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 Grandstand, T

[miyukitty]

ahhasdasdasdas ;w; this is so good and so sad

Re: Fill: Team Grandstand, T

[yrindor]

Thank you! The plot bunnies kind of ran away on their own with this one.

FILL: TEAM MATSUOKA RIN/NANASE HARUKA, E

[fullofjoy]

Sexual content, implied merdick

Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka, Free!

In this case, Rin is the merman. Also this round is fun and I'm so awful.

Small SFW preview:


Haru was curious about Rin's claspers for a while.

FILL: TEAM Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, PG

[reetzbeetz]

miyuki kazuya/eijun sawamura

tags: partial nudity, tanuki au

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, G

[underscored]

no tags, oikawa & kuroo, hp au
439 words

Kuroo yells “Expelliarmus!”, and his wand emits a flash of white light. The beam of bright energy sends itself crashing towards Oikawa, pushing him against the wall of the Slytherin common room. Oikawa’s wand falls from his grip limply. He grimaces, gaping up at his opponent with awe. He is defeated: Kuroo is satisfied.

Still, Kuroo isn’t exactly a shitty winner. He rushes up to Oikawa, extending a hand for him to take. He offers a warm smile. “You ready to go again?”

Oikawa takes the outstretched hand, allowing Kuroo to pull him up and slap him on the back. He narrows his eyes, lips curling up into a wicked grin. “You bet. What’s the score now, twenty to you, twenty-one to me?”

Kuroo scoffs, pulling away from Oikawa and raising an eyebrow. “Actually, it’s twenty-one to me, nineteen to you and one draw.” He winks at Oikawa, who rolls his eyes. Truth be told, Kuroo doesn’t really remember the score—it’s just nice getting a leg up when it comes to Oikawa. His classmate has always been one of those people who’s just asking to be taken down a couple of pegs, and Kuroo is more than glad to do so. He takes a quick glance at Oikawa, who’s panting and heaving, hair disheveled and elbows nicked with scrapes. Yet he isn’t going to back down.

Well, one of them has got to be the sensible adult. If Oikawa won’t take care of himself, Kuroo’s got to look out enough for both of them. “We’ll settle this score in a bit,” says Kuroo, taking a step back and collapsing back into one of the lounge chairs. He closes his eyes, enjoying the feel of the soft velvet.

Oikawa’s teasing voice rings out loud and clear. “Aww, you giving in so early?”

Kuroo shrugs. “Yeah. Giving in.” Truth be told, it’s Oikawa who needs a break, though a nap doesn’t seem so bad at this point in time. He opens his eyes sleepily to see Oikawa flopping down next to him, resting his head on Kuroo’s shoulder. Kuroo snickers. “See, you’re also taking a break. Admit it, you’re tired.”

“Whatever, Tetsu-chan,” Oikawa says, giving Kuroo a light nudge with his elbow. “You’re the one who asked to sit down. I can probably take you on right now.” He heaves a deep sigh. “This is the sort of thing I do for my archrival. I’m so charitable, sweet and kind—“

“Don’t forget humble,” Kuroo says, but he is met with a soft grunt from Oikawa, and then dead silence. Soon, Kuroo finds himself drifting off to sleep as well.

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Haikyuu!
no tags, past character death
520 words, necromancer!Oikawa


It’s almost second nature by now for Tooru to sit by the pond he uses to store Iwaizumi’s body and draw the sigil for life on his forehead. The sigil flares, flickering grey and blue, before seeping into Iwaizumi’s skin.

Tooru waits.

Iwaizumi’s eyes blink open.

“You woke me up again,” grunts Iwaizumi, joints popping here, there, everywhere, and shakily pulls himself out of the pond, landing heavily beside Tooru. He’s absolutely wet and chilly water drips onto Tooru’s shoulder, but that’s alright; he leans into his lover’s side, closing his eyes, relieved that Iwaizumi is still here and hasn’t crossed over to the Otherside yet. Iwaizumi nudges him. “What’s wrong this time?”

“Small matters, really,” he mumbles. “I just missed you.”

“I see.” Iwaizumi doesn’t press any further. He lifts a hand, running his fingers through Tooru’s fringe, mussing the waves of neatly styled brown hair, and grins at Tooru’s noises of irritation. It’s like when Iwaizumi was still alive again: him, always pulling his friend from whatever clouds he’s gotten his head stuck into, and Tooru gently drawing squiggles onto Iwaizumi’s skin as they studied tomes and tomes of necromancy and the mysteries following Death.

Except Death itself had turned on them and took Iwaizumi under his wing far earlier than any of them had expected.

Tooru sighs, stilling Iwaizumi’s fingers; he tilts his face up and presses a small kiss onto Iwaizumi’s wrist, softly, tiredly, entirely unwilling to let go in so many ways more than this. The other boy’s skin is as cold as it has ever been since the last five years. It makes Tooru’s heart turn colder as well. “I’ve been assigned an apprentice now, Iwa-chan. He’s still too wet behind the ears— naïve beyond naïve, really— but, he’ll be good.” Tooru’s lips twist down. “Maybe better than me, even.”

Iwaizumi glances at Oikawa’s frosty expression, and pinches his nose. “Be nice to him.” He lets go and drops his hand, resting it on Oikawa’s instead. Squeezes it. “You’re one hell of a necromancer yourself, the kid will have miles and miles in front of him before he can catch up to you.”

“I suppose so,” Tooru huffs, disbelieving, but he relents all the same. “You’ll meet him soon, I guess. I need to use you for his initiation test, so if it’s alright with you…?”

“I don’t mind,” Iwaizumi scrunches his nose, adding, “but I might be asleep again by then. You’ll have to kick me up once more.”

“Lazy, lazy Iwa-chan~,” singsongs Tooru as he leans to blow a raspberry on Iwaizumi’s cheek. “Going to sleep so quickly when there’s so much to do!” Then, in a mellower tone, mirroring the shadows that flit past his face: “And so much to live for still.”

Their current realities can never be changed no matter how deeply they wish, so all Iwaizumi says in turn is a hope that might be true when the right moment comes. He says, “At least I’m still waiting for you to cross with me to the Otherside.”

Tooru smiles, a little bittersweet. “Beggars cannot be choosers, after all.”

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Haikyuu!
no tags
533 words, necromancer!Oikawa, novice!Kageyama


“The dead are always grumpiest when they first come awake,” Oikawa primly states. His fingers rise to draw the sigil of vigilate in the air, each line stroke forming itself as a solid violet glow floating before him. With a dismissive wave, he sends them down to be absorbed by the body set on his table. “So, make sure you always have something— sweets, meat, porn mags, you know, whatever rocks their corpse— to pacify them, or else they’ll curse you for life, and that’s not something you want to go through again, right, Tobio-chan?”

Kageyama grits his teeth and nods reluctantly. “Right, Oikawa-san.” He inhales, exhales, and inhales again before biting the bullet. “Why would corpses need porn magazines though? It’s not like—“

“Such a narrow-minded view towards the darker denizens of this world!” Oikawa tsks, sticking his tongue out at Kageyama. He grabs a packet of milk bread from his pouch and tears it open, mouth soon munching and smeared with cream. “I’m appalled by your attitude, Tobio-chan!”

