Bonus Round 6: Remixes

[referees]

The event's almost over, and you've made it this far, congrats! This round encourages you to look back at everything the SASO has made and use it as inspiration.

This round is CLOSED as of 7PM on August 18 EDT. Late fills may be posted, but they will not receive points.

RULES

• Choose a fanwork created by other participants in a previous main or bonus round of SASO and create a new piece based on it. You could create a fanart of another work, an FST inspired by a piece’s style, retell another person’s fanfic from another point of view, create a new fanfic inspired by a great piece of art... go wild!
• You cannot remix your teammates' works.
• You must have permission from the original creator. There's a blanket permissions post here (feel free to add yourself to it!), or you can leave a comment on their original post asking for permission.
• You must include the dreamwidth link to the original work in your post.
• Since all fills are based on previous works, there will be no prompts for this round. Simply post your fill as a comment in response 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 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 Nishinoya Yuu/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, G

[savetanaka]

SCREAMS what the HELL thank you so much for such a detailed response to my ficlet?!??! I'm so akejfnawjfnewa I'm so flattered and overjoyed that you love it so much; it made my day when I checked my messages to see this reply! <3

BoKuroo is so good!!! Thank YOU for providing the playlist that inspired this little story. I READ YOUR COMMENT AND HAD THE BIGGEST FUCKING GRIN ON MY FACE like A MORON because of your kind words, honestly awekjfneajkw I'm so emotional rn aefjkaewf <3 <3

Thanks again for your lovely reply! I hope to provide more BoKuroo in this world!!!

Re: FILL: Team Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, G

[inkythoughts]

*INCOHERENT BABBLING* th-thank!!

Re: FILL: Team Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, G

[inkythoughts]

*screams* THANKS!!

FILL: TEAM Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, T

[bingualien]

tags: stripping, partial nudity

Remix of tmntransformer's KuroDai fill
if you can't tell he's wearing kuroo's shirt =u=

FILL: TEAM Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, G

[bingualien]

no major tags
Remix of kuriicurry's UshiMoni fill

FILL: TEAM MATSUOKA RIN/NANASE HARUKA, G

[fullofjoy]

No tags
Remix of sotongsotong's Flicker

Rendering is... still hard sobsob. But I wanted to show the thinking and the hesitance in the poem!

Fill: Team Grandstand, T

[yrindor]

supernatural elements, mild body horror, violent imagery, vomiting (mention of)
1112 words

Remix of hapaxlegomenon's BR5 Arakita & Hakogaku Third Years fill (plus a bit of the related Arakita/Toudou fill). Permission granted in the blanket permission post.


They all gathered in the cycling club room the night of the full moon. As the sun set, Fukutomi, Shinkai, and Toudou rearranged the equipment to leave a clear half-circle around the heavy bolt Fukutomi had set in the wall that afternoon. Arakita wanted to help, but his hands were still heavily bandaged, and frustration and fear meant he just paced and snapped at his teammates instead.

When everyone was finally satisfied, Shinkai brought out the collar and chain the pet store had assured him would hold against even the strongest and most aggressive dog. He offered it to Arakita, but leaned in close as he did so and whispered, "what about your clothes, Yasutomo?"

Arakita swore. He had no idea what the night would bring, but he was wearing his favorite sweatpants, and he'd be damned if he was going to risk them tearing, or ending up covered in fur and smelling like wet dog, or whatever other disaster could befall them.

"Don't you dare look," he growled, and when everyone had dutifully turned around, he stripped out of his clothes and took the blanket Shinkai held out behind him, trying not to look at the body that was still looked too sickly and too pale after nearly a month in the hospital.

He tried to put on the collar himself, but between the missing fingers, and the bandages, and the still-healing scars, he was too clumsy, and it was Fukutomi who finally stepped forward. "Sorry, Arakita," he said gruffly, not meeting Arakita's eyes as he buckled the collar and attached the chain to the wall, and Arakita wanted to shake him for it. Wanted to grab him by the hair, force him to stop looking down, and yell that it wasn't his fault, that none of this damn mess was his fault.

But he knew that wouldn't help at all, so he forced down the lump in his own throat and said nothing as Fukutomi's hand lingered over the buckle one last time before he went back to his crossword puzzle. Toudou was on his phone, undoubtedly texting Makishima, Shinkai was reading, and all of them, himself included, were carefully avoiding mentioning the elephant in the room.

