#kaoru's face here says it best

[vindicta-reliquiae]

-

[yandere-writer-momo]

Rent-A-Girlfriend

Part 1: Jack Hanma

Yandere Baki various x Afab reader

Part 2

……………………………….……………………………….

I decided to make this a little series so requests/ asks are on hold unless I really, really like them. Enjoy!

Yanderes in this series: Jun Guevara, Biscuit Oliva, Baki Hanma, Jack Hanma, Hanayama Kaoru, Shinogi Kureha, Katsumi Orochi, and Kaioh Retsu

……………………………….……………………………….

Never in Jack’s life did he ever imagine he would stoop to this level for some form of companionship. He was a champion pit fighter… not some… simp. Yet here he was sitting at a cafe as he nervously waiting for his date to show up. A rental girlfriend.

Jack never knew how to talk to girls. Jack dedicated his entire life to training and fighting for revenge. He wasn’t the typical picture of an ideal boyfriend. He was covered in scars from his harsh way of living. His teeth were replaced with titanium steel and he had more muscles than most men around. He was a monster. The kind of monster in those fairytale books adults show their children.

Jack bit his lip as he sighed and turned his head to the side. He ran a large hand over his blonde hair. What the hell was he thinking? Why did he care whether or not he had a girlfriend?

Jack was destined to be alone. He destroyed himself beyond recognition in hopes to avenge the assault of his mother and yet… a part of him felt as if he deserved happiness.

He envied Baki’s old relationship with Kozue. What was it like to have someone cheer for him during a fight? To not mind the scars that littered his face and body? To not be afraid of his size? Jack had such an avid curiosity for love.

Jack froze when a young woman approached his table. His breath hitching a bit. He didn’t think she’d be so beautiful… but then again, he paid a lot of money for the day with her.

“Thank you for waiting, darling.” (Your name) smiled brightly at her client. She would play her part perfectly and make sure he wasn’t embarrassed to have ordered her service. “You weren’t waiting long, were you?”

Now (your name) had been a rental girlfriend for about a year now. She enjoyed helping lonely souls feel companionship when they were too busy or unique looking to date or find love. It was an incredibly easy job. All she had to do was adjust her personality to whatever seemed to fit her client best.

She would treat the giant man no different than the others. He may be intimidating, but she was sure there was much more to him under that scarred, muscular form of his.

Jack on the other hand, didn’t know what to say to her. The blonde staring at his lap as he held his hands. He wasn’t used to women approaching him, they usually ran the other way when he arrived on the scene. So this was all very new to him…

(Your name) smiled softly at his shyness before taking a seat in front of him. She slowly took one of his hands in hers. She made sure not to startle him with the touch.

Jack jumped a little at the foreign touch but he didn’t move away from it. His brown eyes stared down at the small hand holding two of his fingers. His breathing ragged from how small and soft she was compared to him… she smelled so sweet too… he could just eat her.

“Jack? Are you alright?” (Your name) softly asked him. Her eyes filled with concern with the fist and expression on his face. Was he perhaps anxious about this whole arrangement?

Jack shook his head before taking in a deep breath. He wasn’t trying to come off as odd but making a good first impression was now thrown out of the window.

“Sorry. I’m just not used to this…” Jack muttered in his gruff voice. (Your name) was surprised with how deep his voice was… it was an attractive tone. “I wasn’t waiting long at all.”

That was a lie. Jack came to this restaurant thirty minutes early because he was anxious to meet her and had downed probably a few gallons of liquor just to try to ease his nerves… he’d never admit that to her though.

(Your name) smiled at him, showing her pearly whites at him. “You don’t have to be so stiff. I don’t bite.”

Jack bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying, “I do.” He was so unsure on what to do. He could easily fight a wild animal or an opponent twice his size but here was was slipping on his words in front of a pretty girl… a girl he paid to talk to him. God, he was such a fool.

(Your name) began to rub calming circles on the back of his palms with a smile. He seemed conflicted over this so she’d help him relax and open up a bit. Maybe a compliment would do…

“I noticed your teeth. What kind of metal are they made out of? They’re really cool to look at.” She smiles brightly at him, Jack’s face turning red for just a moment.

“They’re titanium.” Jack replied with a small smile. (Your name) smiled at how his body began to relax a bit. There it was… she just needed to butter him up a bit. “It’s the strongest metal.”

“And it’s light for a metal.” (Your name) smiled at Jack as he shows off his teeth to her with a toothy grin. She admired his teeth, her eyes full of awe at how unique Jack was. He was interesting.

Jack smiled. He slowly began to open up about himself as she asked him more questions. He wasn’t sure if it was him talking to the alcohol but he felt comfortable around her.

The two ordered their meals, his brown eyes never leaving her face. He wanted to memorize every minute detail of that beautiful face… he wanted to know more about her.

Jack wasn’t used to someone being interested in him like this. Even if she was being paid to be around him, her interest in him seemed genuine. She seemed so genuine and kind… he felt so lucky she accepted his request to rent her.

“So what do you do, Jack? I don’t imagine a massive man like you behind an office chair.” (Your name) cracks a small joke that caused Jack to chuckle a bit.

“I’m a pit fighter.” Jack tells her as their food arrives. “My entire life is dedicated to fighting and becoming stronger.”

(Your name) smiled at him as she began to cut into her food. She thought it was interesting that Jack ordered steak and even the bones of the cow. His order took up over half the table.

It seemed Jack’s ideal type was someone who was sweet and gentle. The kind of girl most would describe as a damsel. She wondered if he thought of her as some innocent little lamb he had to protect (oh how wrong he was). Jack seemed to be the protective type with the way he looked at her… yet he was also restrained like a dog on a leash. There was some sort of emotion hiding behind his eyes and she was dying to know what it was.

“You present yourself as a very hardworking person.” (Your name) warmly smiled at him. “I can tell you’re very strong and dedicated to your craft.”

Jack glanced down at his meal in thought. He was flattered. Jack wasn’t used to being complimented like this… was it weird to say he enjoyed this positive attention?

(Your name) didn’t even flinch or seem bothered by the way he bit into bones like they’re cookies. She isn’t rude and she doesn’t stare either. She patiently waits till the two of them are done chewing to speak and Jack enjoys it. He enjoys how polite she is.

“Are the titanium teeth for biting?” (Your name) softly asks with a smile. Jack nods.

“I invented my own martial art called Goudou. Anyone can bite to defend themselves.” Jack smiles down at her, a bit of food on his lips.

(Your name) took her napkin and leaned forward to wipe Jack’s lips off. Jack’s whole face turning red as he blushed.

“You had a little bit of food on your face, but you’re all clean now.” Jack felt his heart hammer in his chest when (your name) gave him a bright smile. His palms sweating form how nervous he was. How could a human being so sweet? So kind?

Jack pays the bill once it arrives, seeing that he was the one who ordered most of the food. The blonde blushing when (your name) held his hand as they left the restaurant.

“We still have a few hours left together before I have to go.” (Your name) fluttered her lashes up at him as she gave him a gentle smile. Jack blushing as he guided her out of the restaurant. This was just too easy…

“How about a park?” Jack asks as his hand engulfs hers in his. His almost eight foot tall form looming over her like some sort of eldritch monster. “I could carry you if you’d like.”

(Your name) beamed at him. She’s never been carried before… this should be interesting.

“I’d love to.” (Your name) laughed when she was hoisted up in the air in the crook of Jack’s arm. The giant man holding her up like a doll.

(Your name) set her hands on her lap as she turned her head to glance at Jack. Now that she was closer to his face, she could get a better look at him.

Jack was actually pretty handsome, even with all the scars. He was rugged and incredibly masculine. He was a man’s man.

(Your name) leaned her head on his shoulder as she took in his scent. He smelled heavily of pine, cypress, and musk. Incredibly musky now that she thought about it. She felt as if she was drowning in his overpowering scent but at the same time, it was attractive. He was so incredibly warm too, like a heated blanket. (Your name) was amazed a man like this was signing up for her services. He seemed to be the whole package.

But that also made (your name) think… what was wrong with him? Or was he simply just too busy to date like a few of her other clients?

Jack carried her to the park. The giant man setting her on a bench before taking a seat beside her.

(Your name) leaned her head on his arm as she snuggled into him. The giant man melting into the touch.

Jack wrapped his arm around her as they observed the water fowl swimming in the pond. Jack pointing out a pair of swans to her. But his eyes weren’t focused on the elegant white birds but on her instead.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?” (Your name) softly asks, Jack smiling softly down at her.

“Yes… beautiful.”

They spent the rest of their time with small talk and observing birds together. Jack really enjoyed his time with (Your name). He was so sad that it was coming to a close…

“Can I walk you home?” Jack asks her softly but (your name) politely declines.

“Sorry, I’m not allowed to share personal details like that.” (Your name) replied but then she gave him a reassuring smile. “But you can walk me towards the train station.”

Jack held her hand as he walked with her to the train station. A sense of pride filling his chest when people almost snapped their necks to catch a glimpse of the woman on his arm. Jack enjoyed this positive attention… maybe he should rent her again?

“Thank you so much, Jack.” (Your name) smiled warmly at Jack as they pause in front of the train station. “Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

Jack blushed when she gave him a quick hug before waving at him as she got onto a train.

(Your name) took a seat on the subway, her phone buzzing in her pocket. She lifted the screen up to glance at it in surprise. Her whole phone lit up a light, pastel pink.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐦𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬! 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨!

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭?

𝐘𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐨?

She accepted the request but then her phone lit up again with a new notification.

𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥! 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫! 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭?

𝐘𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨?

(Your name) scrolled through Kaoru’s profile. Her tongue clicking when she realized he didn’t have much information on it other than his name. There wasn’t even a picture on his profile… but the money seemed to makeup for it. (Your name) wasn’t sure what kind of girl she’d have to pretend to be for his ideal type, but she’d play her part. She’d be in a public place so she was sure she’d be safe.

She accepted the date with a smile. What could possibly go wrong?

[demonslayelover]

Honey Senpai’s Cavity

This is a Mitsukuni x reader. This one shot takes place during the episode where he had his cavity.

Warnings: None

Enjoyyy~~~~

——————————————————————————

Y/n smiles as she walks through the halls of Ouran Highschool, her (long/short) hair seemingly glowing as she walks the halls. She stops in front of a room where a sign above the door read “Music Room 3”.

She smiles knowing that this is the room she had been instructed to go ti by her mom. She opens the door gently and instead of the usual rose petals she was hit with a cry of pain as she steps in.

“Are you okay Honey~senpai?” Haruhi asks as she looks over at Y/n upon her arrival.

“No! I took a bite of cake and my tooth started hurting!” He cries as he holds his cheek in pain.

“Hm it appears Honey~senpai has a cavity.” Tamaki says as he leans down and inspects Honey~senpai’s tooth.

Mori leans down and looks at him as he feels his heart tense up when he remembers he didn’t remind Honey~senpai to brush his teeth.

“Um hi?” Y/n says awkwardly as she walks into the room and tries not to interrupt their conversation.

“Y/niieeee!” Honey~senpai cries as he runs towards her and hugs her tightly.

“Y/nnnn! My tooth hurts!” He cries as he clings to her.

“Yes Honey it’s called a cavity.” Y/n smiles as she hugs him back and pets his head slowly.

“What the what?! Who is that gorgeous girl and why is she coddling with Honey~senpai?!” Hikaru asks shocked as he looks at his twin.

“Maybe their close friends?” Haruhi suggests as she looks at them curiously.

“Ooo or maybe their enemies but only in privacy they can be intimate?!” Tamaki asks but everyone just ignores him and a pretend arrow strikes his left shoulder.

“Maybe their online friends?” Kaoru suggests as he holds his hand up to his chin in a thinking position.

“Ooo! Or maybe they’re best friends who secretly love each other and want to privately confess!” Tamaki says as a dramatic tear rolls down his eye but once again he was ignored which caused another arrow to strike him in his right shoulder.

“Maybe their families are partners?” Haruhi asks as she thinks.

“Maybe their lovers who can’t be together because of their families!” Tamaki shouts and that’s everyone’s last straw so they all yell.

“SHUT UP TAMAKI!” Even Honey~senpai yells but he cries and clutches his tooth as Y/n gently sits him down on the couch and hands him Usa~Chan.

A final arrow comes out and shoots Tamaki in the heart as he cries and heads to his mushroom growing corner.

“Honey you shouldn’t yell with your cavity.” Y/n says as she sits beside him on the couch when she feels a rattle shake her and the couch.

“Hmmm… seems like there is a secret going on in the Host Club.” Renge grins as she pops out of her hole in the ground sitting to her table with her tea cup full of commoners coffee.

“You’re still here?!” Hikaru asks as he looks at her scared.

“Yes you idiot. I’d never leave my dear Haruhi here with you hooligans.” She says rolling her eyes before her eyes meet Y/n’s.

“Oh my god! Honey~senpai has a lover?!” She shouts which finally pisses Kyoya off.

“Yes! I tried to hold my pateinede until they finished but I can’t take it. That is Y/n. She is Honey~senpai’s girlfriend.” Kyoya explains once he reaches his wits end.

The host clubs faces stay the same but after a few seconds their eyes all widen as they look back and forth from Kyoya to Honey and back to Kyoya.

“Really? He’s got a girlfriend?!” Hikaru and Kaoru ask in sync as they look at Honey and Y/n.

“Yes. It’s true. I know that look that they give each other. It’s the look of true love.” Tamaki gasps in shock as he comes to the realization.