A choked noise comes from Kageyama; the boy shakes his head in disbelief, voice rising, “Oikawa-san, are you actually eating—“

“Hush! Oikawa furiously shushes him. “I’m stress-eating! Summoning the dead back to life takes a lot of vitality from a necromancer, so it is of utmost importance that we replenish it as soon as possible.” Rolling his eyes, he resumes eating much to Kageyama’s chagrin.

Helpless in the face of his mentor’s idiosyncrasies, Kageyama sighs and rubs his face, wearily so. His attention quickly shifts to the body in front of them once he notices one of its fingers twitching. “Who did you choose this time?”

“Oh, that’s just my boyfriend,” comes the nonchalant reply.

The body jerkily sits up with a moan so great and so loud that even a seasoned novice like Kageyama feels chills running down his back, goosebumps already forming along his arms and the back of his neck as he bites his tongue to prevent any noises of fear from escaping. Oikawa would never live it down if he, God forbid, squeaks at this particular moment.

Oikawa munches serenely on. “Good morning, Iwa-chan. Want some milk bread?”

“Screw you, Kusokawa,” the corpse— Iwa-chan— groans, swings his feet over the table so that he’s facing towards them. Kageyama blinks; the man has spiky dark hair and green eyes, still handsome despite the lack of colour in his complexion. “You know I like agedashi tofu better.”

“See? Grumpy.” The brown-haired necromancer huffs, brazenly reaching forward to wipe the cream on his fingers off on the man’s shoulder; Oikawa promptly gets jabbed in the waist for that. “G – r- u- m- p- y!”

“Hanger Tooru!”

“Bad breath rockhead!”

“Gorilla—“

“Excuse me,” Kageyama nervously cuts in, not wanting to see this little spat become worse in its pettiness, “welcome back to life, Iwa-chan-san.”

The other two look on at him in silence for the short blessing of ten seconds, but then, Oikawa’s howling and wheezing, laughing so hard until he can’t stand straight anymore, slumping against his boyfriend’s side. He wipes the tears that have formed at the corners of his eyes.

“You get a distinction for that, Tobio-chan!”

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Haikyuu!
no tags
471 words, siren!Oikawa + human!Suga


The first time Suga brings flowers for him, Oikawa opens the door with a smile, and it only grows wider as he throws them into his bathtub.

The bunch of roses clump at the porcelain bottom, their red petals floating listlessly along the water’s surface like random bursts of blood. He puts a hand into the tub and swirls its contents, trying to create a tiny whirlpool at the centre. “Don’t they look prettier like this, Suga-chan?”

Suga leans on the bathroom’s doorway frame, quietly watching Oikawa’s actions. He hums, contemplative, “I think they’d survive longer in vases.”

Oikawa tsks at him. “All good things come to an end, so isn’t it better to let them shine their brightest before they’re gone?”

“There’s that,” the other boy concedes, however, he also pushes on, “but, in my opinion, treasuring what we have now to its fullest extent is what matters the most.” Suga sucks in a breath, slowly exhaling as Oikawa rises from his perch by the tub and takes his hands; Oikawa’s nails dig in, they leave pale crescents on his skin.

It hurts.

“Ever so practical, aren’t you, Suga-chan?” Oikawa croons. His smile— like the rows of teeth hidden within his mouth— is sharp and blithe.

(He’s seen Oikawa tear through meat as effortlessly as the way he kisses Suga’s lips.)

Suga grins back. “Well, one of us has to have his feet planted on the ground.”

“And what about me?” Brown eyes dance, playful yet testy at the same time, seemingly taunting what about me, what about me, what about giving your whole skin to me, and it’s cute how he thinks Suga’s going to cave in so easily but here is the irony: Oikawa isn’t the only one who’s hungry for something.


So, he grips Oikawa’s hands just as tightly, if not harder, and with firmness, he says, “Being as in love with you as I am, sometimes I wonder whether you’re more in love with me or the sea.” Tilting closer, he whispers, breath hot against the shell of Oikawa’s ear. “Tell me?”

“Of course,” slippery as kelp comes the answer, “it’ll always be the sea.”

(Suga has already expected this, doesn’t think he’ll get any other answer soon either.)

“What a heartbreaker!” He laughs, chest still light despite the subtle rejection, and presses a kiss to his cheek. Oikawa has forgotten to conceal a small part of his facial scales on it.

But all is not lost for the next thing he knows his siren beams, blinding with rare sincerity; Oikawa taps his nose, his cheeks, his lips, then: “One day, won’t you come under with me?”

It’s unfair of Oikawa to pull this string, but what else can he say to that?

“As long as it’s you who leads me in.”

(And Suga finally sinks.)

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Hanamaki Takahiro/Oikawa Tooru, Haikyuu!
no tags
866 words, Cupid!Oikawa


When their fingers brush and his date smiles ever so beautifully, Takahiro smiles too.

He smiles, he closes his eyes, and he wastes their time because honestly, the hole in his heart is already waiting for somebody else. And if the person beside him thinks it’s their jokes he’s laughing at, then, well, ignorance has always been bliss.

(He’s just laughing at a tell-tale huff and the hiss of a drawstring pulled back.)

He’s waiting for a Cupid’s strike, and when it comes, it stings; Takahiro’s vision blooms pink, giddy mind celebrating how nice of you to stick through me again, Mr. Arrow, why don’t you never leave, and it should be sad how he’s come to this, but the matter of fact is he has come to this.

Like a playlist on repeat, Hanamaki Takahiro falls in love— though not with his current date nor the forty-odd-or-so string of people he’s tried to be something more to.

(For the sake of specifics, he’s already sort of in love, he’s just falling over and over again so he gets to keep seeing the object of his long-suffering affections: the Cupid himself.)

Softly, somewhere, he hears a bossy “make sure this one lasts!” and gods, does he want to smack the voice’s owner— maybe kiss him senseless too if the idiot ever lets him.

Because the Cupid may be an agent of love but he sure as hell is blind to it when it says hi from the other direction.


*


Looking back, it wasn’t love at first sight.

It was more like one minute Takahiro’s holding hands with his sweetheart, then the next minute some jackass with angel wings lands in front and skewers him through the chest with a heart-tipped arrow.

“Dude, the hell—?”

“Oh, you can see me? That’s new.” Brown eyes squint at him harder than Donald Duck on a rampage, then, the guy smirks all impish and beautiful as he notches another arrow and oh.

Oh no.

Before he can dodge, he’s shot through once more, and in the haze of blossoming feelings, he hears wings flutter, along with a laugh too smug for comfort.

“That one’s for good measure!”

The bastard flies off pleased as punch like a romance movie hero backlit by a dying sunset, leaving his paramour to weep and count flower petals in his absence…except Takahiro’s no lovesick maiden, but a lovesick man pining for the wrong target.

(You’d think he’d have fallen deeper for the person he’s currently going out with after all that, but ha! Apparently, the opposite just had to happen.)

So, it wasn’t love at first sight; it was love at first why-did-I-just-fuck-myself-over.


*


After Takahiro parts ways from his date, he feels a draft of air whoosh behind, and sure enough, it’s him.

“Osu,” Takahiro lazily greets and turns around to ruffle the guy’s hair. “Good job, Cupid-san. Any chance of telling me your name today?”

