been busy both here and at home. It’s an especially hectic time of year…”

“I don’t blame you, I know you have a lot on your plate. I should be a bit freer now though, so I could come over to yours if you’re working at home and keep you company.”

He frowned slightly. “That wouldn’t work, I have to be at the company and tutorials on weekends…Unless you wanted to spend the night?” This last suggestion was accompanied by a suggestive smirk.

You felt yourself flush a little, not out of embarrassment, but at how quickly your mind ran with the idea.

Seijuro in a towel, caging me in on a bed, looking at me with those eyes…Stop this train of thought before you maul him on the roof.

You straightened, not looking anywhere near him. He was probably enjoying himself plenty, since he had telepathy down to an art.

“I’d love to, but I wouldn’t risk it. Your fan club is hard enough on me already. If it got out that I had agreed to a sleep-over, they’d probably lock me up somewhere for three days to teach me propriety.”

Akashi wondered if he should have been worried. Maybe he needed to interfere. He was largely confident in your ability to handle most situations, but teenage girls could be a vicious species when they put their minds to it.

“Have they been…cruel to you?”

You waved a hand in dismissal. “No, nothing like that. At first, a couple of the sillier ones tried the whole tacks-in-my-shoes thing and cornered me after school, typically dramatic. It didn’t work both times. The first time because they were watching from around the corner of the lockers when I opened mine, to see my reaction I guess. When I saw what they’d done, I just walked over and emptied all the tacks onto their feet. The second time because I was on my way to club, so even if there were three of them, they weren’t brave enough to take me on with a shinai in my hand.”

He was impressed by your nonchalance and how uninspired the bullies were. “Pins in your shoes, really?”

“I know, it came straight out of a manga, I’m sure. After that, the slightly smarter ones tried to discredit me through gossip, but that didn’t go well either.”

This was more worrying. How determined were these girls? “The females of our school can be very…persistent, I see.”

You shook your head. “It wasn’t just them. There are some senior boys who don’t like you, to put it mildly. A first-year that stayed student council president and basketball captain? There’s a lot of resentment from wounded egos.”

The situation had gone into downright alarming territory. He’d known about the seniors, of course, and suspected that the other members of the team tried to keep him insulated from the effects. It hadn’t mattered till then, because there was nothing they could do to damage him. But now…

He grabbed your wrist, eyes sparking. “What. Did. They. Do?”

You raised your free to his face, and gently brushed his jaw with your thumb.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you, because I had a feeling you’d get worked up.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have even known myself, if Reina hadn’t told me.”

His eyes only narrowed further, and his grip on your arm tightened.  You sighed and continued reluctantly.

“They, and some girls, made some…interesting insinuations. About our relationship.”

“About what, exactly?”

“Something to do with my abilities in bed and how I seduced you. I’m not entirely sure.”

His face had gone completely expressionless, and his voice cold. You were a bit sorry for the gossipers, but you’d tried. It was bound to get out eventually.

“And you never heard this directly from them?”

You really didn’t want to tell him, but he’d know if you lied. “Just once, when I was leaving chemistry. Some third-year blocked the way and made a comment. That’s when I realized a smear campaign was going on. Reina and Takanashi-kun had been shielding me from the worst of it.”

His hand was going to leave bruises on your skin now. You tugged a little to see if you could get free, but to no avail.

“Seijuro, please, calm down. This starting to hurt a little.”

He let go of your wrist and chose to wall you in instead, trapping you against the balcony rail, forcing you to look at his face. It looked remarkably like the grim reaper before he delivered the news of impending doom. You bit your lip.  

“____,” he said in a soft voice, “I know you won’t tell me his name, but that won’t stop me. If you want to leave anytime soon, you’re going to have to at least tell me what he said.”

You gazed at his icily calm face for a few more seconds, and gave in. He meant everything he said, and you had already come this far. You were never fond of lying anyway. You took a deep breath.

“I don’t know his name, truthfully. He…he said that I should go down on him the way I did for you, since I was obviously so good at it.”

When you finished, you couldn’t look at Akashi’s face any more, the aura was positively bone-chilling. How had you even ended up here? Trust your one moment of time together to go awry. You silently cursed whatever slip of tongue had landed you in this conversational mire.

For his part, Akashi hadn’t felt this kind of rage since his match at Teiko against Murasakibara. Several conflicting emotions had hit him hard. Guilt, at not paying enough attention to you. Fury, at having not known about the bullying. And most of all fear, that it would all take its toll on you, and you’d give up on him.

I cannot have her leave me. If she does, it will be like that time all over again, and that is unthinkable. No, what I need to do is make sure this scum cannot ever lift his head again. And anyone else that so much blinks at her the wrong way.

“No one is allowed to speak to you that way. This will end now.” This was said with an air of finality. A world of regret awaited some people.

“Sei,” you said, frustrated that you couldn’t get through to him, “it doesn’t matter what they say. You know that. I don’t put stock in the opinions of people with nothing better to do, and everyone that matters knows the truth. It’s not worthwhile.”

It was what you had thought that day as well. When you heard the sleazy senior speak, you had raised an eyebrow at his complete lack of self-preservation. You had commented on how an obviously untrue statement could only come from someone who self-esteem issues arising from his own size. The senior had gritted his teeth as you walked off to meet Reina. And you had wondered if telling Akashi about this would be worse than not telling him. You had your answer now.

“Besides,” you continued in attempt to distract him from what were obviously plans that involved decapitation, “the fan club has given up on the drama and decided to mould me into the ideal girlfriend instead.”

This got his attention. “How so?”

“They’ve been giving me lectures on how to treat Akashi-sama. What I should wear. How I should conduct myself. What food I should put into bentos I make for you and – I quote the president here – ‘never wakame, because everyone knows Akashi-sama dislikes it.’ It was very illuminating sometimes, but almost worse than the tacks in my shoes.”

Akashi found this slightly frightening. There was a president for his fan club? And why were they so well informed?

“I hope you told them that it was pointless. I like you as you are. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here with you.”

Your heart swelled at this matter-of-fact statement.

Please, make it harder to love you. My body can’t take so much.

You gave him a bright smile. “I know, and so does everyone with a brain. That’s why the rumors didn’t fly. Because the great Akashi Seijuro would never be seduced into dating anyone.”

That last sentence was a misstep, because his face darkened again. You mentally berated yourself, but he didn’t look as angry as before. His eyes shuttered for a moment, and then he looked up again. Maybe he had decided to leave it alone after all.

“Well,” he said, stepping away from you after brushing his lips over your forehead, “we should get going. You have classes to attend, and I…have plans to make.”

You glanced warily at his face as you walked down the stairs. It was serene and his pleasant demeanour was back.

Oh boy, he’s even angrier than before. Apparently I made it worse. Can’t say I didn’t try, senpais. Nothing for it then, but to wait out the storm.

For their sakes, you hoped the seniors braced themselves.

The next day, you were searching for your favourite pencil, rummaging around in your desk, when Naota slid the classroom door open.

“____-san,” he called out, “the kaichou is looking for you. He said he’d meet you down the hallway.”

