sportsanime | Bonus Round 4: Quotes

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Bonus Round 4: Quotes

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

An oldie but a goodie—in this round, we draw inspiration from famous words said by other people.

Please read this whole post before commenting to ensure that your team gets the most points possible.

RULES

Submit prompts by commenting to this post with a quote attributed to a specific person or character, along with any ship/ot3/etc. from one of our nominated fandoms.
- Example: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." -Friedrich Nietzsche
- The quote can come from almost anything—famous people, poetry, songs, books, movies, etc.— but please don't quote personal conversations you've had or overheard.
- Your prompt MUST include some kind of relationship. Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Natsuo & Yuzuko). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Natsuo/Yuzuko). Please don't say "Any pairing," either!
Fill prompts by replying to the prompt with your quote-inspired fanwork.
Remember to 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)
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. (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.) <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>	FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [RATING] 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!) <strong>Ship:</strong> <strong>Fandom:</strong> <strong>Major Tags:</strong> (https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/1609.html, when applicable; otherwise write "None".) <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>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"/>. Thumbnails only, please; more info @ 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, [RATING] 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!) <strong>Ship:</strong> <strong>Fandom:</strong> <strong>Major Tags:</strong> (https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/1609.html, when applicable; otherwise write "None".) <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>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"/>. Thumbnails only, please; more info @ 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 each (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

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!

Page 135 of 171

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Ship: Himuro Tatsuya/Kagami Taiga + Kagami Taiga/Kuroko Tetsuya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: ex boyfriend angst
Word Count: 405

***

It hurts to look at, but that just means that Himuro quite bring himself to look away.

He should be happy, he thinks to himself, watching the way Kagami's hand strokes so gently down Kuroko's back, resting in the small curve of the small of his back for a moment, thumb still stroking through the material of Kuroko's shirt. It's summer, the shirt that Kuroko is wearing is probably made of material thin enough that he can feel the warmth of Kagami's fingers through it, and Himuro still remembers what that felt like, the warmth of it spreading across his skin and blooming inside his chest all at once, from the lightest of touches from Kagami.

The problem with knowing Kagami for so long is that Himuro knows everything that there is to know: Kagami shows his love through gestures, and through physical contact. He doesn't let Kuroko out of arm's reach if he can help it, and it's both a good and bad thing. Himuro remembers that too, the way that it would almost be annoying some times, but so endearing that he'd find it in himself to forgive Kagami for it.

Kuroko is clearly the same. Himuro can't help but wonder if they kiss the same too, if Kagami is eager and overwhelming, and it's all too easy for Kuroko to be swept up in his pace, happy to go along with it, not even realising that he's given his entire heart to Kagami until it's too late to stop, and far too late to try reclaiming it. Himuro knows he shouldn't think about it, because that hurts too. Instead, he can't stop coming back to the thought of it, like he's picking at a wound instead of letting it heal.

Everything that Himuro can see about Kagami's relationship with Kuroko is the same as when they were together, the only key difference being: his relationship with Kuroko is working out. His relationship with Himuro didn't.

There's only one conclusion to draw from that. It's Himuro's fault. He's lacking something fundamental, something that he needs, in order to make things work.

Or, to put it into words that he is already incredibly, bitterly familiar with, he isn't good enough. Not at this, not at basketball, not at anything in his life that involves Kagami, to any capacity.

He'd stop trying, if that would work. Unfortunately for him, he's no good at that, either.

Ship: Imayoshi/Hanamiya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 444 words

Whipping, S&M, mentions of blood, Hanamiya’s a slut for pain and Imayoshi’s happy to take advantage of that.

***

The wet smack of leather meeting flesh echoed through the room, blood arcing out in a crimson spray. The droplets crashed against Imayoshi’s bare chest, streaking down to follow the same trails as his sweat.

The raised welt was slashed with red down the center, blood dripping down Hanamiya’s back as Imayoshi raised the whip again. Hanamiya braced himself, fingers curling over the wooden footboard of the bed. Splinters dug into his palms, a sting of itching pain that wasn’t even noticeable compared to the hot slicing pain across his back every time the whip descended. The wet trails of blood creeping down his back made his toes curl, back arching enticingly.

“Come on, senpai,” he half-whined, half-challenged, voice breathless and tight with excitement. “You can’t hit any harder than that?”

He heard Imayoshi laugh before the crack of the whip sounded again and blazing, bright agony set his back aflame. Hanamiya moaned, head dropping downwards, toes curling into the earth as he shifted, hips twitching up fractionally against empty air. Only Imayoshi ever hit him hard enough to earn those reactions; only Imayoshi knew how to do it for him, how to mark him.

The scar on the side of his throat throbbed with sympathy making Hanamiya hiss, practically squirming as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. He wanted the welts to layer over each other, to leave his back raw and red so the grass and dirt would rub into his exposed flesh when Imayoshi finally, finally pushed him down and fucked him.

“You’re acting like you’ve never done this before, Hanamiya,” he goaded Imayoshi, arching his back to try to make a more tempting target. He’d stripped already; no point getting blood on his nice clothes, after all. The scarlet trails interwove like lace, tracing patterns over Hanamiya’s back and thighs like serpents snaking over each other. They highlighted the taut muscles of Hanamiya’s legs, blood dripping down his crack like an arrow telling Meliodas exactly where Hanamiya wanted the most attention. “Stop--”

The whip slashed down over his back again and his words turned into a loud, lewd moan instead, Hanamiya shuddering with satisfaction. Yes. That was what he needed.

“Stop wasting time,” he finished, his voice now impatient instead of combative. It was hard to sound properly annoyed when he was so turned on.

“Not until you stop complaining,” Imayoshi said briskly.

Hanamiya groaned. He was never going to get fucked at this rate.