His hands are swatted away and he gets the edge of a bow to the face; Takahiro grins as the Cupid huffs and puffs like a steam engine running on irritation, pointing an accusing finger and grumbling, “No! Not if you keep falling in and out of live like this! You’re ruining my stellar track record, you know?”

“Oh? How stellar is stellar?”

“I’ll have you know I’ve made 69 successful pairings out of 420 victi— I mean, assignments — and you’re being this one stubborn black spot on my list!” The Cupid finally winds down from his outburst. Takahiro just manages to stop himself from patting his head; no matter how much the guy reminds him of an affronted Pomeranian, he doesn’t particularly fancy a few arrows poking into him again. “Okay, what’s your deal? What’s making you still be a pest? I may be underdressed for it but humans are notoriously squishy—“

He pulls the guy’s cheeks and sighs, long and tired, weary of further nagging.

(Takahiro has always gone for the noisier ones and this guy, supposedly the representation of love and all its not so delightful connotations, is really going above and beyond any of his earthly expectations.)

Well, as the saying goes: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.

Promptly, Takahiro ducks his head and sticks out a hand. “I’m Hanamaki Takahiro, age 23, student, currently trying to woo this idiot in front of me, so please just give me your name and I’ll go nurse my dumb feelings somewhere else.”

And well, what do you know, he feels another hand slotting into his. Feels it grip and twist so hard Takahiro’s wrist hurts but holy shit.

The Cupid’s answering smirk is— ironically — made of stuff that breaks hearts, and Takahiro feels his quavering. “Since you asked so nicely.” Sliding closer, a menace in his groove, he tilts forward to press a kiss on Takahiro’s cheek; the sensation of it zings over him sharper than any arrow of love. “My name is Oikawa Tooru.”

When Takahiro finally looks up, all he can do is mumble out a, “Oh, thank god, you’ve finally got the memo.”

(For better or for worse, the hole in his heart begins to fill.)

Fill: team Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, T

[hqqt]

Tags: Drowning, bodily fluids (vomit), body horror (mild), Furuya is a mermaid
Word Count: 1424
Furuya Satoru/Miyuki Kazuya

After twenty minutes of watching, Miyuki claps. He claps more to make a point of clapping than to express any emotions. Though, if he's being honest with himself, the sea creature's antics are impressive. It's been propelling itself out of the water and up to make grabs at a fishing net that's draped off the end of the pier. Every third jump or so, it catches a claw on the net and pulls it an inch closer to the water.

Miyuki isn't sure whether the creature knows there's a cooler of fish weighing it down, but it does make how far it's already dragged the net that much more impressive.

"I could help, if you wanted," he says and leans against one of the pier's supports, still well away from the water's edge. He intends to stay this far away. No amount of curiosity could distract him from the lithe power of the creature's muscles and what harm it could do if it felt the need.

Its head snaps in Miyuki's direction, and Miyuki revises his choice of pronoun. The creature is more human than he'd thought. He has hair and generally human features, though there look to be barnacles growing on one cheek and curving under his neck. Its eyes are black to the edges, like a cat at night or a deep sea creature.

The creature ducks beneath the surface of the water, then appears more suddenly and closer than Miyuki would have thought possible with the slope of the beach. Miyuki can see that what he thought might be something like tattoos are actually raised markings that glow softly in the evening light.

"Hi?" he ventures, figuring it's only polite.

The creature blinks once, then dives back into the water. His tail sends a spray of water over Miyuki, and he shouts "Hey!" more out of reflex than distress. It's a warm night; he can weather a bit of dampness.

Several minutes pass with Miyuki scanning for any sign of the creature returned, but there isn't so much as a ripple. Miyuki's knowledge of fish is limited mostly to food, so he's not sure of any of the vocabulary, but the creature's tail seemed to be closer to the kind a goldfish has — see-through and wispy, rather than fleshy like a shark or dolphin's. There is no way Miyuki would mistake the creature for a dolphin or a whale, anyway. From what he could pick out, the creature couldn't possibly be warm blooded, especially with slits wrapping around his sides like external ribs that must serve something like the purpose of gills.

His mouth twitches down in a frown he didn't intend to show, and he steps back from the water, intending to leave the beach with no more information about the sea creature, but halfway up the beach, he gives him one more chance to come back, and spots the net, still pinned to the jetty by the cooler.

There's no one around to claim either of them and abandoned property is anyone's property. Or something like that. He jogs along to the end of the pier and inspects the container. It certainly looks abandoned, with its lid askew and the stench of week old fish wafting out from under a bag of water that was once ice. His decision was made as soon as the creature didn't come back and doesn't have anything to do with it being up for grabs or not, if he's honest.

Miyuki hefts the corner of the container up and kicks at the net to shift it into the open, then drops the container again. The net is in good shape, which Miyuki supposes is why it didn't just break when the creature pulled at it, and why the creature seemed so set on it in the first place.

"Hey," he calls out to the water, and dangles the net from one hand so the tip of one of the long rope ties brushes the crest of a wave, "if you're still around you can have it!"

That the creature can even understand him is a long shot, but he figures tone goes a long way, like how catchers can read their pitchers from the plate without a word.

He dips the net closer to the water, adjusting his grip so that he's holding only one end and loops the opposite tie around his wrist so he can keep it secure. He's not entirely sure why he wants to see him again, why he's bothering with this, but it's probably the idea of something new, something for him to investigate. The nasty part of his mind suggests that someone is more like it, that Miyuki always wants a new brain to pick at and the more unusual the better. It is probably right.

With a lurch, water swallows Miyuki. One second, he registers a yank on the net, the next, he crashes into the waves and can only see murky grey brown.

He thrashes, managing to unwind the rope from his wrist but something yanks his ankle down. He gasps. Water fills his mouth and lungs. Sometimes, he wishes he'd picked up other skills than baseball. Swimming lessons seem like they might have been a good idea right about now.

A dark shadow appears in front of him as his body begins to react to the lack of air, shutting down with his heartbeat racing.

His consciousness fades.

*

He wakes gradually. His chest tells him it's been punched, aching like there's a cracked rib or three under there but he's not sure that a punch is what it received.

He tries opening his eyes. Some effort is involved. As far as he can tell he's back on the beach, and not much time has passed. He lets his eyes slide shut again, then attempts movement, sticking out his tongue to swipe over his lips which feel like they've received a treatment of sandpaper.

Something covers them, applying gentle pressure. His eyes fly open. The creature is leaning back away from him.

He blinks at Miyuki.

Miyuki blinks at him.

His mind scrambles to catch up with the situation. He leavers himself up onto his elbows; his ribs protest but he pushes the pain away. Getting upright seems more important.

"You aren't dead," the creature says.

The creature speaks Japanese. Of course he does.

Miyuki swallows, then dissolves into an agonising coughing fit, bent double and hanging over his knees as his ribs scream at him. The creature plants his hands - flippers? - in the sand and hauls himself closer to Miyuki so that his tail flops uselessly on the beach.

It takes more than a minute for Miyuki's coughing to subside. From the taste in his mouth more than a little vomit came up with it, but a wave carries off anything that used to be in his stomach. The creature spends the time rubbing his back. He doesn't speak again, but then Miyuki thinks that the shock if he did might bring on another coughing fit. Once he can breathe again the creature slows the motions on his back, eventually leaving his webbed digits resting against Miyuki's sodden jersey.