The whole class hushed in anticipation. Everyone knew Rakuzan’s student president and you were a couple, but no one had actually seen it in action. You noticed this, and gave an internal sigh.

A public declaration? Oh, Sei, what now? Please don’t scare everyone into hiding…

“Thanks, Takanashi-kun, I’m going.”

You stepped out of the classroom and walked down to class 2-3 where Akashi was supposed to be, but he hadn’t arrived yet. A crowd was milling around, partly since it was the end of class time, and partly because of speculative whispers. Footsteps from around the corner had you turning to the sound, expecting Akashi. Instead, the greasy senior from the unpleasant incident before ambled forward, followed by two equally unsavoury sidekicks.

From somewhere came a hissed exclamation: “It’s Sawamura-senpai! What’s he doing here?”

Your eyes narrowed as you took in the scene.

This looks very, very convenient. I don’t think I want to know what he’s up to. And just where is the conductor of this orchestra anyway?

Meanwhile, Sawamura stopped in front of you with a leering grin. His pals looked pleased with themselves. Obviously they had no idea of the shark-infested waters they were in.

“Hora, look, it’s the oiran girl. You still acting high-and-mighty ‘cause that Akashi bastard likes the way you look? That must be some fine ass you have then.”

The crowd stilled in shocked silence. You pursed your lips, pained by the whole thing.

Oiran girl? OIRAN GIRL? That’s what he came up with? Just how stupid is this guy?

“What, that smart-ass mouth of yours got nothing to say? Or is it too busy with other things?”

The sleaze’s cronies snickered on cue. Some of your classmates took a step forward, enraged. You shook your head at them and looked back at Sawamura. You took a step back and smiled slowly.

“Just one thing, senpai. That Akashi bastard? He’s right behind you.”

Sawamura and co whirled around to find that a dragon had descended from on high. The dragon was not pleased.

“Sawamura, was it? What business do you have with _____?”

This question was obviously for show, because (a) Akashi knew very well why he was there, having manipulated him to this point, and (b) Sawamura was gaping like a fish, caught in the hypnotic terror of Emperor Eye.

“I-err- “

Akashi, dressed in his jersey and carrying a basketball, strode forward. Behind him, Mibuchi and Hayama were similarly dressed, expressions hard. The third-year, who had lost all his bluster now, scrambled back to escape, but was cut short by the wall of muscle called Nebuya. The cronies tried to slink back into the crowd and disappear, but were also stopped by Naota and Taiyou, who looked positively gleeful. You leaned back against the wall to watch the fireworks happen.

Seijuro was speaking again, dribbling the ball slowly. “Did I hear that right? Did you just have the temerity to insult my girlfriend?”

Sawamura babbled some incoherent noises. The thump of the ball against the floor grew louder, harder.

“Because if you did, that would simply be unforgivable.”

The idiot decided to seal his fate. “I-it’s not like I really want that bitch, dammit!”

There was a blur of movement as Akashi moved up against Sawamura, executing a perfect cross-over. The ash-haired boy stumbled and fell on to the floor in a painful thud. There was a crunch and a yelp of pain as Akashi stepped on Sawamura’s hand, exerting excruciating pressure. You waited, face impassive.

A red head bent down slightly to survey the whimpering third-year. Akashi’s voice was low and weighted with contempt.

“No one who opposes me is allowed to look down on her. Know your place, insect.”

Sawamura’s breath came out in gasps. “Who do you think you are, you little- Do you know who my father-“

That quietly chilling voice cut him off. “Your father is not my concern. Though I wonder what he’ll say when he finds out his only son was the reason the Akashi corporation withdrew a merger worth millions?”

The senior’s face had gone completely pale. You winced a little, because this was Akashi, and he wasn’t done yet, not by a long shot.

Your terrifying, glorious, singular boyfriend pushed his foot down harder. There was a crack, followed by a howl of pain. Everyone else flinched, though they secretly thought it was well-deserved.

“Never show your face in here again. This time, you get off lightly. Next time…well, I know where you live, Reiji.”

Sawamura, whose hand had finally been released, staggered upright in fear. Just as he was about to say something, face twisted in anger, a third crony ran up.

“OYE REI! Get out of here!”

Everyone turned to look at this interruption, except Akashi. You were watching his face instead of the proceedings, so you weren’t surprised at what happened next.

Sawamura stared wide-eyed at the other third-year, who was panting.

“You better get out of here quick, Reiji. The principal just found what was in your bag, and he’s threatening to call the police!”

“W-what? There’s nothing in my bag!”

“There is now! Are you telling me you didn’t know you had the papers for the exams next month?”

“I never-“

“My, my,” drawled Mibuchi. “That would explain the broken-in safe the teachers were talking about.”

You were shaking your head now.

This might be overkill, Sei. Couldn’t you have left cigarettes in his bag instead?

Akashi smoothly inserted his own opinion. “I would take your friend’s advice if I were you. Leave before I decide that the teachers need to investigate you some more.”

The grey-haired boy staggered back, shaking. He caught sight of you out of the corner of his eye and pivoted toward you in rage.

“This is all your fault, you-“

Whatever he had been about to say got cut off as Akashi pulled him back with one fist, expression now one of unbridled fury. Unfortunately, this threw off the trajectory of Sawamura’s punch, which had been intended for you. You had already started moving to avoid it, but the sudden change in course caught you by surprise and so did Sawamura’s spiky ring, which cut sharply across your cheek.

“Oh dear.” You touched your stinging cheek and it came away stained red.

Akashi took one look at your surprised face and dropped Sawamura face down on to the ground. Before he hit the floor, Akashi’s kick caught him straight in the face with a resounding crack. The third-year yelled and reeled backwards, clutching his bloody nose. Once they got over their shock, Hayama and Nebuya restrained Akashi. Mibuchi looked disdainfully at the third minion, telling him to pick up Sawamura and disappear before the principal found them, which he promptly did. You decided enough was enough and moved in front of Akashi, blocking his view.

“Sei,” you said, touching his cheek, “look at me. It’s alright now. He’s gone.”

He said nothing, jaw clenched tightly and eyes glittering. At your signal, Hayama and Nebuya reluctantly moved away. Reo just watched with a slightly mournful expression. You slid your arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. The petrified audience practically applauded when Akashi finally hugged you back, arms cinching around your waist. At that point, all of Year 2 would have hugged him if it meant the tension would go away.

“Come,” he said after a while, “we need to get you to the infirmary and treat that cut.”

You nodded in agreement and picked up your bag to follow. It would probably be best to agree with everything he said for a while. Hayama gave you a toothy yet reassuring smile when you murmured your thanks to the basketball team.  Akashi locked your wrist in his hand and dragged you off at a punishing pace, not slowing down until you reached the nurse’s office.

Once in the room, he gave an imperious order to sit down on a bed and deftly started cleaning the cut. You bit down on your lip at the sudden sting of the antiseptic. His eyes met yours, and he rubbed a thumb over your skin in apology. You put your hand over his, stilling his movements.

“Seijuro, I’m fine. I really am. It’s just a small cut. So let’s just take a moment, okay?”

