#natsume fanfic

[ladyloveandjustice]

I often think about how incredibly fit Natsume must be, yokai-induced sickliness aside. He spends 75% of his life running from yokai, through forests and mountains and all kinds of shit. Every day is a marathon for him, he arguably gets too much exercise (which might contribute to collapsing from exhaustion a lot. over exercising isn't good for you).

But imagine what a fast runner he must be. He's able to sometimes lose yokai despite their supernatural speed etc. And he's been doing this since he's a child? I just want an episode where it's time for track in gym class and everyone's expecting the kid who's constantly sick and exhausted to be the slowest one, but instead he just passes them all at warp speed. WHEN did he have time to get this in shape, isn't he always inches away from keeling over, his class in chaos. Nishimura and Kitamoto are the least surprised since they've seen him running before, but even they didn't think he was THIS fast., wow, what natural talent.

Actually, there should be a running gag where one of the many stressors Natsume faced over the years is track team coaches trying to constantly recruit him in most of the schools he goes to, so he's constantly trying to hide how fast he is because he can't be a burden and have the people he's living with PAY SPORTS EXPENSES omg :(( and also he wouldn't be able to show up for most of the meetings, so. And also he doesn't like most team sports (the real reason).

He's managed to keep it mostly under wraps in Yatsuhara, but then one day it's the sports day episode and Nishimura trips while carrying the baton as they always do and starts crying so Natsume's like "siiiiiiiigh fine don't worry Nishimura I've got this" and suddenly he's at the finish line. Thus his hellish lot of being hounded by the track coach begins anew, thanks a lot Nishimura.

[seangelfish]

What they do for White Day (pt.1)

❥ Featured characters: Chiaki Morisawa, HiMERU, Subaru Akehoshi, Natsume Sakasaki, Wataru Hibiki

❥ Tags: Fluff, established relationships/mutual crushes, stories are based on the !! era, no mention of pronouns

❥ A/N: Happy White Day, everyone! (≧◡≦) ♡ Since I wrote this concept for a request for Mayoi (which can be found here), I decided to write for a few more characters through a randomizer (also trying to write for characters I haven't written for yet)!

🤍 CHIAKI MORISAWA

Chiaki was thrilled when he received homemade chocolates from you, his lovely partner, for Valentine's Day. It was a dream come true for him! He had always wanted a partner to give him homemade bento boxes for lunch, but this was something entirely new, something even more special!

"Thank you so much, (Y/N)!" he beamed. "I love you!"

He had promised he would repay your love back on White Day, but the time between those days made Chiaki a nervous wreck. He was worried that whatever he did for you wouldn't live up to your expectations, but simultaneously, he was really excited to profess his love to you that day too.

You were going to love whatever he did anyway.

On White Day, Chiaki decided to make you chocolates too. He planned to make white chocolate and decorate it with blue sprinkles along with icing that said, 'Happy White Day!'

With determination and perseverance, Chiaki managed to do it! However, he also got you backup gifts if it tasted bad…

"Happy White Day, (Y/N)! I love you a lot," he said. "Thank you for sticking with me!"

🤍 HiMERU

He didn't expect you to gift him anything for Valentine's Day because your relationship was purely professional. However, when you sought him out, pulling out a beautiful box of chocolates addressed to him, he was completely stunned. Despite how calculating his character was, he didn't calculate this at all.

Yet when he thought about it, piecing two and two together, it made sense that you had feelings for him. He had accepted your feelings on the day, but he also wanted to return the gesture on White Day as he believed you deserved it.

But also because he realised that he did love you too.

HiMERU is one to plan out the perfect date and the perfect gift. He took you out to dinner in a botanical garden restaurant and then surprised you with a glistening white necklace.

As he helped you clip the necklace around your neck, he wished for the newfound relationship to go well.

"Thank you for loving me, (Y/N). I will do my best to treat you in the way you deserve because I have fallen for you too. Happy White Day."

🤍 SUBARU AKEHOSHI

It has been a year since you have established a relationship with Subaru, one of your closest friends. But despite being friends for so long, he treats you like you mean the world to him even more than before. So when you gifted him your homemade chocolates on Valentine's Day, he was over the moon, jumping up and down in excitement that his lovely partner had gifted him something so special.

"Uwa~ Thank you so much, (Y/N)!" he exclaimed joyfully. "I love it and I love you! Be prepared for White Day, okay~? ☆"

Subaru went all out. After school, he grabbed you by the hand and made you run with him to the park where he swiftly prepared a White Day-themed picnic. In addition to that, he presented you with a gift basket containing all your favourite chocolate and sweets.

"Sorry, I didn't know what to get you, so I got you everything! I hope you like it as much as I like you! Happy White Day, (Y/N)!"

🤍 NATSUME SAKASAKI

It was probably the worst time to give him chocolates, but the school day was ending, and you hadn't seen him around until the very end. You had asked Sora for his whereabouts, and he had to guide you to their secret room where Natsume was burning chemicals that smelt like roses.

And that's because he was burning roses.

He was clearly in a bad mood which made you want to chicken out, but you also didn't want to waste your chances. You called out his name, tapping him on the shoulder. When he turned around with a shocked expression on his face, you took his hands and gave him the bag of chocolates.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Natsume."

His face was as red as his hair that day.

He had wanted to accept your feelings right there and then, but he withheld it for White Day. He wanted to prepare you something in return, so when the day finally arrived, he sought out you this time.

When he found you in the gardens, he accepted your love by gifting you a bouquet of white roses that sparkled with the help of his magic, and some heart-shaped candy he had bought.

But what he really wanted to do was confess that he had loved you for the longest time. It was the reason why he was mad that day because he had thought you didn't share the same feelings as you didn't come to see him earlier.

