Bonus Round 2: Tic-Tac-Toe

[referees]

SASO 2017 is over, but this round is perpetually open to new fills (no new prompts).

Get three in a row! That's the goal of this bonus round. Inspired by a fanwork event type called kink bingo, this round encourages you to create and fill out themed prompt cards.

Please read this whole post before commenting to ensure that your team gets the most points possible. There's a lot of text here, but if you read carefully and follow the instructions step by step, you will be okay.

RULES

Please refer to the first comment thread of this post for an example of how this round works.

PROMPTING

1. Select a ship to create your prompt card about. Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Haruki & Kazuma). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Haruki/Kazuma). Please don't say "Any pairing," either!


2. Visit this card generator.
   • Here is a visual guide to using it.
   • The large text box is where you can list prompts if you have your own ideas. Please list at least 9 prompts; you can list more if you want. (The generator says you need at least 24, but it's lying.) Single words or short phrases are better than sentences.
   • Otherwise, you can use the dropdown menu found right below it. Note: some of these prompts lists are NSFW. (NSFW prompts are a-ok as long as you tag for it.) If you don't like some of the options that appear in a prompt list, you can delete them.
   • Text prompts only, please. Also, each card square must be unique—don't list the same prompt 9 times.
   • In "Configuration Options," make sure you select 3x3 and (Normal prompt). This is the most important step!
   • Leave the tic-tac-toe card with its default colors, so everyone can read it clearly.
   • Click the "Create a bingo card" button.
   • Scroll down to see the card that was created for you. If you don't like the prompts it picked, you can reroll by clicking "Create a bingo card" again.
   • When you're satisfied, scroll further down the page until you see a textarea box full of HTML.
3. Copy and paste the HTML from the box and into the body of your prompt comment, then post!

FILLING

Fill prompts by selecting an individual square to create fanwork for, then leaving a responding comment to the prompt with your newly-created work. (Optional:) If you can fill three squares from a prompt in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, you get a tic-tac-toe (and an additional point bonus)! You can also just fill prompts as you please and get standard points.

• Prompt squares are labeled as follows:

  A1	B1	C1
  A2	B2	C2
  A3	B3	C3

• If you're trying for tic-tac-toe, you cannot combine squares into one fill. If your fill can satisfy multiple squares, pick the most relevant square: e.g., one square is sailing and another is pirates and you make a fill about pirates sailing, it's mostly pirates so put down the pirates square.
• Each fill must stand alone as an individual piece, but all your fills can slot into a larger universe if you'd like.
• You cannot fill a prompt square more than once, but you can fill every square on a tic tac toe card if you want to.
• You cannot work with your teammates to get a tic-tac-toe. Only individually achieved tic-tac-toes get the bonus.
• Multiple people can fill the same prompt square. You cannot "block" others from getting tic-tac-toe.
• Remember to also follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.
• Here is a prompt/fill index for your convenience.

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/images)
• 14 lines (poetry)

There is no max work cap.

Format your comment in one of the following ways:

