#natsume x anzu

[enidzzyx]

【Ensemble Stars/Enstars x The Sims 4】

Finally I finished the cc hairs of my favorite ship in Enstars and could share them out☺️.

Anzu Hair (v1/v2)

Female Hair

BGC

Teen ~ Elder

24 EA Swatches + Anzu Hair Colour Swatch

Hat Compatible

All LODs & All Maps

Custom Thumbnail

Anzu Hair （without ahoge）

24 EA Swatches

Download : CurseForge

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Natsume Hair

Edited based on the mesh from Enstars M !!

Male Hair

BGC

Teen ~ Elder

24 EA Swatches (without highlights)+ Natsume Hair Colour Swatch

Hat Compatible

All LODs & All Maps

Custom Thumbnail

Download : CurseForge

@sssvitlanz @mmccfinds @maxismatchccworld Thanks a lot!

Please don’t claim my cc as your own and reupload it.

[radicallyplastic]

art dump

[ritsus-pillow]

Croissants with a Side of Feelings {Shu Itsuki x Reader}

Relationships: Shu Itsuki x Female Reader Word Count: 11367 CW: Reader has a medical condition, fluff, slight hurt/comfort (like a cinnamon sprinkling of hurt I swear) Set during ! era, specifically around the time of the Tanabata Festival.

“Really! It’s a miracle that you’re still up and standing, foolish girl.”

Shu shook his head at me, frowning as I stumbled to a halt in the middle of the practice room. 

“Shu-senpai! You’re earlier than usual.” I rushed to the speakers, stopping the recording of Sacred Youth Games that had been playing.

“Hmph and if this is what you’ve been doing before our practices perhaps I shall make a habit of it…” His frown deepened. “I have no use for broken dolls, girl.”

I scratched the back of my neck.

“I know. But it really wasn’t much, just a quick warmup!”

Shu “hmph”-ed again, moving to connect his own phone to the speakers.

“Shu-kun just doesn’t want you to overwork yourself, Y/n-chan,” Mademoiselle’s high-pitched voice peeped from her spot in Shu’s arms. “He worries about you.”

“Hush Mademoiselle!” Shu snapped.

“I know Mado-chan, but I’ll be careful,” I said. “I know my limits.”

A soft giggle answered me before it was silenced with a glare.

“Ngahh, sorry I’m late Oshi-san, Y/n-chan!” With his usual amount of grace, Mika stumbled into the room.

“Hmph, typical.”

“Don’t be fooled by his attitude Mika-kun, Shu-kun is happy you made it.”

“Ngah, thanks Mado-nee!”

Shu shot another glare at Mademoiselle.

“You’re particularly cheeky today.”

“Fufu, and who’s fault is that Shu-kun?”

Shu clicked his tongue, a scowl on his face. Despite his frustration, he gently placed Mademoiselle on the table next to the speaker.

“Regardless, now that we’re all here, perhaps we can begin rehearsals?”

I rolled my eyes, nodding, as Mika chirped an excited “Yes, Oshi-san!”. It wasn’t as if any of us had been late, in fact, it was a good 10 minutes earlier than we usually started rehearsal. But I knew better than to protest—the lead-up to lives always made Shu testier than usual and the Tanabata Festival was worse than usual.

I shook my head, moving out of the centre of the room as Mika and Shu took their positions for their warmup routine. The workload for the Tanabata Festival hadn’t exactly been light on my end—as Anzu’s fellow producer, she had asked me for help with some of the less major work so she didn’t have to shove it all on Eichi and the rest of the student council. Something about proving her capabilities as a producer without their backing? Not that it mattered to me, I would rather not ask Tenshouin for help.

Sighing, I pulled a pile of paperwork out of my bag. If Shu had bothered to tell me about this before he submitted the paperwork, maybe I wouldn’t be so irritated. But nooooo, he just had to accept Tenshouin’s challenge. I pursed my lips, reading over the proposal for the stage lighting. Well, there were worse things than a bit of extra paperwork. And school-hosted events were far less work organisation-wise than most of the places Valkyrie had been performing at recently.

I glanced up as the warm-up routine finished. Shu looked pleased and Mika looked significantly less flustered than he had been earlier. Shu fished his phone out of his pocket, stopping the piece of classical music that they had been warming up to. 

“Hmph, better than yesterday, I suppose.”

“Ngahh thanks Oshi-san!” Mika grinned at the back-handed compliment.

“It wasn’t a compliment, you failure!” Shu pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. I resisted the urge to snicker as the two assumed their starting positions.

As the starting notes for Enthralling Theatre filled the room, I smiled down at my paperwork. Maybe this live would be the push Shu needed to return to the Yumenosaki stage.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Non! This simply won’t do!”

I watched as Shu tossed yet another bolt of fabric to the side. Shaking my head, I pointedly turned back to the stack of papers Anzu had asked me to look over. Staging…Lighting…Airspace permissions for Hibiki-senpai’s blimp…I resisted the urge to sigh. Only at Yumenosaki. 

Anzu had asked me to proofread the proposals before she handed them to the student council. I’d eventually agreed, but I still didn’t think my involvement would make Tenshouin more likely to approve the plans. But she’d insisted, saying that the Student Council couldn’t very well refute her proposal just because she’d asked a fellow producer for help! (Tenshouin was petty enough to do just that, but Anzu hadn’t lived through the War and didn’t know any better.) I scribble a note on the lighting plan—as much as Ryusetai (read: Morisawa-senpai) wanted flame machines and no matter how “cool” (this was true) or “heroic” (less true) they’d look, they were most definitely a fire hazard at an event that centred around highly flammable bamboo and paper.

Another bolt of fabric was violently discarded, rolling from the towering pile of rejects. I eyed the ever-growing pile and raised my eyebrow at Shu’s back. Across the room, Kiryu-senpai just shook his head before continuing to sew the outfit in front of him.

“Um, Shu-senpai…” I started nervously. “Do I need to make a trip to the fabric store?”

Shu turned to face me so suddenly, I jumped a little, almost dropping my pen to the floor.

“I know I’m not the best at picking fabrics, but if you tell me what type you’re looking for I could send you pictures of the colours? Or I could take some headphones and video call you?” I tapped my pen against the pile of paperwork, breaking eye contact. “You and Kiryu-senpai have got a lot of work to do here right? You can’t afford to waste time searching for fabrics for any unit’s outfits.” Even if it is for Valkyrie.

Shu pursed his lips, his gaze flicking to the nearly empty fabric rack in front of him and then to the pile of completed outfits Kiryu-senpai had finished. As he watched, another was added to the pile.

He sighed.

“Very well. I shall write down what I need and you can fetch it for me. However,” he raised a finger. “You must take someone with you to carry the bolts of fabric. Let me think…Rei should be in his club room…” He stood and wandered over to the cup phone that hung by the window, unhooking it and tugging three times on the string before pulling it taut.

“Rei? Yes, sorry to disturb you. I don’t suppose you could give me a hand? Of course.” He hung the cup phone back on its hook. “Rei will be here in a moment.”

“Senpai, I’m fine to bring the bolts back by myself,” I protested. “You don’t have to bother Rei-senpai.”

Shu raised a hand to forestall any more protests.

“Non! What if you were to drop them on the way back? I can’t have your clumsy hands soiling the fabric before it reaches this room.”

“Fufu, what Shu-kun means, Y/n-chan,” Mademoiselle spoke up from her seat on one of the shelves in the clubroom. “Is that he doesn’t want you to wear yourself out. You’ve been working so hard lately, we can’t have you passing out from overexertion again.”

I flushed slightly.

“Mado-chan that was one time!” I pouted. “I haven’t even had difficulty in getting up and down off the floor lately, I can carry a couple of bolts of fabric!”

“That is not up for debate. Rei will accompany you to the fabric store.” Shu shook his head at me and began replacing the bolts of fabric he’d gotten out on the shelves.

I sighed, turning back to my paperwork. Who knew how long a moment was to Rei Sakuma. All of the Eccentrics that I had met operated on their own timetable. Speaking of, I turned to the airspace permission forms for Wataru’s blimp. Eccentric indeed…

“Shu? You said you needed my help?”

Apparently, Rei-senpai’s definition of a moment was eerily similar to a regular human’s.

“Ah, my friend, you were faster than I expected.” Shu dusted his hands and went to the entrance to the clubroom. “I need some more fabric but neither Kiryu nor I can go. I’d just send the girl but I can’t trust her to carry the fabric back on her own. Would you accompany her?”

Rei-senpai glanced over at me, his lip twitching at the way I pretended that I most definitely was not listening to their conversation, thank you very much.

“Of course. It’s no problem at all.” He smiled at me. “Well then, shall we take our leave?”

I nodded, pushing my chair out from the table, leaving my paperwork where it lay. I’d be back before long—the fabric store that Shu preferred was luckily only a few blocks away.

I nodded goodbye to Kiryu-senpai, who nodded back, his focus on the intricate embroidery on the collar he was stitching.

“Here.” Shu shoved a piece of paper into my hands. “The list. Make sure you bring the fabric back in one piece!”

I nodded, glancing at the paper before shoving it into my skirt pocket next to my phone.

“Anything else, senpai?” 

Shu shook his head.

“Be safe y/n-chan!” Mademoiselle called. I smiled, waving briefly in her direction as Rei-senpai and I stepped out the door.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“So, Valkyrie is finally returning to the stage, hmm?” Rei questioned, hands in his pockets as we walked through the courtyard.

I nodded, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

“Senpai seems pretty worked up about this live,” I explained. “Something about Tenshouin personally challenging them after the live the other night?”

Rei cocked his head.

“The performance at the live-house Kaoru-kun manages?”

I nodded and he hummed thoughtfully.

“I wasn’t with them, so I don’t know the details and Shu-senpai just,” I gestured vaguely.

Rei nodded sympathetically.

“Shu was Shu about the whole thing.”

I nodded, leading the way out of the school gates.

“Yep. And then Kiryu-senpai asked him for help with the unit costumes, so between the outfits and before and after school rehearsals, he’s been stretched thin.”

“I’ve noticed,” Rei said. “As have the other Eccentrics. And,” he turned his head to look me in the eyes. “We’re thankful to you for taking care of him for us.”

I waved my hands frantically.

“It's fine really! It’s just…he’s done so much for me and Mika-kun…I can’t let him starve himself to death because he’s so busy making Valkyrie look good! It’s my job as a producer to look after him!”

Rei chuckled softly.

“Of course, of course.”

I shook my head, opening the door to the fabric store.

“Alright, let’s see what he wants,” I muttered to myself, pulling the list out of my pocket. Rei peeked at the list over my shoulder, eyes scanning the immaculately written kana.

“...why is wine red satin on here twice?” Rei questioned, pointing at two items written directly underneath each other.

“It’s not. One’s wine-red satin and the other is wine-red sateen,” I explained, pointing at the kanji. “And wine red is our shorthand for Valkyrie red.”

I headed to the satin and sateen section, Rei trailing behind me. Carefully, I inspected the bolts of fabric, eventually pointing to two bolts I deemed Shu would approve of. Rei easily hefted them, slotting them under his arm. I felt my eyebrows rise slightly. A bolt of fabric usually had about 92 metres of fabric on it—lifting two so easily and with one hand, was no easy feat.

At least…I was hard-pressed to lift even one with my full strength. This trip was definitely going to be easier with Rei’s help. Once again, Shu had been correct to send me with help. 

Didn’t mean I had to like it. 

Though Rei was definitely an improvement over the time Wataru had insisted on accompanying me. Thank goodness the fabric had been slightly glittery already, though the face Shu had made upon seeing his slightly sparkly black fabric doused in red glitter had been hilarious. Wataru had still been banned from the clubroom and from accompanying me on any future fabric store runs. I had been punished with weeks of extra meaningless paperwork—which was not an experience I was eager to repeat.

It didn’t take Rei and I long to find the rest of the fabric on the list. Thankfully, all of the colours Shu had specified had been in stock, so there was no need for photographs or video calls. I paid quickly, apologising to the lady who ran the store for not being able to stay and chat this time. She smiled and laughed it off, promising to come and watch the performances at the Tanabata Festival.

With at least 5 bolts of fabric under Rei’s arm and a bag full of smaller amounts of fabric and other trimmings on mine, we exited the store.

“She seemed glad to see you,” Rei commented as we began the short walk back to school.

I hummed an affirmative.

“It's been a while since any Valkyrie members stopped in,” I explained. “We used to be regulars and the store’s close enough to the school that she probably heard about our fall. She’s a nice lady, she was probably worried about us.”

Rei chuckled.

“You seem to have friends everywhere, Y/n-chan.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not Anzu-chan, Sakuma-senpai.”

He smirked at me. Smirked. The audacity. Why do I hang around the Eccentrics again?

“Oh? But you seem to have just as many friends, though maybe not in such high places as hers. I certainly can’t see you socialising with Tenshouin-kun or Hasumi-kun.”

I felt my face twist in disgust instinctively and Rei’s chuckles turned to full laughter as we entered the school grounds. The. Audacity.

I sighed, shaking my head at him.

“You are the worst, Senpai.”

His laughter echoed down the hall as we made our way to the Handicraft Club room.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Hmph, this fabric is acceptable.”

Shu frowned down at the bolts of fabric Rei had laid out on the table before he returned to his own club room.

“Shu-kun thinks that you chose excellent fabrics, Y/n-chan!” Mademoiselle cheerfully explained.

“Aww, thanks Mado-chan,” I smiled.

“Mademoiselle!!” Shu exclaimed. “Please keep your opinions to yourself!”

“Fufu, we both know whose opinions they really are Shu-kun.”

Shu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Carefully, he rolled the bolts of fabric back up and began sorting through the bag of trimmings, ignoring Mademoiselle’s comment.

“Kiryu-senpai finished for the day?” I asked, pointing my question at Mademoiselle.

“Kuro-kun had a rehearsal with the rest of Akatsuki,” she informed me cheerfully. “He said he’d be back in…hmm…let’s see about 30 minutes now? Tsumugi-chan also dropped in for a bit while you were gone—he said to say ‘hi’. He was just picking up some trimmings for Switch’s outfits, so he wasn’t here long.”

We both pointedly ignored Shu’s snort of “good riddance”.

“It’s a shame I missed him, I haven’t spoken to Tsumugi-senpai in a while…” I mused, tapping my pen against my pile of paperwork. “Though it would be easier if someone didn’t insult him the second he walked through the clubroom door.”

Shu sniffed pointedly and continued inspecting the blue cord I had bought. I shook my head, turning back to my paperwork.

The club was filled with the sound of sewing machines whirring, overlockers clacking, and paperwork being filled in. Kiryu came and left. The sun was almost completely set before I finally completed the paperwork.