"I was stupid," he admitted. "But I'm not stupid for loving you. Happy White Day, (Y/N)."

🤍 WATARU HIBIKI

Despite being in a long-time relationship with Wataru, he was really hard to come by when the two of you were at work even when you were a producer at Star Pro. He liked popping in and out of places, so you never knew where he was until he appeared in front of you.

You never tried hunting him down because regardless of that characteristic, he always had time to meet you. So on Valentine's Day, you waited for him to show up to give him your homemade chocolates. He was absolutely delighted, twirling you around and kissing you on the cheek.

Therefore, on White Day, he already had everything planned out. He had Yuzuru give you an invitation to one of his shows which had you confused at first, but you went anyway. What you didn't expect was that the show was specifically for you only.

"My darling, the love of my life, welcome to your White Day show!" he chorused. "Now, let's get started with the first segment! ☆"

The show contained a lot of entertaining magic tricks, doves, and sparkles. When it came to a close, he declared his love for you and out popped a bouquet of white and blue flowers. He jumped off the stage and presented them to you, cupping your cheek affectionately.

"Happy White Day, (Y/N). I hope you enjoyed the show."

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

[forourtomorrows]

haha wouldn’t it be funny if i said that i got back into an obsession i had for a rythm game in 2021… it would be hilarious riiight… haha…

[froznwater]

a quick doodle of the ONLY currently ongoing gakuen alice fanfic. it is so cute and fun!! everyone is characterized nicely :)) <33333

subjectives by extenuatingcircumlocution (@everythingsinred)

PLEASE read it here and then go read the manga(gakuen alice) and join the fandom.

[4dango-the2nd]

Chapter 6 updated!

Drawing Natori's hair is.... interesting.

[owletstarlet]

patron saint of the lost causes (1/2)

“You can stop looking at him like that.” Taki’s voice is frank, but not unkind. Katsumi could not be less in the mood for whatever the hell kind of conversation this is about to be. “Like what,” he replies anyhow. “Like you broke his best friend."

(For @goodlucktai. You know what you did.

ao3 link | part 2

The thing is, Katsumi really doesn’t want to hear that he couldn’t have known what was going to happen. He knows. Knows because nobody will let him forget it. Knows from his 2AM search history the night after, curled up on his side on a guest futon in the Fujiwaras’ sitting room, feeling pinned down by the blue glow of his phone screen under the duvet.

Here’s how it happens.

***

It’s not that it’s uncomfortable, exactly, to be alone with Tanuma Kaname while walking the forty-five minute round trip between the temple and the combini through nothing but trees and rice paddies and still, thick summer air. Tanuma’s a decent guy. Quiet, thoughtful. And, as he’d made very clear within two minutes of Katsumi meeting him, fiercely loyal.

All good traits, really. But carrying a completely meaningless conversation with someone he honestly doesn’t know all that well doesn’t seem to be within his skill set. And that’s fine, it’s whatever.

It’s just that Katsumi’s starting to feel like a jackass when he’s the only one who’s talking.

School’s been out less than a week, and for some godforsaken reason he’s been talked into coming all the way out to Hitoyoshi by the group chat he’d been added to months ago, for some other godforsaken reason. The conversation had turned to potential vacation plans—the seaside, or a theme park. And it’s not like Katsumi would’ve said no; he’s got a whole month to fill here. But when Tanuma had either hedged or failed to respond altogether, the others had gotten it out of him pretty quickly that the better part of the month both before and after Obon would be full up with temple preparation and events. Apparently, even back when the temple had still stood vacant, some of the locals who had ancestors’ graves out in the crumbling cemetery there would still come out to tidy up as best they could and leave behind their flowers and incense and prayers. This is the second Obon since the temple had reopened, and not only were more visitors expected, but they’d need to be able to properly host them and provide an adequate place of worship.

From just that couple of messages, the others seemed to work out in short order just how overwhelmed he was. Which was news to Katsumi; sure, the guy wasn’t much of a texter, or talker, for that matter—but the messages had just seemed brief, concise, and apologetic.

But when they all show up on the temple doorstep a week later and Katsumi sees the way Tanuma’s shoulders sag with sheer relief, he knows the others were right.

Thus began a multi-day frenzy of scrubbing wood floors, polishing every metal surface within an inch of its life, weeding, dusting, and near-vicious refusals of Tanuma’s father’s offers to compensate them for their efforts. Katsumi certainly wasn’t against the concept of getting paid for busting his ass like this all day, but the man was drowning in paperwork and nonstop phone calls and visitations on top of whatever else it is that priests do all day, so he’d let it drop.

“He really does just radiate that dutiful son energy, huh,” Katsumi says to Kitamoto one day, leaning on a rake and blinking the sweat out of his eyes in the brutal 2PM heat, watching Tanuma pause to tug a crooked, bright red knit cap back into its place on the head of a tiny Jizo statue with endless care. He didn’t mean it as an insult, but it sounds kind of dickish coming out of his mouth anyhow. “Just looking at him is making me tired.”

Kitamoto hums. “That’s part of it,” he says, at length. “But this is his home, too.”

***

Katsumi feels sort of bad that Tanuma has to make this annoyingly long walk just because he himself doesn’t know how to get to the nearest Lawson. He’d lost a fierce, best-of-ten coin flip battle with Nishimura over whose turn it was to pick up snacks. It’s not that it’s a nightmarish distance away considering they’re on the bare outskirts of town, it’s just the late afternoon sun beating down on them that makes him ready to commit  homicide. And most of the way there between the wooded temple grounds and the main residential area is along a dusty gravel road between sunken rice fields, riddled with potholes and not especially worth it to navigate with a bike.