Perhaps it was the fact that his blood was still pounding from the rage he’d felt when Sawamura had stepped closer to you, much closer than necessary. Perhaps it was the way his heart had dropped when the blood welled over your skin, and he’d realized you were fragile. Breakable. You could easily be here one day and gone the next.

I need to keep her safe. I can’t lose her. She’s mine.

Either way, he wasn’t exactly calm, which was why he did something he wouldn’t normally do.

“___.”

“Yes?”

“I need to touch you. Everywhere. Now.”

You hardly had any time to process the declaration before you were pushed back onto the bed and your arms locked above your head. In a smooth movement, Akashi pulled off your tie with one hand and looped it around your wrists, trapping you there. You blushed and your eyes widened, startled.

“Sei, this is not- Mmph!”

Your words got cut off as he brought his mouth down in a bruising kiss. You could do nothing but feel as he trailed fingers everywhere: down your neck, up the curve of your knee, across your collarbone. It burned everywhere he touched and you felt breathless, dizzy. He tugged down the collar of your shirt to kiss your shoulder, then your neck. You tipped your head back, overwhelmed.

Then his fingers came up under your shirt, tracing your side, and you came back to reality.

“Akashi Seijuro, stop! We can’t do this here!”

He froze abruptly, surprised. He blinked twice, trying to remember what he was doing. Then he looked down at you, taking in the sight of your hair in disarray, shirt unbuttoned and skin flushed. It was unreasonably tempting, and he realized what he’d almost done.

“Ah…what did I…”

You pulled yourself up to a sitting position as he sat back. He was doing the Akashi equivalent of dazed, which meant he had an unreadable expression. You huffed in laughter.

“That was certainly unexpected. I’m flattered that you think of me that way, but maybe the infirmary isn’t the best place to do this?”

Your gentle teasing seemed to bring him back to his senses. He lowered his eyes, mouth a hard line.

“I apologize. You were hurt, and I made you uncomfortable. You did not deserve that kind of treatment from me.”

How was I any better than Sawamura just now? Caging her in like that…I’ll be lucky if she ever looks at me the same way again.

You cocked your head to the side, amused. “What exactly was ‘that kind of treatment’? The kind where you defended me from a horrible person who insulted me? The kind where you care for me and patch me up? Or the kind where you kiss me senseless and make me feel like the luckiest girl alive?”

He looked at you, surprised again. You sighed in exasperation at his denseness and continued.

“Besides, if I have any complaints, it’s that I couldn’t touch you in return. That was extremely frustrating. Some day you can tie me up again, but not now. So could you undo this knot, please?”

There was a rush of heat at your words. You held your hands out to him. He gave a reluctant smile at your general audacity and pulled the tie loose.

“You shouldn’t make statements like that, you know,” he murmured. “I might take it seriously.”

You turned slightly pink, but stayed firm. “I hope you do.”

He gave your hair warning tug as he re-braided it, but smiled nonetheless. You pulled your clothes back into place and quickly knotted the tie. Akashi pulled something out of his bag as you finished.

“I meant to give this to you earlier, but the commotion distracted me. Here.”

You took the wooden box from him, glancing at his face curiously. He merely gave an inscrutable smile. You clicked the latch open.

Your breath caught in your chest. “It’s beautiful.”

The hair ornament was intricate, a masterpiece of craftsmanship. The long silver pins were topped by a delicate dragonfly in flight, surrounded by lustrous enamelled flowers. It looked like something a princess would own.  

You looked up in wonder. “Are you really giving this to me?”

“I had it made for you, so yes. It’s yours. It was high time I gave you a present, and I’m quite fond of your hair, so a kanzashi seemed appropriate.”

No one had ever given you something this beautiful, and definitely not especially made for you. Your chest tightened with emotion.

“Then thank you very much, Sei. I’ll cherish it. I feel bad though, I don’t have anything to give you. Not something this wonderful, anyway.”

When you looked genuinely distraught, Akashi had to stifle a laugh.

Silly girl. You’ve already given me the most important thing. And I’ll cherish it too.

“Well, there is one way you could repay me for it. You made a promise, remember?”

“Of course. If it’s within my ability, I’ll do it. What can I do?”

“The Akashi manor will be hosting its annual summer party in a week. It’s a large event, with dignitaries and business magnates attending. In summary, it’s a venue for people in similar circles to meet, negotiate and build lasting partnerships. It’s part of the reason I’ve been so busy recently.”

You were thoughtful. This seemed to be heading down a dangerous direction. “I see.”

“This time, some corporations have taken an interest in sponsoring high school basketball tournaments, given the popularity of the Winter Cup. Rakuzan’s basketball team has been invited. That being the case, I’d like you to attend as well.”  

I knew it. He wants to me to attend a party with high-profile guests and meet his family. There is no way this would go down well.

“I’m honoured, but is this a good idea? I have no practice dealing with such important people, and I don’t want to risk making a mistake that makes you look bad. And most importantly, from what little I know of him, I don’t know if your father will be pleased with this idea. With me.”

That was the spanner in the works. Akashi Masaomi, from what you’d deduced using snippets of information, was a traditional, high-expectation patriarch who most likely wouldn’t take kindly to a random teenage girl fumbling her way through important business deals. You weren’t going to blame him if Seijuro never wanted you and his father to meet.

Akashi Junior seemed to have none of your doubts. “I doubt it, you conduct yourself well already. And we’d be more at risk of Hayama or Nebuya causing a feud than you. I won’t force you, but I’d much prefer having your company for the duration of the party.”

When he put it like that…”You know I could never refuse you, Seijuro. I’ll join you. Thank you for inviting me.”

You were rewarded with one those rare, genuinely happy smiles that reminded you of the sun coming out from behind clouds. “I shall look forward to it then.”

“Is there a dress code I should know about?”

“It is a formal black-tie event. The ladies can get quite creative with their dresses, but I’d like it if you didn’t wear anything too revealing. We wouldn’t want anyone to get any ideas.”

You rolled your eyes. “In a room full of rich, beautiful, older women, I doubt there’s anything I could wear that would make anyone even care I existed.”

“You underestimate your own appeal. That’s probably for the best though. You should wear the kanzashi.”

“I will. Though the idea of figuring out what to wear is already giving me a headache. Shouldn’t you be getting to practice around now? I’ve held you up long enough.”

“The same goes for you. Be careful not to over-exert yourself. Wait for me after you’re done. I will walk you home.”

He’s in overprotective mode. I should probably resign myself to this for a while.

“I’ll see you later, Sei.”

One week later, at the much-dreaded party, you stepped into the foyer of the Akashi manor. A stern looking woman in her late forties glided forward, wearing a dark kimono.

“____-san. Greetings, and welcome to the Akashi family home. Let me take your umbrella and shawl.”

“Thank you, Mitsue-san. It’s nice to see you again. I apologise for getting water all over your clean floor.” You exchanged conspiratorial smiles with the housekeeper. Though she projected an aura of strictness to keep the staff in line, she had a soft spot for Akashi. The first time you’d met her, you’d liked her instantly. And she seemed to like you as well.

“It is no trouble at all. Though I must say, this downpour is a bit unsettling. If you’ll follow me, the young master is in the ballroom.”

