Bonus Round 3: Gift Tags

[referees]

Feeling generous? In this round, you get to give creative gifts as prompts.

This round is CLOSED as of 7PM on July 7 EDT. Late fills may be posted, but they will not receive points.

RULES

• Submit prompts as a gift tag in the format below. You can specify the size and a characteristic of the gift, who the sender is, who the recipient is, and a one or two sentence note from the sender to the recipient. Descriptions of the package and the included note don’t have to be explicit, see below.
• Package: medium sized cube, rattles
  From: Kageyama Tobio
  To: Hinata Shouyou
  Note: These will help you get better.
• Envelope: manila, 12''x17'', very thick and heavy
  From: Tezuka Kunimitsu
  To: Kinjou Shingo
  Note: Enclosed - Play without regrets!
• Your prompt MUST include a relationship. Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Riko & Momoi). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Riko/Momoi). Please don't say "Any pairing," either.
• Fill prompts by leaving a responding comment to the prompt with your newly-created work. Fillers can get creative with how to interpret the prompt: your fill can be about the character receiving the gift, one or both characters using the gift, what prompted the sender to send the gift—the physical gift itself can even be excluded from your fill. What’s important is that the gift tag is clearly the inspiration for your fill.
• Remember to follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.

FORMAT

Bonus round shenanigans all happen in the comments below. Brand-new works only, please.

Required Work Minimums:

• 400 words (prose)
• 400px by 400px (art)
• 14 lines (poetry)

There is no max work cap.

Format your comment in one of the following ways:

If PROMPTING:	If FILLING:	If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:
PROMPT: TEAM [YOUR SHIP] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to, including Grandstand or Sports Teams Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Place the prompt's relationship in the first bolded line of the comment. Including the canon isn't required, but it's nice. Below that, place applicable major content tags (when applicable; otherwise write "no tags" or "none") Visual example	FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [RATING] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Place applicable major content tags and word count before your fill (when applicable) NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of the fill in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" alt="DESCRIPTION OF YOUR IMAGE"/> Visual example	FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [RATING] Replace RATING with the rating of your fill, G - E, as explained in the rules Place applicable major content tags and word count before the fill, where applicable NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of your work in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" /> Visual example

Posts not using this format will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, regardless of what they contain. They, like all comments in this community, are subject to the code of conduct.

SCORING

These numbers apply to your team as a whole, not each individual teammate. Make as many prompts/fills as you want!

For prompts: 5 points each (maximum of 50 prompt points per team per round)

For fills:

First 3 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 4-10: 10 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21+: 2 points each

All scored content must be created new for this round.

Etc.

If you're hunting through the prompts looking for what to fill, a good trick is to view top-level comments only.

Have a question? Check The FAQ first. If you still need help, feel free to contact the mods. Happy fanworking!

Comments

PROMPT: Team Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

[mousapelli]

Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
either nsfw or no tags

package: small, flat, and jingles
from: Kuroo
to: Megane-kun
note: just let yourself in

FILL: Team Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei

[saffroncity]

no tags!
word count; 1280

Kei's made this journey countless times over the last year and half. The route from the station to Kuroo's apartment block is one he's long committed to memory, but this time it feels different.

 

He's used to making his way down the crowded Tokyo streets with a familiar, calming, presence by his side excitedly pointing out his favourite shops or restaurants ('they do the best grilled mackerel') or the places he likes to go to relax when college starts taking its toll on him ('there's a really nice park just down that road') or the railings where Bokuto got his head stuck for twenty minutes that one time ('they had to call the fire brigade, it was hilarious'). 

 

Without Kuroo by his side, the journey feels unfamiliar and strange.

 

Kei frowns, feeling the absence in full force as he turns a corner and spots the familiar apartment block at the foot of the road. He quickens the pace, stuffing his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, only to recoil slightly when his fingers brush against something cold.

 

His heart skips a beat.

 

He shouldn't be nervous. There's nothing to be nervous about. And yet—

 

Just let yourself in.

 

Kei twists the keys in his pocket between his fingers, frown deepening ever so slightly as he remembers the day, all those months ago, when the small package had arrived for him. 

 

Just let yourself in.

 

The anxiety he'd felt when he'd first torn open the envelope and watched the keys fall into his lap is back in full force.

 

Part of him knows that it's silly to allow himself to get so worked up over this. They've been together - an item, a couple, an us - for coming up to two years now and it makes sense for this to be the next step in their relationship, it's just— It's just—

 

Kei groans quietly to himself as he slows to a halt outside Kuroo's apartment block. 

 

It's just, this is difficult for him. Kuroo giving him a set of keys is symbolic, and shows the level of trust Kuroo has for him. Shows the level of love Kuroo has for him. And it's not like Kei doesn't trust and love Kuroo either - because he does, holy shit he does - it's just, things like this - things like love and romance and being an 'us' instead of being an 'I' - don't come easy to Kei. This is still relatively new territory to Kei, but he's trying. 

 

He hums to himself as he makes his way down the corridor, trying to still his nerves. This is fine, he tells himself, fingers still toying with the key in his pocket. This is fine, this is normal, this is okay. 

