[nurturingflames]

homra-no-artemis:

          Were it an anime, her clothes and hair would have turned static or spiky with the quiet jump of surprise that jolted her body when he spoke. She glanced down at the object between her hands before looking over her shoulder, an odd expression having come over her face with the embarrassment she felt at having been startled by his voice.

          Her lips pulled downward in something that could be called a frown, reluctance heard from her in the form of her voice fragmented within a sigh. “…why was I put in charge of starting the tree-decorating again? This was bound to happen…it’s like Totsuka-san planned it…” It was no secret that the fresh traceuse was easily the shortest person of the Clan that hung around the bar, save for Anna – most of them were smart enough not to comment on it.

     rikio scratched at his chin, smile plastered to his face. it amused him that one of the shortest members of homra had been stuck with decorating the tree, for the most part. (no one quite liked doing it, at least not alone). he also felt a bit sorry for her. but grunts had to do grunt work, and he was all too familiar with that. however, he’d be lying if he claimed he didn’t enjoy tree decorating. or decorating in general during holidays.         thus, he made some half-assed excuse to ditch yata for once (instead of the other way around) and promptly moved in on the tree. reaching out, rikio plucked an ornament from a box and hooked it to a branch. “it’s not all bad. it can be fun when you have company. but since you’re new, you don’t have a partner yet.” another ornament finds its way to the tree, hues flitting over to the shorter with the star in her hand. “totsuka-san likely gave you this job because it can be done alone. we’re a family though, so just remember it’s ok to ask for help.”

[nurturingflames]

fireflythief:

The thief nearly choked on the food she was eating when she heard the sudden voice behind her. Coughing a bit, she whirled around to see a large tan man with blonde hair. Her small frame stood no match for the other’s girth and she knew it.

“I…Uh…Er….” Her mind scrambled to form a coherent sentence, her eyes still wide as she stared up at the man.

“…You…You don’t get it..! You don’t know what I have to go through just to survive another day..!” Finally finding her voice, the first words to spew out of her mouth were bitter ones. She hated this, hated when people though they had the right to tell her what was right and what was wrong.

Psh, she already knew of the whole morality situation, and she had her limits too, but some people could never understand that.

    admirable. but not a whole lot for the man to feel anything towards the scraggly little urchin. oh yes, he was definitely friendly and accepting towards most people; but not thieves. especially not thieves who take from little ol’ innocent grandma’s and grandpa’s. rikio bit into the steaming morsel of food he had bought at the last stall, letting a small stretch of silence pass. to make her assume he was thinking over her words. he wasn’t.          “you don’t know what that couple has to go through either, miss.” his eyes flick skyward, a gentle hum escaping for a moment. “for all you know, grandma could be severely ill, and every little thing they sell goes towards her hospitable bills. or maybe their son has died, and they’re trying to raise money for his funeral.” rikio emphasized certain words as he spoke, as a way to get his point across. he pulled off the last takoyaki, twirling the stick between his fingers, thumbing at the side of his mouth to clean any sauce or crumb. “just ‘cause you have problems doesn’t make theirs any less important.”

[iamnotmygrandfather]

Do you know why I love lots of threads with the same person? Because if on a particular day I have no idea how to answer a thread, having multiple threads allow me to keep playing with a wonderful person no matter how my brain is an idiot. So yes, no matter how much threads we have together, just keep on sending stuff if you want. You’re never bothering me.

[nurturingflames]

@fireflythief

    he had seen the whole thing. slurped on his drink while he watched the girl pluck a few pieces of food from the stall before slipping away. many people called the members of homra hooligans, rowdy, criminals. but rikio would never condone thieving. so, he walked over to the stall, briefly explained what he had witnessed and paid for what the stranger stole. then, he went on his way, eyes skyward, mind drifting off.         as he stopped at another stall, he caught sight of the little thief, trying to scarf down the food as fast as she could. rikio made his way over to where she hid near a bush, standing just slightly in front of her so she wouldn’t be seen by anyone else. “it ain’t nice to steal, yunno. especially from an old mom n’ pop couple. they work hard to cook what they do. you should go back and apologize to them. even if you don’t have money to pay them, it’s the least you could do.”