"Did you get the net?" he asks in a rasp, unsure of what the hell else to say.

The creature nods. He pauses, then speaks. "Furuya."

Miyuki squeezes his eyes shut, and then opens them again, hoping that a firm blink will help his brain work out what the creature means. "Is that your name?" He figures that's the best option.

The creature nods again. "You are...?"

Miyuki breathes carefully before he tries to speak again, a telltale tickle in his throat threatening another coughing fit. "Miyuki." He forces himself into a half cough, which makes his ribs sting like fuck, but it's worth it for the almost clear feeling.

"Thank you," Furuya says. Then leans in - Miyuki leans back but Furuya is faster - and kisses him.

Kisses him again, Miyuki supposes, given what Furuya did as he woke.

Sitting in the shallows, with the occasional wave surging up to fill his shoes with water, and his lips tingling from the kiss of a man with a tail, after a near death experience, his ribs twinging as he breaths and water in his lungs. He thinks this has been quite a day.

"Try with tongue, next time," Miyuki says, halfheartedly. He can't remember laying back and falling asleep, but he must have before he caught any reply Furuya gave.

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, G

[underscored]

no tags, kyouyaha dragons au
437 words

The creature is quiet now, curled up peacefully in the shelter of the dark cave. Yahaba shines his torch on the dragon, giving it one last scan—its breathing is calm as he watches its chest rise and fall. He leans in, pressing a finger on it to check its pulse, listening to the dragon’s heartbeat. All good. Yahaba turns towards Kyoutani with a small smile.

“I think she’ll do just fine,” he says, taking a step away from the dragon. “Thank you for trusting me with this secret. We should probably go home and get some sleep.”

Kyoutani’s eyes narrow for a moment and he squints at the creature, watching it as it continues to sleep. He doesn’t need to say anything for Yahaba to know that he is worried, and Yahaba places a hand on his shoulder. Kyoutani has always been better with animals than he has with people; Yahaba supposes that dragons are probably no exception to the rule. Still, he admires the sort of kinship that Kyoutani and different critters have.

Yahaba begins to walk away, beckoning for Kyoutani to follow. Kyoutani nods, casting the dragon a final glance before trailing after Yahaba, strolling towards the cave’s entrance. The two of them are way past curfew at this stage and there’s a good chance they’ll get caught by the town-watch. Yahaba narrows his eyes.

“If anyone asks us why we’re still out,” he says in a quiet voice, “We’ve got to come up with a reason. It’s not like we can tell them that we helped rescue a dragon—“

“That’s stupid,” Kyoutani mutters, but he heaves a sigh, and Yahaba knows Kyoutani knows he is right. “So what are you planning to say, huh?”

Yahaba shrugs. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” Possibilities begin to race through his mind: what would two shopkeeper boys be doing out at this hour? They couldn’t have been gathering materials, or going to shops. The dragon plague has gotten too bad at this point for that. He frowns, considering the possibilities, before Kyoutani gives him a light nudge.

“Romantic stroll. Tell them we needed to be alone. Because,” Kyoutani blushes. “Yeah. You know.”

Yahaba’s eyes widen and his pulse begins to race. If Kyoutani is suggesting… If Kyoutani is suggesting what he is suggesting—no, no. He swallows the lump in his throat. It’s just a ruse, right? Kyoutani is only saying this to protect the two of them. He squeezes out a smile.

“Yes. Romantic stroll.” Yahaba slings an arm around Kyoutani’s shoulder. “We should at least have the decency to act the part.”

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi; Kuroko no Basuke
no tags; beauty and the beast au
word count: 512

There's an old castle in the middle of the overgrown forest, darkened with a curse, and no one in the villages that surround it are brave enough to venture near it. There are rumours about it, whispered in taverns, told as cautionary tales by parents to their children, warning them of the perils of wandering too far past the trees.

They say a beast lives in the castle, giant and terrifying, who hates everyone that it meets. He was a prince, a long time ago, but time and magic has warped him into something unrecognisable and it's said that sometimes, in the middle of the night, his loud howls can be heard, echoing through the forest.

Tatsuya listens to the story with a pleasant smile as he fills his basket with food. The lady running the bakery thinks that he's a traveller, and is warning him of the dangers of straying too far off the track when leaving town. He thanks her kindly, and she pats his hand as she hands over another handful of sweet pastries without charging him for them.

Satisfied with what he has bought, Tatsuya climbs onto his horse and turns back for the castle.

The gates open for him upon arrival, and he leaves his horse in the stable, carrying his bag full of food into the castle.

Atsushi is, as usual, sprawled out on the floor in front of the fire. His giant form takes up all of the space between the fireplace and the couch that Tatsuya likes to sit on, and he suddenly sits up when Tatsuya enters the room, sniffing the air eagerly.

"Are those—?"

"I got you some presents from the bakery you like," Tatsuya replies with a smile, as Atsushi gets up onto all fours, walking towards him. He nudges his snout against Tatsuya's face in a gentle kiss hello, then sniffs at the box in Tatsuya's hands.

"You're the best," Atsushi murmurs.

"Did you know the villagers are still scared of you?" Tatsuya asks, grinning. "They can hear your moans at night, you know. You should keep it down."

"You should take responsibility for that," Atsushi mutters, as Tatsuya opens the box and selects a cinnamon scroll, holding it up for him. He's gentle as he takes it from Tatsuya's fingers and finishes it in two bites. "I want more."

"There's plenty more," Tatsuya chuckles, stroking his fingers through Atsushi's fur and kissing his snout. "You'll have to wait, though. Moderation is important."

Atsushi huffs. "If I hadn't captured you, I wouldn't have to deal with this."

"You didn't capture me," Tatsuya reminds him, kissing Atsushi's snout again. "I offered to take Taiga's place. You could be dealing with him instead, right now. Is that what you want?"

"No," Atsushi replies immediately, pulling Tatsuya closer. "You're not—you're allowed to leave the castle, when you want. But I don't want you to leave me."

"You don't have to worry," Tatsuya laughs, putting the box down so he can wrap both arms around Atsushi's neck, hugging him tightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, T

[kiyala]

Akashi Seijurou/Akashi Seijurou; Kuroko no Basuke
selfcest, kind of? changeling!Akashi
word count: 589

Seijurou is kidnapped when he is four years old.

He is taken out of his mother's arms and stolen away into Faerie, a changeling left in his place. It's a peaceful kidnapping; nobody pays attention to the staff in the sprawling mansion, nobody notices when their faces change, when their features are a little too sharp, their teeth a little too pointed.

Faerie is cruel and impulsive and plays by its own set of rules: they're rules that a four year old can't hope to understand, games a four year old can't hope to win, and it's not the determination to return home that gives him strength, but the fear of his father's disapproval, instilled into him already. Seijurou doesn't know that he's been replaced, that his parents think that their son is ill-mannered and destructive because of his age, not realising that they're housing a feral monster wearing Seijurou's face.

The border between Faerie and the real world is a forest full of brambles. At four years of age, Seijurou crawls through it, hides among it from those who seek to drag him back, runs from the thorned branches themselves until he's free, until he's home, stopping only when he realises that the time that had felt like mere minutes have translated into years.