The next slash of the whip sliced across his ass and made him yelp, driving all thoughts out of his head except how good it was to have Imayoshi punishing him again.

I'm in love... I just read it again and I'm even more spellbound the second time with some foreknowledge of the mythology, and the gods and the setting and WHAT'S COMING AT THE END ;___; this is really one of the most spectacular fills I've received to date and I don't know what to say to do it justice, there's so much affection here between Osamu and Atsumu even though they literally never speak to each other?? and you've done a stunning job of worldbuilding in such a sparse number of words for an expansive AU like this: the community of gods, Suna and Kita especially, but the cameos from the rest of the team too! i'm silently screaming! KITA WHO SHOWS UP TO LET THE CHILD REST AND MAKES THE VISIT TO WAKE ATSUMU...!! I'M LOUDLY SCREAMING

Your dialogue here was so good?? I can't words properly what it was exactly but just the way you fleshed out their voices, the way every line from Osamu sounded so terse, Kita's carried weight, Atsumu's was casual... they all had so much character and felt so distinct. This was just such an immersive AU and I'm in awe of it. Thank you for this amazing take on the prompt <3

i'm quietly weeping... this is so evocative and you've really captured how loving Kise's view of Kuroko is; Kuroko through Kise's eyes, so otherworldly sometimes, so quiet that Kise worries about how far away he drifts, yet so intense and present when he needs him ;___; this is a beautiful stolen moment and a gorgeous poem, and you've filled one of my absolute favourite quotes of all time... thank you so much!!

MY BASKETBALL OTP I'M CRYING

This is one of my favourite KiKuro tropes... imagining them in the future, Kise with his jet-setting model life and Kuroko settling down in the city, and the two of them being apart and coming back together and Kise always finding his way back to Kuroko <3 and I love how easily they talk here, how direct Kuroko still is with Kise no matter how long they've been apart. It also feels so realistic how disconcerting all the little changes are in Tokyo after Kise comes back for the first time in three years, but thinking about them flying around to see each other in that time makes my heart do fluttery things. Thank you!!

Ship: Inui Sadaharu/Kaidou Kaoru & Kinjou Shingo
Fandom: Prince of Tennis, Yowapedal
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: SNAMILY

Prompt:
Travis: It’s all snakes. It’s snakes all the way down.

Justin: Soup to nuts, snakes, snakes, snakes.

Clint: Man, I hope when J.J. Abrams remakes this podcast, he takes all this stuff out.

Justin (imitating Abrams): “What we decided to do, guys, is just lose a lot of the snake stuff. We know the fans love it, but we’re worried that it wouldn’t be as approachable, material ‘cause, uh, it’s real heavily laden with snakes. I didn’t really underst--it becomes hard to follow because-- our heroes become snakes, and, uh, they are all married to snakes, and they use snakes as weapons.”

Clint: Hand me some of that macaroni and cheese with snakes on it.

Travis: Snakes in their blood that lets them do magic.

Justin: “They eat snakes for fuel, and they become snake robots for a while. It’s very confusing, got rid of most of the snakes. There’s still a lot of snakes, but, I mean, there’s just a regular amount of snakes for The Adventure Zone, which, for any other thing, is still an enormous amount of snakes. And lens flare! That’s the two big things."

ok i was ready for feels to hit me like a tidal wave but i wasn't expecting it to come SO FAST and with the line Kuroko, who wants to hoard the blame for himself END ME NOW!!!! WOW

there are some lines in here that just make my breath seize up in my throat. a faultline in his own expected perfection, something that's tripping him up on a wire, what an incisive depiction of Midorima and his overthinking and trying to rationalise everything. An Akashi who does not blame him... is an Akashi Midorima wants to please, all over again is just /flails hands wildly/ I'm!! overcome!! emotionally COMPROMISED by how much Midorima values Akashi and how there's always a part of him that will want to make him happy. The thought that it's the two of them that forgive each other because it's the two of them who blame themselves and expect perfection from themselves is so them... they're their own harshest critics and each other's staunchest supporters.

Thank you for this bundle of feels ;___;

Ship: Imayoshi/Hanamiya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 429 words

CAGEFIGHTING. Violence!

***

Hanamiya ducked to the side at the last minute, dropping down low and rolling over his shoulder. Behind him, he heard the man's fist collide hard with the iron bars of the cage. The miasma of blood in the air grew so thick that he would be willing to swear he could have tasted it if he just stuck his tongue out for long enough. He came up to his feet and kicked his opponent swiftly in the back of the knees -- when he stumbled, Hanamiya grabbed him by the throat, getting an armlock in place and squeezing until the man lost consciousness.

He grinned savagely and turned to the crowd triumphantly, wiping his damp, sweat-soaked hair away from his eyes and holding both arms up in the arm in a victory pose. The crowd yelled for him, shrieking SPIDER SPIDER SPIDER as money changed hands. He'd been working the cage fighting circuit for over two months now. It was long enough that as his gaze passed over the crowd, he saw some familiar faces, recognizing the regulars that came every night.

He also saw a familiar face that didn't belong there. It made the smile disappear from his face for a second before it came back twice as wide.

Imayoshi raised a shot to him and downed it in his honor, face impassive but a slightly amused wink for the champ as their eyes met. Dressed in a rumpled suit, tie loosely undone and the shirt open to show a sliver of skin, he almost blended in.

The cage door swung open and one of the ''officials'' came to take out Hanamiya's opponent. Instead of waiting in the cage for the next challenger, Hanamiya murmured that he was done for the night as he walked past the man, brushing against his shoulder and leaving a smudge of red against the man's clothing. He usually would've fought a couple more matches -- bloodlust wasn’t easy to quench and murder was too easy now - but given that he had just seen Imayoshi in the crowd, Hanamiya had more important things to do than take down idiots who really thought they could fist fight a yakuza boss on the rise.