[nurturingflames]

@wildcrcw

      should he say it? nah... well maybe... it would save yata some embarrassment. but then that would be funny, if he had intentions of kissing someone and trying to meet them under that bundle, and they pointed out the flaw. rikio munched on the treat as he continued to watch the actions of his best friend. finally, he decided that he would help him. “that’s not a mistletoe, yata-san. you’re not gonna get any kisses if you’re puttin’ up the wrong shrub.”

[nurturingflames]

@homra-no-artemis

"you know...” the rotund man stared down at the petite female, glancing back and forth between her and the tree, hands snug in the pockets of his reindeer outfit. “i’m not sayin’ you can’t reach the top of the tree to put on that star... but you could just ask for help.”

[notsotranquil]

[cxodium-blog]

@nurturingflames u are just a sweet bean and ily ok. *hugs a million times*

[nurturingflames]

🎄

send 🎄 for a starter with our muses putting up holiday decorations O/A

     ahhhh~ christmas! without a doubt one of rikio’s favourite seasons. the nice cold that gives one an excuse to dress up in snug clothes, the trees sparkling with lights, decorations– not to mention the super delicious christmas food! however, this would be his first time spending the season in america, of all places, and no doubt there would be some differences in the treats, right? it didn’t matter to him, as long as he got to taste it all! to compare the foreign foods to his homeland dishes.         the rotund man stepped off the stool, rubbing at his chin as he assessed the decoration he had just placed up. the entire base smelled of mint, gingerbread, and a bit of sewage. an odd mixture sure, but, well, the base WAS located in the sewers… rikio had immediately bought as many fresheners and scented candles as he could carry, bringing them back to place around. he wasn’t the only human who was down here visiting the hamato clan.            brown hues flicked over to the purple banded turtle, letting out a thoughtful “hmmm” as he watched donatello place a couple of decorations. when the topic of decorating first came up, rikio was let known that in the past, the brothers always decorated with recycled materials. after hearing that, there was no way in hell he was going to let them do that this year. not while he was around, anyway. as cheery as he was trying to make this be, his thoughts drifted back to anna and the rest of the homra clan. were they decorating too?             “yunno, i wonder if your boyfriend decorates with recycled stuff.” rikio picked up a string of shiny material, moving in to stand next to don in attempts to help. “for a couple, you two sure do fight a lot with your lil’ gadgets and gizmos. have you guys even gone on a date yet?” with some transparent tape, he started sticking the material to the wall, reaching around don to grab at another piece of decoration. “but now that i think about it, your boyfriend doesn’t seem like the type to celebrate holidays. yunno, because he really doesn’t hold back in the battles. it’s almost like he genuinely wants to kill you. couple’s counseling might do you some good.”

[nurturingflames]

genialitet:

       jade hues stared at the water that sloshed up against the concrete wall. it’d been a couple months since he last had a break from clan work, and getting some quality time to spend with rikio was refreshing. it was usually quiet between them, as the silence was comfortable. the summer heat was insufferable though. cathal tugged at the collar of his shirt to fan himself, lips dipping in a frown. something cold pressed against the back of his neck, sending a shock of ice down his spine. the strain nearly dropped the music player in his hand, glancing to the side with a slight glare when his friend appeared, grinning stupidly.             “you looked like you could use something to cool down. you fair worse than i do in the summer. this drink will help” the taller man admonished with a chuckle. cathal took the bottle and went back to staring at the ocean. he listened as the homra member started to talk about his other friends, including ‘yata-san’. the way rikio spoke about the kid always brought a sense of small disgust in cathal, primarily because the guy was not shy about his affections. chatting in such a way it practically sounded as though he were in love with ‘yata-san’.      regardless, the strain let rikio talk as he pleased. it made him happy after all, and that’s really the only thing cathal cared about. suddenly, he felt a hand upon his shoulder, causing his attention to shift over to his friend. “we should do some friendly sparring. it’s been a while since i got to see you in action, and i’ve gotten stronger too~ perhaps not as strong as yata-chan just yet–” the ginger-haired man swatted rikio’s hand away with a roll of his eyes.             “if i beat you, th-then you have to shut up about y-yata for the remainder of mmmy visit.” one arm rested against the ledge as he leaned back, staring at rikio in a bored manner. he wondered for a brief moment if he could beat his friend in a spar. it’d certainly been a while since he witnessed rikio fighting, and with the combination of his aura abilities, the man was pretty scary. cathal’s didn’t like to use his own powers in a fight unless absolutely necessary. he could fair well without them. but against rikio? who knows…

