wlw is pretty nice

there's no theme here. i just do what i want. 21 | she/they | fuck plagiarism

[jus-let-me-read]

Masterlist

MomoJirou - Momo x Jirou (MHA)

Incorrect quotes

Headcanons + Oneshots

Ppkm - Akarsha x Noelle (Butterfly Soup)

Ramblings

Headcanons

Ronance - Robin x Nancy (Stranger Things)

Incorrect quotes

My Hero Academia

KiriBaku incorrect quotes

ShinKami incorrect quotes

No Ships incorrect quotes

[jus-let-me-read]

Stranger Things | Season 5 Vol. 1 Spoilers

But it’s just a dumb meme and me longing for ronance

Anyway… now that I shared the dumb meme I wanted to share with the class-

>Theres something so cute and wholesome about everyone listening in on Robin (and Steve’s) little radio show and picking up clues from it

-Something something Nancy hearing little tidbits about Robin’s life through the radio and wishing she’d hear about it in person instead

-Something something Nancy wondering why Robin used they/them pronouns when referring to her date but shoving the thought so far back

> The little eye contact they had when Jonathon and Steve had their little ‘show off to Nancy spat’ was the most briefest but cutest thing to me

-Something something Robin and Nancy constantly watching these two have a little competition over and over again

-Something something Nancy is happy she has this friendship with Robin so she’s not just surrounded by these god damn men fawning over her

> Robin having to apparently numerous times cancel on her date with Vickie

-Like it’s during the crawl and nothing is happening so it’s the same routine and Robin can’t help but think “oh I was supposed to be on a date with Vickie right now”

-Then she and Nancy have a little talk during or after the crawl that makes Robin think “maybe it’s okay that I had to cancel my date with Vickie. Talking to Nancy is always nice.”

> They always do the same teams (or at least something similar) for every crawl allowing for Robin and Nancy to still talk

-Robin and Nancy as more crawls progress unintentionally sit closer and closer

-Neither of them notice for the longest time until Robin’s hand accidentally brushes against Nancy’s

> Robin not wanting to fail Nancy’s mission and having to miss her date with Vickie at Enzo’s

-It’s hard to date someone on the outside, Vickie is almost an escape that helps make her feel like her life is normal

-But then the threat of the world falls down on her shoulder over and over again and she can only really open up to Steve, Nancy, or someone else about these frustrations

-She trusts Nancy’s word like it’s her life line, listening to every plan and putting full faith in it before anyone else

All this to say, I’m manifesting more Robin and Nancy interactions for this season. I just.. I really need a Robin coming out to Nancy scene

[heyiwrotesomethings]

Hello I saw your request were open and thought of this scenario based on Tamayo and Shinobu's first time working together

Shinobu x They/them reader in which reader is Tamayo's human apprentice, and they defend her when Shinobu insults her but the that sort of approach only creates more conflict between Shinobu and Tamayo. So instead, the reader tells Shinobu about Tamayo (probably annoys the hell out of her). The thing that makes Shinobu start to open up to Tamayo is when the reader tells her about how Tamayo saved them from the streets as a child and raised them like they were her own. Shinobu and the reader grow close now that the conflict has been resolved, and eventually fall in. Perhaps Shinobu has some insecurities that Tamayo would not approve due to how she treated her but of course Tamayo approves and gives her the go ahead to date the reader.

I understand that this may be a lot so feel free to gloss over stuff. Thank you so much. You're amazing (^ v ^).

Love in the Lab

Shinobu Kochou x They/Them Reader

A/N: There are major manga spoilers ahead! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! Anon, thank you for forcing my hand with this request. I had an idea for a similar scenario awhile ago but I kinda gave up on it. So for this I just sort of mashed what I already had with what you had requested. I did have to change pronouns for Reader along the way, but I think I caught all the changes. I hope you like it! Also, I wrote a little life/death promise thing and if that makes you uncomfortable, you can skip when you see, ‘~~~’. Hopeful ending! Thanks for reading! Word Count: 10,368

“How did we end up here?” Yushirou growled, “We should have just kept to ourselves.”

“Yushirou, settle down please.” Tamayo warned, her tone as soft and composed as ever, yet a slight tremor of nerves kept her voice low, just a touch higher than a whisper.

(Y/n) frowned, sensing Tamayo’s unease and looped their arm through their adoptive mother’s, hugging the limb close. Tamayo gave them an appreciative smile and patted (Y/n)’s hand reassuringly.

About a week ago, a crow of the Demon Slayer Corps had managed to navigate past Yushirou’s blood art to deliver a message straight from the Master of the Slayers himself. It was a summons guiding them directly to the Ubuyashiki Estate. There, they would be working closely with a pharmaceuticals prodigy, pooling together their resources and expertise for the war effort against Kibutsuji Muzan and the remaining Demon Moons.

Now here they were, standing outside of a grand estate lit by lantern light’s glow and the sweet scent of wisteria clung faintly to the wind, making Yushirou complain under his breath over how scratchy his throat felt at their proximity. (Y/n) would have thought it beautiful if not for the oppressive eyes of the slayer who met them at the entrance. Though she wore a smile, (Y/n) could feel the resentment coming off of her in waves.

“Tamayo, I presume?” The slayer spoke, smile never wavering.

“Yes,” Tamayo nodded, “And you must be Kochou Shinobu, the Insect Hashira.”

“That is correct.” Shinobu confirmed. “I would say it’s a pleasure to be working with you, but that would be a lie.” She said, the same smile persisting as her light tone carried the harsh words to their ears.

“Hey! Just who—!“

“Yushirou...” Tamayo gently cut off the disgruntled demon’s tirade before it could truly begin. (Y/n) remained silent, but was sure to level their best glare at the young woman standing above them on the engawa. Shinobu barely gave them a glance, seemingly unbothered by her own lack of manners. (Y/n)’s frown set deeper. The young woman before them clearly detested simply breathing the same air as them, like every moment she stood before them was nothing but a waste of her time and an insult to her intelligence.

“You came with your own little entourage I see.” Shinobu continued on, “I was under the impression that I’d just have to deal with you meddling in my research. I don’t have time to be holding anyone’s hand.” She said, eyes flickering between (Y/n) and Yushirou without subtlety.

“I have been trained vigorously in health and medicinal knowledge since I could read.” (Y/n) piped up, stepping forward and out of Tamayo’s reach. They would not allow the girl to insult them any further no matter who she was.

“And Yushirou has been helping my mother before I, and probably you for that matter, ever existed. I assure you no hand holding will be necessary, Kochou-san.” (Y/n) assured, pausing for a moment to breathe before they decided they had more to say.

“I don’t expect you to like us or even trust us, but treat us with some civility. We are here to achieve the same goal. If we are to defeat Kibutsuji and the Demon Moons, we don’t have the time or luxury to play games to feed your superiority complex. You cannot afford to be so proud and pompous. From this moment on, we’re colleagues and we are going to do everything we can to expedite this process. Like it or not, we need each other to succeed.” (Y/n) finished, almost out of breath from how quickly they spoke and how full of emotion their voice was. Their hardened eyes never left Shinobu’s during entirety of their speech.

Shinobu regarded (Y/n) strangely for a moment before closing her eyes. A drawn out outtake of breath left her lips and she gave an almost imperceivable nod of her head before turning her back on the trio. She slid open the door that was behind her, bathing her in the light that came from inside.

“We will start tomorrow night.” Shinobu spoke, dismissing (Y/n)’s small tirade without addressing their words. “Follow me, I’ll be guiding you to a space of your own for the time being. Oyakata-sama is being quite generous to allow you demons into his home like this.”

The trio took a moment to adjust to Shinobu’s sudden shift in conversation, then followed her into the mansion. They walked through several halls full of activity, but with each hall the small party entered, the workers would pause and regard Shinobu with respectful reverence before returning to their duties. Occasionally their eyes would linger on Shinobu’s charges with suspicion and distrust. Tamayo had told (Y/n) what to expect when traveling here, but witnessing it all first hand was hard for them. Whatever happened to, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’? They were here to help after all. (Y/n) shook their head and leveled their gaze at the floor the rest of the way.

“Here we are.” Shinobu said once they had reached a far off wing of the mansion. “I will come back for you tomorrow night. The Kakushi still have to finish setting up a second lab here. We will begin swapping information then.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I know it’s asking a lot.” Tamayo spoke, ever so diplomatic. “I am truly looking forward to working with you.”

Shinobu gave Tamayo a slight nod before turning back the way they had came, eventually disappearing down the corridor without a second glance. Once she was sure they would not be overheard, Tamayo turned to (Y/n) and Yushirou.

“You two,” Tamayo frowned, her look of disappointment sent a wave of shame over her disciples. “I know this is hard, but you cannot speak to our new colleague in such a manner again. Do you understand?”

“But mother, the way she was speaking to us... I couldn’t just stand there!” (Y/n) crossed their arms, staring a hole into the floor.

“She was asking for it my Lady,” Yushirou defended, “I think (Y/n)’s words were more than fair.”

“Yushirou, don’t encourage them.” Tamayo gently reprimanded, causing Yushirou to nod dejectedly and apologize upon his Lady’s displeased look. Tamayo returned her full attention to (Y/n) then, reaching out to pat their cheek affectionately and raise her adopted child’s eyes to meet her own.

“(Y/n), do not speak to Kochou-san like that again. Please promise me you will try your best to avoid provocation in the future.”

(Y/n) pursed their lips, but nodded all the same.

“I’ll try my best. I’m sorry if I’ve made things more difficult.” (Y/n) apologized.

“It’s alright sweetheart,” Tamayo gave them a small smile and ran her hand over (Y/n)’s hair, “everything will be sorted out in time. You should get some sleep now. It is rather late after all, and we’ve traveled far the past few nights.”

“I am rather tired.” (Y/n) disclosed, leaning into their mother’s comforting touch a moment before straightening. “Goodnight mother, Yushirou.”