He made his way through the crowd, ignoring the people that tried to talk to him, and arrived at Imayoshi’s side within a couple of minutes.

"What are you doing here?" Hanamiya wasted in no time in asking, equal parts mystified and amused.

“Enjoying the show,” Imayoshi replied and toasted Hanamiya with another shot. “I always did love to watch you work.”

Ship: Aomine Daiki/Kuroko Tetsuya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 405

***

It's an understatement, to say that Aomine is under his skin.

There's much more to it than that, Kuroko thinks. Akashi might have been the one to make him into who is he, but it's Aomine who has always been the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins. He's dedicated himself to Aomine in a way that is difficult to undo, no matter how hard he tries, no matter who else he plays with. There's a part of him, living at the back of his mind, always hoping that Aomine will be there to catch his passes again, that they'll share a court one day and Aomine will know exactly where to be, and he'll know exactly what Kuroko will do.

Aomine is in the very marrow of his bones, in his flesh, and Kuroko feels it every time he falls; he's there in the scrapes on his knees, on his hands, in the stinging pain, as if Kuroko's heart has turned a person into a concept and sent it to the rest of his body along with his blood, until he can't separate himself from the empty space he feels by his side, even when he's playing in the light of another. It's not about how bright the light shines, or how warmly; it's something much more detailed than that, on an atomic level. The way that light seeps its way into Kuroko and takes up residence there, until he feels it in his chest, in his fingertips, in his very movements.

When he stands on the same court as Aomine again, however, nothing goes the way that it's meant to. It's wrong from the start: they're on different teams. They're playing against each other.

Aomine remembers him, the same way Kuroko remembers Aomine. He uses it to show Kuroko that he is superior; that there is no light that can outshine him, and in a moment of despair, Kuroko can believe him. It feels like there's no one who can bring Aomine back, any more than Kuroko can pull Aomine out of his own veins, and he's stuck with the way things are, powerless to do anything about it, no matter how hard he tries, no matter how desperately he fights.

He's wounded by the end of it, bruised and battered, and none of it is on his skin. It's an ache in his heart, and that feels like Aomine too.

Ship: Kasamatsu Yukio/Kise Ryouta
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 409

***

Kasamatsu thinks to himself that for such a popular model, Kise would be much better at seduction than he is.

Then again, Kise has never done this with his fans. The way his hands are shaking lead Kasamatsu to believe that he's never done this at all, but he's still holding his smile in place as he climbs onto Kasamatsu's lap and kneels over him, leaning in so that their foreheads are almost touching.

"You can do whatever you want to me, Senpai," he murmurs, and his voice is pitched low, there's a dark look of desire in his eyes, and it occurs to Kasamatsu that he's copying—something. Someone, maybe, but this isn't Kise. It isn't what Kasamatsu wants.

"Hey," he whispers, and holds Kise by the hips. "Are you saying that because you really want to, or because you think that I want to?"

Kise's smile falters for just a moment. It's enough to encourage Kasamatsu; he pulls Kise down, to sit on his lap properly, and frowns at him.

"I like you, Kise. You know I do. You don't have to rush into anything that you're not comfortable with, just because you think I'm going to… I don't know, stop liking you or something. That's not going to happen."

Kise worries his lower lip between his teeth. "But… we've been together for months, and sometimes when we're kissing, you pull me close, and—"

"And we stop there," Kasamatsu finishes for him. "Because that's what we're comfortable with right now. That's okay, you know."

"Is it?" Kise frowns, but he doesn't resist as Kasamatsu pulls him closer, until he's resting his chin on Kasamatsu's shoulder. "I heard that if someone in a relationship doesn't put out, then it doesn't last."

"I'm going to personally punch whoever told you that," Kasamatsu tells him. "You really don't get it, do you? I'm so head over heels for you, I don't need to do anything with you just to prove that, or to set it in stone, or anything like that. I'm just happy being with you. I like kissing you, just as much as I like spending time with you doing other things. I just like being with you."

Kise pulls back so he can beam at Kasamatsu. "You really feel like that?"

"I don't say what I don't mean," Kasamatsu huffs.

Leaning in to kiss him gently, Kise pulls back with a smile. "No, I guess you don't."

Ship: Imayoshi/Hanamiya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 501 words

Mad Tea Party remix because this prompt was too sad to write straight.

***

"Would you care for some tea?" The Mad Hatter asked politely of the strange creature that had sauntered into the party.

Grey eyes darted over the table, lingering a long moment on the March Hare's gleaming glasses, then the creature smiled. Its long canines gleamed white as it looked at the unchallenged host. The Mad Hatter regarded the creature from the Wild over the rim of a china cup, poised at his lips so that the smoke rose into the air like a reversed veil to shade his eyes.

"I don't drink," Pause, and there was something akin to laughter in the creature's wild, wild eyes as it purred its answer, "Tea."

A red tongue ran over equally red lips, then it dropped to all fours, crawled over the grass like it was meant for it, and nuzzled against the leg of the Mad Hatter. Clad in an irreproachably clean suit of black, the Mad Hatter looked down and rested a white-gloved hand on the creature's shoulder length dark hair. It purred, and then tilted its head back, pale skin not concealed by the tatters of white that called itself a shirt and barely long enough for the sake of decency.

"Milk," It demanded, "Give me milk."

The March Hare poured out a saucerful of milk, then set it down on the grass next to the chair. "Here, kitty, kitty..." He called out, something of the way that the creature moved making him think of a cat. His black ears twitched forwards, the March Hare regarding the creature warily with smoky grey eyes that made it look more like a stuffed toy than a living thing.