"This is stupid. There's no such thing as werewolves," Toudou declared an hour later when nothing had happened, and Arakita knew he wasn't the only one with that particular thought. Hell, he didn't even believe in werewolves. But he remembered what had attacked him, remembered the fear, and the pain, and the certainty that he was going to die, and he wasn't willing to take that risk.

"Gods willing nothing happens and morning makes fools of us all," Shinkai said quietly, and Arakita silently agreed with the prayer. The silence fell heavily around them after that, as they all waited for something they weren't even sure they believed in.

They were still waiting when midnight rolled around. Toudou had fallen asleep propped up in the corner, Fukutomi looked about ready to join him, and Arakita was starting to feel a bit foolish about the entire situation. Then, the moon finally rose enough to shine through the window, and a sudden, sharp ache from the scar on his thigh was the only warning he had before his bones began shifting in ways they were never meant to move.

A growl rattled deep in his throat, and Shinkai and Fukutomi were immediately alert.

"Stay back!" he snarled when Fukutomi set aside his book, the last words he managed to force out before his jaw was wrenched forward into the elongated snout of a wolf.

The moon called to him. He wanted to answer it, to run under it until he scented his prey, and then to strike, to feel bones snap in his jaw, and to taste the blood of his kill.

He leapt forward, but something tightened around his neck and yanked him back. He turned, ready to attack with teeth and claws, but there was something trapping his paws as well, and they ached. He bared his teeth in challenge before tearing into the traps to free himself.

There was sudden noise, and then two large creatures threw themselves forward and grabbed onto his front legs. He could smell the fear thick around them and the blood pounding under their skin. He was hungry and driven by the need to hunt, but no matter how many times he snapped at them, his jaws closed on thin air.

He snapped and snarled until a third, smaller creature joined the other two. It smelled even more heavily of fear, but it wrapped itself around his neck, forcing his jaw shut and dragging his head down. He could barely move with his front legs splayed out under him and his head trapped by the floor, but he still fought to get free.

Run. Hunt. Kill. Feed. The thoughts drowned out everything else until the moon finally set and the transformation reversed in the same bone-wrenching manner in which it had arrived, and he found himself lying on the floor in the club room with every muscle in his body screaming and the past several hours nothing more than a hazy blur of noise and smells and motion.

Then the rest of his mind caught up, and he processed Fukutomi and Shinkai each holding one of his arms, exhausted and drenched in sweat, and Toudou cradling his head, eyes wide with fear and bright with unshed tears, and some of the missing pieces of the night snapped horribly into place.

"Fuck," he said weakly, struggling to sit up as his stomach threatened to rebel, though that didn't seem nearly a strong enough word for what had happened.

He was a monster. Even with the precautions he'd taken, he'd almost hurt them. He had wanted to hurt them. And it was a pattern that was going to repeat every month for the rest of his damned life.

He had to leave. They didn't deserve to be stuck with him.

But they wouldn't let him go. Even as the bile rose in his throat, they pulled him back. It was Fukutomi who rested a steadying hand on the back of his neck as he dry-heaved, Toudou who wrapped a blanket around him and then sobbed into his shoulder, and Shinkai who offered him a cup of tea, holding the mug and helping him drink when his own hands proved to be too clumsy.

And through it all, the same thought kept running through his head: He was a monster. He was going to hurt them someday. So why wouldn't they run?

Re: Fill: Team Furuya Satoru/Miyuki Kazuya, G

[kazuyaloveseijun]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it~

FILL: TEAM MATSUOKA RIN/NANASE HARUKA, G

[fullofjoy]

No tags
Remix of jtchibifan's cute sleepover pic

FILL: TEAM KURAMOCHI YOUICHI/MIYUKI KAZUYA, G

[tripsh]

iwaizumi hajime/oikawa tooru, haikyuu!!
blood, injury, losing teeth
499 words

Remix of horchata's iwaoi fill

It's something like a contest. Unspoken, because Oikawa's never explicitly said anything about it, but Iwaizumi can feel it, can notice it when he meets Oikawa at the corner to walk to school together one morning, the last of his baby teeth gone.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa says, surprised. "You lost another tooth!"