“Goodnight dear.” “Goodnight.” The demons answered together.

(Y/n) turned towards one of the bedrooms and disappeared inside with a small wave. As they laid out on the futon, they stared blankly at the window. Unfortunately, it was too dark outside to see much, but the dim lantern light outside gave the sky a purplish hue that was reminiscent of their reluctant ally’s eyes.

“What a lousy first impression,” (Y/n) sighed, closing their eyes. They certainly weren’t referring to themself however.

“Kochou Shinobu... what an annoying person.”

Little did they know that their own thoughts were being reflected right back at them while Shinobu got ready for bed in her own estate.

“Proud and pompous,” Shinobu scoffed quietly, while she slipped into her nightclothes, a vein straining almost painfully against the skin of her temple as she watched her goldfish swim and swirl around. “What an annoying person.”

***

The next morning, (Y/n)’s eyes fluttered open, squinting against the sunlight that filled their room. They tried turning away from the light so they could sleep some more, but it was already too late once they began thinking about the new circumstances their family had found themselves in.

With a defeated sigh, they rose from their bed, got dressed and stretched. Putting their hands on their hips they looked out at the beautiful wisteria trees littering the property, admiring the care and time that it must have taken to procure such healthy blooms. They had heard Yushirou none too quietly complain about his throat feeling irritated despite the distance between them and the trees. They knew their mother wouldn’t complain, but she had been clearing her throat intermittently before (Y/n) retired to bed so it was surely affecting her to some extent as well.

They stood there for awhile longer before leaving the room to greet Tamayo and Yushirou who had made themselves comfortable in the central area of the wing they had been assigned.

“Good morning, (Y/n). Did you sleep well?” Tamayo greeted warmly.

“I did. Did you two find something to pass the time?” (Y/n) asked, kneeling beside their mother, across from Yushirou, and scanned the papers laid out on the floor.

“We’re deciding how to best present what we know to Kochou-san tonight.” Tamayo informed.

“Hope it’s worth the effort... apologies Tamayo-sama!” Yushirou hastily added upon seeing the look on her face. (Y/n) covered a laugh under the guise of clearing their throat.

“Well, I need to figure out how to get some food.” (Y/n) said, hoisting themself back up to their feet.

“Kochou-san asked that we stay here, (Y/n).” Tamayo reminded.

“I know, but I’m hungry. Let me just peak into a couple hallways to see if anyone is around. I promise to be on my very best behavior.” (Y/n) clasped their hands together, giving their mother a look that almost always lead the demon to bend to their favor.

“Very well... don’t go too far.” Tamayo relents.

“Thank you, I’ll be back before you know it.” (Y/n) flashed their mom a grin before heading down the hallway Shinobu had lead them through the night before.

The halls were a stark contrast from all the bustle and activity the night before. Now everything was barren and quiet. (Y/n) had planned not to stray farther than three turns, but now their stomach was urging them to continue. By the seventh turn they had begun to lose hope, but then a couple of young girls with white hair and large eyes that seemed to stare right into (Y/n)’s soul came from the far end of the passage, pausing upon seeing (Y/n) at the other end of the hall.

“Hello!” (Y/n) waved, “I was wondering where I could get something to eat around here. Do you think you could help me out?”

Hinaki tilted her head to the right, her twin, Nichika, mirroring her. (Y/n) smiled awkwardly as the silence persisted, shifting their eyes between the two. They were getting ready to say, ‘you know what? Nevermind.’ when the twins answered in unison, motioning them forward.

“We can show you the kitchens, come join us.”

“Okay, thank you.” (Y/n) smiled, a relieved breath passing through their lips once the girl’s turned around. They seemed sweet enough, but a tad off putting in their mannerisms.

They dropped (Y/n) off at the kitchens before continuing on their way. (Y/n) wasted no time conversing with the small kitchen staff who were more than happy to accommodate them, for which (Y/n) was grateful. One of the chefs pointed out a cooling pot of miso and other breakfast fixings and told them to take whatever they liked.

“Thank you so much!” (Y/n) grinned appreciatively. They only took about five steps before they felt someone tug on the neckline of their clothes, preventing them from continuing forward.

“What...?” (Y/n) narrowed their eyes and craned their neck back to meet their assailant.

“My my, making yourself at home already? What are you doing in here?” Shinobu asked, an overly jovial timbre and frankly, frightening smile. She tugged at the fabric of (Y/n)’s neckline again, forcing (Y/n) back a step.

(Y/n) fought not to roll their eyes as they turned to face Shinobu fully, lightly batting her hand away. A few soft gasps were heard from the kitchen staff before they nervously skittered out of the room, obviously wanting no part in what was going on at the moment.

“Kochou-san, good morning.” (Y/n) nodded curtly, trying to be civil like their mother had wished of them.

“What are you doing in here?” Shinobu asked again, not interested in swapping false pleasantries beyond her haunting smile. “I explicitly said—“

“I’m just here for some breakfast. What, I’m not allowed to eat?” (Y/n)’s hands fisted tightly at their sides while they tried to keep their cool. It was too early in the morning for misplaced confrontations by some uppity brat.

“You most certainly are not.” Shinobu answered with haste. It was a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but (Y/n) was sure they saw nothing but disgust and pure, fiery anger flash violently in those deep, purple irises.

And honestly, that just pissed them off more than any words Shinobu had said to them thus far.

“You see this bowl, Kochou?” (Y/n) asked, practically shoving the ceramic in the Pillar’s face. “You see that pot of miso in the corner?” They said next, flinging their arm out for the bowl to point in that direction.

“Now, I’m gonna fill this bowl with that miso and I’m gonna eat a nice, warm breakfast—“ As (Y/n) spoke, they stepped backwards towards the pot, the sunlight from a nearby window licking at their clothes before they stepped fully into the light.

“—The wind... oh, you’re okay, the sun doesn’t harm you... Are you like Nezuko? Or are you human?” Shinobu murmured, one hand half outstretched, the other hovering over her sword. (Y/n) couldn’t help but laugh mockingly at the Pillar while they collected their miso.

“Yeah, obviously I’m a human. Aren’t you a Hashira? Shouldn’t you be more perceptive than that? And here you are, about to slice a poor, normal person in two for wanting some soup. For shame Kochou, for shame.” (Y/n) taunted despite the danger they was in mere moments before. They should count themself lucky that Shinobu didn’t inject them full of poison the second they moved.

“I had no reason to believe a human would be traveling with a couple of demons, what possessed you to keep company with such monsters? Are you right in the head?”

“Don’t talk about them like that!” (Y/n) spun around so fast their miso nearly sloshed onto the floor. “You don’t know the first thing about them! What they’ve done for me! And quite frankly, I don’t think you deserve to know. You’ve been nothing but awful. I don’t know how Tanjirou and Nezuko live with you.” They glared icily at the calm woman. Shinobu almost seemed contrite, but her expression read largely as unbothered. At least (Y/n) managed to wipe that smile off her face. They’d take it as a small victory.

“I’m going to leave now. Hope you fix your attitude before nightfall, your highness. You’ll need to be in your ‘A’ game if you think you’ll even come close to outdoing me in the lab.” (Y/n) walked briskly past, not pulling any punches. Hopefully, none of this would get back to their mother, they could only hope Shinobu harbored some embarrassment and wouldn’t bring it up. Even then, this certainly didn’t help foster any connections between the two. (Y/n) sighed deeply to themself once they turned into the next hallway.

Tonight was going to be unbearable.

Shinobu watched (Y/n) stalk stiffly down the hall, her expression unreadable though her mind worked to understand this new information. She could understand Tanjirou and Nezuko’s bond, but the demons this human traveled with were not like Nezuko, they still needed blood. Didn’t they ever feel unsafe? Perhaps there was more going on than she had initially believed, and maybe they weren’t was bad as she had given them credit for. If Tanjirou and Nezuko were acquainted with them... maybe she really did get off on the wrong foot with them.

“Damn it.” Shinobu sighed to herself, massaging the bridge of her nose before leaving the kitchen to check out the new lab setup.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but maybe, just maybe, she could have been just a hair more discreet in her displeasure. And usually, she would have been fine. She had practically invented the game of passive aggressive behavior, but she was so tired and frustrated and dare she admit it, anxious.

For all the time and dedication she had put into her research, she only had so much to show for it. The Master had said it himself, the demons were preparing for a big move that would decide the fate of not only the Demon Slayer Corps, but the whole of the human race. Time was running thin and they needed results. Shinobu was running herself ragged to provide in the best way she knew how and if she needed the help of that demon doctor... then she would take it.

She could only hope she hadn’t completely destroyed the bridge before they had even got started.

***

The sun had set mere moments before Shinobu breezed into the room to whisk away Tamayo, Yushirou and (Y/n) to the newly created lab space. (Y/n) couldn’t stop the grin spreading over their face upon the sight of all the state of the art equipment spread throughout the room, it was a scientist’s paradise.

“Like what you see?” Shinobu asked them, the slayer’s smirk and mischievous eyes wiped the smile right off of (Y/n)’s face and they turned up their nose at Shinobu, choosing to look anywhere else but at her.

(Y/n), unfortunately, caught Tamayo’s eye instead. The subdued look on demon doctor’s face was enough to make (Y/n) turn to look sheepishly at the floor before meeting Shinobu’s eye again and nod a quick affirmative.

“It is a very impressive lab, Kochou-san,” Tamayo praised, “Especially considering that it was put together on such sort notice.”

“Thank you, the Kakushi did a wonderful job setting everything up. I couldn’t have done it without them.” Shinobu replied. “Let’s not let their hard work go to waste. Tell me what you know, Tamayo-san.”

The first couple hours were spent swapping information and compiling research and experimental data. And besides the silent hostility that had bloomed between Shinobu and Yushirou as time progressed, everything seemed to be going well. (Y/n) was surprised when Shinobu sidled up to them and casually began speaking to them as they catalogued various microscope slides into an orderly library of samples.