The creature rose to its feet, walking over to the March Hare with a grace that was every bit as easy as it had been when it had crawled, "Cheshire Cat."

Both arms stretched out over its head, it smiled beautifully, lighting up like a blazing bridge, "I am the Cheshire Cat."

It dropped to the grass, and lapped at the milk, but when the March Hare tried to pet its hair the same way the Mad Hatter had done, the Cheshire Cat bit him. Blood dripped from the March Hare's hand into the milk, shading it the same pink as the Mad Hatter's skin, and the Mad Hatter smiled and passed the March Hare the sugar bowl filled with arsenic.

The March Hare poured in two generous spoonfuls, and the Cheshire Cat sighed blissfully before it started to lap it up, red tongue darting out and flicking the poison-laced liquid into it mouth. This time, when the March Hare rested his hand on the Cheshire Cat's head, he was allowed to do so, blood seeping into the Cheshire Cat's hair from his still-open wound.

The Dormouse wasn't there. The Cheshire Cat had met the Dormouse on the way, and eaten him all up -- tea parties rarely had anything filling. He thought it was best to fill his stomach beforehand.

Ship: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 445

***

Aomine hates it, the way that he'll think about Kagami sometimes and it'll just make him grin to himself like a fucking idiot, for no reason at all.

He doesn't even need to be thinking about something that Kagami's done, and that's the worst part. All he needs to do is think of the guy and he'll get this sudden rush of fondness that makes it impossible to keep the smile off his face. He can't stop, either. He's never been particularly good at keeping a straight face, or hiding the way he's feeling, and it's even worse when he's thinking about Kagami like this. It feels like he's still smiling to himself for hours after he's first had the thought about Kagami in the first place, the corners of his lips curving upward, and he isn't like this, he isn't the kind of guy that just smiles at strangers, or anything like that, but there have been so many people today that he's accidentally made eye contact with while he's thinking about Kagami, and they probably all think that he's some kind of huge creep, or that he's just stupid.

They wouldn't even be wrong.

"You ruined my day," he informs Kagami, when he gets home that afternoon, greeting him at the door with a deep kiss.

"What the hell," Kagami mutters, resting his hands on Aomine's sides. "I didn't even leave the house."

"I kept thinking about you," Aomine says, as accusingly as he can manage. "No matter what I was doing, all it would take was maybe a second of my mind wandering and then I'd be back to thinking about you and I'd have this huge fucking grin on my face, and it's all your fault."

"You were grinning," Kagami clarifies, looking Aomine in the eye, "because you were thinking about me."

"Did I stutter?" Aomine grumbles.

"Man, that's the gayest thing I've heard all day," Kagami teases, and kisses him. "Gayer than this morning when you said you loved me when you got out of bed."

Aomine feels his face burn. Kagami was meant to be asleep. "I didn't say that. Your hearing's shit, that's all."

"I know what I heard," Kagami replies, and he's grinning too, holding onto Aomine a little tighter. "You can deny it all you want, but that's not going to change the facts and you know it."

"So what if I said it?" Aomine frowns, wrapping his arms around Kagami in return. "No big deal, or anything."

"Of course not," Kagami says agreeably. "But, you know. I love you too."

Being in love with Kagami is downright embarrassing. Aomine wouldn't change it for the world.

Ship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 461

***

1. starlight

It's a late night and they don't fit under this blanket the way that they used to when they were younger, but it's summer, and Hajime doesn't care when they're pressed up against each other like this, the blanket draped around their shoulders and leaving their legs uncovered from the knees down. He doesn't care about anything, when he's sitting like this, shoulder to shoulder, and Tooru is just as amazed by the stars shining above their heads as he has always been.

"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" he asks, leaning into Hajime's side. "Knowing that no matter what, you can look up, and you'll find the stars right where you're expecting them to be. Stars don't let you down. They're always right there, to guide you. Just like you, Iwa-chan."

Hajime glances to his side, but Tooru is still looking up towards the night sky, and it's too dark to make out anything more than the small curve of the smile on his face.

He turns away before he's tempted to do something, like kiss Tooru. "Yeah. I guess you do always know where to find me, huh?"

2. the lights of a train, as it leaves the station

"You know where to find me," Hajime murmurs, trying not to pay attention to at the way Tooru's eyes shine with tears. He tries to ignore the stinging of his own eyes. "You always know exactly where to find me, and I'll be there."

"Stars don't move," Tooru pouts.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hajime snorts. "They move across the sky all the goddamn time. You taught me that. But it doesn't matter, because they're still there. All you need to do is look."

"Yeah," Tooru sighs, and he drops his forehead against Hajime's shoulder, hugging him tightly. "My university volleyball team is going to kick your university volleyball team's ass."

Hajime laughs, and he wraps his arms around Tooru in return. "Just try it."

3. no light, in a tokyo apartment

It's their first night together in the apartment they've moved into together, and even with all the lights turned off, the bright city lights of Tokyo still shine in through the window. Tooru stands at the window, hand on the cord to pull the blackout blinds down, and he sighs softly.

"You can't see the stars as well, over here."

"We can always go stargazing when we go back home to visit our parents," Hajime points out, sitting cross-legged on their bed, waiting for Tooru to return.

"True," Tooru allows, and pulls the blinds down. He sits on the bed, opposite Hajime, and kisses him in the dark. "It doesn't matter anyway. I have you here with me. Like my personal star."

Ship: Alexandra Garcia/Araki Masako
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: Sexual content
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 459

***

Alex doesn't know what's more beautiful: Masako herself, or the fact that she enters the ballroom with the company of eight gang members who aren't even trying to be subtle.

No, she revises, taking Masako in properly. It's definitely Masako.

She's the picture of elegance, and Alex has always been a little weak for her at the best of times. Right now, it feels like her knees are quickly on their way to forgetting how to hold her upright because all she wants to do is melt into a puddle on the floor.