“Senpai, it's getting late. Senpai?”

Shu blinked, looking blearily up at me.

“It’s past 6. Don’t you need to get home to Mika-kun?”

“Hm? Kagehira?” He blinked again, before realisation dawned. “Kagehira! Ah, where is my phone…?” He patted his pockets realising it was on the table.

“Ah, he hasn’t returned yet…he and that Narukami girl were going on a shopping trip today. It appears I still have some time…” He placed his foot on the pedal, but nothing happened. He frowned, tried again, then looked over at me.

I sighed, the sewing machine’s cord swinging in my hand.

“Senpai…We’ve had this discussion. You’re not allowed to stay late anymore.”

He huffed.

“Fine then. I shall simply take these costumes home then.”

“Nope. You promised. No working on costumes at home either.” I narrowed my eyes at him, dropping the cord to the ground. “Unless…you want me to message the group chat? I’m sure Natsume-kun or Rei-senpai are still around. In fact,” I turned, tapping my phone against my chin. “Hidaka-kun mentioned that the Theatre Club had rehearsals until late tonight too.” I stopped, staring right at him. “So. What is it?”

Shu had been getting paler and paler throughout my little monologue and now he was almost as white as the costume in front of him.

“I- I assure you that's not necessary!” He hurriedly stood up, grabbing his things from around the room.

I stood watching him, phone at the ready in case he decided to slip some pieces of fabric into his school bag. Before long, we were both heading our separate ways outside the school gates. Watching Shu head towards his house, I pulled out my phone to send a quick text.

|Shu’s Slave|6:27pm| Mission “get-shu-home-at-a-reasonable-time” accomplished

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Shu’s Mental Support Squad

|Magic Man|6:27pm| AMAZING!!!

|Magic Man|6:27pm| a new record~~

|Magic boi|6:28pm| did he take anything home with him??

|Shu’s Slave|6:28pm| he didnt put anything in his bag…

|Shu’s Slave|6:28pm| he probably has stuff at home tho…

|FISH|6:29pm| unfortunatrly there isnt anythign we can do abiut that…

|FISH|6:29pm| sorry wet hands

|Magic boi|6:29pm| niisan if ur going to swim in the fountain at least have something to dry urself off with…

|FISH|6:30pm| hehe ill remember natsume-kun~~

I slipped my phone back into my pocket as the chat devolved into the usual discussions. Rei’s icon had just joined the cluster of ‘online’ icons and there wasn’t much point getting dragged into the group’s antics before I got home for the night. Luckily, I’d gotten all of my school-related work done while I was in the clubroom. The only things left on tonight’s schedule were dinner and bed. 

It didn’t take long before I was snugly under my blankets, scrolling through my Instagram. It was a pretty bland feed—I mainly followed the idol groups from Yumenosaki and any notable competitors from Shuuetsu and its sister schools. Nothing caught my attention (except for a sneak peek on Ra*bits page of their new costumes, which I had seen Shu pouring over the day before), so I placed my phone on my bedside table and went to sleep.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“One of these days,” I muttered to myself as I fumbled with my alarm. “I’m going to force him to make practice start at a reasonable time.”

I pulled my phone closer to my face, groaning as I looked at the time. 5:45 am. I groaned again. The clock flicked to 5:46. Still groaning, I slid out of my bed onto the floor. After almost two years as Valkyrie’s producer, you’d think that I would have been able to get out of bed for morning practice easily. But no. My body still hadn’t adjusted.

Well…I mused as I fixed my hair in the mirror, it is our first week back at weekly practice in almost a year. 

It took me longer than I would have liked to arrive at Valkyrie’s usual practice room. Looks like I won’t have time to run through any dances before Shu and Mika arrive. Though…I rubbed my chest as my heart twinged painfully…dancing probably wasn’t the best idea today. Had I remembered to take my medicine before I left today? I mentally ran through my morning routine, before shaking my head and moving to connect my phone to the speaker. It didn’t matter anyway. I’d live.

Or not, apparently.

I blinked, looking at the room around me. The infirmary? I mentally ran through the day, trying to figure out how I got here. Morning practice had been fine—better than fine really. Classes had run as smoothly as 2-B’s classes ever ran. We’d had P.E. and I’d ended up wearing myself out more than I had expected. I’d planned to head to the rehearsal room and do paperwork until practice finished, then move to the handicraft clubroom to supervise Shu. However, Anzu caught me almost immediately after classes had finished and dragged me around the school to inspect the area of the stage. The last thing I remembered was her excitedly showing me the layout she had in mind, before passing out.

I groaned. Forget the medicine, it’ll be fine, I said. I really ought to know better…I sighed, pushing myself up into a sitting position, cradling my head.

“Hmph, so you’re finally awake.”

I looked over at Shu, standing in the doorway, Mademoiselle in one hand and the other on his hip.

“Are you alright, Y/n-chan?” Mademoiselle asked softly.

“Ugh, I think so?” I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache building. “‘M gonna need some panadol though…”

A packet of painkillers landed on the bed. I took one silently, reaching for the glass of water I knew would be at my bedside. I swallowed it down, then drank the rest of the glass of water. Shu’s eyes followed my movements and the second I placed down the glass, the rant he was obviously preparing started.

“What were you thinking, fooling girl? Not only did you run to school, but you also forgot to take your medicine. And this morning, you probably did a warm-up dance routine before Kagehira and I arrived, didn’t you?” I opened my mouth to object—I’d done some vocal warmups instead of my usual dance routine—but Shu barreled onwards.

“And of all days to forget your medication, a day you had P.E.?!?! You have had the same class schedule for over a year, how could you forget something so vital? Then, running all over the school with that Anzu girl! You’re lucky that Kiryu happened to be passing by and carried you to the infirmary! You could have been seriously injured!” He paused, face slightly flushed from his rant.

“Aww, so you do care,” I teased.

“I-!” His face flushed even redder, his mouth opening and closing silently. I laughed at his expression.

“It wasn’t intentional, Senpai. I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I looked back down at the blankets. “I’m sorry for interrupting practice and distracting you from the upcoming live.”

I heard a light scoff and a muttered “foolish girl” before Shu loudly turned around.

“Well, if you are truly sorry, make sure you take your medication regularly from now on. Come, now that you are awake, you can return with me to the clubroom and finish whatever work you have to do.”

That night was the first night since Valkyrie had decided to participate in the Tanabata Festival that at precisely 6 o’clock, Shu stopped sewing and we walked to the front gates together.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

The days passed quickly in the lead-up to the Tanabata live. Between morning and afternoon rehearsals, production meetings, and classes, my days were filled to bursting. I arrived at school at just past six in the morning and left at around 6:30—depending on how easy it was to pull Shu away from his work on the many costumes that had been commissioned for the upcoming live. Thankfully, I’d only needed to put a call out to the other Eccentrics once. Both Wataru and Kanata had swiftly appeared and carried Shu out of the Handicraft Club and out the school gate, Mika trailing behind them. Clearly anxious not to repeat that particular experience—“Wet hand, wet hands, can you believe it?!?”—Shu was usually packed up and gone before 6:30.

Despite my busy schedule, I always managed to take time out of my day to practise. Valkyrie practice actually began at 7, an hour and a half before school started. My personal practice started at 6.

I had always dreamt of being an idol. But, my fragile body prevented me from being able to complete the strenuous activities being an idol required. I wasn’t sickly like Tenshouin, just weak. My medicine helped, but even missing it once resulted in disasters like the previous week. 

But it didn’t stop me from trying.

I applied for both the idol and production courses at Yumenosaki. I studiously copied dance moves in the mirror after practice, I broke down live performances, I practised singing on the terrace during lunch.

It was never enough. I could never be on the same level as the idols I dreamed to work with. Even Tenshouin, who spent half of the freaking year in a hospital bed, had greater stamina and performance ability than I ever could.

But that didn’t stop me from trying.

After Valkyrie’s fall, I had worked harder than ever, laying the groundwork for when Shu would eventually return. When Nazuna-nii asked me for help setting up Ra*bits, I dedicated myself to the work, doing my best to carve these adorable, fresh-faced first-years who knew nothing of the horrors of the year before a place as idols.

And still, I practised.

Even now, two weeks before the Tanabata Festival, I stood in the centre of Valkyrie’s practice room at 6:30am, Pavilion on the Sand echoing through my ears as I ran through what had been Nazuna’s part.

“Again?” An exasperated sigh filled the room. Shu walked past me, gently placing Mademoiselle on the table, and dropping his bag to the floor.

I didn’t stop dancing.

He raised an eyebrow, tapping his foot impatiently as the dance slowly came to a close.

“Morning, Senpai,” I greeted, belatedly.

He raised both eyebrows.

“Good morning.”

I grabbed my water bottle from where I’d left it on the floor.

“You’re here early…Where’s Mika-kun?”

“Kagehira shouldn’t be long. I happened to rise significantly earlier than usual this morning, so I left as he was beginning his breakfast.”

I nodded, taking the bottle over to my school bag. Shu watched me, lips pursed, foot still tapping.

I sighed.

“Senpai…If you have something to say, just say it already. You’ve been like this for a couple days now, it's starting to get on my nerves.”

“I- I…” He sighed deeply, eyes shifting nervously as he tried to find the words. “I am concerned about this…habit of yours. This…rising early specifically to come here and practice.”

I stiffened.

“I see. Don’t worry, I won’t let it impact my work as Valkyrie’s producer. You have nothing to worry about.”

He frowned.

“That is not-”

“It’s fine, Senpai,” I cut him off. I didn’t want to sit through Shu’s patented “I have no use for broken dolls, if you can’t be useful, I will cast you off” lecture. “Like I said, it won’t affect Valkyrie.”

“I-” Shu shook his head. “Very well then. You are usually well aware of your limitations, if you say that it won’t affect Valkyrie, then I believe you.”

I nodded sharply.

“Thank you, Senpai.”

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

I cut back on my morning practices after that. 

Instead of spending the whole hour running through different dance routines from both Valkyrie and other units, I chose one each day and spent half the time focused on the dance and the other half on vocal practice. Aside from a few pointed frowns, Shu didn’t bring it up again. The Tanabata Festival was approaching and he had far bigger things to worry about than my health. The pile of uncompleted costumes was almost done, Kiryu and Shu making quick work of them over the last three weeks. There were only a handful of costumes left to be completed outside of the Valkyrie and Akatsuki costumes, both of them had left their unit’s outfits to last. The beautiful red, grey, and yellow fabrics Rei and I had purchased still sat in the corner of the costume, barely touched.

I shook my head. Costumes—completed or not—were not what I needed to focus on. I scrolled through my playlist, deciding which song to practise this morning. This one…? Too hard with one person. That one…? Too high for me to sing. This? Too low. I clicked my tongue in frustration before my eyes landed on one I hadn’t done in a while.

It was one of Wataru’s, from the days before the war, before the Eccentrics. A solo piece—designed to be danced alone. The moves were tricky and it had been a while since I had rehearsed it, but I was confident that I could remember how it was done. I quickly moved to the centre of the room, tapping play.

Music filled the room, and I lost myself in the dance. It was easier to focus on the movements on the first run-through, left foot there, right foot behind. One arm up, the other outstretched. Turn. The melody was simple, but that didn’t change the vocal complexity. Even thinking about how to sing distracted me, a slight stumble in my step, so I redirected my focus to the dance.

“Oya? I thought I heard a familiar tune~”

I 100% did not jump and I did not scream. I didn’t. I swear.

“Hibiki-senpai!”

“Ah,” He sighed dramatically, laying a hand on his forehead. “So cold! Am I still nothing more than an upperclassman to you, Slave-chan? How often must I beseech you to call me by my given name?”

I sighed, feeling my heart rate begin to return to normal.

“As often as I have to ask you to stop calling me that awful nickname, Senpai.”

It also annoyed him, but that was just an added bonus.

He sighed dramatically again, leaning heavily on the doorframe.

“So cruel~ Ah! But I didn’t come here so early in the morning just to mope about in doorways!” He straightened up, pulling a rose out of thin air. He gestured for me to take it and I gingerly took it from his grasp. In my hands, it transformed into a letter. “A special delivery for you, dear Slave-chan~”

I carefully unfolded the letter, eyes skimming the beautiful calligraphy.

“Senpai…”

“Yes?”

I looked him in the eyes.

“This is in English. I can’t read it.”

He slapped his forehead.

“Of course, my mistake. Here.” He flicked his fingers towards me and the letter wiggled and merged, transforming into equally beautiful Japanese calligraphy.

Wataru Hibiki, in association with Kanata Shinkai, Rei Sakuma, and Natsume Sakasaki, invites you to lunch today, in the secret room.

“This…is a very dramatic way to be asked to sit with you four at lunch,” I said slowly. “I like it. Very aesthetic.” Wataru nodded excitedly. “But, is there a reason that this unusual gathering of the Eccentrics doesn’t include Shu-senpai?”

Wataru’s grin turned mischievous.

“That’s for us to know and you, dear Slave-chan, to find out.”

And with that, he vanished.

I looked down at the invitation in my hands. Shaking my head, I slipped it into my backpack.

Even if I forgot, Natsume-kun would drag me there the second class got out and I knew better than to push for more detail than I had already been given.

I’d find out at lunch I suppose.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Kanata-niiSAN can you NOT drip wateR all ovER my secRET roOM?” Natsume sighed as he dragged me into the secret room.

“Ahh ‘sorry’ nacchan,” Kanata smiled, looking as unapologetic as he always did. Natsume sighed, shaking his head.

“HerE,” he pushed me towards a chair. “siT.”

I rolled my eyes and sat, tucking my legs up in front of me. Natsume plopped himself down on the chair next to me, across the room from Kanata, who pouted slightly.

“Oya? It appears that I’m not the last one here…” Wataru sighed dramatically. “My dramatic entrance has been ruined.”

“Trust me Senpai, you don’t need to try and make your entrances dramatic,” I said, smiling wanly as he sat in the chair next to Natsume. “Are you going to tell me why you called me here? Not that I’m not grateful for the excuse to get out of production meetings for the Tanabata Festival…”

“Someone’s in a hurry,” Rei commented, slipping into the room through one of the side doors. Wataru paused in the slow shuffling of his chair closer to Natsume and Kanata opened his eyes and smiled at Rei as he sat down opposite me, in between Kanata and Wataru.

I shrugged.

“Not really. But I am curious. It’s not every day four of the Five Eccentrics “summon” me to a meeting.”

“You’ve already ‘mentioned’ it,” Kanata hummed. “The ‘tanabata festival’.”

The others nodded.

“I thought so,” I sighed. “You guys worry too much.”

“You can’t really blame us,” Rei rested his face in his hand. “It is Valkyrie’s first performance since the War.”

