Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore

[referees]

Summer's a time for swapping stories around the campfire. With that in mind, this round draws inspiration from the stories humanity have told each other over the centuries.

This round is CLOSED as of 7PM on August 4 EDT. Late fills may be posted, but they will not receive points.

RULES

• This round does not have prompts. Instead, we ask you to draw inspiration from the wide pool of mythology, fantasy, folklore, and fable. An urban fantasy or supernatural AU? A re-imagining of your favorite folk tale? Characters swapping ghost stories or playing D&D? As long as your fill in some way incorporates the fantastical and/or supernatural, it's welcome here.
• Your fill still has to be about a ship from one of our nominated fandoms. What ships you create work for is up to you, though.
• To submit your fill, simply leave it as a comment as a reply to this post.
• 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.

Remember, this is a NO-PROMPT round. Format your fill comment in one of the following ways:

If FILLING:

If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:

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 (without brackets) 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) If no major content tags are applicable, make sure to state this-- even if including other additional tags 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 If no major content tags are applicable, make sure to state this-- even if including other additional tags 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 fills as you want!

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

Re: FILL: TEAM KUROO TETSUROU/TSUKISHIMA KEI, T

[luckycricket33]

now how can you say that to this face

FILL: TEAM Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, G

[sawakise]

Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, daiya no ace

soulmate au where the first words spoken Directly To your soulmate are written

supernatural magic
588 words.

“Hey, Rei-chan,” Miyuki calls out to the both of them and they turn to look at him, “mind if I handle his balls?”

Oops. That’s not really what he wanted to say—handle his pitches and catch his balls merging into one messed up sentence.

The previously noisy pitcher stares at him, mouth slack, and Miyuki casually waves with a laugh. Instantly, the middle schooler’s mouth turns into a scowl and hey—isn’t that rude? Miyuki makes sure that he looks completely offended, because he is.

Silently, the pitcher stomps over, fuming, and reveals his left wrist to the other.

Hey, Rei-chan, mind if I handle his balls? is right there, blazing gold in his impeccable handwriting.

“Oh,” Miyuki can’t help grinning, wide shiny teeth betraying the loud thump of his heart, “whoops?”

The pitcher throws his hands up into the air with a noisy gush of air. Miyuki checks his wrists. Nope, still bare.

“Are you going to speak or no?” Miyuki gestures to his wrists—all the other stereotypical soulmate identifiers are happening: he feels warmer, safer, and there’s a strong temptation to touch the other.

The pitcher mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

**

“Sawamura Eijun,” Takishima tells him, “he’s only in middle school, but you’ll see why I’ve brought him here.”

**

“What kind of pitches do you know?”

Sawamura shakes his head—still not going to speak, huh—and then mimes the grip.

“Uhm,” Miyuki squints, yeah, any basic pitcher should have the fastball. “Anything else?”

Sawamura fixes him a glare as if to say excuse me, of course I don’t have anything else and Miyuki laughs as he slings an arm around the other and pulls him close.

“Well, just follow my lead then.”

Sawamura mimes gagging.

**

After they get their third out, Sawamura roars in victory.

Miyuki conspicuously checks his wrists again—nope, still nothing.

Sawamura’s taunting Azuma and talking to Takishima now and still nothing pops up, which is fine by Miyuki, because he doesn’t want the words that are going to remain on his wrist forever to be intended for another man. He’s fine, he thinks, he’ll be patient.

**

“I think that Sawamura wants to construct the ugliest sentence ever to put on my wrist,” Miyuki tells Kuramochi over lunch because Sawamura still refused to talk to him—even after he snuck up on the other and it looked like he wanted to shout something, probably Miyuki Kazuya! or something.

“Oh yeah,” Kuramochi nods, “I’ve been helping him.”

Miyuki sighs and thunks his head against the wood of his desk.

**

“Miyuki Kazuya,” Sawamura’s voice drifts into his ear for the first time ad Miyuki jolts to attention, his heart thumping as the words start to write themselves on his skin, “you are the most insufferable bastard that I’ve ever met—”

Well, Miyuki resigns himself, that’s probably it. There we go. The sentence that he’s going to look at whenever he needs another self-deprecating laugh.

“—but,” Sawamura continues and the universe writes that on his skin too, “I trust you.”

Oh.

“Yup!” Sawamura exhales noisily through his nostrils. “That was everything that I wanted to say! Ahhhhh—Miyuki Kazuya, do you know how hard it was for me to keep silent! But it was not in vain; I’m glad that I was able to come up with that sentence! Haha—let me see it.”

“God,” Miyuki rolls his eyes but extends his arm so Sawamura can look at the golden characters. “You’re so noisy.”

FILL: Team Miyuki Kazuya/Narumiya Mei, G

[windflicker]

Akamatsu Shinji/Okumura Koushuu; daiya no ace
Frozen AU, no warnings
1319 words, ao3

“Hey, Koushuu!”

The stranger traipses into the palace like he’s here for weekly afternoon tea, dusting snow off his coat and kicking it off the tips of his boots. Like Koushuu was expecting him to claw his way up the sheer, frosted cliffside, dodging the wolves and climbing the spiral of ice steps one by one, and he’s late to their appointment.

Koushuu has never seen him before.

The stranger is dressed in an all but elfin ensemble with his dark green coat and curl-tipped boots, a pointed hat perched on top of his head. He has long, strangely graceful limbs and a face that’s mostly grin, the rest of it a contradiction of soft angles and coy openness. If Koushuu had built the entrance lower when he wove together the crystals of the palace, the top of his head might have grazed the doorway.

“Who are you,” Koushuu demands.

“Why, they sent me to bring you back,” the boy says, like it’s obvious, blinking his wide eyes.

“Who is ‘they,’” Koushuu asks in a deadpan. He hasn’t even mustered the energy to narrow his eyes into their usual glower. A few days alone will do that to you, will freeze the expressions right off your face. Koushuu wants to forget even more things, like how to be a human being and how not to fade directly into the ice and snow until he becomes another shard, sharp and relentless, in the background around him. “I don’t have anyone.”

The boy’s smile widens. “Aw, come on, don’t be so dramatic now,” he cajoles, oddly gentle. “You know Taku is worried sick about you.”

“You…” That makes him freeze. “You know Taku?”

“Who do you think sent me?”

The frown finds its way back onto his face, tight and fractured. “Then why didn’t he come here himself?”

