theficklemuses - Tumblr blog

[theficklemuses]

@fus-ro-nah may this short soft snippet bring you some joy~~

Eskel/OC, hurt/comfort, Sho is Sick and doesn’t feel well and gets cuddles

–

It had been quite a long while since Shokashi had felt quite so icky. His body ached, his eyes refused to open despite the beautiful and warm sunshine that shone through the spaces in his blinds. Instead of shushing his alarm and stretching and getting up like normal he just groaned, face still pushed into his pillow, blindly patting around to find his phone and discovering it had fallen off the bed in his slumber.

Wow but it took a lot of energy to find it. He ended up having to lift his head up and whimpered at the sudden pounding that came from the movement, the pressure just right inside his forehead, hot and constant and throbbing. In the end he found the phone cord and tried to pull his phone up, the soft chimes and piano that usually helped him greet the day happily just making his eyes tear up because he wanted to sleep.

Maybe he didn’t want to sleep exactly, but he certainly didn’t want to be awake. Not when existing felt like this. 

After his phone charger just unplugged from his phone and he had to lay half off the bed, trying his best to find his phone without getting up, Shokashi decided this day was very very much not for him. But he at last got his phone and turned off the alarm - not even hitting snooze, just turning it off all-together - and promptly pressed his face right back into his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut tight and hoping to drown out the light that he usually loved to bask in.

His face was still squished into the fluffy pillow, another pressed on top of his head and held down with both of his hands, when his phone went off yet again. It hadn’t felt like more than three minutes since his alarm went off and Shokashi felt like crying that he wasn’t allowed to rest (though he knew he was just being a bit of a baby about it; he’d never been able to handle any sort of pain). But it wasn’t an alarm this time, it was the distinct, not soft chimes or piano sound that told him he was getting a phone call.

Peeking out from his shelter of pillows, he just pouted pitifully at his phone for a few seconds, wondering if he could really handle answering it. At least his throat didn’t feel sore so he should be able to talk - if, and only if, he could gather up the energy to answer his phone to begin with.

And that took almost every single ounce of his energy to do, but he did it. He was rather weakly proud of himself for that.

“Hello?” Not even having bothered to look at who was calling him, or, rather, not having the energy to, Shokashi had just fetched his phone and brought it back to his pillow shelter, hiding from the sunlight yet again as he did.

“I’m, er…guessing you’re not coming in today?”

The voice sounded familiar, but Shokashi was really really bad at putting faces to names over the phone. He had to take the phone away from where it was pressed to his ear, squinting at the screen and feeling his head throb at the soft light coming from it.

Oh. Oh.

“I’m sorry!” He winced at his own voice, squeaking as it was, and scrambled to get out of bed. But as soon as his feet touched the ground his whole body very much said no, his butt dropping right back to the disheaveled comforter and sheets he’d tried to escape. “Forgot the day, time, I’ll- give me 10 minutes?”

“Sho, you live half an hour away.”

“Right. Yeah.” Shokashi held his head with one hand, whining very quietly, rather upset with himself for forgetting he’d set up a meeting for this morning. Of course he’d feel awful on the day he’d been supposed to meet his mother for the first time in three months. Of course. Just his luck.

“Sorry, mom, I’m just-”

“Go back to bed, sweetie.” Her voice was like a balm even if it didn’t touch his pain in the slightest, and he whined a little more audibly this time. “Do you need me to bring you anything? You don’t have work later, do you?”

“No.” Shokashi crawled right back to his shelter, this time managing to burrito himself into his comforter while he went. Might be too hot for one but there was just something comforting about feeling something wrapped around him. He pouted, wishing it was someone instead. “’ll be okay.”

“We can meet next week instead, love. If you’re okay, if you’re up for it.”

It hurt that she felt like he wouldn’t be. He swallowed the emotion threatening to bubble up, his throat tight and his eyes watering from both physical and emotional pain. “Love you, mom. Lots. I’ll see you next week.”

He swore to himself that he’d very much make it up to her - spending all of those years apart had just…worn on the whole family, and he hated that he couldn’t see her now, like he’d promised. But he hung up the phone and would just make sure he absolutely, no excuse, not one single doubt would meet with her next week. 

Most of his day past in a bit of a haze. Every once in a while he braved the outside world just enough to check the time, not really able to get a grasp on how fast or slow it was passing. Sometimes minutes felt like hours, once he lost two hours in the blink of an eye, and the entire time his head hurt like it was trying to cave in on itself.

Didn’t help when his entire body started to ache with it. Shokashi groaned, starting to fidget because laying still felt awful but the movement felt just as bad. Had he caught something? He hoped it was just a bug but he really wasn’t sure, just thankful for the blessed few minutes sleep took him down enough to not feel anything.

At some point, his phone went off again. Or maybe it was a couple of times, he really wasn’t sure, just whimpering and squirming further into his shelter and hoping the noises would stop. They did, eventually, though a car alarm very rudely set off next door and went on for what felt like an eternity, haunting his every breath with its blaring.

He wanted a hug. Or for someone to lay on him. Or both. A few tears leaked out, wetting his pillow as he squeezed his eyes even tighter.

It didn’t even register past all the pain - the sound of his front door opening, shoes being taken off in the doorway, shuffling through his house. What did register was a soft voice calling out his name, and everything in Shokashi reacted so pitifully at the same time he whimpered at the sound.

“‘m in here.”

Another wince at his own voice, and Shokashi curled up tighter in his burrito blanket, hearing footsteps coming towards him. And oh, despite how awful his whole body and the whole world was it was blissful, the feeling of a gentle hand barely touching his shoulder, just a weight against his skin.

“Was worried when you didn’t answer. You alright, honeybee?”

“Did I miss something?” Shokashi peeked out and pouted at the creases that brought Eskel’s expression down - he hated it when he made him frown, always doing his best to hear him laugh and see that face light up. Eskel deserved the world not a pile of painful and whimpering goo.