“We can’t help but be ‘concerned’, y/n-chan,” Kanata chimed in. “Especially after the ‘last’ time. Mademoiselle-chan can only ‘help’ so much.”

“Indeed,” Wataru nodded, his serious side showing. “Even though Eichi~ has relaxed his tyranny and the time of war is over, we cannot exclude the possibility of some ‘over-zealous fan’ repeating the incident.”

“I know. And, Anzu-chan and I are working to make sure nothing like that will happen,” I assured them. “Anzu-chan wasn’t here for the War but she’s been working hard to design a new system that doesn’t disadvantage new units.”

For someone who hadn’t lived through the start of the DreFes system being so quick to overturn it and put something more fair in its place, Anzu really was a kind person, as much as she annoyed me sometimes.

“HmmM, I did catCH a gliMPSE of thE neW plaNS…” Natsume muttered thoughtfully, hand on his chin. “TheY haVE a gOOD chaNCE of succeedING.”

“Hmm Hmm! Anzu-san~ has been working AMAZING-ly hard!” Wataru’s earlier seriousness had been replaced with his usual cheerful mask.

“If y/n-chan is not ‘concerned’, we should ‘leave’ it to her,” Kanata hummed. “I am beginning to ‘dry out’, so I’m going to go puka-puka~”

Kanata pushed himself out of his chair and stretched.

“I suppose this meeting is adjourned then,” Rei said, doing the same as Kanata but with slightly more groaning and cracking bones. “Thank you for joining us, Y/n-chan. Please continue to keep an eye on Shu for us.”

I nodded.

“Of course, he’s my friend too.”

Wataru raised his eyebrow.

“Oho, just a friend, slave-chan?” He teased.

I looked away, blushing, and Wataru disappeared with a laugh.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Stupid Wataru,” I muttered to myself, trying not to stomp on my way back to class. What does he know anyway? Shu is my friend—and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.

“Friends, we’re just friends.” Even if I had been crushing on him for a while now…at what point does it go from being a crush to…something else? Not that it mattered, it's not like I could ever tell him.

In the entire time I had known Shu (not that a year and a half is a long time to know someone), he had never confessed romantic feelings for anyone. No prolonged glances at particularly attractive classmates only scoffs and sneers directed in the direction of any mention of romance from his friends or unit-mates. Even his obsession with Nito-nii wasn’t romantic. A little weird and slightly uncomfortable for Mika and I, perhaps, but not romantic.

Besides, even if I confessed, if he rejected me…I could be kicked out of Valkyrie.

I could just see it.

“You harbour romantic feelings for me? Non! This absolutely won’t do. I can’t have your love-sick pining ruining Valkyrie. You are dismissed!”

Then he’d stick his nose up in the air and walk away, leaving me behind.

I sighed.

I was being dramatic. At least after Wataru’s comment, aside from a soft chuckle from Rei, the other Eccentrics hadn’t said anything. Though, if Wataru knew, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tenshouin, fine, the Student Council, and the entire Theatre Club had heard of Wataru bemoan my ‘hopeless, tragic love’.

I shuddered just thinking about it. It was a good thing Shu didn’t pay attention to the school gossip, otherwise, I’d be screwed.

“L/n, what are you doing?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, turning to see Shu walking around the corner.

“Senpai! What are you doing over this side of the school?”

He crossed his arms—no Mademoiselle?—and frowned.

“Hmph, I could ask the same of you.”

I shuffled awkwardly.

“Uhh, I was in the library?” I offered. “I was heading to the cafeteria now. What were you doing?”

He sniffed, clearly not buying it.

“The library? What could you possibly need from there?” He sighed, shaking his head. “Never mind. Well, I suppose I’ll accompany you to the cafeteria. Perhaps they’ll still have some croissants left…”

I shrugged.

“Okie dokie, I’m just gonna grab whatever.”

A soft ‘tsk’ came from Shu, but he didn’t comment further, so I just ignored it. If Shu had issues with my diet, I’d just remind him of the (multiple) times I had to call Kiryu to carry him to the infirmary when he’d passed out from low blood sugar. At least I had a valid medical reason for passing out, not “I simply didn’t feel like pausing my work to eat”. One cannot subsist on croissants alone. At least since Mika had moved in with him he had been careful to make sure the both of them ate well at home. And Mika had Narukami-chan constantly breathing down his neck about eating well at school (“If you don’t stop eating so many sweets, Mika-chan, your skin will never clear up!”), so it was just Shu who needed reminding.

“Shu-senpai, where’s Mado-chan?” I tilted my head to look at him, surprised to see him already looking at me.

“Hmm? Oh, I left her in the Handicrafts Club. Kiryu’s with her,” he explained when he saw my raised eyebrow. “I can trust him to keep an eye on her while he finishes the costumes for his unit."

I nodded. That made sense. Still, it was a little unusual to see Shu without Mademoiselle on his arm even before Valkyrie’s fall. But, it was probably okay.

“Besides,” Shu muttered so quietly I almost missed it. “She might say something foolish.”

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Why’d we hav’ t’ study,” Mika complained, slamming his head against his books. “There’s a live next week.”

I patted his back sympathetically.

“C’mon its the last question, we got this!”

We did not “got this”.

Mika and I both sucked at maths. You’d think between the two of us we’d be able to figure out what the heck the teacher had been explaining in class but nope. I frowned at my notes and Mika groaned, lifting his head from his book.

“Oshiii-sannnnn,” he whined. “Ya gotta help us.”

Shu looked up from the sheets of music he was writing.

“No.”

“Awww,” Mika pouted. “Ya know we’re no good at maths and stuff, ya gotta help us.”

“Yeah Senpai,” I chimed in. “Come on. It's the last question~”

Shu looked at me, unimpressed.

“I have already said that I will no longer help you with your homework,” Shu resumed scribbling notes on paper. “Mathematics is a very important skill.”

“Read through the question again Mika-kun,” Mademoiselle suggested. “You always forget to read them through properly. And Y/n-chan, you always write out your formulas wrong. Check it again.”

“Thanks, Mado-nee,” Mika crowed, rushing to do as she said.

“You’re the best Mado-chan,” I said, giggling at the look on Shu’s face. The embarrassed blush that spread across his face when Mademoiselle spoke his true feelings was kind of adorable.

I shook my head. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. I double-checked my formula and—sure enough—my formula was copied incorrectly.

I smiled at Shu as I corrected my answer.

“Thank you~”

He sniffed.

“Thank Mademoiselle, not me. I did nothing.”

Mika and I laughed.

“Sure thing, Oshi-san.”

Despite claiming that he wasn’t going to assist us anymore, both Shu and Mademoiselle helped us finish our homework for the week. It wasn’t like there was a lot—most of our classes were idol (or producer) related, things like music and dance. Maths, Japanese, English, and History were some of the few academic subjects that Mika and I took. Shu didn’t even take English—he took French. I shuddered every time I saw his homework. Why were there so many unnecessary letters???

Shu caught me frowning at his closed french textbook where it lay on the table and tapped me on the head with his pencil.

“Focus, Y/n, focus,”

I smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry Senpai,” I turned back to my final problem of the night. “There. All done.”

I slid the homework across the table and Shu examined it carefully. Mika noticed and frantically scribbled his final answers on his maths questions and slid the book next to mine.

Shu flicked his gaze between the books, then looked up at us.

We grinned, hopefully.

He sighed.

“The eclairs are in the fridge. You may get them.”

The loud scraping and shuffling of chairs as Mika and I frantically scrambled to the fridge wasn’t loud enough to cover Shu’s sigh. Shu’s eclairs were delicious and he only used them as bribes for homework. He refused to let us have more than two a week claiming that it would ruin all the hard work he put into making sure Mika stayed at ‘an acceptable weight’. But the limits were worth it.

I groaned as I bit into the eclair.

“I would answer a hundred maths problems if it meant I got to eat these afterwards,” I said to Mika, who nodded enthusiastically, a small bit of cream on his nose.

“I’d do anythin’ f’r Oshi-san’s cooking,” he said, wiping the cream off his nose.

“And you get to eat it every day.”

“Mhmm,” Mika nodded, closing his eyes in bliss.

“Are you two quite finished in there?” Shu raised his voice from the kitchen table. “I can hear you, you know.”

Giggling, Mika and I returned to the table to go over the preparations for the Tanabata festival.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Kanzaki-kun!” I shouted. “Stop pointing your sword at Hakaze-senpai.”

Souma lowered the sword slightly, turning his head towards me.

“But Y/n-dono-”

“No. Put it down. Now.”

He still hesitated, but Kanata put his hand on his shoulder.

“Hmmm, now is not the ‘time’, so~u~ma~,” he tilted his head and smiled. “y/n-chan and anzu-san are trying to ‘get’ things done~”

Souma shot another glare at Kaoru, who chuckled nervously, but sheathed his katana.

“Yes, Buchou-dono.”

I sighed, rubbing at my forehead. Tech run-throughs were the worst. Having nearly every unit in the school in the same place at the same time was next to impossible, so Anzu and I had organised it based on the student timetables. Of course, not all students in one unit were in the same grade, but we went with the majority. 

Unfortunately, that meant we had Ryuseitai, Akatsuki, Undead, and Valkyrie here at the same time. Anzu had been understanding enough to make sure fine was scheduled later in the day. An early confrontation between Tenshouin and Shu would not have been fun.

“Um, okay everybody, can we just have Undead on stage, please.” Anzu took advantage of the lack of weaponry to start the tech rehearsal. The stage cleared, the other units taking seats in the front row.

As Undead started to sing Gates of the Abyss, I made my way to stand in the tech booth. The members of the Broadcasting Committee gave me a nod before focusing on the lighting and sound.

I leaned against the wall, rubbing at my chest. I wasn’t sure if my meds were less effective lately, or if it was just the stress of the last few weeks catching up to me. I hadn’t said anything but the glares Shu kept sending in my direction told me he’d noticed something was wrong,

“Why are you overworking yourself, girl,” his glares seem to say. “I have no use for broken dolls and neither does Valkyrie.”

I sighed. A Broadcast Committee member shot me a questioning look, but I waved her off. I was fine.

After about half the song, the Broadcast Committee gave me the thumbs up, so I grabbed one of the mics as they cut the sound.

“Alright, thanks everyone, that’s all we need,” I explained. “Give your earpieces to the tech crew and you can head back to classes now.” Undead filed off the stage in an almost orderly fashion.

“Who’s next?” I asked Anzu, who had joined me in the tech booth. She pointed at the next name on the list as she scribbled down a note underneath Undead’s name.

“Okay,” I said into the mic. “Ryuseitai can you please make your way to the stage?”

From the tech booth, I saw both Tetora and Chiaki jump out of their seats, dragging their unit members with them.

“Kanata-senpai, please leave your spray bottle on your chair,” I said quickly, noticing the blue misting bottle in his hand. Kanata pouted but complied, waving his now empty hands at me to show me he’d put it down.

Ryuseitai’s run-through took a couple of songs to perfect their audio levels, but eventually, the tech team was satisfied.

Akatsuki’s rehearsal went quickly, the tech team quickly finding the correct audio levels.

“Alright, thank you Akatsuki,” I said. “Please return your headpieces to the tech crew and return to class. Valkyrie, you’re next.”

Mika jumped a little and Shu shook his head, pulling him out of his chair by his elbow. Mika stumbled a bit and a “Sorry Oshi-san” echoed through the mics. 

“Ehe,” Mika’s nervous laugh filtered through the sound system again, but he didn’t say anything else as he and Shu took their positions for Enthralling Theatre.

I had been watching them rehearse this every day for almost four weeks. It never got any less amazing. Shu’s movements led Mika across the stage as if he really was the marionette doll they were singing about. Even the tech crew was stunned. Even though they found the audio balance almost straight away, they let Valkyrie finish their performance.

“Thank you, return your headsets to the tech crew and return to class, please.”

Shu gave a sharp nod and Mika shot me a goofy grin.

I smiled. Tonight was going to be a performance worth seeing.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

My chest hurt from all the running around, preparing things for the Tanabata. I sighed, shaking my head as Hibiki-senpai’s blimp appeared in the sky and the crowd loudly cheered. At least I had prepared the paperwork in advance, though I’m sure Tenshouin would have paid any fines Wataru incurred.

Rubbing my chest, I moved to the wings of the stage to watch the performances. My work as a producer was mostly done—Anzu was taking the majority of the work onto herself, leaving me to supervise the units backstage. Not that that required much, this late in the year even the units consisting mainly of first-years knew the protocols.

There was nothing I could do except watch as Valkyrie rushed on stage to protect Ra*bits from fine. 

Their performance was spectacular. The tech rehearsal early was nothing compared to now, with the staging and lighting fully complete. Mika’s spins were perfectly timed with Shu’s movements—the illusion that Mika was moving as Shu’s puppet was near perfect. I could almost see the strings stretching from Shu’s fingers, connecting to Mika’s arms, the stage lights reflecting off the golden threads.

I could feel fine’s shock. They joined the audience in watching in silent wonder as Shu and Mika sang and danced, Shu’s art—no, Valkyrie’s art—reaching them after so long.

The lyrics of the piece Shu had been composing during our last study session echoed through my head.

Now, the song of their triumphant return shall resonate once again. The tale of the returning sovereign shall be heard once more.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

My heart was still beating fast from the adrenaline of Valkyrie’s performance as I dragged Kanata out of the fountain.

“Really, Senpai, you should know better!” I ranted, pulling him towards the stage. “You have a spray bottle for a reason!”

“Sorry, y/n-chan, i ‘forgot’ it,” Kanata smiled at me, letting me pull him along. I shook my head, pulling him in front of me and pushing him up the steps for the stage. 

“Just…don’t ruin the earpiece with your wet skin.”

“hehe,” Kanata giggled, patting me on the head. “y/n-chan ‘worries’ too much.”

I playfully slapped his hand away.

“Hurry up! Morisawa-senpai and the others are waiting for you!”

“i ‘know’. shu is ‘waiting’ for you too. hurry and ‘see’ him, okay?” With another closed-eye smile, he skipped onto the stage.

I paused, looking as Kanata joined the rest of Ryuseitai on stage against fine. That’s right…Shu had been lying by the fountain, recovering from the live. Mika was still backstage in case Valkyrie was called back for another performance—the Tanabata system ensured that all of the units would get a chance at first but once everyone had gone, it was randomised. It would be a while before Valkyrie would be called on stage again, but it was best to be prepared. 

But it was best to not leave Shu alone by the fountain. He might doze off, or worse—pass out. I had been busy all day and hadn’t been able to make sure Shu actually ate something at lunch instead of slaving over the finishing touches of the Valkyrie outfits. 