Iwaizumi grins, showing it off to Oikawa. "Yep. Mom said it's the last one."

He almost immediately catches the look of jealousy on Oikawa's face, in his eyes even though he tries to conceal it. He's always been obvious, so obvious about things like this. "No fa... I mean... I'm happy for you. Loose teeth are annoying."

Iwaizumi laughs at the quick, but noticeable cover up. Oikawa's tooth had been loose before Iwaizumi's. He probably expected his to fall out first in this unsaid competition, the race to the finish of who could lose all their teeth first. "Are you?"

"Sure I am! That's what I said, isn't it? Pay more attention, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi doesn't push it any further as they walk to school, doesn't mention it the rest of the day, but he's pretty sure he notices Oikawa poking at his teeth, like he's trying to loosen the last baby tooth he's got even further, make it fall out faster.

.

"Oikawa! Look out!"

"Huh?"

And then, then it happens. The volleyball hits Oikawa square in the face when they're practicing together out in his front yard the next afternoon after school. Iwaizumi runs over to his side, leaning over to check that his friend is alright.

"Oikawa? Tooru? You okay?"

Oikawa nods, slowly. "Yes. You hit much harder than you did a few weeks ago. Ow."

He sighs, relieved that Oikawa seems to be alright. "You should be paying attention. What's with you? You seem distracted."

"Nothing. I was just... thinking."

"Okay." He doesn't push it further, because he notices a little bit of blood on Oikawa's lips. "You're bleeding!"

There's momentary panic in Oikawa's eyes. "What?" And then, he rubs at his mouth, blood staining his sleeve. "I think it's my..." When he reaches up like he's going to check his mouth, he pokes his already hanging by a thread loose tooth, knocks it out completely and holds it in his palm.

"My tooth."

They both stare down at it in silence for a moment, until--

"My tooth! I lost my tooth!" Oikawa's grinning, triumphantly, and scrambles to his feet, dragging Iwaizumi by the arm. "I gotta go show my mom! And your mom! And--"

"Let's go inside first. You're still bleeding."

"Fine, fine."

Later, when the bleeding has stopped and Oikawa's baby tooth is safely tucked away, he grins at Iwaizumi, the gap in his tooth noticeable, like he wants to show it off. Iwaizumi knows Oikawa wants to.

"Hey, Iwa-chan."

"Yeah?"

"We match." He gestures between them, their mouths, how they'd both lost the last of their baby teeth within a day of each other.

This time, Iwaizumi smiles too. "Yeah. We match."

FILL: TEAM KURAMOCHI YOUICHI/MIYUKI KAZUYA, T

[tripsh]

kuramochi youichi/miyuki kazuya, daiya no ace
no tags
poetry, 31 lines

Remix of sotongsotong's kuramiyu fill

the first time is something like the last.
where it begins--
the first dream of you--
it ends so soon (too soon) after.

there're a lot of things that went wrong.
we lost each other,
too fast, too soon.
can't seem to reach each other again.

this dream
is different,
welcome after the aching vacancy of you in the present,
needed as a kick to keep going.

it's the first time i dream of you,
and it ends too quickly.
and even though i could stay forever,
i can't.

we can't.

but i miss you,
and you 'probably' miss me too.
and that's enough.
it's always enough.

so. let's promise,
real and tangible,
beyond dreams and fantasies.
instead, reality, truth.

let's not let it end,
let's not let us end.

i'll find you,
and you can wait for me
until i do
when i do.

FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, G

[mother_herbivore]

tags: cisswap

remix of hapaxlegomenon's fic!

Re: Fill: Team Grandstand, G

[underscored]

YELLS

CHESS, I LOVE THIS? I LOVE YOUR WRITING SO MUCH. You took such a small snapshot and turned it into something so much greater-- I love it so much, I love how Eli just /knows/ when it comes to Honoka, I'm!!! AAH

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, T

[miyukitty]

Art fill. Implied bestiality, werewuffs.

Remix of kiyala's matsukawa/hanamaki werewolf fill. :D

FILL: Team Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, T

[miyukitty]

Art fill. Implied bestiality, werewuffs.

