sportsanime | Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore

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Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore

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"/>
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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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

bullying, disastrous rumour-mongering, slurs, demons, mentions of demons eating people, mild violence, sexual assault, blood, mentions of vomiting, strained family relations, character death, road accidents, persona 2 au

Oikawa Tooru & Sugawara Koushi

3507 words

--

Have you heard? About Oikawa?

Things have been strained between their families ever since the car crash. Everyone was initially happy to have him back; both sets of parents treated them like sons, after all. But when the police started making their enquiries, the relief of having at least one child come back to them alive soon turned into resentment.

Tooru is completely aware of the rumours: after all, they chase after him in the hallways, each vicious whisper curling around him, a noose waiting to be pulled taut. They say that he caused the accident by insisting on driving without a license. That there was some torrid love triangle between them and an unidentified third party, who eventually decided to take them out. That Tooru had sabotaged the car of a rival, only to accidentally get into the deadly vehicle himself. That this was actually a double suicide because Tooru and Hajime knew that they could never bear the consequences of eloping. That Tooru was a shapeshifter who somehow lost control of his monster form and went on a rampage.

It’s all nonsense, of course, though as the days go by he becomes less and less certain of the difference between rumours and reality. After all, the truth that he knows is much simpler, but also so completely unbelievable that it’s caused a rift between Tooru and the rest of polite society, his family included.

Demons. The answer is that demons did it, but the more earnestly Tooru makes his claims, the more convinced everyone is of his guilt. You’re not a child playing make believe anymore, Tooru. Just tell the truth, Tooru, and they might give you a lighter sentence. We know it hurts, Tooru, but your lies are tarnishing Hajime’s memory even more.

Tooru often loses himself in his memories of the day his life came crashing down on him. Until that day, his life had been on track. But then it had derailed sharply, detaching from its designated path and hurtling down an abyss. In his mind he can clearly see the moment when something – an unfamiliar bipedal that looked to be a cross between a bull and a very muscular man, with an oversized skull for a face – had appeared in front of his and Hajime’s taxi. Their driver had been unable to swerve in time, and they’d crashed straight into it.

Tooru had drifted in and out of consciousness, but he knows that at one point, Hajime was draped around him protectively. And at another… He knows that he saw the beast standing in front of them, exhalation carrying the stench of rotting flesh, staring directly at him before it lifted Hajime’s lifeless body to its wide-open maw, jaws closing around Hajime’s face.

The investigation’s been dropped because of too many unsolvable mysteries – the bite marks on Hajime’s face from an unidentified creature; how Hajime and Tooru had gotten out of the car in the first place; why Hajime was found several feet away from the accident site. ‘A demon did it’ would explain everything perfectly, but they’re refusing to accept it.

He can’t quite believe that people would rather believe he’s a shapeshifting friend-eating monster than in what he’s told them, but judging from the rumours going around, the people in this city aren’t exactly sane.

Tooru is sure this memory is the true reality of what happened, because he’s spent time running the rumours through his head as well, to see if anything clicks. But they are all streaked with blanks and unwieldy gaps; none match up to the vivid colours and sensations of the memory with the demon.

Sometimes, of course, he fears that that memory might just be a good fabrication; his mind’s way of sheltering him from the crushing guilt he would feel if he really were guilty of causing Hajime’s death. With each doubtful glace sent his way, with each hiss of disdain, the fear gets stronger. But there’s another fact that is always reassuring to Tooru when he remembers it.

He will never play volleyball ever again. Or any sport, really. Because his right calf is missing a huge chunk of flesh – something had bitten it out, and whatever it was, its teeth marks had matched the ones on Hajime’s face.

Tooru certainly isn’t flexible enough to reach down and devour flesh from his own leg – maybe it doesn’t matter if he shapeshifts into a monster, but he’s fairly certain he can’t. So he continues to cling to the belief that this version of the events is the realest. It brings him some comfort – in particular, the reassuring weight of Hajime’s body pressed against his protectively. In this version of the events, Tooru and Hajime’s relationship is at its best, calm and steady, instead of on the rocks like so many people seem to believe. In this version Hajime, unlike everyone else around Tooru, tries to protect Tooru. In this version, Tooru is guilty of nothing except being too lazy to take the bus.

In this version, Tooru has something concrete to avenge himself on.

Have you heard of the transfer student? The one who’s stopped coming to school? What was his name again… I think it was… Shiro? Shirai? I’ve heard his vengeful spirit is haunting the school these days!

Shiro? Apparently all his bullies got beaten up. No one knows who did it.

Someone saw Shirai in that seedy club with the secret room!!!

Huh? Isn’t Shirai dead?

My boyfriend told me that Shirai’s ghost is hanging out in that club’s secret area. If you manage to find him, apparently he’ll help you with whatever you want…

‘How do I get into the secret area?’

Tooru gets only blank stares in response to his question. The club has gone silent, and he can feel everyone’s eyes boring holes into him. He ignores it, tries to put on his most charming smile, and repeats his question.

A few minutes later, he finds himself being manhandled out of the exit.

Judging from reactions, he’s fairly certain he’s got the right club. He wants to go back inside and try again, but he’s already been thrown outside. He probably shouldn’t rush things.

He turns and limps towards the darkened streets, right leg dragging behind him. Since he’s stopped going to school, he has so much time. He can always come back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that… Based on what he’s heard, he’s sure that they’ll eventually give him what he wants.

You know Oikawa-senpai from class 3C? He’s always at that club lately. People always see him with a real nasty crowd. I saw him the other day. He’s in real bad shape.

Oikawa hasn’t turned up to school lately? I bet he’s ashamed. Of what he did to Iwaizumi-san and what he’s been doing lately.

Yeah, I heard that Oikawa’s been going round the block! Talking to real shady characters and doing things with them!

If you pay enough he’ll do anything, apparently.

He’s been loose since middle school. Now that he can’t play volleyball anymore, he needs to find a way to let out all that pent up energy right?

I always knew Oikawa was a slut…

The lack of progress is making Tooru incredibly frustrated. To add to that, lately, there have been so many creeps approaching him; so many unwanted hands on places he’d rather keep to himself.

He smacks away the hand that’s about to make contact with his butt, and glares at its owner – an old man who jostles Tooru deliberately when he passes him, smacking his right leg with his cane. Tooru winces, then turns away from the silent club staff to scan the room. The sofas are empty, so he drags himself there and sinks down.

He’s reconsidering his tactics when he feels the movement of someone sitting next to him. He glances to the side, making eye contact with a lean boy who looks to be the same age as him, with a blond undercut. The boy puts an arm around Tooru and leans in, grinning. ‘Hey. Are you Oikawa Tooru?’

Tooru eyes the boy warily. ‘And if I am?’

‘Got some information for you. Go to the bar and order to house special. After you drink it, the secret area will be open to you.’

Tooru runs his eyes over the boy, trying to evaluate his trustworthiness. For all he knows, the boy could be lying, could be trying to get him into some serious trouble. The boy just sits still, maintaining eye contact whenever it happens to be established. Tooru can’t get a read on him at all. He grits his teeth and clicks his tongue in annoyance, turning away.

‘How do I know you’re not lying?’

‘Well, Tooru-chan, the way I see it is: you’ve been coming here every night for almost two months, now. You’ve made no progress at all, have you? And now good ol’ me turns up, giving you some much-needed information. You have no idea whether it’s true or not. But why not give it a try? It’s better than nothing, isn’t it? I mean, what do you have to lose? What’s the worst that could happen?’

A few minutes later, Tooru is eyeing a drink with white, black, yellow, green, and lilac layers. He examines it curiously: it’s giving off a floral smell, and also fizzing mysteriously. He looks back at the boy, who only gives him a smile and thumbs up. He looks back at the drink. He takes a deep breath and brings it to his lips. After all, the boy is right. What more does he have to lose? Could anything worse really happen to him?

Minutes later, when he pitches forward onto the table, struggling and failing to keep himself upright, he gets the answer to his first question. He can lose control over his own body. And as he feels himself being dragged, unable to fight off the hands grabbing at his body, he gets the answer to his second. Rumours becoming reality.

--

When he next drifts into consciousness, he hears shouting around him. His shirt is off and he thinks his pants are unzipped, but there’s no one near him. The last thing he registers before slipping away again is the smell of burning flesh.

--

He’s having trouble seeing, but he thinks someone’s in front of him. He thinks they’re calling his name. He fades out again.

--

He’s fully dressed and lying on something soft. He can see someone moving in front of him – they are slender and dressed in a sky blue gakuran, their hair a delicate shade of pale grey. They’re humming. He loses consciousness again, but with less struggling than before.