If PROMPTING:	If FILLING:	If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:
PROMPT: TEAM [YOUR SHIP] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to. Any way you format it is fine. Copy/paste/fill out the following form into your comment box. Delete the guidance text that's in parentheses. Make sure you use tags. Here is a BR Template Creator for your convenience if the textarea is confusing. (Please delete all text in parentheses as you go. LEAVE THE HTML ALONE or the bonus round scoring program can't parse your comment. Don't forget a comment subject!) <strong>Ship:</strong> (the ship your prompt is focused on. "&" indicates a platonic relationship, "/" is non-platonic. Format the ship name any way you want, but clarity is more likely to get you fills.) <strong>Fandom:</strong> (what fandom the ship is from) <strong>Major Tags:</strong> (https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/1609.html, when applicable; these apply to content *in the prompt itself* and is NOT an implication of what you're looking for in a fill. If your prompt doesn't require tags, write "None" here. More info: http://sportsanimeolympics.tumblr.com/post/161707236774/tagging-and-you) <strong>Other Tags:</strong> (anything else that you feel requires tagging; can include jokey tumblr-style tags here; may also pull from the "Additional Tags" list from the URL above, if applicable; otherwise, write "None" here.) <strong>Prompt:</strong> (copy and paste the HTML of your prompt square here!)	FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [SQUARE], [RATING] Replace [SQUARE] with the specific square you're filling (e.g., B2). Click here to see a comment thread example of which square is which. Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to. Any way you format it is fine. Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Copy/paste/fill out the following form into your comment box. Delete the guidance text that's in parentheses. Make sure you use tags. Here is a BR Template Creator for your convenience if the textarea is confusing. (Please delete all text in parentheses as you go. LEAVE THE HEADER HTML ALONE or the bonus round scoring program can't parse your comment. Don't forget a comment subject, especially which square you're filling!) <strong>Ship:</strong> <strong>Fandom:</strong> <strong>Major Tags:</strong> (https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/1609.html, when applicable; otherwise write "None"; if omitting tags to avoid spoiling, say "tags omitted." More info: http://sportsanimeolympics.tumblr.com/post/161707236774/tagging-and-you) <strong>Other Tags:</strong> (anything else that you feel requires tagging; can include jokey tumblr-style tags here; may also pull from the "Additional Tags" list from the URL above, if applicable; otherwise, write "None" here.) <strong>Square:</strong> (the theme of the square that you are filling, just copy and paste it from the prompt comment) <strong>Word Count:</strong> (if applicable; otherwise write "None") (Place any author/artist's notes BEFORE the asterisks. Leave the asterisks alone or won't get points!) *** (Place your fill here. You can use HTML after the asterisks. FOR NSFW FILLS, please cross-link these fills and use clear tags. Refer to the body of the post above for more information. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" alt="DESCRIPTION OF YOUR IMAGE"/>. Consider posting only a thumbnail if the image is large. For more info, visit http://referees.dreamwidth.org/5647.html#images ) NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and tag them clearly. saso_afterhours is open to all NSFW fills. Written/text fills can be hosted on AO3 or saso_afterhours ONLY. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere; you may include a small safe-for-work thumbnail of the fill in your comment.	FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [SQUARE], [RATING] Replace [SQUARE] with the specific square you're filling (e.g., B2). Click here to see a comment thread example of which square is which. Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Copy/paste/fill out the following form into your comment box. Delete the guidance text that's in parentheses. Make sure you use tags. Here is a BR Template Creator for your convenience if the textarea is confusing. (Please delete all text in parentheses as you go. LEAVE THE HEADER HTML ALONE or the bonus round scoring program can't parse your comment. Don't forget a comment subject, especially which square you're filling!) <strong>Ship:</strong> <strong>Fandom:</strong> <strong>Major Tags:</strong> (https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/1609.html, when applicable; otherwise write "None"; if omitting tags to avoid spoiling, say "tags omitted." More info: http://sportsanimeolympics.tumblr.com/post/161707236774/tagging-and-you) <strong>Other Tags:</strong> (anything else that you feel requires tagging; can include jokey tumblr-style tags here; may also pull from the "Additional Tags" list from the URL above, if applicable; otherwise, write "None" here.) <strong>Square:</strong> (the theme of the square that you are filling, just copy and paste it from the prompt comment) <strong>Word Count:</strong> (if applicable; otherwise write "None") (Place any author/artist's notes BEFORE the asterisks. Leave the asterisks alone or you may not get points!) *** (Place your fill here. You can use HTML. FOR NSFW FILLS, please cross-link these fills and use clear tags. Refer to the body of the post above for more information. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" alt="DESCRIPTION OF YOUR IMAGE"/>. Consider posting only a thumbnail if the image is large. For more info, visit http://referees.dreamwidth.org/5647.html#images ) NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and tag them clearly. saso_afterhours is open to all NSFW fills. Written/text fills can be hosted on AO3 or saso_afterhours ONLY. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere; you may include a small safe-for-work thumbnail of the fill in your comment.

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.

If you see anyone breaking the code of conduct (e.g., causing drama, being rude) anywhere (not just DW), please contact the mods immediately.

SCORING

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

For prompts: 5 points for each tic-tac-toe card (maximum of 50 prompt points per team per round)

For fills:
First 4 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 5-10: 15 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21-50: 2 points each
Fills 51+: 1 point each
Tic-tac-toe Bonus: 2 points each for the first 12 achieved by your team

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 (see the line of links below this post).

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

Comments

Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, B1, G

[yrindor]

Thank you! The Shuutoku-Rakuzan match was such a high-stakes game, and such a devastating loss for Midorima, I really want Takao to be there afterwards for him. Thank you for so many great prompts for this ship!

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, B3, G

[kiyala]

Ship: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: future fic
Square: goodbye at 07:04
Word Count: 450

***

Issei swears that he used to be better at this sort of thing, but then again, maybe that was back when he wasn't also head over heels in love with his best friend. That changes things, like the way it feels to wake up in the morning to find Takahiro curled up in bed beside him, both of their phones buzzing with their six o'clock alarms.

"Shit," Takahiro mutters as he sits up. "I forgot it was a work night last night."

It's not as big of a problem as it could be; Takahiro has a business suit hanging in Issei's wardrobe for this very reason. It's not the first time it's happened, and it's probably not going to be the last.

Issei's apartment is tiny and there's a lot of dancing around each other, trying to stay out of each other's way as they both get ready for work. Issei makes coffee while Takahiro makes breakfast, laughing at him and saying that Issei should have just kicked him out when it started getting too late.

"There's no such thing, though," Issei mumbles, watching the coffee machine as if he can will it to hurry up. "I'm not going to tell you to leave, no matter what time it is. It's not like I actually want you to go."

Takahiro looks over at him, but Issei keeps his head down, not knowing where he wants to go with this conversation. Takahiro doesn't let him get away with it, though, poking him in the back.

"Hey. Asshole."

Issei turns around, surprised when Takahiro crowds into his space.

"So," Takahiro murmurs, leaning in, "are we going to stop tiptoeing around this, or what?"

"Maybe," Issei replies. "I guess we could do that."

Takahiro laughs, closing the gap between their lips. "Nice."