And Lawson isn’t even good.

Precisely none of this is Tanuma’s fault. This is an objective fact that he, of course, knows.

But they’ve only just left the store, and Katsumi ran out of random topics to fill up the stagnant air about ten minutes ago. The best he’s got at the moment, short of intermittent bitching about the heat, is his completely unfounded opinion of some new game he’d seen an ad for at the register which he never intends to play.

And Tanuma doesn’t look especially anxious, or at least not like he’s here under duress or anything—he was the one who volunteered to show Katsumi the way— but he doesn’t look especially comfortable, either. He’s already fished a bottle of tea out of the shopping bag, fiddling with the wrapper between sips and watching the dusty gravel crunch beneath their shoes. His responses aren’t rude, just a little off key, a subdued smattering of ‘oh’s and ‘hm’s and ‘I see’s that don’t always quite sync up with Katsumi’s words, a second too late or too early.  

Maybe it’s the truly ridiculous heat that’s getting to the guy. But he’s drinking his tea, and he’s wearing the same old wet towel he’s had slung around his neck all week, ojiisan style. He’d just re-soaked it again in the little sink outside the combini bathroom. It’s funny, Katsumi thinks, that Tanuma’s such a painfully self-conscious person, but then there’s these odd little things here and there that it doesn’t even seem to occur to him to be self-conscious about at all. He didn’t get out much as a kid, from what Katsumi’s heard. It’d be almost endearing if Katsumi was in any sort of mood to be endeared. As it stands it’s too fucking hot out here and now he kind of wants a stupid neck towel too.

Katsumi doesn’t want to make shit awkward, not when he’s staying in his house. But why had it been somehow easier to talk to Tanuma when they were being chased around some hell-mansion about to be murdered by some ghost-doll-things.

He’s not gonna take it personally. Even with his actual friends, where he seems most at ease, Katsumi’s seen him get fidgety, fingers worrying at a fraying shirt hem or drumming on his knee like he doesn’t always quite know how to physically handle too many eyes on him at once, or so many voices in the room. And more often than not, if one of the others picks up on this, he’s seen them seamlessly take the volume down a notch, give him some room to breathe, a little radius of calm. As though his comfort level is some sort of sixth sense for them all.

And Katsumi’s starting to wonder if running his mouth so that Tanuma wouldn’t have to was really the best course of action here. Maybe silence, comfortable or otherwise, would’ve spared them both.

Hell, too late now.

“…and it’s only available on the newest consoles, because of course it is, and even though Sakatani managed to get his hands on a copy and says he’ll let me play, apparently the graphics are kind of ass, so—uh. You good over there?”

Tanuma’s pinching the bridge of his nose, mouth twisting a little and pace falling a half-step behind Katsumi. He doesn’t really answer, just gives an absent diplomatic little hum like he has done for most of the conversation.

Katsumi stops walking.

“Hey.”

And Tanuma honest-to-god almost shuffles right past him, reaching up to rub at his temple now. He only stops when Katsumi snags the strap of the little freezer bag that he’d brought in a thoughtful yet desperate bid to keep the drinks cold and the tops of Nishimura’s chocorooms from all melting together inside the box. Tanuma blinks hard, like all the dust in the air has gunked up in his eyes.

Katsumi frowns. “Your head hurts?”

Tanuma just blinks again, nods once. The look on his face is strange. Vague, kind of.

Katsumi swears under his breath. “Hey,” he says again, louder, when Tanuma’s gaze slides away and out of focus. He grabs his shoulder, shakes him just enough to get his hazy attention back.

“Is this some youkai thing?” He tries to make the words slow and clear. “’Cause if we need to run…” Their chances wouldn’t be stellar, probably, out in the very-wide-open with no visible houses or people that Katsumi can see, but if they booked it they might make it back to the temple in 20 minutes. Barring being gutted in a rice paddy by invisible monsters.

Tanuma frowns, like he’s trying to grasp at the edges of his focus. “I don’t…”

“You don’t know? Or you don’t think so?” If there were time, Katsumi would feel like an ass for getting in his face and snapping at him. But he can feel Tanuma listing forward where he’s still gripping his shoulder, and he puts another hand under his elbow to steady him. “Should I call someone?”

Blink, blink. Apparently, that was too many questions at once. “…hot,” is what Tanuma finally settles on, in a small voice. Then his knees buckle.

Fuck.

Katsumi just barely manages to keep Tanuma from a total faceplant. He’s not so heavy, but it’s so abrupt that trying to catch him sends Katsumi falling back hard onto his own ass as Tanuma’s knees hit the ground.

Katsumi yelped as they went down, but Tanuma hasn’t made a sound. They’re both on their knees. Katsumi’s got him by the shoulders, and his head’s lolling forward, bumping into Katsumi’s chest.

And, shit. He was not lying. Katsumi can feel the heat rolling off him. He manages to maneuver a hand up to the side of his neck, and very nearly yanks it away, hissing through his teeth.

“Right, so,” he mutters. “Probably not youkai shit, then.”

Probably not doesn’t mean definitely not, though, and even as he’s trying to lower Tanuma fully onto the parched ground, curled onto his side, Katsumi’s fishing out his phone.

One bar. He’ll take it.

He hesitates for a second, torn between dialing Natsume, firing off a group message, or just calling an ambulance. He settles on the first—Natsume’s got the fastest mode of transport, which also happens to be an apparently giant and terrifying monster, if Sensei’s own words are to be believed, so that’s two birds one stone.

He hits Natsume’s name, fingers shaking.

And, dead air. Not even a dial tone.

He swears, checks the screen. Zero bars. A stupid little red x where the bars ought to be.

Goddamn backwoods towns and their goddamn backwoods reception.