“Huh. And how do you feel about this Mori? Did you know?” Haruhi asks the silent boy.

He nods as he smiles gently as if saying he’s happy for them.

“Then I guess it’s settled. We all were wrong.” Hikaru sighs as he looks down defeated.

“Except for Tamaki~San.” Y/n says as she smiles at them

“WHATTTTTT?!” The host clubs members (minus Mori and Kyoya since they both already knew) scream so loud it rattled the school.

“Yes me and Honey’s parents are enemies and we’re in a secret relationship. Though I guess not so secret since you all know. And we were best friends until we confessed privately and only Mori knew. And in private is the only way we can be intimate so that’s why I was coming to look for him. I just told my mom that I was coming to visit Kyoya.” Y/n smiles as she giggles softly at their shocked faces.

“Huh. For once the boss said something smart.” Kaoru says as the host club members agree.

“Yes thank you- what do you all mean for once?!” Tamaki shouts as he looks at them from his mushroom corner.

“It’s just that- well- nevermind Tamaki.” They sigh and get back to talking about Honey~senpai and his girlfriend.

That was the topic the host club stayed on for the entire day. It was just so shocking to them.

Y/n and Honey cuddled for the remainder of the day and answered questions for the host club. Mainly Y/n since Honeys cavity kept hurting but he smiled happy to be able to be with Y/n.

[issacballsac]

“Being Apart of The Sk8 Crew„

Just rewatched Sk8 the infinity and now I wish I had friends so ! Gn reader

Joe | “I wanna marry your abs!”

Y’all would meet your first time at S

Obviously you’d be amazed by his skating and even if u don’t like men he’s hot as hell bro don’t lie

One of two things happens

You A. Run up to him and ask abt his skating techniques and such

Or B. He actually walks up to you to talk about your skating(only if ur good ofc💀)

He’s such a dad

If you’re younger than him he’s constantly trying to sound smart/give you wisdom

Sometimes it’s solid advice the other times it’s pure nonsense

If you like to cook/want to learn he’ll happily teach you

If not he’ll settle for a new taste tester

He would def make jokes all the time

Some genuinely funny

He expects you to laugh at all of them even if it wasn’t funny

He’d appreciate it if you didn’t cock block him like everyone else

Despite being quick to take off his shirt he’s very fashionable and takes pride in his looks obviously

If you ever needed fashion advice best go to him!

He’s a pretty laid back guy so you wouldn’t get into arguments often

Would love to skate everywhere but he’s like…got a job and responsibilities so..

Still a great dad friend to have

Honestly would care and worry over you if you got into some dumb shit so don’t do anything stupid and he won’t worry

Joe for the win🗣️‼️

Cherry/Kaoru | A.I. Advancement

You’d meet when he paid a visit to Joe’s restaurant

Ofc you knew of him bc he’s popular but you never MET Kaoru

You def walked in on their date arguing

It was so awkward u were jus like:🧍‍♂️

“Is this a bad time time to visit you?”

“Hey! Kaoru this is [ ], the kid I was talking about.”

“What a peculiar child to willingly hang around you.”

“Whatever you say, Pinky.”

He’s kinda weird with his whole AI stuff but other than that a great friend

Makes snarky comments with you

Unless ur too nice to make snide remarks

Constantly complains abt the angle of your turns

Unironically would show up at your parent teacher conferences(if you’re still in the lower schooling ofc)

Would never admit it but he loves each of his friends and would be genuinely concerned if anything happened

Shadow | Petty Clown

Oh when y’all met you wanted to throw hands

I imagine something similar to his introduction with Reki

Bro straight up threw an explosive in your face???(smoke bomb maybe but still)

He may be petty but you’re pettier(is that even a word?💀)

You found out he worked at a flower shop bc lets be FR he doesn’t look much different outside of S

Lil arguments here lil threats there and you leave with a nice assortment of flowers

Bro side eyes you EVERYTIME y’all cross paths at S😭

After the whole gang is assembled y’all no longer act this way towards one another

Bros the only responsible adult of this group

He def did your makeup once and you broke out the next day💀

“Are you sure you know what you’re doin’?”

“Trust me, kid.”

“I don’t know why but I don’t.”

You try and help him with his relationship endeavors but it never works out😭

He’ll go to the gym with you if you don’t wanna go alone

Gym bros‼️🗣️

Miya | Catty Child

This fucker

Y’all are quite the duo

Annoying ass mfs whenever and wherever you go

If you have any sort of pet it’s his pet now

Bros the animal whisperer

He’d have to be interested in your skating for y’all to become friends

So pretend ur decent or even amazing; however big ur delusion allows itself to be🫡

He’s smart but would invite you somewhere under the premise of studying just to goof around

If he needs a second player for his game bro is gonna drag your ass so y’all can play

Goes shopping with you just to complain about how everything is ugly in the stores

“That’s not cute, who thought selling this was a good idea?”

“Bitch—if you’re going to be negative the whole time go home‼️”

Reki | Redheaded Menace

If you thought you + Miya was a devious duo just imagine you and Reki

Y’all would prob meet second after you and Joe met

Bc he works at a skate shop

And you need skating stuff(you can tell I’m not a skater💀)

If you’re just a good skater and don’t know actual science and shit behind it he’s constantly telling you about it like you care

You guys cruise around together for fun

He made your current board and you’ll never get another one that’s not from him

You teach him any and all tricks/skills you know

Probably took you to his house to give you your current board bc he was working on it in his house and you met all of his family

His mom is just happy he’s got some friends

You become besties with his mom

She gossips abt news and celebrities with you

Claims ur like her other child(forget the rest of them👺)

Makes you lunch bc she’s nice like that

You let him ramble abt stuff he’s interested in even if you aren’t listening fully

Would silently beg you to stay back with him during the hot spring scavenge bc he’s scared

Forces you to watch horror movies with him bc he gets scared and needs someone else with him

Bro would be elated the whole day if you called him cool

Snow/Langa | Canadian Curiosity

Omg he’s Canadian?😦 Seize him!

Obviously being involved with S you would’ve heard of Snow but Reki would’ve introduced y’all before the big news

Bro would shove him in your face as if he’s a shiny trophy(at the beginning ofc)

“This is Langa! New guy from my class apparently he’s interested in skating.”

“Sick—he’s so pale.”

“He’s from Canada.”

“Oh.”

Bro is so oblivious it’s crazy

You gotta like SPELL IT OUT for him if you’re ever alluding to smth

Langa stays hungry and would go out to eat with you anytime

You and Reki would def help him decorate his room bc it’s…bland

It’s not bad but there’s no personality

He tells you abt his favourite dishes back in Canada and y’all try and locate any places in Japan that might sell smth similar

If not you guys attempt to make it yourselves at his house

His mom walks in on y’all ruining the kitchen💀

“Langa I’m…home.”

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey Langa’s Mom!”

Bro is a skating addict and will skate whenever and wherever

Wants to race you like at least twice every week

Loser pays for dinner

You help him with his reading and writing and if you didn’t already know he’d teach you English

[kiriwiwii]

hihi hello!! i just found ur blog and i really enjoy your writing <3 can i request kaoru and rei with an s/o who's scared of thunder and lightning? tysm!! pls take your time and have a good day/night ^^

a/n: im sorry this took so long🥲 i literally started this the next day you sent the request but i got sick and i was so busy all week i couldn't finish it. this is kind of a scenerio?? but also headcanons? idk but i hope you enjoy it 😭❤️

|| Kaoru and Rei With a S/O Who's Scared of Thunder ⋆ ★

► Rei Sakuma

now, imagine: you're in rei's house, in a dark gothic room. it's filled with big bookshelves, and ornate chandeliers are hanging from the high ceiling. you're sitting on the dark-coloured couch, trying to warm yourself in front of the large fireplace with a cozy fire crackling in the hearth.

as you're sitting there alone, waiting for your claimed-to-be-a-vampire boyfriend to come and bring you a cup of coffee, you see a lightning strike through the window, followed by a big loud thunder.

a little scream comes out of your mouth, while the rain starts to pour heavily. you call out rei's name, but can't hear his answer because of the storm that just started.

you try to comfort yourself by wrapping your body with a blanket, but as the thunder gets louder and the rain gets heavier, the lights in the room start flickering.

with the fear surrounding your body, you feel a hand reaching to your shoulder, just about to touch you.

right before you let out yet another scream, you turn your face around just to see your dear boyfriend, smiling at you.

"oh my dear, are you afraid? sorry to keep you waiting, but i am here now. there is nothing to be scared of."

seeing rei's face already gives you comfort. he slowly sits near you, wrapping his arms around your body. you put your head on his chest, letting him gently stroke your head.

feeling his touch gives you a sense of warmth and protection. rei feels so safe to be around. you feel like the storm outside can't reach you, can't hurt you.

whenever a situation like this happens, rei usually prefers cuddling with you until the storm ends. while he hugs you tightly, he likes to chat. perhaps about your fear, so he can help you overcome it but if his beloved one doesn't want to talk about it, then that's fine. he still finds a way to make you feel comfortable.

no matter what he talks about or what he says, hearing his beautiful, soothing voice is enough for your fears to vanish away.

► Kaoru Hakaze

this time, you are both going on a walk outside, having a date. kaoru kindly holds your hand and listens to you telling him all about your day. the way he looks at you... the warmth of his gaze is enough to see how much he is in love with you.

in fact, he is so in love that he didn't even see the dark clouds coming your way in the sky.

while you guys keep walking, you feel your hair getting wet. you look at kaoru, he looks at you.

and you hear a big loud thunder.

you frightenedly jump at kaoru, hugging him so tightly that he doesn't know if he got scared because of the thunder or you.

he quickly takes off his jacket, holding it up above your head so the rain won't affect you. you both run to the nearest indoor area and start waiting for the thunderstorm to cease.

while kaoru apologises countless times for his mistake, -not checking the weather before taking you out on a date- you look at him, very disappointedly, and start to walk away. leaving him just standing there 🧍

and thaaaaaat's what kaoru was afraid you would do, but of course you didn't ^^

whenever you both run into a storm, kaoru knows you're afraid so he tries to distract you in the best way possible. he takes out his headphones so maybe you can calm down listening to music. or he sings to you, a calming melody or a song you enjoy. anything to make you feel okay.

he holds you close, giving you a gentle kiss on the lips. "don't worry" he says, "i am here with you."

kaoru is a loving, affectionate boyfriend. he wants you to feel safe with him, he wants you to know that you're loved and he won't ever leave your side.

[eurydicees]

44 for the taylor prompts?

this ask is a YEAR old, it is TWO THIRTY AM, and i FINALLY got an idea that i couldn't get out of my head for it. here are my humble offerings.

the kind of best man who leaves the wedding first

summary: tamaki and haruhi are getting married. kaoru watches over the remnants of something else that used to be. prompt: the ties were black, the lies were white pairings: tamaki suoh/haruhi fujioka, tamaki suoh/kyoya ootori words: 2103  warnings: none 

Kaoru hums, running his pen in long, curving, meandering lines across a blank piece of paper. Kyoya is talking to him, or, really, he’s talking at him. Kaoru is very much not listening. 

Kyoya has been talking about the same thing for the past two hours—which is two hours worth of talking more than Kaoru really came here to listen to, and two hours more than he had ever expected to come from Kyoya without a breath to pause—and Kaoru would expect to be annoyed, but he’s mostly just tuned him out by now.

The thing is that he can’t really bring himself to be annoyed. Kyoya is just anxious, same as everyone Kaoru spends his time with seems to be these days. To be fair, it’s not like Kaoru himself isn’t also anxious. It’s more that his coping mechanisms for anxiety involve less throwing himself into obsessive planning and organizing and fretting over every detail of every plan, and more taking calming breaths. He’s been in a lot of therapy recently. Him and Hikaru both. He thinks maybe he should recommend someone to Kyoya. 

“—and he asked me to be his best man,” Kyoya says. Ah. Finally. The point. Kyoya’s voice turns low, quiet. “I don’t—just—” 

“You can’t have expected it to be anyone else,” Kaoru points out. He lifts his chin from the palm of his hand to look at Kyoya. “You’re not stupid.” 

Kyoya sighs, pressing his face into his hands; elbows on the table and hunched over. His voice is muffled when he says, “I expected it. That doesn’t mean I’m ready for it.” 

“You’ll be fine,” Kaoru says, rolling his eyes. “You spent three years of high school planning parties on his behalf. You can throw one more.” 

“Fuck, I have to plan the bachelor’s party?” 

Kaoru frowns at him. “Is that not what you were worried about?” 

Kyoya sighs, dropping his hands onto the table and leaning back in his chair. “I was mostly thinking about how terrible Haruhi is at party planning. And how Tamaki will literally do anything to make her dream wedding happen. Even if it’s ridiculous.”

“It’s gonna be terrible,” Kaoru snickers. Which is a little mean, but also. He’s not wrong. 

“Supportive,” Kyoya says, rolling his eyes. “And I—forget it.” 

Kaoru straightens up, setting the pen down and turning to study Kyoya more closely. “What?” 

He and Kyoya have gotten much closer over the years, especially in Kyoya’s third year, when he started training Kaoru to take over his job in the Host Club, and he’s gotten good at reading Kyoya. But this expression is different—he looks contemplative, closed off, unsure, and hidden, all in a way that he hasn’t looked in years. 