Issei kisses him back, pulling back once the coffee's ready. Takahiro turns back to the stove, finishing their scrambled eggs. The mood between them feels a little lighter now, and then can't stop glancing at each other over breakfast, catching each other's eyes and grinning. It's ridiculous, Issei thinks to himself. They're being ridiculous, but they've always been good at doing that.

Even though they're significantly distracted, they still manage to get ready for work, ready to walk out of the door and to the station, the clock on Issei's microwave reading 7:04am.

"Hey," Issei murmurs, grabbing Takahiro's hand. "Just one thing before we go."

"Hm?"

Issei presses Takahiro up against his door, kissing him. "Just wanted to give you a kiss goodbye. Only been wanting to do that every time you left for the last… you know. However long."

Takahiro grins, pulling Issei into another kiss. "Yeah. I know."

Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A3, T

[yrindor]

Thank you. Since data/analysis is such a huge part of who Yanagi is, hopefully he'll be able to look at his spreadsheets again someday, but it's definitely going to take time. Yukimura's illness really takes its toll on the whole team, and they're all pretty powerless in their own ways.

Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A3, T

[yrindor]

I'm glad you liked it!

Fuji is a good brother, and he's not going to let Yuuta run off somewhere that's a complete unknown. Unfortunately for Mizuki, possibly the only thing worse than drawing Fuji's anger is drawing Akashi's, because an emperor has a lot more firepower at his disposal than a lone ninja does (though Fuji would of course have come up with his own way to make sure Mizuki paid). The Akashi-Fuji mindgames are definitely fun to play with too, because neither of them have someone quite on their level to come up against in canon.

FILL: Team Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, C3, T

[mousapelli]

Ship: Victor/Yuuri, maybe the tiniest Christophe/Phichit
Fandom: Yuri on Ice
Major Tags: none
Other Tags: tales of Victor's misspent youth, your best friend telling your boyfriend all the dirt about you
Square: the nutcracker
Word Count: 405

god I'm so sorry as soon as I saw these prompts this was all I could think about.

***

It had SEEMED like a good idea to invite Christophe and Phichit over to their new apartment for a dinner party along with the other skaters at the rink, to have them stay the long weekend since they all had time in the off season, but Victor was starting to think this might not have been his most ingenious idea.

"Stop, stop," Yuuri was giggling breathlessly, cheeks bright pink, as Christophe finished the story about the time that Victor had bet the Russian Ladies' gold medalist that he could skate her routine better than she could. "I'm going to die."

They were all a little drunk, but not nearly drunk enough that Victor dared hope Yuri wouldn't remember any of this the next day while Christophe told them of all salacious deeds of Victor's misspent youth.

"Did he win?" Phichit asked, hanging on every word.

"Well, he must have done something better than her," Christophe leaned in even closer, "because the next day her boyfriend had to do the walk of shame out of HIS hotel room!"

"NO!" Phichit gasped, delighted.

"Victor!" Yuuri collapsed onto his arms, face-down, shoulders shaking.

"It was more like the limp of shame, really," Christophe finished with a relish. Victor slumped back in his chair, whining.

"It's all in my past!" he exclaimed. "I'm a one-man man now! Don't listen to him, Yuuri!"

"I knew you had a reputation, but oh man." Phichit elbowed Yuuri. "This one kept trying to defend your honor!" He mimicked Yuuri's voice and wide eyes. "Victor's not like that!"

"Don't tell him that!" Yuuri protested, slapping at Phichit.

"You didn't know? Wow," Christophe laughed. "He had quite the reputation, and no shortage of people curious to know if the rumors were true about how much better his stamina in the bedroom was than his stamina on the ice. He had a nickname on the circuit. Do you know it?"

"NOOOO," Victor wailed. "You promised! Chris, no!"

"Chris, yes!!" Phichit exclaimed, lit up like it was Christmas morning. Yuuri was nearly insensible laughing, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he tried to stop long enough to listen.

"They called him," Christophe lowered his voice dramatically, "the Nutcracker."

Between Victor's wailing, Yuuri's howls of laughter, and Phichit's incoherent screaming, Otabek looked over in concern, but Mila and Yuri both told him not to even worry about it without looking over.

Re: FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, C3, G

[yrindor]

Thank you for this fill! I love Yuushi and his books, and Fuji and his flowers, and Yuushi being uncharacteristically nervous and at a slight loss for words.

FILL: TEAM Kominato Ryousuke/Kuramochi Youichi, A3, G

[hyalinee]

Ship: Kageyama Tobio/Kunimi Akira
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Square: Radio
Word Count: 562

i got liberal with this one okay but here (:3/

***

The radio crackles as it plays another old song, something Kunimi remembers his mother humming to him as a child. It’s just the two of them in the apartment, Kageyama’s arms around his waist, both of them swaying around their tiny living room vaguely in time to the music.

For someone so graceful and fluid on a volleyball court, Kageyama is surprisingly awkward here, uncomfortable even. Kunimi’s amused, because Kageyama had been the one to suggest it.

“Is this as romantic as you pictured it being?” Kunimi asks, hiding an amused smile by resting his head on Kageyama’s shoulder. Kageyama’s frown deepens, but Kunimi’s learned that there are different flavours to Kageyama’s frowns. There’s a confused one, a sad one, an angry one, one specifically for when he can’t find the volleyball shoes he wants, another for when practice hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.