“Hey.” He lays a hand on Tanuma’s shoulder. Katsumi can’t see his face, but his breaths are coming short and harsh. “I’m gonna borrow your phone.”

Less than one minute later and he’s given it up. Tanuma’s got the same network carrier, and an older phone to boot. It’s like there’s some fucked-up barricade made of yellowing rice fields, choking air and far-off cicada screeches between themselves and outside human contact.

Well then.

Tanuma’s eyes are open now. Not a lot, but that’s got to be better than passed out. Katsumi manages to work an arm under his shoulders, get his opposite hand under his head and neck. “Let’s get some tea in you,” he says, because he’s not sure what the fuck else to do. He can feel a pulse that’s far too quick thrumming under his fingertips, can see the intense splotchy flush across his cheeks that seems to have crept up out of nowhere. Tanuma doesn’t answer him, just scrunches up his eyes against the direct sun on his face, makes a small pained noise that makes Katsumi feel ill.

Making him drink turns out to be less than an inspired plan. He doesn’t seem to register the tea at first, letting it dribble down his chin, but then after a few slow gulps, he gags. And then proceeds to be sick, all over Katsumi.

“Eh. Didn’t like this shirt, anyways,” Katsumi tells him, hoping to exude literally any emotion other than pure terror, and barely managing to turn Tanuma’s face away in time before he gags again.

By the time he finishes, there’s tears in his eyes, and his breaths are coming ragged and loud. He doesn’t seem to notice that Katsumi’s dug through the combini bag, sliding the 2 liter of mugicha under his head and neck like a pillow, and tucked the bottle of Calpis that Taki had asked for underneath his armpit. The rest of Tanuma’s own bottle he upends over his neck and chest, soaking his towel and the top of his shirt. That, at least, elicits a reaction, a faint confused “hm” that would be perfectly reasonable for anyone whose friend has just drenched them in a bottle of jasmine tea.

It makes Katsumi smile, just a bit. “Gotta cool you down. Sorry.” He’s got no idea if it’s the correct thing to do; he’s based the entire tactic on some random lackluster TV drama he’d seen years ago, where some captain of a school track team overheated during a practice, and her teammates tried to care for her on the field while someone fetched a teacher.

At the very least, it didn’t seem to be hurting. His eyes are open wider now, marginally less clouded over. Katsumi’s positioned him on his side again in case of more puking, his cheek squashed against the tea bottle, and he seems to be focused on some spot on the gravel past Katsumi. He looks like he wants to say something, mouth forming around the shape of words, but nothing comes out.

Katsumi turns. There, lying maybe a half meter away on the ground, is something small and rectangular. Some kind of talisman, Katsumi thinks; it’s made of thin pale wood and covered in some inked-in kanji and symbols he can’t make out. He doesn’t touch it, at first. “This is yours?”

Tanuma nods, just a little, then screws his eyes shut like his head is protesting the movement. But by his side his fingers twitch vaguely in Katsumi’s direction. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket when Katsumi was getting his phone. Katsumi scoops it up and places it in his palm, and Tanuma’s fingers close immediately around it.

He digs his own phone out again, an exercise in futility, and dials 119, resisting the urge to chuck it into the field as the call refuses to connect. It’s not like he couldn’t half-drag, half-carry Tanuma back towards the nearest house if he really needed to, but god knows how long it’d take, and even with his net zero medical expertise it seems like a bad idea to be moving him from this spot unless it’s on a stretcher, or on the back of a giant invisible wolf monster.

Tanuma’s staring at nothing at all again, his knuckles white from gripping the talisman. Katsumi frowns, grabs Tanuma’s wrist.

“You’re gonna break it. The wood’s pretty thin.”

Tanuma, predictably, ignores him. Even as weak as he is, with his thumb digging into the center of the thing, he’s likely to snap it in half.

But he doesn’t, or can’t, resist when Katsumi takes it from him. “Let’s keep this in one piece, huh. We need all the damned luck the gods want to chuck our way right now.” He’s about to slide it safely back into Tanuma’s pocket when he pauses, glancing down at the talisman.

“You’re sure nothing’s about to pop out and eat us, right?”

But Tanuma’s eyes have fallen shut again. He doesn’t seem to have passed out; he’s still gasping like he’s run a marathon.

“Right. Gonna take that as a yes.” He finishes tucking the talisman away, then slides his hand up under Tanuma’s fringe. He frowns. The intense heat, he was expecting. What he was not expecting was the desert-dryness of his skin. Katsumi’s own hair’s been plastered grossly to his forehead all week long, only to poke up and frizz at odd angles throughout the day. He hadn’t noticed earlier because of the damp towel and the tea-soaked shirt, but Tanuma’s not sweating.

He swallows back panic. God knows how he’s got any more panic to spare, really. “Look,” he says, not expecting an answer. “Nobody’s coming, because apparently nobody in this entire fucking town uses this road except us, so I’m gonna get help.” He blows out a breath. “I think we passed a pay phone. Ten minutes ago? Maybe less. I’ll make it five. If you get eaten by monsters while I’m gone and I ran in this weather for nothing I am gonna be pretty damn irritated.”

***

The only coffee the vending machines have, at least on this floor, is some dismal off-brand that only comes black. But Katsumi resolutely ignores the acid roiling in his stomach when Kitamoto passes him one and pops the tab. It’s something to do. Chug coffee, scroll his phone. Rinse, repeat. At least it’s cold.

“Hey.”

Something lands in his lap. A squashed-looking cinnamon roll, another vending-machine offering.

“Eat that too or you’ll puke again, probably,” Nishimura tells him.