Maybe I should get him something sugary to drink…Performing with low blood sugar wouldn’t be the best idea Shu had ever had but then again, it wouldn’t be the worst one either. My mind helpfully supplied images of the time that Shu had decided that the only way to get through all of the costumes he needed to sew and his homework was to drink 3 cups of coffee and eat a chocolate croissant and proceeded to go into some sort of caffeine-fueled haze. Which was fine while he was in it…but the crash had been awful.

Needless to say, Shu was banned from coffee now.

Still, I picked up a juice from the nearest vending machine as I hurried back to the fountain. If Kanata had said Shu was waiting for me, there was probably something important he needed to tell me. My chest twinged again as I jogged to the fountain. I was going to have to see the doctor about my meds—clearly, they weren’t working properly anymore.

Shu was still lying by the fountain, in almost the same position he was in when I had forcibly dragged Kanata out of the fountain. I sat down by his head, placing the bottle of juice next to him.

“I didn’t know if you had eaten much today, so I thought I’d pick one up,” I explained, crossing my ankles and looking up at the stars. “If you don’t want it, I’ll just drink it.”

“Thank you.” Shu slowly swung himself into a sitting position, before taking a sip of the juice. “I had gotten so caught up in my preparations for tonight that lunch slipped my mind.”

I hummed in acknowledgement.

“At least you ate dinner, even if it wasn’t much.”

“I- yes. Kagehira was quite insistent.”

I nodded.

“He can be pretty stubborn at times, huh.” I giggled softly and turned to look at Shu.

He was already looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” I asked.

Shu shook his head, but his hand moved forward a bit before he withdrew it and laid it on his lap.

“I suppose Kanata told you that I was waiting for you, didn’t he,” Shu asked, turning his gaze to the sky. I did the same, looking at the faint constellations.

“Yep~. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?”

“I…” He paused and took a deep breath, seemingly bracing himself. I frowned, worried. I didn’t want to speculate on what he was going to say but I was a little on edge.

“Y/n, I…have feelings…for you.” His gaze didn’t move from the stars above us but he shifted slightly closer to me as he spoke.

Wait, what.

“Pardon?” Surely I hadn’t heard correctly. He wasn’t going to say something like “feelings…of disgust” and play it off as a joke, right? Or worse, had the other Eccentrics put him up to this…had he somehow figured out that I liked him? I felt my heart rate start to rise as panic started.

Shu looked over at me, a light blush dusting his face.

“I like you, Y/n. I have tried to hint at it for quite some time but I…I am not the best at expressing it and I just ended up hurting you. I’m sorry…” He reached out a hand to caress my face. “Can you ever forgive me?”

My mouth opened slightly and I stared at him in shock. He…liked me? Shu, Shu Itsuki, former Emperor of Yumenosaki, my crush for the last year and a half, liked me back? I floundered, staring at him in silence, my heart beating in my ears.

Obviously, my silence was taken as something else—disgust, indifference—because Shu’s soft smile dropped and he began to move his hand from my face. Quickly, I snatched it, pushing it back against my face. Shu looked at me in shock, trying to understand what I was doing.

“Shu…I like you too…” I started. “I’ve liked you for so long…I never thought that you would like me back.” Tears began to well in my eyes and I tightened my grip on his hand.

“Y/n…” Shu gently wiped the tears from my eyes, both hands cupping my face. “Y/n…may I kiss you?”

I nodded frantically, closing my eyes and leaning in. My heart rate was so high, I could barely hear Shu’s breathing and he was two centimetres from my face. We were so close, our lips almost touching…

And then, everything went black.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

When I next opened my eyes, I was in the infirmary. Mid-morning sunlight streamed in through the windows, softly lighting the room. I blinked, pushing myself up into a sitting position. I rubbed at my eyes, clearing the sleep from them. I reached for the glass of water next to my bed, but couldn’t move my right hand.

I frowned, then looked down. Shu was tightly gripping my hand, his head resting on the side of the bed. He was in his practice clothes, his soft pink hair mussed from sleep. I smiled softly, running my left hand through his hair.

Shu liked me back.

Shu liked me back.

He liked me back and he was going to kiss me! And then I had to ruin the moment by passing out.

I groaned out loud, slamming my head back against the wall behind me. Stupid body, causing me to pass out at such an important moment! A tear of frustration trickled down my face and my hand stilled in Shu’s hair.

“Mghm…” A soft groan came from Shu and he slowly sat up. “Y/n!” He jerked upright, his eyes searching my face. “Are you alright? You suddenly passed out and I had to call Kiryu to come and carry you to the infirmary. Sagami-sensei said that you would be alright and I had to go back to the Tanabata with Kagehira.”

His grip tightened around my hand and I smiled tiredly at him.

“I’m fine, sen-...Shu. I’m just,” I leaned my head back against the wall again. “I knew my meds weren’t working properly. I’ve known for at least a week. But did I go get it checked out? Noooo~ I just had to stick it out. And now…I ruined it.”

Tears spilled down my face and I closed my eyes, wishing that I could disappear so that Shu didn’t have to see my tears.

I felt the bed shift underneath me and opened my eyes as Shu pulled me into his arms.

“Oh…mon chère…you didn’t ruin anything.” He gently stroked my hair as I sobbed harder. “Though, it pains me to hear that you knew that your medication wasn’t working and didn’t tell anyone. Though I know that it is a little hypocritical of me to talk about things like that.”

I nodded into his shoulder, my tears slowing as I listened to him talk.

“We have plenty of time, now that we’re both on the same page, yes?” Shu continued stroking my hair. “There is no need to rush, darling.” He softly kissed the top of my head.

We stayed like that for a while, Shu stroking my hair while I tightly squeezed him, my tears eventually stopping. Slowly, I pulled away, sniffling slightly.

“‘M sorry…I think I ruined your practice shirt.”

Shu smiled, handing me a tissue.

“It’ll wash out.”

The door opened with a slam.

“Oshi-san! Is she awake?”

Mika burst into the room with his usual amount of grace.

“Ngah, you are!”

“Even if she hadn’t been, you would have woken her, barging in here like that! What were you thinking, Kagehira?!?”

“Ahh sorry Y/n-chan…”

I laughed softly, blowing my nose.

“It's okay Mika-kun, I would have been overdue for a wake-up call anyway.”

“Mhm mhm! Anyway, its lunch so I brought’cha both something!” Mika smiled proudly, handing each of us a bento. “I promised Naru-chan I’d eat with her so see ya later!” And with a wave, he was gone as quickly as he came.

Sighing, I leaned against the bed frame, shuffling over as Shu moved next to me to wrap his arms around me. We sat there for a while, Mika’s bentos placed on the bedside table.

“Shu?” I asked.

“Yes, my love?”

I looked up at him but I didn’t meet his eyes.

“I know you said there’s no need to rush but…could we…maybe…kiss?” My voice got softer and softer as I went on but Shu’s soft smile encouraged me.

“Of course, mon chère.”

This time when our lips met, I didn’t pass out. The kiss was soft and unsure, but it was a kiss. And that was better than I could have imagined.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“Ohoho~ Slave-chan, you’ll never believe what a little birdy just told me.”

I looked up from my paperwork to glare at Wataru. It was a few days after the Tanabata. Both Shu and Sagami-sensei had insisted that I take a few days off to recover and an appointment had been booked with my doctor to work out why my meds had stopped working correctly. But after only a few days, the paperwork had really piled up.

“Hibiki-senpai, I don’t have time for your dramatics right now. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

He chuckled.

“Fufu, I’m sure you are. But this was the most AMAZING~~✩ news,” he placed an elbow on the desk, cupping his face in his hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear it?”

I closed my eyes, briefly debating if murdering one of the Eccentrics would truly be a punishable crime. After all, if it was Wataru I would be ridding the world of a great nuisance, right? Maybe I would be free to complete paperwork without any distractions.

“What news did you hear, Senpai?”

Wataru clapped his hands.

“AMAZING~~✩ I knew you’d come around.” He was suddenly sitting on the desk next to me, instead of the seat across from me. He leaned in conspiratorially and I put down my pen to listen to him. “A little bird to me~ that a certain someone finally~ got their act together.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, Senpai. I’m not up-to-date with the school gossip.”

“Oya?” He twirled his braid around his finger. “I didn’t think I would need to be more specific when this piece of news involves you.”

I felt my face flush instantly. Shu and I hadn’t told anyone yet, how did Wataru know? Did Shu tell the Eccentrics already and just hadn’t let me know?

“Ah ah ah~ I can hear your thoughts racing! Don’t worry, Shu didn’t tell me. Like I said,” he gave an exaggerated wink. “A little bird told me.”

I groaned, slamming my head onto the pile of paperwork and homework in front of me. Wataru laughed merrily.

“Such a wonderful reaction! But, getting a reaction out of you is not the only reason I came here! I had hoped to find Shu-kun sewing away in here as well, but it appears its just you. Ah well,” he sighed, standing dramatically up from the desk. “I suppose I shall just have to tease him another time.”

“Tease me about what, Wataru?”

Wataru turned to face the doorway, hair nearly whacking me in the face as I lifted my head to see Shu standing in the doorway, a box of croissants in one hand and Mademoiselle resting on his other arm.

“Ah hah! So you have appeared Shu! Such a dramatic entrance rivals one of my own!” Wataru spun around the table, arms outstretched.

Shu sighed, walking into the room, placing Mademoiselle on her usual perch before sliding the box of croissants over to me.

“I got one for you. Feel free to start while I deal with this idiot.”

Wataru gasped.

“Is that any way to treat your friends, Shu?”

“Hmph. It’s certainly the way I treat annoyances.” He crossed his arms, staring Wataru down, which was kind of funny given how much shorter than Wataru Shu was. “Why are you in my clubroom Wataru? Surely you have an actual purpose other than being unnecessarily irritating.”

“But of course!” With a flourish, he pulled an envelope out of his hair. “For you and your dear Slave-chan~”

I looked up from my croissant.

“What is it?”

“An invitation…” Shu mused. “Really…what is the point of having mobile phones if you are just going to deliver these sorts of things in person?” He handed me the piece of paper. I read it over quickly.

“A party…? What for?”

“What for? My dear Slave-chan, it's a congratulatory party! From us Eccentrics to the two of you! Congratulations on saving us from another day of your pointless pining! Congratulations for finally getting your act together! Isn’t the power of love AMAZING~~✩?”

Shu let out a long-suffering sigh, but his face was slightly flushed.

“Fine. In order to spare Y/n and myself from any more of your shenanigans, we’ll agree to attend. Now, get out of my clubroom!”

Wataru smiled widely.

“Ah, I knew you’d come around! AMAZING~~✩” And he skipped out of the room a trail of rose petals falling to the ground behind him.

Shu sighed again, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before sitting down next to me. I silently slid him the box of croissants.

“Ah, thank you, dear.”

I smiled, brushing the crumbs of my croissant off my paperwork.

“You know,” I said, as I started filling out the post-live paperwork. “I think this is the first time in nearly a year you went and got lunch all by yourself. Normally Mika-kun or I bring it to you.”

Shu hummed, carefully taking bites of his croissant.

“I guess…I wanted to do something for you instead.”

I stopped my paperwork to gape at him.

“What? Do you not believe me?” He asked as I stared at him.

“No, it's not that, I just can’t believe you said it out loud. Normally you’d be like ‘I’m perfectly capable of getting my own lunch!’ and then Mado-chan would pipe in, telling us something like ‘Shu-kun just wanted to make your life a little easier, Y/n-chan!’ y’know?”

There was a slight smile on Shu’s face from my attempts at mimicking his and Mademoiselle’s voices, but he glanced away from me.

“Well, if you prefer I can go back to that. It's just…” he paused, searching for the words. “I am trying to be clearer at communicating my feelings without Mademoiselle’s help.” ‘For you’ was left unspoken, hanging in the air around us.

He…was really serious about us, wasn’t he? Not that I had doubted him but we had only been dating for a few days and even though we’d spoken over the phone, today was the first day we had properly seen each other since the Tanabata.

I smiled at him.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He smiled back and we kissed again, illuminated by the afternoon light streaming in through the clubroom window.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

“ReaLLY…do we haVE to uSE my secRET roOM for this…?” Natsume sighed as we watched as Wataru produced a disco ball and used his hair to attach it to the roof. Kanata laughed and clapped happily, while Rei and Shu were engaged in a rather heated discussion about the pros and cons of electric guitars and their proper place in music.

I laughed a little at Natsume’s forlorn expression, pouring him another glass of the punch he’d made earlier.

“Well, would you rather do this at someone’s house?” I asked. “The only person who lives close enough and has lax enough parental supervision is Shu and I believe this was supposed to be for him, so wouldn’t that defeat the purpose.”

Natsume took the glass from my hand and downed half of it in one gulp. I laughed harder.

“It’S noT juST foR yoU anD Shu-niiSAN,” he huffed. “It’S foR thE faCT we no lonGER haVE to watCH yoU pinE aftER eaCH otHER.”

“Hey~ I can’t disagree with you on my end but Shu pining? I can’t imagine that.”

Natsume looked at me with an expression of pure disappointment.

“No wonDER it toOK you twO so loNG to geT togetHER…” he muttered.

“Hey!”

He looked me dead in the eyes.

“LeT me recreATE a sceNE frOM the laST EccenTRICS meetING.” He cleared his throat and an imitation of Shu’s voice came out. “Ah, but I don’t deserve her. I’ve done nothing but cause her pain, just like the rest of Valkyrie…How could she ever look at me with love in her ey-”

“NATSUME!” Shu shrieked from the other side of the room. “Just what do you think you are doing?!?”

The rest of the Eccentrics burst out laughing. I looked at Shu’s embarrassed expression—his face redder than Valkyrie's stage costume, his eyes wide with fear—and I couldn’t help it. I started laughing too. Soon the room was filled with the wheezes of five people so far gone into laughter that the slightest thing set them off again. In the midst of it all, Shu stood arms crossed, pouting.

By the time we all managed to calm down, we were lying on the floor in the centre of the secret room, absolutely exhausted from our laughter.

Shu frowned down at me, hands on his hips.

“If you are quite finished, can we head home?”

I pouted up at him.

“Come on, we can stay a little longer right?”

All four of the Eccentrics on the floor turned to Shu with pleading eyes. He sighed.

“Fine…fine…we can stay.”

We all cheered and Shu rolled his eyes as he lay down on the floor next to me. I turned so I was on my side, facing him.

“Hey.”

He smiled softly.

“Hello.”