The boy lets out a laugh, and Koushuu watches as he shrugs the pointed hat off his head and perches himself on a protruding from the ice. His hair is a warm shade of auburn underneath it, ludicrously out of place in the slate-blue hues of the palace. The laugh lasts several seconds too long, and Koushuu tenses at the sound—it reminds him too much of his old falconry teacher, with the horrible, awful grin and the twisted sense of humor. He had hated Miyuki.

“Taku’s a great friend, but even he can’t do everything, Koushuu! You’ve gotta think about it from his perspective—the crown prince of the kingdom disappears without warning and accidentally launches an eternal winter, and he’s the one who’s left behind to pick up the pieces and try to keep the entire country from falling apart.” The boy raises one conversational hand, twirling it in the air. “He’s doing his best, you know? No one knows you better than he does.”

“Then I’ll ask again.” Koushuu tries not to clench his teeth, his fingers curling into fists at the barbed reminders of his old life. It has nothing to do with him anymore. “Who. Are. You.”

“Akamatsu Shinji at your service.” Koushuu can swear the boy—Shinji—actually winks when he introduces himself. “I’d tip my hat, but sadly I already took it off.”

Koushuu just stares.

“I’m no Taku, but I guess I’ll have to do for second best,” Shinji continues cheerily. “I live nearby, actually,” he says, by way of explanation. “Taku sent out a cry for help over the entire countryside, rallying anyone who was willing to help search for you. And, well, it was hard to miss you running by my tiny little hut back there when you did. Hard for anyone to go anywhere in weather like this.”

Koushuu doesn’t say anything, but he nods in acknowledgement. It makes enough sense. He wonders what it had been like, Taku and this strange boy, under what circumstances they had met. He ignores the temporary flare of warmth in his chest at the thought of Taku, sending search parties out to look for him.

“Anyway, I brought you some hot soup. Well,” Shinji amends, “more like lukewarm by now, but it’s probably still warmer than this place is. No offense meant.”

“The cold doesn’t bother me,” Koushuu cuts in tersely.

“Great! Soup won’t bother you either, I hope!”

Shinji smiles brightly and slides off his perch, lowering a bundle over his shoulder and onto the icy floor. Koushuu takes a step forward and watches him unpack a well-wrapped container, unraveling layers and layers of canvas and fleece. His fingers aren’t clumsy even within the thickness of his gloves, a contrast to Koushuu’s bare skin, the ice crystals that cling to his torso in a shift and swathe his legs in breeches. He rolls and unrolls his fists, skin cool and smooth, feet tense against the ground.

“Do you know,” he says after a moment, “that I could freeze you with a single well-aimed icy blast to the chest.”

“Oh, yup!” Shinji lifts his head, his hands pausing temporarily, offering Koushuu a glancing view of his smile. “Though now you’ve given me warning, so it might be tougher to pull off. Not”—he holds up a finger as Koushuu’s glare darkens—“that I’m underestimating you, not at all! I promise I wouldn’t even dodge too hard.” He winks again, his voice lilting playfully. “You haven’t, though, have you? Look, Koushuu—”

“Why do you even call me that? I’m the prince—”

“Koushuu~” Shinji singsongs over him. “That’s what Taku calls you, so I started too.” He dips his head, and Koushuu watches a few more snowflakes drift from his auburn mop down to the floor. Orange casts a novel light on its unforgiving translucence. “I’m very sorry for my presumptuousness. I can call you ‘Your Highness’ or whatever you would like me to instead if you would prefer that.”

His politeness is almost frighteningly earnest, the corners of his eyes softening with a tender light Koushuu knows better than to trust. He bites his tongue, exasperation hardening into irritation. Koushuu won’t give him the satisfaction.

“It’s fine.”

“Great!” Shinji raises one glove and beckons toward him. “Then come sit down, Koushuu, the soup’s almost ready.”

There’s nowhere else to go, so Koushuu does, not knowing why. But he doesn’t sit; he gets down on one knee and then the other and holds himself stiffly in position. Shinji pulls out two more bowls from his bundle, these ones empty, and spreads them out on the ice. Part of Koushuu is surprised that the soup doesn’t freeze on contact with the air when Shinji spoons it into the bowls. The sound of running liquid almost disorients him, breaks him out of some inertia.

“Oh, and Koushuu—what I was going to say was, I figured you’d need some company, too.” Shinji’s eyes meet his over the rim of the ladel at its zenith; Koushuu looks away first. “You don’t have to go back,” he says, “I’m not gonna make you. I one to talk about that, out here by myself.”

“But I thought—” Koushuu stops. It’s not like he wants the stranger to drag him back to the palace, or to open unwanted topics of conversation himself.

But Shinji seems to understand. This time he doesn’t smile all the way, only a quirk at the corners of his lips.

“Like I said,” he repeats, voice high and lilting again, like he’s laughing at a joke no one but he knows but has full confidence that everyone around him will find funny anyway, “I’m not Taku.”

Still braced on his knees, Koushuu settles back on his heels and drinks his soup. Shinji sits cross-legged and does the same. The air is quiet between them, leaving only the sound of the wind whistling outside. The soup is lukewarm, which, if Koushuu is honest, is warmer than he would have liked. But he can’t exactly say that it bothers him, either.

FILL: Team Kominato Ryousuke/Kuramochi Youichi, T

[parasolghost]

Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Love Live!
no tags kitsune!Eli and shrine maiden Nozomi AU
Words:1077

Nozomi could sense a presence from behind the trees without even looking. It wasn’t a visitor—the shrine was too far out in the forest for people to visit it on a random day. It couldn’t have been one of the other shrine maidens—she was the only one attending on this lazy day.

The presence was probably—no, Nozomi knew it was nonhuman. The aura it gave off was a little bit too powerful to be human and a little too threatening to be a harmless little spirit. And yet the fact that Nozomi could sense this spirit without actively seeking it out was indicative of something a little more naïve and someone who was an attention-seeker at heart.

Nozomi looked over her shoulder, smiling at the rustling of leaves in the tree. She hummed to herself, turning with her broom held in both hands.

“I know you’re there, Elicchi,” she said with a singsong voice. “There’s no use in hiding from me, you know.”

“I wasn’t hiding,” came the reply.