He's in the large gardens that he used to play in, his skin stinging from being scratched by thorns. When he looks down, there are no marks, not even the faintest hint of red. The blood is gone, the bruises have disappeared, and it makes Seijurou wonder, for a moment, if he's just imagined it all.

Until he looks up at finds that he's staring at himself. It only lasts for a second; the other Seijurou is quick to morph, familiar features twisting into something that looks more like a goblin, squat and sallow and snarling, poised to attack.

Seijurou fights, because he has no choice. He wins, because he does not know defeat, because defeat is forbidden, if he wants to call himself Akashi Seijurou. He doesn't realise at the time, but that applies now more than it ever will. The victory feels like a strange one. The creature—his false copy—doesn't disappear so much as it crawls under his skin, like it can take up residence there instead.

For now, it doesn't matter. Seijurou is home. He is free of Faerie. There's nothing more that he wants at this moment.

He doesn't realise that the other version of him is still there, somewhere inside him, until some time later. His experience of Faerie has warped his sense of time, and it's difficult to tell how long anything lasts for without some sort of marker. His first year of Teiko. His second year. His third year, and his other self rears its head. There are cracks in Seijurou's armour and too late, he realises that he doesn't have to worry about something getting past it; he needs to worry about something finding its way out of him.

"You need me," it tells him, sounding exactly the way he does, only less shaken. "I am as much a part of you as you are. There's no point in denying it."

Seijurou isn't sure if he's feeling himself split into two, or if he'd already been split a long time ago. He feels arms that are his but not, wrapping around him. A mouth against his ear, warm breath that makes him shiver.

"It's my turn," he whispers to himself. "Let me take care of this."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Akashi Seijurou/Mayuzumi Chihiro; Kuroko no Basuke
possesssion
word count: 474

Akashi doesn't approach anything normally, and Mayuzumi thinks that he's done being surprised by that now. He knows that whatever Akashi is doing, it makes sense to himself long before it makes sense to anyone else, but even if it's not the most simplest of approaches, Mayuzumi knows that whatever Akashi is aiming to do, it'll get the job done.

So he doesn't know why he's surprised when, one night when they're practicing together to strengthen Mayuzumi's basics, Akashi hums and says, "This won't do. Let me show you."

"I thought that's what you were doing already," Mayuzumi mutters. "Go ahead."

Of all the things that he was expecting, he doesn't think to expect Akashi to possess him.

Mayuzumi is suddenly thrown into the backseat of his own body, watching as it moves without his control. He can feel Akashi's presence in him; not just in his head, but flowing through the rest of his body as well, as it moves to hold the ball with one hand, the palm of the other resting against it.

Pay attention to the way the ball fits into your hand, Akashi's voice echoes in his mind. The seams of it against your palm. The weight of it. The feel of the material.

Akashi makes Mayuzumi bounce the ball and, as it bounces back up, he hits it with his open palm, the way he would when passing it from one player to another.

How did that feel?

"Good," Mayuzumi breathes, relieved when he can make his own voice work, even with Akashi still inside him.

He turns to Akashi's body, surprised to find that he's moving just fine too.

"How are you—?" he blinks. "You know what? Never mind. I don't really want to know."

Akashi chuckles, or Mayuzumi thinks that he does, anyway. He feels it as a burst of warmth and amusement at the back of his mind and it feels—pleasant. He likes the way this feels.

He tries to muffle the thought with horror as he realises that he can't tell if Akashi can read his thoughts while possessing him.

I can, Akashi tells him, and there's that burst of warmth and amusement again, and Mayuzumi despairs, knowing that he can't even hide how much he enjoys feeling it.

He wonders if Akashi can do this on the court, too. If anyone would be able to, Mayuzumi thinks, it would be Akashi. He could probably play an entire game of basketball with himself as all five members of the team.

Possibly, Akashi hums. Do you want to find out?

Mayuzumi is suddenly filled with jealousy at the thought of Akashi possessing other bodies like this. He groans aloud as he feels another surge of warmth, but it's not accompanied by amusement this time. He thinks it's fondness.

He groans even louder. "Okay, get out."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, T

[kiyala]

Hanamiya Makoto/Imayoshi Shouchi; Kuroko no Basuke
blood, mind control vampire!Imayoshi
word count: 480

Hanamiya knows he's in trouble the moment that he sees Imayoshi open his eyes.

He knows Imayoshi well enough to know that it's bad news at the best of times. Right now, however, Imayoshi has him backed up against a wall with no way to escape. Hanamiya doesn't think that he's understating things when he realises that he's screwed.

"You don't have to be so afraid of me," Imayoshi taunts with a low chuckle as he leans in. His lips spread into a grin that bears his fangs, and Hanamiya shudders.

The worst part is that he can't tell if it's a good shudder or a bad one.

Imayoshi grins even wider, his hands gently resting against the wall on either side of Hanamiya's shoulders, caging him in.

"Look at me," he murmurs, and Hanamiya knows that he shouldn't but for the life of him, he doesn't know how to disobey Imayoshi in this state.

He meets Imayoshi's eyes and he immediately feels like he's being pinned in place. He can't move. He can't even blink.

He feels Imayoshi get his hooks into him and for a moment, it feels like his skin is actually being pierced. It feels like Imayoshi is clawing his way inside, and Hanamiya is trembling with it.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it's gone. In its place, there's a sense of utter relaxation. Like Hanamiya has been sealed away in his own mind, surrounded by a barrier of glass so he can't quite reach the surface.

In his mind, Imayoshi curls around him, surrounding him, smothering him. Hanamiya can feel the panic rising in his chest but then it doesn't go anywhere. It stagnates, then fades, and Hanamiya knows that it's Imayoshi's doing. Imayoshi's presence strengthens, and Hanamiya feels himself falling into a trance, like sinking into an ocean. Only, this ocean isn't made of water; it's something viscous instead, clinging to him as it pulls him under, crawling into his mouth and nose, suffocating him.

He knows that Imayoshi is feeding from him, but can't feel the prick of fangs against his neck. Hanamiya can't even feel himself losing blood and he knows that this is bad. He's entirely in Imayoshi's hands right now, and it's the most dangerous place to be, but he can't bring himself to care. He only vaguely feels himself tilt his head back so that Imayoshi can move closer, drinking deeper.

He doesn't know how long it lasts for. All he knows is that when Imayoshi is done with him, he feels utterly drained. He comes back to himself, collapsed on the floor at Imayoshi's feet, unsure if he's feeling lightheaded because of blood loss or because he's feeling the absence of Imayoshi's magic in him.

"Wasn't that fun?" Imayoshi smiles, and it's a small relief that his eyes are closed again. "See you next time, hmm?"

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, E

[kiyala]

Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi; Kuroko no Basuke
sexual content; half giant!Murasakibara
word count: 1268

Being half giant means that even when Atsushi is using his magic to make him more or less human sized, he's still much taller than most people. When his control over his magic slips, however, so does his size. He needs to constantly be controlling it and Tatsuya imagines that it would be tiring for anyone, no matter who.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, T

[kiyala]

Akashi Seijurou/Mayuzumi Chihiro; Kuroko no Basuke
gore, eye horror; regenerating immortal!Akashi
word count: 448

"You're teasing me," Mayuzumi mutters, his hands resting on the side of Akashi's face. "You're going to regret this, you know."