You took a moment to steel your nerves and followed Junko-san to where the party was underway. A peek through door revealed a truly intimidating sight: a gathering of Kyoto’s socialites, sipping champagne and chatting. Jewels sparkled under the lamplight, and light glanced off expensive watches as conversation became animated. There was an air of camaraderie, but also the tension of friendly competition. You hesitated, not really wanting to enter this arena. Mitsue gave you a reassuring nod and left. With one last deep breath, you entered.

Meanwhile, Akashi was trying to handle the boisterous personalities that were Hayama and Nebuya. Mibuchi’s gleeful enjoyment of his predicament was not helping. It had been a long day, and he didn’t need the added stress of wondering what his team would do next.

“OOOH, AKASHI, THERE’S SO MUCH FOOD.” The Thunder Beast was hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Kotarou.” His reply was dry.

“Say, Akashi, how long do we have to wait to meet these old guys? I’d rather be catching up on Slam Dunk right now.” Nebuya’s voice was a low rumble over the hum of conversation.

“Not much longer. My father is making the rounds and will be over with them shortly. And I’d prefer it if you didn’t call them old men, at least to their faces.”

Mibuchi took a moment to stop admiring his reflection in his phone and ask a question. “Sei-chan, did you say ____-chan was coming to the party? I admit, it would be a dull party with just these thick-headed fools. A young lady would add some much needed beauty to the atmosphere.”

Before Akashi could answer and Hayama could get offended, a happy shriek split the air. Some people almost dropped their glasses in surprise.

“AKASHICCHIIIIIIIII!” Kise bounced over, looking dapper in a black suit, hair half slicked back.  

“Kise. I was wonder when I’d run into you.” Akashi’s greeting was fondly exasperated.

“Were we talking about Yuricchi? Is she here?” Kise was visibly excited at the prospect.

Hayama was confused. “Who’s Yuri? And why are you even here, Kaijo’s ace?”

Kise gave everyone a blinding grin. “It’s a long story, but Yuricchi is what everyone in Tokyo calls Akashicchi’s girlfriend! As for me- Oh, there she is! Yuricchi, over here!”

Everyone turned to look in the direction Kise was flapping his hand at. You stepped around a waiter and everyone except Kise sucked in a breath at the sight. Akashi stopped breathing entirely for a few seconds.

I should have been more specific when I said no revealing clothes. Trust ___ to follow the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it.

You were dressed in a red qipao, the silk a dark ruby that revealed subtle floral patterns under the light. The dress fell to your ankles, hugging your figure till your hips. From there, the skirt was straight with thigh-high splits, showing a flash of leg when you moved. Dangerously thin heels complemented the feminine allure of the outfit. Your hair was done half up half down in a complex interplay of waves, the pin from Akashi glinting against the dark hue. Finishing it all off was your make-up, which was very light except for the smoky cat’s eye effect around your eyes. Several people were blushing by the time you reached them.

You stopped just short of the group. “Seijuro, sorry I kept you waiting, the rain made it a little difficult to get here. Mibuchi-senpai, Hayama-senpai, Nebuya-senpai, it’s nice to see you again. Kise-san, what a wonderful surprise, I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you visiting Kyoto for a match?”

Hayama and Nebuya were staring at you wide-eyed. Mibuchi was smiling slyly, cheered by the aesthetic improvement. Kise just seemed as happy as ever. And Akashi, well, he was calculating the fastest way to get rid of this lot before things got out of hand.

Kise piped up again and made things worse. “I was just saying to Mibuchi-san that Akashicchi’s dad owns the company I sometimes model for. And those sponsor people wanted to meet me too, so here I am. But enough about me, you look so nice, Yuricchi! Do a twirl!”

“A twirl? Like this?” You hesitantly turned around, unsure of Kise’s intentions. When you did, Akashi’s face hardened and Hayama went completely red.

Forget letter of the law, she had no intention of listening to me at all. How difficult does she want to make this evening? Just look at that dress…

The dress was backless, cutting off near your shoulder blades and picking up again at the middle of your back. While nowhere near as daring as some other gowns on display, the contrast of blood-red silk and smooth skin was enough to wreak havoc. Akashi was almost of a mind to lock you in a room till the party ended, for public safety. He came back to the present just in time to hear you speaking to that infernal Kise again.

“Everyone looks really dashing in their suits. Hayama-senpai and Nebuya-senpai, those colours suit you well. And Mibuchi-senpai, stylish as always. I’m sure many girls at school would dearly love to see you dressed up.”

Mibuchi tossed his head proudly. “If it weren’t for me, these idiots would have turned up in their uniforms. Imagine, Eikichi didn’t even own a suit until I forced him to get one! The horror, I tell you.”

Kise had the face of a kicked puppy. “Yuricchi, how mean! I’m standing right here!”

“Ah, sorry Kise-san. Of course you look handsome. As expected from a popular model.”

Every word was sending Akashi further into a well of darkness. He hooked an arm around your waist, pulling you into his side.

“Hmm, darling, aren’t you neglecting someone? Or have you forgotten who you’re dating?”

You surveyed Akashi through your lashes. In his three-piece suit, he looked every inch the corporate heir, radiating power and confidence. The cut did wonderful things for the breadth of his shoulders, and the grey waistcoat hugging his chest was begging for you to unbutton it. It was a crime against womankind, the way he looked.

You tilted your head to whisper in his ear. “Let’s just say if you wanted to use your tie for creative purposes, I wouldn’t object. At all.”

His eyes darkened and his grip on your waist tightened. You touched your head to his shoulder and smiled, much to the envy of spectators. Since it was a happy moment all around, it was inevitably ruined in spectacular fashion.

“Seijuro.” A coldly imperious voice came from behind you. “I assume this is the basketball team?”

You turned to find the imposing figure of Akashi Masaomi looming over you, flanked by several equally important looking men. Unlike his son, Akashi Senior had dark hair, and his face was etched with the lines of his years. When he stiffened ever so slightly, you slid Seijuro a sideways glance.

There is so much palpable tension in the air. I’d love to be like Kuroko-san and disappear right now, but Sei’s grip is too strong.

“Father,” he said in a formal, correct voice, “allow me to introduce you to my basketball team.”

You missed the warmth of his hand as he moved away, making introductions, but settled for waiting in dread for the inevitable moment. Finally, Akashi Senior turned the weight of his gaze on you.

“And who is this young lady?”

“This is ___-san, Father. She’s the kendo captain in Rakuzan. ____ and I are…together now.”

You bowed deeply, moving gracefully. “Thank you for having me here today, Akashi-san. It is an honour to meet you.”

Masaomi’s eyes were narrowed when he looked at you. The younger Akashi slid a comforting hand over your back and you shifted into his touch. Behind you, the other adults were interacting with the team, though Kise and Mibuchi were monitoring the interaction out of the corner of their eyes.

Masaomi spoke again. “You must be a very different kind of girl then. So far all the other daughters of clients he’s had marriage meetings with have failed to keep my son’s interest.”

Akashi went rigid by your side, but you just inclined your head.