--

He’s sitting upright, throwing up into a basin as someone pats his back soothingly. He’s dimly aware that he’s crying as well, saying things like it isn’t fair, I never wanted for this to happen, oh god, I miss Hajime. He hears the person shushing him, rubbing soothing circles into his back, whispering comforting words to him, telling him that everything will be all right. In response, Tooru just sobs harder, sobs because he’s finally hearing the words he’s wanted – no, needed to hear for so long, and it’s coming from a complete stranger.

--

He stares at the ceiling for a long time. The light is bright white and hurts his eyes ever so slightly, but he doesn’t avert his eyes.

Someone comes into view. Their hair frames their face perfectly, and they have a beauty mark near their left eye. The way the light catches against their hair, making it appear almost white, reminds Tooru of a halo, and when they smile at him whole-heartedly, shaking his shoulders and exclaiming how glad they are that he’s awake, Tooru’s heart lifts slightly: he thinks he must be looking at an angel.

‘I’m so glad you’re all right, Oikawa-san. I’m Shirai Koushi.’

--

When Tooru eventually exits the club, the sun is setting across the horizon again. He can’t believe he spent so much time there and gotten into such a mess, and all he has to go on after that is a rumour.

He recalls Kou-chan’s shocked face when he told him about the rumours surrounding him. ‘Oh, no, I can’t do anything like that!’ He’d told Tooru sheepishly. ‘It’s true I’ve stopped going to school because of the bullying. But I’m not here doing any sort of seedy business – I just happen to live in one of the rooms here.’

‘Pretty strange location for a family home.’

Kou-chan had pursed his lips and looked away sadly. ‘Well, things aren’t exactly… good, at home.’

Tooru had felt bad for inadvertently bringing up an obvious sore point, but Kou-chan had turned his soft, gentle smile at him with such alacrity that Tooru had taken the cue and steered them into another topic, instead of dwelling further on the subject.

They’d talked for a long time, Kou-chan asking Tooru about all the things he’d heard him muttering about whilst under the influence of the drugs. Tooru had ended up spilling everything – about his family, Hajime, the accident, the closed investigation, the rumours and nastiness at school.

‘You see, Kou-chan?’ He’d laughed bitterly. ‘I’m the one suffering the most, and yet they’re making me out into some evil friend-eating villain. Humans are so awful, aren’t they?’

Kou-chan had placed his hands on Tooru’s, squeezing them firmly. ‘They aren’t all that bad. Like you, Tooru. I can sense your shining heart.’

‘Oh stop it, Kou-chan. If anyone has a shining heart, it’s you. I’m the one who’s here chasing a rumour to further my revenge plot.’

‘Tooru, about that… I can’t say I approve of revenge. But have you heard of the Joker Game?’

Tooru frowns. ‘Is it that game everyone’s been playing lately? The one where you call your own cellphone for kicks?’

‘Yes, that’s the one. But it’s not just for fun. Apparently, it can grant you your ideal.’

‘My ideal…’

--

Tooru climbs across the gate, careful to land on his left leg when he drops down on the other side.

After hearing Kou-chan’s description of the Joker Game and how to play it, Tooru had decided to break into his and Hajime’s old middle school. After all, his ideals all involved Hajime, so it was only fitting that he should play the game in the place where Hajime and Tooru had spent the best years of their life, memory untarnished by demons, accidents, and human ugliness.

Tooru limps into their old classroom. It looks just like how he remembers it. He smiles to himself, and stands in a corner to begin the game.

--

He can’t believe that the call actually went through. But here he is in his and Hajime’s old middle school homeroom, face to face with someone wearing a white gakuran with black patterning at the edges, and a colourful jester mask that has a teardrop shape below its left eye. When it speaks, the sound of its voice is distorted, giving Tooru goosebumps and making him shiver.

‘I am Joker, the final trump card drawn by those anguished by their dreams… Tell me your ideal…’

‘Hajime… I want Hajime back. I want things to go back to the way they were.’

‘There is no way to bring the dead back…’

Tooru’s heart sinks. He’d been placing all his hopes on this rumour, and with that one statement, all of his hope shatters, scattering into the night breeze.

‘But… I can hear the voice in your heart. What you truly want… You want strength, do you not? The power to take revenge?’

‘Yes, yes!’ He replies without hesitation, casting aside Kou-chan’s parting words filled with hope and positivity. His greatest ideal has been cruelly denied, and now he is eagerly reverting to his original plans for vengeance.

‘I can give you power, but in exchange, I would like your loyalty.’

‘If you help me, I swear I will do everything with my power to repay you.’

Joker laughs and snaps his fingers. A yellow flower appears in his hand, and he throws it at Tooru. He catches it easily and examines it. An iris.

‘Press it over your heart.’

It’s not the weirdest suggestion to come out of this city, so Tooru complies. Seconds later, his eyes are widening in disbelief as the yellow petals disappear into his shirt, sinking under his skin and into his heart. A warm feeling starts to spread through his body.

Seconds later, he’s kneeling on the ground, doubled over and trying not to vomit. The warmth had quickly turned into ice in his veins, and then electricity was coursing through his body. Various sensations are clashing against one another in his mind, and he’s trying not to black out from the overstimulation.

Finally, he feels everything rushing towards a single point – his heart – and he feels something close around it, sinister and powerful. He looks up at Joker.

‘Well done. You adjusted remarkably quickly. On your feet, now.’

Tooru braces both hands on the floor to push himself up, but when he shifts his right leg into position, his heart almost stops in shock. He presses a hand to his calf – it’s still missing a sizeable chunk, but it no longer hurts.

‘What-‘

‘Shh. The trial is not yet over.’ Joker steps aside. Behind him is a bull-man bipedal with an oversized skull for a face. The demon that had destroyed Tooru’s dreams and brought his peaceful life to an end. ‘Show me your strength.’

The demon lets out a howl that causes the entire room to shake, and charges at Tooru. He surprises himself with how quickly he manages to jump aside. The demon crashes into the wall, then turns and starts charging at Tooru again.

Show me your strength. What’s he supposed to do? His body’s condition has improved significantly, but he can’t dodge the creature indefinitely. If only he had some weapons…

At the thought of ‘weapons’, his head starts to buzz. What is it? He hears a harsh voice echoing in his mind. It snarls, ‘Take my hand… I am you… You are me…’

Tooru screams as a skeleton with orange horns wearing a teal robe bursts into being in front of him with enough force that all the desks in the classroom are blown back, and the demon chasing after him flies back into the wall. As Tooru is clutching his head, the skeleton turns to him and growls, ‘I am Aeshma, reversed… He who hoists the sail of rage to cross the sea of blood. My other self… I will let you know the true power of fury.’

With that, it turns to face the demon. The demon roars, letting Tooru catch a whiff of its corpse breath. Then it charges at Tooru and his… other self. In the next moment, the demon is a charred lump on the floor.

Before he can try to figure out what just happened, he hears clapping. Joker emerges from the shadows and walks slowly towards him and reverse Aeshma.

‘Wonderful! You performed splendidly. As expected of someone with a gleaming heart like yours.’

Joker’s words click in Tooru’s mind, but he doesn’t immediately remember why. He faces Joker squarely. ‘What… was that?’

‘The power you used is Persona. It reflects your true, dreaming heart… The demon you defeated is a Minotaur. Are you satisfied with your revenge?’

Tooru looks at the blackened remains in front of him. The Minotaur had ruined his life, and then tried its best to kill Tooru. Thanks to the power Joker had given him – the power of Persona – he’d survived. He’d defeated the thing that had robbed him of Hajime and forcibly changed the course of his life forever. And he felt good about it.

But it wasn’t enough. He kneels before Joker. ‘Thank you for granting me this power. How… How may I serve?’

Joker laughs, and the sound is gentle, like birds on beautiful spring day. ‘Would you like to make this world a better place?’

When Tooru nods, Joker holds out his hands to him. In one hand is a circular mask with gold edges. There’s a circle in the middle of it, with two round indentations on its sides and a green jewel inlaid into a third round indentation at the top of the circle. In the other hand is a spear.

‘There are some people... They robbed me of my ideal. They killed my big sister. The world’s been moving in darker directions ever since. If we punish them, everything should right itself. Would you like to help me bring hope back to the world?’

Worldlessly, Tooru reaches out for the mask. He smooths his thumb over it, fingering the jewel at the top of it. Then, he gingerly presses it to his face. Joker shakes his hand, and when he speaks again, it’s with barely repressed delight.

‘Welcome to the Masked Circle, my dear executive.

‘Let’s work hard together to cleanse this rotten world.’

Miyuki Kazuya/Takigawa Chris Yuu, Daiya no A

word count : 710

no tags

The house was bigger than he recalled. Miyuki opened the front gates and they parted without a sound, which he considered as close as a welcome as he could possibly get.