The fingers that reached out to brush against his cheek were so gentle and everything Shokashi needed at that moment. It hurt to see the sun but he didn’t want to hide with Eskel there to brush the sweaty hair out of his face and stroke his jaw in just the right, soft way that always made his eyes flutter. “No, I just wanted to hear your voice. ‘s’alright that I came in, right? Don’t wanna intrude but you usually answer, and I knew you were travelin’ today.” 

“It’s okay.” He grabbed onto the hand that cupped his cheek and held it there, nuzzling into the palm and closing his eyes.

“You need anything? Have you eaten today?”

Shokashi shook his head - all he’d gotten up for was a single bathroom break and he’d crawled right back to his sick bed, determined to never leave it.

The sunlight was suddenly blocked from his eyes, and Shokashi cracked them open just as Eskel brushed his lips against his forehead. He paused there for a soft kiss, then rested against Shokashi’s sweaty hair as if it wasn’t gross, thumb still gently caressing his cheek.

“I’ll get you some breakfast,” he said softly, as if he knew the pain Shokashi’s head was in - and even that soft soft voice still made him wince, no matter that he loved hearing it. “Something easy on your stomach. Does your throat hurt?”

Shokashi shook his head no.

“Alright. I’ll still make you some tea. Just rest for now, honeybee, I’ll take care of you.”

It was pitiful, the noise he made to that, but Eskel didn’t comment on it. Just gave him one more soft kiss to the very top of his head before removing his hand and getting up, and without even being asked shutting the blinds properly to keep the sun at bay.

Shokashi didn’t deserve him. He whined in his own head as he buried it once again, readjusting his burrito to hold him while his boyfriend went off to take care of food and tea. The world didn’t deserve him. He was just too soft and sweet and good. 

And perfect for cuddling when one didn’t feel well. For now, he’d accept the pillow and blankets, but the moment Eskel was adequately satisfied with Shokashi’s basic needs Shokashi was dragging him down to snuggle straight into his chest and hold him and never let go.

[theficklemuses]

Hello once again, everyone!!

Mods are thinking about running this event again this year (2021) and were wanting to see if anyone would be interested in us doing that! This survey only has two questions (an interest check, and which month would be best for the event to be held in) so it should take only about a minute to do and the feedback is extremely helpful ^^

Sadly, Mods are extremely busy on the front end of this year, so the earliest we could hold the event is this June - we wanted to be transparent about that right off the bat.

We are currently still working on the new list of unqualified ships for this year (though we can safely say all the ones that did not qualify as rarepairs from last year will not this year as well) and will be working on a new event overview post for this year as well - expect one out in the next week or two. Most of our rules from last year will still stand though ^^ If you need a refresher on any of that, we’ve linked the posts to make it easy for you, though they are also linked in our blog header as well. Prompts will be announced along with the official dates for the event.

This interest will be open from February 8th to February 27th, so there’s plenty of time to take it! ^^

As always, our asks are always and inbox are always open to questions if anyone has any! We also have an FAQ list compiled if that’s easier on anyone.

@narutoevents

[theficklemuses]

[theficklemuses]

Prompt: Commission! :D OCs: Joshoa Jefferson and Seikatsu Kazuma OC Creators: @kaiyaru​ Ship: Joshoa/Seikatsu

---

His palms were sweating again.

It didn’t matter that this wasn’t their first date, or even their second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth. Joshoa had to keep his hands in his pockets just to keep from nervous fiddling with his fingers, glad at least his gloves would keep the sweaty palms from being noticeable. He kept his expression schooled to at least look calm to the average passerby, his back to the tree that was their designated meeting point, his eyes fixed firmly on the single dandelion growing on the patch of grass around him instead of up and around looking for Kaz- Seikatsu.

Why was his heart determined to beat out of his chest every time he saw him? It was a flat out betrayal. Making him nervous and out to look like a fool, making it hard to look at Seikatsu’s face without thinking about kissing him and turning so red he thought he might explode - even thinking about thinking about it was heating his face up. He propped one of his feet up against the tree, trying to will the color away, given that his date would be here any minute and would no doubt make a comment about it.

A comment that, if their history together was anything to go by, would only make it a thousand times worse.

He heard rather than saw Ka- Seikatsu coming. Skateboards weren’t all that rare in the city but Joshoa was convinced Seikatsu’s had a distinct sound to it, and knew even before he glanced up from the dandelion that he’d see his ray of sunshine rolling towards him down the sidewalk.

God he hated his own cheesy thoughts sometimes.

“Sup!” Seikatsu kicked his board up and caught it in one smooth move, coming up to lean against the tree and shoot a cheeky grin up at him. “Here I am. What are your next two wishes?”

“Shut up.” Joshoa quickly looked away from him, though the good natured laughing told him his flush was just as noticeable as it felt. He was quick to push away from the tree and start walking away, not at all because he needed to run away from his own emotional floundering.

It wasn’t until he was on the opposite side of the block, Seikatsu having jogged to catch up with him, that Joshoa realized he had no idea where they were going. He stopped abruptly, clearing his throat as Seikatsu stopped a step ahead of him, turning and beaming back in that way that made his heart beat far too fast to possibly be healthy.

“Sooooo…?”

“What?” Joshoa crossed his arms tightly, hoping that might make his heart cool it.

Seikatsu shrugged, readjusting his hold on his skateboard. “You seemed like you knew where you wanted to go. Guess we should have talked about it before- hey, look!” The younger boy hopped right off the sidewalk into the well manicured lawn of some business Joshoa didn’t recognize, heading straight for some mixed colored flowers hanging from poles in ornate pots dotted here and there. “These are those one flowers- wait, I can remember their name.”

“Daisies.”

“Yeah, those!” Without any more thought than that, Seikatsu plucked an orange one right from the hanging pot before jogging right back to Joshoa and presenting it with a beaming smile. “Here. It’s only half as pretty as you, though.”