“I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier and since we’ll be working together, I’d like to try to patch things up between us. What was your name again?” Shinobu asked, standing a little closer than (Y/n) would have liked. It felt like she was judging their process, or waiting for them to mess up the sample order.

(Y/n) clicked their tongue in annoyance and whispered back, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” as they delicately placed another sample in a new slot.

“Now, now, please don’t be like that.” Shinobu cooed, leaning over the table to try to catch (Y/n)’s eye, “I’m trying to make amends here.”

“Not going to—“

“(Y/n) dear, could you hand me that third edition botany text by you?” Tamayo spoke up, her eyes still focused on reading the text already in her hands even as she asked.

(Y/n)’s eyes narrowed while Shinobu’s smile sharpened and she slid out of (Y/n)’s way in an almost catlike manner, giving them enough room to grab the book Tamayo wanted.

“Here you go.” (Y/n) mumbled, Tamayo gave them an appreciative smile before turning her head to begin thumbing through the pages.

(Y/n) turned back to continue their task and bit the inside of their cheek when they found Shinobu picking up where they had left off. Still, they decided to head over to help Shinobu sort.

“So, (Y/n)-san,” Shinobu began, slowly enunciating their name in a teasing manner, “do you think you could tell that demon—“

“Yushirou.”

“Yushirou, could you tell him to disguise his bloodlust more efficiently? I can tell he wants to kill me and as you can imagine, I have a lot on my plate as it stands.”

(Y/n) craned their neck back to see Yushirou grinding his teeth and staring daggers into Shinobu’s back while somehow organizing files into proper stacks. He seemed to feel (Y/n)’s stare and their eyes met briefly before he quickly spun around to devote all of his attention to his task.

“He can tell you hate us. He doesn’t really care about it being directed at himself, but for my mother and I... he is very protective to say the least. Especially where my mother is concerned. His reverence for her is uh, a little over the top.”

“I see. Well, do tell him that he has nothing to worry about from me... unless he decides to act on his emotions of course.”

(Y/n) simply nodded in reply, focusing on setting out the correct slides for Shinobu to put away. Work progressed smoothly soon after and before they knew it, they had worked well into the afternoon. Shinobu took note of the time and decided that they were far enough along in their tasks that a break had been earned. What (Y/n) hadn’t expected was to be invited along for lunch with the Pillar.

“What do you say, (Y/n)-san?”

“I’m not—“

“(Y/n)...” Tamayo gently warned, making (Y/n) immediately swallow their words for something more, tactful.

“I’m not... ready yet, give me a couple minutes please!”

“Very well, I’ll be waiting outside. Please do not keep me waiting too long.” And with that, she stepped out of the room and out of sight.

(Y/n) immediately turned on Tamayo, an unwilling pout clear on their face.

“Kaa-san,” they whined pitifully, “why do I have to go with her?”

“It’s the polite thing to do, (Y/n). It will be good for you to be with people your own age as well.” Tamayo smiled sadly, “I’ve always felt bad that we had to keep ourselves hidden. It would make me so happy if you and Kochou-san became friends.”

“But she didn’t even invite you and Yushirou. How am I supposed to be polite if she isn’t? That doesn’t sound like a friend I’d want to have.”

“(Y/n), you know Yushirou and I don’t eat and it is broad daylight outside. It would have been pointless to ask.”

“Its about the principle of the thing!” (Y/n) huffed, ears burning. They had the tendency to occasionally forget that the demons who raised them were, well, demons.

“Go eat,” Yushirou waved them off, “we’ll be fine here.”

“I’m sure you will.” (Y/n) rolled their eyes as they stalked to the door. “You just want to be alone with, ‘Tamayo-sama’. Simp.”

“You—!”

(Y/n) quickly slid the door shut behind them, snickering to themself as Yushirou continued to choke and splutter.

“You sure know how to get under his skin, hm?” Shinobu asked from where she had leaned herself against a nearby windowsill. (Y/n) merely shrugged before crossing their arms.

“So, food?” (Y/n) answered with a question of their own.

“Follow me.” Shinobu pushed herself off of the windowsill and (Y/n) trailed behind her, following her out of the mansion.

You aren’t planing to kill me out here and hide my corpse in a bush, are you?” (Y/n) asked after several minutes of silently walking through the woods. The question earned a soft chuckle from Shinobu as she shook her head.

“No, I’m not planning on killing you. We’re almost to my estate, rest easy. I’m sure Tamayo-san wouldn’t work with me anymore if I came back without you.”

“That would be the least of your problems.” (Y/n) glared and all the while Shinobu smiled on, looking ahead. A few minutes later, they came upon a grand estate with lush gardens, figures standing in the distance hanging laundry up to dry.

As they neared, (Y/n)’s eyes lit up upon recognizing one of the girls standing there.

“Nezuko!” (Y/n) waved, beaming as brightly as the sun beating down on them. They had heard that Nezuko had conquered the sun, but seeing her in person made it so much better.

The demon girl looked behind her and cocked her head to the side, processing before meeting (Y/n) halfway.

“Hi, Nezuko. Do you remember me?” (Y/n) asked, unsure of how much the girl could understand or absorb into her mind in the state she was in. Fortunately, Nezuko’s eyes were bright with recognition and pulled (Y/n)’s hand to the top of her head in hopes of head pats.

“Re... remem..ber.” Nezuko affirmed, flashing her fangs. “Remember... Inosuke!”

“Um, not quite, but I’m very impressed nonetheless!” (Y/n) praised, giving Nezuko the head pats she so desperately craved.

“Shinobu-sama, who is this.” Aoi asked, regarding the newcomer with interest.

“Aoi, this is (Y/n)-san, a new colleague of mine.” Shinobu answered simply. She felt she couldn’t disclose much more than that. She would trust Aoi and the others with her life, but it was just too dangerous to disclose to them what she was working on in the Master’s estate. Even just keeping Nezuko at the Butterfly Estate would become too dangerous as the climax of the war drew closer. It was best to keep additional information close to the chest for now.

“Ah, nice to meet you, (Y/n)-san.” Aoi greeted politely.

“Likewise.” (Y/n) nodded in return.

“I’ve invited them over for lunch. Have you already eaten?”

“The girls and I finished eating not long ago Kochou-sama. There is still plenty left so please take what you like.”

“Excellent. Thank you, Aoi. We will head inside then.”

Before Shinobu could get to the engawa, Nezuko hopped over to her, eyes hopeful as she tugged on the Hashira’s sleeve. Believing that she would brush the demon off, (Y/n) was surprised when Shinobu chuckled warmly and gave into the demon’s wishes, softly patting Nezuko’s hair.

“I see, you must miss your brother’s attention, hm? He’s training very hard right now, but he’ll be back soon.”

Seemingly appeased, Nezuko made her way over to Sumi, Kiyo and Naho who were watching from the clotheslines.

“What’s that silly look on your face for?” Shinobu asked (Y/n), jolting them out of their state of muted disbelief.

“Nothing.” They snapped, before looking away, warmth crawling up their neck, “I was just surprised is all. I didn’t know you were capable of being nice.”

“I’m nothing if not nice, (Y/n)-san.” Shinobu teased with a wink.

(Somewhere, Tomioka felt a sudden shiver rack his body. “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that someone has just told an awful lie...” he mumbled to himself before continuing on with his day.)

“Sure you are.” (Y/n) scoffed, “Can we eat now?”

“Right this way.”

(Y/n) followed Shinobu inside and all the while their brain was whirring inside of their skull. They had hardly known Shinobu for a day, and they has seen her personality do a whole 180 in a matter of hours. They thought they had Shinobu pinned, but now they had no idea how to read this woman. They would have to tread carefully, pay more attention.

“Are you listening to me at all?”

“Huh?”

(Y/n) nearly jumped to the ceiling when they turned their head and bumped noses with the bewildering woman.

“Why are you standing so close, the hell?” (Y/n) yelled, their heart nearly beating out of their chest from the scare. Even the skin of their face seemed to beat with heat in time with their startled heart.

“I was just trying to talk to you. I had half the mind to think you had suddenly fallen deaf.” Shinobu answered easily, seemingly unaffected by their close proximity.

“Well I can hear you just fine! What do you want?”

“I asked you if you’d like to eat outside. It’s a lovely day. I can’t imagine you get much sun living with demons.”

“I get plenty of sun.” (Y/n) replied snippily, crossing their arms.

“Sure you do, grab a plate and I’ll take you to the garden.”

(Y/n) grumbled under their breath and filled their plate, then followed Shinobu outside. Their breath caught in their throat when they saw the beautiful, flourishing garden that awaited just beyond the engawa.

“Wow,” (Y/n) whispered, eyes shimmering in awe at the various blooms and meticulously carved bamboo fountains. There was even what could have been a koi pond in the distance. They really wanted to get a closer look.

“Oh my, (Y/n)-san. I didn’t know you could look so cute. You should drop that sour expression you wear more often!”

And just like that, the moment was ruined.

(Y/n) sat down with an indignant huff and glared out at the scenery, proceeding to ignore Shinobu as she ate beside them. It was hard to keep the face up when the food was so good, the weather fair, and everything around being so gorgeous, but the decidedly obnoxious humming to their right made it easy to remember that the company they kept was less than favorable.

“I think I may understand what your problem is.” Shinobu said out of the blue.

“My problem?” (Y/n) could feel their eye twitch rapidly in succession.

“Yes, you don’t know how to act around people. Completely socially inept.”

(Y/n) inhaled sharply to yell at the girl, but accidentally inhaled the rice on their chopsticks and began to choke on the small grains. Meanwhile, Shinobu carried on her with assessment without a care.

“One of my colleagues is much the same. He is such a depressing person that many find it difficult to be around him and his moods. Though unlike him, I suppose you have a bit of an excuse to act so poorly. Living with demons for however long you have, I doubt you have had many opportunities to interact with other humans. It’s quite sad really. Your upbringing must have been rough.”

