I'm Crissy, cimberelly from AO3 (and also Tumblr). This is where you will find all things related to my writing and fanfics and also my gross anime feels. This is also where I will be dumping most things AoKise (because OTP is stupidly rebloggable).
most big herbivores are, frankly. if you have a pretty steady supply of food and don’t have to worry about missing a hunt and starving to death, you can afford to throw your weight around more and generally be more aggressive!
that’s why the most dangerous big animals in the world are almost all herbivores.
Sauropods would be fucking TERRIFYING and it annoys the hell out of me that media constantly portrays them as passive and harmless. That Indominus from Jurassic World would have been SLAUGHTERED against an Apatosaurus, let alone a whole HERD of them
"It's the night before the Big Day. Are you ready? See you at the Bachelor Parties tonight! #bakahusbands"
Or Daiki and Ryouta are getting married but Daiki needs to get through the bachelor parties first.
Characters/Pairings: Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, AoKise. A bunch of cameos.
Notes: After two years, #bakaboyfriends will finally become #bakahusbands because it took me two years to write up the sequel lolAnyway, here is my actual offering for AoKise Day but I am fashionably late, it seems. There will probably be mistakes and those are mine. But anyway, I won't delay you any more. Hope you enjoy!
Also available over at Ao3!
"Aomine-kun, Akashi-kun has a problem."
Tetsu's eyes were huge in his face like they usually were but for some reason, they gave Daiki an uneasy feeling just then. The feeling didn't ease when Daiki found himself meeting eyes with Akashi who looked too calm and too serious as always..
"Aomine, I apologize." The apology felt sincere and Daiki wished Akashi would blink. "I don't have smaller bills."
Not for the first time in the past few days (weeks, months) Daiki had no idea what was going on. "...What?"
"For the night's… entertainment," Akashi non-explained delicately, quietly, still very seriously and Daiki really wished he knew what he was talking about.
Satsuki only told him to come pool-side where “his” side of the bachelor party was going to be. No one told him he was going to have any part of keeping things organized, never mind having to hold Akashi Seijuuro's hand through commoner pre-wedding festivities.
He probably looked like the actual idiot he was because Akashi's face was actually starting to look a bit pinched. You kind of start to notice his shifting expressions after spending some time with him and he often told you to run laps until you dropped dead.
"I don't have the necessary denomination for tipping the exotic dancers--"
"Wait."
Daiki felt like his head had exploded. He held up his hand to Akashi's face to stop him. He must have really just experienced brain damage because he actually dared to just put his hand up to Akashi's face within stabbing distance.
What the fuck?
Daiki looked urgently at Tetsu. "Exotic--I thought Satsuki said no strippers?"
Tetsu looked at him quietly for a long time.
Big, innocent eyes on his stupid, fucking child-like face.
"Yes, Momoi-san definitely said no strippers," Tetsu confirmed.
Daiki absolutely felt his blood pressure shoot up. "Then why did you--"
"Oh, I understand now." Akashi interrupted Daiki mid-mind explosion #2. Now those eyes were on Tetsu.
Tetsu turned his head and looked right back at Akashi.
No fear, ice cold. He just needed a milkshake and a pair of sunglasses.
Akashi looked back at him like he was about to wage some kind of war. It felt like the Winter Cup Finals back in first year high school all over again. "That was not funny, Kuroko."
In turn, Tetsu smiled a little, the Rakuzan ass-kicking asshole. "I kind of thought it was, Akashi-kun."
And Daiki left them there because he did not need the added stress on his already huge pile of it the day before his wedding. Where the hell was Kagami when he needed him?
Two years ago, Satsuki got married and Daiki had been involved with some tasks and responsibilities for the wedding. He had seen first hand what kind of stress and turmoil one had to go through just for one special day and he had thought himself adequately prepared for it. As usual, he was wrong. It was a whole other ballgame when it was you on the way to be shackled and it was your soon-to-be spouse who was stressed because no, Daiki, we can’t just do it at our favorite outdoor court! Among other things.
