#and in the beginning hajime does have that 'we may be separated now but our hearts are always together' mentality (lol) but. yyeah.

[yume-fanfare]

something something the fact that hajime and mitsuru more or less assume and understand that ra*bits are going to follow different paths probably sooner rather than later but are also the two that want it to happen less

[bluesylveon2]

How to Confess to a Guy

Summary: Levi and Hange have a crush on one another for years. It is now time for someone to step up and confess!

Disclaimer: Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

© All rights reserved

A/N: @levihanweek Thank you for hosting the Levihan Eggschange event! I enjoyed participating in it.

To my giftee, I hope you find your gift and enjoy it. I hope the clues I gave you helped as well. Enjoy! :)

Camp Paradis is a 7-week, 400-acre summer camp for teenagers hidden deep in the woods of Washington state. Founded in the 1950s by the Fritz family, it is run by Dot Pixis, a man famous for his many achievements when he was a camper many years ago. It is known for offering a variety of activities for each camper. Some activities included fishing, sailing, swimming, paddle boarding, and more!

The camp had a small lake with 12 cabins surrounding it. Each cabin had three campers and one counselor. Each camp counselor was typically seniors and college students. Additionally, there was an even bigger lake, Lake Maria, where the camp's rival, Camp Marley, resided across. Camp Marley was also 7 weeks but had 500 acres, and it was by Theo Magath.

No two counselors in Camp Paradis are alike. Each counselor is unique. For example, Erwin Smith, the counselor for Ursus cabin, is greatly admired by his campers because of his dedication and leadership quality. He is the counselor who typically leads his cabin to victory every year at the Paradis games that occur at the last week of camp.

On the other hand, Levi Ackerman, the counselor for Vulpes cabin, was known as very strict with his campers. Other campers from other cabins note how it always smells like detergent, and his campers clean the cabin often.

(They are in the woods, for crying out loud! How did he manage to bring all of the cleaning supplies? This remained a mystery to everyone except in the Vulpes cabin.)

Just like any other teenage-related camp, the campers always spread rumors to relieve their boredom. Some of which have not been debunked.

Rumor 1: Bigfoot is hidden somewhere deep in the woods that has yet to be found. There were occasional sightings near the camp in the previous years. Dot Pixis himself almost caught him one day but failed. Anyone who can find and capture Bigfoot can earn a generous reward from Pixis. Eren and his friends actually tried to look for it but ran into his older half-brother, Zeke, instead (he kind of looked like one in the dark). He and his friends did not realize they walked all the way to Camp Marley.

Rumor 2: Someone went to Camp Marley to serenade Annie Leonhart when she was outside playing the piano. Annie refused to reveal who, yet she blushed every time someone from Camp Marley asked. Someone (*cough Ymir) had an idea who. Some campers claimed to see Ymir often tease Armin after the rumors started. It is possible the Armin did it.

Rumor 3: Levi Ackerman likes Hange Zoe from Strix cabin and vice versa. Actually, it seemed more like a fact than a rumor to everyone except them.

Let's look at the evidence:

Evidence 1: Levi always takes care of Hange when she forgets to take care of herself. It typically ranges from, but not limited to: making sure she eats, jumping into any time she is at risk for injury without a second thought, tending to her wounds when she does get hurt, forcing her to bathe (Connie accidentally walked into it once. He vowed to constantly check on Levi and Hange's whereabouts before he gets killed by Levi's death glare), and "accidentally" eliminating any suitors Hange may have.

(He does not actually kill them or anything. That is against camp rules. There was one time when Zeke Yeager went to Camp Paradis to confess his feelings to Hange. He actually almost made it to her cabin but a random shoe "accidentally" hit him on the head, causing him to stumble and fall into the lake. No one knows how he fell, but Hange walked out to see what was going on. She saw Levi drinking tea nearby, while mysteriously missing a shoe, and went to him. Apparently, she did not see Zeke at all, so Zeke had to get help from Pieck, who was hiding nearby)

Evidence 2: Hange rants to Levi about her latest research back home. Hange can talk anyone into sleeping with the amount of research she does. Yet, Levi stays up to listen. It could be because of his insomnia, but he never gets tired of listening to her rants. Other campers note that he at least looks interested every time Hange rants.

Evidence 3: The one incident last year when Hange was jealous and did not talk to Levi for half of the camp duration. There was a rumor going around that Levi was dating Petra, counselor of Lynx cabin. As a result, Hange hung out with Moblit, counselor of Lupus cabin, more that year instead. Hange claimed it was to give the couple space, but only her closest friends could tell something was up.

For instance, Eren was hiking on another expedition to find Bigfoot when he ran into Hange, kicking down a tree in anger. Eren immediately ran back to camp in hopes that Hange did not notice him and broke his bones. He was actually intimidated by her for a week.

(In reality, Hange was so sure Levi was going to confess to her that year. Additionally, Levi was jealous of how Hange spent time with Moblit more. Not everyone in camp could tell except for his campers Eren, Jean, and Connie. They could feel the chills running down their spines every time Levi was in the cabin with them, and it was summer.)

Evidence 4: Levi was always by Hange's side. Anyone in the camp can tell you that Levi is at least nearby Hange unless it is for very personal reasons (except bathing). He mainly stayed close to her after last year's incident when he literally kicked down her door and cleared the misunderstandings.

(In reality, Levi and Petra were not dating. Petra had confided to Levi about dating advice (for a reason he is unaware of, except everyone in the camp *cough Hange *cough). In the end, Levi remained single and had to fix the Strix cabin's door. On the bright side, Petra started dating Oluo Bozado from Meles cabin.)

Neither party had ever confessed to one another despite all the evidence proving that they have feelings for one another. Now that both Levi and Hange are about to graduate high school, it was the perfect time to confess before they go their separate ways because of their careers.

However, life is very unexpected, and when you add Hange to the mix…

Well, anything goes.

---

"This is it," Hange said to herself as she got everything ready in her canoe. She was prepared to sail across the lake towards Levi's cabin.

Both cabins were situated on different sides of the lake. The camp was designed so one half was for boys and the other half was for girls. It was a very dumb inconvenience for Hange.

Hange scoffed as she sat down on the canoe and began rowing. "Why couldn't our cabins be placed next to each other. It would give me less work to do." The only guy and girl cabins next to each other were Petra's cabin and Mike's cabin.

Hange decided that today was the day she will confess to Levi. They have been in an awkward "does he/she like me? does he/she not?" for years now, and none of them confessed at all. There are even rumors about it, for crying out loud!

The two had met three years ago when Hange and Levi were campers at Camp Paradis. It was really unexpected. Hange was ready to get down in the dirt during the activities and often kept some insects to study. On the other hand, Levi was a clean freak and a prodigy at the camp activities. It became sort of like a friendly competition between the two, and then they suddenly started hanging out more. They have known each other for years. She even calls herself his best friend.

(She never realized how recently Levi would scowl every time she claimed to be his best friend. To him, she was much more than that.)

Overall, Hange would look forward to seeing Levi again every summer.

It has been four years of dancing around whatever they have that Hange now dared herself to confess before the summer ends, and they leave for college. It is better to do something and get rejected (which she hopes does not happen) than do nothing.

Hange stopped rowing when she got close enough that Levi has to hear her. She could make out his figure sitting on the front steps of his cabin with Mike, Erwin, and Furlan.

She sets the oar to the side, takes a deep breath, and presses play on the small radio she took from Rico's cabin. The beginning notes of the song plays in the air.

You can do this

Hange began to sing the first line.

---

Minutes before

Mike, Erwin, and Furlan were talking about who knows what, not Levi was not paying attention anyway. His mind was preoccupied with a certain eccentric girl he knew.

She was very secretive lately. Sometimes she would freak out whenever Levi approached her, and he has not seen her all day. He even planned on confessing to her after dinner. It seemed as if Hange was preoccupied with something.

Levi would not even get to say one word before Hange ran off, claiming she is busy and cannot be disturbed.

Levi scowled at the thought. Hange would usually tell him beforehand if she is busy, but her saying nothing? Something is definitely up, but she wants to not tell him then it was fine by him (or so he says).

Furlan, who noticed Levi's brooding, smirked. "Hey Levi, are you thinking about Hange again?"

Mike and Erwin stopped talking and smirked as well.

Levi rolled his eyes. "I was not thinking about Hange. At all." He said in a serious tone.

"Mhmm," Furlan replied. He shifted in his spot and gave Levi a smug look. He was not convinced.

"Don't hide it, Levi," Mike added. "We all know how you go goo-goo eyes every time Hange enters the room. You are always checking up on her too."

"I don't make goo-goo eyes at Hange," Levi deadpanned with a monotone voice. "I only check up on her because it is a miracle she can see those dirty her glasses she wears."

Erwin's smirk never faded away as he lightly elbows Furlan on the side. "He always calls her by two nicknames, Furlan. He gives anyone more than one nickname too. They might not sound endearing, but he rarely calls Hange by her name."

"Can you imagine what Levi is thinking now?" Furlan laughed. He turned around from his spot, so he back faced Levi, hugged himself, and started making fake kissing noises.

"Oh, Hange! I don't want to be just friends with you. I will marry you, and we're going to have 100 bab-"

Levi slapped Furlan on the head. He stood up the moment Furlan spoke. Mike and Erwin were in the background howling with laughter.

"Cut the crap, Furlan," Levi said and made his way back to his spot on the steps.

"Ok, ok. You win, Levi." Furlan rubbed the back of his head where Levi had slapped him. Luckily for him, Levi did not hit him too hard, and it did not hurt that badly. He goes back to talking to Mike and Erwin about other counselors about other rumors they heard. He will tease Levi again later.

Meanwhile, Levi rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness and began to think about the subject of his earlier torment. It was already almost dinner time, and he has not seen Hange all day. He was hoping she would at least appear for dinner, or else he would have to drag her to the dining hall by force.

Levi was busy with his thoughts and staring at his feet to notice anything around him. He was too busy to focus on the music playing, and the girl he (does not) have a crush on making her way over from across the lake.

"Uhh, Levi?" Furlan spoke while looking at the lake. Levi ignored him; instead, he was too busy thinking about Hange to notice she was heading towards him at that very moment.

Mike and Erwin turned to face what Furlan was staring at. Their jaws dropped.

On Lake Sina was the one and only Hange Zoe making her way towards Levi's cabin on a canoe while singing the song "We Belong" by Pat Benatar so loud that everyone in the camp could hear her. She also wore shorts and a camp T-shirt. She did not wear a life jacket.

Talk about romantic.

"Levi!" Mike said urgently and shook his shoulder.

"What?" Levi turned to Mike. He was irritated by his friends messing with him about his crush (yes, he will admit it but not out loud to his nosy friends).

What else did they need now? They could always bother someone else.

Levi noticed where Mike was pointing to and was about to turn in said direction until he heard a voice coming from somewhere behind him.

"Well, it seems like you won't die a virgin after all, huh, shortass? Who knew?"

Levi knew that voice. His cousin, Mikasa, from Cervidae cabin, Levi had the pleasure (not) of watching over at this camp. It was a good thing he did not have to deal with her and her obvious crush on Eren Jaeger. He did feel bad for Rico because she had to deal with that gloomy brat in her cabin.

Levi turned around to face his cousin. She was standing a few feet away from him with a few of her friends that he recognized. The tall, brunette one with her hair in a ponytail, Sasha, also from Cervidae cabin, was eating a sandwich (she probably got it from the camp across the lake). She must have raided Camp Marley recently.

(They have a chef there who can apparently make really delicious food. Levi only knew because Hange planned on kidnapping him one time just to try some).

Mikasa's other friend, Historia, the short blonde-haired girl from Lynx cabin, smiled pleasantly at Levi.

"What are you talking about, brat?" he glared at Mikasa.

Historia giggled and pointed in the direction of the lake. "Over by the lake. Can't you hear Hange singing? I knew she could sing, but wow! I wonder if she is singing to a lucky guy? That would be so adorable!"

Levi's eyes widen in surprise. He tuned out Historia's gushing when it hit him.

That means…Hange...oh no.

He turned his head to find that Hange was indeed singing and making her way towards his direction.

His direction!

Erwin and Mike noticed the blush on Levi's face and smirked. Furlan clamped his hand on Levi's shoulder like a proud dad. Levi could hear the smirk in Furlan's voice that he would love to punch away if it weren't for Hange.

"I wonder who the guy is too, Historia. He is indeed a lucky guy."

Levi shook Furlan off and started heading towards Hange.

Hange noticed Levi coming closer and stops rowing. She dropped her oar off to the side.

"Hey! Levi!" She yelled out loud while waving her arms around.

She did not have to yell so loudly, though. The sound traveled perfectly from her mouth and into Levi's ear within seconds because of the lake.

He began speed walking towards Hange.

There was a voice in the background yelling something about how Hange was doing great so far. It sounded like Nifa, but Levi was too busy to check. He needed to get to Hange first.

Levi watched as Hange accidentally drops her oar into the lake when she moved back to row some more. Hange, scrambling to retrieve it, said an "I got it!" in her normal voice until she accidentally tripped and fell into the lake.

She was not wearing a life jacket on either.

Levi stopped speed walking and ran towards Hange. Once he was close to the lake, and without thinking, he took off his shirt and dove into the lake to save Hange.

---

Also a few minutes ago

"I know Hange is a smart girl and all, but wouldn't it have been easier to just walk around the lake to confess to Levi?" Nanaba asked aloud as she took a sip from her water bottle. Some sweat dripped down her brow from being out in the sun all day.

Nanaba sat on the steps of her cabin (Alces) while her campers was out and about. Her cabin was next to Hange's, and she even helped Hange prepare before her big love confession.

Rico, who walked by earlier to see why Nanaba was staring at the lake, sighed from Nanaba's right. "Love does weird things to you, Nanaba. Remember when Mike confessed to you last year? I wonder why do people from this camp confess while using the lakes, though?" She questioned while recalling that one rumor and how Mike confessed to Nanaba by bringing her to a picnic near Lake Maria.

Nanaba laughed and turned to Rico while wiggling her eyebrows. She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "So when are you going to get a canoe across the lake and confess to Ian?" she said while gesturing to Hange, who was still singing to Levi.

Rico blushed and elbowed Nanaba's side. "Shut up! I do not like Ian like that! Mind your own business!" She turned away from Nanaba and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her face was still red.

Nanaba turned back to watch Hange sing and rests her chin on the palm of her hand. Her elbow was resting on her thigh. "Mhmm. Go tell yourself that."

"I think it's a cute idea. It would be very boring and tiresome to walk around the lake just to confess. Serenading on the lake is much more unique." Nifa, counselor of Tamias cabin, piped up from Nanaba's left. She had heard Hange's singing nearby and was curious about what was going on. She sat next to Nanaba. It seemed like Nanaba knew what was going on.

Ah. It seemed that Nifa also joined in on the watch party, Nanaba thought. Now a good chunk of the camp was curious about Hange's business.

The trio watched as Hange rowed closer to Levi. This time, some of the campers from the other cabins watched Hange from Levi's side. They did not stand close but a far distance instead. They were curious about what was going on and did not want to get too close to suffer from Levi's wrath.

They all watched as Levi stood up from his spot and began speed walking towards the lake. Meanwhile, Hange continued to sing her song.

Nifa brought her hands up to her face and cupped them around her mouth to amplify her voice.

"You're doing great, sweetie!"

Hange was doing great. Indeed, she was almost at her destination. All she had to do was pick up the oar and go back to rowing…

Until she accidentally dropped her oar, causing Levi to start running towards her.

They could not hear what Hange said, but they could assume she was trying to reassure Levi that she was ok and to retrieve the oar...until she misstepped and fell into the lake.

Oops.

Nanaba and Rico turned to Nifa with a shocked look. Nifa held her hands up in innocence.

"I swear. I did not mean or intend for all of that to happen."

"We have to help Hange!" Nanaba yelled. Both she and Rico stood up to try to help Hange but stopped by Nifa, grabbing the back of their shirts.

"What are you doing, Nifa?" Nanaba said with irritation. Nifa did not say anything but nodded her head towards the lake. She lets go of their shirts after they brought their attention to the lake too.

The girls watched as Levi took his shirt off and dove into the lake to save Hange.

Problem solved.

"Doesn't Levi know that Hange is a good swimmer?" Nifa asked from behind Nanaba.

Rico scoffed. "You tell me. I always have to train for the swimming competitions, but I can never beat her." Rico always dreaded when her cabin was put up against Hange’s. She usually placed at either second or third place. No one could outswim Hange, not even Levi.

They watched as Levi grabbed Hange, threw her over his shoulder, and made his way back to his cabin. The onlookers made a path for him because they were too scared to focus on Levi.

The girls sighed with relief. This was practically a typical day at Camp Paradis.

Nanaba turned to Rico and Nifa. "Anyone up for a snack at the dining hall?"

After everything they just saw, Rico and Nifa both nodded in agreement.

---

"Is the cabin empty?" Hange asked from behind the bathroom door. It has been an hour since the incident. Levi had dragged her into his cabin, and he threw her into his bathroom. He also gave her some of his extra set of clothes and demanded that she took a bath before she gets sick.

Each cabin has two bathrooms, so each camper only had to share with one person. Levi shoved Hange into his/Eren's bathroom while he took a shower in Jean/Connie's. Hange freshened up and clean, stood stationary behind the bathroom door. She practically smelled like Levi. From the soap, she used to the clothes she wore. They all smelled like the definition of clean.

"Yes." That was all Levi replied with a slightly irritated tone in his voice.

Hange groaned from behind the door and rested her forehead on the hardwood. That was the voice Levi would use when he was ready to lecture her. She leaned her head back and placed her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and met Levi's expecting face. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, he had his arms crossed over his chest, and he looked a bit irritated.

(Hange was thankful that he was dressed similarly to her and she did not walk out to see him shirtless)

She walked towards Levi, sitting on his bed. Each cabin is big enough for each camper to have a total of four beds. Each footstep was like a walk of shame for Hange. Yet, Levi did not say a word. He spoke up the moment she sat down next to him on the bed. The bed shifted down slightly from the extra weight.

"Hange, what were you thinking? You did not have a life jacket on, and you fell in the middle of the lake. You scared a lot of the camp and me. Be careful next time you pull something like that," He said while facing her, concern laced in his voice.

Hange rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She looked up to meet Levi's steel-gray eyes.

"I'm sorry I worried everyone, Levi. I will be more considerate next time. Although…"

Hange began to chuckle to herself at the memory of Levi umping in to save her.

"You know I'm a good swimmer, right?" She placed her hand on Levi's shoulder and shook it slightly. "I would have made it back just fine-"

She stopped shaking his shoulder and sets it down on her lap. "I appreciate you umping in to save me, though." She said with a grin.