“I grew up just fine, thank you very much!” (Y/n) hoarsed, having somewhat recovered from their rice mishap. “Have you ever considered that maybe I don’t want to be friendly with someone who insulted my family?”

“Hmm, I suppose you have a point.” Shinobu hummed, taking another bite of her lunch, chewing thoughtfully.

(Y/n) watched Shinobu out of the corner of their eye. Shinobu sounded sincere as far as they could tell. Maybe she really was trying to make amends in her own not-very-impressive way. They sighed and faced Shinobu fully.

“It all started when I was only a couple months old.”

“You aren’t about to give me your whole autobiography now, are you?” Shinobu cringed internally. She had better things to do than listen to some long winded story.

(Y/n) seemed to find some enjoyment in Shinobu’s mild annoyance and took it in stride.

“No, no, if you want to play psychoanalysis with me, you might as well get the whole story.”

Shinobu pursed her lips and it took all of (Y/n)’s self control not to laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you an abridged version. My parents were killed by a demon while they were trying to protect me. Then Yushirou came in and ripped the demon up while Tamayo tried to save my parents. Unfortunately, she was too late. It was especially hard for her since she had helped my mother when she was in labor with me. Usually in that kind of situation, she would pass off the children to relatives or close friends, but I reminded her so much of her own children from when she was human that she took me under her care instead.” (Y/n) shared.

“She had children.” Shinobu restated slowly, as if she already knew that it had not ended well.

“Yes. She had been married and had a family of her own a long time ago. She had fallen gravely ill and sought relief. Kibutsuji had promised her a cure without telling her what would happen to her. He turned her into a demon and she had lost herself. Once she regained her mind, she found her family dead by her hand and Kibutsuji forced her to bend to his will for several decades. After she broke free of the curse, all she has ever done is try to find a cure for demons and a way to destroy Kibutsuji. She’s beyond grateful that she has the opportunity to work with you on this.”

Shinobu continued to pay silent attention and gave (Y/n) a nod of acknowledgment. She was starting to see Tamayo’s existence in a new light. At least it wasn’t hard to believe that the demon would despise Kibutsuji after all he had put her through.

“She really is like a mother to me, but she often feels guilty about not giving me up so I could have a better life. Truthfully, I don’t think I would have been happier anywhere else. It really isn’t possible to have a better life as long as Kibutsuji and demons like him exist anyway. I want to help people. I want to help defeat Kibutsuji Muzan and with the knowledge and experience I gained from my adoptive mother. I hope to be a player in the team that spells his demise.” (Y/n) finished, their fist clenched with determination.

Shinobu reached out and covered (Y/n)’s fist with her hand, encouraging them to look up at her rather than the ground.

“You will be.” Shinobu promised, “If anyone could figure this out, we are the team with the best shot at it.”

(Y/n)’s lips curved into a small smile.

“You really aren’t so bad, Kochou-san.”

“Finish your lunch.” Shinobu scoffed quietly. “We can’t very well create a cure if we laze about all day, can we?”

“Yeah, yeah.” (Y/n) rolled their eyes, but their smile persisted.

Once they were finished, they walked back to the Master’s Estate to continue their work.

***

A few weeks later, the team was working like a well-oiled machine. After (Y/n) and Shinobu had seemed to reach an understanding, the only problems that ever seemed to arise were between Shinobu and Yushirou, but they kept the hostilities to a minimum.

Tamayo was elated that (Y/n) and Shinobu were getting along better after starting off on the wrong foot and she was even more floored that the kindness Shinobu was showing (Y/n) was extending to her as well. She never dreamed she would be treated so well when tasked to work with the demon slayer. She looked back down at the herb drawers and released a small, disappointed sigh.

“Kochou-san, it appears we are out of a few herbs already.” She informed regrettably, making room for Shinobu to look.

“I see. That is rather inconvenient. However, these plants are quite common around here. I should be able to gather a fair amount quickly,” Shinobu turned to (Y/n) who was busy with eye droppers and test tubes, “(Y/n)-san, come help me gather?”

“Okay, just a minute.” (Y/n)’s eyes narrowed with concentration as they carefully poised the dropper over the tube and squeezed one drop into the solution. They pulled away with a sigh and carefully set down the dropper. “Ready.”

“Be careful, darling.” Tamayo smiled, kissing the top of (Y/n)’s head despite their mild protests. They just knew Shinobu was going to make fun of them for that later.

“I will. See you soon.” (Y/n) waved then took one of the baskets Shinobu offered them. Together they went outside, the hot sun beating down on them immediately.

“Warm today, isn’t it?” Shinobu commented, swinging her basket.

“That’s a mild way of putting it,” (Y/n) sighed, “I might die.”

“So dramatic. We’ll have to work quickly so we can get inside sooner, hm?”

Shinobu took (Y/n) through the forest until they came to a small grotto with cool, mountain water running through it. The shade of the trees above provided a little buffer from the sun’s rays as they picked mushrooms and yanked plants up the the roots, the sweet smelling soil clung to their clothes and hands. Once their baskets were filled, (Y/n) set their basket down and couched by the waters edge to wash the dirt from their hands. Shinobu crouched beside them to do the same. When she was done, she cupped a little water in her hand and tossed it at (Y/n)’s head.

“Hey!” (Y/n) gasped, wiping their sleeve over their cheek.

“You said you were hot, didn’t you?” Shinobu asked innocently. Her eyes clenched shut as (Y/n) retaliated with an attack of their own.

“You’re right, thanks Kochou-san. I hope you don’t mind me returning the favor.”

Then it was chaos.

They jumped between banks of the stream, splashing each other while trying to avoid each other’s attacks. They laughed and trash talked each other like two normal kids that weren’t in the middle of developing a poison to kill the king of demons.

As (Y/n) jumped across the rocks again in an attempt to avoid Shinobu’s handful of water, they slipped and in their momentary panic, they grabbed the front of Shinobu’s uniform and took her splashing down into the water with them. Both of them gasped as the cold water seeped into their clothes.

Shinobu attempted to glare down at (Y/n) as she tried to get off of them, but she couldn’t help but laugh when (Y/n) was squirming underneath her.

“Ah! Get off, get off! It’s so cold!” They whined, trying to buck Shinobu off.

“You were complaining about how hot it was the whole way here. Isn’t this nice?” Shinobu asked even as she herself was shivering.

“Kochou, you are going to make me drown!” (Y/n) sputtered.

Shinobu grinned and shook her head, finally getting up on wobbly legs. She helped (Y/n) their feet as well. Both were breathless and standing close together in hopes of stealing what little warmth the other hand to offer.

At some point, they got quiet and started moving closer as if something was gently pulling them together. Then (Y/n) turned to the side to sneeze and the spell was broken.

“We should get going. Change out of these wet clothes.” Shinobu cleared her throat and stepped out of the stream to grab her basket.

“Right.” (Y/n) stammered, grabbing their own basket.

They walked back to Ubuyashiki’s Estate. Both of their hearts beating unusually fast, and not because of the cold, mountain water.

***

After nearly working themself to the point of passing out, Tamayo and Yushirou finally convinced (Y/n) to join Shinobu back at her Estate for some much needed rest away from the lab. (Y/n) wanted to argue that Shinobu had a lab of her own as well but decided against it.

(Y/n) and Shinobu had been sort of oddly dancing around each other since the stream incident, but it did little to harm their work ethic. It wasn’t as if they were avoiding each other or being cold, they were just extra careful around the other as if they were worried about scaring them away.

(Y/n) bid Yushirou and Tamayo goodbye and went outside to meet Shinobu who had been waiting for them under a wisteria tree.

“Ready to go?” Shinobu asked softly.

“If I must.” (Y/n) moaned. “I just wish I felt some sense of accomplishment.”

“We will get there.” Shinobu assured. “But not if we can’t even keep our eyes open long enough to read a single paragraph.”

“That only happened once.”

“Try four times.” Shinobu smirked, lightly body checking (Y/n).

(Y/n) rolled their eyes and returned the favor, not expecting Shinobu to almost fall over. They caught her and steadied her, quickly apologizing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push that hard. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just tired.” Shinobu smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes at all.

(Y/n) had been worried about Shinobu. Sometimes she seemed fine, but sometimes she looked almost ill. They asked her about it on occasion, but she always brushed them off.

Once fed and bathed, (Y/n) collapsed into their futon and snuggled under the covers and promptly passed out. Shinobu watched them from the door and smiled to herself, wishing them quiet, pleasant dreams before closing the door and walking to her own room across the hall.

Shinobu closed the door to her room behind her and frowned, pulling open a drawer that held her jar of powdered wisteria. She had been dosing herself with the poison for over a year at this point. Of course there were side effects, but her body could handle it as long as she stayed consistent with her measurements. It was all worth it if her body would be toxic enough to destroy an Upper Moon. She had one in mind specifically, but she wasn’t so foolish as to believe she would have a choice as to who she would face when the demons made their move.

Shinobu was many things, but she knew her limitations. In her mind there was no chance she was going to walk away from this battle once all was said and done, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If nothing else, she would choke the life out of the demon who chose to devour her. She hoped her efforts would do her sister proud. Ah, if only she had grown a little taller, then maybe…

Shinobu shook her head. No more lamenting. Just keep moving forward. She poured a measured amount of the powder into her glass of water and stirred it in. She knocked it back and hissed at the familiar burn in the back of her throat. She ventured a small cough for some relief, but that led to a more substantial coughing fit that disturbed the slumber of the person who had been sleeping in the opposite room.

“Kochou? You alright?” (Y/n) yawned, pulling the door open without waiting for permission to enter.

“I’m okay,” Shinobu wheezed, “I just choked on my water a bit.”

“So tired you can’t even drink water right?” (Y/n) joked, moving further into the room. Their eyes found the jar of wisteria powder and before Shinobu could stop them, they picked it up.