This one mostly suggests confusion and a touch of surprise, from what Kunimi can observe. “Not really,” Kageyama admits. “It’s kind of nice though, if you ignore the music and the swaying.” he adds, like an afterthought.

Kunimi huffs a soft laugh. “That’s the whole point though, else it’d just be hugging.” he points out.

“I like hugging you.” Kageyama tells him, painfully honest and earnest, the same way he had been in middle school and through high school, the same way he’d told Kunimi he had wanted to be friends again, after everything.

It’s something Kunimi hates about him, and loves. Kageyama now is still similar to the way he was in middle school, straightforward and blunt, though over the years he’s learned some finesse and patience. His hands still curve around a volleyball with familiarity, though now they have learned the shape of Kunimi’s face and curve around his hands with a similar frequency.

“You don’t need an excuse to do that, you know.” Kunimi says quietly, but he leans into Kageyama nonetheless, shuffling his feet a little as they continue swaying in the middle of the living room.

“Yeah.” Kageyama’s arms tighten around him just a little, just like the way Kageyama twines his way around Kunimi’s heart, vines growing on a wall.

“Would you sing me a love song if I asked?” Kunimi asks him as the radio crackles into static behind them. It’s old and he has no idea where Kageyama found it, but it hadn’t been very difficult to get working despite its age. It was unreliable though, and terribly prone to static. Kunimi’s not sure why they kept it.

“I’m not very good at singing though.” Kageyama shifts, and Kunimi pulls back a little to get a better look at Kageyama. He’s almost certain Kageyama’s blushing, and his lips are curving in a small smile.

“What happened to your sudden adventurous spirit in all things romance?” Kunimi quips lightly.

“Well, if you want,” Kageyama trails off, but Kunimi’s shaking his head already.

“It’s okay. I was just joking.” His smile is faint, but the look Kageyama gives him is steady and Kunimi thinks he sees too much, when Kageyama looks at him this way. “It’s enough that you’re here.” he says, finally. That was all it really was, capitulating to Kageyama’s requests without much protest, doing things he’d never normally do.

He rests his head on Kageyama’s shoulder as they sway to static, and Kageyama begins to hum softly.

Re: FILL: Team Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, C3, T

[cherrysalmon]

IM FUCKING SCREMAING VICTOR OH MY GOD DFKJSHFKJS im literally phichit rn and my parents are looking at my direction with question marks in their eyes...

thank you so much for filling this it honestly made my day fksjdhfd i bet yuuri's gonna tease him with that in private now dkfhd

Re: FILL: [Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo], [C2], [G]

[saccharinescorpion]

Awwww I love this! I love that you brought the Pokemon element into it. Makishima's :O face kills me!

Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C1, T

[yrindor]

Heh, this actually started from the mental image of Akashi holding someone by the hair as he has them branded, and I wanted the power struggle dynamic, which ruled out Fuji since he fights with mind games over physical resistance. Akashi/Aomine is always a dynamic (and usually pretty messed up) relationship to me, because Aomine picks up an almost-feral edge to him, and Akashi doesn't want to crush that, because he wants to use it, but he also wants Aomine to remember who has control (in part because that makes Aomine even more aggressive).

FILL: Team Himuro Tatsuya/Nijimura Shuuzou, B1, G

[cherrysalmon]

Ship: Akashi Seijuurou/Mayuzumi Chihiro
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Square: cuddling on the couch
Word Count: 500

i just want domestic mayuakas with cats in every possible universe

***

“Why don’t you let me have the remote,” Akashi says, in a way that Mayuzumi takes to mean trouble if he doesn’t hand it over right away. “I think we’ve gotten enough out of this.”

“What, you mean you aren’t interested in—“

“Chihiro,” Akashi says, a warning in each syllable. “Remote.”

Mayuzumi sighs and throws it to him. It’s not even that he’s absorbed in the game show; of course Akashi wouldn’t be interested in anything as bougie as this. But over the years Mayuzumi has come to the conclusion that it’s better to do what Akashi wants when he uses that tone of voice. “Whatever you wish, young master.”

He doesn’t get to see whether or not the host has to take off his pants in front of the audience in the end, but that’s okay. Akashi already has his head on Mayuzumi’s shoulder, a familiar weight made all the more better with the simple fact that today is a Saturday and they have absolutely nothing to do.

(Well, not absolutely nothing. Akashi, ever the workaholic, had still spent most of the morning away at some emergency call, and it’s been raining so hard the entire day they’ve had to cancel most of their plans. But.)

Just as Akashi manages to move forward and press his lips to Mayuzumi’s neck, they both hear an inquisitive meow behind them.

If Mayuzumi would look down, he would probably see the closest Akashi has ever gotten to having flames shoot out of his eyes; but he doesn’t, because he’s seen it about five hundred times before. Besides, it’s always amounted to nothing—the only time he’s ever been seen compromising on something. “Let her up.”

“Chihiro.”

“Come off it, I know you like her.”