And now they were at this beach resort with a bazillion of their family, friends and acquaintances (It’s just about a hundred people, Daiki, don’t be dramatic--) for the ceremony. Tonight was the bachelor parties which took up the bar and restaurant and pool areas. Too many people they knew and vaguely did were milling around socializing, eating, drinking and having a great time before the big day tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Daiki was overwhelmed and kind of tired but that wasn’t anything new nowadays.
"Hey, Aomine!"
Daiki stopped then sighed before just turning towards the voice, not at all surprised to find himself face-to-face with his brother-in-law. Well, sort of brother-in-law.
Hamada Tadashi was a robotics engineer who was involved in developing technologies towards making the world a better place. More importantly, he also happened to be married to Satsuki, thus explaining his presence in the party. What was strange was how he was seated at a table with his old Touou Captain, Imayoshi Shoichi, and one Kuroo Tetsurou. Looking at all three of them together already made Daiki's head hurt a little bit more.
"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked, looking genuinely concerned. Daiki might not have gone out of his way to befriend the guy until he did the right thing and proposed then married the girl Daiki considered his sister but he had always, grudgingly, thought the guy was a decent one. Always friendly and accommodating and wasn't deterred by Aomine's attitude one bit. "You want to sit down with us for a while?"
"You do look kinda overwhelmed," Imayoshi put in and Daiki was pretty sure his old Captain was giving him a surveying look.
Beside him, Kuroo hummed in agreement as he looked around idly. “It’s kind of a madhouse around here right now, huh?”
A madhouse was right and if Daiki thought about it a bit harder, his brain would most likely die. He had no idea how he and Ryouta were able to accumulate these many people as friends and acquaintances through the years. Take for example Kuroo here who was a member of FC Tokyo and was currently sitting in the smart kids’ table. Before Tadashi noticed him, they must have been talking about something brainy, like Tadashi’s latest project that had something to do with robot nurses or whatever they were called. It almost always flew over Daiki’s head whenever Satsuki tried to explain it to him.
“I have no idea where all these idiots came from,” Daiki grumbled as he took a seat beside Kuroo which faced away from the chaos happening in the pool area behind him. Normally, Daiki wasn’t one for socializing but people were here for his wedding and he supposed he could spend some time being welcoming.
“Well, you’re gonna have a wedding in a beautiful beach resort plus food and booze. Most everything’s free,” Imayoshi shrugged easily before taking a sip of his own drink, something amber and expensive-looking. “Are you really that surprised, Aomine?”
Daiki gave his old senpai a bit of a glare. “And all of you didn’t have to come.”
“Come now, Aomine, you can’t be this annoyed about us accepting your and Kise’s invitation, are you?” Kuroo has a hand over his heart, shit-eating smirk on his face, and right then Daiki knew how he and Imayoshi could get along like a house on fire. “I’m hurt. It wasn’t cheap coming out here, you know?”
Was it too late to regret his choice to sit down? It probably was.
“I think Satsuki and Kise did a great job organizing everything, though.” Tadashi came to his rescue with a winning smile, that smile that always came out when he talked about his beloved wife.
“They’re a powerful combination,” Imayoshi noted with a nod and even Kuroo had to smile at that.
It looked like Kuroo had something to add to that but then a loud whoop swelled from the pool area. Daiki looked over to that direction and found Midorima walking away from the ruckus with a bit of a pinched look on his face and the day's lucky item in one hand. It seemed to be a rolled-up sock.
“What’s going on?” Daiki asked, a bit worried that someone might come in and call everything off.
Midorima looked at Daiki like this was all his fault. “An arm-wrestling match.”
“Between who?” Kuroo suddenly asked, looking far too interested for anyone’s good.