“Are you… drinking wisteria?” They asked, upon catching the powder’s scent.

Shinobu opened her mouth to deny it, but thought better of it and nodded solemnly instead.

“Kochou, why? How long have… is this why you look sick sometimes?”

“I’m not strong enough to decapitate demons,” Shinobu sighed walking over to sit on her bed beside (Y/n), “In preparation for this upcoming battle, I’ve been making necessary modifications to my body that will allow me to take down an Upper Moon.”

“You plan to…” (Y/n) couldn’t bring themself to finish their thought and they pursed their lips.

“Yes. Please keep it to yourself. I haven’t told anyone else.”

(Y/n) blew out a large breath of disbelief, and sat bedside Shinobu, processing, as Shinobu explained herself and told them about the fate of her older sister and her own journey to avenge her death. It was relieving almost for Shinobu to share her plans with someone. She had been bottling everything up, acting as if all was normal. It felt so nice to have (Y/n) embrace her as a few stray tears escaped her eyes. She didn’t expect to hear what (Y/n) said next.

~~~

“Then I’ll do it too.”

Shinobu pulled back just enough to look (Y/n) in the eye. She already had a thousand ways to deny them on the tip of her tongue, but (Y/n) spoke faster.

“I know my mother and Yushirou are planning on fighting. Then there’s you and the other slayers as well. If I get caught in the battle, I want to be useful some way too. I can’t fight well, but if I could kill or slow a demon with a high concentration of poison like that, then I would be happy.”

“You have your whole life ahead of you, (Y/n).” Shinobu reminded, she tried to look away, but (Y/n)’s hand came up to hold her face in place.

“And you don’t?” They wiped at the tear tracks the shone on Shinobu’s cheeks. “No one is fighting in this war to die. They’re all trying to protect something and everyone I love is going on the front lines so that’s where I want to be to.”

Shinobu sat Immobilie and watched numbly as (Y/n) turned to observe the measuring spoon dusted in powder. They scooped and leveled it and tapped it into Shinobu’s glass before refilling it with the water pitcher nearby. Shinobu’s breath hitched as they swallowed every last drop.

“That does sting a little.” (Y/n) attempted to joke. They squeezed Shinobu’s hand in a comforting manner and put on a brave smile though their heart was pounding. “Hey, Shinobu, let’s live and fight together until we absolutely can’t anymore, okay?”

~~~

Shinobu exhaled with a watery chuckle and threw herself into (Y/n)’s chest, clutching them tightly. A small, strained, ‘okay,’ was about all she could manage. Then slowly, her hands seemed to move on their own accord snaking around (Y/n)’s neck rather than fisting in their clothes. She pulled herself up so their faces were only a breath apart. It wasn’t entirely clear who leaned in first, but after a few searing kisses left them dizzy, Shinobu murmured a quiet,

“What are we doing?”

“Do you want to stop?” (Y/n) whispered, attempting to pull away.

“No.”

Shinobu pulled them in again and they spent the rest of the night in her room together. They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms with drying tears glowing under the light of the moon.

***

“What if we tried combining these agents?”

“That may be a good avenue to peruse… but what ratios?”

“If we could speed up the aging process to several years per second, we would theoretically not have to rely so heavily on slowing his regenerative powers.”

Discussions such as the one currently unfolding became commonplace over the next several weeks as they worked day and night to create a demon cure and a cocktail of several drugs to weaken Muzan. It was extremely demanding work, but they were making steady progress.

“It’s nearly dawn.” Tamayo observed, closing the curtain. “Yushirou and I can continue to figure out the logistics. You two have been working close to eighteen hours. Please rest.” She encouraged Shinobu and (Y/n), noting with tenderness how (Y/n) jolted awake from where they had sunk against Shinobu’s shoulder.

“I’m good!” They yelled before clearing their throat to repeat themself in a more casual sounding way. Shinobu gave them a sideways glance, then shook her head.

“You’re right, Tamayo-san. We are only human after all, I would hate for fatigue to cloud our judgment.” Shinobu stood from her chair, almost having to catch (Y/n) from falling off of their own in the process, “I’ll take (Y/n) with me if that is all right. I would like to make sure their health isn’t suffering beyond what would be expected for staying up so long.”

“Do you not think Lady Tamayo could take care of them?” Yushirou challenged, only to be met with Tamayo’s disarming tone.

“It’s okay, Yushirou.” She said. “It would do them some good to have a change of scenery for a awhile, even if they sleep through it. Please take care of them, Kochou-san.”

“I’m awake,” (Y/n) yawned, “don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”

“Of course, you have my word, Tamayo-san.” Shinobu promised. She was still not quite able to stare the demon doctor in the eye for long. But now it was because of a mixture of shame for treating her so poorly initially and even more so because she had made out with the woman’s adopted child on several occasions now and touched them less than innocently. (Y/n) had promised her that Tamayo wouldn’t mind, that she probably would be happy, even. However, Shinobu was not so sure that would be true. Yushirou sure didn’t seem like the type that would skip around them while congratulating and tossing flowers at them.

“Thank you,” Tamayo smiled and stepped forward to kiss the top of (Y/n)’s head, “sleep well darling, safe travels.”

“See you later, Kaa-san.” (Y/n) was much too tired to try to convince her that they could keep going, they hugged Tamayo and waved at Yushirou, then followed Shinobu outside.

“The sunrise is beautiful this morning isn’t it?” Shinobu asked, her hand slipping into (Y/n)’s as if on reflex.

“It is really lovely, energizing even. I could get back to work right now.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Shinobu spoke softly, “You look like you could topple over at a moments notice. You’re feeling the affects more acutely now, aren’t you?”

“Mm, a bit. It’s uncomfortable, but I’m managing. I just don’t know what I’ll say if they acknowledge the change in my scent.” They said.

Ever since they had begun taking the wisteria beside Shinobu, they had been worried about Tamayo and Yushirou finding out. They didn’t want to hurt them.

“You can just chalk it up to spending so much time with me lately.”

“That might raise even more questions about why I’m spending enough time with you that you have completely covered my scent, and we both know you don’t want to have that conversation.”

“I’m sorry.” Shinobu knew it couldn’t be easy for (Y/n) to keep their relationship from their family like this, but they never complained. It made Shinobu feel cowardly.

“You don’t have to apologize. It would probably be a distraction if they knew anyway.” (Y/n) said, securing their fingers between Shinobu’s. “If we tell them, we tell them, if we don’t, then we don’t.”

“We will tell them.” Shinobu promised. “I just, need a little more time. I was awful to you all before, I want to be able to make up for that.”

“Hey, you got better. I got better. Even Yushirou got better. My mother couldn’t be happier.”

“Still, I want to be a good partner in the time we have. I like you, I respect Tamayo-san, even Yushirou has grown on me. I want to do right by all of you.”

“You already are. Come on,” (Y/n) tugged on Shinobu’s hand, pulling her the the Butterfly Estate glowing in the distance, “you must be tired too to be this sappy.”

Shinobu would have found a way to retaliate against (Y/n)’s quick dismissal of her words, but the soft look on their face made her let it go.

***

Shinobu hid a yawn behind her hand as she walked to the secret lab. She had not been getting much sleep over the past six months, but that was just par for the course she suspected. She had been working tirelessly alongside Tamayo, Yushirou and (Y/n) to create a cure and had just returned from tending to matters at the Butterfly Estate.

Shinobu opened the door, surprised to find only (Y/n) inside with their back turned to her. She was about to ask them where Tamayo and Yushirou were, but instead froze upon seeing what (Y/n) was focusing their attention on.

“What is that?” Shinobu called from the door, bracing herself against the wall when (Y/n) turned around, putting the cat they were petting on full display.

“A cat.” They answered simply.

“I know it’s a cat, what is it doing in my lab?” Shinobu asked, glaring at the furry creature.

“Ah ah, our lab.” (Y/n) corrected cheekily. “This is Chachamaru, he’s a bit like a familiar to my mother. Apparently Tanjirou was able to collect a promising demon blood sample.” They explained, brandishing the small device filled with blood for Shinobu to see.

“Wonderful. Can the cat leave now?”

“What do you have against Chachamaru?” (Y/n) asked in a babyish tone, as they picked up the cat just below his front legs and let him dangle like a pendulum.

“Don’t bring that thing any closer to me, (Y/n), I’m serious! It’s gross!” Shinobu took a few more steps towards the furthest corner of the room.

“Okay, okay! Jeez, Kochou.” (Y/n) set Chachamaru on the floor. The cat meowed and promptly turned invisible.

Shinobu did not like that.

“Where did it go?” She hissed, raising to her tip-toes and hopping across the room. “Is it a damn ghost?” Shinobu loved a good ghost story, but this was not it.

(Y/n) laughed, not expecting Shinobu to leap into their arms and climb up their shoulders. They adjusted their stance to keep them both from toppling over.

“He’s not a ghost, it’s just Yushirou’s demon blood art. Every time he meows, he will disappear or reappear. He’s probably gone back to my mother’s room by now. You don’t need to worry. Why do you hate cats so much anyway?” They asked, looking up at the Hashira still perched on their shoulders, while her eyes searched the floor for any suspicious movement.

“It’s not just cats, all furry animals are filthy.” Shinobu shuddered. “Have you been letting that thing roam free this entire time?”

“He’s harmless and very intelligent. I promise he won’t ever bother you. He knows when he’s not welcome.” (Y/n) assured.

“You better hope so.” Shinobu grumbled, cautiously sliding off of (Y/n)’s back, yet still using them as a makeshift shield. “Where are Tamayo-san and Yushirou?”

“Resting and refueling.” (Y/n) informed.

“Oh? When do you think they’ll be back?” Shinobu asked, skimming her fingers over (Y/n)’s arm.

“You’re insatiable.” (Y/n) flustered and smacked Shinobu’s wandering hands away.