Katsumi has to bite back the reflexive dickish retort. Nishimura looks just about as shit as Katsumi feels, but he’s still got it in him to be kind. Katsumi’s got nothing in him but raw nerves and stomach acid, at this point.

“Right,” he mutters. “Thanks.”

There’s not even a good reason anymore for the weird shitty haze over his brain. When Tanuma’s dad had called, just before three AM and only two-ish hours after they’d been forced to leave the hospital last night, the news had been good. He was awake, talking a little, and the fever definitely wasn’t gone but the numbers were creeping back downwards. They’d need a few days, at least, to run some barrage of tests and keep an eye out for lasting damage. Tanuma’s dad had been judiciously vague about just what kind of damage, but the half dozen browser pages on heatstroke currently open on Katsumi’s phone had given him a pretty grim idea.

The Fujiwaras’ house had been closest to the hospital, so they’d spent the remainder of the previous night all sleepless and huddled together on the floor of Natsume’s room. Katsumi hadn’t even put up a fight when they’d dragged his futon into the very center of the room between Kitamoto’s and Natsume’s, when Nishimura had idly flopped his own legs over Katsumi’s, or when Taki pulled up some aggressively cheerful magical girl anime on Natsume’s laptop to fill the dead air. When Sensei had tucked himself in by Katsumi’s hip and gone to sleep. When Touko-san had patted his arm, after their very late dinner, her eyes so gentle it hurt. He’d felt liminal, then, like he’d take off and run if he could just escape his own skin, but at least with the others all squashed up against him he could remember to breathe.

It's past 10 in the morning now. Visiting hours had started at 9, and they’d all piled on the first scheduled bus towards the hospital this morning and arrived before 8, anyhow. They had, of course, not been allowed to step foot out the door without a bag loaded up with bento lunches and a firm promise to Touko-san they’d be back by late afternoon when visiting hours had concluded to get some rest. Though she’d been saying something about “getting some things ready” to bring over herself for Tanuma and his dad, and based on the look on her face when she’d said it Katsumi’s half expecting her to march through the waiting room doors in the next hour or two like a woman on a mission with half the contents of the closest supermarket and drugstore loaded up in her arms. The thought makes his chest feel tight.

But they’d shown up just in time to be informed that Tanuma had an MRI among other things scheduled that morning, and that no, they did not know how long it would take.

Across from Katsumi, Natsume’s dozed off, despite his own best coffee-fueled efforts. He’s slumped sideways onto Taki, lank-haired and restless, flicking through an old magazine with disinterest as her heel bounces on the scuffed linoleum. Sensei’s perched across both their laps, still absurdly half-stuffed into the duffel bag in which they’d smuggled him through the hospital doors, which seems pretty pointless to Katsumi if he’s just going to sit there with his entire head sticking out at this point. But he seems entirely unbothered, his eyes closed; maybe asleep, maybe not. But they’re the only ones tucked over in this little alcove of a waiting room, and damn if not a soul has interrupted them for a good two hours.

It’s probably for the best that Natsume’s getting some sleep, really. He hadn’t gotten any more than Katsumi had; Katsumi had heard his muffled hitched breaths last night when they were all pretending to sleep. Out of all of them, he’s said the least this whole time.

“You can stop looking at him like that.”

Taki’s voice is frank, but not unkind.

Katsumi could not be less in the mood for whatever the hell kind of conversation this is about to be. “Like what,” he replies anyhow. 

“Like you broke his best friend,” Nishimura says, lowly, before letting out a slight oof like he’s been elbowed in the ribs.

Damn. Alright then.

None of them seem to be holding their breath for him to respond, at least. They don’t seem to know what to say, either, really. He’s weighing the pros and cons of just fleeing to the bathroom when Kitamoto finally says, “Natsume knows better than anyone that this isn’t on you.”

“Why?” Katsumi feels his gut give a little lurch. “Was it some kind of youkai shit after all, then?”

Taki shakes her head. “I mean, you’ll have to ask him, but. Sensei did go and check the area out last night and ask around and everything, and it all seemed normal.”

Sensei remains silent, naturally, but his ear flicks in Taki’s direction.

Kitamoto’s mouth twists. “What I meant was, just keeling over in random places with no warning or explanation is like. A hobby of Natsume’s.”

“We love it,” Nishimura mutters. “It’s great.”

Sensei huffs.

Katsumi glances at Natsume, still slack and dead to the world on Taki’s shoulder. And okay, maybe he kind of still looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over. But much less so than when they were kids. Less so even than the first time Katsumi had come to this town. “How many times constitutes a hobby?”

And Nishimura frowns, then honest-to-god starts counting on his fingers.

Taki watches him, mouth twisting like she’s considering it. “I guess it depends what counts as keeling over. Or what constitutes a warning.

“Enough times,” Kitamoto says, decisively.

Nishimura scuffs his toe on the floor. “And with me and Acchan, he’d just be lying through his teeth about it, for months, because he didn’t think he could—“

Could what, Katsumi wonders, but Nishimura never finishes the thought. Kitamoto bumps their shoulders together Nishimura huffs, apparently relinquishing the rant building inside him, but Katsumi thinks the look on his face, the tightness in his eyes, is just this side of grief.

“Anyways,” Nishimura says, after an uncomfortable beat, sounding only slightly more subdued. “Even if you don’t wanna hear it, you’re the Big Damn Hero in this situation. No ifs-ands-or-buts, okay. We all know it. Natsume knows it.” Taki nods, flint-eyed like she’s daring him to argue.

“You can’t predict this stuff,” Kitamoto adds, after a moment, his expression hard to parse. “With anyone. And you’ll just make yourself crazy thinking you can.”