His steps lighted up the ground where he walked, pebbles emitting a soft golden glow matching the sunset tones coloring the late afternoon sky. The gardens were still blooming despite the first whiffs of fall perfuming the air, flagrant and exotic smells reaching Miyuki's nostrils as he made his way to the front door of the mansion. Undoubtedly, some magic was at work here.

An attentive eye could also make out subtle sigils drawn on the ground, half-hidden by dirt and massive leaves. He recognized a few medicinal plants among he flower beds and other herbs he knew better than to get close to.

Someone who knows how to heal also knows how to kill, he reminded himself.

He had heard that warning so many times before it had basically imprinted itself iron red on the underside of his eyelids, but that never stopped him from befriending Chris nor from entertaining a strong interest for the witch and his expensive knowledge.

He found Chris sitting on his porch, leaning back on his hand with a serene expression on his face. He was still as handsome as the last time he'd seen him, all elegant features framed with loose brown curls, grey pants with a white shirt cutting low on his chest.

He smiled at his approach. "Miyuki. It has been a while."

He nodded, answering the smile with a grin of his own."Yes, it has. Sorry to come over such short notice."

Chris dismissed his apology with his hand. "Don't worry about it. How about you come inside?"

*

Miyuki had expected them to sit in the living room but instead, Chris brought them to a veranda on the second floor, framed by big windows drinking in the afternoon light. He waved his hand, murmuring a few words under his breath, and a tea set flew over from the cupboard to the coffee table between them, serving flagrant tea by itself in a matching set of teacups.

Chris took a sip before clearing his throat. "So, what do I owe the honor of your visit today?"

Miyuki shrugged. "I'll be straight to the point: the King is marching north and he requested your presence at his side. I'm to bring you back with me."

Chris hummed thoughtfully. Surely he knew how valuable a witch would be in their ranks. He knew how to heal, how to kill, would provide the council with wise advice. A witch was a powerful ally.

"This can't be news to you."

"It's not that." The witch shook his head. "I saw it in a dream two night ago, the King in lands of ice and cold, and me marching next to him."

"What is it then?"

Chris chuckled, looking down at his hands. "I don't consider myself to be a man fit for war."

Yeah, me neither, Miyuki thought. Although a small detail was bothering him.

" Chris, those are warriors sigils on you arms, "he pointed out, motioning at the intricate drawings on his skin with his chin, "I know that much."

"Ah." The witch deadpanned, tugging at his sleeves as if to conceal the marks. "So you remember."

He didn't look embarrassed in the least, rather he seemed pleased with himself, as if he was taking some pride in the fact that Miyuki recalled some of his teaching.

"I don't consider myself to be a man fit for war," he repeated, "I'd much rather stay here and create new potions and remedies, healing down in the village when they need me to." He paused a that. "But that doesn't mean I'll run away from my duties. If the King requests my presence, then so be it. I'm ready."

Chris's sense of honor was as great as his abilities, that much hadn't changed. Miyuki was relieved.

"Besides," the witch added, lips curling upward, "There is something that will make this worth it."

Miyuki shot him a puzzled glance over his cup of tea. Was there truly something for Chris in his offer? "What do you mean?"

"I'll get to see you, won't I?"

Arakita Yasutomo/Toudou Jinpachi; Yowamushi Pedal

Word count: 490
Tags: Sex swap, sea creature AU, implied crustacean courtship rituals (you know the ones)

Arakita returns from his hunt to find Toudou in his cave, when he returns from his hunt, and his claws rise of their own accord, an instinctive reaction to the flash of irritation that rattled around his exoskeleton.

Toudou’s antennules twitch excitedly, and her longer antennae reach out to touch Arakita’s face, his pedipalps, his eyes. Arakita lets her taste the remains of his meal and receives an excited, eager spray of scent in return.

Still. This is the third time in twice as many days that Arakita has found Toudou in his burrow, and he’s still not certain that he wants this to be happening. He raises his claws again in aggressive purpose, and he shoves them under Toudou’s smaller carapace and flips her out of the cave and into the gravel. She rights herself and zooms back with a few claps of her tail, and even as Arakita is making himself comfortable in the dark, familiar space, she scrambles over his claws, his legs, and halfway up the side wall of the cave. Arakita looks out into the sea, but one of his antenna stays cocked back, brushing against Toudou’s and feeling her shape.

“Rude,” she says, with a click of claws, and Arakita squats grumpily under her.

“I don’t want you in my burrow,” he grouses. It’s a good cave. He’d dug it out himself, carrying the pebbles away in his mouth and bulldozing with his strong claws until it was exactly the way he liked it, and he’s defended it from smaller interlopers for months, now. He never asked for his obnoxious neighbour to move it.

“Oh, you will,” Toudou says, smug and self-assured, and she hits Arakita with a blast of pheromones that have his antennules twitching madly.

She smells good. She tastes good.

Arakita does not want her. Not yet.

He backs up and shoves against Toudou until she falls from the wall with a yelp, and then he unceremoniously shovels her out the front of the cave. He squats back, claws raised and open.

“Arakitaaaa,” Toudou whines, pressing up against his claws. He snaps at her half-heartedly. “C’mon. My shell is getting too tight, I need you to protect me!” There’s a reason she’s chosen Arakita’s cave. He is the biggest and the strongest, after all, and Toudou can be assured of a safe environment for her moult.

“That’s not all you want,” Arakita counters, because it’s obvious in the way she acts, the way she smells.

Toudou strokes him with her antennae and says nothing. Arakita shuffles angrily, then begrudgingly backs out of the entrance. It’s all the invitation Toudou needs. She scurried up the side wall again, hunkering down under Arakita’s abdomen, and his swimmerets brush against the top of her carapace. He can taste her and smell her in the familiar tastes and scents of his cave, and he settles himself back at the front, guarding. Waiting.

Art fill, (implied) Character Death.

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Haikyuu!!

His Dark Materials AU, Iwaizumi's reindeer daemon and Oikawa's peacock daemon

"They fell into the darkness, but they fell together. Oikawa knew they would fall for an eternity, were it not for their daemons -- still standing on the edge, sharing one final embrace and watching them go. He felt, rather than saw, when the particles that made up their souls began to disintegrate, returning to the dust they were made of. And Oikawa held onto Iwaizumi so tightly that he swore, when their atoms were broken apart and scattered across the universe and used to create new lives, they'd have to use one of his and one of Iwaizumi's, because they would never be separated."

Gorgeous! I love the colors!!!

Kinjou Shingo/Makishima Yuusuke, Yowamushi Pedal
Tags: supernatural elements, trans character in somewhat sexual situation, seer Makishima, general Kinjou
Wordcount: 1298 words

The sun sat low in the sky by the time Kinjou, the Great General of the Emperor's army, managed to slip away from the meetings at the palace and make his way down to the Seer's house. The heavy wards surrounding it tingled against his skin as he set the seal in his ring to the center of the gate and slipped inside.

Even out in the garden, the scent of sandalwood hung thickly in the air. It only grew thicker as he walked up the path to the house, until he stepped across the threshold and into a dimly lit room hazy with incense smoke. Burned into the wood floor was a complicated pattern of concentric rings, a miniature map of the ley lines that ran under the palace.

The seer Makishima sat in the center of the circles; the geometric tattoos that covered their body seemed to seamlessly continue the design on the floor, making them a living part of the network.

Perhaps it was more than just seemed like, Kinjou thought. Makishima hadn't seemed to change in all the years Kinjou had been at the palace--ageless, sexless, and seeming almost more to be a part of the earth itself than a resident of it.

Tonight, Makishima appeared to be deep in meditation, but Kinjou saw the tension in their shoulders that said the peace they sought was not forthcoming.

"Makishima," he said, pitching his voice low and letting it hang in the thick air.

The blue-green glow emanating from the seer's tattoos slowly faded as they came back to the present. "You're late, Kinjou," they said as they stretched, joints cracking after sitting immobile for so long.

"Even in times of peace, solar eclipses make people nervous," Kinjou said by way of explanation. "What do the ley lines say?"

"They're restless," Makishima said. "They've been shifting all day. Tomorrow could bring anything."

Kinjou bit back a curse. As they did for every significant occasion, Makishima was to do a formal foretelling at the palace the following day to coincide with the solar eclipse. While they always emphasized that the ley lines could shift without warning, they were usually at least able to give Kinjou a sense of if the fortune would be good or ill. And Kinjou always felt better for the warning; as the one responsible for Makishima's safety, and the safety of the royal family, he felt more at ease when he had at least some forewarning of whether the Seer would give prophecy of fortune or misfortune.

"And tonight?" Kinjou asked.

"I've read all I can for now. There's nothing more I can do," Makishima said as they rolled their shoulders.