Kyoya has gotten so much better at the whole friendship and vulnerability thing as time went on—something Kaoru knows can mostly be attributed to Tamaki—but there are still moments when he shuts down. When he reverts back into a shadow more than a star. Those kinds of moments—this kind of moment—only really comes when he’s scared. 

“Kyoya—”

“It changes people,” Kyoya says, steadily not looking at Kaoru. He reaches out to pick up the pen Kaoru had been doodling with, and he clicks it open and closed again and again and again. “Marriage, I mean. I saw it with my sister. With Honey. With Mori. It just…it changes people. And relationships. Friendships. They change.” 

Kaoru hums. “I suppose.” 

“There are just—fuck. I don’t know.” Kyoya stares at the pen, something distant in his gaze. “There were so many times when I thought—” 

He cuts himself off again, and Kaoru waits. The way to get Kyoya talking is never to ask him a question. Kyoya blinks twice, and Kaoru stiffens. He’s not sure he knows what to do if Kyoya cries. He had prepared for a lot of things when Kyoya called him that morning, telling him to come over immediately and offering no other explanation, but Kyoya crying at his kitchen table is not one of them. 

Kyoya takes a shaky breath and clears his throat. “I don’t know. It’s nothing.” 

“It’s clearly not nothing, Kyoya. C’mon. It’s just me.” 

Kyoya closes his eyes, tipping his head back to angle his face at the ceiling. Kaoru watches, somewhat helplessly, as Kyoya confesses, “There were so many times when I figured I was going to lose him, and it never truly happened. But now…I think this might really be it.” 

“Kyoya…” 

Kyoya swallows, looking down and shaking his head a little. “It’s fine. I knew it was going to happen eventually.” 

Kaoru is quiet. He watches the now twenty-two year old Kyoya as he starts clicking the pen open and closed again, and he sees Kyoya as he used to be. 

Seventeen, in Music Room 3, with Tamaki hooking his chin over Kyoya’s shoulder to look at his laptop screen while they talk about the budget. Haruhi, calling out Tamaki’s name in the distance, asking for a ride home because of the thunderstorm. 

Sixteen, the two of them in that same spot, waltzing without music, Tamaki’s hands on Kyoya so tightly it must hurt; the most honest smile that Kaoru has ever seen on him; a moment that no one else was supposed to see. 

Fifteen, trailing after Tamaki as Tamaki called the twins each by their name. His hands in his pockets, a book under the hook of his arm. Calling out, “Stop bothering them. Let’s go home, Tamaki.” 

And Tamaki—

It dawns on Kaoru, then. “You love him.” 

Kyoya clicks the top of the pen so harshly that it gets stuck. He drops the pen on the table. Now, there’s something angry about his expression more than there is anything sad. Like he can’t even be heartbroken because he’s too caught up in being mad at himself for having the feeling in the first place. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” Kaoru says softly. “You can talk to me about it.” 

At that, Kyoya outright laughs. It’s bitter, and tired. “It’s not a secret, Kaoru. He knows. He’s well aware.” 

Kaoru frowns. “Did you tell him?” 

Abruptly, Kyoya stands up, the chair legs scraping back with an awful noise. Kyoya runs a hand through his hand, starting to pace around. He looks like he wants to talk, wants to scream something at the top of his lungs, maybe, but doesn’t have the words to explain what he’s feeling. 

He makes a frustrated noise and drops his hands to his sides. His back is to Kaoru and his face is to the wall when he finally speaks again. 

“We were together,” he says quietly. “Through most of high school.” 

Kaoru’s heart lurches into his stomach. “Oh.”

Kyoya shrugs, the movement stiff. “We both knew it couldn’t last. Our families—and then Haruhi—and we wanted at least one of us to get a happy ending.” 

“Oh,” Kaoru says again. His tongue is too big for his mouth, his teeth too sharp. He feels like he needs to say something else, but what else is there to say? He doesn’t have the words for this either. “Oh.” 

“It’s fine.” Kyoya takes a deep breath, one that echoes around the room. “It’s fine.” 

“Is it?” 

Kyoya turns around. His face is cold, impassive again. “It is. Don’t—we don’t need to talk about this again.” 

“Okay,” Kaoru says quietly. 

He looks down at where the pen has rolled onto the scraps of paper Kyoya had been sitting in front of. When Kaoru had come into the kitchen, all of the paper had already been there, but he hadn’t actually looked at any of it before starting to doodle over one. 

Now, he pulls a piece of the lined notebook paper towards himself to take a closer look. 

“Is this your best man's speech?” Kaoru asks. 

Kyoya sighs. “It’s terrible.” 

Kaoru reads another few lines. “It could use some editing.” 

“I was trying to be funny.” 

“Yeah, but you’re not funny.” 

“Thanks.” 

Kaoru snorts. “This line’s funny.” 

Kyoya steps over, leaning over Kaoru’s shoulder to see the line he’s pointing out with his finger. “That one was supposed to be sincere.” 

“Yeah, okay,” Kaoru says, sighing. “We’ve got a few months, let’s work on this.” 

He and Kyoya spend the next few months working on the speech, amongst other things. By the end of it, Kaoru has memorized it himself, and he could probably give the speech in Kyoya’s stead if Kyoya were to bail at the last minute. But for all that Kaoru can tell Kyoya is hurting over this, he knows Kyoya isn’t going to bail. Kyoya may be hurting, but he’s much too loyal to Tamaki to disappear when Tamaki needs him—the last time Tamaki will need him like this. 

The thing is—Kyoya claims to have always known that he and Tamaki wouldn’t have lasted. But Kaoru is sure that doesn’t make it any easier to handle watching the love of your life get married to someone else. It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with watching your best friend walk into someone else’s care. 

It’s not like Tamaki is helping make it any easier, either. 

He’s as oblivious as ever. With each passing day of wedding planning that Tamaki painfully ropes Kyoya into in an attempt to make it perfect, it’s clear that Tamaki has no idea that Kyoya is still in love with him. 

Tamaki asks him for advice on suits and Kyoya’s eyes linger too long and Tamaki just basks in the attention. He makes Kyoya help out with music choices, despite everyone knowing Tamaki is the one with good music taste. Kyoya is with them at almost every planning meeting, and some of it can be reasoned down to not letting the two of them make the decisions, but it also looks like it’s killing Kyoya every time he comes back to report to Kaoru. 

“The colors are going to be a kind of blue sea foam and pale pink,” Kyoya says tiredly. “Haruhi wanted green and purple. Tamaki wanted aqua and lavender.” 

It’s everything I can never have with anyone, his eyes say. It’s everything I wanted with him. 

“Thank fuck you were there,” Kaoru says. 

I’m so sorry, his own expression says. 

Now that Kaoru knows that the two of them were together, he sees it everywhere. He makes a photo album for Tamaki and Haruhi, and it’s in every photo he can find from high school. He helps Honey with a video reel, and it’s in the way the two of them gravitate towards each other at every opportunity. He writes his own speech, and it’s in every memory he has of the two of them in the same place at the same time. 

The day of the wedding comes, and it’s beautiful, and they all give their speeches, and they exchange memories and photos and gifts. Both Tamaki and Haruhi are breathtaking in their suits. Ranka cries. Kaoru cries. Hikaru does too, but he won’t ever admit it, despite the many eyewitnesses. 

It’s after the ceremony, when they’re all celebrating at the reception, that Kaoru spots Tamaki going over to Kyoya. Kyoya is nursing a glass of champagne at a table by himself, and Tamaki seems to be trying to convince him to dance. 

Tamaki is looking at him pleadingly in that annoyingly convincing way he does and from where Kaoru is standing with Honey and Reiko on the dance floor, it looks like Kyoya is about to give in, in the same way that he always does. Then, before Kyoya can nod and stand and take just one dance with Tamaki, Haruhi comes up to them and wraps a hand around Tamaki’s waist. 

It’s not possessive and there’s certainly no malice, because that’s not the kind of person Haruhi is, but the shift in Kyoya’s body language is easy to read even from a distance. Haruhi says something that Kaoru can’t hear, and then she’s stepping back, Tamaki’s hand in hers. 

Tamaki smiles at Kyoya, a little sad, and kisses his cheek. It’s a gentle, lingering motion. It must burn. Then he turns and follows Haruhi to go dance as a married couple. 

Kaoru is pretty sure he’s the only one watching Kyoya, so he’s the only one who gets to see Kyoya put the tips of his fingers to his cheek. Who gets to see him take a deep breath, and then drop his hand. 

And then he’s the only one who notices when Kyoya stands, gathers his suit jacket, places a single envelope on the table, and leaves the wedding early.

[pumpkinmetaphor]

thats the same eye emoji i have! glad we both are seeing the same thing when imagining kaoru's little "i'm looking into your soul" stare. he's just a Little funky (severe understatement)

oh no i wouldn't consider it written fanfiction. you can find just about every wattpad trope with the gacha kids aswell. mom sold me to bts. fell in love with my boyfriend's boss. pregnant by my ex's dad (ACTUAL MOVIE???????). they have it all.

i personally think teenage kaoru's a little too unhinged for written fanfiction. he wouldn't be able to write coherently he'd start ranting halfway through the block of text he's creating. it'd be something along the lines of "hikaru sighed and stared at me blankly because he hates me and im going to make his life a nightmare 'listen i don't care what you say we dont need you here anymore you worthless shit just leave the house already i have a GIRLFRIEND to get to who i care about WAY more than you' he rolled his eyes at me and i felt tears falling down my face because im a parasite and will never be fixed and can't feel my hands and-"

then he'd end up breaking off a few keys on the keyboard in rage. something like that. gacha life places restrictions on his thoughts. none of that now 😝😝 all gacha hikaru has to say is "hey our fashion line tanked and moms being arrested for tax fraud lol. we have to sell you to the ootori family for money" and off he goes. getting whooshed into the elusive ootori mansion. My Immortal by evanescence being blasted as background music during the car ride scene. maybe he'd make yuuichi and akito the preps ❤️

also i sincerely apologize for tainting your youtube algorithm with gacha life........ let's hope you're getting recommended the "good" 2 hour long movies and not poorly made animation memes

Update on all of this! My cousins are here and the twelve year old has informed me that Gacha Life is OUT and kids have Gacha Club now, then proceeded to give me full power over her Gacha Club. I'm very bad at it.

She's also VERY entertained that I have seen the animatics and says the best one she's seen is one where a girl gets sold to the Chinese Government to be a secret spy. That Chinese Government? One Direction.

You're right though, Akito would be a prep. And a rival gang leader.

[mephinomaly]

[TL] Flashback/Epilogue 2

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Kaoru: Grandpa was throwing a bit of a tantrum, saying he “hates complicated things”, so for the time being, we’ll just be going by UNDEAD.

Koga: Not much point in usin’ two separate brands. Besides, that criminal came up with HELLSING so I don’t wanna use it. Pisses me off.

Adonis: The delinquent most likely had his own ideas for UNDEAD, which was HELLSING.

Kaoru: Yeah. He was probably like “I can make the best version of UNDEAD!”

But we don’t need his idealised version of UNDEAD, we just need to shine brighter and brighter, as the real us.

Adonis: Easier said than done.

As Hakaze-senpai said earlier, both the radical immoral side and the variety programs side of us can be successful— It wouldn’t be superficial of us to do so.

Koga: It’s fine for us to get rid of one of them though. I, personally, think we should get rid of the variety programs.

Kaoru: You really hate those sorts of jobs, don’t you? …Like I said on stage yesterday, you can gain experience from anywhere.

You can’t grow big and strong if you’re a picky eater, you know?

Koga: Who do you think you are, my parents? Anyway, I get it, but I’m not gonna stop complainin’.

We need to eat everything, even if we don’t like it, so we can grow big and strong.

Kaoru: That’s the spirit ♪

Let’s do our best, ‘kay? The AIIE experiment was set up in order to trick us, nothing more to it—it almost felt like a dream.

We’ve seen real robots of ourselves and those kids from Ra*bits too.

The fakes were almost identical to the real us. At least, visually.

Technology and AI will only improve from here, and AI idols will become even more realistic.

Rei: Umu. That is how it seems to be progressing.

Kaoru: Oh? I didn’t see you so I thought you’d had an early morning bath? But then I didn’t see you in the bathroom either…?

Rei: Nay, I was enjoying the peaceful bliss of the early morning by taking a stroll.

I spoke with some neighbours who were also awake at this time, and once I grew tired, I basked in the sun on a nearby bench…

Kaoru: You actually act so much like an old man. You get more and more senile as the years go because of some character you force yourself to play.

Rei: Rather, I used to force myself to act young. I feel more comfortable now than I did back then. I am showing my true colours.

Of course, those who caught a glimpse of the previous me will have seen the immaturity in me, befitting of my young age at the time.

Anyhow. I apologise for interrupting, but I do believe you should keep Kaoru-kun’s worries in the back of your minds.

Humanity continues to evolve, scientific capability is growing ever closer to the abilities of a god.

Robotics, AI, VR— artificial idols will be comprised of those parts.

Then when non-human creatures rise in strength, and become stronger than humans, when monsters arise, when they become the new normal—

What value do humans have, other than being authentic beings?

Will we become pieces of art, displayed in museums for all to see, rather than something a part of your everyday life?

I do not know what the future holds, but that future is fast approaching.

We stand at a crossroads.

If we give up, we die where we stand. We must explore and search for what it means to be human.

We must demonstrate time and time again the value of being loved.

Otherwise, we can easily fall into the position our criminal was in.