“Okay,” is all Katsumi can think of to say. It sounds dismissive, probably, but it’s all he’s got right now. He watches Natsume scrunch up his nose in his sleep. The council hath spoken, and he is too goddamned tired to refute them.

tbc

[dizzybizz]

can i interest you in some of my ryuu screenshots.. a bit of a ryuu appreciation post if you will...

his design is so .. simple n kinda basic but he has so much charm,, i'm endlessly charmed by him it's literally so embarrassing... he is just very endearing and cute 👉👈 what a polite young man

and here is me trying to get a clean screenshot of this pose without the dialogue box, a saga:

i'm sad to say that this saga has no real conclusion (yet...) the wind-up animation is long enough for him to start babbling so i'm doubtful i will ever capture the screenshot i want. anyway i love this guy more than i could've ever prepared myself for 😭

[aquahaha]

^google drive link to vid... i think quality goes tumblr < google drive view (capped at 1080p) < google drive download. unfortunately u'd have to download the file from google drive for proper quality, so i'm putting it here in case anyone's interested lol. also i think the vid on tumblr gets cropped when viewed on phone/tablet :(

Song in lyric vid: Heat Waves - Slowed by Glass Animals Video editing software: Shotcut Fire animation reference here

Natsu and 🔥 🫠

Why is Natsu so baby uwu

Inspired by cutie Natsu's lil spark jutsu in ch 25!

From The Color of Summer by @spideywhites

[tenshi-agerasia]

my (belated) (re)submission for the ensemble stars 2023 bigbang (@enstarsbb)

i had the pleasure of drawing for "scattered feathers, new wings" by @chivalri_, a fic focused on wataru and his relations with the five eccentrics and eichi :) read the amazing fic by the equally amazing vari here!!

here's the accompanying animation meme/fanfiction trailer i made:

my etsy for the sticker/sticker sheets!

~ more sticker details at my shop ~

see you all next year!

[crimson0lake]

Another wip for the first small comic for the

A.n: yes it took this long to finally make a chapter for it-

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: Natsume would like to make it clear that this is all the dog's fault. (OR: how to become a god, by accident).

Author: @werewolves-are-real

Note from submitter: A fic that, by all means, is very happy, yet makes me cry regardless

[tobiyooo]

Surprise!!!! My gift for @silverfurioso for the Natsume Spring Xchange!! @natsume-ss

This was fun to work on and I hope you enjoy!!!!

ao3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/56472379

[seangelfish]

“Let’s do something fun!”

Natsume Sakasaki x reader ♡ Tags: Smut (NSFW), established relationship, romance, fem!AFAB reader (she/her pronouns), dom!Natsume & sub!reader, unprotected sex, creampie, rough sex, riding, missionary, nearly getting caught. ♡ Word count: 1,394 ♡ Synopsis: During your break, you headed off to the secret room to visit your boyfriend who was busy experimenting. Since both of you had a free period, why not do something fun together? A/N: This is such an old draft (from last year) 😭 I'm not sure why I didn't finish it, but I did now just for my Natsume lovers out there. I also needed to clear out my drafts... Anyways, happy reading! (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! NSFW below the cut. Please proceed with caution.

Turning the doorknob ever so slightly, you peered into the room. There you saw Natsume equipped in his usual get-up of a lab coat over his school uniform, experimenting with all sorts of colourful liquids.

You smiled to yourself as you made your way towards him.

"Natsume!" you greeted, tiptoeing to his height to plant a kiss on his cheek.

His face flushed red.

"(Y-Y/N)?!" he exclaimed. "Don't you have class right now?"

"Nope, I have an hour free!" you giggled. "And I see you're skipping class again, so let's do something fun together!"

Natsume sighed but smiled. "Sorry, kitten, but I really want to finish this. We can do something together after school, okay?"

You couldn't hide your disappointed face, but you nodded. "Okay, then let me just watch you."

"Sure."

You sat down next to him. With your palms on your cheeks, you stared at how his hands handled the vials. They were slender and pale, his veins prominent, and the way they moved had you feeling some sort of way.

"I bet you find this boring," he suddenly said.

"N-No, I'm fine!" you replied. "What are you making this time?"

"Just a simple potion to make a person spill the first thing in their mind. Would you like to test it out?"

He was only teasing, but it had you excited. "Yes! Could I?" you asked eagerly.

"O-Oh, okay," he said. "I'm only going to give you a little. Chin up."

You obeyed, looking up at him from the chair you were sitting on. He stabilised your chin with his fingers, but before he could pour the liquid into your mouth, he hesitated.

"Natsume?"

Seeing you under him like that made him sweat a bit.

"I change my mind," he began, putting the vial down. "Let's do something together."

"Really?!"

You were thinking of going to the cafeteria to grab a snack and then walk around the gardens together. That would be fun! But before you could suggest anything, you heard a faint lock.

Behind you, Natsume removed his lab coat, tossing it to the side. He turned to you with a smirk, taking your chin again as he locked lips with you. You fell into the kiss almost immediately, but disappointment struck again when he quickly broke away.

"(Y/N), when do you have to get back by?" he asked.

"B-By 2pm," you replied, perplexed.

"That's enough time."

He led you over to the beanbags in the room and sat down. You were confused about where this was going. However, before you could ask, he tugged your arm harshly and you fell right on top of him.

"You're so pretty, my kitten~" he cooed. His hand rested on your back with your hands on his chest. He wouldn't let you get back up no matter how hard you tried to do so.

"Natsume, what are you doing?" you questioned, nervous chuckles escaping your lips.

"I thought you wanted to do something fun?"

"Yes, but–"

"Then let's do something fun."

He had you bounce on his cock, his slender hands holding you in place.