Before either of us knew it we were kissing again, ignoring our surroundings even as Wataru cheered, Rei wolf-whistled, Natsume groaned, and Kanata giggled.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

[shadow-operetta]

<<Chapter 3 || Masterlist || Chapter 5>>

Chapter 4: a silly little family

[sakumasmut]

i LOVE the idea of anzu switching between femdom and sub (i imagine shes a bit of a brat... or at least whiny/needy) and now ive started thinking of mugi and natsume with her ooo

ik ive talked abt her domming mugi but like i think he has it in him to at least take the lead. i feel like the way he's so blunt with things and how he always has like a smile on his face no matter what he's saying makes her more sub side go brrrr when he unintentionally talks dirty. also big hands. and general size diff. oooh girly cant help but submit when he takes control

natsume though... she's showing that brat who's boss around here. like sure he's nice to her, but she knows he has a smart mouth and that's not gonna slide. she edges him until he's sobbing. does use his potions/spells against him slightly (with consent and prep) by making it so he's more sensitive. after she's done with edging, anzus riding that man until he's shooting blanks into her 🤭

imagine them both at the same time and anzus brain gets scrambled after round one bc she (as always) wants to work hard to make her idols happy and flip flopping so often has her a little mind melty ☺️

- 💚

I love anzu getting whiny during sex as a contrast to her being usually quiet it’s just so good. mugi definitely seems to be a service dom type if he is domming, just trying to make you feel good. he’d be a bit slow but go on for a while, asking everytime he’s about to do something to make sure. anzu would get impatient and ask him to go faster, but his laughs at her eagerness would make her hotter

and yess I had natsume in mind for her to dom! he keeps teasing her and calling her kitten, I think she deserves a treat in the form of him whimpering below her. and if he gets a sip of his own aphrodisiacs the better.

now together…she’d try too hard round one and whoops, now they’re both just using her tired body as a cocksleeve, even if only natsume’s the one being rough as revenge mugi is just so girthy that she can feel both of their cocks rub against each other. she doesn’t mind how fucked out she’ll be afterwards though

[sunflowers-and-mooncakes]

Begging the enstars anzu fans for help finding an image. It’s a horizontal image with anzu on one side and natsume on the other and they’re looking at each other. It got deleted off my laptop and I’m desperate to find it again.

[cornflakes7]

Enstars characters taking reader onto a simple but sweet cafe date for valentines day (with the song "Praline" by Kashiko as the theme...)

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

Valentine’s 2024

Simple café date with the Ensemble Stars cast (if you couldn’t tell, I incorporated the lyrics of the song into the post)

Characters include everyone x GN Reader (seperate)

notes: hiiii! I wasn’t sure if you really wanted everybody in enstars to be in the same post, but I did what was says dear anon! This format will be a little bit different from my usual but I hope you enjoy

〜 “The way words exchange are still the same”. It’s only you and your date talking away in the comfort of the cozy café. The world felt unmoving and immobile when they hear the sound of your voice and laughter.

→ Ritsu Sakuma, Hiiro Amagi, Mao Isara, Hokuto Hidaka, Shu Itsuki, Eichi Tenshouin, Koga Oogami, Kuro Kiryu, Souma Kanzaki, Adonis Otogari, Tatsumi Kazehaya, Mitsuru Tenma, Anzu

〜 “Getting lost in the BGM in the store”. Your date’s thoughts adrift as they stare at your features lovingly while the music in the café continues to play, as if you two are the two main characters in a movie.

- Nagisa Ran, Nazuna Nito, Izumi Sena, Hinata Aoi, Madara Mikejima, Jun Sazanami, Keito Hasumi, Niki Shiina, Arashi Narukami, Kanata Shinkai, Makoto Yuuki, Yuzuru Fushimi, Seiya Hidaka

～ “Even if hope is thin, I like you still”. Your date being shy but not giving up their chance to hangout with you on Valentine’s day. As awkward as they might act, every little compliment and smile is whole-heartedly genuine.

- Midori Takamine, Hajime Shino, Shinobu Sengoku, Tsukasa Suou, Tomoya Mashiro, Aira Shiratori, Tetora Nagumo, Tsumugi Aoba, Mayoi Ayase, Mika Kagehira, Yuta Aoi

～ “If you give me something sweet again”. Your date treating this date as a chance to keep you company and entertained. Nothing makes them happier than hearing you laugh at their jokes and blush at their antics.

- Rinne Amagi, Sora Harukawa, Natsume Sakasaki, Subaru Akehoshi, Leo Tsukinaga, Hiyori Tomoe, Rei Sakuma, Kohaku Oukawa, Wataru Hibiki, Kaoru Hakaze, Tori Himemiya, Ibara Saegusa, Himeru

[mintys-musings]

Tsumugi Aoba x GN!Producer!Reader - Afterparty

MUGI DAY MUGI DAY MUGI DAY 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 im nothing but a hole for him Anyway- Enjoy Tsumugi Aoba Simp Nation! This is what I’ve brought to the potluck to eat 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 have yall heard that audio of his VA doin some asmr with one of those mics that make it sound like he’s right in your ear and he kisses you and stuff i- *minty has been forcibly removed from this post*

summary: All work and no play makes the two hardest workers at NewDi dull people. Treat yourself a little, why don’t you? tags: mildly drunk sex, top!Tsumugi, bottom!reader, semi-public sex, unprotected sex, lil bit of size kink i think- word count: 1668

NSFW under cut~

You could barely see Tsumugi in the dim light. Every now and then, the flashing lights would shine bright enough from around the wall so you could see his equally sweaty, blushing face. You both had quite a bit to drink already. A celebration for a job well done. 

A successful tour had taken place for NewDi’s biggest stars. You were so proud of everyone who was involved, but you were most proud of the most magical unit of all. The unit you mainly produced for, obviously. Switch did amazing as ever— and after seeing Sora get home safely, you, Natsume, and Tsumugi attended an afterparty with all of the crew. All organized by Anzu and yourself, of course. The perks of the P-Association was having contacts all around that knew where to get whatever the hell was needed for anything. Wild parties included. Natsume was whisked away to god knows where as soon as he stepped in, leaving you and Tsumugi stuck together to drink. And now-

“You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do this.” Tsumugi’s hair stuck to his forehead slightly as he planted open mouthed kisses down your neck. “All those late nights planning in the office-”

He let out a soft groan as you palmed at the bulge in his pants. Shit- He felt big- 

“You should’ve just taken me then.”

Your voice could barely be heard over the music. The thud of the bass could be felt against the wall you were pushed up against. Anyone could come around the corner and spot you two. But the thrill of it all made your blood rush.

He looked at you with that sweet, serene expression of his, pressing two fingers to your lips. “Open for me?” His voice was too kind. You complied right away.

At handshake events, you’d always heard fans gush about his hands. And you never really got why until now—

His fingers pressed against your tongue and you took the liberty of licking and softly suckling on the digits. You stared at him through your eyelashes and you don’t think you’ve ever seen this man so entranced by anything. That includes Natsume’s own magic. He pulled his fingers out of your mouth once they were well coated in spit and leaned in to give you a languid kiss.

Tsumugi’s hand dipped into your trousers and passed the waistband of your underwear— his other hand working to fully take those bits of clothing off.

You moaned into his mouth as you felt his fingers glide over your sex, collecting any fluid that had gathered from the ungodly amount of arousal you were feeling right now. In contrast to the kiss, his hand was relentless, prodding at your hole. His movements had a bit of clumsiness that you would expect of the man, but he knew what to do all the same.

When he pulled back from the kiss, his glasses were askew and you were both panting from all the movement. He looked at you with a kind smile as he pushed one of your legs up by the back of your knee.

Your own hands were fumbling with his belt as he pushed two fingers into you slowly.

“You look so good right now…” He muttered. You almost didn’t hear him over the music.

His tongue glides over your neck, sucking hickeys into your skin with a groan as you finally push down his pants and underwear enough to let his cock spring free.

Both of you worked in tandem to get each other off. Your hand stroked him at the same pace as he was fingering your hole. His tip was leaking bead after bead of precum that you slathered up and down his dick to act as lube as you sped up. 

The way Tsumugi whimpered and moaned right into your ear was addicting. Every now and then he would moan your name and his head would drop to your shoulder. You could feel him twitching and throbbing as he humped eagerly into your hand.

You couldn’t entirely tell if he felt like he prepped you enough, or he was just too horny to make the foreplay last longer. Either way, you whined as his fingers pulled out of you. Tsumugi hoisted you up by the back of your thighs, squeezing your ass and making you wrap your legs around his waist.

“You see that, Producer?” He grinned. His voice was ragged with desire and lust as he prodded the spot just above where the tip of his dick rested against your lower half. “That’s how deep I’ll be inside you~” 

Even now, he maintained his usual mild mannered expression.

“If you want it inside, that is~!”

You looked at him like he was crazy. “Tsumugi… Please.” You begged. “Please please please~”

He chuckled and softly kissed you. “I’m just teasing.”

Both of you let out loud moans that were just barely covered up by the chatter and cheers at the party. Was someone making a toast? Hard to say when you were too busy focusing on the thick cock splitting you in two.

“Such a perfect little hole.” He breathed out. “You’re so tight… You’re practically sucking me in.”

You two were panting like crazy by the time he bottomed out inside you. Your head tipped back to rest against the wall. His hands massaged your thighs to try and get you to relax further. Your warm walls held him snuggly as he slowly pulled out inch by inch, the drag of his cock making you gasp.

Both of you had half a mind to realize a hush fell over the party. Someone was speaking to the crowd. Arashi was thanking everyone for their work, but that didn’t matter too much in your situation. All you knew was that it meant you and Tsumugi had to quiet down.

All too horny, Tsumugi started to shallowly thrust in and out of you. Your mouth was agape in a silent moan as you two stared into each other’s eyes.

“Tsumugi~” You whined softly.

He bit back a groan hearing you sound so sweet for him. His movements sped up just a little. The slow burn of desire is hot inside of him. A shameful thought came to him at that moment as he watched you grip at his shoulders and bite your lip to keep the noises down.

What if someone caught the two of you?

The thought was humiliating, but there was a carnal desire to show you off like this. To let others look, but not touch. To let others see how wonderful you looked under him. Tsumugi was not one for exhibition, but the thought was just so arousing he started to push your buttons to get you louder.

You were being fucked up the wall as Tsumugi’s thrust deep into you. Not at all fast, but good fucking god he was deep inside you. Your eyes rolled upward as you covered your mouth. You didn’t think anyone was close enough to hear, but the sound of his hips rolling into yours as his cock dug into your hole was getting to you.

Arashi’s voice rang over the speakers.

“We aren’t sure where the Deputy Director or Switch’s Producer is at the moment, but without them we wouldn’t have been able to pull off such an amazing-”

You two didn’t care to listen. The moment thanks were wrapped up and the cheering and music started again, Tsumugi’s grip on your thighs tightened.

His dick was practically pistoning in and out of you as you scrambled to hold onto him. You buried your face into the crook of Tsumugi’s neck as he fucked you mercilessly. The music blaring covered both of your noises from everyone except each other. His guttural moans and curses flowed into your ear. Your mind was going numb with how he sounded- how he felt inside of you- nothing else. Just you and Tsumugi.

You moan out his name, tears springing to your eyes with one particularly hard thrust. “Fuck! Tsumugi~!” You practically wailed.

He immediately got the hint and kept at that same pace. The tip of his cock pounded into your walls over and over- Each and every time hitting where you were most sensitive. The feeling was downright euphoric as each thrust earned him a higher pitched moan from you.

Tsumugi leaned in for a brief sloppy kiss before resting his forehead against yours. His eyes stared into yours, full of desire. “You like it when I fuck you like this?”

Your mouth hung open for a few seconds, nothing leaving except moans of pleasure as one of his hands played with your sex. His fingers less clumsy now as every rubbing motion had a purpose to bring you closer and closer to orgasm.

“F-Feels so good, Tsumugi~” It took all your brain power to formulate that sentence.

He felt you tighten up considerably around him and he cursed. Your walls felt so good. So warm… “S-s-sho fucking— Gah~!”

Tsumugi wrapped his arms around your waist. To hell with rhythm— he humped at you like a damn dog as he reached his end. His words were starting to slur from the overwhelming amount of pleasure, but he grunted and mumbled praises in your ear. He told you just how much he wanted this, all the fantasies he’s had about you. He was drooling onto your shoulder as he fucked you like his life depended on it. You were going insane hearing it all, feeling your own climax approaching.

With a whiny moan, he buried himself deep inside you. Hot bursts of cum filled your insides, causing you to orgasm just from the feeling. Your toes curled and you clung to Tsumugi as you tried to calm down. He whispered sweet nothings in your ear to help you, keeping himself inside as he felt himself soften up.

Certainly. This was a great reward for a job well done.

[enchantedmirage]

Tears of Themis x Enstars word vomit, GO.

(more on, what do you wanna say if that ever happens lol)

HI HELLO? This is such a surprising concept since I'm already working on another Enstars AU, but anywho!

The core of Tears of Themis is that it has FOUR love interests, which plays hand in hand with our four agencies, well if that matters since we'll focus more on the personalities.. We'll forgo the dynamics the original four have (like marius being vyn's student, vyn and artem having worked with each other before, luke being part of the group the three are also in)

Now.. speaking of those four though, it's time to draw different parallels with them and a character from Enstars. It'll take a while for me to remember what they're exactly like since it's been about two or so years since I last played it..

Okay, starting off with a guy who works in the same field as you, he is your boss basically and would fuss about you not taking care of yourself- ding ding ding, who do I draw Artem parallel to? Ibara Saegusa.

so THIS stood out "Artem's favorite movie genres are art films and war films." and??? Okay, let's roll from that.

"Put himself to an unimaginable standard" Hmm..

Just a headcanon but they probably enjoy black coffee

Also fun fact he shares a va with Nagisa

(anyway I spent like a good ten minutes scrolling his card gallery)

And then soon after, we're introduced to a childhood friend.. yeah okay.. who works a dangerous job.. mhm.. that's will lie to you for your safety... Mama? Like he wasn't completely Anzu's childhood friend but.

"When he was a child, Luke dreamed of becoming a hero, making a charming appearance in times of need and beating all the bad guys. As he grew up, though, he realized heroes aren't always charming and glamorous and are often a mess instead."

UM?? HELLO???????????? (in shock at this guesstimation)

They're both also really reliable

He shares a VA with Mao!

So then, moving onto Vyn, because my friend's favorite was Vyn and she would always talk to me about how Marius steals her pulls and like?? He's something.. is he a manipulator? Is he a yandere? I don't know but when he said "Destruction precedes creation" it reminded me of the genshin fanart with Albedo as Vyn. ... AND okay, so Albedo, right? He's voiced by Nojima Kenji and the person is DING DING DING, the parallel goes to!

"Vyn is able to face anything with ease and skill, giving those around him a sense of peace, resulting in people involuntarily opening their hearts to display their truest self before him. If one's heart has secrets, they will most definitely be discovered by him."