Suddenly, Hange raised her hands and leaned forward. She wrapped both of her arms around Levi's midsection and pulled him close to her body for a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Levi."

Levi prayed that Hange could not feel his heart pounding against his chest or see him blush. His crush was close to him, for crying out loud!

He moved his arms to hug Hange back. He could feel nervousness rising up in his body along with his rapid heartbeat. This is it. He will confess to Hange now, and it does not matter if he gets rejected or not. She had to know, even if the song she sang was for someone else.

Levi leaned back from Hange, but he maintained the hug. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

"Hange, I have something to tell you. I need you to hear me out for a few minutes."

Hange nodded in agreement. "Ok…" she said with some uncertainness. She was unsure what he was going to say, and he gave her the most serious look on his face. He stared deeply into her amber-brown eyes.

"I appreciate you."

Huh?

Hange tilted her head in confusion. "Come again, Levi."

Levi looked away and sighs. Ok. That was not a rejection. He just has to change tactics to get it to Hange and hopefully not make it sound awkward. Levi had no experience with him confessing before. Other girls had confessed to him, but it was with material stuff. He wanted to use words for his confession.

Levi looked up again and stared into Hange's eyes again. "I want to dedicate my heart to you." Ok, now that sounded a bit too much.

Levi continued speaking anyway before he could change tactics again.

"I just want to say that I like you, Hange." He said sincerely. "I like listening to you talk, your personality, and your humor. I want you to at least be aware before we go to college and if the song from earlier is not for me."

Levi stared at Hange's face and attempted to read her emotions. Her eyes widened with shock, and her mouth was open in a small o. She stayed that way for a few minutes until the shock became full-on laughter.

Hange was laughing at him.

She let go of Levi and threw her head back. Her face was full of delight.

Usually, Levi would not mind listening to her laugh, even if it was at him. It was one of his favorite sounds to her, not that she needed to know that.

However, this is different from before. Levi frowned but did not make a move to stand up. He needed an explanation for this.

Hange turned back to Levi after she calmed down a bit. "Levi." She said. Her voice had some laughter evident in her voice. Here comes the rejection.

"The song was for you."

What?

Levi only blinked in response. Hange began to swing her legs a bit and placed her hands on her lap. "I wanted to confess to you today, and I thought what serenade you from the lake." She explained.

"I guess I was too excited to miss some necessities. Sorry about that, by the way."

She leaned forward to grab Levi's right hand. Levi made no move to remove it, so she interlocks their fingers together.

"But you beat me to it, huh, Levi?" She chuckled while staring down fondly at their hands.

Levi stared at their hands as well. He could not believe this. They were going to confess to each other on the same day.

Suddenly, Levi leaned forward to rest his head on Hange's shoulder. "Will you be my girlfriend, Hange?"

Hange turned to Levi in shock. Levi moves his head to meet her eyes. The eyes he adores.

Hange smiled at him. Her eyes glowed with happiness. "Yes." That was enough for Levi.

He let go of Hange's hand and placed it on the back of her head. He grasped her hair a bit but not rough at all.

Hange watched as Levi leaned closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Until they were a few centimeters apart. The cabin was quiet except for their breathing. Both of their breaths fanned each other's faces.

"What are you doing, Levi?" Hange asked with a hint of curiosity. She made no move to pull away, so Levi took it as a sign to explain his motives.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hange blinked a few times before nodding her head to give Levi an ok.

Levi closed the gap between the two. It was a short and sweet kiss. There heat or desire to move their relationship up to another base.

They leaned back from the kiss with a happy look on their faces. Hange had a goofy grin while Levi smiled at her. It was rare to see Levi smile, and Hange was delighted to be a source for it.

"That was my first kiss," Hange confessed.

"Mine too." Levi chuckled. His hand was still gripping Hange's hair. He kept his grip as he elated back on the bed, bringing Hange down with him.

"Levi!" Hange exclaimed and sat up on her elbows. Who knew Levi was so bold?

"What if the other campers see us?" She said with some nervousness.

Levi rolled his eyes and lightly flicked Hange's forehead. "We are not having sex. I'm just tired, and I want to take a nap with my girlfriend."

He smirked. "Besides, I sent my campers over to Furlan's cabin. They won't come back until we have to go to bed."

Hange looked at him suspiciously while rubbing her forehead from earlier. "You promise?"

Levi nodded his head. "I promise."

Hange let out a small yawn. It has been a long day. She moved so she can lay her body to the spot next to Levi. Meanwhile, Levi turned over to face his nightstand, so he can set his alarm for them to wake up before dinner. He then picked up the blanket and placed it over both of their bodies. They were both facing the wall.

"Sleep well, Hange." He spooned her from behind and placed a small kiss on the back of her neck.

Hange smiled before getting comfortable in Levi's arms. "Goodnight, Levi."

The two spent a few minutes in silence and tranquility. Levi was happy to spend some quality time with his dream girl.

“Hey, Levi. Use that dedicate your heart line for when you propose.” He can hear the smugness in Hange’s voice.

He lightly kicked her on the shin. “Go to sleep.”

Hange could not see it, but Levi had a small smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.

---

"I KNEW IT!!!" Nanaba yelled while standing up and pointing at the new couple walking into the dining hall holding hands. Erwin and Mike were startled by the sudden outburst. Furlan was smirking victoriously. His friend, Isabel, rolled her eyes at Furlan's smirk.

(Petra, Nifa, Moblit, and Rico were sitting at another table noticed the couple at the doorway. Nifa and Petra squealed in delight while Rico and Moblit smiled. The other girls from Hange's cabin squealed as well since they secretly shipped her with Levi).

Levi and Hange stopped walking. Hange started laughing behind her free hand, and Levi gave Nanaba an annoyed look.

Everyone stopped eating to turn to the source of the sound. Nanaba, noticing the multiple stares, rubs the back of her head nervously and laughs. "Sorry about that, go back to eating."

Furlan smirked as Levi and Hange passed by the usual table to get some food. He turned to Isabel sitting next to him. He stuck his hand out to her and moved his fingers in pay-up motion. "Pay up, Isabel. I won the bet."

Isabel stuck out her tongue at him. "If only Levi-Bro waited until the end of the summer. I would have won 50 bucks," she said while reluctantly handing Furlan 50 dollars.

Furlan hummed in content and pocketed the money in his shorts pocket. "Appreciate the business, Izzy. Now, are you willing to put down money for when Levi and Hange get married?" He said and held his hand out for a handshake to seal the agreement.

Isabel smirked and shook Furlan's hand in agreement. "You're on, Furlan. We'll discuss this later." She turned away from Furlan and smiles at the couple coming to their table. "The new couple is coming here now."

"Hi everyone!" Hange beamed after sitting down across from Furlan. Levi sat between Hange and Nanaba.

Everyone at the table said hi in reply.

Erwin pushed his finish tray slightly on the table in front of him and turned to Hange. "Congratulations, Hange and Levi. I hope the two of you have a happy relationship."

Nanaba and Mike smiled as well. "Congrats, Levi," said Nanaba.

"Congrats, Hange," said Mike.

"I knew you could do it. Levi-Bro! You have had a crush on Hange since forever!" Isabel exaggerated the word forever.

Levi blushed, and Furlan smirked. He turned to Hange. "Say, Hange. How many kids-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Furlan." Levi threatened, yet his face was still red from blushing. He did not want Furlan to bring up the conversation about children from earlier today.

Hange laughed from the interaction and leaned down to kiss Levi on the cheek. "Don't worry about him, Furlan." She leaned down towards his ear.

"We can discuss the number of children we would have later." She winked at him and went back to eating as if nothing happened between the two. Meanwhile, Levi opened his mouth slightly in shock. He did not expect that out of Hange! Mike, Erwin, and Furlan chuckled at this.

Nanaba (who luckily did not hear Hange) still noticed Levi's shock. "Levi, close your mouth before some flies get in." she lectured to him in a motherly tone. This broke Levi out of his shock, and he goes back to focus on eating.

Everyone continued talking and sharing any recent stories they had. Suddenly, Hange slammed her hands down on the table, shocking everyone at the table. She turned to face Levi.

"Levi! Where is Mikasa? We need to tell her about us!" She exclaimed and shook Levi's shoulders.

Oh, right. Hange would want to tell Mikasa about her new relationship since she saw Mikasa as family. Plus, they will most likely be an actual family in the future. Levi raised his hands up to grab Hange's and set it down on her lap. "Stop, Hange. She's probably eating with Eren and Armin. We can tell her later."

Erwin raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Actually, Levi. I haven't seen Mikasa ever since she showed up with Sasha and Historia. Isabel put her utensils down and joined in on the conversation.

"I saw her with Eren and Armin an hour before dinner. They were sitting together deep in a conversation…"

Levi looked up to scan his eyes across the dining hall. He noticed Armin's blonde hair sitting at his regular table with his friends. He sat at a table with Jean, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Historia. He noted how Armin noticed his stare and looked away as if he was scared of him.

Mikasa and Eren were nowhere in sight.

---

Bonus:

"Be careful, Eren!"

Mikasa said while raising her voice slightly. She did not want to yell, or else she might alert anyone in the forest.

"I'll be fine, Mikasa," he assured her. "I can feel it! Bigfoot is nearby." He said with excitement.

"This is the last time, Eren. We are already missing dinner, and who knows if Armin can stall for us any longer. Levi is going hunt us down. Plus, I don't want to end up in Camp Marley again."

Mikasa and Eren only had a few snacks on them. Mikasa managed to slip into her cabin to grab some from Sasha's secret stash. Sasha and Historia were busy watching the chaos at the lake.

"I promise, Mikasa. Thank you for coming with me. I don't think I can do this alone." He turned back to Mikasa with a big grin. He was also recalling the time he was searching in the forest to find Bigfoot and ran into an angry Hange instead,

Mikasa smiled in return, and the two continued their search to find Bigfoot.

Meanwhile, the two did not realize that they passed a figure watching them from a reasonable distance away behind a tree. Its eyes watched as the two humans continued their search. It slipped away sneakily into the darkness. It went away from Camp Paradis and towards the forest near Camp Marley instead.

---

Some quick notes:  

I kinda based this fic off of one scene from Pitch Perfect 2 and other summer camp-related movies I watched (I don't have much knowledge of summer camp 😭)

Cabin names are based on scientific names of different animals

I hc Hange being good at swimming. Let's face it. If she can swim down a river while carrying a 65 kg man, and miraculously not get any gunshot wounds (not counting a spike in adrenaline to live); I'm sure Hange is a good swimmer.

[nagitolovebug]

I saw your posts and I looove them. They also made me hungry for some KamuKoma food. Can you provide some info in their days in the Despair era.(i.e. how they fell for eachother, fluff, angst, Bebi Kamukura, etc.) Keep up the good work and have a lovely day!

i postponed answering this for so long because...it's a really big ask and i have. literal pages for bebi and kamukoma's time in despair but i wanted to answer this both thoroughly and succinctly so...hopefully this does that ^_^ i loove kamukoma and am so happy you're liking my mini dumps about them and bebi so far !! always feel free to ask more if you want my askbox is always open!

for how they fell for each other. i think originally,,,nagito was given to izuru as a ""gift"" from junko. it was supposed to be entertaining for her,,, Servant had been annoying her, izuru had been annoying her; she wanted izuru to feel despair after Servant irritated the fuck out of him and wanted to watch him kill servant. but that doesn't happen.

junko inviting kamukura over and shoving nagito at his feet. she's patiently waiting for izuru to sneer at him and kill him, brutally. nagito just slowly stands and won't look him in the eyes, hands him a fairly new collar and chain, turns around and brushes the hair off his neck. he's shaking a little. izuru knows what junko wants from him, knows that she's waiting for him to take that slender neck in between his fingers and squeeze, or snap, to bruise, to betray, to bloody. and he remembers grey-green eyes looking at him without fear, the only one to never once hold fear, and pulling the trigger without hesitation. he knows the shaking isn't in fear, but anticipation. whether he's killed or accepted, nagito will win. i think izuru knows placing the collar gently around nagito's neck and snapping it closed will piss junko off, so he does. silently wraps a hand around the chain and walks away. nagito's breathing is labored behind him, but he's still holding his tongue of all the irreverent babble that's bubbling inside him. when they're outside izuru lets go of the chain and begins to leave him, disinterested. but nagito won't let the opportunity pass. he steps forward to do something, but in doing so trips and somehow sets off a reaction that leads to the exit izuru was heading toward collapsing. izuru turns around and stares, and nagito melts under his gaze, but doesn't look away. doesn't breathe. "i'm yours now. you have to do something with me." "i already told you once. if the only quality that sets you apart from the others is your good luck, i have it. i have no use of you." and nagito leans in close to his face. "who said i have good luck?" he places the chain in izuru's hand and yanks him forward, and rubble falls where izuru had been standing. he waits patiently for izuru to give him an order. izuru simply lets go of the chain and keeps walking. but he doesn't stop nagito from following.

nagitos been fucking infatuated with him since izuru shot him so. he's always touching izuru and talking to him and generally speaks to him as if he's Not the most powerful person alive and never shows any fear which is so strange for izuru. and even with junko he'd babble incoherent rants either cursing her or worshipping her but it was always Othering her and even tho he. worships izuru. he still treats him like a Person. its refreshing and it's odd and izuru. isn't bored. nagito's luck, at least, is unpredictable.

I like the idea of servant n izuru learning from each other and starting to unravel the issues they got by caring for each other,,,nagito letting himself be loved and loving in return bc izurus too powerful to be hurt by someone as lowly as him and izuru developing emotions and feeling comfortable in fostering them with nagito..it's all very new and i think that's very exciting!

as for fluff, angst, and bebi....there's so much. the pregnancy and birth in itself were both..very tender and very overwhelming. induced an abundance of love and despair!

bebi was born a year before the future foundation came to capture izuru and nagito which...the way bebi was separated from their family warrants its own post as it was. a lot. but bebi spent a year with their family before being taken into custody and temporarily being raised by makoto (just about 3 months..then hajime woke up)

they went through a lot that year, nagito having fits of despair (nagito trying to leave...), wild animal attacks...even the aftermath wasn't pretty with hajime dealing with a child and trying to wake everyone up, nagito dealing with seeing his child again, bebi losing their vision...

there are lots of little moments in their perfect little year, but it all ends when everyone is taken. it was bebi's birthday when they were ripped from their father's arms, and ever since there's a certain anxiety associated with their birthday. there's a bit of confusion when naegi carries a baby aboard the ship..

byakuya scowls at him.

"if you found a baby in the street, let my people take them, we can't bring a baby onto a boat with a bunch of genocidal maniacs for months on end."

naegi can't even meet his eyes.

"....it's their kid."

"whose kid??"

"komaeda..and kamukura."

"what????? how is that even possible??? komaeda's health is abysmal, he shouldn't be able to carry to term and still be alive. and I thought kamukura..I didnt think he was capable of. feeling."

"he's izuru kamukura. he made sure both the baby and komaeda survived. he insisted they were put in the same room. I'm not going to give this baby away to your men while they're recovering. it's not fair to the baby. we have to watch them until the remnants wake up."

"doesn't this child deserve better? even if this ends up working, there's been irreparable damage to each of their psyches, and there's no telling how they'd react to a child if they lose their memories of despair."

naegi hugs bebi a little closer.

"you..you don't understand. I saw them. with the baby. its their birthday today..we watched them leave a house...and take the baby to the beach. to spend time together. komaeda seemed nearly out of despair with the baby. he seemed normal. they looked like a regular family. and...when we..separated them. nobody could fake that reaction. he loves his baby. and so does izuru. we'd all be dead right now if we didn't have custody of the baby. the only thing that stopped him from killing us all for putting our hands on komaeda was his worry for the safety of his child. they may not be good people yet, but they're good parents. and I think they deserve a chance with their baby. and bebi deserves a chance with them."

[nissakii]

How similar are Kageyama and Todoroki?

Despite the many differences between Kageyama and Todoroki, those two are as well much more similar than you think.

We already covered Bakugo and Oikawa, Deku and Hinata and now follow up with our icy-type characters.

Nissa already wrote about both characters shortly in her BNHA Analysts Shuffle and Haikyuu Sentinel Shuffle, but this will not be about their personality types but a general overview about their similarities, Nissa did a full personality analysis on Kageyama and sometime soon one on Todoroki will follow as well.

To not make you wait any longer let’s get started with our favourite stoic boys and what connects them!

Dense

When we take a look at both Kageyama and Todoroki the first thing that someone would guess is that compared to their abilities that both of them are pretty quick-witted.

Sadly, this is not the case…

Academically speaking Kageyama is not a student that succeeded in it, showing that he wasn’t able to get into Shiratorizawa due to his bad grades unlike Todoroki who is ranked 5th in his class. Yet this is not the aspect showing how dense or quick-witted someone is since grades are not an indicator of what a person is really capable of.

Both Kageyama and Todoroki are unaware of the things happening around them, as they do not realize how the other party might feel when they do or say something. Both are shown to be very observant and have a quick decision-making mind when it comes to their speciality, but everything out of that area is just beyond their understanding.

For example we have Kageyama who often says what is in his mind or how he perceives things not thinking about what the other person might feel about it, which later backlashes at him and even surprises him in a way why that person would be possibly mad.

One case would be that he is not aware of the fact that he hit Oikawa’s soft spots and continued to aggravate and hurt him until Oikawa had lashed out on him, which made him think that Oikawa has a bad personality yet he was the one unintentionally pushing his buttons due to his dense demeanor and inconsiderate way of handling someone else’s emotions, another example would be at the beginning with Hinata.

In Todoroki’s case this applies too, where he doesn’t understand what a person really might feel due to his actions or words. His examples would be firstly Bakugo, who he obviously and indirectly looked down upon by not giving him the fight he demanded and due to him taking everything literally while Bakugo tries to get his attention Todoroki does not react the way others want him to since he is not aware of their emotional state.

Secondly, Yaoyorozu  and the practical exam towards the end of season two. While she had a lot of self-doubts after losing miserably in the sport festival arc, she still had a lot on her mind and wanted to help Todoroki as much as she could yet he didn’t really understand the fact that she needed confirmation from someone she respected, here Todoroki.

Very late when they were about to fail the exam and saw the obvious fear and anxiety that Yaoyorozu held he thought back on her behaviour and understood that she had something to say.

Geniuses

We have them in every medium and in our real world too, the kind of people who have overwhelming abilities that only get even more overwhelming the further they rise.

And today we have two of them, the volleyball prodigy and the one who wields two powerful quirks effortlessly.

As shown it doesn’t take them a lot of time to improve vehemently when they actually focus and put their mind on a certain goal. Unlike their peers they set their life for that very goal, making it the only thing that matters to them when it’s endangered in a way.