 

He ignores the way his heartbeat quickens as he approaches Kuroo's apartment, ignores the way the key slips slightly in his grasp because his palms have become suspiciously sweaty, ignores the way his voice cracks just a little when he pushes the door open and murmurs a quick 'sorry for intruding'. 

 

No reply comes and Kei heaves a sigh of relief.

 

He shuffles further into the apartment, closing the door behind him as he slides on a pair of novelty cat slippers (a gift from Bokuto to Kuroo a few years backs) and makes his way towards Kuroo's bedroom.

 

Like the journey here, the apartment has become oddly familiar to him over the course of the last year and a half. He feels his anxiety begin to wash off him in waves as sidesteps the piles of clothing (washed, he hopes), novelty blow-up swords ('Tsukki, you are gonna believe what me and Bo found today!!!!'), mugs of half finished coffee, half eaten pizza, textbooks, and all the other weird and wonderful things Kuroo and Bokuto have managed to collect over the last year or so.

 

He makes his way towards Kuroo's bedroom, pausing for only a second outside his door before he shoves it open and steps inside.

 

Like the journey and like the apartment, the room is familiar to him as well. He remembers countless lazy weekends spent wrapped up in Kuroo's duvet, with him pressed up beside him, arms wrapped loosely around his waist, chin resting gently on his head, watching crappy sitcoms and eating crappier food and soft kisses and urgent kisses and wandering hands and— Well. And a whole lot more.

 

Kei smirks as he inches further into the room, vision zeroing in on his favourite part of it.

 

There's a pinboard leaning against the wall, covered from head-to-toe in photographs. Kei glances over pictures of Kuroo and his family, pictures of Kuroo and the rest of Nekoma, pictures of Kuroo and Kenma from childhood to now, pictures of Kuroo and Bokuto getting up to God knows what (Kei has learnt not to ask), and pictures of Kuroo and him.

 

The 'Tsukki Section' as Kuroo has so affectionately named it, takes up the largest chunk of the pinboard and is packed to the brim of photos of them, documenting the last year and half of their lives. Kei hums to himself, crouching down to tug at the newest picture on the board. It's one he hasn't seen before, but he immediately knows when it was taken.

 

They're sat close together huddled under a bus shelter, soaked from head to toe after being caught in a spontaneous thunderstorm. Kuroo's hair is sticking sticking to his forehead and cheeks, and Kei's isn't faring much better. You can't see it in the picture, but Kei's arm is wrapped tightly around Kuroo's waist, pulling him in as close as possible. Their cheeks are pink and it's obvious they're both freezing cold, but they're smiling. Laughing actually and some stupid joke Kuroo had said seconds before snapping the selfie.

 

They look happy.

 

They look so in love it's almost embarrassing. And yet, Kei can't bring himself to feel embarrassed. 

 

He makes a mental note to ask Kuroo for a copy of the picture for his own pinboard back home (it's nowhere near as impressive as Kuroo's yet, but it's getting there), and stands upright, clicking his back muscles as he goes.

 

He yawns a little as he moves over towards Kuroo's bed, plopping onto it and trying not to smile when a scent that is so entirely Kuroo assaults his nostrils. Fatigue washes over him as he pulls Kuroo's blankets over his head and, within seconds of his head hitting the pillow, he's out. 

 

-

He doesn't wake when Kuroo comes home twenty minutes later and finds his boyfriend sprawled out in his bed.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo quickly dips out of the room to let Bokuto know not to disturb them.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo comes back and shuts the door quietly behind him.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo slides into the bed next to him, strong arms wrapping themselves around Kei's midsection to pull him closer.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo presses his lips against his forehead and murmurs three little words.

-

 

When he does wake, he's confused. He can feel something warm pressed up behind him. He can feel strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him close. "Morning sleepyhead," Kuroo murmurs, nuzzling Kei's head with his chin a little.

 

Kei feels his cheeks begin to flush slightly, but he ignore it in favour of rolling over slight so he can peek up at his boyfriend a little easier. "Happy Birthday," Kei murmurs.

 

Kuroo smiles, lips spreading wider than Kei thinks he's ever seen, before he dips his head and presses a quick kiss against Kei's lips. 

Re: FILL: Team Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei

[mousapelli]

This is really sweet and good, awwwww. I love Tsukki's POV here how he's nervous and annoyed that being nervous is stupid, but he'd do whatever for Kuroo anyway.

Kuroo and Bokuto as roommates sounds terrible and amazing, oh man.

I'm really glad you filled this! Thank you!

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, G

[doxian]

no tags

984 words

AO3 link

a/n: excluded the line from the prompt and the names in the texting conversation from the word count

--

Tsukishima adds the key to his keychain after he receives it in the mail. He doesn't use it. He takes it out and looks at it, sometimes, when he's on the train going to or from his classes, or when he's distracting himself from working on problem sets.

Just let yourself in.

- Kuroo

Kuroo is the kind of romantic sap Tsukishima would expect to make a big deal out of giving his boyfriend a copy of his apartment key. Candlelit dinner, emotional speech. That sort of thing. Presenting Tsukishima with it in such a casual manner - not even in person or with any sort of fanfare - is unlike him.