Remix of saffroncity's matsukawa/hanamaki werewolf fill. :DDD

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Haikyuu!
no tags
poetry fill, 21 lines

Remix of kiyala's "they don't cast shadows in Yahaba's dreams" KyouYaha fill here.


shadow tag


Are we real, are we real—
I am, although
the same can’t be said for you,
but I see it in the shadows sometimes; your answer
an outline of have-beens’ and what-ifs’, the doesn’t-really-matters’
sinking in conversations I have with walls
that I think you’re leaning on, regardless
of what time I breathe and believe
you’re here.


So, when does something not cast a shadow—
I think you know as well as I do, that
it’s when something isn’t real
however, whether you’re tangible
or intangible; a piece of nothing
I could have clawed and shaped so desperately
for a selfish sake inside of me, I’d still tag you
and you’d be “it”, you’d be real, you’d be—
near.


(And the break of dawn
would be something I’d no longer care to
fear.)

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

[yrindor]

I love this! Matsukawa is such a pretty wolf, and look at the happy tail-wagging!

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

[jtchibifan]

OMGGGGG totally adorable ❤️❤️❤️ Poor haru never catches a break lol

FILL: Team Nishinoya Yuu/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, G

[savetanaka]

Nishinoya Yuu/Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Major tags: None
Tags: Implied Bokuto/Kuroo
Word count: 706, not including images with text
Remix of babster's Tanaka/Noya fill for BR 4.



---

Ryuu had tweeted his thoughts immediately after setting eyes on the talkative and breathtaking guy at the party. The boy was gorgeous; there was no denying that. He was probably already dating some six-foot tall, well-bearded man that could pull off a manbun; so Ryuu just watched him, forlornly from a distance all night. He had been eyeing him all evening, but when the other guy looked back at him, Ryuu looked away, embarrassed. It wasn’t like him to shy away at such a moment, but goddamn, he was so cute - what else was he supposed to do?

---

“Hi, Tanaka, right?” It’s him. The Guy. From the party. Talking to him, Tanaka Ryuunosuke. In the park. The Extremely Cute Guy is talking to him. Ryuu registers all of this a little too slowly for his own liking and the guy continues to talk over him (which, Ryuu admits, is a good thing, because he isn’t sure if he could say anything remotely more comprehensible than excited stuttering right now).

“I’m Nishinoya! Nishinoya Yuu, but you can call me Noya. I’ve seen you play volleyball a couple of times,” (Oh my god, Ryuu’s mind flips as does his stomach. What if he’s seen me rip off my shirt like a total fucking lunatic? Ryuu panics mildly but continues to smile and nod at Noya, because it’s the polite thing to do). “ … I was wondering if I could join you. I’m pretty good,” admits Noya.

“Hell yeah, man. We can play, like, right now, if you want,” Ryuu automatically answers, not realising that playing volleyball would be a little tricky with just two people.

Noya isn’t afraid to laugh and point this out to Ryuu, who can’t help but feel inclined to grin back.

“Forget it,” Ryuu blushes, looking away, feeling highly embarrassed. What was he thinking, honestly …

A warm hand touches his shoulder and he turns to see Noya gazing up at him and smiling. “That sounds great,” Noya says. “I’ve got a couple of friends who might be keen to join us for some beach volleyball so we can just head down to the beach now if you want, so you can take your shirt off for us there, too.”

Ryuu freezes. He honestly could have died, right there and then, but Noya lets out a loud, booming laugh, which reminds Ryuu of new summer tunes and relaxing barbecues, so he doesn’t really mind.

“Sure,” agrees Ryuu, the corners of his lip twitching despite his attempt at remaining cool, calm, and collected. “As long as, you know, you won’t find it too distracting.”

There’s a twinkle in Noya’s eyes as the two of them walk towards the beach together, arms occasionally touching. “Nicely played, Ryuu.” Ryuu doesn’t know when or how Noya found out his first name, but something about the way it falls so casually off Noya’s lips feels natural and comforting to him.

“So, uh, who are your friends that you invited to play?” Ryuu asks just as they step onto the sand and kick off their shoes. The sand is warm and inviting beneath his toes, feeling soft and springy. Good.

“Oh, they’re pretty cool -,” starts Noya, but a loud “HEY, HEY, HEY!” interrupts him.

Two tall and extremely muscular men wave at Noya, grinning from ear to ear.