Kinjou left his boots by the door lest he scuff the intricate design on the floor and walked over to Makishima. "You seem tense," he said as he ran a hand down Makishima's arm.

"I don't like now knowing," Makishima said tightly. "I'm the Seer; being unable to See is like the court musician being suddenly unable to hear."

"May I?" Kinjou asked as he pressed a thumb into a knot in Makishima's shoulder.

"Please," Makishima groaned.

Kinjou pulled the softest sheepskin out of the pile in the corner and set it on the floor. He set a small pot of scented oil to heat over a candle and stripped out of his own clothing lest he ruin his best dress uniform with oil.

When the oil was heated to comfortable warmth, he began rubbing it into Makishima's skin, starting with their shoulders and working his way down their back. He took his time, stroking the muscles under his hands and working out the worst of the tension. He was in no rush; they didn't need to be at the palace until shortly before dawn, and all other preparations were complete.

As Kinjou worked, he thought of the rumors that swirled through the palace about the Seer and their relationship with the General. There were those who said the Seer was a prisoner of the royal family, and the General's job was to ensure that they didn't escape or cause harm, and there were those who said the General's job was to protect the Seer from those who may wish them ill.

The latter camp was closer to the truth than the former, but all of them missed a key detail. Kinjou didn't spend the time he did at the Seer's house because he was ordered to; he did so because he wanted to. He couldn't put words to the feeling that he had when around Makishima, but it was the feeling that made him want to spend hours running his hands over the long lines of Makishima's limbs until their tattoos glowed brightly and he felt relaxed and at peace.

After he worked the last of the knots from Makishima's muscles, he lay down next to them, their skin pressing together on the soft rug. He liked to think of himself as a rather down-to-earth person, but even he couldn't deny that there was something otherworldly about intimacy with the Seer. Especially lying as they were in the center of the map of ley lines that seemed directly connected to Makishima, Kinjou always felt as if he were being pulled into something much larger than just two people. He couldn't describe it, didn't even like thinking too much about it most of the time, but it was undeniably there.

By the time the carriage that was to bring them to the palace arrived, Makishima's tattoos were glowing more brightly than Kinjou had ever seen, the light reflecting off of the oil Kinjou had worked into their skin and giving them an even more unearthly appearance.

They rode to palace in silence, and when they arrived, they were let in by cloaked guards who averted their gaze and refused to look at the Seer directly.

The empty hallways were dark, and the sound of Kinjou's boots echoed heavily around them. Makishima's bare feet made no sound at all as they made their way to the shrine in the center of the palace. No one knew exactly when the shrine had been built, or whom it had been built for. It had existed for longer than anyone could remember, and the current palace had been built around it. It doors were kept locked and warded for most of the year, save for the times when Makishima was to draw on its power.

Kinjou unlocked the door and deactivated the wards, the chains and locks falling aside with a loud clatter. The massive door swung open silently before them. Most of the room was filled by a raised, circular platform inset with a map of ley lines underfoot.

Makishima walked silently to the center of the intricate map and once he was seated, Kinjou took out the gold paint that was reserved for the occasion. Starting with the top of Makishima's head, he painted lines down the center of all of Makishima's tattoos. In the dimly lit room, the paint blocked their soft light, creating a pattern of black lines within the blue-green glow.

When he finished, Kinjou took his spot on the edge of the dais and settled down to wait. No one else would enter the room until the eclipse was well underway. Then they would all file in in the darkness and wait for Makishima to speak, and when the first of the light shone through as the eclipse ended, it would reflect off of the gold paint covering Makishima's tattoos and make it shine with a sudden light.

Kinjou could only hope that it would shine with the light of the Heavens and new dawn and not the light of the fires of Hell.

IM SCREAMIN I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T SEE THIS!!!!!!!! this is a really cool concept!!

"there was something otherworldly about intimacy with the Seer" this is suuuuuuuuch a good line i love it so much, i'm a huge sucker for AUs where makishima isn't quite of this world and kinjou just revels in it

i love seer makishima with all my heart AND glowy makishima aaaah oh my god, you're so good ❤❤❤

Iwaizumi Hajime/ Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu
no tags 908 words

Hajime checks his phone again.
Tooru’s late.
He plays with the strands of grass on which he’s sitting and hums a random tune.
He’s not worried, lately his friend has been very busy with…whatever it is wizards do these days.
Iwaizumi has no idea how things work in the magic world, the only information he gets is what comes out of Oikawa’s mouth during their weekly meet-ups.
The first time the two met was when they were six.
Hajime was wondering around the woods in the mountain, looking for beetles, when he saw a boy sitting on a big fallen branch.
Iwaizumi was upset, no one had found his secret ‘hunting’ spot before, so he decided to give the intruder a piece of his mind.
He marched towards the other, making his manliest expression “Hey, you!” he called.
The boy started and lifted his head from where it was resting on his knees.
Tears were streaming down his face and snot was coming out of his nose.
Hajime frowned at him “Why are you crying?” he asked, his tone softer than he had intended.
The kid was so shocked he stopped crying, “Who are you?”
Iwaizumi puffed out his small chest “Iwaizumi Hajime. And this is my ‘hunting’ spot” he walked closer and sat next to the stranger “Who are you? I’ve never seen you around before”
“Oikawa Tooru” the other said, suddenly smiling “Of course you haven’t seen me before, I don’t live near here”
Hajime snorted “You were crying because you were lost?! What are you, a baby?”
“I’m six” Tooru deadpanned “And apparently so are you, Iwa-chan”
Iwaizumi grumbled at the nickname and mumbled something under his breath.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you” Oikawa chirped
“I said” Hagime repeated loudly “Do you want to me to help you find your way back?”
The kid blinked at him “Wow, you’re pretty kind for a muggle” he then said “I like you Iwa-chan, let’s be friends!”
Iwaizumi was pretty sure friends didn’t call each other names before becoming such, but let it slip “Where do you live? I might know the way”
“0104 Toad Tongue road” Oikawa answered “But that’s in the magic world, where I come from.” The boy stood up and wiped the dirt off his shorts “For now I just need you to bring me to the old oak tree, there’s a portal there that connects to my backyard”

That’s how Hajime had befriended a wizard.
Oikawa makes his appearance at 8:30, half an hour late. He’s visibly tense and irritated.
“Let me guess, rough day?” Iwaizumi smiles at him.
“Oh you have no idea, Iwa-chan! It was terrible!” he practically flops onto his friend’s lap.
If it were any other day, Hajime would have pushed him off, but Tooru looked ready to cry.
“Okay so, my school is well known for being one of the best, right? I do not know what happened this year but a whole bunch of muggle-born students joined in september, not that I have any problems with that, but there are some who do. I swear you could cut the tension with a knife no matter where you are in the building! I can’t even study in in peace without the constant fear of finding myself in the middle of a pointless fight”
Iwaizumi hums and starts massaging Tooru’s shoulders.
“One of those new muggle-born students has a very powerful aura, it looked like he was going to be sorted into Ravenclaw, my house, but like he started fighting with this ginger kid about god knows what and it must have really shook him because, next thing I know, he’s sitting at the Gryffindor table!”
Oikawa lets out a moan when his friend starts pressing between his shoulder blades.
“What could have been a great ally became another rival to deal with, the kid’s a genius! Speaking of rivals, I was complaining to Makki about the whole situation when, poof! Ushiwaka suddenly appears with his dumb face and dumber voice and says,” Tooru makes a weird expression and deepens his voice “’That kid made the same mistake as you, Oikawa. He wouldn’t have been a threat to you if you had been a Slytherin, like me’ Oh my god, Iwa-chan! He’s still going on about that, trying to pick a fight with me for not being sorted in the same house as him! Go fight the sorting hat if you have a problem with it you dumb cow!”
Iwaizumi laughs at that and leans closer to Tooru “Oikawa, I thought you had finally gotten over getting angry at that jerk”
“I can’t help it! Every single year, no matter how hard me and my house try, Slytherin always ends up winning and I hate it! Oh and I have to tell you what happened in the library he other day! I was there, studying and I thought everybody was gone for winter vacation-“ he starts blabbing away about how one of his roommates, Koushi-chan and his boyfriend, Gryffindor quidditch captain-san, were shamelessly making out in the divination book section.
Hajime tunes out.
He focuses on the way the light of the moon reflects in his friend’s chocolate eyes instead.
Iwaizumi lets his gaze wander over every detail of his friend’s face.
Tooru is beautiful.
When his eyes start inspecting the curve of Tooru’s lips, he notices they’re not moving anymore.
Iwaizumi kisses him, Oikawa kisses back.

Makoto Tachibana/Sousuke Yamazaki, Free!

Blood.

I put T just in case. Vampire AU~

Lines count: 27 (Poetry)

Red eyes.