“Iwaizumi-san and Matsuoka Rin.” Everyone turned to find that it was no other than Nijimura-senpai who spoke and tagging along was Himuro, of course. It was still kind of strange seeing their old Teiko Captain with Himuro Tatsuya but apparently they were friends. Or something.
Himuro was almost grinning. “We’re on our way to witness an epic gun show, according to Matsukawa-san.”
“Any bets going around?” It was Imayoshi who asked, unsurprisingly, as he rose up from his seat.
“Not that we know of as of yet but we can always ask around, Imayoshi-san,” Himuro replied with playful cheek and it didn’t take long before Imayoshi was walking off with them followed by a very curious Kuroo.
“Are they going to be okay?” Tadashi suddenly asked from the side.
Midorima pushed his glasses up against the bridge of his nose as he did. “I expected better from Iwaizumi-san and Matsuoka-san both but I suppose the occasion inspires a reckless sense of fun.”
It still sounded like Midorima was blaming Daiki but he had known Midorima long enough that he knew just to just ignore it.
"They're grown ass adults," Daiki said with a scoff. "They should know what they're getting into."
Thankfully, Midorima made no further comment and politely excused himself.
The noise level behind them was rising and normally, Aomine would have been in the middle of that. An arm wrestling match between Iwaizumi Hajime, his old College roommate and former volleyball ace, and an actual Olympian? Aomine would have been all over that but not today.
He sighed and he noticed Tadashi just kind of smiling at him sympathetically.
"...What?" he asked with a bit of a frown.
The smile on Tadashi's face barely shifted. "You want to take a breather? I can cover for you."
Daiki actually took a bit of time to think about it. What were the consequences if he stepped away from this circus for a while? How painful would they be? Could he actually trust Tadashi?
"Can I trust you?" he asked and Tadashi got points for not making a fuss about even being asked.
He just smiled that friendly smile and Daiki could really sort of tell why Satsuki fell for him. Tadashi was just a really nice guy.
"I think anyone would want a break every now and then."
And wasn't that true? Daiki was pretty sure Tadashi would even have some science to back all that up.
With a sigh, Daiki got up from his chair and made to go, nodding at Tadashi as he went.
"Stay outta trouble, Hamada. Don't get into any arm wrestling matches or whatever."
Tadashi's laugh sent him off. "See you later!"
Daiki raised a hand and quickly made his escape. Finally.
Walking down the path toward the restaurant and bar area made him realize that it wasn't long before sunset. The path leading to the restaurant cut through a well-maintained garden with a sea view. The sky was slowly turning into a mix of yellows, pinks and purples and even Daiki could definitely appreciate the sight.
Honestly, he could get married anywhere, even just a basketball court (wearing his favorite Jordans, of course), but he had to admit it was a good idea to have their wedding in a beautiful place like this.
"Oh there you are, Aomine-kun."
He had to look away from the view to find Mibuchi Reo coming up to him and he felt an instinctual urge to flee. Mibuchi was one of Ryouta's so-called Groom Squad, a group of Ryouta’s friends from all over who offered their assistance to Ryouta and Satsuki as the wedding approached. Daiki barely ever saw the lot of them the past few weeks without it involving some wedding-related task.
"Hey, Mibuchi-san," Daiki greeted, deciding to try and make this as painless as possible for his own good. "What's up?"
"I'm so glad you're here, Aomine-kun," Mibuchi replied, waving a well-manicured hand toward the direction that Daiki just left from and making an annoyed-looking face. "Imagine if I have to go over there where all the brutes are? No, thank you."
"You were looking for me?" Well, that was a dumb question but Daiki asked anyway.
"Yes, Mr. Husband-to-Be--" Daiki thought Mibuchi was about to reach out and pat or pinch his cheek; he didn't. "--Ryou-chan says to meet him by the Sandbar."
It was probably super sappy to say that his heart thumped when he heard that Ryouta was asking for him. "At the Sandbar?"
Mibuchi waved him off. "Yes. Go on now. He's waiting."
And after what felt like years, Daiki felt like smiling.