A foolish, pitiful creature that can only look into the distance and envy how bright others shine.

What happens to one today may happen to another tomorrow. But I am not so pessimistic.

We are alive.

If we continue to live and grow, we have no reason to fear this lifetime.

That is the strength and beauty of being human.

Let us drive away our abhorrent past, and our anxiety-inducing nightmares alongside it. Let us step into the day with a smile on our faces.

～...♪

[ ☆ ]

Epilogue 1

Directory

[hiyoriddle]

LIFE IS SO DRAMATIC!!

[ ibara saegusa x gn!reader — socmed au ]

14: one day i'll watch as you're leaving

◁ prev | mlist | next ▷

“saegusa.”

the four men walked towards him, he notices and salutes to them. “sakuma senpai! what brings you here?”

is he trying to act ignorant to the situation? this was starting to anger rei. he sighed, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“i know you're busy due to your major, though i have to ask you something.” rei said.

ibara tried to look as neutral as possible. “what is it?”

“why are you ignoring y/n?”

there it is again. he didn't want to answer, if he really has to, then they'd have to force it out of him.

“for some reason, all of you are here.” he tried to change the subject. ibara could feel koga's rage from his glare, he definitely wanted to punch him then and there.

due to his experience, he'd be able to fight back easily, but if they actually decide to resort to violence, maybe he'd let them. it's what he deserves for being the biggest scum on earth.

“answer the question, you bastard!” koga growled. adonis had to hold him back a little.

ibara didn't say anything and avoided everyone's eyes. he turned around and began to walk away, koga's yelling getting louder with each step.

however, kaoru wasn't going to let this slide. he placed his hand on his shoulder and forcibly moved him so that they can face each other. the others followed and surrounded ibara, now he has nowhere to go.

“saegusa.” rei repeated. “there's no use in running away. you only have to tell the truth, it's not so hard.”

damn it.

“please mind your business and let me handle it on my own.” ibara replied.

“y/n's worried.” kaoru said. “you shouldn't just play with their feelings like this, don't make the same mistake.”

ibara thinks it's a bit too late for that warning. it seems as if he's repeating history. “i've already done it.”

“... what's your plan here, saegusa? because it's not going as well as you thought.” rei crossed his arms. “you're a smart man, but you acted impulsively this time. if you could tell us your concerns then we'd—”

ibara cuts him off. “what? you'd help? this is between me and nagisa. i'm only trying to make things right between them.”

the older male noticed how he dropped his usual title for him and used his name instead. how unexpected. “between them? you mean nagisa and y/n?”

“... i've said enough.”

“ibara.”

he didn't know what came over him. maybe he was tired of keeping these thoughts to himself, he knows he acted without thinking, there was just a part inside of him that hoped things would get better if he did that.

“i only wanted to make them happy.” he confessed. “i thought that y/n would be happier if they got back with nagisa... so i did what i had to do.”

“what the hell are ya talking about?!” koga snarled.

ibara clears his throat. “his excellency told me everything, and i thought it would be best for them to get back together. he was opposed to the plan, i don't think he's even following it, but i'm still trying.”

adonis finally speaks up. “... it doesn't sound like you thought about it much.”

“of course i didn't.” ibara's jaw clenched then he took a deep breath to not frustrate himself further. “it's what's best for them... now, if you'll excuse me, i have to get to class.”

the others didn't say anything else after that, they watched him walk away and they soon left as well.

they understood his intentions, but thought it would be best to wait. rei had a feeling that ibara wouldn't be able to keep up with his plan for long, and soon enough, the truth will be revealed.

someone just needs to give them a little push...

A/N 𖦹 hi

TAGLIST 𖦹 @deucebox @eichiburger @sun-rays9 @fyushia @s3r4t0n1n @r4miskss @hugs4shizu @thathowling @gabirii @reivity @inu1gf @starkinnies @ttsukipi @koingks @jellyfishfont @wisteriarain @taruruchi @mellowknightcolorfarm @yuusishi @yellowdialover @transblender @moonlightgallery @luluuu-s @bluestbluejay @k444zuha @makur0 @runa1602 @afoxesgreed @valeriele3 @saikisolosgoku @exhokai @noctesimpsalot @dexocore @perpetually-simping

[sakumz]

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ. [ m. chiaki x gn reader ]

tw❗: none

" another cut? " kaoru questions upon seeing the band-aid on your finger.

" I'm trying out a new recipe! hopefully he'll like it, " you replied to which izumi sighs from the seat next to you.

" I can't believe you're making bento boxes for chiaki and you started this eversince anzu told you his stupid wish! get your head out of the clouds and confess instead of doing whatever you've been doing, " izumi scolded.

" cmon man, don't be harsh on them. I think it's cute, but yeah do what izumi says. he may be oblivious and just kind to you whenever you hand him the bento but it's best you don't trick your heart! " kaoru encourages, earning a glare from izumi.

" you say that as if you don't trick other girls' hearts- " izumi was interrupted when chiaki barges into the conversation.

" hey! it's break time, can't believe you guys kept talking when the teacher was still here, humph. guess that's what happens when you sit next to one another, " chiaki playfully pouts as you sigh at his cuteness.

" chiaki, you're gonna eat with ryuseitai today right? well I made this for you. let me know if it suits your taste- " you hand him the bento as izumi cut the conversation.

" meet them after school chiaki, they've got something to tell you, " you look at izumi shock and bewildered, is this what you called betrayal? kaoru can't help but giggle at your expression.

" I gotta go but yeah I'll see ya, y/n! thanks for the bento, " chiaki runs off as you glared at izumi.

" what's that about! I've got nothing to tell him wahh you're horrible! curse you and your pretty face, " you grumble.

" hey it can't be that bad hahaha, maybe telling him your feelings will help. thank your knight in shining armour! " kaoru laughs as the aura around you felt thicker.

" yeah, just tell him. get it done and over with, goodluck, " izumi smiles. a sarcastic one, it feels like one.

[ timeskip ]

ironically, izumi at least told chiaki on your behalf where to meet. kaoru wishes you goodluck before wandering off to god knows where. standing like an idiot, near the school fountain. you can't help but feel a sense of falseness. what if chiaki forgets the meeting and this is what being played tastes like.

" y/n!! I'm here, sorry for being late! " chiaki shouts, snapping you out of your thoughts. you can't help but let the tears fall, when did the tears even well up.

" gah! don't cry, " chiaki comforts, pulling you into a hug.

" I can't help it... I thought you stood me up, and everyone was toying with me! " you cry out as chiaki rubs small circles around your back.

" I'm sorry, really. if it makes you feel better, let's go out for ice cream! " he cheers, ready to pull you out of the school.

" n-no... it's not like that, I wanna tell you how I feel, " you say as he stops and sits down on the fountain, patting the spot next to him as you follow suit.

" I love you alot, hurry up and reject me so we can continue on with our days, " you rushed out your words as he stares at you dumbfounded.

" but I love you too, the bento you make. those were delicious! I dont love you just for your cooking, everything about you is lovable. you're kind, sweet and gentle. I can't help but smile whenever someone mentions your name. you're a wonderful person! " hearing him say all that, you can't help but flush red and cry even more. how can a sweet guy like him even exists. chiaki panics upon seeing you cry more.

" i-i love you, really, " he finishes as you attempt to calm down.

" I love you too, " you smile.

kaoru and izumi were hidden somewhere close, hearing the conversation. izumi can't help but sigh over you crying waterfalls, kaoru smiling at the newborn young love. they're happy for their dear friend nonetheless.

---

a/n : he looks a lot like natsuya kirishima. 🤔🥹 even the personalities match slightly maybe

[rain-herb]

at second sight

4.7k words, a reikoga / kogarei piece [AO3 link]

“It’s not important,” Koga stresses for clarity, though he doesn’t even seem convincing to himself. “I just thought. Well. Do you think it’s possible to fall in love at first sight?” “I haven't had any experience like that, but it's certainly plausible. Is this about you and Sakuma-senpai?” . UNDEAD works on a new project and Koga mulls over early works, the future, and his relationship with Sakuma Rei.

“Gotta say, doing any form of creating in an environment like this is quite a choice,” notes the high schooler behind the counter after staring in Koga's direction for what feels like the millionth time in thirty minutes. 

He gets that the guy is bored or whatever, but he has no business poking his head into Koga's affairs and even being so judgemental about it. So he is a middle school kid who goes to write lyrics in a live house. But then again, Hakaze Kaoru is a high schooler managing a live house and he doesn't even work here officially or own the place or anything, so who's the weird one here, really?

“It is a good place for me . And you can hardly drive me out for a reason like that,” says Koga, doing his best impression of a problem student who unapologetically does whatever the hell he wants. Being in the live house as he writes is ten times better than just creating while listening to anything with earphones - here he's surrounded by the exact vibe he wants to emulate, the feelings he wants to recreate in his music. Of course, there's also the fact that Sakuma Rei has a performance here this evening.

The room is crowded with the ever-growing Sakuma Rei fanclub even though there's a good two hours before it's time for him to perform onstage, but Koga supposes no one wants to miss out on the chance to get to talk to Rei before that, even if the chances of such a thing happening are low.  His fans almost rival those of that one unit in Yumenosaki that's been popular recently - what was their name again, the one with red and black fancy looking outfits? But the fans of that unit watch their idols like a devotee would watch their god, while Sakuma Rei's fans scream his name like it's all they've ever known.

The fact he is also a Sakuma Rei fan probably wouldn't be surprising to the guy behind the counter who's seen him sneak into the live house enough to remember his face, but he hates the idea of being placed in the same category as certain fans who act crazed over Sakuma Rei and pursue him, but aren't even serious about it like he is. The type who would move on to the next person with a pretty face in time before they even get to understand anything beneath the surface of the superstar image Sakuma Rei created for himself on stage.

“Well, naturally not, if you're a paying customer. Want any refills?”

He huffs, tapping his mechanical pencil against the page filled with scribbles. “No thanks. The tomato juice here is way too sweet for me.”

Then why’d you order that every time you’re here, the not-part-timer doesn’t ask, but his raised eyebrows might as well be doing just that. Instead, he replies automatically in a chipper voice that makes Koga shudder, “In that case, I recommend trying our orange juice—with water mixed in, of course.”

Is this guy even trying to sell him something? Unimpressed, Koga just gives him a flat stare, and then goes back to writing. Distractions, distractions.

His thoughts gravitate to Sakuma Rei and that fated LIVE, as they tend to. Everything could be traced back to that moment, one that he just couldn’t commit to paper. He’s listened to countless other rock songs since then, by both Sakuma Rei and other singers or bands, studied their lyrics, but he still couldn't find the right words for his own song. Now obviously, there’s no formula he could study which would make him magically good at writing lyrics - he wouldn’t even try it out if that kind of thing could be done - but he just knows that something is missing from his work. And it just makes sense, to figure out what it is about Sakuma Rei's lyrics that he likes so much and then head in that same direction. Inspiration and all that. 

Tap, tap, tap goes his pencil against the lined paper, before he forcefully presses it down and scribbles out a few words and phrases and somehow manages to make the worst two lines he’s ever read in his life. The urge to strike the lines out pulls at his hand but he resists, because he's been trying out growing vegetables recently, and it was not going well at all in the beginning because he kept pulling out what he thought were weeds but turned out to be the beginnings of vegetable sprouts. He knows that this works the same way; he’s never going to get an end product without letting things sit and grow. 

Nerd, a stranger’s voice behind him says, and a few others laugh, and his head snaps in their direction. It’s someone in a group of high schoolers in Yumenosaki’s uniform who just came in, approaching the counter to order drinks. Before he could even say anything back, the group had already stopped looking at him, moving on to the other side of the room where people are gathered around tables, talking loudly and cheering and singing badly. So now he’s just more than mildly annoyed, one hand gripping his jiggling leg. It’s times like these that make him wonder why he even bothers aiming to enter a school like that, but there is Sakuma Rei there, which is the only thing that matters. Koga must still go there for the chance of getting close to him, to show that he’s serious about what he says and does. He looks at the unoccupied stage, then at the bored high schooler behind the counter. He’s also wearing the signature blue blazer, the familiar school logo on the breast pocket. Koga snaps his notebook shut and grabs the guitar case that he’s left leaning against the counter this whole time.

“Hey, boss.”

“Not the boss,” corrects Hakaze Kaoru. He doesn’t look his way. “What do you need?”

Koga gestures towards the stage. “Is no one performing right now?”

“I suppose not? We don't really have anything scheduled before Sakuma-san's performance later at eight.” Kaoru pauses. “Actually, we don’t really have much of a schedule here these days. So anyone's free to do whatever they want.”

“So it's fine if I go up there and play, is what you're saying?”

The smile Koga receives is an odd mix between that of a slimy businessman and an amused kid. “The floor is yours. Do as you please.”

..

Some time after UNDEAD makes their official debut, ES announces a new project planned for the coming new year. All units will be required to do introductions of their Yumenosaki era for new fans, so they have to pick out pictures of significant events in their idol activities so far to go in the new albums (not the music kind, unfortunately).

Which brings the four of them back to school, sprawled around the library seats in the most uncool, unidol-like ways, to look through school records for pictures and video footage. A sad result that stemmed from the fact that amongst UNDEAD, only two guys could use smartphones with the proficiency normal people have, and only one of them actually cares about taking nice pictures, and that one person is not Koga - not that nice pictures already posted on Twitter and Instagram could be used though, much to Kaoru’s dismay. Just having pictures isn't enough either - all of them are supposed to write their thoughts on the pictures too, for that special, personal touch.