“You’re so pretty, my kitten~”

"N-Natsume, why am I... the only one... undressed?" you spluttered. He had stripped you naked, but he was still fully clothed. "T-This is so... ah... embarrassing...!"

"Well, it makes it more fun, don't you think?" he said teasingly. "And anyway, we're the only two here..."

You pouted, annoyed at his antics. He can't get away with this! You had to take revenge! You grabbed his chest and bounced on his cock even faster. As expected, his smirk was wiped off his face as he began to moan.

"Mmm... (Y/N)..." he groaned. "Ah... that feels good..."

You just couldn't believe he had this in mind when you said you wanted to do something fun with him. The actual nerve!

But at least it felt good...

It's not like you wanted to stop any time soon...

He smacked your ass whilst you made your way up and down his cock. With your nipples perked up, he sucked on them harshly, circling them with his tongue.

“Ah…! N-Natsume…!” you squeaked. “Ngh… ahhh~”

His eyes looked up at you, his mouth still sucking on your breasts. He loved the view you were giving him, all red and sweaty, beautiful and glistening. He wanted to break you, wanted to hear you beg for his dick.

And that's when an idea came to mind.

When you started slowing down your movements, Natsume started thrusting in and out of you.

You gasped loudly. "Natsume!" you cried, gripping onto his hair. "Ahh~ I'm going to come... I'm going to–"

But before you could, he had come to a sudden stop. Visibly confused and upset, you hit his chest lightly.

"W-Why did you stop?!" you whined. "N-Natsume, you're so mean...!"

Natsume tucked in a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"I'll make you come if you beg me for it," he taunted. "Beg me for my dick."

The tables were flipped again. He was playing with you, but worse than before! You guessed you didn't really need to get revenge, but you did want to reach your climax.

As you leaned forward, you kissed him aggressively. With every smack of your lips, you moaned out, "I want... y-your dick... please..."

Natsume grinned, but you continued. "P-Please... I want y-you... to c-cum inside... me..."

He blushed instantly at this even when his face was already so red to begin with. You, his beautiful girlfriend who was always so poised – so innocent – wanted him to cum inside you? The two of you never went that far, but if that's what his kitten wants, then that's what his kitten gets.

Natsume picked you up and slammed you down onto the beanbag, switching your positions so now he was on top. He teased your cunt as he rubbed his dick over it before plunging it in.

As he began to pound into you harder, you moaned loudly, arms wrapped around his neck, wanting more and more of him.

"Shhh," he said. "We may be in this room, but that doesn't guarantee nobody will hear us."

You obeyed like he knew you would and started whimpering instead.

"Mhm~ ngh~"

"(Y/N)... ah... ahhh," he moaned, his voice low. "Ugh... fuck... aren't you talking me well~?"

He fucked your cunt as fast as he could, plunging in and out of you that it felt so good you couldn't help but wail. You had to cover your mouth at this point to shut yourself up.

"Argh... (Y/N)..."

"N-Natsu–"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and a voice came out saying, "Natsume-kun, are you in there? Could you open the door?"

"T-Tsumugi-senpai?!" he hissed, coming to a halt. "Great timing..."

He was about to stand up, but you yanked him back down.

"Stop... d-disappointing me... today..." you panted. "Just ignore... Tsumugi-senpai... Please... just... f-fuck me..."

Your boyfriend looked at you in surprise. You were being so needy, so adorable. He couldn't help but give in to your word.

"Natsume-kun?" Tsumugi repeated.

"Alright, kitten. Just stay quiet, alright?"

You nodded impatiently as Natsume continued to please you. He left you kisses all over, a few hickeys here and there too. He groaned quietly as he felt your pussy tighten around him. He was so close. You were so close.

"I-I'm going to c-cum...!" you whispered.

"Argh... so am I... fuck..."

And with the last few thrusts, you had finally reached your climax. Releasing all your fluids on Natsume's cock, he filled you up with his.

He pulled out gently, watching his cum slowly seep out of your hole. What a pretty sight, he thought.

"Let me get you cleaned up," he said. "You can rest for a bit."

You giggled in response, your eyelids drooping down. Smiling softly at you, he kissed your forehead.

"I hope that makes up for disappointing you."

By the time Natsume unlocked the door for Tsumugi, it was time for you to leave for your next class.

"Good afternoon, Tsumugi-senpai!" you greeted happily, skipping out the door.

"H-Huh? G-Good afternoon to you too, (Y/N)...?" he replied, confused.

He didn't expect you to be in the room with Natsume. What on earth were you two doing then? But he immediately shook the thought out of his head and did what he came here to do.

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

[evenfallwriter]

SUMMER FIC READING BINGO PROGRESS UPDATE || @ficreadingchallenge <3

Pretty determined to complete this years bingo XD will hopefully make a masterlist with all the links soon (=when I get access to my computer)!

(I haven't had access to my computer for a very long time now and due to that didn't really get to write much these last couple of months. This might have made it easier for me to focus on finishing this bingo tbh XD)

[kinmokuseijam]

blessed curse | 1221 words | hiiragi-centric

Tying a holly branch to a treasury pillar in order to protect a household—is this a blessing, or is this a curse? (It’s both.)

Happy Natsume Week 2024! For @natsumeweek's Day One: Hopes/Curses.

𓇢𓆸 on ao3 (or under the cut)! 𓇢𓆸

✽ 柊 (Osmanthus heterophyllus) /ˈhīraˌgi/ noun The Japanese name for osmanthus heterophyllus, a type of holly tree/bush; traditionally used by Japanese households as a lucky charm to ward off burglars and evil spirits at the front of Japanese homes. ✽

Hiiragi doesn't remember when it started.