Or maybe, if she's lucky, just kneel on the floor in between Masako's legs later tonight, after she's done at the ball.

Alex makes it a point not to get involved in Masako's business. It's been a while since she's been in a gang of her own but old ties are difficult to sever completely. The last thing she wants is a conflict of interest, when the only thing she's truly interested in spending her energy on right now is getting laid.

She'd think, with the way her attention is so focused on Masako, that it would be impossible to lose sight of her. It happens anyway, between one blink and the next; Masako's lost in the crowd and Alex sighs against her champagne glass, looking away and trying not to pay attention to the way that Masako's boys scatter throughout the room, only now making an effort to look nonchalant.

That's part of the plan too, Alex knows, even though she has no idea what the actual plan itself is. She's content here in the ballroom, mingling, laughing with friends, catching a whiff of the perfume that Masako loves to wear, just hanging in the air like a sweet promise for later that Alex is fully intending on making her keep.

She just needs to find Masako first, without actively looking. At this point, it's more of a waiting game.

Masako is kind, and doesn't keep her waiting for very long. It's an hour, at most, and Alex glimpses her through the glass doors, on the balcony outside that leads down to the gardens. She excuses herself from the conversation she's currently in, slipping outside into the cool night air.

"Have I mentioned, lately, how beautiful you are?" she asks, by way of greeting.

Masako smiles at her, skin glowing in the moonlight, and the curve of her lips suggests that she wouldn't mind hearing it again.

"Are you done with work?" Alex asks, already knowing the answer. Masako wouldn't be out here if she wasn't.

"For the night," Masako replies, and wraps her arm around Alex's waist, gaze lingering obviously on the neckline of Alex's dress. "The rest of my time tonight is yours."

Ship: Hanai Azusa/Tajima Yuuichirou
Fandom: Ookiku Furikabutte
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 454

***

"Azusa," Tajima says, and it's without a trace of mockery, but it makes Hanai's face go red all the same.

"If you say that again, I'm adding another five laps to your training regimen," Hanai threatens, but all that achieves is making Tajima laugh loudly.

"You were going to do that anyway. I heard you talking to Coach Momo about it before." Tajima grins. "That's not going to make me any bigger, you know, Azusa."

"Seriously, don't," Hanai says. "We can't give you a training regimen that's going to make you any bigger. That's just your body. But you're good at running, you know. I was thinking that maybe we could make you even better at that."

Tajima blinks at him, looking so impressed that Hanai feels his face heat for an entirely different reason this time.

"Wow, there's a really good reason you're captain, huh?" Tajima asks, giving praise so easily that it only makes Hanai even more embarrassed. "You're pretty cool, Azusa!"

"I'm going to punch you."

•

"Azusa," Tajima says, leaning over his shoulder to grab for one of his onigiri.

Hanai moves it out of reach, then stuffs it into his mouth whole.

"That's gross," Tajima says, wrinkling his nose.

Hanai chews and swallows, wiping his mouth before he says, "You're gross. Eat your own food."

Abe raises an eyebrow as Tajima walks away. "He called you Azu—"

"Don't," Hanai interrupts. "You're not allowed to use that."

"But Tajima is?" Abe asks, both eyebrows raised this time.

"He's not either," Hanai sighs. "But he's just—it's complicated, okay?"

Abe hums, unconvinced, but doesn't push any further.

•

"Azusa," Tajima says, and by their third year, Hanai is so used to hearing it that he doesn't even protest it any more. At least, not when Tajima's the one saying it.

"Yeah, Yuu?"

"Help me with my calculus homework?" Tajima asks, holding his textbook up. They're meant to be finishing their homework before baseball practice, and Hanai has plenty of his own work to get through, but he nods anyway, clearing one half of his desk so that Tajima can use it.

Tajima pulls up a chair, sitting down across from Hanai and opening to the part where he's stuck. He's about to get his pencil out of his pencil case, when his hands falter.

"You called me Yuu."

Hanai blinks. "Oh. I gess I did. Do you want me to stop?"

Tajima shakes his head. "I like it."

"Me too," Hanai says quietly. "…Calling you that, but also, when you call me Azusa. I like that too."

Tajima grins, reaching under the desk to hold onto Hanai's hand.

"Everyone can see you," Abe stage whispers, from the next desk over.

Hanai doesn't let go anyway.

aaa.... robot manami, so contrary and disinterestedly disbelieving of their maker, toudou. thinking of miyahara instead, and how uneasy she is when they mime her routines. it's she who perhaps pushed along their independent sentience instead, unintentional as it seems. perhaps

Ship: Liu Wei/Himuro Tatsuya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 668

nba!himuro x cba!liu _(:3/

***

It’s never going to be easy trying to decipher someone like Himuro Tatsuya, Wei’s found through the years. A sort of enigma that’s always lurking behind his perfectly placid facade. He’s seen enough of the cracks through their playing together that it’s bordering unsurprising when he finds he can tell if Tatsuya angry or annoyed now (though thankfully these incidents too have lessened over time), but still.

Especially now, with an ocean and then some separating them. He’s falling asleep at his desk, Skype open at another ungodly hour. Tatsuya’s not angry, or sad, but the incredibly shitty connection from behind the firewall is just about enough to do it for Wei.

“You look annoyed,” Tatsuya says, amused, and Wei sighs. “Internet acting up again?”

“Yeah, just.”

Something something VPNs…he’s never paid much attention to the news other than the sports and music sections, but the recent crackdown has left them with much to be desired. Behind him, one of his roommates grunts something vulgar in Cantonese, and Wei bites back the urge to shoot an insult back. Tatsuya would just start laughing, and then the whole fucking room would wake up, repeat ad infinitum. Besides, his Cantonese is nowhere near good enough yet to fend off two or three people ganging up on him at the same time.