This was just like blood.
It was full of life too.
But maybe was it since
It’d suck people’s lives.

Makoto should be scared.
Yet he did not run away.
He hugged the vampire.
He accepted him.

Even if he would kill him.
Makoto would help him.
The vampire didn’t hesitate.
His fangs on his neck.

Red water

Sousuke was drinking him.
He was going to be all right.
This was all that mattered.
Makoto could close his eyes.

But Sousuke won’t kill him.
He loved Makoto far too much.
The vampire loved a human.
How inconvenient this was.

Red moon.

This was now or never to do it.
Makoto was barely conscious.
Sousuke was going to turn him.
So that they could be one forever.

no major tags, poetry fill, non-literal death

20 lines

The Nine Lives of Echizen Karupin

~ 1 ~

They say that each cat has nine different lives
To protect from his own curiosity
Kittens, however, left to fend for themselves
May find it less a luxury than a necessity

~ 2 ~

Still, he comes in quick time to the ASPCA
Clean and cute and fully adoptable
The young kitty cat with the bright blue eyes
Who dreams of a family feeling hospitable

~ 3 ~

Enter a boy in a small white hat
Who didn't like much besides tennis
But when his daddy said, "Let's get a cat!"
He said, "I'll get the one who's a menace."

~ 4 ~

They grew up together in good old New York
A cat and his boy in the Big Apple
Days spent playing tennis and who's a good kitty
Drinking tons of Fanta and Snapple

~ 5-9 ~

Japan was a new start for kitty and boy
The start of untold years to come
Full of tennis balls and superpowered friends
And menace cats who still love to have fun

Tags: Amputation, Death sort of, Trans HC pronouns
Words: 550
Miyahara & Manami, priestess & her living dead familiar.

Manami's skin would kaleidoscope between golds and silvers as they moved from place to place, and looking at it closer didn't make Miyahara understand why anymore than she did otherwise. Nervous stare at their shoulder, avoiding unsightly glances, it was supposed to be the same magic that kept them together.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner," she muttered.

Tape left crosshatch imprints as she ripped it away. Every playful jump of their feet was - a performance or real.

"You're so busy, rep!" Airy and another squeak as she tore away another layer. "There are a lot of tests you have to worry about. You don't need me coming up with another arm, do you?"

"You're one of those tests, Sangaku." She gathered narrow strips of paper. Each stood adorned in poem and prose. Instruction had taught her the words for healing, but that had little use on Manami. "Hold up your arm for me. You're lucky I caught this before you started rotting."

"Sorry!" they said, hardly apologetic at all.

Miyahara wrapped the papers around the joint, and from there to their neck, just to supplement it all - most people wouldn't do that, but it made sense to connect to whatever aspect of musculature they may have still had. Even if it didn't matter, it was better to go through the motions. Better to think that anything about them had an earthly sensible tie.

"Do you have a knife?"

It caught her off guard, meeting their eyes. Manami was gentle. She had always known them as soft and foolish and always miserably late, terrible about getting anything done. But she knew the whispers throughout the campus.

Miyahara knew what people said about her undead.

"No," she said. "I don't need so much as a knife for this." Hands ran through her skirt, away from their skin. Searching, to her bags. "A needle is enough."

Serious and too aware. A single prick and she worked the blood to the surface. The sight still made her head spin. Manami only ever watched, smile barely present, as she would chew her nails and fingers. Agonizingly patient. Red sank into the paper till it took every hint of white, far more than the drop she'd deposited. Miyahara drew her hand away and watched it all sink against their skin - watched the arm set itself properly against their body, and settle as though nothing had happened.

The radiating heat dimmed and Manami pulled their shirt back on, buttons at a time. She didn't look. She knew well enough of every binding and marking left beneath.

"Thanks, rep."

"Remember to put your mask back on," she said. Looking away. Trying to focus on papers she'd read too many times. "The seniors have been complaining to me lately."

"Right!"

Airy and free and -

Sometimes, Miyahara didn't understand it.

How different the living child she'd known had been.

Children didn't think much of the magic they cast, but Miyahara took her mistakes in hand without complaint. If it meant certification, if it meant strict teaching, and if it meant living here, to let a friend have a chance at life -

She wasn't about to turn that down.

people as pokemon
Akashi & Nijimura (Kuroko no Basuke)
pokemon au

link to comic

mentions of ghosts, blood
KotoHonoUmi
word count: 535

"Welcome, first years! I hope you're ready for ghost stories," Eli says. The girls are gathered in the common room; the lights are out, the windows are closed, and the sun has set.

"Now, our school, as I'm sure you know, is very veeery old... and naturally, it is considered one of the most haunted campuses in the prefecture." Eli speaks in a voice that was audible and dignified but, she hoped, still spooky.

It was actually true that the school had earned the title "most haunted," but she believed it was a bunch of junk. All it meant was that they had a rich tradition of ghost stories passed down through the decades, and that it fell to her as the new student council head to scare her underclassmen on the thursday before Halloween. Nozomi was in charge of spooky special effects. She was on the floor above the gathering area, ready to run back and forth along the hallway and cause bumping, scampering, and screaming noises, at her discretion. It was a role she was basically made for.

"Now," Eli begins, "there was a girl who went here fifty years ago. And she brought her doll with her to school, to comfort her. All her classmates made fun of her for it..."

***

"Kotori, your mom works here, so you know all the ghost stories already, right?" whispered Honoka. She was sitting sandwiched between Kotori and Umi, on the floor, skirts tucked neatly under their legs. Umi had a vicegrip on Honoka's arm, but she didn't say anything about it. She knew. Kotori also knew. Asking Umi if she was okay would just make her self-conscious on top of being scared, so they left it at that.

"I know a couple of them. They don't really like revealing too many before the halloween event, though," Kotori replied. "It spoils the surprise."

Umi dug her nails in deeper, but Honoka left it at that.

"Here do you two want some caramel popcorn, though?"

Honoka's face lit up, gratefully accepting the snack, and Umi removed one of her hands from Honoka's arm to reach into the bag. She left five crescent marks behind on the sleeve of Honoka's blazer, but it was too dark to see them.

***

"...and there, on the desk, was that doll, covered in blood," Eli concluded. "And while we cannot tell you which desk it was, we can tell you, class 1-A-"

There is a piercing shriek from the back of the room. Eli is startled, and annoyed. Nozomi isn't supposed to scream yet. They had practiced and got the timing down and this was only the first story, so she was supposed to build it up by running back and forth, and- oh.

A wide circle of girls at the back were turned facing one group of three. Well, it works on some people.

"-as I was saying, we can only tell you it's the desk with one squeaky leg-"

"THAT'S MY SEAT!!" yells a girl with long dark hair. Eli is so over this job. She can't wait to foist it onto the next generation of student council members already.

Overhead, Nozomi starts running back and forth, right on schedule.

Kanzaki Miki/Miyahara, Yowamushi Pedal
Tags: Illness
876 words

--

Miyahara considers herself to be pretty well-connected, as junior high students go. But somehow, she doesn’t know a single person who can do magic.

It takes some asking around, some sorting through shifty classifieds, but apparently there is a bike ship in the area that acts as a cover business for a guild of spellcasters. Miyahara expects to need some kind of password to let the shop owner know what she’s after, but as far as her research can find, there isn’t any such thing for this place. The idea is reportedly just to come during “business hours”—the two hours after the shop officially closes, but is still apparently open.

Miyahara pushes the door open on a Saturday afternoon and peers around curiously. There is, as far as she can tell, no one here. She wants to call out, announce her presence, but something stops her voice. Maybe entering the place that holds secrets to the deeper workings of the universe feels just a little bit sacred.

“Um, welcome!” Miyahara’s attention snaps to the other side of the shop, where a girl about her own age stand smiling, wiping her hands on her apron. “Sorry, but we’re actually closed…”

“I…” Miyahara presses her lips together and looks the girl over. She’s a bright, sunny presence with round eyes, bangs falling over a smudge of black grease on her forehead. “N—ah, that is, um… I was told to come here just after closing.”

The girl looks at her, and almost appears troubled for a moment before clapping her hands together and beaming. “Oh! Sorry about that. Most of our after-hours customers aren’t so… well, actually, none of our customers are usually so cute! Come, sit down.”

The girl leads her to a pair of high stools with plush cushions, and Miyahara is distracted enough by the volume of bikes and their puzzling accessories lining the walls that she doesn’t register having been called cute until she’s already seated. And then there’s no time to do anything but clear her throat nervously before the girl is clicking a shiny chrome ball pen and opening a small notebook.

“Could you tell me the nature of your problem?”

Miyahara takes a deep breath. So, this is it.