All she remembers is being part of the mountain, and that she'd been inhabiting a holly plant when her consciousness first came into existence. She doesn't remember if she was the holly plant itself, or just a stray spirit inhabiting it—she only remembers that a holly plant was the first thing her spirit took root in.

When she'd gained enough spiritual energy to wander, she eventually became the mountain guard, but it wasn't long before a human captured her, binding him to the pillar of the treasury in his house.

He hadn't said it, but she knew what her job was:

Stay here and guard the household; ward off untoward entities, spirits and humans alike.

(He hadn't said it, but she knew what her fate was:

Stay here and be cursed to a fate of eternal submission to humans.)

Tying her to a treasury pillar in order to protect a household of humans—she'd wondered if this symbolic gesture was a blessing, or a curse. A while later, she'd realised the answer.

(It's both—a blessing to them, but a curse to her. And try as she might, she could not escape.)

 

Perhaps this is it for me; cursed to a fate of eternal submission to humans, she'd thought.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Or so she'd only thought, because one human exceeded her expectations; a human child.

She'd been trying in vain to escape again. Her nails broken and hands bleeding, she was nonetheless unfazed—she'd gotten used to injuring herself in the process.

The boy hadn't gotten used to it, though, so he'd gifted her a bandage, along with her first experience of human touch—

Human children are warm, she'd thought at the time he'd tried, hands shaking, to wrap the bandage around her frail, twig-like wrist.

"Human children don't have the power to curse others," is what she'd said instead, because he'd been on the verge of tears telling her about how he'd cursed his mom just by existing, causing her to die; because bad things happen all because he "sees weird things", is what he'd said, on the verge of tears.

"Human children don't have the power to curse," is what she'd said, touching his warm hand, loosely interlacing her cold, twig-like fingers with his. "Your hands aren't made for cursing—they're made for healing. You're a nice kid."

He'd looked at her then, deer-in-headlights like what she'd said was out-of-the-world.

"You're a nice, normal kid."

Human children are so very warm, she'd thought.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Or so she'd only thought, because the next time she meets the same 'nice, normal kid' is when he's hot on her tails—

He's coming to exorcise her.

Strangely enough, she doesn't mind—the deepest part of her soul knows that it'd be an honour to have him be the one to exorcise her. After all, he'd been the warmest being she's ever had the honour to touch.

And so she tries to make his life easier, and walks straight into his trap.

There's no need to prolong this existence, she'd thought. This cold, cursed existence where human children will never be warm again.

She walks into the middle distance where the exorcist trap lay, pretending she's walking back in time; back into the child's arms.

Human children will never be warm again, she thinks.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Or so she'd only thought, because she finds that a second human has exceeded her expectations; another human child.

This time, he wasn't touching her hands, or her—he was fiddling with the rope that bound her (the same robe that has cursed her to a fate of eternal submission to humans); it stung, thanks to the curse between the rope and her.

It stung, and so her reaction wasn't kind; she'd charged straight towards him and shouted at him, mustering with her little spiritual energy whatever weak voice constituted as shouting in her books.

"Will you stop that, you brat?" Her voice crackling like a shriveled branch, she'd seemingly startled him, because he jumps at the sudden intrusion. But she also notices that he isn't remotely as startled as she'd expected him to be, because he turns and starts speaking to her in a voice that was too normal for a normal human child his age.

(Joke's on her, because he's definitely no 'normal human child', she realises later.)

"Who tied you up?" He glances at the shackles that have cursed her to human oppression thus far.

She doesn't respond.

"Are you injured?" He glances at the bandages encircling her wrist; she hadn't realised it before now, but they seem to be coming undone.

It's unmistakable, the expression in his eyes—it's been decades since she's seen that sort of expression, and she'd thought that she'd never have gotten the privilege of experiencing human warmth again, not after that child.

Human children are warm, she thinks, as this child tries to rewrap the bandage around her frail, twig-like wrist.

It's a waste, because even spirits aren't immune to the vicissitudes of time, much less human children. She starts making her way again, walking into the trap laid out for her by her one and only final executioner; the one who'd been a warm human child only decades ago.

I'll never get to feel the warmth of human children again, she thinks.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Or so she'd only thought, because she's lying on the grass, weak but alive, having just survived a lightning strike thanks to the human child and his giant feline bodyguard who'd, for some godforsaken reason, taken the hit for her.

"I figured she had a fifty-fifty chance," an adult voice says, gentle but somehow remorse, the resonance of it simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar (he's an adult now, after all; he won't sound exactly the same, but she can recognise him nonetheless). "She could not escape the curse that bound her to the pillar, so I figured that if the lightning had struck her, she'd at least have finally passed on to the afterlife. And in the best case scenario, if she'd managed to survive, the rope would burn away, freeing her from the shackles of human oppression forever."

The explanation was not directed at her, but she appreciates it nonetheless.

"Thank you for shielding her, Natsume," the same voice continues. "She survived thanks to that. I'm really thankful."

(She's still too weak to speak, but she's thankful, too—thankful that he's thankful, and thankful that humans can be warm, not just when they're only young, but at any stage of their brief existence.)

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When she finally awakens, she realises that she's been given a name:

Hiiragi.

"You just look like a Hiiragi to me," Natori shrugs, smiling casually. "Plus, you’ve always been like a holly warden plant anyway—your previous master had tried to use you as a protective charm, too. Come to think of it, they really should just have planted some hiiragi bushes outside their house, instead of trapping you in a treasury."

(She doesn't say it aloud, but she thinks it's a good name for her.)

Tying a holly branch to a pillar in order to protect a household—she'd initially thought that it was a blessing for them, and a curse for her. Now that the events have played out in this direction, she learns the right answer.

(It’s both.)

[4dango-the2nd]

chapter 5 updateeeeeeee