Nozomi walked towards the tree and peeked underneath its foliage to see Eli perched on a branch like she weighed nothing, all nine of tails hanging over the edge and swishing back and forth like a pendulum. Her ears twitched as Nozomi approached and she smiled a gentle smile unbefitting of a kitsune.

“I was waiting for you to find me,” Eli said, bringing one of her tails up to her lap to run her fingers through it. Her fur looked so soft and beautiful. Nozomi wondered if Eli would ever let her feel her fur.

“It wasn’t hard to find you with you throwing your spiritual aura all over the place like a child,” Nozomi teased.

Eli sniffed, her lips turning into a frown. In all honesty, Nozomi should have been punished for her disrespect, but she was never afraid of Eli, even with all of her power and her seductive looks. Even though, somewhere, in the back of her mind, a voice reminded Nozomi of the nature of kitsunes. The amoral tricksters. No doubt, if she really wanted to, Eli could lure her into her claws the moment Nozomi let her guard down for even a second. But Nozomi had complete faith in Eli. Perhaps “safe” wasn’t the best word for the way Eli put Nozomi on high alert with just a look, but Nozomi didn’t feel like she was in any danger around Eli.

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Eli asked with a tilt of her head. “I thought I was getting a hang of it.”

“It’s getting better,” Nozomi said kindly.

Eli let out a smooth hum. Before Nozomi could react, she leapt down from her branch, landing much too delicately on her feet, her gown floating down around her body in a beautiful flash of red and white and her beautiful blond hair falling gently on her shoulders. She looked up at Nozomi with bright blue eyes and her full lips slightly parted, leaning in so close that Nozomi could see the way her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheek when she blinked. Nozomi couldn’t help but hold her breath, trying to keep her expression neutral as her heart hammered in her chest.

Nozomi had always been weak to beautiful women. Even though Eli was a kitsune, she was no exception.

Eli must have noticed that because her lips curled into a mischevious smile and she leaned forward, her hands folded behind her back and her tails curling around her like a cloak.

“Let’s play, Nozomi,” she said with a saccharine voice.
Nozomi’s grip tightened on the broom handle, but she smiled nonetheless, tilting her head. “’Play’?” she repeated. “My, my, Elicchi. Should the leader of the kitsune warren really be ‘playing’ right now?”

Eli’s tails swished in front of her and it took every bit of willpower Nozomi had not to let her eyes watch their hypnotizing sway.

“A break is nice every once in a while,” Eli said. “You told me that yourself, didn’t you?”

Nozomi hummed thoughtfully. “That is true,” she said, watching as Eli’s eyes immediately lit up hopefully. “But I think I will pass today, Elicchi.” She put a hand up to push Eli gently out of the way when Eli suddenly flinched, drawing her tails back quickly.

“Careful there,” she said, frowning as she looked at Nozomi’s hand. When she saw that Nozomi was okay, she smiled again. “We wouldn’t want you to get cursed now.”
For all of her intimidation tactics, Eli was very kind at heart. It was rather endearing.

“Oh? And how would the big scary kitsune curse me?” Nozomi teased, knowing just how closely she was pushing Eli. It was a little dangerous, a lot exciting, and if there was one thing Nozomi loved, it was to tease. Nozomi leaned into Eli’s personal bubble and Eli took a step back. “Will I have bad luck for a thousand years? Maybe no one will ever believe my fortune telling? Eternal youth?”

“How about,” Eli began, leaning in, her tails wrapping around them, “I curse you to never leave this shrine? Then I can make you mine forever.” Eli’s words send shivers down Nozomi’s spine and Eli smiled. She was so close that Nozomi could feel Eli breath on her lips. “How’s that for a big scary curse?”

“That…” Nozomi began. Doesn’t sound too bad, actually. Nozomi completed in her head. If it was Eli, being made prey for a kitsune was kind of appealing.
Get a hold of yourself, Nozomi. Nozomi thought to herself, shaking her head.

“As utterly terrifying as that sounds,” she said instead. “It still won’t scare me into playing with you.”

“That’s no fun,” Eli frowned, stepping back and letting her tails fan out behind her. Nozomi let out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding.

“Maybe next time, Elicchi,” Nozomi said, waving Eli away. “Now shoo—I have a shrine to take care of, you know.”

“Take a break, Nozomi—you’ve been cleaning all morning,” Eli tried to urge her, dropping all previous methods of seduction to complain a little.

Nozomi giggled. “My work is never over, here. Besides, it’s not very exemplary for a shrine maiden like me to abandon her duties for a kitsune, is it?”

“As responsible as ever,” Eli said with a reluctant sigh. “Alright, but I’ll be back tomorrow!”

Nozomi smiled serenely. “I’ll look forward to it.”

FILL: TEAM Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, G

[jinbeizaki]

Makoto Tachibana/Sousuke Yamazaki, Free!

Mentions of murders?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn AU! With Makoto as the Rain Guardian & Sousuke as the Cloud Guardian.

Lines count: 16 lines (Poetry)

Even if Makoto was a rain flame type of person,
His smile was even warmer than the sun itself.
There was something unique in Makoto’s flame.
Sousuke would always seek for his company,

Despite his cloud element and his need to be alone.
Sousuke wouldn’t mind the Rain Guardian by his side.
It was always so unique, to receive so much love
From both this smile and his smoothing flame.

Yet this man was not made for the Mafia world.
Makoto didn’t belong among corpses and corruption.
It seemed like it was even starting to affect him.
His smile was less and less brilliant through time.

That was why Sousuke would protect this man.
It didn’t matter how their boss saw their relationship.
It was his role to cover Makoto from enemies.
Besides, rain comes with clouds isn’t that right?

Fill: Team Grandstand, G

[yrindor]

Pairing: Nitori Aiichirou & Sugawara Koushi (Free! & Haikyuu!!)
Tags: no tags, abandonment, blind Nitori, child Nitori, healer Suga
Wordcount: 741 words

Suga knew the forest like he knew himself, perhaps even better than he knew himself. He knew every stream that ran through the trees, every hill that rose gently underfoot. He knew every creature that lived there, and noticed whenever others passed through.

He was tied to the forest, so he noticed when there was a lone child wandering near the edges one morning. Curious, he left his small cabin and walked down familiar paths until he found them. The child couldn't have been more than five; his silver hair matched Suga's, and he didn't seem particularly upset to be wandering in the forest with no one else in sight.

"Are you lost, child?" Suga asked as he knelt beside the young boy.