Todoroki is easier to spot in that category, as the son of the number two hero Endeavor who got into UA through recommendations, all eyes are fixed on him as soon as he enters the stage. Being able to use both ice and fire quirks that he inherited from his parents makes him one of the most watched students that people expect a lot from.

Yet his quirk are not the only thing that makes him a genius since it’s something he inherited but his way of using it in all kinds of ways, continuously over a large period of time and on top of that he moves while planning out a strategy in his mind are the assets that make Todoroki so astonishing. It’s not that he sits down and is amazing just like that, he puts much effort mentally and physically to improve and those that in a speed that is unmatched to his other peers, as he started to use his fire quirk very late he still was able to control it in a short period of time and even started adjusting it for special moves.

On the other hand we have Kageyama, the one known for his eerily accurate tosses that he can adjust and calculate so quickly that other people just can’t believe that especially someone at his age could do such a hard thing.

Iwaizumi Hajime, his former senior in Kitagawa Daiichi who used to play in the same team as him, described Kageyama as a prodigy that surfaced and that his sense for things was overwhelmingly spectacular in Chapter 60.

Even Oikawa mentioned to Iwaizumi at the end of the practice match in season one episode six that when it comes to tosses he cannot match Tobio, which means the best setter of the prefecture sees much more potential in his junior that he is sure that someday he will surpass him, even early that is.

Many others have commended that Kageyama would also be the only one who could pull off the freak duo quick attack that is only possible due to his perfect timing and pin-pointing, he is also able to apply new techniques he sees very quickly as seen when he replicated Oikawa’s dump. Aoba Johsai’s coach as well explained that he wanted Kageyama to join their school to have him in his team but also see many flaws in him, yet he said that at some point Kageyama’s natural abilities are simply unmatched.

Socially inept

Now let’s come to the part where it’s about their social skills and the relationships they have started with.

Which let’s say… is not as astonishing as their ability because if you take both of them only in view on that aspect they surely lack a lot of it, one could also call them socially inept.

Both Kageyama and Todoroki are High Schoolers in their first year, despite their worlds being completely different and also their backgrounds there are many comparable aspects that makes you wonder how they could have survived in society if not for their skills?

Why would I proclaim such a thing you might ask?

Well, Kageyama and Todoroki may seem like well-liked and popular characters among the fandom yet in the anime they are a part of a big society in which they are seen like every other person. We on the other hand watch both their journeys as a third person or a bystander.

Watching them closely and especially how they interact with the people around them gives the most insight into how socially capable those two are separated from their usual role they have to play as either setter or the son of number two hero Endeavor.

First of all both of them seem to have bad relationships with other people before they actually started to develop through other characters, for example Hinata and Oikawa, or Deku and Inasa. One big indicator would be the nickname Kageyama was given since middle school King.

While others think that such a nickname might honor him in a way, or like Oikawa described in chapter 53 he thought it was an esteemed nickname, it turned out that as he went to watch one of his matches he saw the real meaning behind it.

And also the strengths that are also his weaknesses, the solitary king who rules the court by himself wanting everyone to match his pace instead of considering to match theirs, others even called him dictator.

In the end he even was left-behind by his team just to toss… to nobody behind him since his pressuring and egotistical behaviour concluded that after a long time of trying to keep up with it since he is so skilled they finally gave up after becoming fed up with his worsening dictatorship on them.

Which is also seen as he entered Karasuno High and told Hinata he will only toss to people he thinks worthy and important in order to win, making a lot of enemies from the get-go in his new fresh High School start.

In some of the matches it’s seen that he and Tsukishima are not on good terms either since the former is someone who doesn’t like to be bossed around and the latter gets easily provoked by him. He doesn’t understand simple social cues either and takes most of the things as either insults or ignores them since he doesn’t understand them until his seniors have to explain to him how he should work out things and what he does need to improve, not skill-wise but in his communication and interactions.

On the other hand we have Todoroki who is just like Kageyama but not as worse as him in that aspect. He simply didn’t care about the people around him as he focussed on himself rather than social interactions and playing friends as he called it in the school festival arc.

Not being able to recognize other people’s feelings as he turned away from the people around him and rather was stuck in his own world he tried to fight in.

Yet even later when he had a new fresh start after the sport festival arc, it’s seen that Todoroki is still socially inept in many ways, he doesn’t understand social cues as well sometimes he wonders what he said to others which could have made them angry.

He takes most of the things people say to him literally as he even misunderstood Midoriya and Lida when they were together at the hospital, blaming himself and wondering if he is cursed already wanting to distance himself from them after they joke around about their arms.

But thankfully they found the right people to make them develop more into people who try to understand those around them.

Narrow-minded alike

Pride and a narrow-mind connects those two as well.

Ever saw a person so stubborn and lost in their own world and goals that they do not even realize where they are heading to or what is happening around them?

Two examples of exactly two people who match that description, Kageyama Tobio and Todoroki Shoto.

In that both of them really don’t differ in any way beside the implementation of how it is presented.

Especially towards the beginning of both serieses that character-trait is depicted heavily, as we see both of them fixated on winning, surpassing others and becoming better over a short period of time making them even trample over other people’s feelings directly and indirectly.

They live in their own world where they have to solve their problems all by themselves and see everyone else as either a stepping stone or obstruction.

Stubbornness can be good in some situations but in their case it’s a critical condition that is criticised by close people and strangers, since they start to lose themselves in their bad habits as they recklessly do as they think is the right way to proceed.

Kageyama would be a prime example as he even says those words harshly to his peers that if he could, he would set, toss, spike and receive the ball all by himself. He also criticises others and deems them as slackers or not being serious just because they cannot match his skills instead of trying to widen his perspective on matters.

There is also his strong sense of pride that doesn’t let things go so simply one example would be that he immediately tried to replicate Oikawa when he scored a point in a way that would humiliate him, in his eyes.

Another  scene was when Hinata proposed to try to hit the ball by himself and learn to spike on his own instead of relying on Kageyama only, which made him irritated as he rejected the idea instantly, telling him their former way of handling the quick attack was efficient enough.

Todoroki as mentioned doesn’t really differ as he is fixated on beating his father by becoming the best hero with only his ice quirks, rendering him to only see revenge and rage in everything he does considering his quirks. It leaves him to forget the wonderful things that his mother told him and also made him lose the sense of himself. Until Deku had to wake him up and tell him the most obvious thing which he couldn’t see in front of him.

But that’s not the only scene where we could see that trait clearly, another one would be at the Provisional Hero License Exam. Inasa who is someone Todoroki couldn’t understand at all and disliked due to him comparing Shoto to Endeavor made him lose himself in his former habits of showing him that he isn’t like his father at all. It concluded into him not getting his license as he lost his senses and even caused the people around him to be in danger due to his reckless behaviour.

Silence before storm

Connected to the former paragraph, the seemingly silent pair has their own storm going on if you push the right buttons.

Despite being usually very calm and silent about certain things they can become easily aggravated in other situations.

Just like mentioned before Todoroki only needs to hear his father’s name to become a bit louder or even erupt into either a statue of ice or an inferno of flames like seen in season two and three.

Which goes as well when he is excited and in adrenaline he can sound much louder and aggressive in comparison to his usual self.

For Kageyama this goes as soon as Hinata pushes his buttons, he immediately shoots some moron or dumbass when he is around and does anything close to messing up or provoking him. Tsukishima on the other hand is very smart in how he provokes Kageyama, mostly leaving him only angry or boiling inside instead.

Another person who would be able to accomplish that would be Oikawa when they are competing, showing a much more childish side as he has little fights with his senior, as seen in season two as both of them fought over the ball that has fallen to the ground, yet Oikawa is rather someone who challenges him and scratches on his pride and ego.

Secret sleeper and in-between eater

There is always that one character you watch in the background, because while everyone in the panel or scene is doing something much more interesting, you will find that character doing irrelevant stuff that seems unlikely for his/her character.

And our pair for today are two of those characters, that when there is nothing to do for them in the main scene they are doing their own business not caring what others might think of them.

Both of them are very serious characters, who seem cold and stoic on the outside even aggressive sometimes but as soon as the attention of the events is derived from  them or there is a little pause in-between scenes you can spot their little dorky and cute sides, that shows yes those boys are still young and innocent highschoolers.

While they share their love for food, secretly snacking in the background or even having a full lunch in the midst of a serious talk between other characters, those two don’t even blink an eye turning away from the attention.

Kageyama just eats an Onigiri after a really serious scene where Oikawa had a panic attack in middle school, the scene obviously revolves more on Oikawa’s perception and fear explaining a bit the important role Iwaizumi has in his life as the person who brings him back on earth. Yet the other important person who caused the whole scene, Kageyama, moves to the background eating his snack casually as if nothing happened.

Same goes when Saeko, Tanaka’s sister, gives them a crazy drive to Tokyo.

We already saw in the early anime episodes that Kageyama sleeps most of the time in his classes or when nothing important is going on for him, but in Saeko’s car he just took the back rear for a midday nap and afterwards eats a snack half-asleep while she is drifting like crazy.

Since the focus was more on Saeko and Hinata talking about the little giant, Kageyama seemed to take the opportunity to move his out-of-character moments to the background.

Very similar to Todoroki Shoto, there is not much difference as he does basically the same as Kageyama. Even when he is only passively in the whole scene he just silently eats and watches his peers making most of the decisions like seen in their dorm lives and also sleeping on train or bus rides where most of his classmates are having fun meanwhile.

As seen when they made a plan to save Bakugo, Todoroki could easily enjoy a lunch and take a little nap in such dire situations.

In the manga it’s a running gag that when he is not much mentioned in the main events that you can spot him in a corner visibly or unconsciously doing one of those two things.

An adorable side-view of their usually serious and seemingly adult-like character.

Rival

Last but not least, the ever-repeating rival relationship essence for complex characters.

The difference here is that both of them are already better than their supposed rivals Deku (and later Bakugo), and Oikawa.

You might think that when your ability level is already top-notch you might not need to worry about your rivals who you can surpass any time needed, but that is wrong in both cases.

Kageyama and Todoroki work even harder and as they work harder they cannot unsee the other strengths of their rivals which makes them so different.

Ability is nice and good, but there are other factors that matter in both a Volleyball player and a soon-to-be Prohero, which they both lack and see clearly in their rivals.

Personality-wise and in the ways they handle things their rivals are still unmatched in their eyes.

For Todoroki, Deku is someone he cannot reach yet when it comes to the true essence of a hero and his problem-solving thoughts, as well as his overly caring side for others that he admires so much. Clearly Todoroki is stronger than Deku physically and he already defeated him in many ways but he still thinks that there is a lot to learn from him.

Later on he even sees qualities in Bakugo who does take his hero path seriously and respects any opponent that comes his way, treating them like a threat which is the biggest respect one can give. Todoroki himself never saw his opponents but only his father in front of him which leaded him to overlook his allies and enemies, and Bakugo who even took Ochako serious when everyone else didn’t and clearly told him he should look what’s in front of him became one of the other rivals he had set his eyes on.

Kageyama has his one and only rival Oikawa, which he looks up to since middle school and thinks of someone he cannot compare to. Despite Oikawa already stating that Tobio will surpass him one day and that it might be sooner than he would expect, Kageyama still fears his senior and thinks the exact opposite.

As stated before Kageyama is unmatched ability-wise and in season two he even won against Oikawa, but as he saw Ushijima that seemed a bit intimidating he clearly said that he not afraid of anyone beside Oikawa, which is a big indicator that he still thinks of Oikawa as a big threat and rival that should be feared.

Oikawa is the kind of setter Kageyama aspires to be, he has other traits that Kageyama watches closely and is amazed by, one would be his quick and astonishing adaptability as he mentioned he is like a ruler who rules over his army.

When Kageyama needed advice he turned to Oikawa despite his pride and ego, fully aware that Oikawa might drop comments that would make fun of him.

In Kageyama’s case his rival is in a complex way his mentor and senior at the same time, as well a former teammate and fellow setter which connects those two not by only rivalry how others might think but in many more ways.

What do you think?

Did you see any similarities that I might have missed out or do you think some might not apply in your opinion?

Drop it down in the comments, I would be eager to read them!

As again I might leave you this time, but I will return again with another tea,

vanishing Makii

Previous

[cherryblossomstars]

III. Midnight (W. Ushijima)

Taken from my AO3 series of one-shots & reposted here

Pairing: Ushijima x F!Reader

Word count: 2,051 

Genre: fluff/slight crack bc seijoh

Summary: Aoba Johsai's volleyball team has never been able to defeat the Great Ushiwaka of Shiratorizawa. Their manager, however? She can bring him to his knees in mere seconds.

Or, Ushijima Wakatoshi is helplessly in love with Seijoh's Ace's twin sister, and the Aoba Johsai VBC is not appreciative of it.

Previous | Next

"Go fish." Oikawa says with a straight face.

Matsukawa huffs and picks up a white card from the middle of the table, "just when I had Uno."

"Suck it up." Hanamaki smirks, "Eevee uses quick draw. Draw a card, Iwaizumi."

"No, because you activated my trap card." Hajime flips over a card that was on the table.

"That doesn't count!" Oikawa yells.

"Yes it does." Matsukawa defends.

"No, it doesn't." Hanamaki cuts in, trying to avoid losing.

"What does the card czar say?" Oikawa turns to look at you.

You hold cards from Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Uno, Cards Against Humanity and a regular deck of playing cards. You're not sure what you're playing right now, but the upcoming third years seem to have played this before, seeing as they don't have a lick of confusion written on their faces. Next to the large deck in the middle of the table sits a cup of dice. "Er... Makki and Hajime roll a, um, D6 for initiative. Highest number goes first, so, um, their card will be the affective one."

The group around you nods. Makki rolls a 3, then Hajime follows up with a 6. Makki groans in defeat.

You nearly sigh in relief, you weren't sure if what you said was even close to what you were supposed to do.

The summer break of your second year in highschool, all the second years had decided to go together on a volleyball summer camp in Tokyo. Naturally, they convinced you to tag along as well. The camp was split between age groups, middle school and highschool were grouped together and being taught by adults, while elementary was being taught by adults as well as teenagers. The camp had no need of volleyball managers, so you had submitted an application to be part of the staff supervising and teaching the elementary kids.

Because of your decision to be part of staff, you were required to go to the camp at least a week early to get the basics of both teaching and safety for the camp. There, you found out that because the amount of people coming to this summer's volleyball camp was much more than they normally had, middle school and highschool would be separated this year and they needed extra hands for the middle school division. You had volunteered, meaning you would be supervising both middle school and elementary.

Later, you found out they were getting an extra influx of campers because they had decided to make the camp co-ed. You grumbled about it when you found out the camp was co-ed. You must not have seen the option when you signed up online, likely because Oikawa had been pestering you to bump a ball around with him while you applied. Stupid Oikawa.

It was only the third day of camp (and your tenth day of being there), but you were already so very tired and excited to leave. The camp itself would last three full weeks. Afterwards, you would be forced to stay behind an extra few hours to help clean the school that had allowed the camp to use their campus. Luckily, you managed to rope your fellow second years into staying behind with you to help clean up as well. Matsukawa owed you one for spraining your wrist the month before (even though it was an accident, you still successfully guilt tripped him), Matsukawa had asked Hanamaki to stay behind as well, Hajime had given you a shrug and simply stated "wherever you go, I go", and Oikawa had given into peer pressure.

You rarely got breaks during the day and practically only saw your classmates at night after the elementary and middle school's curfew. Highschool did not have an assigned curfew, which is why you were sat on the floor in front of a coffee table in the common room of some other school's dormitory with your classmates playing an abomination of a card game while three of your underclassmen (which surprisingly included Kyotani) sat on the couches around you.

It was already surprising to see Oikawa up late since he was so strict with himself when it came to his schedule (with the exception of studying other teams' past games before tournaments), but what was really shocking to you was seeing your boyfriend and his best friend come down the stairs at 12am.

It seems your classmates already knew he was here, judging by the lack of shock from everyone around you. The saltiness that immediately began to radiate from your friends and fill the atmosphere, however, was practically tangible.

"Wakatoshi! What are you doing here?" You jumped from your position on the floor to walk alongside him and Tendou, heading for the kitchen.

"Tendou wanted a snack." He shrugs.

"A little birdie told me that the kitchens stock midnight snacks after the middle and lower school's curfew!" Tendou practically bounced into the kitchen, opening up all of the cabinets and digging through the pantry to find a snack suitable to his taste.

Your boyfriend and you stood next to the kitchen island, waiting for him. "No, Toshi, I meant here. At camp. I didn't know you were coming."

"I tried to call you to tell you, but you never answered so I left a text."

"You did?" You tilted your head.

"He did!" Tendou chirped, his head poking around in the fridge, "he was even complaining about how you weren't answering. He got all worried cause his precious little girlfriend wasn't answering her phone~"

"When?" You asked.

He is quiet in thought for a moment. "Last week."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I must have forgotten to tell you I was coming here. The club kinda convinced me to come with them last minute, right before the application deadline." You explained.

"It's pretty cool you're here with us, though." Tendou began to empty out the freezer, looking for something. "Oh! You know what, Iwa-chan?"

You hum, "what?"

"I don't think you've met little Kenjiro yet, right?" Tendou asks, tossing a bag of frozen vegetables onto the countertop.

"Kenjiro...?" You think for a moment.

Ushijima slips an arm around your waist. "His last name is Shirabu."

"Hmm... Nope. Never met him." You confirm.

"He's our brand new up and coming setter. He'll be a second year when the school year starts, but he's already pretty good, right Wakatoshi?"

The man next to you nods, "he's very competent. He's here at the camp, too."

Tendou grumbles, "there's no ice cream sandwiches." He turns to you, "Iwa-chan! How come the guys upstairs had ice cream sandwiches? I can't find them anywhere!"

You let out a light laugh, "that's what you were looking for, Satori?" You remove yourself from your boyfriend's side and begin to head towards a freezer with a lock on it.

Tendou nods eagerly, "yep. Why's that got a lock on it?"

You fish out your lanyard from your pajama's pocket and attempt to find the right key out of all the keys you were given. "Because there are certain snacks only meant for the staff. The camp wants you guys eating as healthy as possible while you're here, even when it comes to snacks. It's why there's pretty much only protein bars in the pantry and fruits in the fridge."

"You have a key?" Ushijima asks from behind you.

You finally find the right key and pop open the fridge, "chocolate?" You ask. When you hear Tendou confirm it, you toss an ice cream sandwich his way. "Want a popsicle, Toshi?" You close and lock the freezer when he shakes his head no. "Yeah, I've got a key. I'm part of the staff. I gave my Seijoh boys some ice cream and popsicles earlier too. Oh, but make sure no one knows I gave you guys these."