Koga groans about why they couldn’t have just gone with the behind-the-scenes footage (he receives the unsatisfying answer of those are for the concert DVDs, this is different! ), though the workload isn’t actually that bad so he doesn’t actually mind that much. Writing comes easier to him nowadays, especially when it doesn’t concern schoolwork. Sakuma-senpai had mentioned before that things might be slightly different now, with their new and growing audiences after they’ve outgrown the inexperience of their academy days and stepped foot into the industry for real.

“The staff also asked us to try our best to match our pictures with the theme of ‘returning to the beginning point’,” Rei announces after they manage to locate the specific albums for their unit, reading the last part from an email which Koga helped him to pull up on his phone.

“Beginning point?” Adonis echoes, the saying unfamiliar on his tongue.

Koga turns back from the shelves, placing down another album on the table and leaning his arms against the back of Rei's chair as he tries to explain, “It’s like remembering your feelings when you first started out and not losing sight of your aspirations, something along those lines.” 

Both Rei and Adonis nod at his answer, the former in agreement, the latter in gratitude and understanding.

“They sure love those kinds of themes, huh?” Kaoru sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“They did say ‘try’ so it’s likely fine even if our choices don't really match.”

“Well, it’s probably not hard to come up with something, at least.” Kaoru flips a huge amount of pages of the album at once, skipping back to the first few pages. 

Rei sinks down in his chair, turning his head upwards, and Koga is suddenly met with a gaze from under long eyelashes. “What do you think we should include, Koga?” 

A few strands of hair fall to the side of his face and Koga has to force himself to tear his gaze away from those dark red eyes. He quickly pulls out the chair next to Rei and sits down in a motion that is not unnatural at all, excuse you, ignoring the three pointed stares his unitmates surely have pointed at him and clears his throat.

“The formation of UNDEAD and the repayment festival have to be in there,” he says after a brief moment of consideration. All of UNDEAD's projects and performances are important and meaningful to him (barring the dumb variety shows they've been made to participate in by their new agency, but he keeps his mouth shut because he loves UNDEAD and trusts Rei's judgement enough to tolerate such things for now), so picking out a few specific ones is no easy feat. 

Kaoru exclaims, “The beginning and the end!”

“Not the end. More like a new beginning. For both you guys,” he gestures to Rei and Kaoru, “and us,” he gestures to himself and Adonis, who straightens up a little in his seat. 

“And we will be welcoming a new beginning soon again, with the publication of this new project.”

“That’s true.”

“Should we include commentary on Koga-kun's confession during the repayfes too?” Kaoru adds with a barely concealed giggle.

“ Hakaze-senpai …” he warns in a low voice, receiving a frantic wave of hands and a haha, just joking in response. Adonis also chuckles along, amused. Koga sneaks a look at Rei, only to find him staring right back, an unreadable look on his face. His throat goes a little dry.

The repayment festival. He thinks back to the things he said that fateful day - he hadn't meant it that time, but those things he said did kind of qualify as a confession, didn't they? Sakuma-senpai had accepted his challenge, listened to what Koga had said, but hadn't exactly responded specifically to that , although they both left those distant names behind and returned to calling each other what they did since the beginning.

(They were both incredibly embarrassed about it for a period of time that should not have lasted as long as it did—what were they, a couple who just got together?)

But then again, he supposes his feelings for Sakuma Rei have never been a secret since the beginning.

Back in the present though, the group stops with the jokes and messing around and goes back to picking out pictures from various events. In his head, Koga drafts out his comments for the repayfes picture, which ended up being the one where the four of them are lined before the stage decorated in pastel colours and heart-shaped white day decorations, shoulder to shoulder. Of course, there’s no mention of that event. After that, they go to the café they used to frequent in the area, and he sits next to Rei as usual and does not think about maybe-love confessions, or odd comments made by the twins onstage, or promises and hopes for the future.

..

Under a picture of Koga and his classmates in their classroom that somehow managed to sneak its way into the final album, there’s a series of comments written using a marker pen with differing handwriting:

Koga studies with Youtube videos like ‘intense and a little sad guitar’ playing in the background.

You saw me listen to that ONCE. And that's got nothing to do with the picture!

Of course it has, I'm sure our fans will be delighted to learn cute trivia like this about Koga ^^

^ These guys are just like that all the time.

..

A month from graduation, Koga sits on one of the benches outside the classrooms and near the field, letting it all—the fact that he’ll soon leave this place, that he’ll be an adult and seen as a professional, maybe, and that he’ll be very busy but in a way he could only welcome with wide arms—sink in. Adonis jogs over to him, in sportswear and with a towel around his neck, having just finished with his club activities. He hands Adonis a water bottle and some sweets he received earlier from his kouhai in the light music club, to which Adonis receives with a grateful nod and smile.

The club members had organised something like a farewell party for him, and the twins even got Sakuma-senpai on the phone for him, stressing how they specially went out of their way to contact their previous club president to give him a few words. He hadn’t expected Rei to actually be on the phone, fully expecting it to be a prank that Rei was in on, maybe a recording prepared by the twins, because that was the exact kind of thing they’d do. But it was indeed Rei's voice, the real person in real time, calling him during the ten minute break between photoshoot sessions. Rei had then proceeded to speak like they had not seen each other for a year (they just had dinner together yesterday) and, after Koga switched to speaker mode as per his request, gave a short speech that made him seem surprisingly becoming of a (former) club president. Everyone else gave an applause at that and laughed, and so did he.

The whole thing was incredibly dumb, and he couldn’t help but think about how much he’d like to see Rei again.

Today’s one of the days where he and Adonis don’t have any meetings or photoshoots or idol work, which means he won’t be seeing Sakuma-senpai until—Friday? Or maybe the weekends. He glares at the setting sun like it’s offended him somehow, unsure of whether he wants to go back to school days with Sakuma-senpai or skip forward to when they start working as a full unit at long last, which is a dumb thought because of course there’s only one answer. So he interrupts that train of thought and occupies his mind with something else instead, opening his mouth without really thinking about what he’s about to say next.

“Adonis, do you believe—nevermind, forget it, it's dumb.”

Adonis perks up from behind his red bean manju. “What is it, Oogami?”

“It's not anything important.”

“Okay,” Adonis says, which leaves the choice of whether or not to continue with Koga instead, but with that straightened posture and that look , the one that says he’s always willing to listen, should Oogami be willing to speak. Koga internally curses his friend’s patience and sincere eyes, and allows words to fall from his mouth.

“It’s not important,” Koga stresses for clarity, though he doesn’t even seem convincing to himself. “I just thought. Well. Do you think it’s possible to fall in love at first sight?”

“I haven't had any experience like that, but it's certainly plausible. Is this about you and Sakuma-senpai?”

The sudden leap to conclusion is so jarring that he has to process it for a few seconds before he could respond. “No! What makes you think of that?”

“Hakaze-senpai mentioned something like that.” 

Of course. He rolls his eyes and sighs.

“Besides that,” Adonis adds, “Sakuma-senpai also seems like the only possible choice when it comes to you, Oogami.” 

“Well, I guess it's not completely nothing to do with Sakuma-senpai. I told you before, right? That time after I first saw him, I admired him a great deal and got into guitar and lyric writing because of that. And then my parents were convinced that I'd fallen for him at first sight or whatever.

He twists a leaf between his fingers.

“I don't think I would call it that though, even if that encounter was a big thing for me. I just knew that my life would be thoroughly changed because of it. Because of him.”

..

A meeting with Anzu at RhyLin brings to them both good and bad news: the good news being that the people in charge were really happy with their choice of pictures and comments, and the bad being that now they want more. 

It doesn't have to be pictures, according to her. Just something that could showcase their growth. Thus, Rei suggests including handwritten drafts of their early music, which is as personal as it gets. 

“To me, creating has always been about making yourself known to your audience,” says Rei, tapping his fingers against the meeting table as he ponders his next words. “The songs we write could be stories too, even if it's not as direct as the kind of performances that Itsuki-kun designs for his unit, or Hibiki-kun’s stage plays. Or they could be feelings that we want to tell people about. We put parts of ourselves into our songs and hope the audience receives them kindly.”

The rest of them agree, of course, which means that all of the work goes to Rei and Koga as the composer and lyricist of the unit. They receive words of encouragement and pats on the back from the remaining two, who set off on their merry way, and Koga couldn't even be mad because he doesn't want more people than necessary to read his old lyrics, so.

And here’s the thing: it’s not even that he thinks his old work is terrible, even if some of it makes him want to hurl something into the wall when he reads through it sometimes. He’s grown a great deal since the time when he first started, but reading those words by his fourteen-year-old self sends him right back to a time where he knew nothing but boredom eating away at a bleak world that he couldn’t seem to escape no matter what he did. It’s almost like a part of him from that time had been buried into these lyrics and travelled across time just to clock him in the face as he opened up the notebook. Which is to say, too personal for others to read, even by his standards.

It is late in the afternoon when Rei arrives at the doorstep of Koga's newly rented apartment on his own, carrying a change of clothes and other necessities in a paper bag. The two of them spend the day mostly getting distracted, reading through old notebooks and papers, and Koga almost forgets about dinner until Rei's stomach rumbles. Then he rummages through his refrigerator and ends up cooking pork and cabbage in chicken broth, served together with rice. When he returns to the living room with the food, Rei is busy cuddling and petting Leon, a sight common enough whenever those two were in the same room. Rei comments that his cooking is homey and wonderful, and a proud grin tugs at his lips. I’ll prepare you something special when our new song makes the charts, he says, and Rei says it’s a promise and that he’ll look forward to it. Then Koga goes to shower first, letting Rei work on the beginnings of that new song in his living room.

..

“You can use the bathroom now if you want,” Koga calls out when he's done, drying his hair as he steps out of the bathroom, expecting to receive a lazy hum of affirmation, but none comes. The living room is quiet and somewhat dim at the current hour; there is no slender, dark-clothed figure to be found lying on the couch. He turns the other way and sure enough, faint, yellowish table lamp light can be seen pouring out from his bedroom. 

“Sakuma-senpai?” he calls out again, poking a head into the room. His first course of action is to switch on the ceiling lights, which gets the attention of the figure seated before his desk, his head bobbing upwards for a bit before returning to its original position. There's a little hum of acknowledgement at last, accompanied with the sound of a page flipping. Whatever Rei is looking at has him absorbed in it.

“I’m looking at your early works,” Rei says, seeming to sense his unspoken question. Koga couldn't see his face from where he's standing, but he could hear a smile somehow, the type that usually signifies the incoming of an embarrassing and/or teasing statement.

He eyes the notebook from behind Rei, and yeah, the scrawl of random phrases to be used and wonky handwriting, those are some of his oldest work alright–

Wait.

He reaches out his hand to snatch the book over, but Rei is faster, swiping up the thing in one swift motion and standing up. 

“Where on Earth did you find that!” Koga yells, because that notebook is a middle school exercise book, and he has stopped doing any composing in school exercise books since forever.

“I just picked a random notebook off your shelf,” Rei laughs, holding it far away out of his reach. “And there's no need to be embarrassed, Koga, I've read your works back then too, right?”

Like hell it's the same. His lyrics in his first year weren't great, but definitely much better than the stuff he wrote as a middle schooler. Shit. 

Koga shoots back, “Yeah, like you weren’t super embarrassed yourself when they showed your old stage recordings as a prank on those reality shows!”

That gets Rei to pause, which gives Koga enough time to snatch the book back. Thankfully, Rei doesn't seem to make any movement to take it back, moving a hand to his face to conceal an awkward cough. 

“That’s different.”

Quality-wise, probably, yeah. Koga shoves the notebook into his desk drawer and sits on the desk, blocking access. A crestfallen look comes across Rei’s face that Koga is almost certain is feigned, but he gives in and decides to say something comfortingly honest anyway.

“Those performances were good though. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know shit.”

Rei doesn’t seem comforted by that though, throwing him an exaggerated scandalised look. “Even me? That's a little harsh, don't you think, Koga?”

“That's not what I meant and you know it,” Koga says flatly, remembering the moment he first discovered that the guitarist he had liked from before turned out to be Rei too, Rei from before he had known him. Maybe it really is fate, at this rate.

“I know,” Rei says, smiling faintly. “Though I must say, the person I was then feels decades away from who I am now.”

He narrows his eyes. “Sakuma-senpai, you are literally the only person I know who speaks like they’re capable of discarding their whole identity and personality and turning into an entirely different person in a day.”

“That’s impossible though,” Rei says, eyes closed and head tilted to the side.

“My point.”

“But who knows,” Rei murmurs, voice low suddenly, “maybe I am capable of doing that? Maybe now, I have already changed into someone else entirely.”

He knocks a knuckle on Rei’s forehead lightly. “You’re Sakuma-senpai. And now, you’re going to take a shower before it gets too late.”

“Okay,” Rei sings, dragging out the word in his usual tone. He seems pleased, Koga notes, as he goes to get his clothes and towel. 

..

Sleep feels impossible with Sakuma Rei on his bedroom floor. 

Koga’s bed is not big enough to fit two guys, thus the futon for Rei that he made sure to prepare before his visit. Sharing a room with Sakuma Rei is not new to him, at this point. They usually share hotel rooms when there are performances in other cities, and even before that, there were a few times where Rei pulled Koga into his coffin in the light music club to nap, though the more often occurrence was Rei napping in the coffin while Koga did his own thing next to him, usually playing the guitar or doing homework, if there’s no one else around or if he didn’t have anything better to do. Does that even count? 