The boy shook his head. "Mama doesn't like it when I talk about things she can't see. She said she'd kill me if I went home again, so I'm supposed to stay here now."

The child looked up at Suga as he spoke. His eyes were pale and unseeing; they reminded Suga of the sky on an overcast day.

"They like you," the boy said, reaching out toward Suga's face. "Can you see them?"

"What do you see?"

"The wisps. I can never touch them, but they're everywhere. There are a bunch gathered by you right now. Can you not see them?

"I can't," Suga admitted, "but I believe you. The Sight is a rare gift." It was perhaps an understatement to call it rare, Suga thought. The Sight was a rare gift among most of the fey; it was unheard of among humans.

"A gift?" the boy asked hesitantly. "I can't see anything else, so everyone always said it was a curse. Mama told me not to talk about it, but it's hard when they're everywhere."

Suga allowed himself a rare moment of anger at the ignorance that had caused an entire village to abandon a child with a gift many would kill for. "They were wrong," he said. "You have a strong gift in the Sight, and it will serve you well. Do you have a name, child?"

"When Mama's mad, she calls me Nitori Aiichirou, but everyone else just calls me Ai."

"It's nice to meet you, Ai. Is there anyone who's going to come looking for you?"

Ai shook his head. "Just Mama, but she told me not to come back."

"Do you have a Papa, or any other family?" Suga asked.

"What's a Papa?" the child replied, and Suga felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

"A Papa is like a Mama. You need a Papa and a Mama to make a child, but they don't always both stay, and sometimes you have people like Grandmas and Uncles who raise children instead."

"I don't think I have a Papa," Nitori said, "or any of those other things. Just a Mama."

"In that case, would you like to come back with me? I have a hose in the forest here, and I'd be happy to have you stay with me. This is a lovely forest, but it's not really a place for a child to stay alone."

"Does that mean you'd be my Papa?" Nitori asked.

"I could be, if you wanted," Suga said past the lump that formed suddenly in his throat.

"I want to come with you, Papa. There are lots of wispy things in here, and they all seem to like you."

"There are others in the forest who have the Sight like you; I'm sure they'd be willing to show you even more if I asked."

"Please, Papa?" Nitori asked as he took Suga's hand.

"Of course, Ai," Suga replied. They walked through the forest hand-in-hand, and to Suga it felt like something that was meant to be.

The warm feeling that had been growing in his heart all morning only grew when they arrived back at his small house and he introduced Nitori to his dog. Shiro was larger than the child, but that didn't seem to stop them from becoming fast friends. When Suga went to offer Nitori breakfast later that morning, he found the child curled up alongside Shiro, his small hands curled in Shiro's thick fur.

Suga smiled and set the plate of food aside for later. He had never intended to become a parent, but now that it had happened, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

FILL: Team Kanzaki Miki/Tachibana Aya, G

[luckycricket33]

no major content warnings
Ayase eli/toujou nozomi

in which nozomi is a completely legit prophesying entity

FILL: Team Kanzaki Miki/Tachibana Aya, G

[luckycricket33]

petrification?
a person gets turned to ice but disney did it first
haruichi & ryousuke



the ice in frozen is so blue

Re: FILL: TEAM KUROO TETSUROU/TSUKISHIMA KEI, T

[prillalar]

So unfair!!!

Shuichiro rises above the panda.

Re: FILL: TEAM KUROO TETSUROU/TSUKISHIMA KEI, T

[prillalar]

It was pretty out there. :) I kind of want to take another pass at it later.

I giggled way too much at the dolphin blood.

Fill: Team Grandstand, G

[elucidatedlucy]

Tags: Major character death (sort of? allegory. confusing), trans HC pronoun
Words: 600
Manami & Miyahara

"A coin -"

"For passage. I know," Miyahara said, already inpatient.

The man in a suit balanced his chin along the bridge of his fingers, coy smile to bear. "No need to be nervous, miss...?"

She kept her mouth shut and held out her gold.

"I'm glad you're prepared," he said.

One moment, the weight was almost too much to bear - the next, gone, light flickering in his hand as he examined her payment. She allowed her hand to drop. Knowledge was all she had. No names. No food. No second thoughts.

"As long as you stay respectful, I hope you enjoy your stay here." The doors opened behind him, cool smile and sharp brows following her. "Miss Miyahara."

Her heel spun, almost - before she forced herself to a stop and kept forward. There were many tests. She'd read enough about that alone, heard enough from Manami. Stories were nothing more than words. This was real life. There was no mold along the walls - no vegetation twisting down around her feet.

The familiar thump of carpet followed her steps. Eyes adjusted to darkness and she could see the doors along the walls - dozens of them. Her heart raced with the thought. She had been told no destination. Feet carried her onward, despite the fear cooling through her veins. There were no stories about office buildings and the smell of printing paper. No stories about well-dressed business men and sliding doors, echoing with shadows beyond. No stories about stately young women believing they could break the rules of life and death.

Only stories from the mouth of someone sick and foolish. "I think you could do anything, rep."

Manami wouldn't let their eyes turn away from the end.

She knew that much.

Her toes tripped over bunches of carpet, broken alarms sounded to make her turn her head. But Miyahara reached the end of the hall. The only light stood over a single sliding door, pitch black against the other side.

She slid it open before the keeper could.

"Curious," she heard. "What are you here for?"

Miyahara stared. "I wanted to know," and took a deep breath. "How to build a robot."

"Wouldn't you rather a body? Warm to the touch?"

"Metal is plenty warm," she said.

"Or memories, this far down. I have many in my river."

Miyahara shook her head. "I have enough of those."

It hung over, and around her, the scent of fresh cakes and rain sinking through her skin. "You believe they will not come."

"I already paid," she whispered. "Please let me have what I asked for."

"That they will hate you for wanting."

"Sir." If she wanted, she could be harsh. Sick selfish spitfire, only coming out with one person - but they wouldn't follow her anymore. She wouldn't let them. "There are rules. I will report you if you go back on them."

It laughed.

And she could hear bells.

Far off, where she couldn't touch.

Miyahara didn't look back.

Hands burning against steel, she couldn't look back.

And when a robot wandered about like itself, it was no business of hers if it acted so familiarly. It wouldn't recognize her, regardless. Miyahara kept her face forward, against memories long since lost. Even if she couldn't let go of them.