Akashi doesn’t answer him (it’s not a victory for Mayuzumi yet, or at least Akashi won’t give it to him all that easily), but only pulls the blankets up a bit more, settling into position. Mayuzumi feels a nudge on his thigh. “She’ll come up when she wants to.”

Kaguya-tan (the cat, not Mayuzumi’s body pillow) paws at their sofa, but thankfully Mayuzumi had already clipped her nails. One more destroyed piece of furniture and Akashi’s unspoken threats might just come true. Mayuzumi reaches over and moves a strand of hair out of his face. “Just like you, you mean.”

“Are you comparing me to a cat?”

But Akashi doesn’t move from where he is, and Mayuzumi doesn’t feel impending doom on the back of his neck. It’s not something Mayuzumi would’ve cared to say out loud even two years ago, so perhaps they’re getting somewhere. “I’m comparing the cat to you.”

Akashi’s probably rolling his eyes—internally, that is; Mayuzumi tries to imagine it, and finds that he’d really rather never see such an expression on Akashi’s face. But he doesn’t object when Mayuzumi holds him closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and they sit there until the rain has stopped pattering on the rooftops outside.

FILL: Team Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, A2, G

[mousapelli]

Ship: Kageyama & Hinata & Tsukishima & Yamaguchi
Fandom: Haikyuu
Major Tags: none
Other Tags: incredibly vague mention of possible past bullying, Hufflepuffs can fly too
Word Count: 420

These guys are the biggest Hufflepuffs to ever puff, fight me. Seijou is Ravenclaw, Nekoma is Slytherin, and Shiritorizawa is Gryffindor. Also Daichi with Keeper's thighs, PLEASE.

***

Why Kageyama is a Hufflepuff is a mystery to Hinata and an even bigger mystery to himself.

"Where did you think I'd be?" Kageyama snaps irritably, even though he just said a minute ago he was surprised. In the next bed over, Tsukishima has his headphones around his neck still even though they can't be attached to anything, but Yamaguchi is quietly listening in from his own bed, hugging his pillow in his lap.

"I dunno, in Ravenclaw with the Great King?" Hinata scratches at a scab on his knee, robes long ago flung off. "That's where your friends ended up, right?"

Kageyama's shoulders hunch. "I asked the Hat, but didn't get it." He flinches when Hinata bursts into laughter. "Shut up! Anyway, they aren't my friends."

"No? But you played with them, right?" Hinata leaned forward, tilting his head in confusion. Once Hinata had gotten his letter, his muggleborn parents had done their best to help him learn about the wizarding world, and that had included going to see some pick-up Quidditch matches between the kids who already knew each other, the school-aged kids helping sort out the younger ones. Like Little League, Hinata had thought. "Weren't you like a team?"

"Guess not," Kageyama mutters. He's looking at the floor. "Whatever. Now I'm stuck with you."

"But you're good!" Hinata hops to his feet, like the very idea of people looking down on Kageyama's Chasing makes him furious. "Ugh, this is so annoying, I wanted to beat you! But I can't if we're on the same team! But people saying you suck when I can't beat you is even MORE annoying! WAAARGH!"

"Would you seriously shut up?" Tsukishima spoke up, giving them a sharp glare from behind his glasses. Yamaguchi laughed behind his hand. "You too, Yamaguchi."

"Sorry, Tsukki."

"We'll just have to try out together!" Hinata declared, making all the first years blink at him. "We'll practice and get really good and then they can't laugh anymore, right? If I can't crush you, then we'll just have to crush everybody else!!"

"Seriously, what?" Kageyama asked, but there was the tiniest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, gone before Hinata had barely seen it. "Did the Hat scramble your brains or something? Hufflepuff hasn't crushed anybody at Quidditch in like five centuries or something."

"That's ok," Hinata assured. "We'll make them see Badgers can fly too!"

"They really can't," Tsukishima pointed out while Yamaguchi burst out laughing, almost toppling over. "Shut up, Yamaguchi."

Fill: team otabek altin/yuri plisetsky, C2, G

[marks]

Ship: Hinata Shouyou/Yachi Hitoka
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major tags: None
Other tags: None
Square: animagi
Word count: 498

time skip! this is hinata/yachi but it's also pretty much implied every other combination.

***

Yachi wrung her hands together when Hinata told her what he was planning.

“It’s illegal, you know,” she whispered in Care of Magical Creatures, where they were trying to avoid doxy teeth. Yachi used a lullaby spell to put theirs to sleep with a flick of her wand. Hinata watched, impressed, like he always did whenever she used spells they were all supposed to have learned last year, in fourth. “Becoming an animagi in secret could get you into big trouble.”

Hinata balled his fists up and looked determined, and Yachi knew she was doomed. “I know,” he said. “And it’ll be hard work, but I want to for – for Kageyama. It’s not fair that he has to spend three whole nights alone every month.” He turned pleading eyes on her. “Please help me. I could ask Tsukishima, but he’s so –“ Hinata waved his hand dismissively, accurately representing what Tsukishima was. “You know. He’ll probably want to help, but he’d never say that. And you know he can’t teach me.”

“I don’t know –“

“You could do it, too!”

Yachi gasped. “What if I turn into a rabbit or squirrel? Kageyama might eat me in one gulp!”