"Okay," he said with a nod but before he went, he took a moment to look Mibuchi over. "You look tired, Mibuchi-san."
Mibuchi made a less than elegant, very weary face and Daiki would have laughed if he could but he got it.
"Satsuki-chan runs a tight ship,” he quipped dryly. “But I love her and Ryou-chan so Neesan will persevere. I will tell you this, though, Aomine-kun.”
Mibuchi lifted a finger poignantly. “Yu-chan and I are most definitely eloping."
And that did make Daiki laugh. "I don't know if Kasamatsu-san would agree but hold on just a little bit more. This’ll all be done tomorrow."
"Thank God."
Daiki didn't waste time on making his way to the Sandbar after talking to Mibuchi. Now, the Sandbar wasn't some piece of land that sprouted up from the sea. The people who came to the resort just called it that because there was a lot of sand and there was a bar. It was an area by the beach where a bar and dining area was set up. Low tables were placed down on mats over the white sand where you could sit or even lie down comfortably and enjoy some drinks or a meal while looking out towards the beach. And if you decided to go for a swim, you were just a few steps away to doing just that.
He found Ryouta some ways away from where the early dinner crowd was, looking over to the direction of the sea and away from his phone, finally. The setting sun's golden light reflected on his hair and eyes, making him glow and look even more beautiful if that was even possible. He seemed to sense Daiki's stare as he came closer and he turned his head to smile at him.
"Aominecchi~!" Ryouta called, drawing up the old nickname teasingly that Daiki had to scoff and lean down to give him a kiss for it.
Ryouta smiled when he kissed him back and it made Daiki feel warm. That little detail was something about Ryouta that he would never get over.
Daiki sighed when he drew away. During the kiss, he had gotten a hand down to lightly cup by the side of Ryouta's neck to end up with fingertips caressing his nape. Ryouta was smiling still, looking fond and sweet and also a bit like he was tired. Daiki kissed him again for good measure. When was the last time they were alone and this close?
"Daiki must have missed me," Ryouta observed with a grin a moment later after Daiki settled beside him. Daiki didn't care to occupy his own side of the table, happy enough to just squish up against Ryouta as much as possible that he was almost on his lap. He even leaned his head by Ryouta's shoulder and closed his eyes. When he breathed in, he smelled Ryouta's lavender shampoo layered with the sunblock he must have just reapplied. Ryouta smelled so good and familiar he could fall asleep right then and there.
"Could we leave and go to bed already?" Daiki asked with his eyes closed. He bothered to ask even when he knew the answer would be "no".
A soft giggle and Daiki felt fingers playing with the hair by his nape. A shiver ran through his spine and he almost groaned. Ryouta and his magic fingers...
"But we still have the ending program for the bachelor parties, remember?"
Daiki actually groaned at that. "There's more?" He almost turned his head and nipped Ryouta on the shoulder.
Another giggle, more petting, this time more soothing and indulgent rather than playful. "Just some games and we gotta give a 'thank you' speech for the guests. Poor Daiki. I'm sorry, baby." Finally he got a kiss for his troubles. "You must be tired. Daiki needs to recharge, hm?"
"Do I get a lapdance from you at least?"
Ryouta tugged at his ear kind of hard even if he did laugh at the question. "No, Ahominecchi! Not when my sisters are gonna be watching, come on…"
That tug hurt a little and Daiki frowned but he just grumbled under his breath and took more cuddles for compensation.
If you asked him, this big, flashy celebration was not really Daiki's style. It was something he decided after having to follow Satsuki around for months to make sure she wasn't obsessing over little details too much and that she got enough rest. Wedding planning was stressful as all hell and he would prefer to not have anything to do with it if he had a choice. He could get married anywhere and have it done anytime. All that mattered was that Ryouta would be the one standing with him and that he would say "I do".