With a very loud groan, Joshoa spun right on his heels and marched back down the street in the direction they’d just come from, once again very done with the feeling of his face burning off. He didn’t get very far before Seikatsu got in his way though, mirth sparkling in his miss-matched eyes, the warmth in his laughter matching perfectly with the daisy he’d picked at random from the rainbow of colors he’d had to choose from.

Of course, he probably didn’t know that. Floriography kinda required one to know flower names to begin with, and since it had only been a few weeks since he’d learned what daisies were (and had barely remembered their name this time), there was little chance he knew what the orange ones symbolized. And that they perfectly captured Seikatsu’s roll in his life.

Sunshine of his life, the source of the warmth that spread from his heart like tendrils, roots making themselves cozy and planting themselves firm in his chest.

God, his own thoughts were embarrassing as hell.

“Sorry, was the flower too much?” Despite the question, Seikatsu quickly tucked it right behind Joshoa’s ear, trailing the back of his fingers against his very red cheek on the way back down even though they were in public and anyone could walk by and see them right now. “Guess I lost myself there in your eyes.”

“Stop it.”

He laughed again, stretching his arm behind his back as he took a step away from Joshoa. “Sorry, sorry. You’re just so cute when you blush.”

“Do you do anything besides tease people?”

That, in hindsight, was either the best or worst thing he could have asked in that moment. He should have known better, really should have known he’d take it as a challenge. There wasn’t a challenge alive Seikatsu would back down from, even if it was just one he made for himself, so the smalling hint of one (even one Joshoa didn’t actually mean) had his nostrils flaring and his mismatched eyes sparking like a fire.

“What, don’t like to be teased?” Just like that, Seikatsu was back in his space, leaning up and in even as Joshoa instinctively leaned back, though he knew it was too late to escape. “Bet I could change that. All it would take is one night.”

“Wha-?”

“It’s a little too soon for that, though.” Instead of explaining exactly what ‘that’ was, Seikatsu reached out to tap his fingers against Joshoa’s collar, playing with the edges of his clothes as if they were in private and not outside, on a sidewalk, in the middle of the day, where anyone could see them-

So why was it that Joshoa couldn’t push him away?

“Guess I’ll just…” He had to stand on his tippy toes to get any closer, but then Seikatsu was just a hair’s breath away, his own breath ghosting over Joshoa’s lips. “…have to settle for a kiss for now.”

‘Settle’ isn’t exactly how Joshoa would put it but he found talking a bit difficult when they were so close, their lips almost touching. And breathing. Breathing was difficult, too. All he found himself able to do was lean closer, horrified that he was really going to kiss Seikatsu out in the open like this - but his heart didn’t care and wouldn’t hear no for an answer, and before his brain could argue any further he found the distance between them non-existent, once again lost in the feeling of Seikatsu’s lips against his own.

A feeling he didn’t get to enjoy for long, since out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple passing them by. The two girls had knowing sparkles in their eyes, one hiding a laugh behind the hand that wasn’t holding on tight to the other girls, and if that wasn’t enough to sent a jolt through Joshoa then nothing was. He jumped back with an undignified noise he’d never admit to, leaving Seikatsu blinking as he dropped back to his heels, watching as Joshoa sputtered over his own embarrassment.

“We can’t just- you aren’t- we- you can’t just kiss people in public like that, Kaze!”

“Pretty sure you kissed me.” Seikatsu grinned and scratched the back of his neck, not looking nearly guilty enough over the whole thing. “Besides, our first kiss was in public, too. Remember?”

“That was different!”

“How?”

“Shut up.”

At least, for once, Seikatsu was willing to let it go. He readjusted his skateboard to be crooked in his right arm, still looking far too pleased with himself, still just as bright and sunny as ever as he beamed over at his boyfriend. “So. Got an idea for where you wanna go yet? Or should I run off to a gas station for some supplies for a night in?”

“We’re going to the beach.” Joshoa firmly ignored how high pitched his voice was there for a second, once more spinning on his heels to march down the street away from the walking embarrassment he was far too attached to for his own good. Though he had to turn around again, this time much more slowly, when Seikatsu caught up with him to remind him the beach was, in fact, not on the west side of town - the west side being where he’d marched off towards without thinking of geography in the slightest.

He’d also not given any thought to how neither of them were dressed for the beach. Nor did they have anything like towels or sunscreen or really anything beach like with them. But it was far too late to turn back now that he’d said it, so he marched on anyway, the only hiccup in his steps caused by the hand that reached out to hold his own gently as they walked.

And as much as it made his face burn hotter than the sun burn he’d be sure to be regretting by the next morning, Joshoa supposed he could handle a bit of hand holding. Especially if it made his sunshine all that much brighter with joy.

[theficklemuses]

@narutoocminibang it's not done T-T I didn't even get to the background

My OCs Ryouji and Ryouya being Tragic

[theficklemuses]

She looks like such a badass

my oc that doesn’t have a name yet uwu

[theficklemuses]

Oh! What a neat outfit! I love her already

she still doesn’t have a name, but i revamped her outfit to make more sense in my head uwu

[theficklemuses]

And then I made the content myself :|

which naruto minor character do you wish got more content?

Izuna. Or maybe the unnamed brothers of Madara. I just want to know more about the people in Madara’s life tbh, and his brothers would have made a massive impact on it. We got to know Tobirama, and got to see a bit of Itama and Kawarama, but seriously nothing of the three dead brothers Madara had?? It’s just wrong. Gimme all them minor Uchiha characters, let me know and love and care that their lives were lost.

[theficklemuses]

Its day 4 and Im not prepared. Heres my submission for "Bad Things Happen" @narutorarepairweek. Be warned folks, its a lot of heartbreak.