“Who’s your boyfriend?” The beefier of the boys inquires, a handsome man with grey streaks in his spiky hair, causing Ryuu to blush. The other guy, who looks as though he spent two hours trying to make his hair look like he had just rolled out of bed, smirks and winks at Ryuu.

Noya flings an arm around Ryuu unexpectedly and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Ryuu almost jumps a metre back in shock, but Noya holds his hand firmly. “Hey,” Noya looks fixedly at Ryuu while the other two boys gape at them. “Wanna date?”

Unsure if the summer heat has turned Ryuu’s brain to mush or if Noya’s fierce gaze has hypnotising powers, Ryuu nods in response while Noya breathes a sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” he lets out a shaky laugh and picks up the ball, beaming.

This was turning out to be Ryuu’s favourite summer yet.

FILL: TEAM IWAIZUMI HAJIME/OIKAWA TOORU, G

[sotongsotong]

Akaashi Keiji/Oikawa Tooru, Haikyuu!
tags: fire imagery, mentions of burning
poetry fill, 20 lines I'm sorry I went so extra with the liberties

Remix of kiyala's "god!Akaashi, Phoenix!Oikawa" fill here.


feathers and embers


I’m a
burning chandelier, unhooked
myself from the ceiling so I can
meet you in crashes and spit wax
to sear your skin; perhaps, you’ll
breathe in spirals, see the smoke
my footsteps emit: they’ll be the
laughable legacy of a razing god
who finds being one with flames
too hard to quit.


Still
a tamed bird
isn’t a low I’d stoop for you
nor for me, but if
the lock and key is within
your embrace, then, I’ll gladly
be caged in.


(Black feathers and embers,
oh, such a match
we do make.)

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Midorima Shintarou/Takao Kazunari; Kuroko no Basuke
supernatural themes
word count: 443

remix of yrindor's fill here

Faerie sinks its claws into Shintarou at an early age, when he is too young, too innocent to think anything of following the glowing lights that tempt him into the forest. Wide eyed and fascinated, Shintarou loses himself among the trees.

He loses himself more than he ever realises. Faerie makes a false copy in his place, a squirming and wicked beast with sharp features and sharper teeth, only softened by the glamour cast upon it so that it resembles a human child.

Shintarou becomes a mask; a puppet for Faerie to return back to his home, back to his bed, pretending that nothing is amiss. This is where Faerie thrives the best, after all, smoothing the edges between the human world and the realms beyond, combining them so seamlessly that it's impossible to tell that one has ended and the other begins.

When Faerie chooses Shintarou, however, it forgets to account for the local youkai.

Shintarou's grandmother sees through the glamour at a glance, sees him for the snarling impostor that he is, and turns on her heel immediately, only returning when she's armed with the proper magic to combat what has been done to her grandson.

Magic, she knows, is about belief.

The less someone believes that it's magic, and the more they believe that it is the true nature of he world, the more likely it is to work.

She teaches Shintarou to follow the Oha Asa with the same dedication he gives to the novels that he's already learning to read, the mathematics equations that his parents are so proud of him for solving at such a young age. She slowly but surely makes it a habit of his, to rise each morning and check the Oha Asa, to acquire his lucky item for the day as soon as possible. She stresses the importance of it and he's young enough to believe her without questioning it. He's young enough that it sticks.

She hovers without being seen, making sure that the Oha Asa is effective enough at keeping Faerie at bay. She nods, satisfied when she looks at Shintarou and recognises her grandson again. She might not have been able to keep him safe from Faerie the first time, but she'll do everything in her power to make sure that it doesn't get its hold on him again.

When she sees him with his druid friend, though, she's relieved to know that at least she's not alone in trying to keep Shintarou safe. Between the two of them, perhaps they stand a chance.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, T

[kiyala]

Aoyagi Hajime/Teshima Junta; Yowamushi Pedal
references to terminal illness and character death
word count: 545

remix of yrindor's fill here

Aoyagi has known that something is wrong for a long time.

He can't remember when it began; he just remembers seeing Teshima's face one morning at school, the set of his jaw, the distant look in his eyes, and known that something was coming. Something big and important, and even back then, it made Aoyagi wish that the jokes their teammates made about the two of them having some sort of mental link were true, because then he would know exactly what the reason was behind the way Teshima's expression will sometimes cloud over, the way he sometimes breaks off mid-conversation, like it's heading in a direction he doesn't quite want to follow.