But Ryouta wanted the big, flashy wedding because it was his style. In his own way, Ryouta loved the planning, the hassle, the stress. He wanted to make memories and have people to share them with. Plus, Ryouta just loved a good party and why not make his wedding the best one ever?
And since Daiki loved him and knew what it took when it came to getting together with Kise Ryouta, he agreed to the beach resort wedding with the bazillion guests. Also the crazy bachelor parties though his batteries were drained and he would prefer not to see anymore people for the next year or so.
But for now it was okay because he was in a corner away from all that with just Ryouta and he was getting his hair petted while waves coming up the beach sounded in his ears.
"Daiki."
"Hm?"
"You awake?"
He must have dozed off for a bit because when he opened his eyes, the lights around them had been turned on and night had fallen. It was cooler and with a deep sigh, he shuffled even closer against Ryouta. He wrapped his arms around him and was prepared to get settled for a bit longer when a smell distracted him.
A waiter had come up with a bit of a smile, a tray held over one hand. On the tray were two plates of food and he laid them down carefully before them.
One plate had some beautifully grilled chicken and a hefty vegetable salad on the side. On the other plate was a burger, the patty thick and juicy and topped with finely shredded cabbage, paired with wedges of potatoes.
"I ordered us dinner!" Ryouta chirped after sending off the waiter with a smile of his own. "Did you know that they served Teriyaki Burgers here? I thought you might want to give it a try."
His burger definitely didn't look anything like the ones he got at Maji Burger but his stomach rumbled at the sight of it. When was the last time he ate?
"Do we have time for this?" Daiki asked even as he already reached to examine the burger. He wasn't sure about the cabbage but well, he was hungry.
"I asked Momocchi for at least an hour," Ryouta answered as he picked up a knife and fork and immediately pierced one of Daiki's potato wedges. Rude.
Daiki took one of the bite-sized pieces of chicken Ryouta had sliced up as payment.
"An hour?"
Ryouta hummed in answer. "An hour to have dinner and just to hang out." He offered Daiki another piece of chicken with his fork and Daiki obligingly ate it. "I told her I missed you."
Daiki cut up about two bites' worth of his burger and placed it over one side of Ryouta's plate.
"I missed you too…"
Ryouta gave him that pleased, happy smile that always crinkled his eyes, very unlike those polished ones he gave cameras, and Daiki sighed. He reached to wipe off a bit of dressing that was by Ryouta's lip with his thumb.
"Now eat,” he told him. “And you better finish all of that."
Ryouta nodded obediently. "Yes, Daddy."
And then laughed when Daiki scowled and rolled his eyes at him.
Sometimes, Daiki really couldn't believe he was actually marrying this annoying (precious) brat.
The burger was juicy with the right amount of teriyaki sauce and the cabbage added a good crunch. It was pretty good and Daiki enjoyed it as he and Ryouta had their dinner. It was their first time having a meal alone since they arrived at the resort and it was a nice break. They got to catch up a bit with each other and how the whole day had been so far. As usual, their conversation flowed smoothly, hardly a dull or quiet moment.
Daiki watched Ryouta as he told him about his day, voice lilting and always in motion. Ryouta had always been animated, full of life, glowing and golden, and Daiki often had a hard time looking away. He had long grown past the embarrassment of getting caught staring at Ryouta for too long and now, they had come to the point where Daiki knew he wouldn't really be able to look away ever again. And that thought was…
Ryouta was smiling at him, amused, and Daiki knew he was caught just staring again.
"Ah, Daiki is so in love with me," Ryouta sighed wistfully as he lifted a hand to his forehead like he was going for a swoon. "How is he to survive another night without being married to me, I wonder? This must be my curse for being so handsome."
"Oi, stop that," Daiki grumbled as he reached and took the hand that Ryouta had to his forehead, the one with the ring he gave him. "You really need to stop picking up shit like that from Oikawa-san."
Ryouta was laughing again, flushed from giggling too much and that random cocktail he ordered, while he held onto Daiki's hand and looked like, well.
Daiki's Forever.