“And you like that about me.” Shinobu murmured. “Come on, it’s been awhile since we had a moment to ourselves like this.”

“You mean since yesterday?” (Y/n) teased.

“Just kiss me a couple times so we can get back to work invigorated, hm?”

(Y/n) checked the door and bit their lower lip. After listening for a moment and hearing nothing, they turned back to Shinobu and fulfilled her request. When they finally pulled away, Shinobu rested her head against their chest to listen to their heart thrum as she controlled her breathing.

“Your heart still beats as fast as the first time.” She observed with a chuckle.

“Well you still blush that pretty shade of pink like the first time.” (Y/n) teased in return, making Shinobu blush even more.

In an attempt to shut them up, she latched back onto their lips only to quickly pull away when two gasps ranging from surprised to angry were heard from the doorway.

“My goodness… sorry.” Tamayo spoke slowly as if she couldn’t believe what she had witnessed.

“What the fuck?!” Yushirou ineloquently proclaimed. He didn’t know if he wanted to ask (Y/n) if they had lost their mind or simply rip Shinobu’s lips off.

“Wait, I can explain!” (Y/n) said, then proceeded to not explain anything, instead floundering for something to say.

“Tamayo-san, Yushirou-san,” Shinobu spoke up. “Would you come with me if it isn’t asking too much?”

“Are you—!”

“Of course, Kochou-san,” Tamayo interrupted Yushirou, giving him a look, “lead the way.”

(Y/n) moved to follow, but Shinobu held them back.

“This is something I must do alone. I’ve put this off much too long.”

“But—“

“Work on that blood sample while we chat, okay?” Shinobu asked.

(Y/n) could do nothing but watch as Shinobu followed Tamayo and Yushirou out of the lab. Logistically they knew she would be fine, but they wanted to at least be in the room for support.

Shinobu led Tamayo and Yushirou to a vacant room and motioned them to make themselves comfortable. She sat opposite side of the low table and nervously wiped the sweat from her hands onto her pants.

“First and foremost allow me to apologize for that… public display of affection.”

“It’s fine. Just, surprising, is all.” Tamayo smiled awkwardly while Yushirou glared and growled.

“Please do not be upset with (Y/n) for not telling you. I asked them not to because I was afraid you would not approve after our… tense beginnings.”

“That’s putting it very lightly.” Yushirou hissed. He could not believe (Y/n) fell for this woman of all people. Perhaps she was some kind of succubus! He helped raise (Y/n), to see their judgment fail them so completely appalled him. “Just what are you planning? Are their emotions some game to you?”

“Yushirou!” Tamayo scolded.

“No, it’s alright. I deserve it.” Shinobu knew Yushirou would be difficult to convince. “I know my word may not be worth anything to you, but I swear (Y/n) is precious to me. I have fallen for them and everyday I wonder how I could be so lucky that they feel the same way.”

“I’m wondering that too.”

“Yushirou…”

Yushirou straightened his spine, a bead of sweat clung to his temple. He turned away from Tamayo, hoping she wasn’t too cross with him.

After she was sure Yushirou would keep to himself, Tamayo turned to Shinobu and smiled, maneuvering to sit beside the young woman. She hugged Shinobu, giving her ample time to pull away if she so wished. Shinobu was surprised, but sunk into the hug easily. It had been too long since she felt such a motherly embrace.

“You are much too hard on yourself, Kochou-san. I think you are a wonderful girl. I’m glad (Y/n) can rely on you. You have my blessing. Take care of each other.”

“We will. Thank you, Tamayo-san.”

Tamayo pulled away and patted Shinobu’s cheek affectionately before standing back up.

“Let’s get back to work. I can’t imagine (Y/n) is getting much done after we left them alone like this.”

Yushirou clamored after her and Shinobu followed behind them. Her heart was still beating fast, but her body felt much lighter.

“Everyone’s alive? No one was maimed?” (Y/n) asked, looking everyone over for any sign of struggle.

“Everything is just as it should be, darling.” Tamayo assured, kissing the top of (Y/n)’s head before gliding to the beakers in the back of the room. “Let’s work with this new sample Chachamaru brought in now, alright? We have a job to do after all.”

“Right!”

***

“I really hope it works.” (Y/n) said after walking quietly with Shinobu back in the Master’s Estate.

They had finished what they believed to be a cure to turn demons back to humans. They were just coming back now from seeing off Urokodaki and Nezuko before the demon girl was whisked away to take the medicine somewhere safe and hidden. It was both exciting and nerve wracking. They only had so many resources and by extension could only make a handful of serum. Hopefully what they handed off to Urokodaki was enough. Shinobu even gave one to Kanao to hold onto just in case she found need for it.

“We gave it our all. There’s nothing more we could have given. Now, it’s up to everyone else.” Shinobu smiled softly.

“I don’t like how you said that.” (Y/n) squeezed Shinobu’s hand as they walked. “We’re not out of this yet. We still have fight left in us.”

“You’re right.” Shinobu rose their joined hands to kiss (Y/n)’s.

“I usually am. I think we earned the right to relax tonight though.” (Y/n) added with a grin.

“I love the way you think.” Shinobu smiled in return.

“So what would—“

A bright flash soon accompanied by an Earth shattering boom shook the ground. In the direction of Ubuyashiki’s Estate, smoke and the heated glow of fire could be seen from where (Y/n) and Shinobu stood in a state of shock.

“Master!”

“Kaa-san, Yushirou!”

They forced themselves to move, to run in the direction of the explosion. (Y/n) ran as fast as they could to keep up with Shinobu, which was not as easy task. Other voices could be heard, the other Hashira calling for their Master as they descended upon the burning rubble.

Then the ground opened up beneath (Y/n) and Shinobu, causing them to fall through into a fortress of nightmares. The ceiling closed up and the yelling was silenced.

(Y/n) helped Shinobu to her feet, looking up and down the long hallway as the sick smell of blood wafted through the air. (Y/n) felt behind them for their pouch of poisons and medicine they modeled after Nezuko’s fire, at least they weren’t going into this completely unarmed. They felt Shinobu’s trembling hand on their arm and they turned to her, putting on a brave smile that mirrored Shinobu’s.

“I love you.” She whispered, knowing she might not have a chance to say it again.

“I love you too.” (Y/n) said in return, doing their best to keep their breathing even.

They moved in to kiss Shinobu and it felt unlike any other they had shared. So slow and delicate as if they were afraid the other would break. Reluctantly, they pulled apart. They had taken too much time already. People needed help.

They walked down the hall, the smell of blood becoming stronger. Shinobu held her arm out, signaling (Y/n) to stop. She slid the door back and an icy chill caused the hair at the backs of their necks to prickle.

In the middle of the maze of boardwalks sat a demon munching on the corpse of a human. He turned to look at the invaders and smiled, his rainbow eyes gleamed, but were emotionally dull. However the kanji on his eyes read clear as day, Upper Moon Two.

Shinobu drew her sword and (Y/n) felt for a syringe in their pouch.

“Oh, Nakime-chan brought snacks?”

Shinobu and (Y/n) braced themselves for battle. They would hold out for as long as they could and then go beyond that. Slayers were spread throughout the fortress. If they could hold out long enough, perhaps reinforcements would arrive.

As they clashed with the demon’s icy winds and razor sharp fans, filling him with a cocktail of poisons, a boy wearing the head of a boar and a girl desperately searching for her sister ran through the twisting corridors, steadily getting closer.

[jus-let-me-read]

Truly the best long shot

[jus-let-me-read]

God I better get a fucking bingo when ST5 drops (was made before the release of the ST5 trailer)

Please ignore the random anti Vickie on one of the squares I’m bitter

Did I cook???????? Yes????? No???????? I’m delusional??

[miyakuli]

** Permission to post it was granted by the artist Do not repost/edit the art without permission Please, support the artist on their pages too **

Artist : とりかご (twitter / IG / bsky)

Source

[jus-let-me-read]

This is gay cause I said so.

One of the gayest fucking things you can do for another person is doing something completely unnecessary that you really don’t have to. Like, WHAT IS THE LEGITIMATE IN SHOW REASON FOR NANCY TO SIT ON THE ARM OF THE COUCH, HER BODY TILTED TOWARDS ROBIN. GIVE ME IT RIGHT NOW. THERE IS SO MUCH ROOM???!!!

[gaymessallday]

These slapped me back into the brainrot

[jus-let-me-read]

She did not need to stare at her that much. LIKE HELP with the last one it's not even subtle SHES JUST FULL ON TURNED TOWARDS HER. Maya Hawke you're not helping my ronance obsessed heart

[jus-let-me-read]

Ronance brainrot is still hearing in your head Robin screaming out "Nancy!" after she jumped after Steve despite not touching the fandom in multiple months.

And every other bloody piece of dialogue between these two living rent free up here, and just knowing whatever ST5 has to offer will have me in a chokehold for a long time. Also mini tidbit thought but I'm low-key scared for ST5 because I know it'll be possibly filled with Stancy and I just- no thanks not for me

[jus-let-me-read]

Payphone Lyric Prank!

Momojirou | Crack! Fic

Part 1 | Part 2 ⬇️ (you are here)

[jus-let-me-read]

Payphone Lyric Prank!