"Oh, you're part of staff, huh." Tendou nods in understanding.

"That must be why I haven't seen you around the campus." Ushijima adds.

"Yup. I'm part of the middle school and elementary staff, so I don't see highschool a lot except for after curfew. And since I'm so busy with them, I pretty much never check my phone. Sorry about that, honey." You take your spot next to Ushijima's side once again and get onto your tippy toes press a kiss to his cheek.

Tendou almost visibly cringes, "I'm gonna go upstairs before I get any more uncomfortable. See you in our room, Wakatoshi-kun!" And with that, he leaves the kitchen happily munching on his ice cream, leaving you and your boyfriend alone.

Almost immediately, Ushijima's arms snake around your waist and he rests his forehead against yours. "You worried me."

"I'm sorry." You press another kiss onto his cheek and wrap your arms loosely around his neck.

He hums, "what are you doing after camp ends? My family wants to see you again."

"Sorry, my love. After camp I'm going to Sapporo with Oikawa."

He freezes, "just Oikawa?"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have phrased it like that." You bite back the urge to laugh at his reaction, "I'm going to Sapporo with my family and Oikawa's family. We go every Summer, it's tradition. My uncle and my aunt live up in Sapporo, so we usually stay until the last week of vacation. Nowadays, though, the adults and Takeru usually leave early for work, so me, Hajime, and Oikawa get left alone, anyway."

"I see. That sounds fun."

"Yeah. It is. I look forward to it every year. I'm sorry I won't get to visit your family, though."

"They will understand. It's nothing to worry about."

"Can I postpone the visit until the last week of summer? We can all go to the festival together." You hop onto sit on the island's countertop and pull Ushijima to stand between your legs.

He tucks his head into the crook of your neck, his hair lightly scratching you. "Yes, that sounds like fun. My cousins missed you."

"Pfft. Which ones? You have so, so, so many." And he did. His extended family may as well have extended to the entire country of Japan. When you had gone to visit his family during the holidays, there were so many people at his house it was hard to move around. And even then, he had told you that that was only a few of his relatives.

"Hayato missed you very much." He huffed.

Despite trying not to laugh out loud, your body betrayed you when you began to shake from your attempts at stopping yourself. Hayato, who was four when you last saw him, had claimed that he would steal you away from Ushijima and be the one to marry you. Immediately following that, another one of Ushijima's younger cousins had said she had already claimed you to be her playmate for life, so you would be unable to marry either little Hayato or Ushijima. "Your family is certainly a fun one."

"I'm glad you get along with them, but I won't be able to have you to myself at any point during the Summer."

"My first day back. I'll be all yours. I promise."

"You promise?"

"All yours, my darling love." You lean your head against his.

This feeling, being wrapped in the arms of the love of your life in the middle of the night, was pure bliss. The only accompanying noises were the muffled shouts of your best friends from the other room, and the thrumming of the kitchen appliances around you. And still, despite the incredibly unromantic environment, you couldn't help but feel yourself fall for the man in your arms even more. Yes, perhaps you were too young to be in love. Sure, highschool relationships won't always last. But this feeling was one you wanted to savor, and you were not planning on letting him go any time soon.

This is not a fairytale life. Ushijima certainly had the grace and looks of a Prince Charming, but, unlike in the storybooks, whether or not the clock strikes twelve would not matter. You would not run away and you would not be leaving a shoe at the steps. Instead, you would continue to rest in the arms of the man you love. And sure, there would be no huge, elaborate castle or jewels tossed your way, but this was more than enough.

Fin.

[dalgikiss]

Catch-22 // h. iwaizumi

index

part 15

You don’t show up for class the next day or the day after that and the day after that. Iwaizumi wonders if you’re avoiding him, too scared to ask his friends where you might have gone. 

He wonders if you told them what happened but judging by their normal behavior and ordinary teases, it’s safe to say that you had kept your mouth quiet. 

Not even the teachers seem to question your disappearance, teaching the classes the same way they always have- quick and concise. As though it wants to test how long Iwaizumi can be patient, the universe tells your teacher to switch around the seats one more time, for the sake of feng shui, she tells you all and puts you near the windows on the other side of the classroom while Iwaizumi sits all the way in the back, closest to the back door.

The space that separates the two of you is only a few meters but it feels like it’s much more. 

x.

You know you look worse for wear, puffy eyes and red nose. 

You’re pretty sure with every moment you sit in this stuffy lecture hall, more and more people give you pitiful or strange looks. You rub your head, mussing up your hair even more so and slump far down in your seat. 

Stupid, dumb, idiot Iwaizumi 

If you fucked up your entrance exam results, you would blame it all on him 

The professor at the front of the room clears her throat, effectively silencing the room and you rearrange the writing utensils on your desk in front of you. 

“You have three hours once this exam starts. If you have finished before time is up, please come up to the front of the room with your exam paper and test ID”

The exam paper sits in front of your desk, the words HITOTSUBASHI UNIVERSITY written on the cover page, loud and bold. You swallow nervously at the sight. 

The professor glances at the clock, setting the timer so it’s been projected onto the screen in front of you. With one final look to check everything was working, she clapped her hands twice. 

“You may now begin”

x.

“Why are you following me home?” 

Iwaizumi’s eyebrow twitches when Oikawa walks next to him, swinging his arms back and forth without a care in the world as though he didn’t just walk past his block.

“I’m not following you home, Iwa-chan” The setter looks up at the sky, making motions as though he was setting a ball, “I’m going to cutie-chan’s house to water her plants and bring in their mail for the next few days”

They near your block, Iwaizumi blinking in surprise. “Where’d she go?”

“She didn’t tell you?” 

“If I have to ask, obviously not dumbass” Iwaizumi snaps, hiding his embarrassment behind rough words and Oikawa sticks his tongue out in response, dodging when Iwaizumi tries to kick him.

“Well, she always did like me more, it only makes sense that she’d tell me and not you” 

Iwaizumi raises his fist threateningly but Oikawa doesn’t bother to pretend to hide from it. “She’s taking her entrance exam for Hitotsubashi University. Her family’s in Tokyo for her brother’s judo tournament so she’s going to spend a few days with them before coming back”

Oikawa bends close to Iwaizumi’s face with a knowing grin, “Why? You miss her or something?” and Iwaizumi pushes his face away from him pretending to be annoyed but Oikawa already knows the answer and lets himself be flung far away. 

“Wanna come with? It’ll be faster if we both were there” 

When Iwaizumi hesitates, Oikawa glances at him before putting his arms around the back of his head. “She won’t mind, if that’s what you’re wondering”  

He pretends to be annoyed at his old friend, face setting into a scowl and he takes his bag to whack Oikawa in the back with it. He’ll never say it out loud, but Oikawa always did know him like the back of his hand. 

The rest of the walk is silent, Iwaizumi gripping the straps of his bag in hopes of calming himself down. You wouldn’t be there, he tells himself, you’re not there and he’s only going to make sure Oikawa doesn’t magically end up burning down your house somehow or creating a hole in your bedroom wall.

However the silence is short lived. 

“Why didn’t she tell you?” Oikawa wonders aloud, watching Iwaizumi tighten his grip from the corner of his eye, “Is it because you’re ugly? That’s never stopped her before though”

Iwaizumi wonders if Oikawa practices how to annoy people in his spare time. 

“We got into an argument a few days ago, guess that’s why she never told me”

“Ah, so it’s your fault as usual”

They stop in front of your front door and Iwaizumi resists the urge to take the skateboard your brother has left out on the porch and smack it into Oikawa’s face. Oikawa peers into your mailbox, a large hand reaching inside to grab a bundle of mail while Iwaizumi glanced around before crouching over to reach inside the bucket of beer bottle caps, sifting it around to find your spare key. 

“Man, you come here too often to know where the spare key is” Oikawa teases as Iwaizumi sticks the key into lock

“Shut up, don’t act like you didn’t know where it was”

Your house looks just the same as he remembers, albeit a bit messier since you had been rushing to pack for your miniature trip, evidence of it in forms of various jackets strewn around in random places and the mismatched pairs of shoes around the entrance. 

Oikawa set down the mail on your kitchen table, shaking his head when he saw the dishes in the sink, reprimanding you for not cleaning up and instructing Iwaizumi to begin watering the plants while he cleaned up your mess. 

“Why’d you two fight?” Oikawa asks out of the blue, startling Iwaizumi

Iwaizumi let out a wry laugh “and here i was thinking about how nice it was in our relationship that we’ve reached a point where we didn’t have to talk all the time”

“Do you wanna hear my theory about how aliens are actually observing us through pigeons? If you think about it, you never see the same pigeon twice and what does a baby pigeon look like? You don’t know because you’ve never seen one, so my theory is-”

“Alright alright, I get it, shut the fuck up”

Oikawa beams proudly, hand quivering slightly under the weight of the heavy cup he was using to water the plants

“I said some stuff to her about Ryuoko” He admits defeatedly, watching the dirt of the aloe plant take in water “Might have told her she was attention needy”

“You did what? I can’t believe you said that to our precious baby- oh man, she’s definitely really upset”

Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa, long and hard, who stared right back. 

“She definitely told you, why are you playing dumb?”

Oikawa doesn’t bother to fight back against the accusation, only turning back to water the Chinese Evergreen plant that rested by the windowsill. “She didn’t tell me a thing” He says as the last drops of water were used, “She was crying”

Oikawa headed back to the kitchen to put away the cup he had been using, a hand taking the one that Iwaizumi grasped. 

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why she’s upset, even when she doesn’t tell us”

x.

You feel Iwaizumi’s stare before you can see him, uncomfortably shifting in your seat as you try to copy what is in your textbook.

Moving your seat away from him was a blessing in your favor, or so you thought. You had been relieved when you first heard about your new seating arrangement, no longer needing to feel on edge when Ryuoko walked in and being able to avoid talking to Iwaizumi after your fight was just a perk. 

At least, it was until you couldn’t shake away this nagging feeling that Iwaizumi was constantly staring you down.

“He’s staring at you again” 

You looked at your new seatmate, Kumatsuka Kirin who pointed towards the back of the room with her pen. 

“I think it’s been the third time since this period started” She whispered, giving you a little grin, “I think he might liiiiiiikeee you” She drags the word out, rhythmically tapping her nose with her pen to a beat only she can hear. 

You crinkle your nose, throwing your eraser at her. “He has a girlfriend”

“Just because there’s a goalie doesn’t mean you can’t score!” 

She laughs at your expression, “I’m kidding, i’m kidding! Homewrecking is never the answer” 

She winks at you, answering the question the teacher throws at her with ease and you marvel at her casual attitude.

“By the way,” She writes something in her notebook before holding it up so you could view it. “I’ve been keeping score of how many times he’s looked at you” 

There’s a total of four tally marks from this period and a few more from the periods before. 

“This is gonna be fun” She grins and you shake your head because no this is not fun

x.

You’ve been getting better at this avoiding-Iwaizumi game, taking it one step further to even avoid the rest of the third years as well, an unintended side effect that Iwaizumi now bears the consequences of every time Oikawa decides to open his mouth and complain about your missing presence with passive aggressive words and pointed looks.

“Maaaaaaaaaaan, things have been so quiet lately” Oikawa cries out, “I wonder why that is” 

Iwaizumi pretends to not see the look that’s thrown his way, cursing under his breath when even Hanamaki and Matsukawa give him a certain look

Really guys?

“It sure feels like someone is missing, doesn’t it?” 

Another pointed look at iwaizumi’s direction

He furrows his eyebrows at his friends, turning the corner sharply after their third jab at him. “Alright! I’ll apologize tomorrow. It’s just a bit hard when she keeps avoiding me” 

His friends don’t seem the least sympathetic, Matsukawa only making use of the extra few inches he has on Iwaizumi to tower over him

“You have to atone for your sins”

‘What are you, some creepy priest? Stay away from me”

x.

[Iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

are you home?

[Iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

 i know you’re reading my messages

[Iwaizumi] [Hajime]:        

cmon please answer

When your phone rings again, your brother looks up sharply from the kotatsu on the floor and angrily throws his eraser at you. 

“If your phone goes off one more time, I’m throwing it out the window and then you’re going out after it” he threatens and you roll your eyes, sticking your tongue out at him. When he picks up your phone and makes a motion to chuck it out the window, you panic, tackling him into the ground. 

“Okay, okay! Give me- Ow! Stop digging your knee into me!”

“Move, you’re too close to my- I SAID MOVE”

You snatch your phone out of his hand, hobbling away on one foot as he curled into a ball on the floor. “I’d say sorry but you deserved it” 

Your phone lights up again with another message and you chew your lip before responding.

[Me]:

not home rn, why 

[iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

oh nvm then, im outside ur door

The bubble tea he had been holding as a peace offering is starting to sweat in his hand, water droplets dampening the welcome mat he’s standing on. Hanamaki was right, he should’ve texted you before he walked all the way over. 

[Surname] [Name]:

what why 

[Me]:

wanted to talk to you

[Surname] [Name]:

lol i dont think we need to talk about anything. u said what u needed to say & i got the message loud and clear

He couldn’t even argue with her, sighing deeply through his nose. The rustling of a curtain caught his eye, blinking twice. Was someone else home?

[Iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

is someone else home?

Shit, you cursed underneath your breath, flattening yourself against the wall when he had turned his head towards you. He definitely saw the curtains moving back into place. 

Your brother, who had finally sat up, watched you curiously, homework forgotten on the table. “You look stupid, who’s outside?”

“Haji”

“You don’t wanna let him in?” 

“No”

He shrugs, none of his business why. “Well I have practice. What’s your plan of action from here?”

You give your brother an inquisitive look before narrowing your eyes. “You’re not gonna try and do anything?”

“Do my chores for the week and I’ll do anything you ask me to for today”

You decide you’ll take him on his offer, fully knowing it was because he was too lazy to vacuum and mop the floor.

“Tell him I’m not home when you go out”

He doesn’t seem bothered, picking up his duffel bag and slinging it onto his shoulder, giving you a thumbs up sign and then he’s left and you hear the jangling of his keys and then his voice floating in through your open window. 

“Hey Iwaizumi”

Your brother closes the door behind him and Iwaizumi stares up blanky. He always forgot how big your brother was, tall and buff after years of working out accompanied with judo training. 

“Iwaizumi?” Your brother waves a calloused hand in front of his face when he doesn’t respond, too caught up in his own world, “You there?”

“What? Yeah, sorry” Iwaizumi thrusts your bubble tea into your brother’s hands, who barely catches it in time before it hits the ground. “This is for your sister” 

There’s an unreadable look in your brother’s eyes as he regards Iwaizumi, brown eyes studying him as though he’s become an opponent on the mat and if you were there, you’d tease him for thinking so hard, the vein in his forehead was beginning to pop out. 

The gears in his head are turning ridiculously fast, putting two and two together- the way you were avoiding Iwaizumi, the look of guilt on Iwaizumi’s face, you two definitely had a fight. But, your brother, even though he annoys you to the very core of Earth and back is loyal to his family and his promises and doesn’t bring it up. 

Before Iwaizumi can voice his discomfort over being scrutinized, your brother’s eyes relax and he nods, turning around to put the drink on top of the shoe closet of your entrance way. 

“You know she isn’t home right?” Your brother asks, beginning to walk towards the train station and Iwaizumi follows him quietly. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, everything’s fine” Iwaizumi bites on the inside of his cheek to distract himself to the growing feeling of guilt that’s settled itself nicely in the crevices of his body. The words you said to him sting like miniature paper cuts all over his body, each one amplified when he looks into your brother’s eyes, it reminded him too much of yours. 

“You sure? You seem a little on edge” 

“Nothing. We had a disagreement over something and we’ve both been busy. Haven’t seen her in a while”

The pieces click into place and your brother nods understandingly. “It’ll work out. She’s always been like that, she just needs to figure things out on her own and then come back to you” 

Yeah, Iwaizumi knows

“You should still try to apologize though, we know how stubborn she is”

He knows that too

“Try calling her or texting her. She might cry if she sees you in person”

They stop at the end of the street, your brother waving his hand before they separate. 

“Good luck Iwaizumi”

x.

[Iwaizumi Hajime]:

 I’m sorry

[iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

You probably don’t want to hear or see me rn

[iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

It’s fine tho, i just want to apologize about what I said the other day

[iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

I really don’t have an excuse for what I said and I hope you forgive me :/ 

You stare at your vibrating phone, watching the messages come in, one after another. The bubble tea he had bought you sat on the table, straw popped in and waiting to be drank. You stared longingly at the drink, battling yourself over wanting to drink it because yes, it is Jasmine milk tea with bubbles and grass jelly but no, he bought it and I’m angry at him

The petty side of you was definitely fighting a losing battle. Placing your mouth over the straw, the drink was just too good to be ignored, effectively helping you drown out the vehement shouts of anger inside your head for giving in so easily. 

Of course you were angry at Iwaizumi, fuck him for saying such horrible things to you. You let the straw pop out of your mouth with a sigh, shoulders sagging at the reminder that of all the people you knew, it was Iwaizumi that had said those things to you. 

It wasn’t your fault, you reminded yourself, not your fault

Why did you feel the need to apologize then?

Your phone rings with another message from Iwaizumi, your fingers gripping the side of your phone as you contemplated whether or not to text him back. 

[iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

talk to me soon, miss you

[Iwaizumi] [Hajime]:

I really am sorry. Please forgive me when you’re ready

You were never really good at staying angry at him

[Me]:

yeah i know. focus on getting to nationals and we can talk after

[theultimatefanficwriter]

Kazuichi x Gundham x Sonia-Repair It

If you had told Kazuichi Souda at the beginning of this absurd killing game that he was going to be in a relationship with the beautiful Sonia Nevermind, he would have told you "Only in my dreams."

If you had told him that he'd be in a relationship with Gundham Tanaka, he would have thrown up all over you.

Yet here he was, in Gundham's cottage, sandwiched in between his now girlfriend and boyfriend. He looked between the two, seeing Sonia's happy smile as her sleeping head rested on Kaz's shoulder. He turned his head to look at Gundham, who's eyes were still open. The Ultimate Breeder smiled at the pinkette and reached his hand out to run his fingers through his hair.

"Having trouble sleeping, my love?" He asked the mechanic quietly.

Souda returned the smile and shook his head. "No, it's not that." He replied. "I'm just..." He sighed. "I still can't believe this is real."

Gundham furrowed his brow. "You cannot believe what is real, my pink prince of darkness?"