“He won’t,” Hinata insisted. He grabbed both of Yachi’s hands in his and didn’t let go. “Even if you were the tastiest rabbit ever, I’d protect you.”

Yachi looked at their joined hands. “Fine. Okay.”

*

Becoming an animagi was hard work. The reading was dense, the spells were complicated, and Hinata insisted on keeping it a surprise from Kageyama, which was very hard to do. Yachi was a terrible liar.

But it also meant long nights with Hinata, of making mistakes and fixing them, of getting close enough to success that Hinata could change a little bit of himself – his nose into a beak, an arm into a wing. And Hinata had been right. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi started joining them sometimes, and even though Tsukishima pretended he didn’t care about what happened to Kageyama at first, they wound up making their own progress, Yamaguchi tugging on Tsukishima’s robe whenever Tsukishima got haughty and stopping that in its tracks. Yachi liked those nights even better, though sometimes she wished Kageyama could be there, too.

Hinata learned how to change first, turning into a crow for the first time a week before the full moon. Yachi was so excited and happy – and not at all nervous about their illegal activities for once – that she grabbed both Hinata’s arms once he changed back and planted a firm kiss on his mouth.

Hinata turned red once she pulled away, then Yachi slapped her hands over her mouth when she realized what she’d done. She was already starting to apologize when Hinata closed his eyes and surged forward to kiss her again.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi interrupted them a few minutes later, embarrassing both Hinata and Yachi, but instead of teasing them like Yachi expected, they both acted strangely for the rest of the night.

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, B1, T

[hatchbacks]

Ship: Nijimura/Himuro
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Square: to the one listening to this rotten voice
Word Count: 407

***

It had been hard in the beginning to get Tatsuya to even tell Shuuzou he had games, or when they were; he’d had to get them out of him like the nut from a stubborn pistachio nearly sealed shut, splitting Shuuzou’s thumbnails just from trying. Then it had been hard to get him to brag about the wins, and his own part; he’s not overly-humble but it’s somehow something else that makes the distance harder. Shuuzou fills the silences with chatter about his siblings, his own street games; he pushes from the side and eventually Tatsuya gives in and tells him a little bit more.

And, well, Shuuzou’s from Tokyo; he’d gone to an elite basketball middle school. He knows all about the Winter Cup. That much Tatsuya can’t hide, and he talks about shutouts, early matchups that sound like easy wins, though Tatsuya refuses to call them that.

He doesn't call after the Seirin game, and Shuuzou figures it out pretty quickly. His fingers itch to bang out a text to Alex and ask her, but he already knows the answer. He calls, leaves a message asking Tatsuya to call him back, and waits.

The phone rings in the middle of the night.

“Hey,” says Tatsuya.

His voice sounds cracked and broken, and it’s not just the static over the radio waves between them and, oh, Shuuzou aches to be there, wherever in Tokyo Tatsuya might be, whatever hotel room, to hug him close until he stops resisting; this is how Tatsuya sounds when he’s been trying not to cry for hours and it kills Shuuzou that he recognizes it so well, even over a phone line.

“Hey,” says Shuuzou.

“We lost,” says Tatsuya.

There is more to it than that, like there always is with Tatsuya, but Shuuzou waits.

“I’ll be okay,” says Tatsuya, but his voice cracks even more, blistering like the skin on a roasted tomato.

Shuuzou’s got no reason to believe him, except. He’s not saying he’s okay now; he hadn’t waited for Shuuzou to ask; he’d preempted it with his own emotions before pretending Shuuzou wouldn’t care about them. And maybe it’s a little bit that Shuuzou wants to believe, because his alternative across this distance is basically nothing, but he does, anyway.

“Okay,” Shuuzou says.

They stay on the line a bit longer, just breathing; Shuuzou drifts off with the call still going, the phone warm in his grip.

PROMPT: TEAM GRANDSTAND

[psiten]

Ship: Sanada Gen'ichirou/Yukimura Sei'ichi
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: None.
Other Tags: None.

Prompt:

I'll be training with my bandana on from morning on again today	The noisy noisy broad sugarcane field	All the days we've passed have changed you, little by little
So exhausted I can't even tie my shoelaces	What could get me this worked up?	I just can't stop having too much fun
We two are one pair of wings	Don't you give up! Keep on dreaming!	Now I close my eyes and in my heart I think of you

Re: FILL: Team Grandstand, G

[mousapelli]

ohhhh this is so sweet, it's darling

Re: FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [G]

[chameleonskin]

OMG this is perfect! I love how expressive you drew them ♡

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, C1, G

[hatchbacks]

Ship: Nijimura/Himuro
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Square: hello goodbye
Word Count: 429

***

They are, Shuuzou thinks, like ships that pass in the night, him and Tatsuya. He’d left, a year and change ago, to come here from Japan. Tomorrow, Tatsuya’s going back, alone, leaving Shuuzou behind across a divide he knows all too well from both sides (his parents over in LA then, his old life over in Tokyo now, so far away in so many ways). There was such a small chance of them meeting, especially as early as they did, and yet. They had.