This one is a pairing of my OC, Takahashi Kurahana, and @discendia's OC Yasai Shouga, along with an appearance from @hiddenleafstoryteller's OC Hiroyuki. I know we've hinted their story a lot, but this was my first time actually fully writing it out, and I cried. A lot.

===============================

Who am I?

Pairing: Shouga x Kurahana

TW: war, death, grief

"In moments like this, its hard to believe we spent the day in battle." He said, his eyes aglow in the orange light of the campfire.

"Well, Shouga, thats kinda how these lulls work. It cant be a constant fight." Kurahana replied, bumping his shoulder lightly. Hiroyuki, their third team member laughed, and tossed a bit of popcorn at them both.

"Stop flirting, its nauseating." He chuckled, his white hair swaying in the night breeze, and the subsequent blush of rapid denial covered the faces of the other two.

"Shut up, Hiro! I already told you, I dont flirt. You boys are the only thing I need, and romance is for suckers." Kura snapped, tugging at the end of her braid. She'd told herself she would never make herself vulnerable like that again. She'd just lost her brother to illness the year before, she couldnt afford another heartbreak.

"Exactly. War isnt the time for that, but maybe after I could handle a little romance." Shouga said, getting up from his seat beside her, and ruffling Hiro's hair. He turned and winked at her, before walking back to his sleeping mat on the ground, "Better be careful, Kura, I might sucker you into marrying me after this."

"In your dreams, Yasai!" She yelled after him, causing many looks from the others around the camp. She blushed, then stood and put the fire out, grabbing Hiro's hand and pulling him to the other 2 mats nexts to Shou. How did he fall asleep so quickly? And why was her heart racing?

God, he's such an idiot, she thought, before drifting to sleep.

***

"ITS A RAID! THEYVE INFILTRATED THE CAMP!"

Kura awoke immediately, to 2 of the white beasts in front of them, and the boys in intense hand to hand combat. As he called the vines up from the ground to keep the Zetsu in place, he turned to look at her, calling over his shoulder.

"About time you got up, sleepyhead."

"Shut up, idiot." She responded, shutting her eyes and racing her chakra through her body, and opening her newly purple irises to lock eyes with the monster in front of her teammate. Her braid floated slowly and she watched the pale creature slowly stop fighting against Shou's vines. Locked in. She walked up to it, a kunai tucked behind her and ran her hand along its cheek.

"Tell me, who am I to you?" She seethed, her voice dripping with venom.

"M-mother?" It said and she drove the kunai into its body, tearing its life from this world.

"God, I realize your genjutsu is mentally scarring enough, but what sick pleasure do you take in asking who their most precious person is?" Shouga asked, tugging her braid before turning to wrap his plants around the newest Zetsu appearing behind her.

"They always see 'mother', so theres no real fun in these ones." She said, tossing shuriken into this newest body.

"A little help over here?" Hiro's voice called and she moved to help him, grasping her kunai and slashing into the beast he was struggling with.

"You could have let me handl-" Shouga's voice from behind her was cut short, the playful edge cut through with a gasp of pain. She turned and saw a large white spike retreating through his vitals, and before she knew it, she had every tool of hers driving into the zetsu behind him.

"No. No no no no no. You cant, you have to be okay, Yasai, you do." She whimpered, scrambling to his catch him as his body crumbled. The tears started the fall, and she couldnt breathe.

"I dont think, I can come back from this. The wedding is off." He laughed, struggling to speak through the pain.

"God, even now you're messing with me." She smiled, her eyes streaming at the thought of losing him to. He looked tired, and hurt, and she cared about him so much. What could she do, now, to say goodbye? And then the peaceful look on her victim's faces flashed into her head.

She brushed the soft brown hairs out of his eyes, and he grabbed her arm, his strong hands now weak. She shut her eyes, racing her chakra as fast as she could, and the emotion filling her as she opened her eyes did more than just lift her braid, it broke the tie and her locks floated with a purple glow as she locked him into her genjutsu. He deserved to see the most precious person in his life before he died, the person he loved the most, instead of her sobbing over him. His eyes softened and starting watering, streaming down his face as his skin became paler. She had to know, before he was gone from her forever. In her softest voice, she asked.

"Shouga, who am I to you?"

He smiled a bit, his tears covering his pained face, as he raised his hand to touch her cheek and rasped out,

"Kura, you are everything to me."

She tensed, and his hand fell as he left her, becomeing heavier in her arms. Did it not work? No it mustve, her hair broke out of its braid she put so much into this. So then, why? Oh no.

"No, Shou, no dont tell me." Her hands brushed his face, but he could no longer feel it and her body wracked with sobs as she screamed, yelling at him in anger and in sorrow.

"You didnt tell me, I didnt know. I thought you were joking, I thought the flirting was.... Shou you idiot, dont. D-dont leave me like this. Come back, I love you." She screamed, sobbing over his body, growing colder with every second. Hiroyuki, walked over, standing back to not interrupt the moment they had, although it was his best friend. He had tears in his eyes as he picked her up, and she clawed,trying desperately to stay with Shou forever. If hes leaving so is she.

"Kura, I know what youre thinking, but what would that do?" Hiro's voice in her ears quelled the hysteria to a full numbness. Nothing could hurt her anymore. She had no heart left.

She pat Hiro's hand, letting him know there was one thing left for her to do. She kneeled beside her almost-lover one last time, ripped a small piece of cloth from his shirt and took one of his many earrings, kissed his forehead and turned to leave. She tied the cloth around her ring finger, and placed his earring in her ear, walking towards the main battle of the camp.

They took everything from her, and she wouldnt stop until they all felt the same pain she did.

[theficklemuses]

Banner and icon art I made for my OC Mini Bang event :3 Conveniently, these losers fit perfectly for the Enemies/Rivals to Lovers prompt for the @narutorarepairweek event! 

On the left is the maximum grumpy loser (created by @theintellectualweeb) Ryouji, and on the right is the small bean Sho (created by me!). Sho is the youngest brother of Madara Uchiha, and due to Ryouji’s complicated past with the Uchiha he definitely did not view Sho as his best friend right off the bat.