"Hey, rep?"

An echo of their voice.

"It's been a while. I hope you visit soon."

Other people glanced that way, but she knew better. Miyahara was no fool. She wouldn't endanger what had once been lost. She had read many stories. Someone like her - knew better than to hold onto pride.

"I hope you're safe. I miss you."

Re: FILL: TEAM MATSUOKA RIN/NANASE HARUKA, G

[fullofjoy]

Hehe thanks! Ahh the mook is so good and cute...

FILL: TEAM MATSUOKA RIN/NANASE HARUKA, G

[fullofjoy]

No tags (I think)
Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka + Shinigo Kisumi in the BG

Starting Days is leaking into my drawing too much oh no

But yeah it's another mook drawing brought to you from Rin's imagination. For some reason, his friend Kisumi was an evil mob boss who had his goons kidnap MerHaru. (Rin was the one who got rescued in the end.)

FILL: TEAM Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, G

[sawakise]

Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou, haikyuu!!

mudane superpower au

no tags!
593 words.

“Just watch me,” Bokuto says with an impressive eyebrow waggle that could rival Kuroo’s own, “I’m gonna toss this bottle into the trash all the way from here and it’s gonna be nothing but net.”

Kuroo cranes his neck over his shoulder. The waste bin is roughly four rows of desks and a bit more away. “Uh huh,” he says, unimpressed.

Appalled, Bokuto places his free hand on his chest with a melodramatic sigh as he performs the most spectacular underhand throw that Kuroo’s ever witnessed. They watch as the bottle soars through the air, as if in slow motion, and then lands gently in the trash can as if the two inanimate objects were soulmates.

Bokuto whoops loudly, standing up with two fists in the air.

“That should not have been possible,” Kuroo frowns, “that throw had no power to it.”

“Well it did,” Bokuto bats his eyelashes in a manner that’s supposed to be coy but just looks ridiculous. “Sucks to suck.”

“Wait,” Kuroo holds a hand up, “we’re going to test it.”

“Just like how we tested your gift?” Bokuto blinks.

Figuring out Kuroo’s gift allowed Kuroo to field “were you dropped on your head as a baby” because he can reply smoothly, “Not at all! My gift wouldn’t allow it.” It also involved copious amounts of trust falling and then Bokuto not catching him because no matter what, he’d land with two feet firmly planted on the ground. Of course, it didn’t mean that falling from great heights would result in nothing; Kuroo was nothing but an avid spokesman for, “Bokuto, you know I love you but I will literally break both of my legs if I jump from there.”

Anyways:

Bokuto shrugs. “I feel like if throwing objects into a trash can was my gift, we would have figured it out a long time ago.”

“Maybe it’s just water bottles or maybe it’s just in the classroom or maybe it’s just underhand throws,” Kuroo gives him a grin. “C’mon, I figured out what my gift was after you pushed me off several buildings. All I’m asking is that we test a theory.”

Bokuto shrugs. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

**

They go out in the hallway and Bokuto makes an underhand empty water bottle that he drank™ throw into the waste bin perfectly, despite it being at the opposite ends of the hall and there’s students casually walking around.

Overhand, on the other hand, his water bottle falls short and smacks into someone. They both loudly apologize then scurry off to outside.

They make three more baskets from farther distances—Bokuto just goes with his gut and tosses the empty water bottle and it lands. They don’t do overhand anymore and they even do it against improbable odds.

Every time, it lands in.

“That’s a lot of water you’re drinking,” Kuroo eyes the same plastic water bottle that Bokuto has clutched in his hand.

“My pee is going to be crystal,” Bokuto puffs his chest with pride.

“What if you tossed something other than a water bottle that you drank?” Kuroo asks and hands him a rock. Bokuto tosses and it misses.

They toss several more things. They never make it in.

Bokuto sighs and tosses his final empty water bottle without looking. It lands.

“Dude,” Kuroo says, “this is almost as good as a mic drop.”

**

Two weeks later, they find out that Bokuto can toss any full water bottle and it will land perfectly right side up. They dab accordingly every time he does it.

Re: Fill: Team Grandstand, T

[mousapelli]

this is a really cool concept and a really fun read. Nice!

FILL: Team MIYUKI KAZUYA/SAWAMURA EIJUN, G

[starrwinter]

Kominato Ryousuke/Kuramochi Youichi (Daiya no A)
No tags, elemental/gods au
Poem, 29 lines


Streaks of fire shooting against the sky,
embers mixed in tones of red, orange and yellow to paint
with the most unusual of brushes,
heat catching cool skin alight with dangerous results

It was always this way for Kuramochi,
trying his best to fend off the unnatural attacks of his
senpai and teacher and of course
failing miserably in the end to block everything sent his way

An evitible snicker sent his direction
as water attacks rushed by a slithery form,
body set afire with passion and purpose
as Kuramochi tried in vain again to dash away from
the showers of sparks and heat sent his way
but still too inexperienced to be able to cover all his weak points
from a very skillful master of the flame,
Ryousuke's glinting teeth catching alight
in the streaks of heat, and flame, and cinder

"One day you'll beat me Kuramochi, one day,
water is naturally stronger than fire and right now I've been
training for far longer than yourself,
body drenched in sweat and soot for years perfecting my powers
but once you can get the upper hand and beat me fair and square in a battle
I promise to give you anything you desire."

"Anything?" repeated back with a swollen tongue and parched lips,
a starving man brought to drink by the temptation of a never-ending oasis

"Anything, I promise."

Fire lit anew in Kuramochi's own eyes as he charged at the swirling flames and crushing heat,
water curling around him like a shield with new purpose
as Ryousuke's laughter swirled around them both as the battle raged on

Re: FILL: Team Kominato Ryousuke/Kuramochi Youichi, T

[underscored]

this is so hecking cute wtf i love it

Re: FILL: Team Kanzaki Miki/Tachibana Aya, G

[underscored]

wtf this is so pretty, and sad sdjgdskgd

Re: FILL: Team Kominato Ryousuke/Kuramochi Youichi, T

[parasolghost]

cRIES THANK U WEI nozoeli flirting is the only thing keeping me alive

FILL: TEAM Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, G

[sawakise]

Aomine Daiki & Yamazaki Sousuke, knb & free!

cop au

mentions of violence/kidnapping
445 words.

“Yo, Yamazaki.”