"This." Kaz told him, gesturing with his head to the people on either side of the pink eyed boy. "Me. Being with you." He turned his head to look at Sonia. He sighed, a smile on his face. "And her." He looked back at the bi-colored eyed man. "I mean, when we first got on this island I hated your guts. I thought you were annoying, arrogant, loud, attention seeking, ignorant-"

Kazuichi was silenced by Gundham tugging lightly on the mechanic's hair. "Your point has been made, my precious imp." He growled softly into his partner's ear.

Souda chuckled before letting out a loving sigh. "But now..." He placed a kiss on Gundham's lips. "I've never been happier in my life. Even in this stupid killing game."

"I am glad to hear it, Kazuichi." Sonia's sleepy voice was heard from behind Souda. He turned his head to see his girlfriend rubbing her eyes.

"Sonia!" Kazuichi exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, did I wake you up?"

Sonia shook her head. "No, do not worry." She assured him, leaning up to give the pink haired boy a kiss on the cheek. "I am so happy as well to have the both of you."

Kaz smiled contently as he reached for both of his lovers' hands. He really couldn't believe how lucky he was. He never thought he would ever find one partner, let alone two loving and supportive ones.

"Man, why is Miss Sonia so interested in that stupid jerk Gundham?" Kazuichi thought irritability as he watched the two build a sand castle for Gundham's hamsters. "He's not that great." He kicked some sand around as he grumbled to himself. "You know what? I'm just gonna go over there and impress Miss Sonia! Yeah! That's what I'll do!" Confident in his plan, the mechanic made his way over to the two making sand castles.

"Should we make separate rooms for each of the Devas?" Sonia asked Gundham as she shaped  the sand.

"Of course!" The Dark Lord boomed, his Devas poking and inspecting their soon to be new home. "Each of my Devas requires their own special ritual to recharge their dark energy!"

Kaz rolled his eyes as he stopped beside the sand castle. The two making it looked up at him. Souda looked over to Sonia and smiled at her brightly. "Hiya, Miss Sonia!" He greeted the princess. "Whatcha up to?"

"Oh, hello, Kazuichi!" The blonde smiled and waved at him. "Gundham and I were just building a new home for his Four Dark Devas of Destruction!"

Kaz restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Instead he forced a smile. "That's really cool." He glanced over at Gundham, who was looking the mechanic up and down, an unimpressed look on his face. "Would ya like some help?"

"We are proceeding along quite well without your...assistance, mortal." Gundham answered before Sonia had a chance to.

Kazuichi crossed his arm and glared at him. "Oh yeah? Well maybe it'd go along even better with my help!" The disgruntled man stomped closer to the water to pick up a seashell he saw. "This could be a neat decoration for their castle." Souda muttered to himself. He noticed another one closer to the water and went to collect it when he tripped over something. He flailed his arms and let out a surprised scream as he prepared to land in the water.

Instead, he felt someone grab the back of his jumpsuit.

"This is why I insisted you not to help us, pink one." Kaz heard Gundham sigh from behind him. "You could have seriously angered the gods and gotten yourself injured." The taller man pulled the mechanic backward, allowing him to fall safely on the sand. Kazuichi looked up to Gundham who was giving the pink eyed boy a smile. The breeder shook his head, pulling one of his poses. "However, I shall allow you to stay around us. I think myself and the dark lady may need to keep an eye on you so you do not hurt yourself further."

Souda watched as the darkly clothed man extended a hand out for the pink haired boy. He looked the man above him up and down before hesitantly taking it. Gundham helped him stand, and once the mechanic was on his feet the bi-color eyed boy turned around with a flourish of his jacket and made his way back to Sonia.

Kazuichi followed the Ultimate Breeder with his eyes in astonishment for a few moments. He felt...confused. For the first time ever he felt something other than annoyance for the flamboyant man.

"Kazuichi!" Kaz snapped out of his daze at Sonia's voice. He turned and saw her waving him over. "Come! You can help Gundham build the moat!"

Kazuichi smiled and nodded, running over to the two of them. "Yeah! On my way, Miss Sonia!"

"What do the two of you think the new area is going to be?" Sonia asked her two boyfriends as the three of them walked to the new island that had opened up.

"I'm hoping for something nice and calm for once." Kazuichi thought aloud hopefully.

"I would not get my hopes up too high on that, my loves." Gundham said solemnly, holding the hand of each of his lovers. "That monstrous pest in the shape of a bear does not seem to be one to be kind."

Kaz sighed loudly. "Yeah, I know." He muttered. "Doesn't mean I can't still hope for it."

"It would be nice to have an area that will not cause problems." Sonia agreed with her pink haired boyfriend. "Though of course Gundham is right. The chances of that being the case are slim."

The three of them arrived at the new island shortly, and it appeared to be an amusement park of sorts. While Sonia seemed to be pleased by this sight Kazuichi and Gundham didn't trust this area. They both grabbed a hand of their girlfriend, making sure she didn't leave their sight.

Eventually Hajime gathered everyone to ride the train. The trio sat beside each other, the two men keeping an eye out for danger. Their efforts were for not, however, when a thick fog rolled over the track, and soon all of the passengers inside were asleep.

"I just don't understand what I'm feeling, Hajime." Kazuichi told his good friend. "I thought I hated that guy, but now..."

Hajime leaned back against the diner booth seat. "How do you feel about him now?" He asked.

Kaz sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I...I don't know? I don't hate being around him. I actually feel...happy when we're in the same room. I don't want to kill him when he talks to Miss Sonia. I actually feel kinda agitated when he's talking to someone other than me or her."

Hajime smirked at the pinkette. "You understand what that sounds like, right, Souda?"

Kazuichi squinted at his friend. "What are you talking about."

The boy in front of him stared at the pink eyes boy blankly. "You can't be serious." He sighed. He shook his head. "Kazuichi, you have a crush on Gundham."

The mechanic's eyes widened and he almost fell out his seat. "What!? Hajime, are you crazy?!" He exclaimed. "There is no way I have a crush on Gundham Tanaka! For one, I'm not gay!"

Hajime raised a brow. "Are you sure?" He pressed. "I mean, Kazuichi, you just told me you feel the same way about Gundham that you do about Sonia." He looked Souda in the eyes. "Are you positive you don't like him?"

Kazuichi opened his mouth to retort with a sound 'no', but at that moment, the diner door opened. The pair turned their heads, and who should walk in but the topic of conversation himself, Gundham.

The Ultimate Breeder looked around the diner before his eyes landed on the mechanic. When he saw him a smile appeared on his face and he made his way over to him. "Ah, pink one!" He greeted him. "The demoness of photography told me she witnessed your and the talent-less one's arrival to this place."

Hajime rolled his eyes as he stood up. He waved a goodbye to Kazuichi as he left the diner. Gundham took the now empty seat across from the mechanic. "I was sent by the dark mistress to collect you." The Dark Lord informed the pink eyed boy. "She had said she wished to visit the library to peruse for information on how to escape our predicament." He looked Kazuichi in the eyes and grinned. "I suggested we bring you along. I thought that having more eyes would be a helpful addition."

Kaz's eyes widened. Gundham suggested he joined them? Kazuichi thought the breeder hated him. But here he was, offering for him to join him in Miss Sonia, and giving him a kind smile. Not one of those mischievous ones he usually does. As he looked into Gundham's bi-colored eyes and looked at his soft smile, he couldn't help but smile happily himself. He felt so happy around Gundham now. Maybe...maybe Hajime was right?

"Yeah, that sounds good, Gundham." Kaz agreed, standing from the booth.

Gundham beamed and followed suit. "Excellent news!" He boomed. With a swoosh of his jacket, he led Kazuichi out of the diner and down the path to the library.

"How is this even fucking fair!?" Kazuichi exclaimed angrily. He and his partners were in Gundham's supreme room. The three were lying on the Ultimate Breeder's bed, the mechanic and princess on either side of their boyfriend with an arm around them both. "We have to either kill someone or starve to death?!"

"I would hardly call the rest of this situation 'fair', my precious imp." Gundham pointed out, pulling his boyfriend closer to his side. He turned his head to him and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Kaz sighed and buried his head in Gundham chest. "Yeah, but at least the other death's could have been avoided." He mumbled. "In this stupid place there isn't going to be much of a choice."

"Do not say such things, Kazuichi!" Sonia chastised her pink haired boyfriend. She reached over Gundham and grabbed the mechanic's hand. "We will find a way out of this situation. I am hella sure of it!"

The princess' boyfriends chuckle softly. "I really hope so, Sonia." Kaz muttered. "I just want to get outta here and be with you two."

"That is all I desire as well, my fallen angel." Gundham hummed, placing a trail of kisses down to Kazuichi's neck. "From the moment I opened my dark heart to the both of you, I have felt myself reforming." He turned his head to place kisses on Sonia's face as well. "The two of you have brought me back from the darkness I feared I would stay forever in."

Kazuichi smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around Gundham's middle, pulling himself closely into the side of his loving boyfriend. "I never thought I could trust someone again." The pink eyed boy said quietly. "I stopped getting close to people in fear they would betray me...hurt me. I even changed the way I look just to intimidate people to stay away from me." The boy sighed happily. "I'm so grateful to the both of you for ignoring all of that."

Sonia giggled. "No offense, Kazuichi, but you could never look truly intimidating." The princess propped herself up on Gundham in order to look at Kazuichi. "You are far too adorable as hell to scare anyone!"

Kaz looked up at her, a smirk on his face. "Oh? Is that so?" The mechanic pushed himself up before launching himself at his girlfriend. Sonia let out a surprised squeal as Kaz landed on top of her, basically pinning her on top of Gundham. The mechanic laughed and gave his girlfriend a grin before sucking on her neck, aiming on marking her neck when he suddenly felt himself be picked up and pinned to the bed.

"I do not believe you were given permission to touch the Dark Mistress, pink demon." Gundham growled, a mischievous smirk on his face. He leaned down until his breath was touching Souda's neck. The Ultimate Breeder bit down on the pinkette's neck roughly. Kazuichi gasped loudly and arched his back. His boyfriend chuckled and grabbed his hips, keeping him firmly pinned to the bed. "I think you must be punished for such a crime, little imp."

Kaz looked up into Gundham's bi-colored eyes. He grinned up at him. "That so? And how are you gonna do that?" He asked his boyfriend teasingly.

Gundham's smirk widened. "Do you mock me, you lesser demon?" He bit lightly on the pink eyed boy's earlobe. "That is not wise, young one." He growled. "You do not know what I am capable of."

"I feel I should be involved in this, my Dark Lord!" Sonia interrupted. "I am the one that was slighted, after all!"

Gundham turned to look at her and chuckled. "But of course, my lady." He told her, extending a hand. The princess took it, once again taking a place on the bed.

The three spent the first night in the fun house together.

And needless to say, it was a long night.

"Are you sure about this Hajime?" Kazuichi asked his friend nervously, messing with the collar of his jumpsuit.

Hajime chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Kazuichi." He assured him for the fifth time. "Just go up to them both and explain how you feel!"

Kaz sighed and fiddled with his hands. "But...but isn't it weird to like two people? What if they hate me, or think I'm weird or-"

"Souda, you are weird, but not for liking two people." Hajime interrupted. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It'll be fine. Sonia and Gundham are nice people. They're both strange, but still nice. They'll understand."

Kazuichi took a deep breath. "Alright. Ok, you're right. I'll go do it." He nodded to himself as he walked out of Hajime's cottage. He made his way to the hotel, where Sonia and Gundham currently were.

When he noticed the two, he paused. He adjusted his collar again before approaching them. Sonia noticed him first and waved at him. When Gundham saw him, he smiled and pulled one of his poses. "Ah, pink one. Have you come to join us for the morning feast of champions?" The Dark Lord asked.

Kazuichi nodded. "Yes, I...I uh, have." He cleared his throat. "But, uh...first I have to tell you both something." The two looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Kaz sighed. "I...I've obviously liked Sonia for a while now." He said, looking to the princess. Both her and Gundham looked visibly surprised when he didn't refer to her as 'Miss'. "But recently, I've begun to develop feelings for..." The mechanic looked over to Gundham. "You, Gundham."

The breeder blinked. "I...I see." He cleared his throat and covered his face with his scarf, though a light blush could be seen peeking over the garment.

"So you have lost your affections for me?" Sonia asked. Is Kazuichi didn't know better, he would've thought she sounded...disappointed?

The pinkette shook his head. "Not...exactly." He gulped as both Sonia and Gundham looked at him. Kazuichi rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from them. "I...like both of you. Just as much." He glanced back up, and looked between the two.

For a long time it was just silence, until Gundham cleared his throat. "It would be untruthful for me to say that I haven't been feeling some form of...attraction to the dark mistress." He looked Souda in the eyes. "And...I do not believe you are as lowly of a mortal as I originally thought." He coughed into his hand. "In fact, you may be powerful in deed. You seem to have cast some sort of attraction spell over me."

Sonia nodded, a blush over her face as well. "I concur." She agreed quietly. "I did not know if having feelings for two men was normal, so I said nothing. But I have felt strongly for the both of you for a long time now."

Kaz looked surprised, but a happy smile crossed over his face. He slowly held a hand out to them both. They looked at it for a moment. Sonia grabbed it first, while Gundham took a moment, looking away shyly. "So...are we...?" Kazuichi trailed off.

Sonia smiled and nodded. "I believe so!" She confirmed happily. She looked to Gundham, who was trying to cover the ever growing blush.

The breeder finally looked towards the two and sighed, giving them a small smile. "Very well. I agree to these terms."

Kazuichi let out a relieved breath he didn't even know he was holding. He looked between his new girlfriend and boyfriend happily, as a new feeling washed over him.

Fear.

He not only had to protect himself now. He had to do whatever it took to keep Sonia and Gundham safe as well.

Whatever. It took.

It had been several days since their arrival to the fun house, and everyone was feeling the lack of food. Kazuichi didn't know how much longer everyone was going to last. It was only a matter of time before the next murder. So that was why he was doing patrol around Strawberry house. He and Sonia had been staying in Gundham's room every night because the three thought that being together would make this all easier. It did, slightly.

Kazuichi sighed as he got near the stairs going down. He didn't even know what he'd do if he ran into someone planning to hurt his lovers. He was in such a weak state he'd lose a fight. Running probably wouldn't work. So why was he doing this?

"What are you doing out, Kazuichi?"

Kaz stopped at a familiar voice. He looked up and noticed Nagito coming up the stairs. He sighed in annoyance. "Just looking around for anything suspicious." He told the lucky student. He narrowed his eyes at the other. "Looks like I found something."

Kazuichi was expecting the boy's usual self deprecating humor, where he agreed with the mechanic and said how he could never live up to the Ultimates. But instead he only got an eye roll. "I'm no more suspicious than the rest of you." He snapped, taking Kazuichi off guard.

"W-what? What are you talking about?"Kaz asked.

Nagito gave a bored sigh. "Just because you don't remember doesn't make any of it better." He informed the mechanic. "You're still an enemy to hope. So is your useless girlfriend."

Kazuichi narrowed his eyes at that. "Hey! You leave Sonia out of this!" He spat at the man in front of him. "Don't fucking talk about her that way!"

Nagito smirked. "Why? I thought you were dating that furry, Gundham?" He made an 'ohh' sound. "Right, you're dating both of them. Like a slut."

Kaz let out a growl sound as he took a threatening step towards Nagito. "Shut the fuck up." He warned. "Do not talk about them like that. There's nothing wrong with dating both of them."

The Ultimate Lucky Student held his hands up. "Oh, of course not!" He glared at Kazuichi. "Except one is an idiotic, good for nothing air-headed princess, and the other is an arrogant, flamboyant, stuck up chuunibyou!"

Kazuichi balled up his fists. "I said...DON'T TALK ABOUT THEM THAT WAY!" The mechanic rushed forward and punched the hope obsessed student in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. Nagito's eyes widened as he flailed his arms, trying to grab on to something. He managed to grab onto Kazuichi's jumpsuit for a moment, but he lost his grip and fell backwards down the stairs, tumbling all the way down until he landed with a thud.

Kazuichi's anger dissipated instantly when he noticed the pink pool begin to form underneath Nagito's head. He paled as he noticed the boy wasn't moving. He began hyperventilating as he took a step backwards, pulling at his hair anxiously. Eventually he turned around and ran back into Gundham's room, acting as if nothing had happened.

"A body has been discovered!"

Kazuichi flinched as Monokuma's announcement rang across the fun house. Gundham and Sonia's heads perked up.

"What the hell?" Sonia exclaimed, pulling herself to her feet.

"I wonder who the poor soul it is who has met their fate." Gundham muttered as he stood as well, offering a hand to Kazuichi. The pinkette took it, his whole body shaking. Gundham noticed and instantly pulled him into a hug. "You need not worry, my precious imp." He assured him. "It was not one of us, and we will find the one who committed this act so that the three of us can continue to live on together."

Souda swallowed and felt tears begin to form, his shaking not stopping. "I...I hope so, Gundham." He whispered as Sonia joined the hug, wrapping her arms around her crying boyfriend.

"Nagito?!" Hajime exclaimed as he and Chiaki stood around his body.

The three lovers made their way carefully down the stairs. "Oh my. I always thought Nagito would commit a murder, not be a victim." Sonia thought aloud.

"At least he cannot make things more difficult for us now." Gundham said, crossing his arms. "He was never any help and cause only strife for us all. Honestly whoever sent him to the Nine Hells did us a favor."

"You won't think that when you find out who it is." Kazuichi thought, clutching his boyfriend's hand tightly.

Gundham looked over to him. "Are you alright, my love?" He asked. "I am aware seeing a dead body up close can be quite unnerving, even if one has seen one before."

Kaz gulped. "I...I'm fine." He pulled Sonia closer to them. "We should stay close to each other. Just...just in case the killer decides to strike again."

Gundham and Sonia nod in agreement. "That is a very good point, Kazuichi." Sonia said, holding her boyfriend's hand. "But we should start looking for clues to help discover the culprit!"

Kazuichi sighed anxiously as the three began looking for clues that would eventually lead to his own death.

The group was making its way to the trial grounds, and with each step Kazuichi was getting more and more anxious. He obviously couldn't let them find someone else guilty, because Gundham and Sonia would die. He could never live with himself if he lived and they died. But...he was scared. He was scared to die.

He didn't want to die.

The students filed behind their podiums as Monokuma laid out the Class Trial rules as usual. Once the trial began, Hajime took control, also as usual.

"I think it's pretty obvious Nagito was pushed." The boy declared. "From the way his body is positioned, and the fact we found it in front of the stairs, it's clear he was pushed and hit his head, causing a fatal blow." He looked around the trial room. "Does anyone have a rebuttal?"

Nobody spoke up, so he continued.