Also they had to sit down for this art to work :| well. Ryouji was sitting down. Sho is far far too short to reach his shoulder like that :|

[theficklemuses]

Happy Day 2! Heres my second submission for @narutorarepairweek, featuring my OC Chouharu and @discendia's OC Ringo!

*I know she has obstained from posting for personal reasons, but I have her permission to post our OC x OC ships💕*

===============================

Meet Cute

Chouharu Akimichi x Ringo Yasai

"Hey! Hello? Hi, yes you."

She hustled through the market towards him, the spark of her intensity making her hair sway back and forth as she waved her arm in greeting. He looked at her confused, taking in the markings on her cheeks and more importantly, the severe difference in height. She was over a foot shorter than he was, but her smile up at him was somehow so large that distance seemed not to matter.

"You're new around here, arent you? I havent seen you on missions or anything, but I saw some of your papers in Iruka sensei's classroom when I went to visit him. Its Ringo, right?"

The sound of his name coming from her mouth was nice, a gleam of sunshine on a typically simple day. He blushed at her and smiled a little, nodding in response, because her abruptness left him missing any audible sentence.

"Im Chouharu Akimichi. I havent met you yet, which is bizarre because I generally know everyone, so Im going to take the liberty of saying we're friends now. Okay?" She laughed, and he finally coughed before revealing his own voice to her.

"I'd like that."

"Are you busy? We can get some bubble tea if you arent, I havent had my second today."

She smiled, and grabbed his arm to pull him towards the shop before he had a chance to answer. He smiled to himself, as she started talking as if theyd known eachother forever.

She was certainly a special one.

○●○●

"You're awfully quiet. If I didnt like the sound of my own voice so much, we might be in trouble, Ringo-kun." Haru laughed as she sat across from him, nearly finished with the light purple drink but his remained virtually untouched. Truth be told, he'd never had boba before, and he wasnt sure how he was going to like it. To keep the conversation from going stale though, he braced himself and took a sip, and found that it was delightfully mellow. Nothing like the ball of charisma and energy in front of him.

"This is really good!" He said, a little shocked, and she laughed in disbelief.

"You've never had it, and you still let me drag you here? You're a very trusting person." She smiled, and he chuckled just a bit, managing a shrug. He was a man of little words, but she seemed to have enough for them both.

"You're trust is safe with me, Ringo-kun. Stick with me, and I promise we'll have all sort of adventures."

He nodded with a smile, this tiny girl who somehow filled the room with her presence chose him as one of her accomplices, and that road seemed a lot more fun than the one he'd been walking.

Maybe this move wasn't so bad after all.

[theficklemuses]

Prompt: The Moment Love Hits (for the @narutorarepairweek event) OCs: Shōkashi (小菓子) Uchiha and Ryouji OC Creators: @theficklemuses (me) and @theintellectualweeb respectively Ship: Ryouji/Shōkashi

Installment one: Their first meeting

Love does not hit in one single moment, but creeps up over time, slowly, until it undeniably exists and demands to be acknowledged. 

It was not a single, self-enclosed moment in which Shokashi fell in love.

Years had passed since he first was introduced to the healer who had saved his brother’s life. When Izuna had near fallen in battle, dragged back on death’s door by their only other surviving brother, shaking with his breaths and sweating and hardly conscious, it had been a scene so familiar that Sho felt his vision tunneling. The sight of them - Izuna sagging, Madara’s wild eyes as he snarled for a healer, blood dripping from a wound hidden behind Izuna’s clothes - it sent Sho reeling even as he stood frozen, the familiar pit of not him threatening to swallow him.

He sat and held Izuna’s hand as Madara fretted around the compound, seething over their lack of medical supplies and how limited their knowledge was of the healing arts. Listened to the labored breaths become worse, tried to soothe the fever as best he could by wiping Izuna’s forehead with a cool, damp cloth, humming some tune that in his worry hazed mind he couldn’t quite place the origin of.

No one from their clan could save him. Their father had died of an infection not a year before, taking the proud Uchiha and tearing him down until he was nothing but a fevered and ill mind, shaking and tossing in his sleep until he couldn’t move any longer.

Sho was not there when the healer came. Left alone with Izuna while Madara was throwing himself at clan duties to keep himself occupied, he found himself unable to breathe, and despite it filling him with guilt Shokashi slipped out of the house and the compound entirely just to have a moment away from the horrors of his world.

In the woods, he could breathe. They were shuddering things, hard to keep control of, hard to stop from being too fast and shallow, but he just managed. Followed an aimless path that lead him further and further from home, away from the noise and the pain and all the reminders that this would always be his life.

A shinobi was meant to be strong. Meant to follow orders and do whatever was necessary to keep their family both safe and successful. Competition, blood, war, hot anger coursing through them - felling their enemies and whoever else money told them to off, stealing, lying, hurting.

It didn’t matter that he wasn’t meant for this, because it was the life he was born into.

His breathing was the one thing he could control, and he fought with it well into the night. Morning found his back pressed against a tree, the branches moving in the breeze around him, birds giving him strange looks as if they couldn’t figure out why a human would take up residence so high in a tree alongside their own.

Sho did not want to go back.

It was cold without his own arms wrapped around himself, keeping his legs close to his chest, but he unwrapped them anyway and slipped off of the branch towards the ground. 

Every step felt like a sentence. But the sentence would not be over his own head.

Within an hour at his slow pace, the compound was in sight. The guards stationed nodded in respect as he walked passed them, stiff respect earned more by birthright than by courage on the battlefield or demanded through innate skills of leadership. It was nothing like the looks they gave his brothers, nothing like the way they would all fall in line and die for Madara’s beliefs despite how tired they all were.