@hiddenweaponuserkun

     happy would be an understatement of how rikio currently felt. euphoric? well, either way, getting to see his friend after so long, the thin man couldn’t contain his excitement. when they had first met, it wasn’t an instantaneous friendship; no, cathal was quite mean, too high-horsed. but rikio could feel there was something about the ginger that needed his attention. although it didn’t take long after for them to become friends, it wasn’t an easy feat. after yata had left him when they were just mere children, rikio found and bonded with cathal. the rest was history.                “ah~ sorry-- i know i can get a bit excessive when talking about yata-san. i can’t help it, he’s just too manly~” short... but still manly in his own way. the homra member opened his own bottle of cold juice, but didn’t do anything after. summer was the time that he didn’t feel like eating, or even drinking that much. it was too hot, and too much effort for that. but with cathal he would at least partake in some juice, when he could stomach it. rikio tapped his chin in thought, considering what his friend stated.           he couldn’t really guess whether or not the ginger had become stronger since their last meet up, but he figured that with what he’d heard about the leader of cathal’s clan, any sort of weakness was not acceptable. if he managed to get the other to use his powers during the friendly spar, that would really be something! rikio turned his gaze skyward, trying to think of something he would want if he won. “if that’s the way we’re gonna do this, then if i win, i want to finally introduce you to homra~ i know totsuka-sama would welcome you! er-- probably only him... maybe... but i think it’s only fair i can have you meet my family.”

[hiddenweaponuserkun-deactivated]

Visit Original Link

// too stressed to chat tonight, so instead, here’s a quick recording of my playing before i pass out

[nurturingflames]

@duzmachines95

     staring. that’s all he could really do in the face of this... demon?? or perhaps, an oddly dedicated cosplayer who had the means to make such a realistic outfit?? rikio stared, and stared, and stared some more. well, this was japan, so such displays weren’t exactly out of the norm. except to find one in a shady part of the city where the gangs roamed... was this person lost? well, no harm in helping, right?         rikio shoved his hands in his pockets, tilting his head as the creature cosplayer stared back at him, much with a surprised look. the rotund man spoke, words slipping out in his mother tongue. “yo, you lost buddy? is there some wacky convention going on?”

[nurturingflames]

“There’s something bothering you that you’re not telling me and I can see it slowly destroying you. What happened?”

worried starters O/A

     brown hues flicked to the familiar visage of the clan favourite: totsuka tatara. unfortunately, there was so much going on inside rikio’s mind that he couldn’t even force a smile. he couldn’t try and lie his way out of this. not when it was totsuka asking. there was no way rikio could even bring himself to blatantly fib to the man anyway. he cared too much for totsuka to do that. but could he really confess what was ailing him?            it wasn’t like it would become true anyway, right? dreams were just that… rikio sighed, tapping his fingers against the stick of food he held. he was trying to eat, trying to push away the worry and stress that was enveloping him. any time he took a bite, the man simply wanted to throw up, spit it out and break down crying. how could he allow himself to get so wrapped up in a dream? no… a nightmare. that’s what it was.       where would he even begin to start with explaining? “it’s probably… i dunno. you’d probably say i was overthinking it too much…” rikio trailed off, struggling on how to continue. there was a gentle touch to his shoulder, bringing his attention to totsuka who smiled at him. this time, the larger man returned the smile, though not as happy. he chewed at the end of the mochi stick, attempting to piece everything together in a comprehensible manner.