Momojirou | Crack! Fic

Part 1 ⬇️ (you are here) | Part 2

[yuribait-battle]

Side A Round 2

Claudine/Maya vs Chisato/Takina

Claudine/Maya from Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight

Chisato/Takina from Lycoris Recoil

Voting ended onSep 19, 2023

Remember, we're voting for the best bait, not necessarily the best ship

Propaganda under the cut:

Claudine/Maya

havent watched it but theres this seriously mega gay 11 minute video on youtube and its like what the hell. genuinely. wait let me look for it. https://youtu.be/c3rrQpwKwPI theres like a fight scene and a dance at the same time while romantic music that says lines like “only look at me” plays. umm they also compliment each other and call themselves rivals. things like that. iconic quote: “maya!” “claudine!” “for heroes there are trials…” “for saints there are temptations…” and in unison, “for me there is you!” as they say this there is less than an inch of distance between their faces. btw. its basically a wedding if you think about it. also according to the comments maya gives her soul to claudine?? so tag. you know

Chisato/Takina

honestly ive no idea since i've never seen it myself but i feel like it says something that when i see this poll, these girls are the first thing i think of despite having never watched the anime. u have no idea

Chisato teaches Takina how to person, takes her on a aquarium date, takes her shopping (including for lingerie!!), is very cuddly with her, etc. Takina gets very clingy with Chisato, extremely protective, gives up what had been her entire goal to save Chisato, repeatedly listens to her (lack of a) heartbeat (certainly without any ulterior motives, obvs). The last scene of the first season is Chisato twirling Takina around in the surf with a lesbian flag-coloured sunset behind them, then both falling together into it. There's more, but I think you get the idea lol

Look I don't know if they're gonna do anything about it when the sequel thingy comes out but if they don't they're losers and I'm submitting in case of that. Why are they going out on dates in the aquarium? Why is one of them listening to the other's heartbeat? Why did the other risk her own life to save the other's? Why were they roommates for a while? Why did they fundamentally change each other's lives? Well folks it's all because of purely hetero friendship, obviously. Sigh. They're not as bad as many others here, obviously, but I'm just putting this out here

[jus-let-me-read]

Kuromaya better be winning this. I will riot. Like there is so much shit they do that cannot be excused as platonic activity, to the point even the most homophobic, in denial person alive would call them gay.

I lost Jori last time but I will fucking win one thing I swear to god-

anyway-

Their rivalry is complimented so well to who they are as characters. Claudine is so used to being beaten by Maya, to the point she's obsessed with beating her. But that doesn't mean Maya doesn't acknowledge her as her rival. She definitely does. What makes them so great is that they're able to spur the other one on, in a way that will motivate them to try harder. In a way that literally only the other person can do. To Maya, Claudine is the only person for her. To Claudine, Maya is the only person for her. That's because the other person makes themselves try to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be. Their lyrics are always so consistently gay it's painful. Their banter is painful. And the fact not one single character called them out for how fucking gay they are is borderline homophobia.

Some of my favourite moments and random tidbits:

•In the beginning of the series one of the first proper scenes we get to see of Claudine is literally her staring at her tablet, analyzing Maya. Analyzing her movements and applying it to her own, to what she can improve.

-Not only is Claudine able to recognize and analyze Maya's movements, but she literally has all of this content on her tablet in the first place. She's like actually obsessed with her. I also find it sweet how she refers to what Maya does since that shows a sense of admiration. Like she's able to acknowledge that there is definitely something she can learn from Maya. It works since they're always learning from each other.

•To what made their shipping and moments sky rocket the most in the series was definitely their revue against Hikari and Karen. Like after they lost Maya was just wrecked and was obviously struggling to accept this. She quite literally proclaims "Tendou Maya never loses." To which then Maya then speaks French (note: that's Claudine's native tongue and it hasn't even been known Maya can speak French too till now). Cue a gay conversation where Maya refers to Claudine as "Ma Claudine." Quite literally translated back to "My Claudine." So... you know. What else more do you need? Maya also says “With you, I’ll be able to fly even higher.” Which helps acknowledge the whole point of why they're so perfect together. Oh also we can't forget Maya saying Claudine is cute when she cries.

Oh and of course I'm not done yet. This is nothing. They can get gayer. They always do.

•Anyway following that gay ass episode they're a lot less antagonistic to some extent towards each other so you can definitely tell something did change. Then fast forward to the movie and these two decide to be the gayest they can possibly be. Maya of course, though more acknowledging of Claudine as some sort of equal she's still hugely obsessed with being on top. Anyway Let me just quote actual dialogue from the movie, because that should be able to speak for itself and should get my nonexistent point across. Also because if I were to even try to explain what the fuck was going on during this revue it'd just end up sounding like gibberish. Note quotes are out of order and half of them are them singing in the background whilst others may be actual dialogue said during their revue.

"When I show you that brilliance, I will receive your soul"

"On the stage sparks fly"

"Right now, you're the cutest you've ever been"

"I'm always cute."

"For all of eternity. We are flames that fall together while burning."

"Only me always forever. You only need to look at me"

"If I'm in front of you Be it ugly or beautiful I'll expose my everything"

"All of it Forever and ever, I'd like to cross swords with you

"....For me there is you"

"I want to show you My feelings becoming dyed in Black"

"Saijou Claudine you are beautiful."

"Only I can make you lay everything bare"

•And if for some reason that isn't enough I'll just pull out content from outside of the anime and movie. Yes, they are gay even outside of those.

"Saijou-san couldn't cope with it and said something quite surprising in her sleep" - Maya

-Heck if I know why the hell Maya was even around to hear what Claudine was saying in her sleep.

"You're so obvious, you thought I wouldn't notice? You think too little of me."

"The fact you watch me so closely...I feel blessed as an actress."

-Nothing like Claudine always no matter what noticing the littlest of changes in Maya. If I recall correctly there's even a dialogue in the game where Claudine notices Maya's hair got a trim and she was like the only one to notice.

-No Dialogue for this instance but there was basically this story thing in the game where Maya was gone, like completely disappeared and the only one who noticed was Claudine. Shows how much they impact the others life.

"I'll land the lead. I WILL be Maya Tendo's bride...The best bride the stage has ever seen"

"Maya Tendo's bride..."

-Oh yeah there's your lil ol' marriage acting fun. No seriously what else do you need. This is practically confirmation at this point. Claudine is a bit too obsessed about this being Maya's bride thing.

I know there's definitely more but I don't want to type more than I already am.

•Anyway if that's somehow not enough heres just images of them being painfully gay in the anime.

[yuribait-battle]

Side B Round 1

Diana/Akko vs Jade/Tori

Diana/Akko from Little Witch Academia

Jade/Tori from Victorious

Voting ended onSep 12, 2023

Remember, we're voting for the best bait, not necessarily the best ship

Propaganda under the cut:

Diana/Akko

these witches are GAY I swear to god. Fellas, is it gay to follow your rival as she leaves the school to follow her destiny? Is it gay to try to convince her that deep down in her heart, it's instead her destiny to stay? Is it gay to rebuild the world in a loving image together? Not according to Studio Trigger, it isnt.

Lumity if it wasn't canon

Jade/Tori

watched the quintonreviews 13 hour victorious review and im a truther now

They have a gigantic energy of an enemies and lovers type of ship and I am still thinking about that one time when Tori had a full Jade costume ready to put on

[jus-let-me-read]

Sorry Diakko shippers I may be one of y'all but Jori was definitely some sort of bait, like there's no way in my head I can fathom what was going through the writers head with half of their scenes.

-Tori being the ONLY one who can touch Jade 90% of the time. Fine, whatever I'll excuse that as some stupid main character shit.

-BUT I WILL NOT EXCUSE JADE AND TORI QUITE LITERALLY BEING SET UP ON A DATE, ACKNOWLEDGING ITS A DATE, AND SINGING A SONG TOGETHER ON SAID DATE (which btw is definitely the best song of the whole series, and it doesn't exactly help Liz and Vic's voices blended together is practically heaven to my ears)

-AND I WILL ALSO NOT EXCUSE THAT STUPID FUCKING NECKLACE. TORI HAD A NECKLACE ON AND OFF THROUGHOUT THE SERIES THAN MAGICALLY AFTER THEIR PLAYDATE JADE'S NOW WEARING IT. WHAT IS GOING ON????? THAT'S SOME GAY EXCHANGING JEWELRY SHIT

-Also Tori's stupid slap status updates whatever about Jade just screams borderline obsessed with this girl

[jus-let-me-read]

Suffocating Feelings

Words: 1502

Joyce and Hopper’s wedding is today, and a newly dating Robin and Nancy get ready together. They still have to deal with the repercussions of the Upside Down, but they’re trying their best together.

TW: panic attacks

-

“Thank god Joyce is letting me wear a suit to her wedding,” Robin sighed out underneath her breath. She looked at herself in the recently added full-length mirror in Nancy’s room. Her hands reached out to unbutton the top button. Where, even though a suit is a lot more comfortable than a dress, it wasn’t perfect. The cotton white shirt complemented by the navy blue blazer she rented out a week before. She squinted at herself in the mirror, stepping back as she did. From the corner of the mirror, she could see the back of Nancy’s head as she put on some final touches to her makeup.

Robin faced towards Nancy, uselessly messing with the cuffs of the sleeves. “Nance, can you, uh- can you help me out here?” Her voice stumbled as she fumbled around with her right sleeve. As soon as Nancy turned towards Robin, she couldn’t help but lose her breath. She gulped, taking in the woman she was lucky enough to call her girlfriend. “Wow. You look- wow,” Robin uttered, composing herself. “You look beautiful.”

Nancy, soaking in the compliment, had an infectious smile. She looked giddy as she looked down at her heels, back up to Robin, looking flushed. “And you look perfect in your suit,” she said, stepping towards her. She reached towards the cuffs of Robin’s suit, buttoning each sleeve.

Nancy stepped towards her bed, grabbing the navy blue tie that went with the suit. She smiled up at her girlfriend, briefly going on her toes to kiss her. “You ready to go to a wedding?” She asked, meeting her gaze.

“I’m surprised I’m invited at all, to be honest,” Robin admitted. “I mean, I’m not the best of buddies with either Hopper or Joyce.”

“Of course you’re invited, Robin. I mean, sure, you haven’t directly worked with either of them, but you helped them- us save the world multiple times.” Nancy replied in a heartbeat. “That goes beyond being Hopper’s coworker or Joyce’s neighbor. It’s so much more.”