"There wasn't much evidence at the scene, but I did find two things that stuck out to me." The mystery talented boy reached into his pocket and pulled out two objects. He looked around at the other students as he held one of them up. It was a patch. A patch that looked very familiar to the mechanic. He swallowed nervously as Hajime turned to him, obviously putting the pieces together. "Kazuichi, do you have something you'd like to tell us?"

"Now hold on a minute, Hajime!" Sonia exclaimed. "Are you insinuating that Kazuichi murdered Nagito? He could never harm a fly!"

"I agree with the dark lady." Gundham spoke up. "My pink prince is completely harmless."

Hajime looked between the three lovers and sighed sadly. "I'm very sorry. But I found more evidence that makes me believe it was Kazuichi." Hajime showed them the second object, and Sonia and Gundham paled.

It was a lock of pink hair.

The pair looked to their lover, who was clutching the podium before him tightly.

"Kazuichi, say something." Sonia pleaded. "Tell him that he is wrong! You couldn't have killed Nagito!"

"Yes, my precious imp. Why are you holding your tongue?" Gundham was looking at Kaz desperately, his eyes begging him to say something, anything, as long as he proved Hajime wrong. "You did not commit this heinous act, so prove your innocence!"

Kazuichi didn't say anything for a while. He had a very important choice to make right now. He could confess and be executed so everyone else could live, or he could come up with some excuse so that everyone except him, including Sonia and Gundham, would die.

Well, it wasn't much of a choice, was it?

He looked over to his partners,, a sad smile on his face. "It...it's true." He admitted quietly, his voice cracking. "It wasn't on purpose, but...I killed him."

Sonia and Gundham's eyes widened. "No...No!" Sonia screamed. "I refuse to believe it! You could not have done it!"

Gundham stayed quiet, looking his boyfriend up and down. Kazuichi couldn't read the breeder's face.

"Cease these lies at once, Kazuichi!" Sonia begged. "It was not you!"

Souda gave her a sad smile. "Sonia..." He said quietly. "I'm really sorry."

The princess stared at the mechanic, tears flowing freely down her face. "Kazuichi...no..." She whispered. She gripped her arms tightly.

Kaz turned to look at Gundham, who hadn't stopped staring at the pinkette since his confession. "...Gundham?" He called out softly.

"..."

Souda felt his heart break. He slowly approached his boyfriend and placed a hand on his cheek. The breeder stared into Kaz's eyes for a moment before suddenly pulling him into a tight embrace.

"You idiotic, moronic, stupid..." Gundham muttered into Kazuichi's shoulder. "How could you do this to us?"

Kaz gripped the back of Gundham's jacket tightly. "I didn't mean to." He insisted. "Nagito was talking shit on you and Sonia, so I punched him. He fell down the stairs and..." He trailed off.

"Idiot..." Gundham growled, tightening his hold on Kazuichi.

Suddenly Kaz felt another person hugging him. He looked and saw Sonia and her tear stained face. Kazuichi held both of them tightly for a long time.

"Alright well, not that this isn't lovely and all," Monokuma interrupted. "Buuuut it's voting time!"

Sonia and Gundham stiffened. Kazuichi, however, only smiled. He pulled away from the two but held tightly onto their hands. "Hey, it's alright." He assured them. "I'll be waiting for you both." He promised.

"I...I don't want to wait to see you again." Sonia said.

"Neither do I." Gundham agreed softly. "My heart already hearts with the thought of being without you."

Kaz squeezed their hands. "I'll see you both before you know it." He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry it turned out this way. But everyone makes mistake. But it'll be ok." He felt a tear fall down as the verdict was shown.

Kazuichi Souda has been found: Guilty.

"'Cause I'm gonna repair it."

A/N: I don’t normally do polyamorous relationships(I don’t have a problem with them, I just don’t think I can write them well) this was just a special circumstance because I had a good idea.

I take requests! Info on them in my bio!

[eliz1369]

All Types of Courage

Rating: T (though not for Shinpachi’s lack of trying) Ships: SaiChi, HaraSen, & kinda Brotp Amagiri/Saito Length: ~2800 words Setting: Star Wars AU

Sorry this is so late, and also sorry, because I’m sort of, kind of, maybe hijacking this SaiChi&Friends day to indulge my love of Star Wars. (Not sorry. May 4th only comes once a year after all) This focuses more on Saito and Amagiri than it does SaiChi specifically. Of course, it also turned out way longer than I intended and somehow HaraSen ended up in there… *Ahem* Anyway, hope you all enjoy.

“Sen, maybe…”

“Don’t even think about it, Chizuru.” Sen said as she began buckling herself into one of the two passenger seats in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. “He’s nothing but a big bully.”

“Yeah, a big bully with a lot of big guns…” Heisuke muttered under his breath as he stood in the cockpit doorway and eyed the sleek, heavily armored private yacht, flanked by a pair of TIE Interceptors positioned in front of them.

Sen shot a glare at him before pointing Chizuru to the other passenger seat.

Harada’s grin was confident as he glanced back at her from the pilot’s seat. “Don’t worry. Just sit back and relax. We got this cover-”

“Are you rebel dogs listening to me? You have five minutes to surrender and give me the girl or-”

Nagakura rolled his eyes as he reached forward to press the comm button.

“Not really, but go ahead and keep talking. Oh, and the answer is no, and you can stick it right up your-”

Harada cleared his throat, cutting Nagakura off.

Releasing the button, Nagakura turned and winked at Chizuru with a mischievous gleam in his eye as he flipped to the encrypted channel they had set up for the group.

“Like Sano was saying, we got this. Besides, there aren’t many people better than your boyfriend when it comes to handling that little toy fighter of his. Right, Saito?”

Chizuru felt her cheeks flush at the mention of the man she had quite unintentionally fallen in love with and who was currently sitting in one of the three x-wings arrayed behind them.

“Ah,” Saito affirmed, his tone carrying neither pride, nor embarrassment at the praise. Though after a brief pause he added, “An x-wing is not a toy.”

Okita’s laughter crackled over the comm, “Oh, you’re in for it now. Be careful what you say about Hajime’s ship.”

“Can we focus?” Hijikata interjected. “The blonde bastard has stopped talking and he isn’t going to just sit there forever.”

As if on cue, the pair of Interceptors peeled away from the yacht, speeding into a wide pincer formation. Despite everyone’s reassurances, Chizuru felt her nerves return and she bit her lip anxiously. As much as she was grateful for everyone’s support, she also feared for their safety.

“Saito, stay with the Falcon in case Kazama brings his ship in, Souji and I will handle the Interceptors.”

Chizuru let out a soft breath at Hijikata’s order. She couldn’t help but feel safer knowing it was Saito watching over her. She knew without a doubt that she could trust in his skill and his promises. He had said he would protect her, and he would.

Saito’s and Okita’s acknowledgments were cut off as Harada said, “Leave the Interceptors to us and Saito. I hate to admit it, but our shields won’t last long against that yacht if it does engage. Those Interceptors aren’t making it home without him, so if you can get him to run, they aren’t gonna want to be left behind.”

“Right. You catch that Souji?”

“I never did like wasting time on small fry.”

Hijikata’s and Okita’s x-wings shot over the Falcon’s canopy, their afterburners fully lit as their s-foils opened into attack position.

“Oi, is that you in that hunk of junk, Harada?”

Harada frowned as he eyed the two incoming Interceptors. “Damn it, Shiranui? How’d you get this channel?”

“He just insulted our ship, and you’re worried about the encryption?” Nagakura grumbled, clearly incensed by the jibe.

“Magician’s don’t tell their secrets, now do they. How about a challenge? You and me, one on one. Or three on one, I don’t really care. Oh, and don’t worry, I haven’t passed this on to Tall-blonde-and-High-’n-Mighty.”

Harada hesitated a moment before he said, “Saito, you good with handling the other guy?”

“Affirmative.”

As soon as Saito’s acknowledgement came through, Harada was already beginning to stand.

“Alright Shiranui, you got yourself a deal,” clapping Shinpachi on the shoulder, he began to maneuver his large frame out of the crowded cockpit. “Heisuke, you’re with me. Take the belly gun.”

Sen’s mouth gaped open as she stared at Harada.

“Wait, he’s flying?”

“You bet sweetheart. Shinpachi‘s the best flier I know. He can do things with this ship others can only dream of.”

Shinpachi grinned as he hopped into the pilot’s seat. “Aw, Sano. You’re making me blush.”

Behind her, Chizuru heard Heisuke mutter, “Yeah, if by ‘things’, you mean almost getting us killed.”

“Oi! That was only once! ...Well okay, twice, but the second one wasn’t on purpose!”

The fact that only the second near death experience had been an accident, left Chizuru with more questions and concerns, than actual reassurance. None of the banter seemed to reassure Sen either, who looked like she was warring between wanting to smack someone, and taking the controls herself.

Harada paused to rest a hand on Sen’s shoulder. “Come on, trust me.”

Sen took a deep breath and after a moment, a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she said, “Okay, but you’ll be hearing from me if this goes sideways.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, sweetheart.”

With that, Harada and Heisuke left the cockpit, leaving just her, Sen and Nagakura.

“All right ladies and gents, hold on tight. We’re about to do some fancy flying.” Nagakura turned to yell over his shoulder, “Oi, Sano, Heisuke! You got less than a minute before I start plastering you to the walls.”

Somehow Chizuru didn’t think he was kidding.

Still shouting, Nagakura slapped the comm. “Hey, Shiranui, lets see how good a flier you really are! First to three tags is the winner!”

Saito had no doubt that the crew of the Falcon would be able to handle themselves against a single Interceptor, especially with their pride on the line. They were a rowdy and rather disorganized bunch, but even in the short time since circumstances had shoved them together, he had found them to be more honest and trustworthy than most people who didn’t break the law on a regular basis.

Rolling his x-wing into a smooth right turn, Saito brought the nose of his ship to face the remaining Interceptor. As he did so, he flipped the switch to lock his s-foils in attack position.

“Shadow, set turbolasers to 500 meters.”

He didn’t know what kind of fight he was going to be in for, but he preferred to keep his focal point close. Interceptors were faster and more maneuverable. He wasn’t about to waste energy on wild shots.

His R2 unit beeped a short affirmative.

Much like him, the black, little R2 unit was short and to the point, rarely engaging in the scolding and bickering Souji usually got into with his own droid, Echo.  At first he hadn’t intended on naming the droid, but Souji had insisted, under threat that he’d name him himself. It had been one more thing that had set them apart among their former imperial brethren. In the end, he’d simply settled on naming him after his black color, but the droid had seemed to like it and took a certain amount of pride in just how discrete he could be.

To Saito’s surprise, the Interceptor wasn’t racing toward him. Like himself, it seemed to hang in space, waiting, analyzing. Not something one usually associated with a fighter jock.

A light lit on his console, and over the background thrum of the other’s chatter, shadow twittered that he had an incoming message.

Even though he had a strong suspicion of who was trying to contact him, he asked, “Who is it from?”

Shadow burbled the droid equivalent of a shrug as text scrolled across the small monitor in the console.

Sender Unknown. Message carries Imperial markers.

That confirmed for Saito that the message had to be coming from the Interceptor facing him. Based on who the Falcon had been talking to and the unusual actions of his opponent, he thought he knew who he was facing.

He took a careful, calming breath before he flipped the comm switch and said, “Yes?”

“I am glad you agreed take my call.”

He had been right. It was Amagiri…

He had fought the man hand to hand to a standstill only a few days previous. In the end Amagiri had let him and Chizuru go, at great risk to himself. It would be a poor way to repay him for his kindness if he killed him here. Saito couldn’t help but feel that if he found an opportunity to let Amagiri live, he would take it. Not at the risk of Chizuru or the others, or course.

“What do you wish to discuss?”

“While I do not begrudge you your relationship with Yukimura, Lord Kazama does, and I am afraid this is one more thing which separates us this conflict. Before we begin, I wished to inform you of who your opponent is, and that I am regretful things must end this way.”

“As am I.”

Silence lingered for a moment and having nothing else to say, Saito closed the channel.

At the same moment he eased his x-wing’s throttle forward, Amagiri’s interceptor began matching him. The was one of the most dangerous moments for a fighter pilot. A head on pass meant his opponent had just a good a chance of hitting him as he did of hitting them. With easy movements, he jinked his fighter in random directions, always making sure to keep Amagiri within his firing cone. Green shots splashed across his forward shield at a rate far faster than he had ever seen an Interceptor fire. The starbursts blurred his vision and he only managed to get off two relatively sure shots before they rocketed past each other.

He pulled hard on the stick, knowing the Interceptor’s superior maneuverability meant he had a good chance of Amagiri ending up on his tail. This time Souji wasn’t there to watch his back.

His internal compensator couldn’t quite match the forces of his turn and Saito felt himself pressed back into his seat.

He had taken some heavy fire on that first pass, so he risked a quick glance at his shields, but to his surprises, they showed almost no drain. That shouldn’t have been possible, unless… Unless Amagiri had lowered the power of his shots to increase his firing rate. Using the fire as a screen to make up for his ship’s dangerous lack of shields.

Clever…

It would seem Amagiri was skilled at more than just hand-to-hand fighting.

His turn wasn’t sharp enough. Shadow gave a short warning trill and a quick glance at his scanners showed Amagiri closing in on his tail. Green bolts began flying past his canopy. One or two connected with his shields, taking significant chunks out of their meters.

“Shadow, divert power to rear shields.”

Having snapped off his order, Saito yanked back on the stick, pulling the nose of his fighter up and over. As he did so, he rolled so that he was now flying in the opposite direction from which he had started.

Green streaks again traced over his canopy. His maneuver hadn’t worked. Not that he had really expected it to. A tactic as clever as the one Amagiri had used wouldn’t come from a novice pilot.

Saito felt a tremor run through his ship and multiple flashing red lights on his console told him that one or more of Amagiri’s shots had pierced his shields. Nothing critical seemed to have failed yet, but enough was enough.

He knew Shadow would be furiously doing what he could to repair the damage and reroute systems. The sooner he ended this the better.

Shoving hard on one of the foot pedals, he dropped his forward thrust to zero, sending his fighter into a flat spin. He braced his arm against the side of the cockpit to help fight the forces overwhelming his inertial compensator. 

Hold… Hold…

At just the right moment, he released the pressure on the pedal and threw his thrust back up to full. He found Amagiri right in front of him and snapped off a shot before rolling away. He knew even as his finger had depressed the trigger that the shot would go wide, and it did, skating right past the upper tip of the Interceptor’s wing.

Again he killed his thrust and sent his fighter into a flat spin, the fractions of a second it took for the ship to rotate feeling far longer than they actually were.

This time when he re-engaged his thrusters, Amagiri’s ion engine was dead ahead of him.

Instead of firing off a turbolaser blast, he flipped over to photon torpedos. The clear tone of a lock sounded in his ears, but an uncharacteristic screech from Shadow made him glance down at the screen.

Recomend proton torpedoes inoperable. Damage to system may result in catastrophic failure if used.

“Acknowledged.”

The text cleared from the screen, replaced by notifications as Shadow brought one system after another back to life. Even if the system was registering operable, clearly he droid had noticed something that caused him concern.

Amagiri threw his ship into a sharp dive and Saito followed him, matching every jink, twist, and turn. Amagiri was certainly better than average, but he was no Souji when it came to handling an interceptor.

He had several clear shots, but instead of flipping back over to his turbolasers, he said, “Shadow, reopen communications with Amagiri.”

When the droid gave an affirmative beep that the connection had been opened, he said, “Will you yield?”

This was a risk. Amagiri could say one thing and then take the opportunity to turn on him, but everything he had seen of the man thus far had told Saito that Amagiri would keep his word.

There was a long pause as Amagiri threw his interceptor into a series of tight rolls that Saito barely kept up with. He could hear the warning tone from the interceptor continuing to sound over the comm, and eventually…

“I will yield.”

With those words, Saito disengaged his torpedoes, probably to both Amagiri’s and Shadow’s relief, and decreased his thrust, letting the interceptor pull away from him.

Slowly Saito let the chatter over the group’s encrypted comm filter back into his consciousness.

There seemed to be an increasing amount of swearing coming from the Falcon, much to his displeasure. He knew how uncomfortable it made Chizuru, even if she never actively voiced her disapproval.

Neither ship seemed damaged at this point, and when a red beam washed over the interceptor, he thought the conflict would be over. to his surprise, instead of being destroyed, the ship seemed perfectly fine as it continued looping, scoring a hit on the Falcon’s upper turret.

“Damnit,” Shinpachi shouted, “What are you doing up there Sano? Sleeping?!”

“Ha! That’s three! Looks like you losers owe me a lift outta here!”

“Fine… but if you touch one wire on this ship, I will personally throw you out of the airlock,” Harada said.

With Chizuru seemingly out of immediate danger, Saito turned his attention to the only remaining threat.

The yacht’s pristine hull was now scored with turbolaser fire and arcs of electricity danced across its surface where one or two torpedoes had bored their way through the hull’s armor plating.

With a flicker, the ship’s rear shield collapses and one of the x-wings scored a direct hit on the engine.

That seemed to be more than enough for Kazama, because his ship began an about turn as it tried to escape the conflict.

“All right Souji, that’s enough.”

One of the x-wings, who he assumed was Okita, fired off one more shot, blowing out one of the large canons that had given them so much trouble in their last encounter with the ship, before he turned and followed Hijikata back toward the Falcon.

A beep from Shadow informed him of an incoming call from Amagiri.

“Saito, your reputation is well earned. It was an honor to fly against you.” There was a short pause before Amagiri said, “May the Force be with you.”

“And you as well.”

With those final words, Amagiri turned his Interceptor in the direction of Kazama’s ship. In moments, the fighter had darted into the small hanger and the Yacht leapt to lightspeed.

Saito took a deep breath as he turned his fighter toward where the falcon was trying to dock with Shiranui’s Interceptor.

Their fight with the Empire was far from over, and he doubted Kazama was finished with them, but for now, they had won. For now, Chizuru and the people he cared about were safe. For now, they had peace.

[roastedlizlow]

OTOGE HANAMI

Hey, folks! I’m here to introduce ( and advertise ) a collaborative project dedicated to otoge! You all can call me Pita (or Lizzy, whichever you prefer), I’m one of the hosts of this project!

WHAT IS OTOGE HANAMI?

Otoge Hanami (Otoge Flower Viewing) is our collaborative project in which both artists and writers with a passion for otoge come together! it's certainly not a paid-project, more so meant to be a digital gallery expressing and celebrating love for otoge!

the theme of Otoge Hanami is, of course, flowers! each game here is assigned a flower, which is to be used as a guiding prompt for the entries. Otoge Hanami is entirely sign-up based, first-come, first-serve, with art piece and one writing piece per character. 

everything else will be under the cut ! it’s mostly a rehash of everything that can be found on the project site [here] 

WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?

of course, in order to be able to run this smoothly, we have to have some overarching guidelines!