…God, he doesn’t want to be here right now. Camp has been going well, and he feels very much ready for the practice match tomorrow, but. He wants to be with Tatsuya, who’s sitting on his balcony, laptop propped up against his knees. It’s sunny where he is, and even through the grainy image of the screen the sunlight is still bright enough to be just a little bit blinding.

(Wei wonders how much an apartment like this must cost in New fucking York—Dongguan hasn’t yet experienced the same sort of meteoric housing bubble craze like Guangzhou or Shenzhen, but who knows—but maybe he’ll find out next time he’s on break.)

“How’s training camp?”

“It’s alright,” Wei replies. “Same old story. It’s ending next Wednesday, and then we’ll be on the road again.”

“Chengdu, right?”

Wei nods. “You’ve been watching?”

“Yeah.” Tatsuya smiles, and it’s enough to stall the urge of sleep in him, for a little while longer. Wei doesn’t know why he bothers sometimes—as exciting as it is for him, the pervasive notion of the American leagues being the most exciting, the most brilliant, all-eyes-on-them is still hard to shake in this part of the world. Maybe it’s better he’s in the so-called basketball city of China, sinking into the atmosphere before jetting off again, but maybe he still watches every Knicks game he can catch just to see a glimpse of Tatsuya in 1080p if he’s lucky. “Good luck.”

The damned curve of his lips, even with the lag, is just too much.

“Thanks,” Wei says, and it’s with some horror that he sees Tatsuya’s smile widen at the fact that he can see Wei’s face reddening even in the horrible lighting. “Uh—“

“It’s almost two,” Tatsuya points out, kindly relieving Wei of further embarrassment. But he says that as if he doesn’t stay up until four in the goddamn morning whenever it’s his turn to talk, passing out in front of his computer on more occasions than Wei could count anymore. “You should get some rest, Wei.”

A traitorous yawn escapes his mouth; even if he were to protest, Wei feels as if he probably doesn’t have the mental capability to deal with Tatsuya baiting him at this time of the night. “…Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Tatsuya—”

At that, Tatsuya blows a kiss at the screen, a last-minute act of evil that leaves Wei’s mouth gaping even as the internet suddenly cuts out, stranding their conversation for the moment.

…Figures.

He buries his head in his arms, ignoring the whispered jibes from above of stop eyefucking your boyfriend and go to sleep, Liu.

“…Goddamnit, Tatsuya.”

Oh my gosh, HOW TOTALLY FREAKING CUTE! I'm so glad this entire team is just one big cuddle pile...

Thank you!

Ship: Imayoshi/Hanamiya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 799 words

Violence, blood, yakuza AU and lots of hateflirting. XD I’m not kidding about the violence and blood btw. OH. AND VIOLENCE TO EYES.

***

Blood splashed behind him, on him, and the heat of it seeping through his shirt made his smirk widen just a little. At his feet, the man gurgled, breath hissing through his windpipe in an uneven whistle. His eyes were red holes, sockets empty and eyelashes so clotted with red that they looked like a thick scab; when Hanamiya nudged the man’s face with the tip of his polished black shoe, the scab broke and the man uttered another high cry.

He didn’t even sound human anymore to Hanamiya’s ears but then again, humanity had never been anyone’s saving grace where Hanamiya was concerned. People only last in the Nine Offspring’s organization if they were useful and the only use his victim had now was as a toy.

“Come now,” Hanamiya crooned, his voice as low and smooth as the dripping blood that’s pooled beneath the man. “Did you really think you could inform on me? It was blindingly obvious what the consequences would be.”

“Really? Puns at a time like this?” The quip and soft snort of amusement from the corner was Imayoshi’s only reaction to the pun. He could have left after he was paid but instead, he chose to stay.

Hanamiya was not used to having an audience while he worked but there was a certain thrill to it. It made him grandstand, exaggerating his motions just a little and pitching his voice to make sure Imayoshi will hear instead of letting it drop into the low, intimate croon he liked to use when he was wrist-deep in another’s insides.

There was blood flecked on his face, little scarlet touches of heat, and his eyes were aglow with a sadistic enjoyment of how the man squirmed against the floor. The yakuza had no forgiveness for informers and Hanamiya had no intention of making the man’s death come anytime soon. He pushed a little harder with the toe of his shoe and watches the sobbing creature try to roll over, pathetically still attempting to escape.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?” Imayoshi asked, the soft sound of his shoes against the tile flooring warning Hanamiya that Imayoshi was approaching him. Hanamiya didn’t turn around, secure in his own control of the situation. This was his office and his organization. Senpai or not, Imayoshi would not dare try anything here.

“I don’t intend to eat him,” Hanamiya said, looking down at the mewling creature. Hanamiya prodded him again, forcing him onto his back, and the slick splash as he fell back into his own blood left droplets marring Hanamiya’s boots as well.

“No? Some people say you’re a vampire.” The words were laughing, Imayoshi baring his teeth in wide, smug smile.

“That would still make him a drink, not food.” Hanamiya’s smile showed his teeth but he still did not turn. When Imayoshi stopped, Hanamiya judged him to be no more than a few inches behind Hanamiya - easily within range to stab Hanamiya in the back, if he should so choose.

“So you going to drink him?” Imayoshi asked and finally, Hanamiya turned to arch a pale eyebrow at Imayoshi.

“Why would I indulge in such an inferior vintage when I have you right here?” He purred the question in the same manner he’d earlier asked his victim who had turned him and was rewarded by the sight of the assassin taking a step back.