Sho was not one to envy another, and even then he didn’t. Not really. He simply felt as small as the world saw him in that moment, walking towards the inner compound, knowing Madara’s mental strength - what kept him going despite the horrid state his father had left the clan in after his death, despite the horrors they all faced when each battle only meant more bodies to burn and more children left without fathers and mothers - knowing his strength could crack. No weapon crafted by the hands of humans could bring his brother to his knees but Sho knew exactly what could.

Madara could not lose another brother, and Sho was in no position to help the clan if he cracked the wrong way.

As luck would have it, Madara would need no such help.

His clan had no name. Shadow masters in a way unlike the Nara, a small clan of warriors that the Uchiha had allied with for their tenacity and their healing arts. It had not been the first time Sho had seen one, nor would it be the last, but he was the first Sho had seen within their compound.

Within his chest his heart tensed at the healer leaving his home, knowing he’d been in to see Izuna. There was no blood on the healer’s hands but his face was stern, his tone sharp as he addressed Madara, who was stomping and sneering up at him while heatedly snipping right back.

Sho hurried over, cutting through the side garden, stepping carefully around the flowers and herbs he’d planted there. It was a good sign that Madara was able to argue so heatedly with someone but the last thing he needed was his brother making enemies with one of their allies, especially considering the man had to be a high ranking healer in order to be the one sent to heal Izuna. These were allies they needed on their side, no matter that their father had looked down on the no-name, smaller clan - they could not afford any more loss while at war, and nor could Sho’s heart take the thought of even a single body more going up in flames to join their ancestors.

“--a single dose to him. Not a single dose!” The man snapped as he turned back to Madara, coming to a halt on the path leading away from their home just as Sho reached them. “Let alone the dozen he’d need. Are you really that daft to believe he could just power through an infection? Was he supposed to swing his sword at it until it went away?”

“And where, pray tell, was I supposed to get the medicine?” Madara bit right back, glaring up at the man as if a challenge. “It’s not like we’re healers, I can’t exactly just make the shit.”

“Oh that was made abundantly clear. Did you even wash your hands before changing his bandages, or were you hoping to exasperate his wounds?” Without waiting for a response, the man’s gaze cut to Sho, none of the frustrated anger leaving his face or tone. “And I suppose you’re going to try to tell me how to do my job as well?”

He was tired. Sho did not know this man, but he could tell that much. The stiff way he held himself, the pinched look on his face, some tint to his tone. Beyond the travel required to get here (no doubt on short notice), the work healing must have taken, and the general fact that just about every shinobi in the land was tired from the war - this man was tired even beyond that, and though Sho could not put his finger on the why he was not going to fault him for his sharp tone.

Instead, desperate to know, he simply asked: “Is my brother going to be okay?”

The man squinted back at Madara as something like pride tinted his next words. “No thanks to your clan’s stellar medical knowledge.”

Sho’s whole body felt instantly lighter. Madara’s snappish snarling at the healer didn’t hardly register as the smallest ray of hope finally lit the world back up, and he couldn’t help but soak it in for a few moments while the other two bickered right next to him.

He was going to be okay. Izuna was going to live. Just this once, no one was going to die.

“Thank you.” The other man paused in his bickering, blinking back at Sho as if he’d forgotten he was there amidst his verbal jarring match with the Uchiha clan head. “Thank you so much for healing him.”

Apparently that was unexpected, if the awkward clearing of his throat was anything to go by. The man scratched at his rather messy curls, looking off somewhere other than the two Uchiha in front of him. The grumbled statement of it simply being his job was barely heard before Sho was turning away from his brother and the healer, heading off as quickly as he could to go see the beloved brother he’d thought he might lose far far too soon.

‘The healer’. As Sho slid his brother’s door open, kneeling on the floor to scoot closer and peer at the precious face of his loved one, he made sure to commit the healer’s face to memory. Job or not, this was a kindness he would never forget, and Sho would be doing everything within his ability to share some of that kindness right back with him.

For now, he sat with his brother, thankful for every single breath Izuna took, and counted the blessings he could finally see with the light peeking back into his world.

[theficklemuses]

They're both so CUTE!!

As implied, the sketch of a scene for my day one post for @narutorarepairweek. I know I posted once already, but I thought itd be a nice lil visual of Tenten and Hikari💕💛 anywho, have a lovely day😁 -Acorn

[theficklemuses]

!!!!

Naruto OC Mini Bang

What is it?

This event is an OC mini bang for creators in the Naruto fandom, including both Naruto and Boruto: Next Gen. The event is meant to support and show love to all those creators who put life into brand new characters and concepts into the fandoms.

When is it?

July 3rd through July 5th.

What content will qualify for the event?

Art, stories, gif sets, moodboards, poetry, playlists. The content can be finished or still in the WIP stage, both will qualify. Any/all ships qualify, as do gen fics. Naruto OC work, SI work, and reader inserts are all welcome.

Prompts

Family (Friday)

Friendship (Saturday)

Partners (Sunday)

The overarching theme is “Love”, and these prompts/the theme can be taken platonically or romantically - it is up to the creator.

Rules/Regulations:

No explicit content, artwork or writing or otherwise, between children.

No character/ship bashing, even if it’s tagged.

All content must be new, and must belong to the participant. Exceptions will be made for translated work as long as the participant has directly contacted the original creator and received permission to use it for this event. 

Though all content must be new, posting sketches or snippets of content beforehand will not disqualify it from the event.

No content will be reblogged/qualify for the event prior to July 3rd. Mods will have a grace period past the 5th where we will accept content still, and it will last at least two weeks.

All OCs not owned by the participant must be credited in the post.

All content must be tagged. This includes trigger warnings, all non-OC characters that appear in the work, all ships, as well as the event tag “narutoocminibang2020″.

Participants must tag (using the @ function) this blog in their content post.

This is mainly a tumblr event, though participants are welcome to host their content on other sites such as AO3, ff.net, pillowfort, and other well-known and trusted sites.