All Aoyagi knows that whatever it is, it's getting worse.

Teshima isn't talking to him. Surely, Teshima must have realised that Aoyagi's figured something out by now, but he never actually mentions it. Aoyagi doesn't bring it up either, because he doesn't know how to. He doesn't know what to do when Teshima doesn't want to tell him something.

Instead, he takes comfort in all the other things that they do share. Sometimes, it doesn't matter that Teshima is very obviously keeping a secret from him when they can have conversations purely through the glances that they exchange, and the quirk of their lips. It doesn't matter that Aoyagi doesn't know how to ask, when he can reach out and Teshima's hand is right there, always within easy reach. Just as Teshima always is. The way Aoyagi is certain he always will be.

The first time Aoyagi begins to fear otherwise is when Teshima comes to school looking exhausted.

It's a different kind of exhaustion from when they push themselves to their very limits at practice. This time, Teshima looks like there's something draining his energy, wearing him to the bone. He tries to hide it, and he must fool himself into thinking that it's working, and that scares Aoyagi more than anything else. Teshima knows how far he can stretch things with Aoyagi; he knows that they're too familiar with each other to maintain a lie for too long. The fact that he's still trying, still convincing himself that he can get away with it, means that whatever it is that he's hiding, it's bigger and scarier than anything Aoyagi can imagine.

He wants to ask. He wants to sit Teshima down and make him spill the truth.

The Interhigh is coming up, though, so he puts it off. They have something more immediate to focus all their energy on, and if the best Aoyagi can do is make sure that Teshima isn't actually running himself into the ground, then he'll do that.

On the first day of the Interhigh, he puts it off. He'll ask later. Maybe, after they win the first stage, Teshima will be feeling good enough to talk about it.

On the second day of the Interhigh, he puts it off. There's still so far left to go. He can wait until the end of the road, he thinks. He can wait until there's nothing else distracting them.

On the third day of the Interhigh, with more finality hanging in the air than any of them ever wanted, Aoyagi learns to hate himself for not asking sooner.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi; Haikyuu!!
no tags
word count: 417

remix of yrindor's fill here

Daichi is smiling as he walks out of the pharmacy with the bottle of painkillers rattling in the plastic bag.

He tears out a small piece of paper from one of his notebooks, so he can write, Next time, pay me back!, onto it. Not that it really matters, anyway. He's the one who uses the painkillers the most, and he knows that it would probably be easier for both of them if he just kept the bottle with him, instead of sneaking it into Suga's locker the way he does every single time.

There's no fun in that, though.

He'd rather do it like this, walking to Suga's locker and opening it, sticking the plastic bag at the bottom, with the note sitting neatly on top. He knows that Suga will find it later and add it to the box he always carries around with him. It's meant to be a general kit to use for the team, but it doesn't miss Daichi's notice that he's the one who usually ends up needing it the most. From the painkillers, usually for when Daichi has a headache from dealing with the rest of the team, to the cough drops, used when Daichi spends too much time yelling at the team, to the tape, or even the odd packet of instant ramen that gets shoved in his face during exam weeks, Daichi can't help but secretly think of it as some sort of Daichi Care Kit, even if it's too embarrassing for him to actually mention it to Suga.

His favourite thing about all of it, though, isn't even the fact that Suga has come to carrying around a box of things that he can pull out whenever Daichi needs. It's the way he does it; the way he can look at Daichi and immediately know what's wrong, and what needs to be done to fix it.

It's the way that Suga walks over to him with a knowing look in his eyes, the way he always asks, but makes it sound like he's just confirming what he already knows is wrong. It's the way he reaches into his box and finds the right thing, pressing it into Daichi's hand with a gentle kiss to the forehead.

He knows that it's just a placebo effect, but every single time it happens, Daichi can't help but feel better from the moment Suga is there, content in the knowledge that someone cares about him enough to take care of him.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G

[kiyala]

Midorima Shintarou/Takao Kazunari; Kuroko no Basuke
no tags
word count: 524

remix of yrindor's fill here

Shintarou faces the day with a certain level of trepidation.