        it pained him to even think about the nightmares that had been plaguing him for weeks. especially considering it involved the very man who was next to him. rikio palmed the side of his face, letting out a huff and a grumble. “it’s… a dream… a nightmare. there’s red everywhere, and not the good kind. it’s blood that drips down the walls, stained on my hands. at the start, i somehow know that it isn’t my blood. yata-san is there, and kusanagi-sama.” the images of his dream flashed behind his eyes, earning a faint groan. rikio closed his eyes, rubbing at the side of his head in attempts to get those images to disperse.                “each time, it’s a little different. but the end result is always the same. in the end… i always see totsu–” the man’s voice cracked and he fell silent, attempting to gather himself. he didn’t want to say it. he didn’t want to admit what his nightmares contained. rikio reached over, placing a trembling hand over totsuka’s and gripped it tightly, as though the other would disappear if he ever let go. as though the images he saw at night would come true. “totsuka-sama… you are always… on the ground, covered in blood.”          fingers dug against the other man’s skin before rikio loosened his grip, but never released totsuka’s hand. it was difficult, a clear struggle for him to even be talking about it. “darkness echoing with crazy laughter– your face, i can never see your face.” a wave of trembles enveloped his rotund frame as he tried so hard not to cry, not to freak out. “i–i don’t… i don’t want you to die, totsuka-sama. i just, i always get a pit in my stomach whenever i look at you now. all i see… i don’t want to see it. i don’t want you to leave us.”        he finally let totsuka’s hand go, only to cover his own face, hunching over. it wasn’t fair that his mind was playing these awful tricks on him. haunting him, tearing away at his sanity with such grotesque ideas and images. if homra ever lost totsuka– well the aftermath likely wouldn’t be too pretty. but… totsuka was part of the family, and he couldn’t think of a single clan member who would not hesitate to put their life on the line for the man. rikio himself would more than gladly exchange places with totsuka, even in his dreams.              “totsuka-sama… i’m– i’m sorry i said all of this.” his voice caught in his throat, distraught over the fact he had just laid some heavy worries on his friend. rikio dabbed at the corners of his eyes, trying oh-so-hard not to let the tears fall. it was bad enough he was still trembling. “we all love you, totsuka-sama. please don’t leave us…”

[nurturingflames]

ragebeaten:

   a small huff escapes him when the controller is pried from his grip ,   but he offers no form of retort or retaliation. instead his arms come to cross against his stomach ;   resting partially upon crossed legs. though a frown remains fixated upon his features ,   he doesn’t take his eyes from the screen  —-  if anything ,   the stubborn part of him just wants to watch his friend fail and then rub it in his face. but apparently ,   that wasn’t happening ,   and instead he just had to watch as the other showed him up. he couldn’t deny that Rikio had succeeded where he himself had previously failed ,   but that didn’t stop him from getting mad about it  ( though it’s aimed more at his own defeat rather than anything else. ) 

   in frustration ,   he snatches the controller out of his friend’s grip and turned his gaze back to the screen to begin the next level. though whilst it’s loading ,   he glances at the other from the corner of his eyes.   ‘     i’ll mash the DAMN BUTTONS if i WANNA  –  that’s my strategy. i’ll still get there eventually !     ‘   a game wasn’t fun once you had to start memorizing combinations ,   then it was just a memory test rather than enjoyable ,   there was no skill in that. battles weren’t won through memory ,   but talent instead.

           ’     yeah ,   i could go through you ,   too.  so watch it.     ‘

        a simple n o d was all he could respond with when yata defended his lack of strategy with the controller. immediately, the man could sense that the younger was angry at himself, perhaps at the l o s s where rikio one upped him. dammit. he turned his attention back to the screen as it finished loading, one handing reaching out blindly to find the bag of chips he knew he had s o m e w h e r e near himself. now he felt bad for possibly hurting yata’s feelings.               shoving some chips in his mouth, the man glanced over at the pile of games next to the game console, wondering how he could make his friend feel b e t t e r. oh! maybe they could play one of the fighting games-- rikio was p r e t t y awful when it came to games that involved fighting another person. he was more of a first-person shooter kinda guy. tongue slid across the pads of his fingers, licking off the chip crumbs before he spoke. “we should play some mk. bet you a bag of chips i could kick your ass.”