“Illness,” she answers. “Not me—my neighbor. Well, friend. It’s—sometimes it’s not so bad. But it’s chronic. There are ups and downs.”

“I’m guessing right now we’re in a down stage?” The girl is jotting something in her notebook.

“Yes. For a while now.”

The girl hums and sucks on the end of her pen. “I understand. So do you—oh!” She gasps suddenly, and bows over her notebook. “I’m so sorry, I never asked your name, did I?”

“Miya—“

“But only your surname, okay? Speaking your given name out loud in places of high mystical energy has its hazards.”

“…Miyahara.” She gulps.

“I’m Kanzaki, but you probably knew that from the name of the shop. I’m the youngest daughter, Miki.”

Miyahara nods. “Is it… okay to say that?”

Miki grins and points to a string of beads on her ankle. “Sure, I know everyone with abilities who works here! But just in case, this is a ward of protection. No one will take my name if I have this on.”

Take her name? Miyahara shivers, despite not having any idea what that could mean.

“In any case, Miyahara-san…” Miki pushes her bangs back, further smudging the grease above her brow. “Do you happen to have something that belongs to your friend? The one you came here about.

“I… didn’t think to bring…”

“I know. To be more specific, do you mind if I take a look at what’s in your left pocket?”

Miyahara’s eyes widen. She had forgotten about the game cartridge she’d found on the floor after Sangaku carelessly let it fall out of his bag. She hadn’t had a chance to return it yet. She knows what kind of business this is supposed to be, but it didn’t prepare her for a stranger somehow just knowing a thing like that. She hands it over in a daze.

Miki doesn’t even look at it, just closes her fingers around it, and Miyahara sees her eyes track like she’s reading words in the open air.

“I see,” Miki says. “He doesn’t care much for this thing, but he’ll be happy you went out of your way to return it.”

Miyahara shifts nervously in her seat. How can this girl know? It sounds true. It sounds like Sangaku.

“Interesting. I have just the thing! Here.” Miki returns the game cartridge and hops to her feet, so Miyahara follows.

“This one, I think,” Miki says. She reaches for a bike on one of the racks, and lifts it to the ground.

Miyahara blinks at it. It’s one of those thin ones with the curved handlebars, like for racing.

“Um…”

Miki tilts her head to the side. “Something wrong? The height can be adjusted a little, so don’t worry about that.”

“No, it’s not that…” Miyahara was sure they’d been on the same page. “I’m… sort of here for your other business.”

“Oh, I know.” Miki’s smile wavers. “But this is what’s going to save your friend’s life, not a spell.”

iwaizumi hajime & oikawa tooru, haikyuu!!
868 words
owari no seraph au. content warnings for owari typical violence, references to possession, demons, etc.

it’s only after he drives his sword through the vampire’s gut that he recognizes who he’s looking at.

but there’s no denying it—the hair, the eyes, the line of his mouth—

“oikawa?”

somehow, through the blood flowing from his mouth, oikawa manages to smile. “iwa-chan.”

that’s the image that sticks with him, even after several days in a coma.

he tries to convince himself otherwise, at first.

“it wasn’t him,” he mutters. he tries to convince others, too—with even less success.

“iwaizumi, you looked him in the eye—you can repeat that as much as you want, but that isn’t going to make it true. oikawa is a vampire.”

iwaizumi holds kiyoko’s eyes before finally deflating. “i know.”

she returns her gaze to the pill box in her hand. “he tried to take you, you know.”

“i remember.” he doesn’t remember much, granted, but he remembers oikawa talking about wanting to save him. something about how the humans he was with couldn’t be trusted.

kiyoko is quiet for a moment, then: “do you wish you’d gone with him?”

iwaizumi clenches his hands into fists. “no,” he says. “i’m not sure what oikawa wants, or who he’s working with, or for—” he shakes his head, as if to clear it. “but going with him would have been a mistake. i don’t know what he had in mind, or what he really wanted with me. for all i know he’s just a monster now that wanted to drink my blood in private.”

“you don’t really believe that,” kiyoko reponds.

no, he doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a possibility.

distantly, he hears the voices of hinata and kageyama coming down the hall.

he looks at kiyoko, who says, “i may have told them you woke up,” she says, almost apologetically. “i expect kunimi and kindaichi are right behind them.”

she’s on the money, as usual, and the next moment the entire group is in the room—hinata filling the space as if by his voice alone, kageyama trying to keep up. kunimi and kindaichi take position on the other side of the bed, asking the quintessential “are you all right? are you in pain?”

he smiles and tries to put aside his frustration as best he can.

he tries not to notice the way they all look at him a little differently.

he tries not to think about how he could have killed them all in an instant.

kageyama, in particular, can barely meet his eyes. iwaizumi knows the questions in his head right now, knows they’re not much different than his own. where oikawa is now, who he’s with, how this happened—how iwaizumi became this.

there’s one question, though, that iwaizumi wonders has crossed his mind.

did they do something to kageyama, too?

everyone falls silent when ukai and takeda enter the room.

takeda holds iwaizumi’s eyes steadily. “you’re feeling better?”

iwaizumi nods, noting the bags under takeda’s eyes are darker than usual.

“they’re going to start asking a lot of questions,” ukai says. “you know that, right?”

iwaizumi nods again.

“are you prepared for that?”

iwaizumi doesn’t think he could ever be prepared for everything that’s happened, for everything that’s going to happen, but he nods regardless.

ukai casts his eyes around at the rest of them. “the same goes for all of you. i can do my best to keep the higher ups at bay, but i can’t make any guarantees.”

they all nod in silence.

“you all should let iwaizumi get some rest,” takeda says. it’s said as a suggestion, but something in takeda’s tone makes everyone get up. kiyoko casts one last glance to iwaizumi before she shuts the door, leaving him alone with ukai and takeda.

“they’re not going to get hurt, are they?” he asks.

“i told you i can’t make any guarantees,” ukai says, drawing up a chair and pulling out a cigarette. “but i’ll do everything i can. i know daichi’s squad will be doing the same.”

that, at least, he can take some comfort in. “how much do you know, ukai-san?”

“not much more than you.” ukai looks up at takeda, who puts a hand on ukai’s shoulder (iwaizumi doesn’t miss the squeeze). “but we’re hoping to change that.”

iwaizumi nods and then, without preempt. “i’m going to try to get oikawa back.”

ukai blinks. “iwaizumi—”

“you have to let me do this,” iwaizumi says. “he knows something, i know he does—he kept telling me i couldn’t trust humans, that everyone was just trying to use me. it’s better we get him back so we can find out what he knows, to see if—”

if he’s like me.

he doesn’t say it, though.

ukai considers. “fine.” he stands. “but if it seems like he’s too much of a danger to you, or to anyone else, you know what you have to do.”

iwaizumi nods. “i do.”

takeda crosses the room to put a hand on iwaizumi’s shoulder. “we’re all glad you’re okay.”

iwaizumi tries not to respond with what he’s thinking, that he’s not sure he’ll ever consider himself okay again, but he doesn’t want to worry takeda needlessly.

they take their leave, leaving iwaizumi alone.

slowly, he unclenches his fists.

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru; minor Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei; 1194 words
Warning; Blood, minor injury

***

In his entire eighteen years of life, Hajime has never believed in ghost stories.

One might think that, consequently, this should suffice to deter his friends from trying to make him go along with their shenanigans, but alas—

“Aww, come on, don't be a spoilsport, Iwachan,” Oikawa coos, batting his lashes in a pseudo seductive fashion. “Didn't you say you weren't scared in the first place?”

“Sure. But I'm still not gonna do it. It's pointless,” Hajime clarifies. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, resisting the warm push of Oikawa's weight against his side. He can beg and tease all he wants, Hajime's not going to give in. Not this time.

“Boo,” Matsukawa calls from the couch where he's playing with Hanamaki's hair, blissfully ignorant of the sour look on Hajime's face.

Oikawa pouts. “It's supposed to be fun, Iwachan!”

“Why don't you do it then?” Hajime suggests, one last attempt at winding his way out of the situation. Considering the fact that this was supposed to be a Halloween party, it'd been surprisingly tame so far, enjoyable even. Until Oikawa brought out his blanket, a bunch of candles, and a flashlight, that is.

“Two words!” Oikawa tries again. “Please?”

“Six, technically,” Hanamaki corrects, and Oikawa sends him a venomous glare. He grabs the makeup mirror again, shoving it into Hajime's chest. Somehow Oikawa manages to put on what Hajime dubs "puppyeyes from hell", and his defenses crumble. Despite the strong front he puts on, Hajime is a weak, weak man when it comes to Oikawa.

“Okay, fine. Give me that,” he snaps, yanking the mirror from Oikawa's grasp to prop it up on his knees. “But if something happens and you freak out, it's your own fault, Shittykawa.”