(Not that Tsukishima is bemoaning the lack of theatrics or anything. Of course not. It's just unusual.)

Tsukishima holds on to the key for several weeks. He still doesn't use it.

Kuroo doesn't comment.

Tsukishima considers whether this is Kuroo's way of ensuring that he feels comfortable - not making a big production of it. Allowing him to go at his own pace. He finds himself oddly touched by Kuroo's perceptiveness - much more than he would have been by any dramatic gesture.

And then one day, apropos of nothing, he takes the train over to Kuroo's neighborhood during the late afternoon on a day when he knows Kuroo has class and won't be home.

Just let myself in, huh?

Tsukishima does just that.

The door creaks as he pushes it open.

He isn't used to Kuroo's place being silent. He's visited Kuroo countless times by now - both while he was still a high schooler in Miyagi and after he moved to Tokyo for university - but there's always been some kind of noise - Kuroo playing music on his iPhone, the two of them watching a movie, Kuroo chatting to him intermittently while he cooks dinner for them.

After closing the door behind him, he leans against it, staring contemplatively at the hallway for a few seconds, letting it all sink in.

Eventually, he pushes himself away from the door with one hand and walks into the apartment. The sun is beginning to set, shining into the living room obliquely, lighting up some areas and leaving others in dimness.

He switches on a light. Everything looks just the same as it had before on Tsukishima's previous visits, but it feels different, somehow.

He walks through the apartment - going into the bathroom, the bedroom. Opens the medicine cabinet (at least five brands of hair gel, all opened but barely used), sits on the bed (rather massive, for a student - a queen-sized thing Tsukishima remembers Kuroo complaining about putting together when he first moved in). He's very much aware of the trust Kuroo has placed in him, allowing Tsukishima to enter his space like this whenever he likes.

He goes back out into the living room, gets out his phone and texts Kuroo.

Tsukishima: i'm not going to give you mine in return, you know that, right?

Kuroo: what ru talking about, ive already got urs ;3

Tsukishima: do you even know what i'm talking about? =_=

Kuroo: not rly babe, youre gonna have to give me a bit more context

Tsukishima: the key

Kuroo: oh
Kuroo: OH
Kuroo: thats fine, i know you need your space and all. i wouldnt mind if you never did tbh
Kuroo: i just gave you the key to mine bc i kinda thought it would be nice
Kuroo: you being able to swing by whenever u want

Tsukishima: but i already do that. i just let you know when i'm coming in advance so that you can open the door for me.

Kuroo: YEAH but now you dont have to do that anymore

Tsukishima: how do you know i'm not going to use it to come by when you aren't home and look through all your stuff?

Kuroo: cmon i know u would never do that Tsukki ~
Kuroo: wait
Kuroo: ru there right now???

Tsukishima: i never said that

Kuroo: oh fuck youre gonna find out all my dirty secrets
Kuroo: whatever u do dont look in the box at the back of the closet
Kuroo: lol jk u know all my dirty secrets already <3
Kuroo: plus maybe i just said that bc i WANT you to look in the box you never kno ;) ;) ;)

Tsukishima: third option: there isn't a box in the closet at all and you're just talking out of your ass.

Kuroo: damn u know me too well
Kuroo: srsly though, are you really there? right now???

Tsukishima: ...yes

Kuroo: omg
Kuroo: you actually used it

Tsukishima: i've been wondering something, though. why didn't you say anything to me about it? you just sent it to me without a word.

Kuroo: ............
Kuroo: i thought it would be suave and mysterious???

Tsukishima: :/

Kuroo: ok fine
Kuroo: i was kinda, maybe, a little bit nervous about it haha
Kuroo: wasnt sure how ud react
Kuroo: thought youd prefer it like that anyway
Kuroo: you know, me not making it seem like a big deal and everything

Tsukishima: okay.
Tsukishima: well. i thought about giving it back for a while, but i think i'm going to keep it.

Kuroo: :D :D

Tsukishima: ...does it really not bother you? that i don't want to do the same.

Kuroo: nah it rly doesnt
Kuroo: i kno u do things in ur own Tsukki way <3

Tsukishima: :|

Kuroo: i just want u to feel like
Kuroo: my home is yours too?
Kuroo: bc it is
Kuroo: even if you dont like
Kuroo: live there
Kuroo: altho maybe someday you could
Kuroo: u kno
Kuroo: if u wanted

Tsukishima: ah.

Kuroo: anyway since ur there wanna wait for me to get home? :3
Kuroo: class is abt to finish and i should prbly stop texting my prof is starting to give me the evil eye ;;

Tsukishima: ...
Tsukishima: sure. that would be nice.

Kuroo: :3 :3
Kuroo: see you soon Tsukki :3

Tsukishima: stop that
Tsukishima: see you
Tsukishima: <3

Kuroo: <33333333

Tsukishima puts his phone away, gets out a book, and settles in to wait. If he'd begun to smile towards the end of the exchange, he simply chalks it up to relief. Nothing more.