Robin looked unsure. Even if she knew she was likely to be invited to the wedding, especially since Will was attached to Robin in a unique sense, it still felt weird. She knew so much about the couple, and a lot about stuff so many people don’t know themselves, but the most words she spoke to both of the parents have always been a simple greeting. “You sure?” she asked, as her hands played with the collar of her shirt.

“I’m positive. They’ll be happy to see you there.” She offered her girlfriend a comforting smile. “Besides, the kids absolutely adore you and Steve is like your soulmate.”

Nancy draped the tie over Robin’s neck, playing with each end as she recalled a memory on how to tie a tie. Though she didn’t do it as often as before, she had helped both Jonathan and Mike at one point.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked, noticing Robin’s shifty gaze. She placed her hand gently on her shoulder, catching her attention. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“No, no,” Robin quickly said. “Just post wedding nerves, I guess. I hadn’t really been to a wedding before. I mean, sure, there was my aunt, but I was like 5 at the time, so that barely counts.” Before she could continue, she shut her mouth to stop herself from rambling.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nancy tried. Robin simply nodded ‘no’, looking down at her tie, signaling Nancy to continue. Nancy took both ends of the tie, crossing them both as she recounted each step slowly. She looked up at Robin, meeting her intense gaze with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Robin took in a deep breath, watching as Nancy crossed the wide end of the tie from behind, pulling the necktie slightly to pass it through the neck loop. The motions were all her brain seemed to be focused on. She got around to wrapping the tie around once again and looping it for the last time. The necktie was wrapped around her neck loosely, barely even close to being considered tight. It looked almost silly.

Just as Nancy’s hands moved towards her tie, one hand holding the base as the other held the end, she started to tighten it. The necktie got closer and closer to her neck, and Robin lost her breath. Suddenly, Robin could feel the black like-tentacle around her neck choking her all over again. The upside down Victor Creel house was fresh in her mind. The feeling of her breath shortening before she’d eventually black out and be left for dead. Haphazardly, she grabbed at the tentacle and pawed at it, prying it off desperately. She sank to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and felt her vision blur as she was back in Nancy’s room.

Robin was on her knees. The tie, though not completely off, was back hanging around her neck with visible folds and creases. She couldn’t hear anything aside from her loud heart, as she desperately tried to catch her breath. She looked around her room panicky, calling out to Nancy, though her mouth couldn’t fully make out the words. Not even a second later, Robin felt warm arms wrap around her back, her vision being overcome by familiar brown curls.

“...”

“... okay.”

“You’re okay.” Nancy’s voice was reassuring as she processed the words.

“Robin, can you hear me?”

Robin nodded. She choked out a shaky ‘yes,’ only then realizing she was crying. Weakly, she wrapped her arms around Nancy as tight as she could. She listened to Nancy as she coaxed her to breathe with her.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Robin’s breathing settled, her erratic heartbeat slowing. Upon noticing Robin’s composure return, Nancy slightly pulled back, looking at Robin’s face. One of her hands hesitantly reached up, rubbing away a stray tear. “You’re okay, Robin. Nothing is going to come get you. Everything is settled with. Just remember that.” Nancy whispered softly in a coaxing tone. “Do you want to come sit on the bed?”

Robin could only weakly nod as Nancy helped her up and maneuvered her towards the bed. Before Nancy could speak, Robin found her voice. “Thank you.”

Nancy smiled weakly, happy to see Robin back to herself again. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier. It didn’t really cross my mind that a tie would-“ Her voice hesitated, a moment of silence following as Nancy couldn’t find the right words. Though Nancy hasn’t had a particular experience about her neck yet, she had gone out of her way to avoid certain necklaces and chokers.

“It’s not your fault,” Robin said. “Look, it’s silly really, I mean-“

“It’s not silly,” Nancy immediately interjected, unintentionally raising her voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just that- it’s not silly at all for you to react like that. You went through something traumatizing. Don’t fault yourself for the way you react towards things.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, though her heart wasn’t in it. “I know I shouldn’t. It’s just been getting to me a lot more recently.” Her hand reached up towards her neck hesitantly, tracing over the faded bruise. “Even though it’s healing, sometimes it’s like I can still feel it. I haven’t really been one to like tight clothes, but after the whole Vecna thing, it just turned into an actual problem.”

Nancy placed her hand naturally onto Robin’s, running her palm over Robin’s fingers before holding her hand. She could see faded scars, some more evident than others, from her own experiences. “Yeah, I get what you mean. Everyone has been finding their own ways to deal with things, and we’re all just going through the repercussions.” Her voice came out softly, hesitating over each of her words. Truth be told, they haven’t talked about the upside down that often. Nancy’s had nights where Robin stayed up with her after she had a nightmare, and they had a conversation lasting for hours as Nancy recounted the story behind a couple of her scars.

Robin lightly chuckled. “I guess that comes with saving Hawkins. Just part of the package deal.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you deal with things?” Nancy asked, her voice slightly wavering with each word as she thought of how to properly phrase it.

Robin paused in thought, before laying back in Nancy’s bed, uncaring of the fancy suit she wore. She met Nancy’s eyes and reached for her hand again, squeezing it. “This is already enough. I’m just happy to have you here,” she said, before her tone shifted. “Although, I won’t be opposed to more movie nights as background noise.”

“Well, you’re the one working at Family Video, so I may just have to rely on you for that part.”

“I wouldn’t trust your movie background anyway,” Robin teased, her grin betraying her.

“It was one bad romcom!”

[jus-let-me-read]

Imagine: How the MHA boys react to you confessing to them (This is a joke don't take it seriously)

Denki Kaminari

-You told him after hero training

-He wasn't feeling all too well after some rather disappointing results with his training

-You made him feel better and gave him something to be glad about today

Katsuki Bakugou

-You told him way too early in the morning and he's extra cranky

-His one track mind has him focus on his hero training to become the number one hero

-Even though he acknowledges your feelings it may take a bit to actually score a date with him

Izuku (Deku) Midoriya

-You told him after classes for the day

-He's honored that you feel that way towards him and will remember that you confessed to him

-You turn him into a rambling mess as he tries to process how to respond to your feelings

Eijiro Kirishima

-You told him just before he was about to go to bed for the day

-It takes him a while to process your feelings

-He's not used to getting confessed to but he will make sure to handle your feelings kindly

Hitoshi Shinsou

-You told him during lunch period where neither of you were around too many onlookers

-He doesn't totally understand why you like him in the first place

-He's confused but he'll try to take your feelings seriously

[jus-let-me-read]

"Where's Nance? Is she busy or something?" Steve asked as he loudly, but smoothly climbed through Nancy's window, a lot more gracefully than Robin had done.

Robin shrugged. "She's either yelling at Mike or ruining another pot. She's still trying to learn this dish her mom made way back when, and the pots are going through absolute hell."

"Geez, is her cooking that bad?"

"Well," Robin paused, "let's just say it could be a lot better."

A familiar static noise came from Robin's walkie talkie that layed on Nancy's bedside table. The familiar noise slowly turning into Nancy's clear voice. A shiver ran down Robin's spine as she awkwardly smiled.

"I can hear you two, you know. You aren't exactly quiet."

"Oh no," Robin mumbled, stifling a noise as Steve's reaction was making her laugh. "I've been caught." Steve's own laugh being infectious as he covered his mouth to muffle it.

"If you must know, I am cooking and the pots are completely fine, Robin." A fake stern and bitter voice was heard, as a random noise went on in the background. "I thought you enjoyed tasting everything I make, but if it could be a lot better than-"

"I'm sorry!" Robin broke, blurting out the apology as she haphazardly reached for the walkie talkie. "I love your cooking and I'll always be your taste tester, even if the half the stuff you make is slightly burnt." Robin finished, briefly pausing to glance at Steve before looking back down at the device in her hands.

"Over," she quickly added, just as Steve audibly sighed and visibly ran a hand through his hair.

She heard a giggle over the receiver and smiled at the sound. "Wait, are they actually burnt?" Nancy asked, her tone shifting to genuine worry. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was just nice to see you that dedicated over something," Robin admitted. "I am honest when I 'critic' your food. It just makes me happy to see how passionate you are over this. And I just want to support you in whatever, you know?"

Nancy couldn't resist the unconscious smile pulling at her cheeks. "That's very sweet Robin, but I don't want to feed you burnt food. I want to make dishes that you enjoy."

"I'll enjoy anything you make me," Robin said earnestly. "Except if it includes some nasty shit, or like something I'm allergic to," she added as an afterthought.

[jus-let-me-read]

"Wait, Nance!" Robin called after her, almost tripping on a random grass patch, as she ran after her. "Nancy! I'm not really clear on the plan here!"

Only did Nancy reply once they arrived in the building they were supposed to sneak into. "Just follow me," Nancy annoyingly ordered, a rather awkward conversation with Jonathan about their relationship still fresh on her mind.

Robin simply gave her a two finger salute she was sure Nancy missed. "Okay then," she mumbled out quietly. Before bending down making sure Nancy didn't fall as she climbed onto the side railing to get to the broken window. Robin stayed silent as Nancy helped her into the building, weary of the old broken glass on the floor.

As they walked through the isolated dark hallway, the two occasionally looking around peeking into a room, Nancy was the first to break the silence.

"Sorry," Nancy apologized, her voice slightly echoing off the walls.

"Huh?" Robin looked at her. "What for?"

Nancy kicked at air as she awkwardly side stepped towards Robin. "I'm sorry for getting all bitchy on you. Everyone has just been getting on my nerves and I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Oh!" Robin said, cringing as she heard it echo. "That's alright. It's a high stressful time for you and all that." She shrugged, turning on her flashlight to keep her hands occupied.

"No," Nancy sighed. "It isn't okay. You've been the least annoying person to me right now." She admitted, looking to meet Robin's gaze, hoping to express something to her.

Robin sucked in her lips as she beamed. "I'm glad."

[jus-let-me-read]

Interested

Ronance | Platonic! Steddie/Stobin | 'Fruity' Four

← Part 1 | Part 2 ↓ (you are here)