“That is a high compliment indeed, Akashi-san,” you said demurely, “since all these people you mentioned must surely have been very fine and accomplished young women. I am overwhelmed by Seijuro-kun’s regard.”

From somewhere behind you came a choked laugh, but everyone studiously ignored it.  

“Hmm. We shall see how you fare. Seijuro, remember that who you fraternize with reflects on us. It’s one thing to carry on with the basketball team, but another to have a girl of questionable background around you. Do not disappoint me again.”

Looking at this confrontation brewing, you decided to interrupt. “I am sure you can trust Seijuro-kun’s judgement, Akashi-san. He is your son and the Akashi heir after all. One would expect nothing less than complete decisiveness.”

“At least you are not completely without sense. Seijuro, I will see you later.” With one last warning look at you, the Akashi head strode away. You let out a sigh of relief and turned to the son.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I endeared myself to your father. I was less polite than I would have liked.”

Akashi gave a slight shake of his head and interlaced his fingers with yours. “You did remarkably well, given the circumstances. My father is not an easy man to please.”

“I can imagine. Are you sure it’s alright to be standing here like this? I don’t want to keep you from your duties.”

When he replied, it sounded world weary. “I will have to shortly, but first there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Intrigued, you took his proffered arm and let him guide to a table. A striking older woman stood in front of it, laughing at something her companion said.

“Sayaka obaa-san, good evening. I hope you are well. Are you enjoying the party?”

This is Sei’s aunt? She looks nothing like his father though.

“Ah, it’s my favourite and only nephew! You should know better than to spout platitudes by now, as if I care for those stuffy rules.”

Oh wow, I think we’ve found the Akashi equivalent of a unicorn.

“And you should know old habits die hard, obaa-san. Besides, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

She turned fully, taking you in. Her eyes widened speculatively when she saw your hair-pin.

“Sayaka obaa-san, this ___-san, my girlfriend. ____, this is Akashi Sayaka-san, my father’s sister.”

“Pleased to meet you, Akashi-san.” You bowed again and smiled at her.

“Why, Sei-kun, you never told me you had such a cute girlfriend! Good for you, you finally loosened up. And dear, call me Sayaka, please.”

I definitely like her.

“Then please call me ____, Sayaka-san. Do you work in the Akashi corporation as well?”

“Good lord no, imagine sitting in those stuffy board meetings, listening to someone drone on for hours about numbers. Positively dreadful. No dear, I work with figures of a different kind – I’m a fashion designer. But tell me first, are you a cat or a dog person?”

Unable to keep up with the abrupt change in topic, you said the first thing that came to your mind.

“Both? I like most fluffy animals.”

“Splendid! Never choose one when you can have the best of both worlds. Sei, I like this one. You should keep her.”

“I intend to, if we don’t scare her off first,” he replied dryly. You blushed a little at this.

“Sadly, I concur. Masa-kun can be overbearing. He gets it from our father, I think. Speaking of which, you should at least pretend to talk to some of those people. I’ll keep your young lady company.”

“Then if you’ll excuse me. Give my regards to uncle.” With a last brush of his thumb over your cheek, he disappeared into the crowd. You watched him go, heart twisting a little.

When you turned back, his aunt was considering you thoughtfully. She smiled suddenly and spoke again.

“My dear, I’ve been dying to ask. Wherever did you get that dress? My professional curiosity is killing me.”

“Ah, one my juniors, Shinohara-san, has an older brother who’s a stylist. He fitted the dress for me.”

Like that, you chatted easily with the older woman until it was time for dinner. She had a long and colourful history which included an elopement and several other activities which were all designed to induce a cardiac arrest in the Akashi family. It was a fascinating, if surreal, experience. At dinner, you were seated between Kise and Hayama, who collectively had enough sunshine in them to power a city, so that went peacefully as well. It was after dinner that things went awry.

You were preparing to leave after dinner, secretly relieved at the thought of being free of your shoes. Your ankles were already protesting when you spotted a low sofa next to a door and sank down on to it gratefully. Just when you were thinking to yourself that you should find Akashi and bid him good night, you heard his voice carry through the door.

“Father, I am not going through this again. I won’t leave ___, no matter what you say. It shouldn’t matter to you so long as it doesn’t affect my performance in any way.”

“But it already has, Seijuro.” The anger in Masaomi’s words made you flinch. “I just heard about your little stunt at school with Sawamura’s son. If anyone had found out, you would have jeopardised a lifelong partnership, and for what? Some girl? This one is already skewing your judgment.”

“__ had nothing to do with it. If anything, she tried to stop me. You know as well as I do that the Sawamura shares have been declining steadily for the past few years. There’s nothing to be gained by letting him defy me. And if his character is anything to go by, the son will not improve the situation. Also, in my place, would you have stood for Mother being insulted in public?”

Seijuro’s tone was biting. Akashi Senior didn’t let up on his rage, however.

“Do not bring your mother into this. Don’t think I didn’t notice that kanzashi she was wearing. Dragonflies and peonies, the Akashi family’s crest. Similar to the one Shiori had. You were all but announcing your betrothal to that girl.”

Your hands flew up to your mouth in shock. What was all this?

“And what if I did? We would be lucky to have her marry into the family. None of the girls I met before had half as much sense.”

You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this statement.

Oh, Seijuro. I never meant to come between you and your father.

“I didn’t bring you up for these past 16 years so that you could throw away the Akashi lineage when you felt like it. I’m issuing a final warning: stop your association with that girl or I cut off your club activities for good.”

Your heart plummeted.

No. NO. You can’t make him pick, that’s too cruel. Basketball is the only thing he wants for himself. The only link to his mother. Please. Don’t do this. Don’t make me pick.

From the other side of the door, silence reigned. “Now, Seijuro. I don’t have time.”

You didn’t stay to hear his reply. Either one would be unbearable. You fled out the front door, brushing past a concerned Kise and Reo, wanting to be somewhere, anywhere but here.

Hayama stretched his arms above his head, working out the stiffness in his neck. Beside him, Nebuya had pulled off his bow-tie and jacket, similarly rolling out a shoulder.

“Man, it feels so good to be out of there. I couldn’t breathe with these people asking questions. No offense to him, but I wouldn’t want to be Akashi.” The blond stifled a yawn.

Nebuya made an indiscernible noise in agreement. The party was slowly winding down, guests collecting their belongings to leave.

Mibuchi and Kise walked over, faces looking strained. “Have you seen Sei-chan anywhere?” asked Reo in a clipped tone.

“Haven’t seen him since dinner. Why?”

Kise sounded subdued when he spoke. “We just saw Yuricchi leave, looking really upset. She didn’t even notice us there. Maybe she and Akashicchi had a fight?”

Hayama and Nebuya looked alarmed. If this spiralled out of control, everyone would feel the ripple effects, especially them. One look at Mibuchi’s grim face confirmed he was thinking the same thing.

Nebuya’s deep voice broke into the oppressive atmosphere. “We should find the captain and tell him what happened. He might not know about it. Anyone at the party could have upset ___-san.”

“We were going to, but Sei-chan is nowhere to be seen. I’m a little worried because it’s still raining heavily and ___-chan might not be careful.”