He turns around again, now facing the general direction of Rei’s back instead of the wall. There should be no reason for him to be feeling like this, like some embarrassing eleven year old with an embarrassing crush. But he guesses that it’s one thing to share a hotel room with your unit leader that you’re in love with for job-related reasons, and another thing entirely to have that person in the comfort of your own home.

All of a sudden, Rei turns over to face him too. “Having trouble sleeping?”

“What the h—I thought you were asleep already!” Koga blurts, pushing himself to sit up. 

“Nope. And maybe you should try closing your eyes, if you’re trying to get some sleep.”

He rolls his eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me that .”

“Too excited?”

“For what, exactly?”

“I don’t know. Our new album? Tomorrow’s meals?”

That gets a laugh out of Koga. “Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow? Since our schedules are clear.”

“We can go wherever you want to go, Koga.”

“I’m asking you here, Mr. Superstar who never gets time off.”

“And you’re as wonderfully considerate as ever.” If it were anyone else saying that, he would think they were being sarcastic. But this is Sakuma-senpai, whose smile could be heard in the tone he speaks in. “You’ll have to let me think about it.”

The room falls silent once again, but this time he feels more at ease than moments before. And a thought pops into his head. If grand confessions aren’t going to get him a proper response, he supposes a casual one might do the trick. Away from the eyes of their friends, of a crowd, a quiet place with just the two of them. A moment just like this, even.

“Hey, Sakuma-senpai.”

“What is it?”

“I love you,” he says easily, like it’s a habit of his to just say that casually to Sakuma Rei before they part ways every day. Even in the dark, he manages to catch the way Rei's eyes widen at his unexpected words. There’s a sound of blankets shifting. A smile tugs at Koga's lips as he lies back down. “Just so you know. Good night.”

His reply comes after a moment of shocked silence.

“Wait, wait.” Rei’s voice wavers uncharacteristically as he gets up, draws closer.

Koga does not wait. Instead, he closes his eyes and snores comically loudly. Sweet revenge, he thinks with a childish sense of satisfaction. Fingers wrap around his shoulder.

“Don’t sleep yet. Koga. Ko—ga,” Rei calls out lightly by his ear, almost like a pout. “You can’t just leave that out there like this. Don’t you want to hear my answer?” 

He cracks open an eye. “You have an answer for me?”

“This time,” Rei assures him. His face is pressed against the side of Koga’s single-sized bed, his hair messy and sticking in all sorts of directions, and it’s unfair how he still manages to look good like that. “I’ll say it properly, promise.”

“Okay,” Koga says at last. As he rises back up, a cool hand brushes against his cheek.

Sakuma Rei leans over, pressing a soft kiss to Koga’s lips.

“I love you too.”

[softprettything]

late bloomer, ch 7

AO3 | Previous | Next

Fandom: OHSHC

Pairing: Kyoya/Reader

Tags: 18+, A/B/O Dynamics, College AU, Fake Dating, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slice of Life, Eventual Smut

Summary: Nobody ever said falling in love with your best friend would be easy.

Taglist (new!): @silverhetdanes @lampalooza

late bloomer, ch 7

“There’s my girl,” Kaoru crows as soon as he spots you. At a look from Hikaru, he amends, “Our girl,” and pulls you into a hug. Low in your ear, he says, “Not Haruhi’s, but…”

You push away. “If you’re going to be a dick, I’ll just head home.”

“Noooo,” he whines.

“Ignore him, (Y/N).” Hikaru pops around your other shoulder. “He was three shots in before he even reached the pregame.”

“Yeah, which means she has some catching up to do!” Kaoru offers the red solo cup currently in his hand, full of whatever godawful concoction the Thetas have thrown together this time.

You shake your head, and he pouts at you. “You know my rule.”

“Never drink the jungle juice,” the three of you say in tandem.

Kaoru rolls his eyes, but takes the cup back, at least, knocking back most of its contents in one gulp. You can’t help but wince. Kaoru’s always had the strongest capacity for liquor of anyone you know, which makes you incredibly concerned for his health past graduation. “Spoken like someone who’s never really lived,” he says.

“Spoken like someone who wants to have a working liver when I’m thirty.”

“There’s some canned drinks in the kitchen, I think.” Hikaru says. “Want us to show you?”

“Nah, you can stay here. I’ll be right back.”

You push through the dark and sweaty room and are relieved to make it to the kitchen, which isn’t quite empty but is at least marginally less crowded. You pop open a watermelon seltzer and try to breathe.

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

You almost jump at the sound of his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kyoya says. He’s leaning against the counter, looking relatively casual in a sweater and slacks. Not exactly frat-party attire, but at least it’s a departure from the suit. “You know overconsumption of alcohol can lead to fainting.”

You roll your eyes, and take a sip of your drink for good measure. A few sips. If Kyoya Ootori is going to try and engage you in some section-asshole-pedantry in the middle of a Theta party, you’d like to be as drunk as humanly possible. “I appreciate the concern, but I doubt one White Claw every three months is going to make me blackout.”

“You don’t drink a lot, then.”

“Are you surprised?”

“Maybe.” If it was anyone else, you would think he was teasing you. But he sounds so serious. Everything he says sounds so serious, and its seriously starting to get on your nerves.

“What, you had me pegged as an alcoholic?”

“Never mind.” He moves to take a sip of own drink, and you raise a brow, looking from the (mostly full) cup to his face. “Vodka and Sprite,” he says by way of explanation. You can tell by the wince on his face after he sips that he’s telling the truth. “Terrible.”

You can’t help but laugh. “What were you expecting, scotch? Or apple juice?”

“Right now I’d take either,” he says. “Gladly. It’d be leagues better than this.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Vodka and Sprite?”

“What you’re doing here,” you correct him. “I’ve never seen someone who looks like they’ve been to less parties in my life.”

“Unlike you, a true connoisseur,” he says, eyeing your can. “How you can make it through one of these with nothing but a White Claw every three months is beyond me.”

“Oh. No, I was dragged here by some friends. I’m not really a party person, either.” You angle your head in the direction of the living room/dance floor. “I wish I was. I mean, they’re good if I’m in the mood, which usually involves being drunk off more than a seltzer.”

“How do you feel about shots?”

“What happened to overconsumption of alcohol can lead to fainting? ” He shrugs. You blink up at him. “I’m not opposed.”

He reaches over your shoulder, and you flinch before realizing that he’s just trying to get at the drinks on the kitchen island. Only at fancy-ass Ouran would the Greek life kids be able to afford a house like this, you can’t help but think. You step aside to allow him better access, and take the opportunity to get a better look at him. He’s not bad-looking. He doesn’t have the type of vitality that Tamaki has, nor is he intimidatingly buff; but he’s tall, and well-dressed, and his shoulders press against the fabric of his shirt in a way that implies a bit of lean muscle. His face looks as though it should be committed to paint (knowing the type of wealth he comes from, it probably has, several times); the smooth, pale-velvet skin; the slim, curved nose, arriving at an offensively delicate point at the end; the dark eyes; the bow-drawn lips; and all of this framed by a defined jaw and well-shaped cheekbones and that strikingly dark hair.

If only he weren’t such an ass.

“Tequila alright?”

You clear your throat, looking away before he can catch you staring at him. “They have salt and lime?”

“They must.”

“Then yeah. Yeah, that’s great.”

He hands you an empty cup and goes about cutting a few lime slices. You take the opportunity to pour your own shot, and wait for him to finish. Ass or not, you have to admit that this particular interaction is going well. Even if it started out with him questioning your drinking choices. “To becoming party people,” he says once you’re set up with the salt and the lime.

“To becoming party people.” You touch your cup to his, lick the back of your hand, down the shot, and find your eyes meeting his as you suck on the slice of lime. For some reason, it brings a smile to your face. You certainly didn’t expect at any point tonight to find yourself in a frat kitchen, taking tequila shots with Kyoya Ootori, of all people. “Does this mean we’re not enemies anymore?”

Now he raises a brow. “Were we ever?”

You snort. “I mean. We didn’t exactly get off on the best foot in class.”

“I hardly think a difference in opinion makes us enemies. It made for interesting conversation, at the least.”

“Oh, no.”

“What?”

You point at him. “You’re one of those devil’s advocate guys. Is that it?”

A little crease appears between his eyebrows. “What?”

“You just like to argue for fun? You get off on it? Is that how you think normal people communicate, just pointlessly debating all the time?”

“We were having a discussion. In a discussion seminar. What’s pointless about that?”

You roll your eyes. “Can we take another shot? Whatever looks like it’ll taste the worst.” You know by now that if you want to get really fucked up, you have to go for the cheap stuff.

Once that shot’s been downed, you clear your throat. “Okay. I just…you really didn’t feel like there was any bad blood between us? I mean, okay, what about the hospital the other day?”

He pauses. “What about it?”

“We…well. I sort of jumped down your throat.” You take a breath, then a sip of your seltzer, then another breath. “So I guess that was my fault. Sorry about that.”

“Forgiven. Though, for what it’s worth, I wasn’t holding it against you.”

“Nice of you.”

“You didn’t seem to be having a great day.”

“Well. Mondays, you know?” You tip your head back, enjoying the buzz that is rapidly taking hold. “Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays…Saturdays. Sundays. Hard to pick a least favorite.”

“Sounds miserable.”

You shake your head. “I’m exaggerating. It’s not actually that bad. But the first week of the semester is always the hardest.”

“And the second week. And the third, the fourth, the fifth.” When you focus your unsteady gaze on him, you’re delighted to realize there’s something like a glint in his eye. He really is teasing you. “And so on, and so on.”

“Sounds miserable,” you parrot back at him, and he almost cracks a smile. “Well. At least Tamaki and Haruhi—”

“Kyoya? What are you doing hiding out—oh.” Olivia stops in the kitchen doorway, and takes in the sight of the two of you. “Hi.”

“Hi.” You respond to her closed-mouth smile with an uneasy one of your own. Olivia seems nice enough, from your little exposure to her, but sorority omegas always make you nervous.

“I thought you were grabbing us drinks,” she says to Kyoya, winding an arm through his. If you weren’t already tipsy-on-the-way-to-shitfaced, you’d swear you see him tense slightly. “But I see you found Little Miss Joan-of-Arc here.”

Your smile freezes on your face as she turns back to you. “(Y/N),” you offer.

“Yeah, I know. Crusading against the big bad alpha-omega industrial complex, or whatever it is, right?”

She laughs. You join in, if only because you don’t know how the fuck else to respond, and those two back-to-back shots were definitely a bad idea. Kyoya doesn’t laugh. She notices.

“What? I’m just joking. It’s funny. (Y/N) doesn’t care, right (Y/N)?”

“Yeah.”

“See?” She cocks her head. “Y’know, it’s so crazy, I feel like I know everyone at Ouran. But I, like, didn’t have any idea of who you were until Monday. Are you a transfer?”

“No, I actually went here for undergrad before—”

“It’s just that I’ve never seen you, like, out. At any benefits or anything.”

And there it is.

There’s no denying—Ouran is a nice school. A private university, an elite and expensive private university, where scholarship students are few and far in between. And the elite tend to flock together. So it’s no wonder that Olivia (Freidmonte, a Google search after that first class revealed, and a literal fucking diamond heiress) would know all of the other rich kids (aka ninety percent of the student body) from benefits and balls and whatever else rich people did to pass the time.

Olivia’s not stupid. She’s probably put two and two together and figured out that you’re just too poor for her to have taken notice of before. But it seems, from the way she’s clinging to Kyoya with a grip that would put an anaconda to shame, that she’s probably just annoyed that a lowly beta on a scholarship would have the audacity to talk to her boyfriend. Drunk or not, you know when you’re not wanted in a room.

You clear your throat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…I just…I have to meet some friends out there. Sorry.” The room is starting to spin around you—in a drunk way, not a fainting way, you’re pretty sure—as you make your way out of the kitchen. “See you in class,” you mumble. Neither one of them responds.

Being in the louder, crowded room almost immediately makes you want to throw up, so you push through to the nearest door, which leads to the backyard. It’s not far enough into the season to be cold; a leftover summer evening, a gift in these early September days.

You stumble down the creaky wooden stairs and collapse with your back against the house, and absentmindedly take another sip of your White Claw, before realizing with a groan how that’s definitely not going to make you any less drunk.

Oh, well. You’re too thirsty to really care.

“Having that good of a night, hm?”

Not Kyoya this time; someone you don’t recognize. Or rather, someone you do, but not by name. “Oh. Hi…”

“Reese.”

“(Y/N).” They offer a very ring-heavy hand, which you shake. If you were more sober, you’d try to get a better look. Heavy jewelry bothers you to wear, but you always like seeing it on other people. And the sight of one particular ring rings some bell in your memory as to where you know Reese from. “Oh. You run the beta frat, right?”

If you were drunk, you wouldn’t have said that at all; especially not that bluntly. You’d spent years dodging Epsilon Phi’s recruitment efforts. They seemed nice enough, but you couldn’t justify carving out the time or the money (or the interest) to take part in Greek life. But it seemed like a nice space, as far as frats went. Friendly. Full of people (of all presentations) who didn’t think that betas ought to fade into the background.