Yamazaki looks up with his permanent casual frown on his face and upon recognizing the other, lights up like a lightbulb and stands up to greet them.

“Daiki,” he says and they give each other a quick hug, “what’s up?”

“Don’t you know,” Aomine laughs and hooks his hands into his hoodie’s pockets. “I’ve been transferred over here.”

“No shit,” Yamazaki blinks. “You didn’t tell me.”

“Figured a surprise might be better,” Aomine rolls his eyes, “blame Satsuki, not me.”

**

The first time that they’re put on a mission together, they turn out to be an overpowered destruction that forces them to be apart.

It’s neither of their faults: childlike exuberance is the reason for Yamazaki ripping open the side of the warehouse despite the door being right there while Aomine enters The Zone two minutes before he’s supposed to, dashing through the entrance that Yamazaki made and taking out two bad guys with his fists. The hostage was strapped to a chair by thick leather bounds and Yamazaki’s strength makes quick work—she’s out and running off to safety as Aomine headbutts the final man and probably forces the concussion upon him.

“We have to pay for the destruction to the warehouse,” the police chief sighs. Apparently, they had fist bumped and caused a bit of a shockwave. The details are a bit hazy. Or, if they were in America, Yamazaki would have pleaded the fifth. But this is not America—so he just keeps his lips shut and his hands at his side, standing like a perfectly groomed soldier.

“That’ll come out of both of your salaries for the month,” the chief continues. Aomine looks like he wants to complain but ultimately bites his tongue and waits; Yamazaki has to admire the new maturity that certainly wasn’t there when they were in middle school together. The chief looks at the two of them then sighs and waves them away. “Dismissed.”

“Yamazaki,” Aomine says emphatically when they’re two hallways from her office, “I didn’t know that you had super strength.”

“Oh yeah,” Yamazaki shrugs, “makes me the perfect candidate to be recruited into the police force. Although, your Zone makes my super strength look pointless.”

“There were others where I came from,” Aomine sighs, looking oddly wistful. “There was a guy who could disappear on command, I’d bring you over there to introduce you but he’d take a while to show up. He finds you; you don’t find him. You could call him though—maybe three times in the mirror and he’d pop up.”

“Sounds like you’re describing a ghost,” Yamazaki comments.

“Hey, hey,” Aomine laughs, “he was my old partner.”

Re: Fill: Team Grandstand, T

[yrindor]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

FILL: TEAM MIYUKI KAZUYA/MIYUKI KAZUYA, T

[blueminuet]

Inui Sadaharu/Kaidou Kaoru (Prince of Tennis)
Tags: animal death, body horror, transformation
Word Count: 922


“Don’t come closer, senpai.”

Inui stops just behind the tree, obediently resisting the urge to look around it. It’s not exactly unusual for Kaidou to hide himself away, especially when he’s angry and just needs to work it out alone. Not like this though.

He doesn’t normally hide out in the middle of the woods.

“Kaidou?”

“Go away, senpai.” He’s trying to sound angry, but Inui can hear the edge of fear cutting at his words.

“Kaidou, tell me what’s going on,” Inui said. “I know you started transforming earlier in the week.” He stops for a moment, frowning. Kaidou’s skin had started developing some scales, getting harder and slowly growing an iridescent green. Inui had thought it seemed appropriate for Kaidou, and thought nothing of it. Now, he’s beginning to wonder if his calculations had been wrong. “It’s not unusual to start developing powers at your age. Lots of people do.”

Kaidou is silent for a moment, and Inui would be afraid that he’d run away, but he can still hear his slightly hissing breathing.

“Go away, senpai,” he repeats, slower this time. Hesitant.

It’s enough to root Inui firmly in place.

“What if we just talked?” Inui asks.

“What?”

“I won’t look and you can stay hidden,” Inui says. “We can just talk.”

“Senpai, I…”

“You’re clearly scared, Kaidou,” Inui says. “Let’s talk.”

There’s a pause and a rustling sound, as if Kaidou is shifting and taking the litter of leaves on the ground with him. “What would you want to talk about?”

“Anything,” Inui says. “You missed practice. I could tell you what happened.”

There’s more shifting and rustling. “Alright.”

“Eiji managed to make a jump off of Oishi’s shoulders,” Inui says. “I think his acrobatics are improving.”

“I see…”

---

Inui makes frequent stops in the forest. He knows from Kaidou’s family that Kaidou hasn’t been home since his transformation. He brings Kaidou food when he visits, leaving it just around the tree, and never looking, to respect Kaidou’s wishes.

They talk, and secretly Inui is reading the entire time, looking for a reptilian transformation that could explain his behavior.

“What about Momo?” Kaidou asks, continuing their talk about the team.

Inui flips a page as silently as he can manage. “He thinks he’s getting better but he’s not.”

Kaidou hisses a laugh.

“I think the lack of competition is causing him to stagnate,” Inui says, and Kaidou falls silent. “But I’m sure that can be remedied.”

“I guess he’ll need to find someone else to put him in his place,” Kaidou says, and it’s only slightly sullen.

Inui runs his fingers over the pages of his book. A few of the sections are dog-eared, but he’s had a suspicion for a while and it just won’t go away. The theory fits all the data, he’s just not sure how to move forward.

“What else, senpai?” Kaidou asks, noticing Inui’s silence.

“Kaidou.” Inui isn’t sure what to say next. He claps his book shut and stands up.

“What are you doing?” Kaidou asks. He doesn’t seem too worried but that edge of fear is boiling up again.

Inui hesitates for just a few moments before making his decision. “I’m sorry, Kaidou.”

He looks around the tree and meets Kaidou’s — now golden — eyes.

Kaidou is now covered in scales, his lower body fused into a long, coiling snake tail. His hands end in long, dagger-like, emerald claws. His hair is moving, each strand a small, individual snake, only some of them managing to hide under his bandana.

Most of all, Inui notices Kaidou’s horror stricken face.

“Senpai!” He looks away and recoils.

“Kaidou, it’s not that bad,” Inui says carefully.

“It’s not that, it’s…” Kaidou is still looking away, but something seems to dawn on him. His eyes widen and he looks back at Inui.

They stare at each other for a long, silent moment.

“You’re not stone,” Kaidou finally whispers.

Inui raises an eyebrow. “What?”

Kaidou gestures vaguely off to the side. Inui sees a rabbit, perfectly preserved in stone.