Just then, the subject of conversation came into view, speaking to his aunt. His face was as composed as ever, but subtle strain showed in the set of his shoulders and jaw. The group drew a breath of relief.

“Akashi! Do you have a second? It’s important.” Hayama’s voice carried clearly across the hall.

He glanced their way, taking in their worried faces, and excused himself. Sayaka waved him away, looking amused. Akashi approached them, senses on alert.

“Is something wrong?”

Everyone glanced at each other. “It’s about Yuricchi.” Kise started hesitantly.

“Have you seen her around? I’ve been looking for her. There’s something I needed to say.”

“Well, whatever it is, you better say it quick. ___-chan just ran out the front door a few minutes ago, looking very upset.” Reo’s eyes were narrowed.

“Akashicchi, I think…she was in tears. She looked very sad. Did you guys fight?” Kise looked as upset as the person he was talking about.

“No…I didn’t…where did she go?” Akashi was starting to feel the dread build in his chest as he catalogued all the possibilities. What could have happened?

“Probably to the gardens? She didn’t seem to be paying attention to where she was.”

“Then we need to spread out and find ___ before something happens. Kise, Nebuya, search the east side. Reo and Kotarou can look for her in the opposite direction. I’ll take the back gardens. Mitsue-san, get everyone some umbrellas please.”

The housekeeper materialized as per Akashi’s orders and soon everyone was searching the grounds. In the end, it was Akashi himself who found you, barefoot with eyes gazing blankly into the distance. The rain, which was now torrential, had plastered your hair and dress to your skin. Your eyes flickered to him when he approached, but you didn’t move.

“Sei.”

His voice was gentle when he spoke. “You shouldn’t be out here alone, ___. Let’s get you out of the rain before you get sick.”

You offered no resistance as he wrapped his jacket around you and lifted you off the ground in his arms. That lifeless demeanour scared him more than anything.

Please, say something. Yell at me, curse me. Anything but this interminable silence. I won’t know what’s wrong until you tell me.

When he got back to the house, Kise and the rest were pacing anxiously in the living room.

“Yuricchi, are you alright? We were worried sick!”

Your eyes turned down in guilt. “I apologise, Kise-san. You went to so much trouble because of me.”

“As long as you’re fine, it’s alright.” Hayama smiled kindly.

Mitsue-san floated in with towels, her normally steely expression tinged with worry. Akashi took one and started drying your hair with careful strokes. The gentleness of the action finally broke your control and you curled up with a broken sob. Everyone in the room froze, unsure.

“Could we have a moment alone?” The boys were glad to obey the thinly-veiled order and leave Akashi to deal with the terror of a crying girl. They didn’t go too far, however, opting to huddle outside the door in case he messed things up.

Oblivious to their concerns, Akashi kneeled in front of you, pushing a lock of wet hair out of your face.

“What’s wrong, love? Tell me so I can fix it.”

Your heart twisted painfully at the endearment. Deciding that you’d have to face it sooner or later, you spoke tiredly.

“Sei, I don’t think I can do this. Loving you…loving you is too hard.”

Akashi lurched back like he’d been struck. Outside the door, Nebuya muffled Kise’s screech of horror and Mibuchi had to restrain Hayama from jumping into the room.

You continued, your heart breaking little by little. “I’ve never hated myself so much before. I thought if it was for you, I could do anything. But there are some things I can’t do, no matter how much I want to.”

“I didn’t think you were the type to give up so easily, ____. I’m disappointed.”

It’s happening, the inevitable. No one can bear the pressure of the Akashi family. I will be alone again. She will leave. Though I’ll put up a good fight before she does.

The secret audience nearly groaned at Akashi’s words. Kise and Reo facepalmed.

“Geez, Akashi, even I know better than to say that to a crying girl.” Hayama shook his head.

“Ssh.” Nebuya’s expression was grim.

You cast your eyes down, feeling hollow. “I know, you have every right. A better person than me would have tried harder. Perhaps…someone else may be more suited to you after all.”

“If you think you can escape me that easily, you are mistaken. I told you, didn’t I? That once you said yes, there was no going back.”

I don’t care what the cost is. You are not leaving me. There is no alternative to this. If I have to lock you up, I will.

You curled in on yourself a little further. “That’s just it. A less selfish person would have been able to let you go, but I can’t. Even when it means you have to choose between me and the thing you love most.”

“What…did you say?”

The eavesdroppers were as taken aback as Akashi was. They exchanged confused looks.

You sighed. “I overheard what your father said. About the problems the Sawamura incident created. And about him issuing the ultimatum. Me or basketball.”

Kise was scandalized. “That’s horrible, making Akashicchi choose. How could he?”

Mibuchi was more concerned with other things. “Sei-chan, hurry up and reassure her. An upset lady is simply not beautiful.”

Meanwhile, Akashi was processing this abrupt turn in the conversation. The painful constriction in his chest had eased at your words.

So it’s not what I feared, then. She doesn’t want to leave. And she still loves me.

You spoke again, unaware of his thoughts. “I can’t live with myself at thought of being the cause of a rift between you and your father. And it hurts even more when I think I could have walked in and said that I’d leave, so you could continue playing. But I didn’t. I just couldn’t.”

He tipped your chin up, forcing you to look into his eyes. “Answer one question. It’s not my family or the pressure that’s making you say this, is it?”

“What? No! Your father doesn’t like me, but that is only to be expected. I can handle that. As for everything else, if you’re with me, I can manage. But I never thought I’d get in the way of your passion. That’s…I don’t know what to do about that.”

Akashi’s eyes glinted. A victorious smile curled his lips. “Then I’ll tell you what I said to my father.”

Kise speculated on the answer. “Probably something like, ‘I show no mercy to those who oppose me, not even my own parents’.” Hayama snickered at the thought. Mibuchi hissed at them both and strained to hear the rest.

“…that I am an Akashi, and we achieve success in everything we do. That I have been working for this family’s assets longer than some adults, and I am almost an adult myself. That he need not be apprehensive, because by the Interhigh, I would make victory a reality.”

What he didn’t mention was that he had also pointed out that Shiori would not have wanted this, and Masaomi had drawn back, shocked.

Your eyes were wide and hopeful in your face. “So you can still play? Because I love watching you play.”

“Yes. And you’re not going anywhere soon. I hope you’re prepared.” With that he leaned in and kissed you, taking away your breath for the hundredth time that day.

When he drew back, you rubbed your face, a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I should have had more faith in you. I worried you for nothing.”

“You should have. I can’t complain though; I’ve never had anyone get so upset on my behalf. Kise and the rest, you can stop hovering behind the door now.”

The people in question waltzed in without a shred of remorse.

“Yuricchi, I’m so glad you’re smiling again. It’s great that you guys made up. I have good news for you!”

“What is it, Kise-san?” You wondered how there could be anything left to say at this time of day.

Nebuya decided to speak, for unknown reasons. “The rains haven’t stopped. At all. There’s a flood warning issued, so we’re all stuck here for tonight.”

Mitsue-san suddenly appeared. “Young master, I’m afraid Nebuya-san is right. The roads are impassable, and it seems like no one will be able to leave till morning.”