They are like ships that pass in the night, cutting the ocean water slowly with barnacle-encrusted hulls, Tatsuya’s figurehead a beautiful mermaid and Shuuzou’s something a bit more visibly rough (doesn’t mean Tatsuya’s not a pirate, quick with a sword). There is only empty wind through their sails, pulling; there is nothing but open water at either end, and yet Shuuzou wants to set down his anchor and stay, pull Tatsuya into his orbit.

It’s impossible when Tatsuya his his sights set on the other end of the telescope, the land so far away Shuuzou’s not quite sure if it’s a mirage (or if it wasn’t one to begin with, if he hadn’t been born in the sea, out here and alone). Or maybe it’s something beyond that, something Shuuzou can’t see or reach, an idea locked away in the tightest-secured vault of Tatsuya’s mind. Shuuzou can’t reverse his course now, cannot turn the tides quickly enough, but if there was some way he could—not make Tatsuya stay; he believes him completely when Tatsuya says there’s something over there he needs to do, to get behind him and move on (though whether he can or not is a different story; maybe either way he has to try)—make him agree that this is not nothing, that the two of them mattered. Do matter.

Shuuzou is sixteen (seventeen in July, but who’s counting); he knows he’s young. But he knows that this can’t be it, even if Tatsuya pulls away with the strongest force he can muster. Even if the wind’s going in the right direction, if the brine washes Tatsuya toward his future, Shuuzou will find some way—not now, maybe, but sometime, somehow—to follow him. To prove this isn’t just a quick hello, goodbye, I’m never seeing you again.

So he doesn’t say goodbye at the airport, and maybe that’s cheating. Instead he hugs Tatsuya tightly until Tatsuya sinks into his grip like quicksand, and whispers a selfish, “don’t forget me” because it’s the best he can do for now.

Re: FILL: Team Himuro Tatsuya/Nijimura Shuuzou, B2, G

[greenowl]

this is an optional invitation to my funeral. cause of death too much fluff. Suffocated. Thanks, tho, I'm so happy Thacker,

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, A2, T

[hatchbacks]

Ship: Nijimura/Himuro
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Square: whale bone
Word Count: 407

***

I think we should call it quits.

Shuuzou looks at the text message; his eyes start to blur all over again. Fuck. He could scroll through the ensuing argument, his own thoughts that they shouldn’t, attempts at asking Tatsuya why, how he could help (he’d called; Tatsuya wouldn’t pick up) and the blatant pushback from Tatsuya, even worse than it is in person. At least when he’s physically there, Shuuzou can look at him, see him, try and reach for his hand, let his voice speak in real time.

There is none of that with this. Tatsuya had tried to stay clinical, focused, the diea Shuuzou couldn’t talk him out of, that now, after four months of trying to do this cross-continental relationship thing, out of nowhere—well, it’s never out of nowhere with Tatsuya. Even when it seems like it is it’s because something's resurfaced his issues, debris and whale bones floating to the churning top of his mind, pushing him headlong off course, making him shut down, close himself off, deny himself everything, reminding him how much he hates himself.

And now this. Shuuzou’s pretty sure he hadn’t done something; it must be whatever Tatsuya’s chasing, whatever basketball thing related to the chain around his neck like a miniature hoop, whatever complicated web he’s long-since woven himself into. Tatsuya’s not pushing Shuuzou away to hurt him, not as an end goal in and of itself; he’s only hurting Shuuzou so he can hate himself all the more for it, and that’s why Shuuzou can’t say. If Tatsuya won’t stop himself from being disgusted with his own every action, Shuuzou won’t give him any fuel with which to burn himself up. It’s a tough line to walk, blurred even more when they’re this far apart, when Shuuzou can’t hear his voice.

He wants to hurl his phone into the ocean, smash it on a rock or a piece of garbage floating in the shallow water, hurt it the way he wants to hurt something, destroy it the way he wants to destroy whatever’s still feeding Tatsuya’s self-loathing and show him all the wonderful things there are about him, as many as there are bones in a whale.

He looks down at the screen of his phone again.

Please, give me another chance. Let’s talk.

He’s not going to give up so easily, because Tatsuya sure as shit won’t, either.

FILL: TEAM KURAMOCHI YOUICHI/MIYUKI KAZUYA, G

[kazuyas]

Ship: kuramochi youichi & miyuki kazuya, heavily implied background miyuki kazuya/takigawa chris yuu
Fandom: daiya no a
Major Tags: none.
Other Tags: none.
Square: "queerplatonic" (a2)
Word Count: 480 words

thank you for prompting this; it was cathartic.

***


"how's chris?" kuramochi asks, pressing his phone between his ear and shoulder as he washes his dishes.

on the other end of the line, miyuki hums. "he's good; he actually suggested you come and visit before classes start up again."

"and sleep on that lumpy futon of yours again?" he asks, though in his mind's eye he's reviewing his plans and finding them characteristically open.

"as if yours is any better," miyuki fires back, his smile is audible.

"my futon is perfectly serviceable," kuramochi says. "i guess i'll think about it, though." he eyes the wall calendar he has pinned up above the sink.

"is this the part where i pretend it's not set in stone even though you're going to text me something lame tomorrow about how my futon isn't so bad?"