Natsume, natsume??? I can't think of anyone else who would have this kind of description to fit.

Vyn has a very gentle temperament, but he is not what one may imagine as a weak scholar. He is very reliable in critical moments, and with his ability to maintain a perfect disposition, any weakness he might have is unknown. <- what Natsume wishes he could be/j

Oh, and the two of them have really influential parents, go figure.

However, he is sometimes derisive of common human flaws, such as the tendency to prioritize selfish short-sighted personal gain while still rationalizing those same choices as logical and intelligent <- BAHSHAJKA they're both hypocrites

Yeah okay, so last but not the least! jsldkjfsl this is super funny because Marius shares a va with TSUMUGI, TSUMUGI AOBA!! Him and Luke were my favorites actually, oh look.. me falling for the childhood friend trope and a character with purple eyes.. ah...

"It is difficult to understand this second young master. " <- Okay, Hiyori. I'm calling it now. Rich kid that gets on people's nerves sometimes? Hmmm

Good at art, though the only person that comes to mind is Hajime.. who is the opposite of rich.

YEP HIYORI WE GOOO

So conclusion? Yeahhh, four agencies? Nope, we have two cospro and two newdi idols sjdkfjsklj --- This does make for a good idea though! Thanks for the ask :3

[suiseisyojo]

to belong in a magician's hat.

「sakasaki natsume x akiyama reine // natsurei + platonic wataru」 ↳ commission for @kunehori ! wc: 1,592 a/n: thank you sooo much for commissioning me! kohaku and i thank you dearly♡

They say a single rabbit is a lonely rabbit—that they’re social creatures who thrive in having company. But for Reine, who has always been on her own, she found herself occluding the radiance she didn’t know she had by hiding in the shadows and small, makeshift burrows away from others.

How long has she been doing this?

“Are the lights not fixed yet?” Natsume’s mellifluous words caressed Reine’s ears as he leaned over her petite frame, golden eyes probing the way her fingers moved punctiliously across the control panel.

Shaking her head in disappointment, Reine’s vexation towards herself bypassed the way the tips of her ears brightened up from the propinquity between her and Natsume. “I can’t seem to figure out the timing between the third set and the chorus⋯ No matter how many times I adjust it, it’s always off somehow⋯”

The noise of the booth’s door creaking open resonated within the compact space, galvanizing the pair into leering over at Anzu who had just timorously stepped inside, her voice meek yet filled with benignity as she asked, “Do you two need some help?”

“Ah, Kitten♪” Natsume’s eyes appeared to twinkle as soon as Anzu padded in, those elusive and charming sparkles making Reine’s heart ache. “Little bunny and I are trying to rearrange the lights for Switch’s upcoming Live.”

“I don’t mind taking a look at it,” Anzu proffered her expertise, glancing between Reine and Natsume as they made way for her to examine the panel, “Switch always has elaborate light shows during their performances. It can be pretty tricky.”

The way Natsume and Anzu talked to each other⋯ it was cordial, familiar.

“Thank you; you’re already familiar with how we like them to be. And I want the lights to be perfect, because 「I want my special someone to look at me and fall for me」,” Natsume sent a wink towards Anzu as he beamed.

Reine didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all; and yet, she still wanted to see that twinkle in Natsume’s eyes forever.

“Um⋯ I-I’ll leave you two to it here,” Reine stammered out before she could even make sense of the entanglement of harrow and pain twisting in the pit of her stomach, “I should go check on Sora-kun⋯!”

And before Natsume or Anzu could even bid her goodbye, Reine rushed from the booth—all while ignoring the pair of eyes that followed her figure.

✧.

In the palm of her hands, Reine gaped at the stars scintillating there—wanting to stop them from slipping through her fingers, yet slowly cleaving her hands apart in order to fulfill their true potential.

Ever since she bound herself to a personal contract, Reine had been making subtle (or at least in her eyes) efforts to garner opportunities for Natsume and Anzu to be alone together; or to have them think of the other.

Unfortunately, each attempt, no matter how little, exacerbated the queasiness coating the seams of Reine’s body.

Why did she have to feel so sick all the time? So tired? So exhausted in a way that only leaves her feeling worse?

Asleep in the sunshine, with her silhouette still standing, Reine was incognizant to the boisterous and spirited presence approaching from behind her.

“Ta-da!☆” Copious doves went flying around Reine as Wataru popped up next to her head, cheek almost pressing against hers. He only ascertained she was startled awake when she relinquished a panicked squeak. “Oya? You were asleep, Usagi-chan?”

“Y-Yeah⋯” Reine heaved an anxious exhale as a yawn soon followed, her glossy lips parting cutely.

“No wonder my birdies were reluctant to pop out! My apologies,” Wataru expressed his contrite with a sigh of his own, his hands promptly gripping her waist as he guided her to the nearby benches, “Still, it’s dangerous to sleep in the middle of the walkways!”

That’s when Reine realized her location outside Yumenosaki, small body being nestled down by the ever-eccentric senpai. Even she knew she never would’ve done that normally—falling asleep in the open? Without hiding?—and she had no choice but to blame it on the pulsating pain searing her core.

Was she allowed to feel jealous when she’s the one trying to pair two people up? When she’s the one stabbing herself over and over again?

“I know, I’m sorry,” Reine apologized to Wataru, albeit she could tell her own tone was disheartened and gloomy when she hadn’t meant to sound so execrable.

“You seem trouble, Usagi-chan,” Wataru observed smoothly as he sat himself down beside her, silvery locks descending over his shoulders as his head tilted towards her, “I’m a pretty good listener; I’ll hear what’s plaguing your heart with sadness♪”

Wataru talked even funnier than Natsume, but Reine supposed that’s because he is the one who taught Natsume a lot of his magical tricks. Could she even trust Wataru with her own feelings like this? They hadn’t really interacted much before⋯

“I-I’m not sad,” Reine corrected, strained voice and half-lidded gaze betraying her want to stay calm-and-collected, “I’m disappointed all my efforts aren’t being seen.”

“Your efforts? You aren’t talking about your work as a producer, are you?” Wataru hummed, his shrewdness once again bursting forth like confetti from a true magic show.

“No⋯ I’m talking about Natsume-kun and Anzu-chan,” Reine elucidated, trembling fingers playing with the hem of her skirt as she gathered her hands in her lap, “I’ve been trying to help them get closer, but it just hasn’t been working.”

Reine wanted them to hurry up and realize their feelings so that she can start to stitch together her broken heart; start to pick up the shattered pieces and heal. Because she was in love with Natsume.

“Oh, Usagi-chan, you’re trying to play cupid?” Wataru suspired with sympathy in his words, reaching his hand forward to tilt her head up with his fingers, “It’s not working because you’re pulling the arrow from your own body.”

Perplexity suffused through the aperture leading to her thoughts, and Reine couldn’t fathom the unorthodox articulation. “What do you mean, Wataru-senpai?”

“You’re trying to make the vestiges reach somewhere they were never supposed to be,” Wataru further said, only magnifying her confusion as his finger pokes over her chest, “the magic you’re looking for is already long gone.”

Wataru was definitely an even weirder wizard than Natsume.

✧.

Reine couldn’t understand what Wataru was talking about, the equivocations behind his remarks feeling more akin to a curse than a spell, and she continued to be left alone with her thoughts as she rested her head upon an abundance of towels whilst curling herself into a ball.

Images of Natsume’s enthralling visage coruscated in her head as her eyes fluttered shut, the way he looked at Anzu—the way they talked and laughed together. It hurt.

Natsume was the one who pulled her from burying herself completely, who’s dazzling smile and spells saved her time and time again. And here she was again, trying to conceal herself after all the protests she’s lived through.

Squeezing her eyes shut with more force, as if her negative thoughts impelled her to do so, Reine bawled as the door to her nesting spot was ripped open.

“Found you~♪ You were in here, little bunny,” it was Natsume’s countenance that enveloped her vision as her blue irises blinked rapidly, lashes flitting, “You sure love this broom closet.”

“H-How⋯?” Reine faltered in her words as his appearance before her obfuscated her mind, nearly causing her to blank out, “No, what are you doing⋯ Were you looking for me?”

Crouching down onto his knees, Natsume bowed himself down to her diminutive height as she remained laying on the closet flooring; cleaning towels and rags cushioning her body. “Why did you run away earlier?” he questioned, squinting his eyes to evince an iota of tetchiness.

“Run away?” Reine swallowed thickly, perceiving that faint annoyance in Natsume and wanting to cringe away from it. She knew what he was alluding to, yet she was too bewildered to properly talk with him.

“As if you have any business with Noeri-senpai. You’re so obvious,” Natsume in spite of the festering defeatism felt his lips curving into a unbridled half-grin, “You always have the same excuse when leaving. Are you trying to be subtle?”

“What.”

This conversation was happening too fast for Reine to unravel and register—and yet, Natsume continued.

“So, tell me⋯ what are you doing here instead of by my side?” Natsume asked softly, the melodic power his voice retains gripping her as another frown overturns his mouth. “I have fun playing with Kitten, but I miss you too much to enjoy myself to the fullest.”

They say rabbits can die of loneliness.

Dewy tears coalesced in Reine’s eyes as she fixated on Natsume, the pain that’s been besetting her spilling over in the form of a choked sob, “I’m trying to help you find happiness.”

The stress of losing a beloved companion or partner can be all too much to bear.

“Haah, I already found my happiness,” Natsume reassured her, bringing his hand forward, “I found it in this closet a long time ago.”

It’s time to stop hiding—the brightness she yearned to belong to her is right in front of her. Sliding her hand into Natsume’s, Reine felt herself being pulled from the darkness once again.

Not able to squander another moment, Natsume pressed Reine’s body up against his and brought his lips to her cheeks; kissing away each and every glistening tear.

It’s been inside her all along.

[glumet-shadow]

The castle of sand that was washed away.

-------

The old valkyrie was gone, replaced by a Phoenix rising from its ashes. Its star attraction Nito Nazuna left after a certain incident. Shu was almost broken like the very dolls he so longed to care for. And Mika, well Mika was alright but very torn.

The Emperor as he was called among students was away. Very few remained when the transfer student came. The rift from the war growing ever more, when the revolution started. Then she went missing, noone knew but a certain mirror in Natsume's secret study was the culprit. Whisked away to wonderland, but noone knew. Noone but those residing in this wonderland. But in such a wonderland there had to be rules, if someone was reborn they had to lose their memories, lest they break like a doll. This wonderland was deadly, a god's footsteps resulted in the heartbeat of a demon's heart. In the mirror a soul resides, not one of self loathing but of selflessness.

NEGI, the girl who defied death saw this wonderland, of course she did. She was reborn there, when the pierrot began to play his flute upon the night of a full moon. But she didn't lose any memories. Leading her down a dark path, when she saw Anzu, the transfer student, her heart pumped again. Out of loathing, she was here with no memories. She looked up to the moon, and felt peace. As if someone said 'she is needed' to NEGI. NEGI led Anzu to the palace within the wonderland. There stood seven thrones. The far right had a man holding a doll, the man looked like Shu, a man anzu had known previously. Shu stepped down and greeted her with fondness, but Anzu didn't remember him. Of course, the rules of the world were quite limiting. But not to the gods of the world. 'Eden' as they called themselves ruled this wonderland. They made the rules.

A man behind the thrones walked forward, he looked almost undead. Like a vampire... Anzu felt uneasy and began to back away in fear. All she could hear was someone calling out to her, shaking her to wake up.

Then it went black, Anzu saw Shu and Mika above her. Nazuna stood in the corner, it was all a dream. But it felt real.. And NEGI was with them. Natsume grinned in the corner, so one of his mirrors was really magic. He just had to wonder, what other mirrors that he had held secrets.

-------

Okay what do you all think of this little prolouge to enstars x twst? I came up with this kinda on the spot. Do you guys want me to delve into this mirror story more or go to the next one? Answer in the comments if you want have input.

[enidzzyx]

【Ensemble Stars x The Sims 4】

Taking photos of Enstars characters with some CC I made recently🥰.

The hairs of Natsume and Anzu can be downloaded here and some of other cc I made will be released soon.

Besides, this is the list of cc created by other creators I use in the pictures.

Shu Hair | Natsume Winter Coat | Anzu Suit Pants | Anzu Shoes

[yumejo]

self-indulgent natsume x reine // natsurei. with little context as always. @shinmon-c

Rapping her knuckles against the glass pane, Anzu quietly stepped back and waited as Tsumugi skittered up to the sliding doors to pry them open. “Ah, Anzu-chan,” he cordially greeted her, albeit he was staggered to scrutinize her standing before him, “We haven’t seen you come by Switch’s room since we had Reine-chan step-up as our producer.”

“I’m sorry for dropping by so suddenly,” Anzu apologized sincerely, bowing her head slightly before continuing, “I got permission to inquire about borrowing a member to collaborate with 2Wink’s upcoming kindergarten performance.”

“That’s fine. I’m quite busy myself, but⋯” Tsumugi commented as he trailed off, pivoting on his heel, “Reine-chan, are either Sora-kun or Natsume-kun available by chance?”

The aforementioned producer leered up from their notebook after etching down a few cursory notes. “The weird wizard is. Why?” Reine questioned, incapable of discerning Anzu behind Tsumugi due to his imposing silhouette.

“Anzu-chan is here and she wants to find someone for an upcoming performance,” Tsumugi elucidated, “Can you ask if he’ll do it?”

With a heap of exaggeration, Reine answered, “You got it!”

——Ambling into one of Natsume’s various secret rooms, Reine descried him with his idiosyncratic potion brewing vocation in full-effect. “Natsume-kun, Anzu-chan is here,” Reine began slowly, snatching up a remiss rag to seize the vial out of his (uncovered) hands, “and she wants to know if you’ll help 2Wink with a collab.”

“Hmm,” Natsume practically purred in thought, adding on, “Only if you come with me. I won’t go otherwise.”

“Why do you want me to come with you?” Reine asked curiously, furrowing their brows together—Anzu was more than capable to look after him, he didn’t need them to come along.

Swiftly, Natsume grabbed their wrist and tugged them down so that their face was level with his. He watched as their cheeks blossomed with heat and embarrassment, and felt sated just by the sight alone. “Because you’re my love—producer, are you not?”

Heaving a sigh, Reine avoided his gaze in hopes to occlude him from further descrying how happy they were. “⋯ I’m sure Anzu-chan won’t mind if I do,” Reine relented rather easily, their abashed nature deluging them.

And without warning, Natsume chastely kissed their lips.

——Both Reine and Natsume sauntered to the assented meeting point. Their expressions easygoing and lighthearted. Anzu and Tsumugi exchanged amiable goodbyes, with the girl expressing her gratitude for letting her steal two precious Switch members, before the newfound trio began walking to discuss the plans.