“Oh, of course,” Inui says. “The side effect of the gorgon transformation. Turning anything that looks you in the eye to stone.”

“How?” Kaidou asks. “How are you not…”

Inui pushes up his glasses, knowing that thier reflective coating will make them shine in the low light. “Kaidou, have you ever actually seen my eyes?”

“I… no…”

“That’s for the best,” Inui says. He moves closer, and this time Kaidou doesn’t recoil. “Especially now. I would prefer not to be a statue.”

Kaidou doesn’t say anything, just stays perfectly still as Inui comes closer. Inui reaches up, grabbing Kaidou by the chin and examining his eyes. Inui ends up cupping Kaidou’s face with both hands, and Kaidou seems perfectly fine with it.

“I see,” Inui says after his investigation. “I wonder if a pair of glasses may help you as well. Perhaps sunglasses of some kind. If not, I’m sure there’s some other solution.”

Kaidou’s eyes widen. “Senpai? You’re not… afraid…”

“Of course not,” Inui says. He realizes then that he’s still holding Kaidou’s face in his hands, and neither of them have made any move to change this.

Inui makes a quick calculation before leaning in and kissing him. Kaidou is so still for a moment that Inui wonders if Kaidou himself has been turned to stone. But slowly, Kaidou leans forward, and Inui feels long claws ghosting gently over his sides.

Inui pulls away, smiling into Kaidou’s lips. “Don’t worry, Kaidou. We’ll fix this.”

FILL: TEAM MIYUKI KAZUYA/MIYUKI KAZUYA, G

[blueminuet]

Inui Sadaharu/Kaidou Kaoru (Prince of Tennis)
Tags: no major tags, disordered eating/sleeping, wizard/wizard’s assistant AU
Word Count: 731


Kaidou slips into the workshop and quickly gives the entire place a once over. Inui is slumped over his worktable, various magical ingredients scattered about, interspersed with lengths of wood and clay. Some of it is too charred for Kaidou to quite make out what it used to be. Bits of Inui’s robes are also singed, giving Kaidou a probable order of events.

Kaidou reaches over to Inui’s neck, pressing two fingers into the side of it, and finding his pulse about normal; he’s had a few scares that he scolded Inui for later. He grabs Inui by the shoulders to pull him off of the table, cradling them in one arm, while his other arm slips under Inui’s knees. He scoops him up easily, knowing how to do it near automatically from abundant practice.

Inui makes a noise but otherwise doesn’t stir. It’s easy for Kaidou to carry him down to his bedroom; Inui is gangly more than bulky, so figuring out how to maneuver with him was the hard part. But, as Inui would say, Kaidou had figured out the formula.

Kaidou slips sideways through the bedroom door and lays out Inui on his bed, taking care to remove his slightly burned robes and shoes, but otherwise just tucks him in as he is.

Inui makes a small noise, and Kaidou smiles as he leaves.

---

Left to his own devices, Inui wouldn’t leave his lab for days on end. That’s how it had been when Kaidou had started as his assistant. Inui would forget to eat or sleep, or pass out from exhaustion.

He still does, but Kaidou tries his best.

When Kaidou slips into the workshop, Inui has no less than five books spread out in front of him, one of which he’s holding just a few inches from his face. There are two cauldrons bubbling, with a tube funneling from one to another. It smells awful, but Kaidou is nearly used to it.

Kaidou slides one of the books a few inches to make room on the table and places a bowl there. It’s filled with rice, meat, and vegetables; Kaidou learned a long time ago that Inui hardly paid enough attention to taste what he was eating, so since then Kaidou had taken to just cobbling things together without the goal of making them anything more than utilitarian.

Inui is still reading, but Kaidou makes a point of pressing the spoon into his hand so that he was aware of the food.

Kaidou is nearly out of the room when he hears the spoon clanging against the side of the bowl.

“Thank you, Kaidou,” Inui says, distractedly.

Kaidou stops, blushes, and doesn't bother turning to look at him. He knows Inui will still be reading anyway.

“Of course, senpai.”

---

Kaidou brings a fresh pitcher of water for Inui. Sometimes Inui will use his glass of water in his magical experiments — either to water something down or put out an unexpected fire — so Kaidou had to start bringing more than he needed just in case.

He pours more water into Inui’s cup and sets the pitcher down, and when he looks up he’s surprised to see Inui looking at him.

“Senpai?”

Inui smiles, and Kaidou is caught off guard. “Thank you, Kaidou. You’ve been very helpful.”

“I… Of course, senpai.” Kaidou ducks out quickly, before Inui can say another word.

---

Kaidou carries Inui down the torch-lit corridor, being sure to keep a healthy distance away from either wall. Inui begins to stir in his arms, and Kaidou is a bit surprised; normally once Inui is out, he stays out.

“Kaidou?” Inui moves, gripping one arm around Kaidou’s shoulder to steady himself, rather than letting his head dangle off to the side.

“Yes, senpai?” They’re nearly to Inui’s bedroom. Kaidou is a little worried that Inui will want to go back to his workshop. Kaidou doesn’t want to have to fight with Inui about how much rest a wizard — no matter how powerful — needs to function.

Kaidou stops just in front of the bedroom door, waiting for what Inui will say. To Kaidou’s further surprise, Inui pulls himself closer to Kaidou’s face, just inches separating them.

When Inui kisses him, Kaidou nearly drops him.

Inui breaks away from him slowly, their lips still nearly touching. “Thank you, Kaidou.”

“O-of course… senpai.”

FILL: TEAM MIYUKI KAZUYA/MIYUKI KAZUYA, G

[blueminuet]

Inui Sadaharu/Kaidou Kaoru (Prince of Tennis)
Tags: no major tags, mentions of inui juice (and possible questionable things therein), vampire!Inui, kitsune!Fuji
Word Count: 554


“You’re thinking about telling him, aren’t you?”

Inui jumps, slightly startled; an oddity, most of the time. Fuji remains one of the few that can still rattle him, after centuries of practice at keeping his cool.

Inui turns, seeing Fuji’s wide smile. Behind him, outside of the range of prying mortal eyes, Inui can see Fuji’s many tails flick slightly.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Inui says, turning back to his notebook.

Fuji is in front of Inui in a flash. This time, Inui isn’t shocked; neither by the speed nor the act itself.