“Because it’d be a bloody shame to have me out of commission while I recover from blood loss.” Imayoshi bared his teeth at Hanamiya in return but the warning snarl was nothing like the smug, dangerous smile that curved Hanamiya’s lips. The blood on the window behind Hanamiya had looked like wings but now, with Imayoshi backing up against it, it looked like a man in motion.

“Oh? So you’re mine now?” Hanamiya asked. The light caught his hair and haloed it, making the eerie silver glow of his eyes all the more pronounced as he prowled forward. Imayoshi’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed, obviously rethinking his word choice much to Hanamiya’s amusement.

“...I didn’t mean it like that,” Imayoshi said defensively, standing his ground now as Hanamiya advanced. When Imayoshi smiled down at him, the light caught his eyes just right, painting them silver and darkening the thick fringe of his eyelashes. Imayoshi’s eyes were a darker version of Hanamiya’s, shadowed and rich, and the yakuza boss decided that even if Imayoshi did betray him, he’d let Imayoshi keep his eyes as he was killed.

“No,” Hanamiya said, his smirk turning into a dangerously pleased smile. “You did.”

Behind him, the dying man gasped through his last breaths but Hanamiya paid him no heed. He’d found a far more entertaining toy to play with now.

Edited (forgot to tag for violence to eyes) 2017-07-19 15:38 (UTC)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Ship: Akashi/Hanamiya
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Word Count: 423

kiridai!akashi

***

“I can give you what you need,” says Akashi. “What you want.”

Hanamiya’s used to false promises, the ones people make his mother, oily smiles and grease dripping from their teeth like their mouths are exhaust pipes of old cars, before fuel efficiency was in anyone’s vocabulary. She never takes them, weaving her way through them, water under oil. Why should this be any different, when Akashi’s the son of the same kind of rich person who think his mother’s an easy target? Why should he let Akashi be the predator when he’s waiting here in the wings?

Hanamiya can believe that Akashi knows what he wants, but. Still.

“I’ll sharpen your fangs. Hone them. If you give me the four.”

If. It’s not as if Hanamiya had worked so hard and ascended to the captaincy like a glowing saint; it’s not as if he’d asked for it. He’d simply taken it, the way he knows Akashi thinks he can do, but he knows better. Keep your enemies close; act like you respect them. And that is something that Hanamiya can truly respect. And if he gives Akashi the four, it’s not giving in. He’s seen the dysfunction of the Teikou team, ripped at the seams, spreading despair like a flat knife spreading a condiment. Akashi can help; Hanamiya knows that much already. And if their goals are the same, then perhaps it’s better to give Akashi what he wants, keep him as the figurehead. This isn’t Hanamiya’s team, they’ll say. They’ll see something purer from Akashi, golden boy with a golden eye. What they want to see, since his talent is at the top, then he must be a good guy. Simple shit like that makes Hanamiya sick.

“I think there is a place for you at Kirisaki Daiichi,” Hanamiya says. “As captain, of course. I’d be honored to coach a talent like you.”

Akashi looks at him; he knows already.

“Kidding. Come or don’t; don’t leave me hanging,” says Hanamiya, standing up. “But I’m sure you’ll find my offer’s better than anyone else’s.”

“Yes,” says Akashi, eyes gleaming, face trained on Hanamiya’s lips (and oh, that’s something worth exploiting if it’s still there come April). “I believe this could be to our mutual benefit.”

“Don’t disappoint me,” says Hanamiya, turning to go, hands stuck deep in his pockets.

(Or else Hanamiya will look like a fool, trusting a kid like that who can’t win without miracles around him, but sometimes you have to take a gamble, oilslick rich kids or no.)

Ship: Akashi/Imayoshi
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Word Count: 430

***

http://saso-afterhours.dreamwidth.org/66989.html

Ship: Imayoshi/Hanamiya (+Imayoshi&Susa)
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Word Count: 412

***

“What’s the deal with you and Hanamiya, anyway?” says Susa, mouth full of sandwich.

“Why do you always ask questions like that at lunch?”

“Where else am I going to ask them? Basketball practice?”

“You could be a good neighbor, come over and socialize,” says Imayoshi. “No one cares about your grades.”

“I do,” says Susa. “Besides, you’re ducking the question. Are you two, like, dating?”

“I reckon you could say that,” says Imayoshi. “Sort of.”

Susa raises his eyebrows. “So it’s like you fuck him but you don’t buy him flowers?”

“That’s so crude, Susa.”

“Well?”

“A little bit. We’re friends, though,” says Imayoshi.

“Some friends.”

“It’s an ethical responsibility,” says Imayoshi. “I keep him out of trouble because I care.”

“That’s working really well. You two have a screwed up sense of ethics.”

“And you don’t?”

Susa shrugs. “I’m just saying.”

(Saying that playing for Touou or Kirisaki Daiichi, being blatantly cruel in a twisting sort of way like Hanamiya, that any of it’s worse than anything else, it’s all pretty funny. Well, maybe not funny, but Imayoshi likes to lie and demur behind the laughing mask he wears, and it’s very few people who realize it’s there or try to peel it off. Maybe it’s becoming him, or he’s becoming it, too much time with it and not enough without, like maybe he wears it to sleep.)

“Do you think I’m bad, Susa?”

“Are you hitting on me? I’ll tell Hanamiya.”

“Mean.”

“Not really,” says Susa. “You’re kind of a dick sometimes."

“Just like Hanamiya, huh?”

Susa snorts. “Love really is blind, then, if you can’t see his faults.”

“I like his faults,” says Imayoshi. “Like I said, I’m the one who keeps him out of too much trouble; I don’t want his faults to end up with him doing something really stupid.”