One only had to look at Reese to demonstrate that. They were probably the best-looking person you’d seen in your life, right up there with Tamaki Suoh; they even had similar tanned skin and beaming eyes, though their hair was bright copper and closer-cropped than Tamaki’s. Wearing a bright, tastefully low-cut purple shirt and high-waisted jeans, with the aforementioned jewelry (in addition to the rings, you blearily clocked several necklaces, bracelets, and at least one cartilage piercing). “We don’t really call ourselves that, but yeah.”

“Sorry. Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.” To your horror, you’re getting a little choked up. Something about the slog of the week; the reality of Haruhi going on a date with a guy who is, by all appearances, perfect; Olivia; Kyoya; those two-and-a-half drinks—it’s too much.

“Hey! It’s not a big deal, really. You’re fine.” They peer at you with what you dimly register as concern. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”

“M’fine.”

“Yeah. Water. C’mon, the kitchen’s this way.”

“No, no, no,” you say, clinging to some vague idea that Kyoya and Olivia might still be there. After some coaxing, you do allow them to get you to the (blissfully empty) kitchen, find you an unopened bottle of water, and get you to divulge the names of the friends you came here with.

They disappear, but you only have all of thirty seconds to feel abandoned before they return with the twins, who fuss over you and determine immediately that you should probably go home. Even though it’s, like, ten in the evening.

This part of the night is the fuzziest, even as you’re living through it. Stumbling down empty streets. Crashing through your front door. Crouching in front of the toilet with one twin holding your hair back. Being tucked into bed on your side. The door; Haruhi’s voice; the door again, and quiet. Someone leaving pills and water and a big blue bottle on your nightstand. Sleep, curling around you.

And then, while you dream: flashes of warmth and witty remarks and dark, dark eyes.

[polyphonical]

Bridal - Chapter 6

[ View on site for better experience♪ ]

Location: Beach

Kaoru: Ah no, that’s not what it’s about…

Um, they’re noticeable, aren’t they? If they are, I might have to cover them up with makeup or something…

Kanata: did you have a “job” kaoru?

i’m proud of you~. good boy, good boy…♪

Kaoru: Oh, it’s not done yet though… Wait, Kanata-kun, it feels like your hands are wet. Are they?

Kanata: ah, did you notice? i was putting “water” in my “hands”. is that okay?

Kaoru: If you look up at me like that then…

Well it’s fine. Don’t worry, you’re not the reason my eyes are swollen, Kanata-kun.

Things haven’t been going that well… So that’s why I came here and cried in secret.

Kanata: is that so~. do you want to eat “fish”?

Kaoru: Eh? Why are you talking about eating? I didn’t say anything about being hungry, did I?

Kanata: when you are feeling “depressed”, it’s good to “eat well”. i’m “good” at catching “fish”.

ah, come out “fishies”~ i’m going to go get some ♪

Kaoru: Stop it! I’m already afraid you’re gonna float away as is!

Seriously… I’m glad you were thinking of me, but instead getting me fish, could you just listen to me?

Kanata: okay~. i am also “free” today ♪

Kaoru: Thank you. Umm, okay so I just got a job to do a gravure photoshoot right?

The theme is “Bridal”, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it.

Sena-kun, who’s teaching me how to model, told me to look behind the lens and imagine a bride there, but…

Every time I try, my sister’s face keeps coming to my mind.

…I keep wondering if she was a happy bride. Maybe she didn’t want to get married at all. All these thoughts keep coming in my head…

I know this sounds like an excuse, but the moment I heard about her Omiai [1], I kept fooling around and sleeping it off in class. It just made me feel better.

But, after I got this job… The bridal theme just brought back all these feelings.

I’m really grateful to Tenshouin-kun for being thoughtful of me and everything, but… it was just bad timing.

I’m sorry~, for making you listen to my nonsense.

I can’t talk about this to anyone else, so it’s nice that Kanata-kun can listen to me.

Kanata: if you want me to, i will “listen”.

i am not kaoru, so i don’t understand everything kaoru is “feeling”, but..

letting your “tears” fall is not a bad thing. “people” who let themselves cry also “grow” as people

no, they become stronger. so, please don’t “endure” those feelings. it’s okay to cry.

Kaoru: Kanata-kun…. If I were my usual self, I’d say I wouldn’t want to be comforted by a guy, but…

Thank you. Hearing you say that made me feel better.

Kanata: fufufu, i’m glad i could make you feel better~♪

kaoru, you’re like the “children” in “ryuseitai”

Kaoru: Eh, what do you mean? You’re not trying to pick a fight, are you Kanata-kun?

Kanata: i don’t like fighting~. i’m not “good” with violence.

ummm… the “children” in “ryuuseitai” also have problems like kaoru, and they get stuck

everyone is “still growing”after all.

i am the same way. so maybe using “the children” was not a good example. I’m sorry, kaoru.

Kaoru: It’s okay, you didn’t have to apologize.

By the way, Kanata-kun, didn’t you say you didn’t like children because you were bad with them and thought they were noisy? What’s with the sudden change of heart?

Kanata: fufufu, it’s a “secret”. but, i think i can live on “land” as well…♪

Kaoru: Hm~... I don’t understand, but it looks like you’re having fun with “Ryuuseitai” aren’t you Kanata-kun?

I’m jealous~, the kids in “UNDEAD” are just cheeky brats~

Ahaha, talking with Kanata-kun really made me feel better~ It was a nice change of pace.

If you were a girl, I’d definitely give you a hug~ That’s unfortunate.

Kanata: it’s okay if you want to “hug”? kaoru still has a “lonely” expression…

Kaoru: Mm. I’ll pass, thanks.

I’m really okay now. My feelings have switched back into place, so I think I can go back to work now.

No, I have to do my best ♪

────────────────· · · · · ·♡· · · · · · ────────────────

Previous ♡ Directory ♡ Next

An Omiai refers to the meeting of two individuals with the possibility of marriage. Think, like an arranged marriage but they get to meet first before any decisions are made.

[tokusaatsus]

helloooooooooooooo hmmm how about going to a friend's wedding together with chiaki, i'll leave the rest up to you though 👁️ feel free to not write this if its not good tho

☆—MORISAWA CHIAKI

“I want you to come to my wedding.”

Eight words, and your daydreams for a peaceful weekend fly right out the window. “I’m sorry, excuse me, your fucking what?”

Izumi scoffs, head tilted at an angle as he looks down the slope of his (admittedly incredibly gorgeous, God fucking dammit why) nose at you. “Are you deaf? You’re sooooo annoying, honestly. I just said I want you to–”

“–Yeah, no, I heard you.” You interrupt, still reeling. Honestly, the words ‘Izumi’ and ‘wedding’ in the same sentence do not register in your brain. There is no way. You just…cannot compute. Error 404 information not found. “Context would be nice, maybe?”

You can feel the force of Izumi’s eyeroll, you’re surprised his eyeballs aren’t rattling around in his skull right about now. “So you know how we were supposed to elope?”

You nod. Keyword being supposed to, because you remember threatening bloody, bloody murder when you found out that your ‘best and most beautiful friend’ (his words, not yours) wasn’t even going to tell you that he had plans to get hitched. To be fair, you were drunk off your ass at the time, but still. 

“Well, since we can’t do that anymore because of a certain someone,” He gives you the stink eye. You stick your tongue out at him. It’s childish, sure, but he deserves it. “So we’re having a proper wedding. It’s a small one, though. Mostly just family and some close friends.”

You beam at him. ‘Family and close friends’, he said. That means you’re included in either one (or both!) of the categories. “Aw, Izumicchi~ I knew you loved me~”

“Gross, what’s with that face!?”

You giggle, “Nothing, nothing. Go on.”

“That’s it? Save the date. I’ll send you the proper invitation eventually but I thought it might be best to do it in person…” Izumi shudders, clearly having war flashbacks to when you tried to shank him with the pen you snatched off of some poor waitstaff who clearly hadn’t been paid enough for that.

“Wait,” you frown. “Who else is coming to the wedding?”

Izumi begins listing off his fingers. “Knights, obviously. Kao-kun and Chia-kun. Mikejima,” His face sours briefly, and you think that this addition was probably Tsukinaga’s doing. “Kuma-kun’s brother–he insisted–, Kagehira, Isara, Hajime-kun and you.”

While you ponder over the list of people, what to wear, what to bring as a wedding gift,  Izumi waves goodbye and saunters out the door. Pausing once in the doorway, he blinks at you. “Oh, and bring a date or whatever.” Then he’s off, uncaring of the crisis he’s suddenly sent you spiralling into.

Fuck.

Really, there’s only one person you can ask when it comes to dates.

Morisawa Chiaki is sweet, and kind, and he won’t laugh or tease you when you ask him for this favour. He also probably won’t try anything gross with you, which is another plus in your book. Honestly, out of your pool of options (Eichi–nope, Tsumugi–nope, Ibara–nope, Makoto–definitely not) he’s your best bet. But the problem is you’ve been in love with him for fucking uhhh…3 years now.

And there’s no way in Hell those feelings are requited, because. Well. You’re pretty sure he’s in love with someone else. Maybe. Because no matter how he treats you, he’s like that to everyone. Even Hakaze ‘Ew boys are gross and icky and I would never ever let one near me’ Kaoru.

So. Yeah.

Except here you are, standing outside of his door, too nervous to knock, too jittery to leave. This was a mistake, you tell yourself. A lapse in judgement, and you better get out of here before someone opens the doo–

“Hi! What are you doing here?”

“Morisawa,” You force yourself to look him in the eye. “I need your help. Please?”

“Of course ☆!” He cheers. You wonder what you were worried about. “How can this hero help a lovely person such as yourself ?

You open your mouth, most likely to try and say something along the lines of ‘Would you like to go to Izumi’s wedding with me?’ but the sight of Morisawa’s warm brown eyes staring concernedly at you makes your chest feel tight and ooh, here come the butterflies. The longer you stay mute, the more the concern grows.

“Are you oka–”

Like an idiot, overcome by your feelings for this cute adorable kind wonderful sweet boy, instead of stating your request and leaving after his response, you end up screaming, “I’VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU FOR 3 YEARS AND I KNOW THIS IS WEIRD AND CRAZY BUT DO YOU WANT TO GO TO IZUMICCHI’S WEDDING WITH ME?”

And oh, fuck. The mortification sets in. Fuuuuuuck.

So, like any embarrassed idiot would be, you turn tail and run. Away from the door and Morisawa and his warm brown eyes.

“Hey! Wait!”

Of course, you don’t get very far before Morisawa fucking tackles you like this is one of his basketball games and you’re his opponent. Not that you would know anything about that, ahahaha.

“What the fuck!?” You wheeze, crumpling to the ground with Morisawa lying on top of you, your head framed by his hands. “Owwww…”

“I’m so sorry!” His eyes are wide. “Please forgive me, are you okay?”

He runs his hands over your face, then down the sides of your body and you know his intentions are innocent but you feel yourself flushing anyway. “Morisawa! Personal space is a thing!”

“Sorry!” He repeats. “But–back there. In the hallway. Did you mean what you said?”

You groan, thunking your head against the floor. Owww… “Can we just…I don’t know…forget that ever happened? Maybe? Please?”

“But I don’t want to forget!” Morisawa insists. “Because you never let me answer your questions. I like you too! I have ever since our second year of high school! And yes, I want to go to Sena’s wedding with you, as your date! Because I want to date you!”

You’re dumbfounded. Bewildered. Flabbergasted, if you please. “Wh-what?”

“I want to date you!” Morisawa repeats. His eyes are bright. “I want to hold you hand and kiss you and cuddle you and go on long walks on the beach with you and watch tokusatsu marathons with you and, and, and–”

You cover his mouth with your palm. Ooo…kay. This is fine. This is absolutely perfectly fucking fine.

Morisawa peers down at you. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong? Do you not want to date me anymore? Are we breaking up? Oh, no, are we–?”

You surge upwards and shut him up the only way you can think of. By placing your lips on his. It’s not a long kiss, but it’s passionate and tastes like curry-rice and strawberry bubblegum. 

When you pull apart, you’re both panting and Morisawa has the most dazed look on his face. He looks deliriously happy. “Does this mean we’re dating?”

You laugh. “Yes, you idiot. It means we’re dating. So, will you go with me to Izumicchi’s wedding as my date?”

“Yes!”

OMAKE:

“Hey, um, Morisawa? Mind getting off me yet?”

Morisawa just hums and sinks downwards, crushing you underneath. Oh, wow, there’s a lot of muscle there. Goddamn. You’re impressed. “Nope. Not until you say my name.”

“...Morisawa…?”

“No, silly! If we’re dating, you have to call me Chiaki. Just say it! Chi-a-ki. Chiaki! Chiaaakiiiii~”

You huff a laugh. “Okay, fine. Chiaki, darling, love, pretty boy, cutie, sweetheart, princess~”

Chiaki whines and buries his face into your chest. “Noooooo,”

“Aw, is the princess embarrassed~?”

“N-no way!”

☆—notes!

WC: 1.1k words

HI LILI it’s me. again, idk if this fits the prompt but the brainworms were too strong :’) the hold this man has on me i stg also now i want to write a piece with calling the enstars boys nicknames bcuz i wanna call chiaki my pretty princess sobs BUT i hope u like this one aswell i’m sorry if it’s not what u had in mind qwq also yes the wedding is heavily implied to be izuleo’s because i love them also see how many ships i sprinkled in there (hint: they’re all in one para wink wink)

[arakawa-division]

Alexis's Thoughts on Edogawa Division

Yuriko Kuromiya

"Yuriko Kuromiya, otherwise known as, 'Black Dahlia'. Her name has come up on the CIA's reports more than once in the past. Would you believe me if I told you that she was the primary suspect into the death of the president years ago? But I knew they were mistaken. The person who killed the president was the same one who killed my father and brother. And I know for a fact the assailant was a male. ...Besides, I might be mistaken, but I get a feeling this woman only kills who she is supposed to, or those who get in her way."