"Do you think so, Chihiro?" Akashi asks, raising an eyebrow.

Mayuzumi snorts quietly. He knows better than to expect to be calling the shots when it comes to Akashi. He's always playing into Akashi's hands, no matter what.

"Well, you're not going to hurt me," Akashi murmurs. "Not permanently, anyway."

"I can't tell if you're trying to persuade me further or if you're trying to do the opposite," Mayuzumi sighs, and he takes the scissors out of Akashi's hands, closing them and then lifting them up, resting the pointed end against Akashi's cheek.

"I'll let you be the judge of that," Akashi smiles up at him. "You're allowed to do as you please, Chihiro."

"I'm sure," Mayuzyumi snorts quietly, and he uses his free hand to hold onto Akashi's chin, tilting his face up into a gentle kiss. "This is going to be messy."

"I don't mind."

Mayuzumi lifts the scissors up a little higher, until they're resting against the corner of Akashi's eye.He takes a deep breath, letting Akashi brace himself, and then plunges the blade of the scissors into Akashi's eye.

With a pained grunt, Akashi grips onto Mayuzumi's hand tightly, keeping him close, so the scissors stay in place.

Mayuzumi winces as blood sprays across his face, tilting it away. He digs the scissors deeper into Akashi's eye, before pulling them out again.

"This is disgusting," Mayuzumi tells him, as he digs his fingers into the empty eye socket, pressing it against the soft tissue and blood. "You're disgusting."

"You like it," Akashi hums, grinning. The blood running down his cheek runs into his mouth, turning his teeth red.

Mayuzumi frowns, letting go of the scissors and letting them clatter onto the floor. He smears the blood further across Akashi's cheek, down to his lips, staining them red.

"Let me watch you heal," Mayuzumi says, because that's the part that he likes the best. He likes watching Akashi's magic knit himself back together, regrowing body parts like they haven't just been cut out of him.

He watches as the hollow of Akashi's eye socket glows red, and then starts to regenerate itself.

"You've been wanting to do that for a while, haven't you?" Akashi asks, as he stops bleeding. "Are you satisfied now?"

"I'm not sure if I am," Mayuzumi hums, tilting his head to the side. "I might have to try a few other body parts too."

Akashi chuckles softly. "Good."

"Just like you wanted, hm?" Mayuzumi doesn't even care about doing just as Akashi wants of him. At least he enjoys it.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Abe Takaya/Mihashi Ren; Ookiku Furikabutte
no tags
word count: 415

"Ren." Abe's voice is gentle, but even that is enough to make Mihashi tremble. "Ren. Look at me."

It feels like Mihashi looks everywhere else first before he finally looks up, taking a deep breath as he meets Abe's eyes.

"Ren," Abe says again, even quieter this time. He reaches his hand out, as if Mihashi is a spooked animal, and not his magical partner. "I know that we can do this."

"But…" Mihashi pulls his hand close to him, curling his fingers into a fist nervously. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Can I?" Abe asks, reaching out a little further. He waits, giving Mihashi a moment to move away if he wants to. When he doesn't, Abe reaches forward and touches his fingers to the back of Mihashi's hand. He gently turns Mihashi's hand over, pressing their palms together.

"We're just going to give it a try, okay?" Abe asks. "I know that we can do this. Maybe it won't work the first time, but we're going to get there. Do you trust me?"

"I do," Mihashi nods. "But—what if I—"

"I believe in you," Abe tells him. "You've worked so hard to get your magic to the level that it is, Ren. I can feel it in the spells that you cast. I can feel it here, in your hands."

Abe tightens his grip on Mihashi's fingers. Mihashi looks down, swallowing nervously.

"We'll try something simple," Abe says. "Okay?"

"Okay," Mihashi nods. "Do you want to choose?"

"Let's just conjure some colour first," Abe says, because that's a simple enough spell to cast. "We can do that. It's something we can both do on our own, so we shouldn't have a problem with it together either."

Mihashi nods, then takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes.

The most difficult part about collaboratively casting magic with people is the way that it feels when it gathers in their hands. Mihashi's hands grow warmer, and Abe feels it transfer into him, running through him like the blood in his veins.

Abe takes a deep breath, responding with his own magic. He feels it combine with Mihahsi's, turning into something different to what he's used to.

It's strange, but not at all bad.

He hears Mihahsi suck in a deep breath, and opens his eyes to find balls of light floating around them, shining in different colours.

"Takaya," Mihashi whispers. "We did it."

Smiling, Abe squeezes Mihashi's hands gently in his own. "Yeah, we did."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Hanai Azusa/Tajima Yuuichirou; Ookiku Furikabutte
no tags; temporary telepathy
word count: 540

"Um. Hanai?"

Tajiima's voice is small and nervous, and it doesn't sound like him at all. It's enough to have Hanai freeze up, halfway between copying down the spell written in the old tome he's borrowed from the library.

"Yes, Tajima."

"You know that weather spell that we cast together earlier today?" Tajima asks. "So that it wouldn't rain for baseball practice?"

"Yeah?" Hanai replies uncertainly. "What about it?"

"I was looking at the spell book we took it from," Tajima says. "Um. There's this little bit written in smaller writing at the bottom, that warns that there might be side effects."

"Side effects," Hanai repeats. "What kind of side effects, Tajima?"

"Temporary telepathy?" Tajima laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't realise before, and it says that it might take some time to set in, but—"

I'm really really sorry, Tajima finishes, inside Hanai's head.

Hanai sits upright, frowning. "What the fuck."

"I said I'm sorry!" Tajima claps his hands together and bows. "I was in a rush because I didn't want to miss out on practice and I didn't read it until later and…"

Slow down, Hanai tells him, and he frowns when it works, and Tajima stops talking.

I'm sorry, Tajima tells him again. At least it's just temporary? I don't know how temporary, but it shouldn't last for too long, right?

Hanai has no idea. He sighs, shrugging a little. They don't really have a choice but to deal with it until it goes, anyway. He doesn't even form the thought into actual words, but he has the sense that Tajima understands it anyway.

"It's probably not even that big of a deal," he says. "It's fine. We'll just be more careful next time."

As Hanai spends the rest of the day learning, it is kind of a big deal.

It's not even like he's actively in Tajima's head, but the link between their minds is open enough that stray thoughts pass through every now and then. He gets the sense of Tajima being bored in class, and his restlessness when he looks out the window.

Hey. Pay attention, or it's going to take you longer to do your homework later, Hanai warns him, and he gets the sense of Tajima laughing at the back of his mind.

It's okay, I'll just copy off you, Tajima replies, and it might be unintentional, but it's accompanied with Tajima's thoughts of how smart Hanai is, how good he is at helping people,

It turns into thoughts of how amazing Hanai is in general, and it's a little embarrassing, but pleasing all the same. Except Tajima isn't particularly interested in class and he probably doesn't even realise that his thoughts are spilling over into Hanai's head. He's thinking of how good Hanai looks, how nice his hands feel during their morning meditation sessions, and Hanai coughs quietly, feeling his face burn up.

Tajima, he thinks loudly, reaching out across their mental link.

Shit. Tajima sounds panicked. Shit shit shit shit.

Hey, Tajima, Hanai tries again, trying to get through Tajima's panic. It's fine. Same, okay? I think you're amazing too.