GENERAL

There will be one drawn and one written submission per character.

From the date you claim a character, and are confirmed for that character, you have three weeks to complete your piece.

If extensions are needed, please let us know, as early as possible. Please don’t rush your work!

Contributors are more than welcome to submit for multiple characters (and series), but only one may be reserved at a time.

This includes submission type – one person cannot claim both art and writing for their chosen character at the same time.

All submissions should be specifically created for this project!

All submissions should be set in their canon verse – while the timeline doesn’t have to be specified things like high school aus won’t be accepted! The idea is, also, that these will be pairing/route based with the heroine of the game and the character chosen, making it a pair.

While we’d advise to be careful of spoilers, some are rather unavoidable. This does make this project inherently not spoiler free, so keep this in mind.

And as another general note, no NSFW submissions will be allowed.

Writers and Artists can coordinate on their pieces for a character, if they choose to. 

ART-SPECIFIC

The submission should be digital or scanned art, only. No pictures with a phone or camera for digital, but ones with a clear scanner are fine.

The submitted artwork should be on a 800x1000 canvas, and submitted as a JPG.

The piece should be fully colored.

Images do not require a fully-drawn background, it’s really up to the artist. It can be as simple or as detailed as the artist prefers. However, it’s preferable that the background isn’t just plain white.

Please keep the prompt in mind.

WRITING SPECIFIC

The submission should be no shorter than 500 words, but no longer than 2000 words. We know it’s not easy to write a lot for some people, nor is it easy to trim down for others, dependent on the writing style. That’s why we decided upon such a range.

The piece should be, preferably, in the third-person point-of-view, with a focus on the character chosen.

Try your best when it comes to grammar and spelling. We’re here to beta-read for you, if you need a fresh pair of eyes.

Going back to the note about rushing in the general section, but really rushing it tends to effect characterization – which we’d love to stay true to!

Again, please be mindful of the prompt at hand.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERS/GAMES I CAN CHOOSE FROM?

As of right now, we have SIX games to choose from, for a total of 92 entries (46 of each kind). These SIX games are our starting goal, but if there’s enough interest in this project, or a particular game that isn’t on this list is requested enough, we’ll expand it at a later date!

For the time being, we are sticking to official releases, namely localized ones. 

Amnesia (Memories) – Shin, Ikki, Kent, Toma, Ukyou, Orion Bad Apple Wars – Alma, Higa, Shikishima, Satoru, White Mask Code:Realize – Arsene Lupin, Abraham Van Helsing, Victor Frankenstein, Impey Barbicane, Saint-Germain, Herlock Sholmes, Finis Collar x Malice – Aiji Yanagi, Kei Okazaki, Mineo Enomoto, Takeru Sasazuka, Kageyuki Shiraishi, Yuzuru Saeki Hakuouki – Toshizo Hijikata, Souji Okita, Hajime Saito, Sanosuke Harada, Heisuke Toudou, Chikage Kazama, Shinpachi Nagakura, Keisuke Sanan, Susumu Yamazaki, Kazue Souma, Hachirou Iba, Ryouma Sakamoto Ozmafia – Caramia, Kyrie, Axel, Scarlet, Hamelin, Robin Hood, Pashet, Caesar, Soh, Brothel Boys (Dorian Gray, Alfani, and Manboy)

WHAT ARE THE THEMES?

as stated before, the overall theme of otoge hanami is flowers! each game has a specific flower attached it. 

Amnesia (Memories) – Amnesia Roses: Love at first sight, enchantment, mystery Bad Apple Wars – Red Spider Lily: Flower of death, flower of afterlife, remembrance/mourning, lost memory, may never meet again Code:Realize – Hydrangea: Heartlessness, heartfelt emotion, gratitude, thanksgiving Collar x Malice – (Red) Anemone: Hope, faith, death, abandonment Hakuouki – Cherry Blossoms, life, death, and renewal; life is beautiful, yet (tragically) short Ozmafia – Daisies: Innocence, purity, new beginning

HOW CAN I SIGN-UP?

fortunately, we have a handy sign-up form! go [here] and fill it out. since this is first-come, first-serve, not everyone is likely to get their first choice. we will do our best to update people on which characters are taken. 

this is the link for what’s taken/available! 

HEY, PITA, X GAME THAT I WANT ISN’T ON THE LIST, WHAT DO I DO?

good question! the sign-up form has a suggestion box! viable suggestions include other officially localized otoge! we can’t make any promises on adding them, but suggest away! 

*note, if you do not plan on participating, but want to suggest a game for the future anyway, contact me using the information below. 

WHERE DO I GO TO ASK QUESTIONS?

if you have any questions or concerns, contacting me is the best way to ask! Again, I’m one of the hosts of this project. in the document we have prepared, there’s contact information, but since there’s not a separate tumblr account for this, I’ll leave information here too.

the best way to reach myself or the other host is by sending a dm to the project twitter: otogehanami

you can also im or shoot me an ask here!

there’s the project email as well!

you can also contact me on my personal twitter: roastedlizlow

[sapphyrelily]

MatsuOi Week Day 5

Prompt: Over The Years//Support

Warnings: None

External link: AO3

The first time they meet is when they are barely a month old, but at that age, no one remembers much.

It is a quiet ceremony, as it is with all monthlings, picked from their cribs and swapped.

“I accept this babe, born into Darkness, to be raised in the Light.”

“I accept this child, born of Light, to be raised as Dark.”

Their handlers pass them, hand over hand, until they are in opposing arms, to be taken to opposing realms.

“I take this child, first named Tooru, now labelled Oikawa, into the blackness of Night.”

“I take the babe, presently named Issei, now christened Matsukawa, as my heir in Day.”

The handlers bow to each other, bow to the council, and exit their opposite ways.

-----

The next time they meet, they are slightly older.

At two, everyone is allowed to meet their other half, the one who will represent them, and carry on their tasks in the other half of the day.

They look curiously at each other, before one of them looks away, hiding his face in his handler's sleeve. The handlers laugh, and coo at them, trying to get them to face each other.

The one who didn’t look away reaches out, patting the other's arm, and he looks up to swat his hand away.

The one who got hit looks taken aback for a moment, before he reaches forward again.

They go back and forth in this way until one of them tires and starts crying – their handlers look alarmed, bid each other a quick goodbye and leave.

-----

The following time they are allowed to meet, they are four, almost ready for formal schooling, and need to learn their places in the world.

Their handlers bring them together and step back, waiting for them to interact.

But both are shy, and though their handlers push them forward, they​ hang back, looking up uncertainly.

It is only when someone else runs along – two someones – that they begin to open up, and only because the other two drag them into conversation.

“Matsu! Come play!”

“Tooru, are you coming or not?”

They break nervous eye contact then, whispering to their friends, trying to get them to understand.

“Hana, go first. That’s my Night.”

“Hajime-chan, wait for me! I need to say hi to my Day but I don’t wanna.”

Hana huffs and looks over to the other pair. “That’s my Night, and he’s nice! Let’s play together!”

A disapproving tut from behind them makes Hana turn and pout. “Yeah, yeah. No consorting with the Nights.”

“If Matsukawa hurries with his duties, he’ll come play. Move along, Hanamaki.”

Hanamaki nods slowly, but his eyes glitter mischievously. In a second, he has grabbed Matsukawa’s hand, and pulls him forward. “Come on. More time to play if you finish early!”

Matsukawa whines and tries to pull away, but he can see the Nights coming towards them as well, Hanamaki’s Night pulling his Night along.

Then they are face to face, shoved in front of each other by their friends, forced to stand and look each other eye-to-eye.

His Night speaks first, cautiously stuttering out a Hello.

He manages to repeat it, though his words are stilted, and even manages to include his name.

At the urging of their friends, they exchange a quick handshake, little fingers slick with sweat.

Behind them, their handlers smile.

-----

At thirteen, they are subjected to their society’s ways, given roles that support and complement each other.

A Day’s work is only as good as the preparation done by his Night, and it is something Matsukawa learns quickly, when he sees that his fellow Days do not do as well in their assigned jobs.

He’d like to say that he doesn’t take it for granted, but he does, at first, when he angers the patrons and leaves without apology.

When he comes in to his work assignment the following day, he can barely keep up, for all the preparation has not been done, and he has to make do on his own.

It is only when he finds a hastily scrawled note in the pocket of his apron does he realise why.

-----

“Oi, Hanamaki.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you know the Nights are punished for our mistakes?”

“Yeah? I got Iwaizumi in trouble once, and he never let me forget it. Came by early in the morning and nearly beat me up for it.”

“Wha– Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Breaking and entering into a Day’s home? Yeah, he’s got ten extra years of service now.”

“Then why the heck would he do it?”

Hanamaki shrugs. “If we do our jobs right, then neither of us will get a black mark. No marks, no punishment, and maybe they’ll let us go from the bond earlier.”

Matsukawa thinks about that.

“You’ve got a good point.”

-----

The next time he finds a note in his apron, it says Thanks for trying but the dishes look awful. Let me do the washing, you just be nice to the patrons.

He grins slightly, tucking the note into his pocket.

Now that, he could do.

-----

The funny thing about their society is in how it’s run: if you were swapped at birth, one day, you have to go back.

Unless you get punished too often, and extend your sentence.

-----

At twenty-one, Matsukawa and Oikawa are released from service, and as it was on the day they were swapped, they stand before the council, before their handlers, and say their vows of exchange.

“I thank you for the time spent preparing my path for me, teaching me humility in my service.”

“I thank you for the opportunity to prove myself in aiding you, for now I understand and do not take for granted the tasks you will do for me.”

“I hereby take my place in Night, where I was born to be, and will serve you well as long as is needed​.”

“I henceforth step into my role in Day, reclaiming my position, with my thanks in preserving my place.”

They lift their sigils from their bodies – a ring for Day, a chain for Night – swapping them hand over hand as they rotate, until their backs face the realm they are to return to. They bow briefly, slipping their symbols on, then turn to face the council.

“Thank you for your service to Day and Night,” the head councilman booms. “You may have one request.”

They glance at each other, and back away. Matsukawa remains impassive, for it is not a Night's place to speak.

“Sir, we request a month of acclimatisation.”

The council breaks into murmurs, and the head raises his brows. The noise extends, swelling into incredulous shouts, before he raises a hand, and they are silenced.

“Explain.”

“A month where we work together, sire. Every alternate day, I will go to Night and assist Matsukawa in learning his place, and he will come to Day and show me how to serve.”

The council takes up their muttering again, but it is muted, now. It is not an unreasonable request – simply unusual.

Matsukawa stands quietly, but his palms are sweating, and he doesn’t dare to wipe them on his pants. It is a nervous habit he never lost, but all his Day training reminds him to keep still. He can see Oikawa fidgeting from the corner of his eye, and wants to smile.

He needs to unlearn that Night habit.

Eventually, the council quietens, and the head councilman turns to them.

“Your request is approved. From the morrow, you will begin a rotation – one week spent in Day, one in Night, alternating until the month is over. You are expected to learn everything perfectly, and perform optimally when the month is over.

“You are dismissed.”

They bow again, and turn to their respective doorways, not looking back.

-----

Iwaizumi is a weird fellow, but a decent friend.

“A month to learn your places? Huh. Never would’ve thought of it.”

“You're the weird one. You and Hanamaki just never want to go back.”

“Would you, though?” Iwaizumi stares him down. “Would you want to go to a completely different life, where everything is different, when you can stay in the one that you’re used to?”

He thinks about that. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

He shakes his head a little; laughs. “I’m too quiet to be a Day. I’m not suited for it. I don’t mind being here, but I just want to know how to not screw up things for Tooru.”

Iwaizumi is quiet, and he imagines that he is mulling over his words.

But instead he says, “’Tooru’, huh?”

Matsukawa throws a towel at him.

-----

One month isn’t enough – it’s never enough. But it’s all they have, to get to know each other outside their notes, outside the tips shared in the bottom of a dirty apron, written on discarded order sheets.

One month isn’t nearly enough to press the knowledge of many years into another's head – but it’s a stepping stone, it’s a start.

One month is almost enough for them to figure out a way to keep in touch, in ways that no one else can detect.

One month is everything they have – laughter and jokes and companionship, a deep fondness blossoming from where there were only vines before.

(One month is a secret shared, little endeavours, excursions and hide-aways, linking fingers and the quick press of lips. It is keeping mum, lying to their handlers, sneaking out and exploring, exploring.)

(Falling deep, but unwilling to swim the right way – up.)

But too soon, one month is up, and they are once again confined to their separate realms, this time for good.

-----

“So, Oikawa.”

“Yes, Makki?”

“What’s it like, to become a Day?”

He thinks about that.

“Weird. But also like coming home. I was never supposed to be a Night, people don’t appreciate my social skills there.”

Hanamaki looks thoughtful, so he smiles and turns to put on his uniform.

Inside his pocket, a little piece of paper crackles, not yet worn to softness, its ink still stark and black.

We’ll meet again someday.

For real, forever.

[itbeajen]

Tsukishima Kei x Reader - More Than [2/4]

It was time for the Tokyo training camp, and honestly speaking, Tsukishima didn’t know how to feel being separated from you for several days. He was irritated, it was as though there were two different parts of him, the more human part, and the hybrid part. And his hybrid part was desperately calling out to you for attention and it left Tsukishima in a bad mood for the past several days. “You’re only going to be gone for a couple days to play volleyball, you’ll survive,” Hajime had told him. Tsukishima scowled and the older male smirked, “You better improve if you guys hope to beat us.” “Tch.” Hajime’s newfound joy was provoking Tsukishima whenever you weren’t around of course since the expressions on Tsukishima’s face were often the same ones: irritated, agitated, disdain, and feigning innocence. Expressions that you rarely ever wore around him, although they did appear more often around a certain loud brunette. Tsukishima muttered, “I’ll block all your spikes.” “I’d like to see you try.”