(As if he’s the arbiter of what is and isn’t, but Hanamiya’s not the greatest liar and there are some things, a not entirely joking thought about hiding bodies, hiding evidence, hiding real crimes, because the white-collar money laundering and embezzlement kind of thing would bore Hanamiya to tears; it’s only the real and physical that people remember long after they’re gone, the marks they’ve left, scars and holes and wounds and rips. But Hanamiya could probably take care of it, though there’s no way Imayoshi wouldn’t find out—and if he’s going to hell, as Hanamiya’s accomplice isn’t a bad way to get there.)

Ship: Akashi/Midorima
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Word Count: 439

***

It’s the black cat, Midorima thinks. That’s why he can’t ask Akashi out today, why he’s late to the coffee shop and why Akashi’s father calls and his face does something unreadable, subtle, tense; he’s distracted and apologetic and leaves early, but there will be other chances, other days he does not pass a black cat or walk under a ladder or step on a crack in the sidewalk.

Except the next time, Cancer is ranked twelfth. Perhaps it’s a jinx on the days he plans to get coffee with Akashi, the days Akashi plans to come in to Tokyo; perhaps it’s Oha-Asa taking away just as she gives (first on the day of the game against Yosen, third on his birthday) and at least he’s able to secure a lucky item. Not as large as he needs, as large as it would be to make him feel a bit better, but his metal water bottle is tucked under his arm as he goes to the shop. But this time Akashi’s brought two of his teammates, Mibuchi and Hayama; they talk enough for the four of them all together, asking Midorima questions about his relationship with Akashi (he tries not to stutter, color, twitch) and about the shogi they play, the basketball they play. Midorima wants to ask; they leave early, but his tongue is tied up and he just wants to enjoy these precious few moments with Akashi alone.

Coward, he thinks. Maybe it isn’t a jinx on his luck; maybe it isn’t all the luck he has utilized for other purposes, his piano teacher canceling the day after he’s skipped out a little on practice, everything for basketball. Maybe it’s a jinx on him, self-inflicted, the way he builds this up in his mind. It’s Akashi; how can he not? Everything needs to be perfect, but he has no plan, not enough of one to steer the conversation toward it anyway.

Midorima’s ranked tenth next time, hardly better. His lucky item is larger, a Rilakkuma plushie; he sits it next to him on the booth seat. Akashi smiles at it, and then at Midorima.

“Akashi,” says Midorima. “Would you like this to be a date?”

“Yes,” says Akashi. “I’d be delighted.”

Not much changes except the pounding of Midorima’s heart against his ribcage, the way he lets himself watch more and more of Akashi, and the bill he foots himself at the end. But his chest feels lighter, even before Akashi pulls him into the back of the car, tells his driver to just drive for a while, and kisses him behind the tinted windows.

Ship: Aomine/Kise
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Major Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Other Tags: TAGS OMITTED
Word Count: 460

***

It’s hard not to like Aomine. Kise kind of had ever since he’d known of him, that easy smile, clear and real, the way he’d play basketball in a way Kise had instinctively known he could and couldn’t imitate, though the thought hadn’t presented itself fully until he’d tried. He’s easy on the eyes, too; that doesn’t hurt any of it, and it’s kind of a harmless little crush. So Kise looks up to him, respects him, thinks he’s good-looking; so nothing will probably come of it. They’ll graduate and move on, and Kise will continue reaching for those great heights, until he gets there. (Then, maybe? It’s hard to let himself get too caught up in the fantasy.)

“Hey.”

A toe of a sneaker, kicking up dust, Aomine. Not Aomine, a little taller, leaner, older, the last traces of baby fat gone from his cheeks, holding himself like he has to work to hold himself together, as if the world has dropped a great burden on him, something he cannot carry (Aomine, Kise thinks, could carry anything, couldn’t he).

“Aominecchi?”

Kise’s heard of time travelers before; he’s never met one. He glances across the yard; Aomine (his Aomine, he thinks, even though Aomine belongs to the world, Kuroko and Momoi and Akashi and everything else, as much as him—but he won’t let go) is looking at some kind of book with Murasakibara, their heads bowed. Sad Aomine follows Kise’s gaze.

“You look up to me.”

“Yes,” says Kise (that much is obvious now, to the Aomine that’s here).

“If your goal is to be like me, you won’t have much of a future.”

What does he mean by that? That he’ll be crushed under the same weight? That—maybe, Kise thinks a strange thought. Maybe he dies, trying to get to some tournament where Aomien’s playing; maybe that’s why Aomine looks so goddamn awful. (This isn’t some light novel, though, come on.)

“You’re wrong,” says Kise, daring this Aomine to tell him.

“Give it up,” says Aomine.

When Kise looks back, Sad Aomine’s gone.

*

“You were right,” says Aomine. “I was wrong.”

His body’s slumped over Kise’s, joined as they are now, skin to skin, almost always, voice right in Kise’s ear, breath between the skin and Kise’s earring.

“I know,” says Kise. “But about what in particular?”

“Remember when I visited you. Time and shit.”

That, a realization afterwards about what Aomine had meant—and time, time Kise had taken, fists against the wall, to prove him wrong. He’s known Aomine’s known for a while now, because they’re fixed, rebuilt, stronger now.

“Can’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

Kise tilts his head to kiss Aomine full-on, to taste the traces of bitterness on his mouth.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 135 of 171

Bonus Round 4: Quotes

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, M

Re: FILL: Team Miyuki Kazuya/Oikawa Tooru, T

Re: FILL: team akaashi keiji/bokuto koutarou, [G]

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

PROMPT: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU

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

FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, M

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, T

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, T

FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G

Re: FILL: Team Kanzaki Miki/Miyahara, G

FILL: Team Himuro Tatsuya/Nijimura Shuuzou, G

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

FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, T

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

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, T

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, M

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, T

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, T

FILL: TEAM HIMURO TATSUYA/NIJIMURA SHUUZOU, T