“Iwachan!” Oikawa cheers, entirely ignoring the insult tacked on to his name — he's too used to it. Hajime's face settles into a deep frown, wrinkles prominent on his forehead (not that he cares).
The room goes silent, even Matsukawa's hands still, strands of pink hair trapped between his fingers.

Hajime clears his throat and takes a breath. He fixes his reflection in the mirror with a glare.

“Bloody Mary,” he sighs. Oikawa gasps, hands slapped over his mouth.

“Bloody Mary.”

Hanamaki makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and from the corners of his eyes, Hajime sees Matsukawa pull him against his chest, arms around his middle. What are they scared for?

“Bloody Mary.”

Silence. For a full minute, no one dares speak a word. Eventually, Oikawa heaves a sigh of relief.

His spine cracks in an attempt at loosening up his muscles, and Hajime hands him the mirror, expression rigid, and huffs, “There you have it. Total bullshit, proven once more.”

“Don't be rude, Iwachan!” Oikawa squawks. “It's all just for fun anyway. It's your turn to come up with a game to play, by the way.” With that, Oikawa gets to his feet, brushing invisible dust off his clothes.

“I'm going to the bathroom for a bit, but I'll be right back so you better start thinking!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hajime watches him make his way across the room, hips swaying ever so lightly.

The way Oikawa opens and closes the door with utmost care makes Hajime wonder if he forgot that the four of them are the only people in the house. Shaking his head, Hajime turns to his other two friends to find them still wrapped around each other—like they're half expecting a ghost to pass through the walls.

“What's up with you guys? Are you scared?”

Matsukawa frowns. “He made me say Bloody Mary last year, and the chandelier fell from the ceiling. Didn't Oikawa tell you? It was pretty creepy,” Matsukawa explains, now playing with Hanamaki's hands.

“Well,” Hajime says, “nothing happened today so I'm sure it was just a coincidence. Stuff like that happens all the time.”

“You don't understand,” Hanamaki says. His expression is guarded, and the room seems darker than it was before, the candles flickering ominously. “It didn't happen right away. It happened when Oikawa—”

CRASH.

“—left the room...”

A bloodcurdling scream rings through the house, shaking Hajime to the core. His heart gives out for a beat or two, and the shock leaves him reeling. Hanamaki has slid out of Matsukawa's embrace and onto the floor, his eyes wide and fearful. Matsukawa's stunned into immobility. And Oikawa—

“Oikawa!” Hajime scrambles to his feet, almost tripping over himself as he dashes out of the room, into the hall, and up the stairs to Oikawa's bathroom. He doesn't even bother knocking; he throws the door open with a bang, his body running entirely on autopilot. All warmth seeps out of him within seconds.

Mirror shards cover the tiled floor, glinting in the artificial light cast over them from the sink. Blood splatters taint the pristine white of the room—they're on the wall, in the sink, on the floor. And in the middle of it all, sunk to his knees, is Oikawa.

Hajime throws himself down beside him, cupoing his hands around the sides of his face to force him to look up. Oikawa's eyes are puffy and red, tears streaming down his cheeks. His hands are painted streaks of carmine, the skin over his knuckles broken. His shoulders trembling uncontrollably, Oikawa chokes out a tiny “Iwachan” and it shatters something inside of Hajime.

He pulls Oikawa into a tight hug, his nose pressed into the space behind Oikawa's ear. “Shhh, it's all right, I'm here now,” he whispers, stroking Oikawa's back in what he hopes is a soothing manner. Oikawa shivers, hiccuping with every other intake of breath, and Hajime can feel his heart pound against his ribs.

“What happened?” Hajime asks, quietly.

“I was so scared, Iwachan,” he sobs, more tears escaping, “I l-looked into the mirror to ch-check my hair, and there was something b-behind me. Or I thought there wwas, so I panicked and—” He holds up his bloody hands, shaking still. Hajime's brain completes the picture.

“You smashed the mirror?”

“My parents are gonna be s-so mad!” Oikawa cries, rubbing his face against Hajime's shoulder.

“This is your own fault. I warned you,” Hajime wants to say, but he doesn't. Instead he hushes Oikawa, hugging him until he stops shaking. Oikawa goes very quiet once his tears have dried, melting into Hajime's touch like he's become liquid.

“Say it,” he mumbles after a while.

“Huh?”

“Say that you were right already. I deserve it.”

Hajime's lips twitch. “You got enough of a punishment. Come on,” he says, carefully pulling Oikawa to his feet, “let's get you cleaned up.”

***

By the time the two of them get back to the living room, Matsukawa and Hanamaki have passed out on the couch, Hanamaki snoring loudly.

Oikawa makes a retching noise. “Are they really spooning?”

Hajime raises an eyebrow. “Is that your way of telling me you don't want me to sleep in your bed with you tonight?”

Oikawa flushes a furious shade of red, and he grabs Hajime's hand like he's making sure he isn't going anywhere. He gently bumps his shoulder against Hajime's.

“Of course not.”

Edited (i cant type) 2016-08-04 23:46 (UTC)

Makoto Tachibana/Sousuke Yamazaki, Free!

No tags.

Soulmate AU

Lines count: 16 (Poetry)

Green eyes.
This was all the information he had.
Sousuke had no idea who was his soulmate.
And it seemed like he would never know.

Teal eyes.
Makoto was not even knowing colors.
So how was it supposed to be? Teal?
The thought of him never finding was terrifying.

But after seeing only gray, only one color.
They finally saw each other. And everything.
So this was what colors were like?
Sure it was beautiful as expected from others.

But nothing equals the beauty of green.
But nothing equals the beauty of teal.
And they might not be subjective about this.
Yet their soulmate’s eyes color truly were beautiful.

Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Nishinoya Yuu, Haikyuu!!
1218 words, language warning

When he was younger, it happened a lot. Saeko had always joked that he must’ve pissed off some angry spirit by getting bad grades and picking fights after school and that this was its way of punishing him. He always told her to get bent and she’d lightly whack him one for being rude. He’d never tell her, but it secretly scared him enough to keep his act straight, just a little more than usual.

However, as he got older, the sleep paralysis happened less and less until one day it finally just ended altogether. A small victory, he supposed, one that he was infinitely grateful for.

...At least until he’d moved into a new apartment in Tokyo after transferring for his new job, anyway. Tora had suggested the neighborhood (close to the station, even closer to him) and the rent was so cheap that he couldn’t pass it up.

His second month in, he’d awoken suddenly in the middle of the night to that familiar, crushing pressure heavy on his limbs. All he could manage to do was lay there and try his best to breathe, squeezing his eyes shut every time he thought he heard scraping and rustling in the corner of the room or footsteps running along the floorboards above his head (an impossibility considering he lived on the top floor).

Every so often, he’d swear that he felt small, but sturdy hands run their way up his arms and across his shoulders or the light touch of fingertips brushing sweat from his forehead. Other times he’d feel breath against his lips or hear whispering and giggling next to his ear.

It was fucking unsettling.

He’d told Taketora over dinner the next weekend and had been met with stifled laughter and disbelief. “There’s no way you’ve got a ghost, dude. That sorta shit only happens in horror movies,” he’d said. When he’d replied with “then I guess my life is a fuckin’ horror film,” Tora had just laughed again and bought him another drink. Helpful.

For the third time in a week, Tanaka wakes up to the crippling sensation of being trapped where he lay. This time he at least has the ability to move his head slightly, as limited as even that movement is (it’s better than only being able to look around and mumble loudly against slightly parted lips, though, so he’ll take it).

He opens his eyes and is met face-to-face with something he least expected: another fucking person. He’s smaller, probably by nearly half a foot in height, and sitting on his chest with his legs extended over Tanaka’s shoulders.

“Wh-what the fuck!” Tanaka tries to scream, but it doesn’t come out as more than a raspy whisper.

“You can see me this time! I’m surprised!”

“Who are you?! How the fuck did you get into my apartment?!”

The small form sits back, pointing toward itself and grinning wide. “The name’s Nishinoya Yuu, Incubus-in-Training! It’s not that hard to get into places like this. I mean, for someone like me. Anyway, I’ve been watchin’ you for a while now, Ryuu. You’re pretty interesting.”

Tanaka’s head is spinning. Weren’t incubi like...demons or something? What the fuck. Was this dude for real? He didn’t even look like a demon. “You’re tellin’ me I’m ‘sposed to believe that? Where are your horns ‘n shit? If you don’t get outta here, I’m seriously callin’ the police.”

“Oh~? And how’re you gonna do that? You can’t move, right?” Tanaka freezes. How did this guy know?

“How’d you…”

“There’s another spirit in your apartment, y’know. It’s kinda strong, too. It’s no wonder you keeping getting stuck like this.”