"goodbye, miyuki."

the answering laugh is familiar, drawing a smile to kuramochi's face both unbidden and inevitable. neither of them hang up immediately, and in the pause kuramochi adds: "miss you."

"miss you too. talk to you soon?"

"yeah—talk to you soon."

———

it hadn't taken long for kuramochi to make the requisite arrangements; he's in tokyo within two weeks, and after chris leaves for physical therapy one day miyuki suggests they go on a walk.

kuramochi lets miyuki have five minutes of peace before he finally asks the question he's been holding back since he arrived: "what are you thinking about?"

miyuki doesn't answer immediately. "nothing," he says.

they both know that's not true, considering miyuki once told him that he feels as though he's unable to *stop* thinking. kuramochi lets the pause sit for a moment before he asks: "so you just asked me to come on a walk with you for no reason?"

"to get some air."

"and to think about something," kuramochi says, not bothering to phrase it as a question.

miyuki sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "i'm not sure i know how to explain it."

kuramochi considers. "you don't have to," he says. "and you don't have to talk about it right now, if you don't want. but i want you to know that you don't have to keep it to yourself." he pauses. "so you haven't talked to chris about it?"

"not to anyone."

"is it about chris?"

miyuki shakes his head.

"then why not talk to him—not that i'm complaining but—"

"because you're you, youchi."

kuramochi blinks, unsure of how to respond. miyuki's face is stony, but kuramochi sees volumes of thought and concern behind it, sees the nights miyuki probably spent lying in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

kuramochi finally nods. "okay, then." he takes miyuki's hand, gets them walking again. "just start talking. we'll figure it out."

miyuki inhales, and even as he launches into what's sure to be a multi-faceted tale, kuramochi sees some of the tension ease from his shoulders.

Re: FILL: TEAM DAIYA NO ACE, A1, E

[kazuyas]

ilu and i love this, bless you

PROMPT: TEAM GRANDSTAND

[psiten]

Ship: Kikumaru Eiji/Ooishi Syuuichirou
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: None.
Other Tags: None.

Prompt:

oh Yeah oh Yeah Don’t Stop Love	The way you wave your hand and the way you smile	Drawing smooth lines as shred things however I please
It starts when I'm walking and the evening sun is on my back	While we weren't looking, the seasons went by	Tea I've just poured and a book I've just started
Chasing dreams with my hand outstretched	Here's a quick question! What type are we, S or D?	I'm on a trip to find a miracle place

Fill: Team Grandstand, B1, M

[moetushie]

Ship: Aomine/Kagami
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major tags: Underage, Sexual Content
Other tags: lawls
Square: B1
Word count: 1274

Last minute fill! This was a lot of fun.

***

Read on AO3

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, C2, T

[hatchbacks]

Ship: Nijimura/Himuro
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Square: control tower
Word Count: 437

ncaa!au

***

Shuu is the focal point of the USC team, the control tower. He might not be the one suggesting or running the plays, but he’s the one who broadcasts, gets the rest of the team to fall in synchronicity around him. Tatsuya’s the point guard, the one, the smaller guy with the explosive drives and sharp plays; his passes are practiced, precise, go straight to Shuu on the wing and then out, back to him, to another player. It’s how they’ve run the thing for two and a half years; it’s how they’ll keep running it until Shuu graduates.

Tatsuya’s the one who makes the comparison, in an interview with some student publication. “You know Shuu’s like our broadcast tower,” he says, with a smile, and the reporter grips her microphone a little tighter.

It makes it through the publication, onto twitter, into the scouting reports.

“Shuuzou Nijimura’s been compared by his point guard to a control tower,” says one of the announcers (still butchering the pronunciation of Shuu’s name; seriously, how hard is it when you get a guide before the season?), a former player who’s got a bad suit made for someone two sizes smaller than he is (wishful thinking?) and a shitty toupee.

Shuu buries his face in the hotel pillow and next to him, Tatsuya laughs.

“It’s true, you know,” says Tatsuya.

“How do you even think of these things?” says Shuu.

“It’s a compliment,” says Tatsuya. “I trust you out there, letting me land safely and stuff.”

It’s not meant out of context, but Shuu rolls over and looks up at Tatsuya, his bangs falling crooked over his forehead. Tatsuya would laugh, but Shuu’s face is tender, softer than max-thread-count sheets; his rough hand covers Tatsuya’s, and, oh.

“You know I hate flying,” Shuu says, quiet; it’s a little lighter but, well, Tatsuya knows what he means.

“I know,” says Tatsuya. “But I know you’d help me land anyway.”

Shuu brushes his lips over Tatsuya’s knuckles, turning his hand over and kissing Tatsuya’s palm, the heel of his hand, his wrist.

“I don’t know if I told you how fucking lucky I feel with you,” Shuu says, and Tatsuya feels as if his chest will burst; this is way too good to be true and it always feels this way.

“I’m pretty lucky,” Tatsuya says.

He can barely hear what’s being said on TV, even though neither of them has touched the remote in ages. And then Shuu pulls him down to the bed and Tatsuya forgets that there’s anything else in the world right now than him and Shuu.