Akashi briefly shut his eyes in frustration. Then: “Everyone, you might want to call home and tell them about the situation. Have you prepared rooms for everyone, Mitsue-san?”

“Indeed, young master. If you would all follow me.”

The housekeeper led them all to the second floor, stopping in front of a row of lavishly appointed rooms. “Unfortunately the current number of guests is too much for the household to accommodate without some adjustments. So I will have to trouble you all to share rooms in pairs. My apologies for the inconvenience.”

“That’s alright, Mitsue-san,” said Reo cheerfully. “Kise-kun, you’re with me.”

Hayama had an expression of betrayed horror. “BUT WHY?”

“We all know Eikichi is like a bear in his sleep. Actually, he’s like a bear awake as well. Either way, he’s your problem. Come, Kise-kun.” The bear growled a little.

Kise looked vaguely uncomfortable with this, but said nothing. Hayama sighed.

Akashi gave them a marginally suspicious look and turned to the housekeeper. “And what about ___?”

“Ah. That. I’m afraid young master, that ___-san is going to have to share with you.”

One could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. You looked down at your toes, wondering how you got yourself into these things.

Kise was biting his cheek hard to keep from laughing, and the others were slowly backing away.

Akashi finally spoke, the words heavy. “I see.”

“My apologies again. The alternative was to put ___-san in with“ -there was a meaningful glance here at the other boys – “someone else.”

He gave them all a suspicious look. “That certainly would not do. Hayama, was that disappointment on your face?”

“Only in the sense that I have to share with this guy and you get ___-san for a roommate.”

“Anyway, I need a shower after all that. My clothes are drenched. Yuricchi, Akashicchi, good night!”

As Kise turned to leave, you caught his sleeve, stopping him. He looked at you in question.

“Thank you,” you said softly,” for going through so much trouble for me. All of you.”  

All the boys smiled, features softening. “You can pay us back with cookies, ___-san.” Hayama’s grin was infectious in its brightness.

“I will.”

They trooped off, bickering amongst themselves and leaving you alone with Akashi. He held his arm out, ever the gentleman.

“Shall we?”

As you walked away, smiling a little to yourself, someone approached the housekeeper.

“So,” said Sayaka-san, “I can think we can congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Did you make the preparations I requested?”

Mitsue-san bowed slightly. “It has been done as you asked, Sayaka-sama.”

“Then we can just kick back and watch the fireworks. Those boys did a good job of keeping their poker faces. Now the rest is up to Sei-kun.”

You looked around Akashi’s room in interest. It had the expensive décor you would associate with a mansion, but not many personal belongings. There were a couple of framed photos over the mantelpiece, and some books on the bedside table. One particular photo caught your eye.

“Is that everyone from the Teiko basketball club? It looks recent.”

Akashi walked over to inspect it. “Ah yes, we took that on Kuroko’s birthday in January. Momoi arranged a friendly game as a birthday gift.”

You smiled, tilting your head at the photo. “She looks happy. You all do.”

He smiled slightly as well. “You should take a bath first, you were in the rain for a while. The bath is through that way. You should find towels and something to wear on the dresser.”

“Thank you, I’ll try to be quick.” You shrugged off his jacket and returned it to him. “I’m sorry I got your clothes wet.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now go, unless you want to watch me change? I wouldn’t mind.”

You had to hide a smile behind your hand. “Don’t tempt me, Seijuro. Here, would you keep this safe for me?” You pulled the kanzashi out of your hair and held it out to him.

Both of you stared at it for a moment, recalling the evening’s events. You looked back at Akashi, who had a closed expression, and sighed.

“I do wish you had told me about the significance of this, but I’m not dwelling on it. So neither should you.”

His voice was soft. “I did not wish to burden you with expectations. At the same time, I couldn’t let you go without it either, because it is a symbol of our protection.”

“I understand. This is the reason I wasn’t bothered today, wasn’t it? I’m not blaming you…it’s just that if I’d known your mother had one like it, I would have treasured it more.”

You pressed a kiss to his jaw and moved towards the bath. Then, abruptly, you returned. He raised an eyebrow at you. You turned your back to him.

“Could you unhook the neck of my dress for me? It’s difficult for me to do myself.”

His eyes turned predatory, but he did as you asked. Fingers deftly undid the clasp, sliding the dress partway down your shoulders. His touch moved lower down your back in a feather-light caress. You shivered at the sensation.

“Now, temptress,” he whispered in your ear, “hurry to your bath before you get more than you bargained for.”

Sensing the danger, you left as fast as you could. Akashi sighed and loosened his tie. Making his way to the wardrobe, he tried not to imagine peeling that dress off your body or joining you in the bath. This was going to be a long night.

Twenty minutes later, you were drying your hair in front of the mirror and trying not think about what would happen next. Like everything else in the bathroom, the mirror was huge, reflecting your towel clad body about halfway down. If it weren’t for the fact that Akashi was waiting, you could have soaked in the gigantic tub forever. You sighed.

This is not going to be awkward at all. Nope. Just sleeping really close to the guy I’m insanely attracted to. That will be completely fine.

It got worse when you shook out the clothes that had been set out for you. You eyed the fabric sceptically.

What on earth on was Mitsue-san thinking, giving me this to wear? If my other dress wasn’t soaked through, I’d have worn that instead. This seems like a prank someone would play…Ohhh.

There was no choice but to wear it. You poked your head around the bathroom door, reluctant to step out.

“Seijuro, I should…” You trailed off, stunned into silence.

Akashi’s shirtless back was turned to you, muscles flexing as he towelled his hair. His pine and citrus scent hit you and your mouth suddenly went dry.

Have I died and gone to heaven? That must be it. I probably caught pneumonia and I’m hallucinating now.

You were startled by his voice. “Is something wrong, ___?”

Dazed, you blinked at him. “Err, no? That is- you know what, this is too distracting. Just put a shirt on.”

“Pfft. Alright.” When you looked back again, he was in a t-shirt, smirking. “So why are you hiding behind the door?”

“Because – and I say this respectfully – I think Sayaka-san decided to make our lives more interesting by swapping out my clothes.”

“It can’t be that bad. There’s limits to what even obaa-san can do on short notice.”

“Suit yourself.” You stepped out from behind the door, sweeping your hair over one shoulder. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Akashi’s eyes widened. “How did she…”

“I don’t even want to know. I’m just glad Mitsue-san washed your jersey before she gave it to me.”

Without the breadth of his shoulders, Akashi’s jersey came to mid-thigh on you. He swallowed hard as one sleeve threatened to slip down your arm. He didn’t dare look down to see how your legs looked.

I swear there is some deity out to get me. My aunt is a danger to humanity. No wonder Father nearly disowned her. Now think of shogi openings. Violin scores. The Winter Cup. Anything but how that jersey will look on the floor.

He let out a long exhale. “Some people are determined to test the limits of my patience.”

“It’s a good thing you’re absolute, then. Should we hunt for something less…sportsy?”

Though if you were being honest, you liked the way he was looking at you. You almost wanted to thank Sayaka-san for her thoughtfulness.