The two faced off in a deadly glaring contest, but when the door opened, signaling your arrival, Tsukishima almost immediately got off the couch, moving towards you. You had gone grocery shopping since the two of them were both dead tired from volleyball practice and had knocked out on the couches in the living room. You sent Tsukishima a smile and you greeted, “I’m home!” “Welcome back!” Hajime shouted from the living room as he made his way to the kitchen in order to help you sort out the ingredients. Tsukishima grabbed the groceries, carrying them in for you as you neatly placed your shoes away. You made your way to the kitchen, and casually wrapped your arms around your older brother and softly mumbled, “You’re warm.” Tsukishima did everything to will himself not to throw the grocery bags at Hajime after seeing that smug smile on the older Iwaizumi’s face. But the smugness was soon replaced with fondness as he gently patted your head. “Sorry we made you go out and get the groceries.” “If I didn’t go we’d all starve,” you muttered against him. You suddenly let go and you said, “Okay, nii-san get out. Kei help me make dinner?” Tsukishima nodded, but Hajime froze and he asked, “Kei?” You and Tsukishima look at each other and you ask, “What about him?” “S-Since when were you two on first name basis?!” You sighed, “Nii-san, really?” “What’s wrong, Hajime-nii.” Tsukishima teased. His shit-eating grin now dominantly displayed and the latter glared at the younger, yet taller, male. “You’re not allowed to call me that.” “Eh? But Kei’s practically part of the family!” you complained. You had just put the apron on and tied your hair back, and you pouted at your brother, “What’s wrong with him calling you nii-san?” “Yeah, nii-san.” Hajime was very close to strangling the taller male, but doing so would mean that you would be upset at him. And he’d rather deal with his anger own his own then to vent it out onto poor little Tsukishima. He looked at you and pointedly stated, “Tsukishima is just as annoying as Trashykawa.” “Now now nii-san, don’t be so mean to Tooru-nii and Kei, they’ve done nothing to you. Or at least, Kei didn’t.” Kei. Kei. Kei. The way she says my name makes it feel as though I’m needed. Tsukishima shook his thoughts away, but he couldn’t. Although he may be his own self. When it came down to it, he still had his hybrid nature programmed into him. It was in his DNA. And it was basically commanding him to do everything he could to stay by your side. His expression was weird, or at least to you it was. Tsukishima’s face was strained between longing and irritation and you poked his cheek, and he literally snapped back to reality as his eyes were no longer unfocused and were now focused on you. “Everything okay there Kei? You’ve been kind of out of it.” Right, like I can tell you that I’m basically desperate to be your hybrid. Tsukishima mentally scoffed, until he realized what he just thought and fought down a major blush, but his ears still went red. Please don’t notice. Please ignore me. For god’s sake [F/N] what have you done to me? Although you did notice the red adorning his cheeks and ears, you decided to cut him some slack and pointedly ignored it. And went to directing him around the kitchen. As soon as he got to work though, you couldn’t help but wonder what it was on his mind that got him so worked up. *** Hajime left the house shortly after eating dinner as he walked over to Oikawa’s place to study. Upon entering the familiar house and greeting the familiar parents, he made his way towards his best friend’s room and asked, “So, find anything else I should know?” “Well, a soulmate kind of system does exist.” Oikawa responded, pushing his glasses up further before mumbling, “That kind of bothers me.” “That the bird and my younger sister are possibly destined together? That definitely bothers me.” Hajime grumbles. Oikawa swivels his chair to face his best friend who was sitting on his bed and he pouts, “Has [F/N]-chi shown any signs?” “Signs?” Oikawa nodded and began listing them off his calloused fingers. “Unconsciously gravitating towards each other. That’s apparently the biggest factor. They help each other do even mundane tasks and chores. Another really big one is the silent understanding. They won’t have to say anything to each other, just a simple glance and they’ll be able to figure out what the other wants.” Oikawa paused, “These are something that both sides normally feel. Apparently hybrids feel it more cause of the DNA that’s embedded in them.” Oikawa turns away, and pulls up a certain tab and points at it, “This blog is written by a hybrid and human couple actually, the hybrid mentions that she felt an ‘overwhelming desire to constantly be next to her partner, the desire to protect and to make her partner happy’,” Oikawa pauses, a silly smile on his face, “It’s kind of cute isn’t it?” “Oy Shittykawa, this is my younger sister I’m talking about!” Hajime barked out. He runs a hand through his hair, “I’m worried, what about hybrids without an owner.” “Well there’s one, it’s a pretty well-known blog,” Oikawa begins to furiously type away before pulling out an aesthetically pleasing blog and he clicks a couple of times before scooting over to let Hajime read it. “Owner withdrawals?” Hajime slowly breathed out. Oikawa nodded and he quickly skims over the article, “Seems as though it’s mostly about how they seem very unsure about what to do after losing an owner. Many hybrids have the 'pet’ DNA, or so this person references it, really strong, and many have just the right amount, and in rare cases, it’s almost nonexistent, but still there. Enough to 'give several headaches about whoever it is that they’re the most attached to’ apparently.” Hajime grumbled, “This is getting me a headache.” Oikawa took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose and he asked, “I don’t think we should worry too much about it Iwa-chan, as long as [F/N]-chi is happy, isn’t that all that really matters?” Hajime scowled and he mumbled, “I just don’t want her to get hurt.” “Mm.. well, Hide was kind of stupid, suddenly claiming that [F/N]-chi was his soulmate only to realize it was just owner withdrawal symptoms.” Oikawa shrugged and asked, “Has Blonde-y expressed any desires to find his old owner?” Hajime laughed, “Nope. If anything he just gets even more pissed off every time I mention it. I think he’s dead set on staying with [F/N].” Oikawa chuckled, “Well then, I think our [F/N]-chi is in good hands then.” Hajime scowled, “She’s my sister, Shittykawa.” “No way! She calls me Tooru-nii!” “Do you want to get hit?!” “Ah! Iwa-chan so violent!” “SHUT UP OIKAWA!!” *** The next day at school, Tsukishima had finally confirmed, or well confirmed it to the best of his abilities that he was suffering some sort of withdrawal without having an “owner.” Blasted hybrid DNA in me. Sometimes I wish I was just a human, then I wouldn’t have to deal with all these stupid emotions. “Rise-chan! Where are you going?” The shout was loud enough to grab even Tsukishima’s attention through his headphones and he glanced over to see the same girl that approached him the other time heading outside the classroom. He paused his music, curious, and he hears a response, “I need to talk to her.” “Rise-chan, thing’s will not go well.” “I don’t care,” Rise had a determined and slightly angry look in her eyes, and she mumbled, “She’s doing more harm than good.” “Rise-chan, why would you do so much for… that?” Tsukishima was able to piece it together, but he caught the look in Yamaguchi’s eyes warning him not to do or say anything and the taller male reluctantly stayed still, pretending that his headphones were still playing music as he listened in. “I…” Rise barely glances at Tsukishima, not surprised to see the blonde ignoring the commotion, “She doesn’t deserve him.” “Rise, if this is just another infatuation.” Rise ignored her friends and left the classroom, heading towards yours. You were talking to Yachi about something important, or rather, you were confessing that you’ve been wondering what to do about Kei. “I feel like I’m holding him back from finding a good family Hitoka-chan.” You sighed, your head resting against the desk as you looked up at her, “Kei’s surprisingly really sweet despite his icy and sour nature.” “You must really like him, huh?” You nodded, and sighed, “It hasn’t even been that long, but Kei already means so much to me.” Yachi was surprised to hear you say that, especially since you weren’t fond of getting attached to people, with her being an exception. And you softly mumble, “But I’m not sure if I see him as family or something more.” You bit your lip. Uh yeah, I can’t tell Hitoka that I have random urges to just be near him… or that I like his presence… or that I can figure out what Kei wants to do from just little things like a glance or a simple quirk in his features. You let out a groan as you closed your eyes. Oh my god I sound like a pervert or something. What’s wrong with me? At this honest and blunt confession, Yachi gets embarrassed for you as her cheeks flush red and she leans in and whispers, “Y-you like him?!” What if it’s… Yachi gasps. Could Tsukishima-kun and [F/N] possibly be soulmates?! Now you blush and you turn away, your face now against the desk and you mumble, “Yeah. I-” “Iwaizumi [F/N]!” You hear your name being called out, not by the teacher’s though, but by a student. Everyone turns to look at Rise who was now slightly regretting her time and place, but she had already called you out and all. “I need to talk to you.” You got up and nodded. Rise walked out first, and you followed. Any embarrassed feelings you had from your previous honesty was now gone as you followed the girl out to the courtyard. Students crowded at the windows, all of them wanting to see what would happen. Tsukishima, with his seat already at the window, casually glanced out, knowing that the conversation was going to be about him. But deep inside he was very curious about how would you react, what you would say. If you felt the same. At this Tsukishima froze physically and mentally. Felt the same about what? He wasn’t sure, all he knew was that whatever it was, it was just going to add to his already growing headache that centered around you. *** “Is this about Kei?” you asked as the two of you approached the courtyard. Rise flinches and she nods before turning around and pointing at you, “You’re hurting him.” You blinked once, twice, and asked, “Am I?” Rise nodded furiously and she took in a deep breath, “You don’t even consider his feelings, keeping him around simply because you happened to find him first. Did you even ask him if he wanted to stay? Or are you just forcing him to stay in the disguise of kindness?” You were shocked at the accusation and something in you almost snapped. Almost. You frowned and you asked, “What makes you think I don’t consider his feelings? Do I look like someone who would forcefully keep someone at my place simply because I think they’re helpless? If Kei really wanted to leave, he could. I’m not going to hold him back. Will I be sad? Yes.” Your frown deepened and your fist were clenching the edge of your school uniform tightly and you looked away from Rise, “If I really am hurting him…” you paused, and Rise momentarily doubted her eyes when she saw you close yours and you softly whispered, “That’s the last thing I want.” “Why do you care so much for him compared to..” Rise held her tongue and you mumbled, “I was holding him back.” Kei isn’t Hide. Hide isn’t Kei. Hide was a simple mistake, we both were so naive about the world. But Kei… he’s different. I’m not sure how I know, but he’s different. Rise watched your once confident figure slightly crumble, and Tsukishima, watching from above, noticed how your stance slacked, and from above he could see how your shoulders were slightly trembling. He stood up, something within him compelling him to go to you. Yamaguchi almost didn’t notice his taller friend leave if it wasn’t for the small voices of complaints from Rise’s groups of friends asking Tsukishima not to interfere. But it wasn’t just that, Yamaguchi noticed it, the way the taller male’s eyes were a window to his emotions, laying it out bare on a table and showcasing it to the world and the freckled boy gasped before rushing out of class to follow his friend. Oh no. Yamaguchi couldn’t see the tuft of blonde hair anywhere and instead ran to Yachi’s classroom. “Yachi?!” Yamaguchi called out. Yachi’s eyes widened and she asked, “Yamaguchi-kun?” “Tsukki, he’s-” Yamaguchi pauses, but his eyes conveyed what the two of them were scared of realizing. “But he’s not a-” “I know! I thought- Well, maybe-” the two were beyond flustered and Yamaguchi shouted out as he ran out, “I need to find Suga-san!” *** Flashback “Tadashi,” Yachi’s soft voice called out. It was only when they were home that she addressed him as that, after all she was still afraid. Afraid that things may be a lie, or that they would both be judged unfairly. And the taller freckled bunny gently wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his cheeks against hers and she giggled softly. “Yes?” he softly responded. Yachi pulled away and asked, “Do you think Tsukishima-san might be…” She didn’t finish it, but Yamaguchi understood. He shrugged and leaned back against the chair and he honestly confessed, “I want to say he is. The way Tsukki looks at [F/N]-chan is kind of how I look at you.” “E-Eh?!?! D-d-don’t say those things with such a straight face!” Yachi squeaked. Her cheeks were dusted pink and Yamaguchi chuckled, and he murmured, “I would like [F/N]-chan to be Tsukki’s.” “Do you really?” “Well, don’t you think [F/N]-chan is attracted to him too?” Yamaguchi asked, before he proudly stated, “But Tsukki’s very handsome! I think he can attract anyone!” He’s my childhood friend after all! Yamaguchi thought with pride, and Yachi laughed, “W-Well, I think so too, but I’m not sure. [F/N] is very… quiet about that stuff.” “Mm, ever since she met Hide-san right?” Yachi nodded and she sighed, “Hide-san wasn’t necessarily a bad person to [F/N], but he couldn’t understand her and ended up running away to resolve all the problems he had with her.” Yamaguchi frowned, “Hide-san was always a bit rude to [F/N]-chan though.” Yachi nodded in agreement and she smiled, “But Tsukishima-san occasionally is too.” Yamaguchi laughed and he nodded, “Yeah, Tsukki can be like that, but he means well, he really does.” The two looked at each other with a fond smile and Yamaguchi softly reassured Yachi, “I think they’ll be fine.” “Are you sure?” “Well, we could always ask Sugawara senpai. He did help us.” Flashback End Yamaguchi frantically made his way to the third year, only to run smack into Daichi. The captain steadied the younger boy as he exchanged a glance with Sugawara. “Senpai!” Yamaguchi cried out in relief. Sugawara saw the concern in the bunny’s eyes and his tail swished in amusement and asked, “So did Tsukki finally realize it?” “No!” Sugawara’s tail stopped and his ears flattened against his head, “No?” “I don’t think Tsukki realized it, I mean, it’s not even 100% that this could happen and-” “You and Yachi-chan are proof, Yamaguchi.” Yamaguchi’s already pink cheeks from the physical activity turned a darker shade of red and Daichi sighed before a fond smile played over his lips and he asked, “So where is our troublesome middle blocker?” “Heading towards the courtyard!” “Well then,” Sugawara started off first, leaving the two behind him as he descended the stairs, “What are we all waiting for?” *** “Look, I know you don’t want your mistakes with Hide to repeat,” Rise quickly stated, causing you to flinch. The former didn’t hesitate though as she tossed her hair over he shoulder and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, “But you really shouldn’t repeat those with Tsukishima, he deserves so much better than you.” At this you frown, and you retorted, “What makes you think you’re better than me?” Rise narrowed her eyes at you, and takes a step closer to you, “Just because all the hybrids in the school like you so much doesn’t mean-” “Step away from [F/N].” A low voice called out. Tsukishima’s hands were in his pocket, but his stance was anything but lazy. The aura of pure unadulterated rage caused Rise to step back unconsciously as Tsukishima made his way towards you. “You know, I don’t know your name,” Tsukishima addressed Rise as he stood between the two of you. His back slightly facing you as he addressed Rise, “But I don’t really care. You think you’re a better 'owner’ for me than [F/N]?” Rise nodded, and she responded, “I could provide you with so much more than she can and-” “And you’d strip away all my freedom and identity. You’ll be just like my previous owners, the one that claimed that I was important, but wanted nothing more than a doll to put on display and to showcase whenever it was necessary.” Tsukishima interjected. “I’d rather stay owner-less and be 'forced’ to living with [F/N] then to agree to have an owner and have all my rights stripped.” Rise frowned, her eyes narrowed and she pointedly stated, “Hybrids like you have no rights, especially not a defect that’s owner-less! Your rights come with your owner and-” Tsukishima was about to make a move to shut the girl up, but you moved before him. A resounding slap carried throughout the school’s courtyard and Tsukishima stared at you, impressed, whereas Rise and the rest of your peers were shocked. You weren’t one to initiate violence of any sort, but to have done that, it clearly meant that Tsukishima wasn’t just a hybrid you picked up off the streets. “You little-” “Shut up,” you hissed. Your eyes darkened, you dusted off your hand from where you made contact with her cheek. You didn’t even look at Rise and you slowly drawled, “Y'know, I thought you were a better person than this Rise.” Rise flinched at the coldness of your words despite the lazy way in which you spilled them, and you continued, “It’s one thing to insult me and accuse me of how horrible of a person I am. After all, I do admit that I was a bit overbearing for Hide, I honestly did want just the best for him. I didn’t know Hide was waiting for his owner to claim him again, he never told me. And contrary to what everyone believes; no, he did not run away. Hide actually properly parted from me, told me his good byes and I had met his original owner before he left.” You sighed, “But not like anyone really cares for the details cause a tragic story of how I had forced a hybrid against their will to stay was so much more interesting.” “But you-” “Right, my mistakes,” you responded. You finally looked at her, “My mistake was Hide was misunderstandings and miscommunications. I haven’t made that mistake with Kei.” You glanced at the crow that now stood beside you. His eyes shining with amusement at the situation and the way you were handling it. “Kei is… more than a hybrid I saved from abandonment.” Tsukishima feels his heart beat faster and he’s desperate to make it stop, but he needed to know. If just maybe these ridiculous feelings were reciprocated.. If just maybe she feels the same then I’ll be okay. “Kei is probably the greatest friend I could ever ask for. He’s not that great at conveying it with words, but the little actions he does; from helping me on homework problems I don’t get, teaching me more about his kind, and even helping me do trivial and mundane chores…” you pause, turning to give the taller blonde a bright smile, “Kei’s important to me. Even if it may have started off with concern for his situation, I grew to like Kei for being him.” What? Did I hear that correctly? Tsukishima’s mind temporarily shut down and Rise asked, “Are you implying you like him? You can’t! He’s a hybrid!” “Kei is Kei. Whether or not he’s a hybrid doesn’t matter to me,” you confidently responded. Although inside you were literally screaming at yourself for making this the most indirect confession ever. You reached over to gently slip your hand into his, and Tsukishima was still physically there enough to lace your fingers with his and you smiled fondly at him before you turned to Rise, “All that matters is that this makes him happier.” She likes me too? Wait, I like her. I’m so- Tsukishima wanted to face palm, or hit his head with something. Honestly speaking, when it came to these emotions, such things were foreign to him. He wasn’t quite sure when it happened, but it did, he was irrefutably smitten by you, and strangely he was okay with that. The thought alone comforted him. It reassured him that heis capable of such feelings. And that capability gave rise to so much more. Rise clenched her fist and she asked, “And are you really happy with her?” Her question was directed to Tsukishima, but when she finally looked at him, she didn’t need a verbal answer to know. She sighed, “I should’ve known this was a lost cause.” And my dad was so desperate to get Tsukishima. I told him that it would be useless, after all… Rise could see it in the way you and Tsukishima were basically able to understand each other even without speaking. The two of them are soulmates. *** “Now then, I couldn’t get the chance to talk to you guys during lunch, but it seems as though everything is settled down and figured out?” Sugawara asked, clearly amused as his tail languidly swayed with the breeze from the wind. The fluffy silver ears atop his head occasionally twitched, but the refreshingly reassuring smile on his lips almost made you and Tsukishima spill everything at once. “Uhm,” you mumble, “Kind of?” You exchange glances with the taller blonde, and he casually, and with no hesitation, takes your hand in his, intertwining his fingers with yours and he mumbles, “Mine.” My soulmate. I should have known. Nii-san was always a sucker for the fantasy of a soulmate. I should have seen it coming. You blushed, and lowered your head. Sugawara was clearly amused as he chuckled and said, “Before you two start going off about how it shouldn’t be possible since we’re 'not the same species’,” he quotes the last four words with his fingers, “All hybrids are basically modified humans. That’s about it.” Sugawara paused as he saw the way the two of you were still hesitant around the other, and he smirked, “Cute.” You both blush and he chuckles as he sees Tsukishima glare at him. “Sorry sorry,” he laughs it off and his laughter dies out as he continues, “Anyways, soulmates are real. It’s just easier for us to find.” “But why?” Yamaguchi butted in, curious as he never understood it either. Although him and Yachi were definitely soulmates, the two of them still weren’t quite sure as how it all came to be. Sugawara smiled, “It’s the 'pet’ DNA. Since we’re technically infused with an animal, and we’re human, and we’re modified, it’s a side-effect kind of thing.” “So does that mean I could possibly find my soulmate too?!” Hinata asked, his tail wagging at the speed of light at the prospect of finding his soul mate. At the hesitation in Sugawara’s eyes, his ears drooped, his tail wagging slowing down and the silver fox sighed, “Not too sure, I mean it’s not as though I can purposely go out of my way to find my soulmate. I guess it’s only useful if we already met them.” Sugawara pauses, closing his eyes as his tail relaxed and he casually wrapped it around his own waist brushing it with his fingers and he mumbled, “I think it’s just like magnets. The closer they are, the stronger the attraction gets.” “So… Kei and I are soulmates. Like destined together..?” you tentatively asked. Sugawara nodded and he laughed, “Yes. It took you guys longer than I expected, but yes, you’re soulmates.” “Ah I see…” you let it all sink in, until it hit you, “Wait.” Your eyes narrowed at Sugawara and he tried his best not to flinch. “Suga-senpai you knew this entire time?!” “Whoopsies.” *** It was awkward when you tried to explain your parents the whole deal with you and Kei as the tall blonde stubbornly refused to sleep without you. Not only were you embarrassed, you couldn’t help but succumb to the blush that basically painted you red. After hours of questioning and lectures about safety, your parents finally accepted it with surprising calmness, and your mother just laughs when you and Kei start walking away, a faint, ��I told you so.” was heard as she addressed your father. Even your older brother saw it coming, only due to his thorough research though. He wasn’t completely accepting of it, but the happiness that glimmered in your eyes was all that was needed for him to keep himself from interfering. You laid in bed, while Kei sat on your desk chair and he asked, “Does it bother you?” “Hm?” “It’s so sudden… all of this.” Tsukishima wanted to slap himself for his wonderful choice of grammar and words and you softly responded, “It’s a bit surreal. I mean, just several months ago I found you at the bus stop, and now we’re suddenly soulmates?” Tsukishima stayed silent, his golden orbs casually analyzing you and you closed your eyes, your arms wrapped tightly around your pillow. “But you know, I’m glad it’s you.” Tsukishima’s eyes widened and you continue, “From the moment we met, I thought you were really handsome. So handsome that I didn’t understand why you were abandoned.” You pause, and Tsukishima sits there, waiting for your next words and he asked, “And?” “And…” you drawled, hints of sleepiness in your voice. You sat up, bringing the pillow with you as you rested your chin on the pillow. “And a part of me wanted to protect you. I had this urge to help you get better. To see you healthy again. I wanted to take care of you.” You open your [e/c] orbs to meet his, and you smile, “I’m not sure how to explain it. Even now, I just want to be with you and make you happy.” God damn it [F/N]. Tsukishima looked away, the red tinge on his ear proudly boasting his embarrassment at your ability to say such a thing with ease. I felt the exact same way. All I wanted was to be with you. I just wanted to hold you, protect you. I wanted you to be mine. He sighed and got out of the chair before gently walking towards you, sitting down on the bed beside you. He slowly, carefully took your hand into his, lacing his fingers with yours, and your heart beat sped up. You looked at your hand with his and he softly admitted, “I… felt the same way.” He looks away, and coughs, “Gods. This is annoying.” You tilt your head in confusion and he glances at you from his peripheral before he gave up, and rested his forehead against yours. “You’re not just my soulmate [F/N].” “Oh?” “Yeah, it’s more than that.” Your eyes widen as Tsukishima rubs his nose against yours, “You’re also my owner, and as your hybrid, I will never leave your side.” Tsukishima pulls away, a sly grin making his way to his face as he saw the blush on your cheeks and he almost smirked, “But it’s not just that either.” Before you could protest and complain about how there was more, the next two words and the seductive grin on his face left you breathless. “You’re mine, [F/N].”