“Okay, seriously, what the hell,” he grinds out. Nishinoya just laughs.

“I know, it sounds totally unbelievable, but you’ve gotta trust me.”

“You’re tellin’ me to trust a demon? Isn’t that asking a lot?”

“It sounds like you’re stereotyping me, Ryuu,” Nishinoya says in a tone feigning hurt, placing a hand over where Tanaka figures his heart might be, if he has one; he has no idea if Incubi have the same biology as humans and right now, he doesn’t really care. “Whether you wanna believe it or not, I’m here to help you.”

“You’ve got like, thirty seconds to explain, dude.”

“That’s like nothing!!”

“Twenty-six…”

“Ryuu!!”

“Twenty-two…”

“Fine!! Like I said, there’s a really powerful spirit in your place that’s causin’ your sleep paralysis. As part of my trainin’, I’m here to help you figure out how to break free from it. That way, whenever it happens, you’ll be all set and it’ll get bored and move on.”

There’s a strange feeling of relief washing over him hearing that. He’d finally be rid of this once and for all? There’s gotta be a catch, though.

“There are rules, though,” Nishinoya says with a shrug. Ah. There it is.

“Like what?”

“Like, I can’t tell you exactly how to break the curse and I can only give you real vague hints to direct you. So, basically, you’re gonna have to figure it out on your own.”

“Then how exactly does that help me?”

“I guess it doesn’t,” he leans forward, amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips when Tanaka frowns. “But I think you can do it. You have before, right?”

“You can’t give me anything else to work with?”

“The memories are trapped in there somewhere!” Nishinoya says, tapping Tanaka

Tanaka squints at him as he thinks about it. How did he break it as a kid? It was so long ago that he’s not sure. The only immediate memory he can recall is being terrified and squeezing his eyes shut until he woke up the next morning, not even realizing he’d fallen back asleep - it’s how he’d dealt with it since moving into his place, too.

Tanaka growls in frustration. “This is impossible, man.”

“It’s not, you just gotta find that determination buried in you. We both know if you set your mind to it, you’ll get it.”

“You’ve got a lot of faith in me, Noya.” Nishinoya just smiles back at him.

“Of course I do, you’re awesome. I’ve seen you do some really amazin’ shit over the years, Ryuu!!”

“You’ve been followin’ me around for that long?” Tanaka’s honestly shocked.

“Yeah. Almost fifteen years, can you believe it? We’ve practically grown up together,” he says, smacking Tanaka on the chest. He’s stronger than he looks and the force nearly makes his eyes water.

“Well...what happens if you do tell me?” Tanaka asks.

“Then I lose my certifications and I hafta be boring for the rest of my life. Do you know how long that is? Too long.”

Tanaka can’t help but laugh, then and Nishinoya’s eyes practically sparkle. He can feel him vibrate excitedly on top of him as he bites his lip.

“What is it?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow. It doesn’t take him that long to realize it though. The air suddenly feels loads lighter and when he goes to wiggle his fingers, he does so with ease.

Nishinoya’s beaming when he looks back at him. “See!! I told you!!”

“Laughter?”

“Mmhmm! You can’t be scared if you’re laughin’, right?”

“That’s true.” Nishinoya climbs off of him then, smile still plastered across his face and Tanaka can't help but smile too.

“Ryuu?” Nishinoya calls back, standing at the window. “Can I still come visit?”

“Yeah. Anytime. Thanks, Noya.”

Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka Free!
main character death, mentions of rape

24 line poem

Do not follow the path to the woods, do not trust its ways
For there, beneath the tree shadows, is where the boy’s ghost lays.
The ghost of the ol’ lord’s son, who drowned him the lake
For he would not obey his wish to marry Lady Blake.
One night his father’s guards barged into his room
They knocked him out and kidnapped him under the light of the moon.
They took him to the woods and tied up all his limbs
To his young innocent body they did despicable things.

Do not follow the path to the woods, do not trust its ways
For there, beneath the water, is where the raven haired boy lays.
The ghost of the ol’ lord’s son, who loved that very lake
For that is where he’d meet the one for whom his heart would ache.
Together they would laugh and kiss but mostly they would swim
The love of the young lord only belonged to him.
The two young men were happy and they met there every day
Not caring if the sun would shine or if the clouds were grey.

Do not follow the path to the woods, do not trust its ways
For there, beneath pain and anger, is where the boy’s ghost lays.
Still tied up and broken he cannot from the lake rise
So he screams and he shouts and cries and cries and cries.
He’s been calling for his lover, calling out the name
Of he who after that night waited for him but the young lord never came.
Haru is waiting too, waiting to be saved
But Rin will never come because he thinks he was betrayed.

Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi Haikyuu
no tags 486 words

“And the Crows win the semifinals!”

Suga cheers loudly with the crowd from the front row, having friends in the pro-bending industry was definitely worth it.

“I can’t believe we lost!” Oikawa throws his arms in the air, tears are pooling in his eyes “After me and Iwa-chan pulled off that awesome combo, too!”

Iwaizumi grunts “We did our best” he says, but he’s clearly upset too.

Matsukawa is frowning in a corner, probably thinking about what he could have done to change the outcome of the match. His boyfriend is sitting next to him, patting his back.

“Come on guys, stop being so gloomy!” Suga punches Oikawa’s arm “You still have next year”

“Shut up you traitor, I saw you cheering for the Crows” Tooru looks furious, ready to set him on fire almost.

“I’m sorry, but you know I’m a fan of them!” Suga knows he’s digging his own grave.

Matsukawa glares at him “More like a fan of their earthbender’s thighs”

Iwaizumi nods and Koushi blushes bright red.

“I’ll be in the hall if you need me!” he sprints out of the room only to collide with someone.

Koushi uses airbending to break his fall and looks up, ready to apologize.

“Are you okay?”

Right in front of him stands Sawamura Daichi, the Crows’ captain.

“I-I’m fine, yeah, sorry so sorry” is all Suga can manage to say, he then uses airbending to lift himself up from the ground “I should have watched where I was going”

Daichi just smiles at him “No problem, I wasn’t paying attention either”

Silence falls between them, Suga clears his throat “Congratulations on winning! I’m a big fan”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure I just saw you come out of the Wolves’s changing room” Daichi’s tone is playful.

“I know the members, we went to highschool together” Suga smiles “I was actually running from them, apparently I don’t look sad enough”

Daichi smiles back at him, but before he can reply, the intimidating firebender from his team interrupts

“Daichi-san! The finals are starting!” He shouts from where he’s standing behind Koushi and, just like that, he’s running back in the direction he came from.

“Come see us in the finals?” The look in his eyes can only be described as hopeful.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world” Suga replies.

-
To: Tooru
Sorry, can’t come home with you. I got a date.

From: Tooru
Uuuuh ;) with who?

To: Tooru
Sawamura Daichi.

From: Tooru
HOW DARE YOU BETRAY US LIKE THAT

From: Tooru
TRAITOR!!! DAMN AIRBENDERS AND THEIR PEACEFUL WAYS!!!!

From: Tooru
SIDING WITH THE ENEMY LIKE THAT

From: Tooru
IDGAF YOU’RE THE AVATAR. YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS.

From: Iwaizumi
What the hell man, what did you tell Tooru?

From: Matsukawa
Oikawa just accidentally set his hair on fire lmao

To: Matsukawa
Then shouldn’t you be putting the fire out?! What are you doing texting me?!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 24 of 24

Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore

FILL: Team Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, T

2/2

FILL: TEAM MIYUKI KAZUYA/SAWAMURA EIJUN, G

FILL: TEAM KOZUME KENMA/KUROO TETSUROU, M

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, T

Re: FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, T

Fill: Team Grandstand, T

Re: Fill: Team Grandstand, T

FILL: TEAM [AKAASHI KEIJI/BOKUTO KOTAROU/KOZUME KENMA/KUROO TETSUROU], [G]

FILL: TEAM Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, T

FILL: TEAM CHIHAYAFURU, G

Fill: Team Grandstand, G

FILL: TEAM IMAIZUMI SHUNSUKE/NARUKO SHOUKICHI, G

FILL: Team Kanzaki Miki/Tachibana Aya, G

FILL: Team Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, T

FILL: TEAM KURAMOCHI YOUICHI/MIYUKI KAZUYA

FILL: Team Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei; T

FILL: TEAM Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, G

FILL: Team Nishinoya Yuu/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, T

FILL: TEAM [AKAASHI KEIJI/BOKUTO KOTAROU/KOZUME KENMA/KUROO TETSUROU], [T]

FILL: TEAM [AKAASHI KEIJI/BOKUTO KOTAROU/KOZUME KENMA/KUROO TETSUROU], [G]