Yeah?

Hanai hides his smile behind his hand as he looks down at his work. Yeah

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Abe Takaya/Mihashi Ren; Ookiku Furikabutte
no tags; dragon!Mihashi
word count: 428

Abe finds out that Mihashi is a dragon by accident.

He happens to be wandering past the field and he's aware, somewhere at the back of his mind, that he's somewhere near Mihashi's house, but he's actually walking over to see Sakaeguchi, and isn't thinking about much beyond that.

A flash of light captures his attention, and he turns to look, just in time to see Mihashi transforming. His wings unfurl as he turns into a dragon. He stops, watching in wonder as the sun shines against Mihashi's scales. It's mesmerising. He isn't a very big dragon; barely over the size of a horse. His tail flicks nervously, and Abe blinks with surprise as he sees that Tajima is standing in front of him.

It makes sense, Abe thinks to himself, that Tajima would know that Mihashi is a dragon. They're close. They understand each other really well, they're comfortable with each other, but Abe can't help but feel a little jealous about it all the same.

He doesn't know whether he should walk over; he doesn't know whether he should even be aware that Mihashi is a dragon. If Mihashi wanted him to know, then he would have said something. The fact that it's Tajima standing there, not him, says enough.

He turns around to leave, his hands in his pockets, when he hears Mihashi let out a small squeak.

"A-Abe-kun!"

He freezes up, slowly turning around. Mihashi looks nervous, curled up on himself nervously.

"Hey, Abe," Tajima greets, waving him over. "Doesn't Mihashi look cool?"

"Yeah," Abe says, joining them. "He does."

"Really?" Mihashi asks. "You think so?"

"Yeah," Abe smiles. "Can I…?"

"Yes!" Mihashi replies, lowering his head for Abe to touch.

The scales on Mihashi's head are soft, and Abe runs his hand over them, smiling when Mihashi lets out a pleased rumble.

"A dragon, huh?" Abe asks, tilting his head to look up at Mihashi. "That's pretty amazing. I didn't know."

"I was trying to keep it a secret," Mihashi says quietly, lowering his head and resting it on the ground. "I didn't want people to think that I was weird. Maybe they wouldn't like me because—"

"Are you kidding?" Tajima laughs. "You're a dragon! Who wouldn't want to be friends with a dragon?"

"Not that we're going to tell anyone, though," Abe says, as he feels Mihashi tense up beneath him. "Not unless you want us to."

"But you don't mind?" Mihashi asks, looking up at Abe.

"No," Abe tells him, and strokes his hands over Mihashi's scales again. "Not at all."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Hanai Azusa/Tajima Yuuichirou; Ookiku Furikabutte
mentions of drowning; merman!Tajima
word count: 480

The waves are harsh against the ship, the skies dark with thunderclouds. There are flashes of lightning that illuminate the sea in harsh light for a moment, before they're plunged in darkness again. Hanai clings to the mast of his ship as it rocks back and forth. The storm came upon them without any warning, and it's worse than anything that Hanai has ever experienced out on the sea before.

He doesn't let his fear show on his face, though. He's the captain of this ship, and even if they're going to capsize, he isn't going to let his men plunge into the sea believing that they're going to die.

He isn't going to let his ship go down without trying his best to keep it sailing.

The weather is against him, though. The storm gets worse, the rain falling even harder. Hanai's footing slips as the ship begins to turn. He can hear his men screaming in terror, and Hanai feels himself falling into the waves, plunging under the water.

If he's going to die, Hanai thinks to himself, he'll face it head on. He won't let his fear show.

He closes his eyes as the water closes around him, and then there's nothing.



When Hanai opens his eyes, he immediately squints against bright light.

He's never put much thought into what the afterlife feels like, but he wasn't expecting this. He feels heavy.

"Are you awake?" a voice asks him.

"Huh?" Hanai blinks. The light stops feeling quite so bright, and he looks around to find someone watching him.

"Where am I?" Hanai asks. He thinks he feels rock under his back. "Am I dead?"

"You're alive," the voice says. "I pulled you out of the water."

"Did you?" Hanai tries to sit up. He feels hands on him, helping him up. "Thank you."

"Your crew was being swept away by the waves," the guy tells him. "My friends tried to help them, but I'm not sure where hey are. I'm sorry."

Hanai clears his throat. "…Thanks."

"I'm Tajima. What's your name?"

"Hanai." Rubbing his hand over his face, he takes a better look at the person sitting beside him. "Oh. You're a merman."

Tajima flicks his tail with a smile. "Hi."

"That explains how you survived the storm," Hanai murmurs.

"It was difficult, even for us," Tajima says. "The sea was really rough last night, but I'm a strong swimmer. If you want, I can swim out and see if I can find my friends, to see if they've managed to find your friends."

"Uh." Hanai clears his throat. "Can you… stay?"

"Yeah," Tajima replies easily. "Of course I can. I'll keep you company for as long as you need."

With a sigh, Hanai runs his hand over the top of his head. Tajima places a hand on his back, and the contact is comforting. "Thank you."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei; Haikyuu!!
no tags; magic cafe au
word count: 717

Takahiro's favourite place in the world is a three storey café in a quiet corner of the city.

Despite the fact that it's out of the way of most of the pedestrian traffic on the main streets, it attracts plenty of patrons. There are people who pass through, waiting for their takeaway coffees before walking away. Others stay, settling into the comfortable seats around the low tables.

The atmosphere is relaxed, no matter what time of the day it is. Even when there is a long line in front of the register, the staff are always friendly, putting their orders together with the help of magic.

Takahiro's favourite staff member is the manager of the night shift. His name is Matsukawa Issei, and his telekinesis is powerful enough that he can make three coffees at the same time, holding the milk jugs up to the machine to let them froth. He leaves the food to the other staff members, but he still has the attention to spare for the customers, chatting with them with a friendly smile as they wait for their coffee.

The customers sitting around the tables get their food teleported to them by Shinji, who has an incredible memory of where each order is meant to go. Akira packs the takeaway orders, casting spells on the hot food to keep them warm until they're ready to eat. Yuutarou clears the tables, using his telekinesis to float plates on top of each other without dropping any of them, taking them back to the kitchen.

Takahiro walks in with Tooru and Hajime, and Issei looks up immediately, making eye contact with him, greeting him with the usual quirk of his lips.

"This way," Takahiro says, leading his friends over to the table he likes sitting at best.

It's a table in the corner, with soft seats and a fully stocked bookshelf within easy reach, but the reason he likes it so much is because it gives him an easy view of the front counter. He can see Issei working, checking on his coffee in between chatting with customers. Every now and then, Issei will look up at Takahiro, as if just to make sure that he's still there. They smile at each other, and Tooru huffs out a sigh, leaning back against his seat.

"Makki, you didn't even make an order."

"Don't have to," Takahiro replies easily. "Just you wait."

Sure enough, Issei finishes the coffee orders he's making, and then walks over to their table, carrying a tray of coffee mugs.

"For you," Issei murmurs, putting the mugs down on the table. "Hope I got your friends' orders right."

Takahiro smiles up at Issei, who's grinning at him, like the rest of the café doesn't even exist.