“Don’t take me for a fool, Inui,” Fuji says, still grinning widely. “I’ve sampled your juices as well, don’t think I don’t know the end. You’ve been trying to work up the courage to turn all of them.”

Inui frowns. Self-consciously, he slips his tongue between his teeth, needling at it with one fang.

“That’s irresponsible,” Fuji continues. He’s still smiling, but his tails betray his true emotion. “You’ll draw suspicion. We’d all be caught if you turned so many.”

“I know.”

“Of course you do,” Fuji says, pleasantly. “Which is why you have to chose carefully.”

Inui frowns. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Fuji shrugs, turning. The rest of Seigaku are still practicing on the courts. Inui is almost worried about missing out on new, precious data, but he knows this conversation has been a long time coming.

“You can’t win them all, Sadaharu,” Fuji says. He turns his smile back to Inui. “Vampires should know better about picking their prey, right?”

“This isn’t about prey,” Inui says, a bit too quickly.

Fuji smiles. “Of course, not like that. A metaphor, Inui.”

Inui looks away, frowning.

“You just want one so bad, don’t you?” Fuji asks. “Vampires are supposed to be solitary creatures, aren’t they? But then again, you’ve always been a bit odd.”

“Fuji…”

Fuji holds out a single finger. “One of them, Sadaharu. You can pick one of them and explain, and if they agree, you can turn them. But just. One.”

Inui frowns at him. “Fine.”

“Sadaharu…” There’s a rising edge to his voice, and Inui isn’t sure if he’s imagining Fuji’s tails beginning to glow.

“I agreed to the terms,” Inui says. Softer, he adds, “You’re right.”

Fuji’s smile widens. “Of course I am.”

---

“Kaidou…” Inui pauses just as soon as he’s said it, but it’s too late. Kaidou has already stopped in his tracks as he was heading back to his home.

“Senpai?”

Inui stops, thinks, before pressing forward. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Alright,” Kaidou says, a bit too easily for Inui’s liking.

Once again, Inui self-consciously runs his tongue over his fangs. This time though, a lot of it has to do with smell of Kaidou’s hot blood.

“I’d… I’d like to talk to you about something,” Inui says after too long of a pause. “Would you like to come over to my home?”

Kaidou nods. “Of course.”

“It might be a bit awkward,” Inui warns. “It could change the way you… think of me…”

Kaidou shakes his head. “I promise it won’t. I want to hear it, senpai.”

Inui sighs, dipping his head. But, at the same time, he feels a flutter of excitement at the new possibilities opening up before him. “Alright… this way then…”

FILL: TEAM MIYUKI KAZUYA/MIYUKI KAZUYA, T

[blueminuet]

Takigawa Chris Yuu/Zaizen Naoyuki (Daiya no Ace)
Tags: death/muder (no major characters), blood, violence (puncturing of the skin, throat), injury, ableist language (directed at oneself), wizard!Chris, elf!Zaizen
Word Count: 684


Chris sighed, resigned, as the arrow pierced through his contact’s throat, and the man fell to the ground, gagging. Still, Chris didn’t miss a beat, using the distraction to catch the fallen man’s comrades off guard with a stunning spell, and they all fell unconscious to the ground.

He sighed as he began rummaging through his contact’s robes, which were already beginning to soak through with blood. He found the scrolls they’d come to negotiate over and hastily gathered them up before turning and glaring.

Zaizen walked over with a limp so barely noticeable, no one but Chris may have been able to spot it, but it only made his frown deepen. Zaizen still had his bow drawn, one hand on his quiver, and he was looking rumpled from jumping down from his hiding spot in the trees, his cloak ruffled and his hair swept over to nearly hide his pointed ears.

Zaizen was scowling at the dead man. “We should have just done that in the first place. Look how much time we just saved.”

Chris swiped a hand over his mouth and sighed. “Zaizen…”

“I never trusted him, I told you that,” Zaizen said, picking his hand off of his quiver long enough to point at Chris.

Chris lowered his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Zaizen, there was a reason we were negotiating with him.”

“He was being difficult,” Zaizen said, settling his bow back onto his back.

Chris looked up at him. “You realize this means we have to run now, right?”

Zaizen, finally, met his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

Chris glared at him, casting his glance for a moment at Zaizen’s leg, then back to his eyes.

“What?”

Chris sighed. He tucked the scrolls into his robes. “Fine. Let’s get going.”

---

They made camp for the night deep in the woods, far from any of the foreign guards that might be looking for a pair of political assassins. Which, Chris thought wryly, was apparently what they had become.

The fire burned brightly, casting a small bubble of light around them. Chris had made sure that it’s light wouldn’t shine out much farther than that.

Zaizen refused to sit still, and Chris was considering using magic to fix that to, whether it was ethical or not.

“Sit still,” Chris demanded.

Zaizen glared at him, but sat a little stiller. Chris grabbed Zaize’s left leg and slung it over his lap. Zaizen winced at the move.

“You shouldn’t have been running on it,” Chris said. He began swipping his hands over the limb, his fingertips glowing a soft blue as he dug into Zaizen’s flesh, following along the torn ligament.

Zaizen was wincing again. He often described Chris’s magical treatment as uncomfortable, but no matter how Chris posed the question, Zaizen could never quite give a good description of it. Just “weird,” and Chris wasn’t sure how to quantify that.

“It’s fine,” Zaizen said. “We didn’t have a choice anyway.”

Chris glared at him.

“We didn’t have a good other choice?” Zaizen tried.

Chris dug his fingers in a little deeper and Zaizen yelped.

“Okay fine, it was my fault,” Zaizen groaned. “But it would have been a good call if I wasn’t a cripple.”

Chris frowned. “You’re not,” he said.

“I clearly am.”

Chris dug his fingers in again.

“That can’t possibly be helping anything!” Zaizen yelped.

“Your body needs time to heal,” Chris said, glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. “You’re very impatient for an elf. You know that, right?”

Zaizen shrugged. “You should’ve known this already.”

Chris sighed and leaned closer to him, running his hands farther up Zaizen’s leg as he did. Chris grinned as Zaizen began looking more and more flustered. Eventually though, Zaizen gave in, leaning closer to Chris as well. Chris was the one that made the bolt forward though, pressing their lips together quickly.

He pulled back. “Also… I just need you to know…”

Zaizen raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“No matter what…” Chris smirked. “It was a really, really stupid call.”

Zaizen huffed in his face.