“It’s nice that Reine-san is coming along, too,” Anzu mentioned softly, “I’m sure Natsume-kun wouldn’t want to be apart from Reine-san for too long either, hehe.”

“That’s right~ If I leave my little bunny all alone, I’m sure someone would try to gobble them up for themselves,” Natsume proclaimed airily, yet with an unfathomable weight.

Anzu chortled with mirth underlining her tone, leaving Reine obfuscated. “You’re so protective over them, Natsume-kun.”

“They attract trouble, after all♪”

Reine, completely left behind in the conversation, simply gaped incredulously as the two of them enthused about them fervently.

[metalandmagi]

The Real Anime Awards of 2022 part 2

A few weeks ago, I made my own joke categories for what I consider the real 2022 Anime Awards (The Real Anime Awards of 2022 part 1), but I also wanted to put the memes aside and make my real list of nominees for the real categories that Crunchyroll usually does (minus best director, best film, and best fight scene). I did it last year too, and it was a lot of fun trying to think of a varied list. So here are my picks!

Best boy

Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Yuu Izumi (Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie)

Wakana Gojo (My Dress Up Darling)

Matsuboshi Raidou (Aharen is Indecipherable)

Milo Nekoyanagi (Sabikui Bisco)

Yoshikazu Miyano (Sasaki to Miyano)

Best girl (as per tradition, there are more than 6 nominees, because they’re all best girl to me)

Marin Kitagawa (My Dress Up Darling)

Aoi Amawashi (Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story)

Eiko (Ya Boy Kong Ming)

Yor Briar (Spy x Family)

Desumi Magahara (Love After World Domination)

Ranko Mannen (Akiba Maid War)

Lum (Urusei Yatsura)

Nazuna Nanakusa (Call Of The Night)

Best protagonist

Eve (Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story)

Kong Ming (Ya Boy Kongming)

Mai Kawai (Police in a Pod)

Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

Anzu Hoshino (Romantic Killer)

Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100 season 3)

Best Antagonist

Enrico Pucci (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean)

Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan the Final Season part 2)

Daki and Gyuutaro (Demon Slayer Entertainment District arc)

Mami (Rent A Girlfriend Season 2)

Faputa (Made In Abyss season 2)

Riri (at least until the last two episodes) (Romantic Killer)

Best Animation

Demon Slayer-Entertainment district arc

Akebi’s Sailor Uniform

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Chainsaw Man

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Honorable mention: Fuuto Tantei

Best Score

Spy x Family

Made In Abyss season 2

Call of the Night

Chainsaw Man

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Honorable mention: To Your Eternity season 2

Best Character Design

Yurei Deco

Yojouhan Time Machine Blues

King’s Ranking cour 2

Do It Yourself

Golden Kamuy season 4

Made In Abyss season 2

Honorable mention: Mob Psycho season 3

Best VA Performance English (Sorry, I don’t watch many dubs)

Elizabeth Maxwell as Barbara and Barbie (Shadows House season 2)

Christopher Wehkamp as Nyanko Sensei (Natsume’s Book of Friends. They started dubbing it this year, so it counts!)

Megan Shipman as Ayna (Spy x Family)

Johnny Yong Bosch as Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War)

Courtney Lin as Riri (Romantic Killer)

Mick Laur as Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Best VA Performance Japanese

Tanezaki, Atsumi as Anya (Spy x Family)

Imai, Fumiya as Yuuya Niyodo (Phantom of the Idol)

Kuno, Misaki as Faputa (Made In Abyss season 2)

Satou, Rina as Ranko (Akiba Maid War)

Koyasu, Takahito as Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Hikasa, Youko as Hizuru (Summertime Rendering)

Best OP (No the Chainsaw Man op isn’t in here, I literally made a separate category for it on my meme awards)

Spy x Family OP 1 (“Mixed Nuts”-HIGE DANdism)

Ya Boy Kongming (“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”-Queendom)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean (part 2) (“Stone Ocean”-Ichigo)

Akiba Maid War (“Maid Daikaiten”- Ton Tokoton Staff)

Call of the Night (“Daten”-Creepy Nuts)

Mob Psycho 100 season 3 (“1”-Mob Choir)

Honorable mention: Yurei Deco (“1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 LOVE”-clammbon)

Best Ed

Spy x Family ED 2 (“Shikisai”-Yama)

I’m the Villainess So I’m Taming The Final Boss (”Nomick”- ACCAMER)

Kaguya-Sama Love is War season 3 (not the special ending, the regular one, though the special ending is good too)

Mob Psycho 100 season 3 (”Cobalt”- Mob Choir)

Shadows House season 2 (“Masquerade”-Claris)

Chainsaw Man (I mean come on, how is this fair? What are you trying to prove by making 12 different endings? You’ve got to be kidding me!)

Honorable mention: Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 (“Koshaberi Biyori”-FantasticYouth) (no I'm not kidding, this ending fascinates me. I can find something new to focus on every time I watch it.)

Best Comedy

Aharen is Indecipherable 

Police in a Pod

Spy x Family

Romantic Killer

Bocchi The Rock

Play It Cool Guys!

Honorable mention: Isekai Ojisan

Best Romance

Sasaki to Miyano

Love After World Domination

Kaguya-sama Love Is War season 3

My Dress Up Darling

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie

When Will Ayamu Make His Move?

Best Drama

Dance Dance Danseur (it might technically be a sports anime, but it certainly felt like a drama in the second half)

Attack on Titan the Final Season part 2

Summertime Rendering

Shadows House season 2

Made in Abyss season 2

Akiba Maid War

Honorable mention: Golden Kamuy season 4 (I don’t care if it had to go on hiatus, it deserves to be recognized)

Best Action (I usually judge this category based on how good the action in the show is, rather than the show as a whole)

Demon Slayer Entertainment District arc

Lycoris Recoil

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Chainsaw Man

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 

Best Fantasy

King’s Ranking cour 2

Shadows House season 2

Sabikui Bisco

Made In Abyss season 2

Vanitas no Carte season 2

To Your Eternity season 2

Honorable mention: Kokyu no Karasu (Raven of the Inner Palace)

Anime of the Year

Spy x Family

Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc

Summertime Rendering

Chainsaw Man

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Made In Abyss season 2

Honorable mention: Akiba Maid War (yes unironically)

But who cares what I think? What would you guys pick? Let’s see how much I match up with Crunchyroll!

[shadow-operetta]

<<Chapter 4 || Masterlist || Chapter 6>>

Chapter 5: a magician's watchful gaze

[ name ] was a familiar name to Natsume's ears. While he does not personally know them, he and the others have heard the name come out from Rei's lips far too many times. Once he realized that Rei was utterly smitten, he started to observe [ name ] from a distance. (No, it is not stalking. Shut up. He's just looking out for Rei, okay?)

From what he saw, [ name ] [ last name ] was just a normal person. A rarity in their school that were full of... unique individuals. They were a hard worker, a bit awkward and clumsy, only kept a few friends close - he will commend them for that - they had no weird or suspicious connections, and didn't interact with anyone troublesome. Overall, they were just average. And that's a good thing.

But one can only know so much by observing. Once Rei made it known that he finally started dating them, Natsume set the bait. He suggested the lunch time meeting and the others agreed. His friends were just genuinely curious, he's sure. Rei finally asked out the person he was pining for. Who wouldn't be? It was just him with a different agenda. From the look Rei had given him, he knew what Natsume was thinking.

[ name ] seemed nice. Friendly and genuinely making an effort to get to know him and the others. As time passed, a sense of relief, and perhaps a bit of desperation washed over him. He's sincerely praying that [ name ] really is the genuine person they are presenting themself as. (N̴͕̥̄͛ͅõ̸͕͇͔t̸̡̪̲̜̅̐̒̀ ̵̡̛͙̖̯l̴͔̮͓̃̏̈́͝ĩ̵̯͚̮͇k̴̲̯̼̏͆̍̎ę̵̠̥͐ ̴̨̠̍t̶̨̬̰̗̎̉̿h̷̨̙͔̒͒̕ä̴̩̲́̀͜t̶̡̮̭͐͠ ̸̧̙̝̜̉p̴̳̄̇e̶̛̯̊̏r̵͙͖̝͛̊͑̊ș̵̫͊̎̕͝o̸͙̓̌n̵͎̔͜.̵̢̺̫͂ ̸̨̦͖̈́͘P̵̦̆͋̐ͅl̵̬̰̐̕͝ͅȩ̷̜́ͅǎ̸̫̥͇̓s̷̬̠̻̙͗̾ê̸̞̽ ̶̭̊͂̽̀d̷̙̳̓͝ǫ̷̣̼̱̑̈́n̴̜͈̫̉'̸͓̜̔ͅt̸̰̭̱̃ ̸̘̿̿̽b̴̺͛͘̚͝e̸̲̔̇͌ ̵̪̬̱͛̃l̷͖̱͔͕͛͂̓̔i̶̧̨̫̚͝ḳ̸̠̝̒̎͘͜e̸̡͈͊̐ ̶̛͇̣̙̯͒́̃t̶̨͙̎h̵̲̩́͛̀ą̶̗̘̼͊͑͆t̶͙͕̮̖̐́ ̷̡̲̩͑̈́̚p̵̹͑̌̐͗ė̷̺̣̿͐r̶͙̦͙̮̽̐s̸͚̀̈͜͝o̸̼̎͜ņ̷̙̣͚̓͘.̸̦̑ ̶̡́͗̈̆R̴̫͈͈͋e̵̫̺͊͐́ͅi̶͎̩͗͛̐ ̷͇̈́d̴̗̞̟̍͝i̷̻͂̔̄̾d̶̙͎̥͔̑́ņ̶̖̿͗'̷͈̥̿t̷̩̥̪̎̈́͒ ̸̡͍͘d̶̺͋̿̾e̴̡͚̩͆ś̴͍̿ͅe̴͖͂ͅr̷̩̈́̓v̵̳̈́ę̷̠͉̪̒ ̵̡̤̯̆͝t̷̥́̂h̵̼̩̣͓̑̚a̸̬͖̒̾̃t̵̞̥͆̀̉.̵̢̘̓̋̕ ̸͉́͝H̸̩̲̫͇̎ȅ̴̱ ̶̨͕̥͖́d̸͕̮̲́̔͜͠ḯ̷̳͙d̴̻̳̗̆̈n̸̺̞͚̆͗'̶͙̥̟͒t̵̗̒̂.̸̬̮̲̈́̈́ ̸͉͚̫̖͋̒͝͝H̴̙̟͆e̴̫̮͊ͅ ̴͕͌d̸̡̲͉̣̆̅i̷̞̟̻͌d̴̙͐̊̆ṅ̴͔͖̾̋̀'̷̦͑̕t̵̞́̈!̴̡̣̲̻͂̽̄͘)

"Do you like Rei nii-SAN?"

[ name ]'s words cut off as Natsume blurted out the unexpected question. He didn't even know what they were talking about at first. His mind wandered before he realized it.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't be dating him otherwise." [ name ] chuckled before going back to their task. The liquid in the flask was turning pink under their constant stirring.

"What do you like about HIM?"

[ name ] hums in thought before giving him a sheepish smile.

"I can't really explain it well... but when I'm around him, I just get this really soft and fluttery feeling in my chest. From the times I spent with him in the past, I realized that Rei is... a very nice person. He's warm and very sweet. I thought he would make a good friend. Until I went 'oh, I like him.' I panicked and hid my feelings away since..." [ name ] gestured awkwardly with a wave of their hand, "He's an idol. He probably wouldn't like me that way and it would make things awkward. So when he confessed to me, I blurted out yes without thinking."

"...I SEE. You are corRECT. He is a very warm person inDEED." Too nice. Too kind. To the point it ended up breaking him in the past. Natsume recalls Rei crumbling to pieces and hopes that it will never happen again.

'If it is this person, then maybe I can relax. Don't disappoint me, [ name ].'

The young man sighs and finally lets himself smile. [ name ] observes him with curiosity and wonders what was going through his mind.

"Take care of him, please. We all wish him the best."

[ name ] grins and somehow, Natsume found himself reassured again.

"Of course!"

[sakumasmut]

Dogboy!Subaru x Afab!Catboy!Natsume

this has been in the works for a bit, and I finally beat the (summer) heat to finish it up! hope people enjoy!

tags: animal hybrids, heat, knotting, knot fucking, breeding, marathon sex, vaginal sex

ao3

In the middle of a weekday when all the idols at the dorms should’ve been busy with work, Natsume was curled up in a ball underneath his blanket, sulking to himself as his fingers idly traced the folds between his legs. The agitation that he had been feeling the entire day refused to leave him, much like the uncomfortable warmth eating up his feline body. His long, red tail flicked back and forth in the air, just as restless as its owner.

It wasn’t like he hated his body, but by god did this stupid heat cycle make him want to turn into some spirit and leave his physical form for as long as this lasted. Not being able to work when his schedule was already so packed was just another annoyance. He would’ve preferred to not tell anyone that he was in heat, but it was necessary to notify Switch and Anzu about his absence from unit work, as well as Nito so that the rabbit could sleep elsewhere for the week.

His phone screen constantly lit up with notifications of unread messages, likely from his Nii-sans or unitmates. He was in no mood to read any of them though, already knowing that they’d be filled with pity and sorrys that wouldn’t actually help with his current state. They were all well-meant and concerned of course, but Natsume was stubborn, and insisted he was fine. Most of all though, he wanted to ignore the messages asking him why he hadn’t called his boyfriend over to help. It wasn’t like he was entirely against the idea, it was just…embarrassing to be seen in such a vulnerable state. Besides that, Subaru was even busier than him since Trickstar only continued to skyrocket in popularity. One idol being out of commission was already a hassle, he’d hate to make it two.

So that’s how he stayed, trapped in his dorm of his own volition, only getting up to eat and take cold showers when he hadn’t exerted the rest of his energy fucking himself on his fingers. The mess he was making put the crumpled sheet music Leo left around the room to shame, low grunts coming out of him as he tried to push a finger that was already knuckle-deep further inside his throbbing heat, as if it would make him any less unsatisfied. A knock on the door caught his attention, sharp ears perking up at the sound. It made him grumble and pull his hand away, but any sort of distraction would be nice since touching himself wasn’t getting anywhere.

“Natsumeee, it’s me! Can you let me in?”

He froze at the sound of the cheery voice, recognizable even past the door.

“Little yellow told me to come check up on you. He said your color was super pink? Something like that.”

Natsume didn’t respond. He couldn’t be mad at Sora for wanting to help, but sending Subaru of all people? And now of all times?

“Natsume, can you hear me?”

“Baru, go aWAY.” His voice came out more hoarse than intimidating, and a whole door separating them probably didn’t help.