"...Still, that won't stop me from getting some answers out of her if we happen to meet. And as luck would have it, she seems to be a frequent visitor to Ivelisse's yoga classes, so that might be a good place to start."

Kaoru Shinozaki

"Kaoru Shinozaki, or as she is commonly called on the Internet, 'Delphi'. ...Surprised that I know? Don't be. I work for the CIA, and I'd like to think our information network is the best in the entire world. I must admit though, I was very much surprised when I found out that a mere 13-year-old was responsible for hacking into the Pentagon. A girl barely in her teens managed to breach the world's most sophisticated Internet defense system? Sounds like something out of a fanfiction novel. ...But the results don't lie. She was the sole one responsible for giving the FBI no end of trouble. If you could have seen the backlash from her work. Many of us were afraid that this might be another terrorist attack event. The U.S. was on high alert for half a year."

"I'm glad to see that she has, at least, kept her hacker and terrorist activities here in her own country. The last thing we need is something like that happening again. A shame she wasn't born in America. We could definitely find use for someone like her in the CIA."

Kanra Akemi

"Hmm... she's the only one that we, or the CIA, know much about. It's as if she appeared from out of nowhere. From what little we know of her, it seems as if Kuromiya-san has adopted her. If not for her unnatural and supernatural strength, I'd have thought of her as just as an ordinary girl. ...But then again, that would mean that anyone involved in this contest is just 'ordinary'. And that couldn't be any further from the truth."

Wicked Requiem

"...I wonder, if it wasn't necessary for teams of three to enter this competition, would Black Dahlia have included her daughters into this? I'd like to say 'no', but then again, I can't claim to know what someone like her is thinking. Regardless, this is one of the many teams that we cannot underestimate. As stated, Black Dahlia, by herself, is already an intimidating opponent. Combined with her oldest daughter's intellect, and her youngest daughter's strength, they are a force to be reckoned with. I can only hope that we are prepared when we face them."

[ethereousdelirious]

Knocking out 2 requests with one fill here 😁

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Pairing: pre-M.atchaBl.ossom

Summary: It's been an unseasonably cold winter. Kojirou and Kaoru fall sick in turns. (Emeto warning hehe)

Words: 2,059

Notes: another one from my "writer's block curbstomp era," but a concept I hope to revisit many times in the future 😇

It had been an unusually blustery winter, so much so that Kaoru had taken to wearing additional layers on his midnight cruises with Kojirou. He retreated deeper into his cowl neck hoodie as a breeze whipped his hair back, momentarily muting the noise of his wheels. Beside him, Kojirou whooped and did a kickflip over nothing.

"You might as well bang on your chest," Kaoru muttered, but his jab was lost in the wind. As cold as it had been, Kojirou still hadn't felt the need to put on a shirt. The cold of winter did something for him that the summer did not, though the temperature difference was not so drastic. Something about the cold silver light of the moon on his skin made Kaoru want to shiver with something other than cold. This was the coldest night yet and still, he was stuck ogling the peaks and valleys of Kojirou's muscular back.

"Speak up, princess," Kojirou called without looking back. "Don't think I didn't hear you talking to yourself back there."

"I said, you should put a shirt on, you animal." Kaoru did a varial heelflip to punctuate his point, slamming Carla down decisively. "You're going to get sick at this rate."

"Aww." Kojirou slid to a stop and smirked, infuriatingly handsome in the moonlight. "I'm starting to think you're worried about me or something."

Kaoru couldn't help but take the bait, crossing his arms after powersliding to a stop. “I mean it. And then I’ll be the one stuck looking after you.”

“Tell you what, babe. If you can beat me in a game of SKATE, I’ll wear a shirt when the temperature drops below 15. Sound good?”

Kaoru huffed and rolled his eyes. He never could say no.

His prediction came true a little over a week later. Kojirou at least had the decency not to ghost him or play coy. His text message simply read ‘can’t come out tonight. Too busy puking.’

15 minutes later, Kaoru was on his doorstep with his hair up and a flask of miso soup tucked under his arm.

He almost knocked for the miniscule pleasure of making Kojirou get up and answer the door, but thought better of it and let himself in. It wasn’t fun when there was no game in it.

And there was certainly no game in this.

Kojirou was curled up on the bathroom floor, albeit with a pillow under his head and a blanket over his shoulders.

He had evidently done his best to take care of himself: a thermometer lay on the counter next to a package of anti-nausea medication. A glass of water stood within arm's reach on the floor, though it looked untouched.

Kaoru crossed his arms and scowled at Kojirou, who gave a weak grin. "Hey, gorgeous. Like what you see?" His stomach growled and the smile gave way to a wince.

"What did I tell you?" Kaoru said, unmoved.

"Mm— Ah, I believe you said 'once again, the almighty JOE has defeated me in a game of SKATE!'"

Unable to resist, Kaoru kicked Kojirou in the leg, which happened to be the nearest body part. The retort he'd been expecting never came. Kojirou only groaned like an old dog and his head fall back onto the pillow.

"When was the last time you v—" Kaoru started to asked, but broke off when Kojirou shot upright and gagged into the toilet. The subsequent noises made Kaoru's skin crawl, though it wasn't enough of a deterrent to keep him from kneeling beside Kojirou and holding his hair back. The sweat bothered him more, but he suppressed his reaction to a slight shudder and kept collecting locks of Kojirou's hair until it was all out of his face

"Ugh…" Kojirou flushed the toilet with a shaking hand and fell back against Kaoru, who had to release his hold on Kojirou's hair to keep from pulling it. "Sorry about that," Kojirou said, still wearing an infuriating grin despite the fact that his head was lolling against Kaoru's chest. "Do you still think I'm hot?"

Kaoru felt his forehead, though he really didn't need to. "I'm not one of your deranged fangirls," he said, "but you are warm."

"Well, you're as cold as ever," Kojirou said, shaking Kaoru's hand away.

Despite himself, Kaoru stuck his lip out. It was stupid to get upset when Kojirou was the one who was ill and obviously miserable. He looked around at the nest Kojirou had made for himself. "Any particular reason you haven't moved back to your bed?"

Kojirou hiccuped and swallowed hard, a fresh wave of sweat breaking out on his forehead (ugh, and dampening Kaoru's kimono— there was already a wet spot). "Give me a few minutes and I'll show you."

"No, thank you." Kaoru wrinkled his nose. "However, I do think you would be more comfortable if you moved. If you ask nicely, I may even bring the trash can to you."

"For free?" Kojirou snuggled into Kaoru's chest. "How generous."

"In this condition, I doubt very much there's anything you could give me."

"How 'bout my germs?"

Kaoru thinned his lips. Had he touched his face since coming here? Was it already too late? "I've been doing my immune system the favor of not skating around shirtless in the cold, so that should be good enough."

"Mmh…" Kojirou had closed his eyes at some point; now his mouth went slack and he slid a little, relaxing."

"No, you don't." Kaoru pushed him off and stood up, extending a hand. "Come on."

Kojirou was doing worse than his jovial manner indicated. He wobbled to his feet, nearly pulling Kaoru off balance, and had to stop for breath several times on the way to his bedroom.

"Trash can?" he asked weakly, once he had seated himself on the edge of his bed.

A small one stood in the corner of the room. Kaoru lunged for it.

Kojirou panted, glassy eyes peeking out between the locks of hair that hung in his face. His cotton T-shirt was a little too tight and his muscles jumped, straining the thin fabric.

"Gah…" Kojirou swallowed hard. "Maybe not."

"You did this to yourself," Kaoru said, determined not to pity him.

"Mm." Kojirou's chest hitched. He swallowed convulsively and his lips parted again. A choked noise jumped forth his throat and Kaoru squeezed his eyes shut.

A quiet vocalization, liquid hitting plastic, the sharp sound of Kojirou spitting.

Willing himself not to cringe, Kaoru opened his eyes. Kojirou really looked terrible, tired and ill, but no less handsome for it, somehow. Kaoru took the trash can from him and helped him lie down properly.

Kojirou shivered beneath the covers and Kaoru's anger mounted— useless anger borne of the acute knowledge of his own helplessness. Kojirou was the caretaker between the two of them, aggressively caring about everyone with open arms and an easy smile. It didn't come naturally to Kaoru. What was he supposed to do? How did he make it better?

"Kojirou," he said gravely."

"No," came the weary reply

"Kojirou," he insisted, "what can I do for you?"

Kojirou didn't open his eyes. "Stay. Talk to me."

There really wasn't anywhere good to sit, only the other side of the bed. Kaoru perched on it, his legs dangling off the side. "What should I talk about?"

"Programming. Motorcycles. Skating. Anything. Just wanna hear your voice."

Warmth bloomed in Kaoru's chest and across his cheeks. Drunk on it, he put his hand atop Kojirou's and curled his fingers in the gaps between Kojirou's own.

He started to ramble about the ins and outs of computer programming and beside him, Kojirou smiled.

—

The unusually aggressive winter did not retreat with Kojirou's symptoms. If anything, it got more aggressive as though to encourage his defiance. But, at Kaoru's insistence, he now wore a hooded T-shirt for their nighttime skates.

It was a size too small and he smiled whenever he caught Kaoru pretending not to stare.

A fervent wind whipped up the air in waves, so much so that it almost wasn't fun to bomb their favorite hill. Their hoods wouldn't stay up and Kojirou's ears stung with the whipping wind.

He slowed down with a series of strategic powerslides and found himself addressing merely the tip of Kaoru's nose where it poked out from within his cowl neck hoodie. He'd yanked the drawstrings taut.

"Let's not do that again," Kojirou said, suppressing a chuckle at the endearing sight.

"Agreed," Kaoru said, his voice muffled in the soft black of the cowl. He shivered and drew his elbows in, a few strands of petal pink hair catching and tangling in the breeze. He sighed and seemed to wilt with it, his shoulders dropping and head tilting.

That wasn't right.

Kojirou brute-forced his hand past the scrunched border of Kaoru's hood.

"Stop!" Kaoru hissed, flinching away to no avail.

Wordlessly, Kojirou wiggled his fingers past the bridge of Kaoru's nose and up to his forehead. "Kaoru, do you feel okay?"

"Of course not!" Kaoru snapped. "I'm being attacked by a feral gorilla."

If he'd really cared, he could have thrown Kojirou off and been halfway across town on his longboard by now. Kojirou would have grinned if he hadn't been so distracted. "You feel warm. Hope you didn't catch what I had."

Kaoru evidently did not think the point was worth arguing, because he only huffed and let go of his hoodie strings. After a moment, he crossed his arms. "I didn't ask for a medical exam," he said petulantly, and a painful growl rolled through his stomach.

"Home," said Kojirou.

"I want to keep skating," Kaoru said, because he refused to be anything other than his infuriating self, even if it meant potentially spilling his guts out all over downtown.

"No, you don't, stringbean." Kojirou kicked Carla out from under him and popped the board up into his hand. "Come on."

Kaoru was frighteningly pliant. It seemed he was more preoccupied with his comfort than his dignity at the moment, though he'd very obviously lost his grip on both. He'd managed to force another hoodie over the one he was already wearing, then buried himself in his duvet. He looked very small and very pink and Kojirou had to swallow down his sympathetic laughter because it would only make Kaoru upset.

"How's your stomach?" Kojirou asked.

"Give me a couple minutes and I'll show you," Kaoru growled, glaring at him.

"Very funny," Kojirou said, but he whipped around for the trash can as fast as he could. "Good thing your hair's already tied up, huh?"

"Ugh…" Kaoru huddled in on himself, something managing to look even smaller. "You should leave." He stared into the depths of the trash can and swallowed several times in succession, chin jutting forward. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his violent shivers cut off at once with a full-body shudder that curled his spine and forced his head forward. He opened his mouth in deference to it and dry-heaved, his expression pinched.

"C'mon, here." Kojirou set about untangling him from the duvet.

"Stop—" Kaoru coughed and heaved again and hid his eyes behind his hand for a moment.

"Sorry." With nothing else to do, Kojirou sat back on his heels and watched.

Loose tendrils of pink hair clung to Kaoru's pale, gleaming cheeks. His eyes were half-lidded, brows knit, mouth hanging open. Even in his misery, he was so beautiful that Kojirou ached to touch him.

Kaoru coughed again and ducked his face behind the lip of the trash can. Soft moans of discomfort punctuated the sound of his retching and Kojirou couldn't stop himself from peeling back the strands of hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks. He cupped Kaoru's forehead gently, willing back the fever, and waited.

"Don't—" Kaoru breathed, pausing. His weight pressed into Kojirou's palm. In an impossibly small, shattered voice, he said, "You don't have to touch me."

"Come here." Kojirou pulled him over, let Kaoru curl up in his lap with his head resting on Kojirou's shoulder. The duvet sat in a heap around Kaoru's legs but he didn't reach for it, only relaxed into Kojirou's embrace. "What's the name of the lullaby you like, huh?"

Kaoru mumbled it and Kojirou began to sing without a moment's hesitation.