"How come you're walking our orders over?" Hajime asks, looking up at him. "I've been seeing your coworker teleport orders to tables. Taka said that you're the manager here. I didn't expect you to do something as mundane as walking an order over."

"I make exceptions for my favourite people," Issei says with a wink in Takahiro's direction. "But hey, he talks about me?"

"He doesn't shut up about you," Tooru replies. "Ever."

"Yeah?" Issei asks with a grin.

"Are you surprised?" Takahiro asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah," Issei replies, resting his hand on Takahiro's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Nice to hear, though."

"Come join us on your break," Takahiro murmurs, patting Issei's hand.

"You didn't tell us you were dating," Tooru whispers, once Issei has walked away.

"Oh?" Takahiro blinks. "We're not, though?"

Hajime just stares at Takahiro in reply, looking entirely unconvinced.

"Yeah, okay," Takahiro grins. "I was going to surprise you with the fact that I finally found the guts to ask him out, but I can't really keep a secret for shit, can I?"

"You were asking us to help you pick out a shirt for a date," Tooru points out. "You suck at being subtle."

"If it makes you feel any better," Yuutarou says on his way past, with a stack of plates floating above his hand, "I'm pretty sure the boss is even worse at it than you are. He doesn't shut up about you, when you're not here."

Takahiro grins. "I don't think I'm really surprised? But it's pretty nice to hear."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei; Haikyuu!!
no tags; magic street art au
word count: 447

Takahiro wakes up to a mural of an aquarium painted on the wall outside of his apartment. It's enchanted, filled with all kinds of fish with brightly coloured scales. He watches them swim back and forth across the painted water as he drinks his morning coffee, and smiles to himself.

He goes downstairs afterwards with a can of paint and a brush. There are people walking past and admiring the mural but no one who looks like they're responsible for it. Takahiro knew better than to expect to meet the artist behind the mural but he's disappointed all the same. He already wants to talk to them, swapping tips about mixing their paint with magic.

He carefully touches his dry brush to the mural, just to test whether it's been protected by magic. He knows that artists sometimes do, to keep their murals from being painted over. This one isn't, just left there for people to interact with as they please, and so Takahiro adds to it, painting coral at the bottom of the tank, smiling as the fish come to swim through it when he's done.

He goes to work and by the time he comes home, he finds some new fish painted into the mural. He recognises the original artist's style and grins. Whoever they are, they must live close by and they don't seem to mind Takahiro adding to it.

Over the next few days, it becomes something of a routine. Takahiro wakes up and drinks his coffee as he takes in the changes that have been made to the mural. He adds something of his own before he leaves to work, and then comes home to yet another addition.

On the second day, someone paints over the aquarium entirely. Takahiro paints it back, leaving the blue of the water and a crab that waves its pincers threateningly at anyone to walks too close.

He gets home to find a hermit crab. He grins, going to his apartment to change and grab his paint, before he goes back downstairs. He's already planning on painting jellyfish when he realises that there's someone else already painting them into the mural.

"Holy shit," Takahiro says, recognising the art style even while it's still coming together. "Is it you? Aquarium guy?"

"Hey," the other guy says, turning around. He eyes the paint bucket and brush in Takahiro's hands. "Coral guy?"

Takahiro grins. "I'm Hanamaki."

"Matsukawa," comes the reply. "What were you going to paint?"

"Same thing you are. Great minds, huh?"

Matsukawa grins. "You can say that again. How about we fill this tank with jellyfish, then get some coffee together?"

Takahiro gives Matsukawa a matching grin. "Definitely."

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, E

[kiyala]

Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga/Kuroko Tetsuya; Kuroko no Basuke
sexual content, werecats, barbed dicks
word count: 1052

Kuroko wakes up in a tangle of limbs, with two warm bodies pressed on either side of him.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru; Haikyuu!!
no tags; pixies
word count: 708

It's past the middle of the night, and Iwaizumi can see lights in Oikawa's room through the window.

The thing is, it's not his ceiling light. Iwaizumi's used to seeing that, glancing out of his window, where it faces Oikawa's bedroom window, and sighing to himself because it's late and Oikawa doesn't seem to have any intention of sleeping any time soon. He's even more used to seeing the glow of his computer screen illuminating the otherwise dark room. This is entirely different.

It looks like there are glowing balls of light floating in Oikawa's room, from what Iwaizumi can make out through the blinds. It doesn't really make sense.

Rubbing his hand over his face, Iwaizumi sighs heavily and checks the time. It's sometime after two o'clock in the morning. He's only awake because of a nightmare that jolted him right back to consciousness. It's faded now, and he's tired. He's probably just seeing things.

He goes back to sleep, and doesn't mention anything about floating lights to Oikawa the next day. Everything continues as normal.

He doesn't see the lights again for a while. Not for another two weeks. Iwaizumi is up late doing an assignment that he really should have done earlier, with the light of his bedroom off and his desk lamp turned on. He's sitting at his window, and he glances up from his work for a moment, just in time to see the lights hovering outside of Oikawa's window. He's still looking up when Oikawa opens the window, for the lights to float in.

It's dark, but their eyes meet across the distance, and Oikawa freezes up. Iwaizumi keeps staring, until Oikawa shuts the window and pulls the blinds down.

The next morning, Iwaizumi waits in front of their gates for Oikawa. He hasn't had a lot of sleep, and he doesn't think he has the patience for Oikawa to tread around the truth of whatever it was that he saw the previous night.

Oikawa seems to realise this too. His expression is guarded as he joins Iwaizumi, and they nod at each other in greeting, before starting to walk in silence.

Iwaizumi can deal with this. Oikawa isn't brushing the entire incident off, and that's a good start. Maybe he needs time to gather his thoughts. Knowing Oikawa, though, Iwaizumi is sure that he stayed up even later last night trying to figure out how to explain himself. Iwaizumi tells himself that he'll wait until they're halfway to school. If Oikawa hasn't said anything by then, he'll push.

The halfway point to school must be Oikawa's deadline too, because as they pass the vending machine that they generally use as a marker, he draws a deep breath.

"So, with what happened last night…"

Iwaizumi looks up. They both slow to a stop, turning to face each other.

"You're probably not going to believe me until you see it for yourself," Oikawa mutters, looking down at his feet. "There's, um. There's a swarm of pixies living in the neighbourhood. I found them when I was younger, when my dad and I were out catching fireflies one night. They take care of things when no one is looking. Remember that time you caught a beetle and it escaped, but then you found it on your windowsill the next morning?"

"Was that you?" Iwaizumi asks.

"I asked the pixies for help," Oikawa says. "They're good at mending things, or finding lost pets, or keeping people safe. They don't ask for a lot in return. Just snacks, maybe some scraps of material to make new clothes with, and they love talking. They're shy around humans, though. You could probably see them if you slept over at my house, if you want."

"How come I've never seen them the other times I've slept over?"

"I usually warn them in advance," Oikawa admits with a sheepish grin, "so that you won't see them. I didn't know how you'd react."

"But you'll let me meet them?" Iwaizumi asks.

"You want to?"

"They're like your friends, right?" Iwaizumi shrugs. "Of course I do."

Oikawa smiles at him, bumping their shoulders together. "Tonight, then."

"Yeah," Iwaizumi agrees, bumping his shoulder to Oikawa's in return before they start walking again. "Tonight."