“Ah, so you are awake! That’s good!”

You shouldn’t be herE.”

“Why not?”

Another series of knocks resounded from the door, and Natsume glared at it.

“LeavE, noW!”

“Hey, what’s wrong? Do you need help?”

The last thing he wanted was for anyone to see him in this sorry state, but Natsume wasn’t ready to admit that he could easily imagine Subaru’s fingers fucking him in place of his own inadequate ones, fantasizing about spreading his legs and seeing that cheeky smile of his before being devoured. The mere thought of it, as much as he denied wanting it, betrayed himself as it doubled down on flooding his body with pheromones. He buried his face into a pillow to stifle a moan, trying to pretend the solution to his problems wasn’t offering himself on a silver platter a wall away.

“Natsume, don’t ignore me! I’m gonna stay outside until you open the door!”

Ugh, he hated that Subaru was almost as stubborn as he was. His cunt ached with want, clenching onto nothing as he rubbed his thighs together. Natsume shut his eyes to try and go back to relieving the searing heat rolling over him, but Subaru’s voice kept echoing in his head. No matter how much he touched himself, not even the biggest toys would satisfy his heat—nothing would besides a certain someone taking his fertile body and filling it to carry what it was meant to.

…Would letting him in really be that bad?

In the lustful haze that was already clouding his mind, his legs finally found the motivation to stand up, albeit shakily. Natsume wrapped himself in the blanket he had tangled himself in and walked to the door, the voice in his head arguing to itself that this was either a very good or very bad idea as he unlocked it. He opened it a crack and saw a bushy ginger tail wagging back and forth in the air, its owner just slightly out of frame. He sighed, then pushed the door open a bit more.

“Hurry iN.”

Subaru squeezed through the gap, and the light from the hallway was shut out just as quickly as it was let in, the lock pushed in place not long after. His fluffy ears were raised and attentive, pupils dilating when he sniffed the air filled to the brim with pheromones, all radiating from the redhead.

“Natsume…” Subaru leaned in closer, sniffing his neck and nuzzling his nose against his nape. Natsume felt arms wrap around him as he was pulled into a hug, and a purr vibrated in his throat the moment the comforting warmth hit him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re in heat?” Subaru asked softly, clinging onto him so gently that Natsume felt like he could collapse into them. He didn’t say any of that though, he simply looked away.

“Why did you comE?”

“I told you, little yellow said your color was weird. Hibiki-senpai told me I should check up on you too.”

Of course his Master was involved somehow, he always had a part to play. Sora was perceptive, but it seemed obvious now that the older of Sora’s roommates lended a hand in suggesting this amazing idea.

“I told those guys I was finE…” Natsume groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“They just want to make sure you’re okay, and I do too!” Subaru pulled away from the hug to look him up and down.

“When did it start? Did you know it was coming? You’ve been eating, right? It’s no good if you’re skipping meals!”

“Can you shut up for one seCOND?” Natsume snapped. “Stop asking me dumb quesTIONS, I can take care of mySELF.”

“I don’t want you to do this alone, though.” Subaru frowned. “I know what it’s like; it’s not fun to deal with by yourself. I want to help, if you’ll let me.”

Natsume suddenly felt much more self conscious under his serious gaze, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

“WelL, you’re already herE, so…”

“Is that a yes?”

“Ugh, kind oF. But first off alL—“ Natsume jabbed a finger into his chest, glaring, “no doing anything unless I say you caN. I’m in chargE.”

Subaru perked back up instantly and nodded his head, the furious wagging of his tail giving away much of his excitement. Natsume could still feel his gaze eating him up, like he was already claimed just by being seen in such a vulnerable state.

“Take your clothes ofF.”

Subaru followed his instructions eagerly, and Natsume watched as he tossed his shirt and pants aside, paying extra attention to the semi-hard cock that revealed itself once his boxers were removed too. He felt the coil in his stomach tighten just thinking of where that length would be in a few minutes, wondering if it would be a snug fit or if he would be stretched out past his limits…he really shouldn’t be this excited, but his body couldn’t help itself.

“Get on the beD.”

Subaru laid on his back, erection slightly raised in the air as Natsume hovered above him. Natsume shed the blanket that had been covering his naked form and tossed it into a crumpled heap on the side of the bed, his feline features now on full display. Even from below, Subaru could clearly see Natsume’s pointed red ears, white fluff lining the insides. He licked his lips while his long tail flicked back and forth, showing how eager he was to sink onto dog dick. Claws on Subaru’s chest, Natsume placed his legs on either side of his hips and slowly lowered himself onto Subaru, the tip of his cock catching between his already wet folds.

Natsume bit his lip to prevent the whimper that wanted to come out. He could feel the heat radiating just from the tip, but he was determined to take his time, not to seem too needy. He grinded his wet cunt carefully against the tip of Subaru’s dick, the head just barely allowed past his folds. The feeling of another person against him already exceeded his previous attempts of fingering himself, though it was mostly due to how excited Natsume was. It would be so easy to sink his entire weight down, to just give its body what it wanted…

Below him, Subaru was gripping the mattress, clearly wanting to place his hands elsewhere, but obeying the command he was given to let Natsume stay in charge, at least for now. The teasing was getting to be too much for both of them, neither one satisfied with just brushing their intimates against each other. It was only a matter of time before one of them snapped, and unsurprisingly, Natsume’s heat got the better of him. After a few minutes of testing their patient, he lifted his hips up high before he let himself sink right onto Subaru’s length, filling himself up in one smooth movement. The stretch felt so good, he barely felt any pain just from how the pleasure overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth and let out a silent moan as Subaru groaned, the tight clamp of his partner’s walls around his cock exactly what he wanted.

“So warm.” He murmured, looking at Natsume squirm as he adjusted to the intrusion before beginning to move again. It was so cute how out of breath Natsume was already. All he was doing was lifting his hips up and down, yet he was already making so much noise from the exertion and pleasure. Subaru couldn’t get enough.

The concentration on Natsume’s face faded into bliss as his movements became more sloppy, tiny whimpers coming from his mouth as he continued to bounce on Subaru’s length.

“H-Hah~ngh—C-ClosE!” Natsume moaned, claws digging into Subaru’s chest. Maybe it’d hurt later, but in the moment it just added to the pleasure.

“Don’t hold yourself back.” Subaru groaned, thrusting upwards. “Cum on my cock.”

Natsume leaned forward, gripping Subaru’s shoulders tightly as he cried out and did just that, walls squeezing the length buried inside him. Subaru placed his hands on his hips, keeping his partner steady while rocking into him, letting Natsume ride out his orgasm. He panted softly as he came down from his high, eyes shut and sweat decorating his eyebrows. Subaru could feel the hot exhales coming from Natsume’s open mouth, the flushed skin of his neck just begging to be marked up.

Subaru felt his erection throb inside of the warmth that still enveloped it. He wasn’t going to just stop when he was halfway there, was he? In that moment, Subaru’s instincts stirred him into action. Natsume was recovering from his high one second, and the next he found himself pressed against the mattress, hungry blue eyes staring down at him.

“H-Hey, what are you—“

He was cut off by the slamming of hips against his own, the new angle blowing his eyes wide and making him cry out. Subaru pressed his legs up against the bed with his hands, spread as far as they could go.

“I haven’t knotted you yet.” He growled, the sound that came out of his mouth more animalistic than human in nature. He began to rut into Natsume at a much faster pace than the boy was ready for, newfound vigor in his veins.

“W-Wait, Baru—ah!” He whined, feeling each stroke of the thick cock pushing inside him, especially sensitive after his orgasm.

Each thrust stole the air out of his lungs, Natsume letting out small gasps each time Subaru’s cock pressed against his cervix. Subaru leaned over him in a way that brought Natsume face to face with his intense eyes, pupils dilated like a predator towards its prey. Natsume’s sharp claws dragged down the skin of Subaru’s back, digging deep into flesh, but the pain didn’t deter Subaru from slowing down at all, even amplifying the pleasure. It was clear that he wasn’t going to stop. Natsume hated not being the one in control, being treated like a fleshlight as he was split apart, but it turned him on all the same.

It wasn’t long before Subaru could no longer smoothly hilt his entire length inside Natsume’s soaked cunt, the clear cause being the large bulge forming at its base. Natsume didn’t have time to react before Subaru pried the claws out of his back to flip Natsume onto all fours, manhandled into position before Subaru mounted him and continued the rough slapping of skin against skin. The more weight that was pressed against Natsume, the more the gap between his legs widened, the perfect position for taking a knot. Natsume whined louder and louder, claws dragging against the sheets and ripping through the threads.

“Baru, hah, n-not inside, it won’t fit!”

“It will,” Subaru growled, “you’re such a good kitty for me after all.”

He grinded his knot against the entrance to his swollen cunt, getting louder whines in response. Natsume sobbed, the inside of his folds already feeling so raw. Cats weren’t made to take knots, after all. And yet the thought of being torn apart, pushing his physical limits just to make it fit, to make sure all his mate’s cum stayed nice and warm inside him…

“Gonna knot you so good.” Subaru panted. “Gonna make sure it all takes. How many puppies are you gonna have after tonight? Three? Four?”

Natsume didn’t answer, or rather he couldn’t, eyes rolling back and moaning when Subaru pushed himself in deeper. His slicked up hole was ruined, folds puffy and red from all the friction and excess fluids oozing slowly from the small gap that Subaru’s cock didn’t fill. Though even that wouldn’t last for long as the base grew wider, his knot swelling rapidly to plug up all the seed that was going to gush out once it was locked in place.

“I-I can’t take it—just push it in already! Please~”

His initial hesitation had been fucked out of him, or maybe he was just so overwhelmed with desire that he needed it all to come to a halt, no matter the method. Subaru’s knot was fully swelled up now, all he had to do was push it past the folds that were blocking his access. His growling grew louder, and Natsume’s clawing more desperate, tearing up the sheets.

“Baru! Baru, please!”

“Natsume, Natsume…” Subaru kept groaning his name, until finally he popped his bulbous knot inside and came with a howl.

Natsume’s body shook as he cried out, his own orgasm following Subaru’s closely. His walls clamped onto the girthy knot that was forced inside, ensuring that it wouldn’t go anywhere. With his hips lifted up, all the cum Subaru pumped into him flowed straight into his core, a warm feeling gathering above his crotch.

Even after all of that effort to make his knot fit, Subaru didn’t stop thrusting. At first it was to make sure his cum went as deep as possible, but afterwards he couldn’t stop moving his hips back and forth. Subaru’s thrusts were shallow due to the knot obstructing his movement, but he greedily kept tugging it against his partner’s overly sensitive cunt, like he was trying to force it back out. Natsume kept whimpering with each tug against his tender walls, but no matter how much Subaru pulled, he cock stayed where it belonged, knot and all.

“Baru, don’t pull out…I need you inside…”

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Subaru murmured, tongue tracing the skin of his mate’s neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He tugged his hips backwards while holding Natsume’s in place, forcing his knot out just slightly. Natsume mewled as the knot stayed partially inside him, stretching his outer folds to accommodate the girthiest part of it, before it slipped back inside him, for what was the umpteenth time today. Subaru kept using his knot to fuck Natsume wide open, the pain and pleasure of the large knot pushing itself in and out making him cry out sweetly. Subaru was sure it wasn’t going to deflate, not when a cute kitten in heat was mewling for it over and over again.

There were barely any breaks between Subaru’s knot locking them together while pumping another warm load into him, and then climbing back onto all fours to do it all over again. It felt like Subaru’s knot never deflated, never leaving his sore cunt empty for more than a few seconds. Natsume wasn’t sure how long they were at it, nor how many times he had cum by the time the piston that was Subaru’s hips finally stilled inside him, but when he finally did tire himself out, Natsume didn’t have the energy to move nor support his own weight, his entire body pressed against Subaru’s.

Natsume buried his face into his partner’s neck as satisfied purring came from his throat, hips pressed flush against each other thanks to the legs he had wrapped around his waist. His sharp claws were still on Subaru’s back like a scratching post, but the dogboy didn’t seem to mind, lapping at Natsume’s cheek as his knot pulsed inside the other. One hand held Natsume’s waist steady while the other pet his fluffy ears, stroking them as Natsume grumbled to himself, pink and embarrassed now that his hormones had calmed down.

“Good kitty.” Subaru peppered him with a mix of kisses and licks. “You’re gonna have such a big litter for me, aren’t you? With how well you take my knot, you’ll have no problem pushing them out~”

“Stop talking about kidS.” Natsume glared, though it didn’t have much of an effect when he was still cuddled up to Subaru’s chest for warmth. “If this stupid dick of yours wasn’t stuck inside mE, I’d be taking plan B by noW.”

“Eh? Weren’t you begging for my stupid dick just a few hours ago?”

“Can you shut uP? I’m too tired for thiS.”

Natsume let out a yawn, curling himself up further against his warm chest. Subaru chuckled, but a yawn left his mouth right after.

“I guess we did tire ourselves out.”

“Mm, I need to take a resT…”

Subaru nodded and leaned towards the pillows so that they fell on their sides, still embracing each other tightly. The area below Natsume’s stomach felt bloated, and Subaru almost started salivating while imagining how much bigger it’d appear sometime in the future, once the litter growing inside his mate began to make his hips widen and belly grow. For now though, it was just filled with his seed, locked inside until the morning came. Gentle snores from Natsume resting his head on his shoulder lulled Subaru to sleep, his body powering off near instantly from the exhaustion of a good mating session.

The thing with hybrids though, is that even a whole night of mating won’t cut it.

Natsume was still sleeping when Subaru woke up, mouth opening wide for a loud yawn. He nuzzled against Natsume’s neck happily, taking in his mate’s scent and licking him as his tail wagged. Natsume stirred, but didn’t wake up just yet. It made sense, Natsume probably went way over his body’s limit last night at no fault of his own.

Subaru looked down at where they were joint, his cock still partly nestled in the warmth of his folds, though with his knot deflated and no longer keeping his cum in place, most of it had leaked out overnight. Just thinking about the night before got him excited again. He moved the hands that were encircling Natsume’s back down to his hips, keeping them steady as he rocked his cock in and out with shallow thrusts, feeling himself get hard with each passing second. By this time now, Natsume was unable to stay in slumber, and he woke up to an ache all over his lower body.

“Ngh, Baru..” Natsume let out a mix between a yawn and a moan. “I can’t feel my legs..”

“But you can still feel me, right?” He murmured, quickening his pace now that his mate was awake. “I’m not done yet, far from it.”

“Ngh.” He whined as he gripped Subaru's shoulders, eyes blinking awake. “Hah, wait—“

Soft cries of pleasure filled the air once more, their lovemaking far from done.