Mods have a No Harassment policy. Do not harass other creators over their OCs, their ships, the themes in their work, or any other reason. If you feel the need to do it, Don’t. If anyone is found doing it, they will be blocked and banned from future participation in this event and all other events Mods run.

All long posts need to be under a cut.

NSFW content is acceptable as long as it’s tagged.

There are no content minimums/maximums for this event. Any/all word counts are allowed, multiple different pieces of content are allowed per prompt, and participants are allowed to only create one piece of content for the entirety of the event as well. What you wish to create for the event, and how much you wish to create is entirely up to you.

Our ask box, as well as our PMs, are always open, so feel free to message us with any questions!

~ Mod Jennie

( @narutoevents )

[theficklemuses]

T^T Hikari already melted my heart, I love her. What a badass! What a sweetheart!

Happy first day of Rarepair folks!! Ive been looking forward to this for months, and I couldnt wait to share the things Ive been working on💕 All my love, heres the first of many, and an Introduction to a new OC😊 @narutorarepairweek -Acorn

*p.s. there may come a sketch of this scene later today😁*

===============================

The Moment Love Hits

Tenten x Hikari Tachibana

Of course they got stuck like this on their first mission together. Of course.

It was a B-rank, a simple message delivery mission to the Sand village. With Lee still out of commission, Lady Fifth sent one of her own students with them, and it just had to be the one girl that Tenten absolutely lost all train of thought around. She was stunning, a ray of sunshine in the midst of a monsoon. Hikari Tachibana. Theyd become very used to eachother at this point, Tsunade often sent her to train her acrobatics and such with Gai sensei. But still, for some reason, Tenten's mind had a slight buffer everytime she was around.

Either way, they were walking towards Sunakagure, on a 3 days journey, and Hikari was so close and speaking about some new dessert she tried. She spoke all the time but the sound of her voice was music in a silent world.

"And it was topped with a drizzle of honey, oh my goodness, Tenten-chan, it was to die for!"

"It sounds lovely, Tachibana." She replied, just to show she was listening, while Neji snickered at the delay. God, he knew her too well.

"Stop with the last name, just call me Hika, silly." Hikari replied, tugging Tenten's sleeve playfully.

"Okay, okay, Hika-kun then." Tenten laughed, a blush rushing across her cheeks. What was it about this girl that made her so flustered?

"Plenty of time for talking later, if you all dont use your youth to move quicker, Ill win!" Sensei yelled from ahead and Hika giggled before running up and leap-frogging over his shoulders.

"Not today, Sensei!!!" She called as she did a few back flips ahead of him. Sensei laughed along with Tenten at her energy but they all stopped for a second as Neji called out.

"Stop! Formation, now." His byakugan was active and Tenten could see an immediate shift in energy as they formed a circle back to back. He whispered as they settled, enemies unseen by anyone but the kekeigenkai user.

"Theyre at 4, 7, 10 and 12." He said and Hika immediately transferred the scroll to Gai sensei.

The first shuriken whizzed past Tenten's face and before any other attacks could come, a skew of kunai throttled towards the source. The rest of the enemies revealed themselves, engaging in hand to hand with the boys individually and the third attempting to handle both Tenten and Hikari's attacks. Tenten began whizzing hundreds of tools at him, while Hika flipped to avoid them and landed her signature senbon to the back of his neck, triggering her genjutsu-like effects of the poison.

"You bitch! Why cant I see?" He shrieked, holding his eyes, and she just laughed, sweeping his legs from under him. Messing with them while theyre blinded was the best part.

Her laugh was cut off as she looked up to see a shuriken graze Tenten's cheek, the small stream of blood running down her face. Hika's golden eyes narrowed as the man revealed himself, obviously a bit injured from Tenten's initial stream. Tenten locked eyes with her, and they nodded slowly before she summoned her 2 new katana, dual weilding for the first time. She stood at defense, and Hika winked with a smile as she launched herself up, releasing 3 genjutsu senbon before tucking back to land herself. Tenten swiped twice, and the man was out of commission. She turned to see the men handled their enemies as well, practically untouched. And then she looked at Hika again. The danger gone, Hikari's eyes softened as she stepped towards her.

"Ill never let you get hurt again." She said, her honey-sweet voice melting Tenten's heart for a moment as she touched the blood streamed cheek of Tentens face. The cooling sensation of the healing jutsu seeped into her skin and she laughed nervously.

"Its really not that big of a deal." She tittered at Hika's fingers on her cheek, and then coughed to change the subject, "That last guy didnt have a chance, did he, Hika-kun?"

"Against us? No god could help him." She responded, her smile brightening the world again and stunning Tenten as she brushed her lips against the once-wounded cheek. "You're all set, Tenten-chan. Not even a scar."

She backed away, running to the rest of the team to brag about their girl power pose moment and Tenten simply stood with her hand to her cheek and a single thought in her head.

Lord help me, Im in love with her.

[theficklemuses]

Could I get a Good Boi in subtle melancholy? Maybe Ryouya? But any of your Good Bois will work - EXCEPT JONES, HE'S BAD >:((

Is Ryouya :D I couldn't for the life of me design any clothes for him to wear so he only gets a bust T^T

I thought about just slapping up a picture of Jones because >:( but I really did need to draw Ryouya decently at least once and you have pushed me to accomplish that, so thank you u.u

[theficklemuses]

For the prompt, maybe Ryouji/Sho and they're neighbors. One day, there is a letter on the bulletin board in the entrance saying 'Dear neighbors, I have discovered my cat has stolen a large number of -insert something- from my neighbors. If you are missing any, please come get them'

If it weren’t for the simple fact that Ryouji knew he wasn’t slipping, he’d be worried about his mental state. He shifted the lot of his groceries into one hand as he fished around for his keys with the other, entering his apartment complex through the back so he didn’t have to make a special trip to check his mailbox later. Getting his combination right the first time made him scowl further at the growing predicament he found himself in, and the junk mail that had been crammed into his mail box over the last two weeks (he had better things to do than check his mail every single day, thank you very much) got the brunt force of his displeased scowling.