Cancer ranking third today isn't such a bad thing, in the grand scheme of things. It could be lower and on any other day, Shintarou wouldn't mind at all. On any other day, he would be armed with his lucky item and it would cancel out any sort of misfortune that could possibly come his way.

Today, however, he's been forced to choose; he's had to decide whether he wants luck for himself, or if he wants luck for Kazunari.

Kazunari, who ranks one higher than him on the Oha Asa today, but that still means that he's second place. That isn't good enough. Not for today, when he was going to have his exam. Perhaps it would just make Kazunari laugh, the bright and amused way he always has of laughing at Shintarou, and perhaps he won't even take it with him at all.

Shintarou trusts him, though. It's not as novel and strange a feeling as it first was, when it developed back in high school. It's become more of a fact of life, now. He trusts that Kazunari will understand the importance of keeping his lucky item with him.

He trusts that it will be worth it, when he goes to work without his own.

It doesn't stop him from being wary every time something goes remotely wrong. In his line of work, there are far too many things that could go wrong, but Shintarou isn't here because of luck. He's here because he's good at what he does, and he reminds himself of that as he walks through the doors of the hospital. It doesn't matter if luck is against him; he has enough talent to push back against it.

He grits his teeth and reminds himself of it when the power goes out, at roughly half past four in the morning.

And again, when he's stuck in a broken elevator, during his first break at nine o'clock in the morning.

And again, when his stack of client files falls on him before he's about to do his visits.

The concept of luck is an unpleasant but inescapable one in a hospital, where everything comes down to the chance of a procedure being effective, the chance of survival, the chance of a full recovery. It's far too easy to get caught up in it here, but Shintarou refuses. Just as he trusts Kazunari to do his best at the interview, regardless of whether or not he has his lucky item, he knows that Kazunari trusts him to do well at his job too. He trusts himself to do the same.

He gets through the day, shaking off any misfortune that comes his way, finding his way through it, and goes home to Kazunari. He's certain that the interview went well, but it's something he's looking forward to hearing about from Kazunari himself.

Stepping through the door, he looks down at his shoes as he bites back his smile.

Regardless of how Cancer ranks on any given day, he knows that he's always lucky to have Kazunari to come home to.

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, T

[kiyala]

Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi; Kuroko no Basuke
no major tags, fade to black at the end
word count: 431

remix of yrindor's fill here

Atsushi knows exactly what he's doing.

So perhaps he's a little offended by Tatsuya's suggestion to go to a cooking class. Perhaps he's a little determined to show Tatsuya that there are plenty of better date ideas that would be much more fun than taking a class, with other people. What kind of person would go to a class and have someone tell them what to do, for fun? Atsushi doesn't get it, and he's going to do everything in his power to make sure that Tatsuya doesn't bring it up again.

They're going to have the best cooking date ever, right in his apartment, with just the two of them. Atsushi isn't going to let anyone beat him. Definitely not some sort of class.

He's been dating Tatsuya for a while now, and knows exactly what he likes. Perhaps Tatsuya is good at finding ways to bend Atsushi to his will, but two can play at that. Atsushi knows that he's getting better at it. The whole thing feels almost like a game, and Atsushi is not going to lose.

He knows the way Tatsuya likes being reminded of their obvious difference in sizes. He knows that it's especially the case when they're pressed up against each other and so, Atsushi takes care not to miss a single chance. He stands behind Tatsuya, showing him the proper technique to chop, and then the proper way to stir. It's satisfying to feel the way Tatsuya stiffens against his back, and it's even more satisfying to see the look on his face with Atsushi's finger in his mouth.

It's tempting to just drop the game entirely and press Tatsuya's hips against the counter a little harder, but they're cooking food and Atsushi doesn't want to see any of it go to waste.

Besides this way, he gets to tease Tatsuya and end up with two desserts. He can't think of anything better in the entire world.

Still, he uses every opportunity he can to prompt Tatsuya to taste things from the tips of his finger, always a moment too slow to pull it away. Tatsuya doesn't complain once, his eyes a little glazed, his cheeks warm whenever Atsushi's fingers brush against them.

He's satisfied, by the end of it, that Tatsuya will never want to suggest that they go to a couple's cooking class again. With that taken care of, Atsushi turns his attention to their food once again.

And if he makes Tatsuya stay the night and presses his hips into the mattress instead, well, Atsushi is just thorough like that.