[nurturingflames]

“You haven’t slept for days, have you?”

worried starters O/A

        as the shorter man threw out an unexpected question, rikio pressed a knuckle to his temple, trying to rid that ache which surfaced when there was lack of sleep. it was true, he hadn’t really slept that much. with everyone’s emotions nearly through the roof, it enveloped rikio, nearly weighing him down. his level of empathy was no where near as strong as anna’s, but that didn’t mean he still couldn’t feel and be affected by the emotions of his clansmen. he briefly wondered how the new homra king was fairing in the midst of everything.      with a sigh, rikio rested one arm along the bench, squinting up at the clouds. no sleeping, hardly any eating. he could feel everything inside of his soul starting to deplete. the very flame which kept him alive beginning to dwindle. there was a moment of silence the man urged to pass between him and his friend, mind wandering all over the place. everyone missed mikoto. rikio was there almost instantly whenever a clansman was in need. whenever someone expressed even a small tinge of sadness, or needed a shoulder to cry on. the chubby man was there for everyone in homra, listening, encouraging, comforting.

          so much that he rarely slept, as there was always a member who sought him. and by gods, he was going to be there even if it killed him! no one deserved to be sad. no one deserved to cry or feel alone. not while he was there… of course, everyone was coping in their own ways. for rikio, food had always been his comfort. but these days there was no desire for that which he always wolfed down happily.          each bite he took of food now there followed a sense of immense guilt. sadness, perhaps if he was honest, even a bit of hopelessness. feelings kin to when homra lost totsuka. ah… maybe now he and mikoto were reunited after such a harrowing and grievous hunt. dirt-colored hues slowly shut, the sting on his tired eyes causing slight dizziness. despite that, an exhausted grin crept to his lips. strong… he needed to stay strong… for anna, for homra…. for yata.

                 “and you haven’t eaten, right? you gotta get some meat on those               bones, or you won’t last much longer in another fight, yata-san.”

[nurturingflames]

@excinere continued from here

     his smile faltered at her words, brows furrowing for a moment. no matter how he felt about the events of their former king’s end game, he could only imagine how anna was struggling. but, it wasn’t a competition on who felt worse. anna was their new king now; was it a burden on her shoulders to pick up where mikoto left off? the mere thought of the former red king caused a drop in his heart, a painful clench that almost left him breathless.         immediately, the man turned away, head hanging, shoulders hunched. it hadn’t been easy since then, and he gathered it wouldn’t be easily for a long while. if anna could put on a brave face for the whole family, then the least he could do was the same, right? rikio pulled a candy bar from the pocket of his coat, offering it out to the little girl.                                           “want this? it’s new. seasonal as the ad claims.”

[nurturingflames]

ragebeaten:

   ’     shit.     ‘   a frown crosses his expression upon the blinking  “ you’re dead ! ”  screen’s appearance. though it definitely doesn’t take long for that frown to be replaced by a look of offence when he turns his eyes upon the other. clutching the controller between his hands ,   he holds a very brief temptation to hit the other with it ,   but he doesn’t. he’s scoffs ,   a sound offered alongside a glare ,   he doesn’t appreciate the backseat gaming.

          ‘     why don’t you fucking do it then ?  i’d like to see YOU do better under pressure.     ‘

     rikio hovered over the shoulder of the other for a moment, a w i d e grin plastered to his face. he’d be lying if he said he didn’t get s o m e sort of small thrill whenever yata was irritated. sure, it often earned him a hit over the head, but in the end, if the shorter male laughed afterwards, it was w o r t h it. rikio reached over, gently plucking the controller from yata’s grip.                          “watch and learn, yata-san.”       tapping the button for a re-try, the screen flashed, taking him back just at the start of the boss fight. the chubby man stared so intently at the images, fingers rapidly and expertly pushing at the controls. teeth sank against bottom lip, his body i n v o l u n t a r i l y leaning in as a sign of concentration. in a matter of minutes, the boss was defeated, bright lettering of ‘success!’ rotating in. rikio let out a small sigh, settling back down.            there was always a sense of immense v i c t o r y when beating a boss. brown hues slid to the side before he hastily tried to offer the controller back to his best friend. “you gotta learn strategy, yata-san. you can’t just mash the buttons. b-but hey! like i said, you’re an amazing fighter outside of video games! if it were real life, you’d get through many bosses--”