“That’s probably for the best. There should be-“

“Akashicchi! Is this your room? Yuricchi, you- Whoa.” The explosion that was Kise stopped short, causing Mibuchi, Hayama and Nebuya to barrel into him. Your face heated up as they took in your appearance.

Akashi swiftly moved in front of you, blocking their view. “If you don’t want to be buried where you stand,” came the voice of hell, “you will shut that door behind you now.”

Kise emitted a squeak and slammed the door shut. You buried your face in Akashi’s shoulder, caught between laughter and tears.

“I am never going to live that down.”

“You won’t have to.” His words were a silken promise. “They’ll all join obaa-san in the afterlife shortly.”

“Shall I go get something else to wear while you ask them why they burst in? I can still hear them outside the door.”

“Check the third drawer from the top. And I’m only going to talk to them because there will be no peace otherwise.”

While you searched for something suitably loose and comfortable, Akashi subjected the others to his flat stare.

“Mind explaining your lack of manners, Kise?”

“It’s too early to go to bed, and we’re all here, so I thought we should spend some time together. Let’s play a board-game!”

Akashi glanced back as you returned, dressed less provocatively. You shrugged at the unsaid question. “I don’t really mind.”

And that’s how it turned into a strange slumber party, with Kise regretting his choice of board-game very shortly.

“How unfair! Is there a single game you haven’t won, Akashicchi?”

A slight smile was his only reponse. You on the other hand, were incredulous.

“It’s Monopoly, Kise-san. You can hardly expect to beat Sei at something he’s had lifelong experience in. I doubt there’s a single strategic game we could play and win. Unless we all ganged up on him or something.”

Everyone looked at Akashi, considering the idea. He narrowed his eyes back. Mibuchi shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be worth the consequences.”

There was a collective nod in agreement. Your eyes lit up with mischief.

“That said, I do have one idea…” You leaned over to whisper into Kise’s ear. He brightened and nodded in excitement. Akashi had to restrain himself from pulling you into his lap and throwing Kise across the room. His eyes narrowed some more when the whole group put on an expression of angelic innocence.

“Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.”

“Who said we were planning anything?” No one was looking directly at Akashi any more.

Hayama cleared his throat. “So, does anyone know any spooky stories?”

Half an hour later, the boys had run the gamut from downright silly to nightmare inducing tales of horror. Nebuya in particular had a gift for turning mundane incidents into psychotic episodes. Akashi noticed you stifling a yawn and decided to put an end to the festivities. He was still suspicious of you and Kise, which is why he didn’t notice when Hayama and Mibuchi slid behind him.

Your sleepy expression was suddenly replaced by an intent look. “Now, senpai.”

Crimson eyes widened as Akashi’s arms were grabbed and pulled back, pinning him. Kise approached, golden eyes gleaming.

“Ne, Akashicchi, I bet you’ve never been tickled before, have you?”

“Ryouta, don’t you dare-“

“Too late.” You trailed your fingers up his sides, finding the spots that made him flinch. Kise was equally wicked, and possibly more brutal than you.

Akashi’s shoulders shook with the effort of restraint, but eventually he caved into helpless laughter. Hayama and Mibuchi sat back in amazement at the sound, and Kise had an expression of wonder. You just grinned.

“Sei-chan, you really should do that more often.” Mibuchi tutted.

“So he can have more fans than he already does? I don’t think so.” Kise pouted a little at the idea.

Akashi flushed a little and straightened. He turned to look at you. “You will regret your actions very soon.” The words were a vow.

“Hmm, I’d like to see you try. Besides, they were in on it as well.”

The others cringed as you threw them under the bus. Suddenly, there were comments on late it was, and the need to catch up on sleep, it had been a long day. The room was suddenly quiet as everyone left.  

Akashi shut the door and turned around with a hunting aura. You backed up as he prowled forward, eerily reminded of a lion waiting to pounce.

“Now, Seijuro, it’s been a long day…”

“I did warn you, ___, that you would you repent shortly.”

You dodged left, Akashi saw it coming, tripped you up and caught you around the waist, all in one movement. Your breath left you in a huff as you dropped on the bed. You blinked as he caged you in with his hard frame.

“So precisely what part of this am I supposed to regret?”

“This.” He dipped his head towards yours slowly. Your eyes were half shut, warm in his embrace.

Then you choked as his fingers found the most sensitive spot near your ribcage. Somehow his tickling was the worst you’d experienced, as he had an uncanny knack for finding all your weak points. You struggled a bit, but there was no getting out of his hold.

“Stop, stop! I yield,” you gasped in between bouts of breathless giggles. “I’m sorry for everything! Now please let me go.”

Akashi was tempted to continue for a while, your laughter was intoxicating and it felt good to have someone he could be himself around. But he relented, moving away so you could sit up. You pushed your hair back out of your face and surveyed him.

“You’re evil. And somehow that makes me happier.”

His face, while composed, gave off an air of amusement. “I aim to please. Now, we really should attempt to catch up on some sleep. I’ll take the couch.”

You looked at him in dismay. “You mean you’re not going to let me take advantage of this golden opportunity to cuddle up to you?”

He let out a controlled breath. “That would not be wise. This is difficult enough already without you in such close proximity to me.”

You bit your lip. “Are you saying all that absoluteness and willpower was a lie?”

“Do you have any sense of self-preservation at all?” His exasperation was beginning to show.

“Not when you’re involved, no.” You were unrepentantly cheerful.

He closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them again, you were still gazing at him hopefully. He conceded defeat.

“Very well, remember that you asked for it.”

“One of us needs to not have a sense of propriety, and apparently that person is me. Just learn to enjoy it.”

“Oh, I certainly will.”

He slid under the covers, instantly making you warmer by just being there. Never one to waste time, you moved closer immediately, settling your head on his chest and entwining your legs. He hummed at the back of his throat, a contented sound.

The heat of his skin and the feeling of safety soon made you drowsy. The soothing movement of his hand over your back didn’t help.

“Sei,” you said, half asleep, “are you really sure it’s okay to say no to your father? I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“I’m sure. And if it’s not, I’ll find a way around it.”

“I hope so. I just want you to be happy.”

Soon your breathing evened out and you were fast asleep. Akashi looked down at you, chest warm with happiness.

“I know. I love you too.”

Author's rambling:

So that was cringe-inducingly cheesy. I swear, I just set out to write one party chapter and it turned into this monster. What is my life.

One picture that I used for inspiration is this one from the Last Game trailer, to give you an idea of how they were dressed. A qipao, also called a cheongsam, is a traditional Chinese dress - like this one. The boys are dense, so they didn't notice, but the dress was the color of Aka-chin's hair.

Also, before I forget, the scene where Akashi's father says all the other girls failed was inspired by the response to an ask on a scenario blog. In the original post, Akashi responds that the reader is the girl he chose and he likes her the way she is. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this post, but if I ever do, I'll link it.

Since this is a very long fic, there are lots of things I could talk about, but it would be easier if readers just commented on the things they want clarified. I will definitely answer :D

On the next episode: No angst, just fun as the entirety of the cast goes out to the beach. Possibly I will manage to keep it short and sweet. Possibly.