The mind, they said, was the first thing to go. But considering the only thing he kept misplacing (in mass numbers) were dish sponges, it couldn’t have honestly gone. Right?

Besides, as his brother loved to tease him over, his hair was the first thing to go. Go grey, anyway, though the world wouldn’t be knowing that so long as he had access to a sink and enough money to blow on some dye every few weeks.

Grumbling under his breath at the thought of his brother, he shut his mail box a bit harder than necessary, not honestly caring that there was someone else in the small room to witness his frustration. But witnessing their movement in his periphery still drew his attention, and since his parents had taught him manners he waited for them to leave the mail room first, occupying his vision away from them just to be sure he wouldn’t have to participate in any small talk or other conversation.

He didn’t make too much of a habit of keeping up with the apartment billboard. The colorful and sometimes gaudy papers tacked on there were mostly advertising things he either had no interest in or no use for. Babysitters, dog walking services, AA meetings and shuttle information and updates on some sort of pranking war between some of the residents here (apparently it was hilarious to them to post fake ads concerning their friends). But the billboard drew his attention then and was a convincing enough distraction to ward of social interaction - and something there caught his eye almost immediately.

Over the past several weeks, Ryouji had gone through no less than five packs of sponges. The kind he bought were nothing special - just the cheapest he could find that still had scrubbing power - but they used to last him a good while each, considering it was just him by his lonesome in his apartment, cooking meals for himself and reusing his coffee cup most mornings after just a quick rinse (the blessings of drinking it black). Yet over the past little while they just kept disappearing, and no amount of head scratching or searching throughout his not-very-big apartment ever revealed where on earth they kept running off to.

If his mind wasn’t so sharp concerning everything else, he would’ve been concerned. Early onset memory issues were not something to be scoffed at, and even Ryouji would not have been so stubborn as to ignore them. But he knew it wasn’t just forgetfulness plaguing him, and as his eyes found a printed off picture of a rather small and fluffy animal tacked on to the board he found the oddest answer to the great mystery that was his missing sponges.

The small and fluffy creature was apparently named “Princess Flufferbutt”, a name that had him cringing even as he blinked at what the primly groomed cat held proudly in her mouth. A sponge. Held as if showing off a trophy hunt, with her front paws together and her tail ever so delicately wrapped around her short short legs.

Standing out against the munchkin’s light white and tan fur were rather bold and colorful letters, the largest of which read “Dear neighbors”. And honestly, any normal day of the week would see Ryouji ignoring the rest, but that damned sponge held so proudly in the cat’s mouth hand him bending down closer and squinting his eyes, wishing he’d went with his glasses instead of his out-of-date prescription contacts this morning, taking the rest of it in:

Dear Neighbors,

I, Princess Flufferbutt, have a problem. A problem that my owner Shokashi has just recently been made aware of whenever he discovered my hidden stash of prized sponges I’ve been hoarding under the sofa (as well as my secondary stash under his bed, which he was most startled by). Considering these were apparently not mine by law, a law which I do not agree with nor had no say in, he has informed me that I must return them to their rightful owners.

I disagreed, but, alas, he is the one who brings home the cat food I would starve without in mere minutes. 

If anyone’s prized sponges have gone missing within the last while, please feel free to stop by and shame me. As well as have them back.

Sincerely,Princess Flufferbutt, Apartment 423

Ryouji stared at the rather long letter, perplexed beyond reason. He stared long enough that the person he’d been avoiding talking to by staring at it had left plenty long ago, and yet he couldn’t stopped being baffled and almost amused by what he was seeing.

Someone was trying to return lost sponges. They were certainly having fun while doing it, but still. The two packs in one of the bags dangling from his left hand cost less than $3 combined, and yet this person was going out of their way to not only notify everyone that their- his cat was a thief, but that they were welcome to have their sponges back.

Well. Ryouji’s sponges, because he was 99% certain that’s exactly who they belong to. Not that he was going to bother stopping by over some sponges. He straightened himself back up and reflexively tried to push up the glasses that weren’t on his nose, heading into the main apartment building and taking the staircase up to the fourth floor.

Nope. There was no need to go speak with someone over a silly cat poster and what couldn’t have been less than $10 worth of stolen cleaning supplies. None at all. Absolutely no need to dawdle in front of his own front door, eyes peeking over where two doors down he could see the bright silver numbers 423 embossed over the door frame.

There wasn’t a single reason in the world for him to consider going over there. Hanging his few grocery bags on his doorknob and keeping an eye on the halls to make sure no one was around to witness his curiosity, to walk over and stop right in front of Apartment 423 and stare at the door as if it might give him the answers as to what he was doing.

His motives were an enigma even unto himself, and they remained as such even as he knocked briskly on the door in front of him, arm going back stiff to his side before he decided to cross them instead.

The man who opened the door was exactly the type he’d expect to own a spoiled munchkin cat. Short himself, well groomed, hair very stylish and tidy, for some reason not at all perturbed by someone knocking on his door out of the blue, greeting Ryouji with a friendly and warm smile that had him shifting uncomfortably.

This, if anything, was a mistake. Ryouji did not do people. He didn’t know why he was here. But here he was anyway, with this small stranger taking his grunted out and awkward explanation of “cat poster” in good stride, inviting him in for tea - and Ryouji had been taught manners and knew better than to not accept despite himself.

It would take a lot more than one single evening seeing that brilliant smile and listening to Shokashi laugh for Ryouji to admit the man was cute, but even Ryouji, stubborn as he was, as stuck in his ways as he was, would be warn down eventually. And it was all thanks to that damned cat (that he refused to call anything other than Princess, because her “proper” name was ridiculous) sneaking out over their balconies and in through his small kitchen window that they ever met in the first place.