"Ki-chan! Dai-chan!"
Satsuki appeared with a wave and a smile and Daiki sighed because he knew it was time to go back to the party. Joy.
"Momocchi!" Ryouta waved back with his other hand that was not holding Daiki's. "And Cheekinui too!"
"Can you just go back around and take that demon with you?" Daiki asked as he eyed Satsuki and the plump plushie in her arms. The plushie that resembled Ryouta down to the blond hair and big amber eyes. Daiki had no idea why Kise Ryouta plushies existed but there was probably a method to the madness and it included fangirls and wishful thinking.
Satsuki shook her head just as she handed over the plushie, Cheekinui, to a Ryouta making grabby hands. "You're always so mean to Cheekinui, Dai-chan. What did he ever do to you?"
"It's a trespasser," Daiki answered just as he avoided soft sausage hand pats that Ryouta was inflicting on his cheek via Cheekinui. "We're on a dinner date. And it’s evil."
The plush might look like Ryouta but it was evil to its core, Daiki just knew. He could tell by its penetrating, judging stare.
"Then I’m a trespasser, too," Satsuki said with a shrug and ignored Daiki's answering groan. "It's time for you two to come back and make an appearance at your party."
"Tell them we're busy," Daiki insisted and no, he was not whining. What are you talking about? But he stopped and just sulked a bit instead when Ryouta kissed his cheek.
"Give me just 10 minutes, okay, Momocchi?" Ryouta said as he got up, smiling that professional Kise Ryouta smile. "I'll just freshen up."
Satsuki beamed. "Okay, Ki-chan!"
Ryouta turned to Daiki and wordlessly held out Cheekinui like the plushie was a baby, hands under the plushie’s armpits while his feet dangled. Cheekinui had a wardrobe change--blue and white Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, usually he wore a tiny Kaijou jersey--and somehow he had white angel wings strapped to his back. Daiki really didn't get it but he took it like a man and just accepted the Ryouta-looking plush. He was rewarded with a happy beam from Ryouta.
"Be right back!"
Daiki watched Ryouta go with a sigh before sitting back on his chair and putting Cheekinui over his lap. It was weird, sitting a plushie over his lap like it was a child, but he had probably done weirder for Ryouta and would continue to do so in the future for sure.
He felt Satsuki's eyes on him and he turned to meet her gaze.
She was smiling at him, something soft and fond, and it made him just hold Cheekinui closer for some reason.
"Are you ready, Dai-chan?" she asked and Daiki knew she didn't need to elaborate.
He knew what it was she was asking and he also knew his answer.
"Yeah," he replied easily, calmly, and he looked back to the direction Ryouta went.
Notes: fem!AoKise over here! This was originally posted over at Twitter for #KnBVDayChallenge2020.
Also available over at Ao3!
"Oi. Pretty girl!"
The blush steals across Kise's face before she can stop it. Instinctively, she turns toward the source of the voice and tries not to do something even more embarrassing like swooning. Instead, she protests.
"Aominecchi! Not so loud!"
All she gets for her chastising is a cheeky smirk and butterflies erupting in her stomach. She may be Kise Ryouta, tall, blond and gorgeous and a famous model and basketball prodigy, but she has always been weak for one Aomine Daiki despite how things have changed and developed through the years. Aomine has been an idol then an asshole and now a very good friend but for Kise she has always been more and it's embarrassing that Aomine just seems to know.
It's obvious in the way she looks at Kise sometimes, watchful but also soft, always indulgent. How she spoils her underneath layers of teasing and amusement.
How Aomine calls her "Pretty Girl" and seems to mean it.
"How am I embarrassing you when everyone calls you that and you know how pretty you are," Aomine asks lazily, rocking up to where Kise is waiting for her. Her dark hair is pulled into a ponytail and Kise itches to pull it free because her hair is wet. A sportsbag is slung over one shoulder to hang low along her hip. Aomine is all fresh from practice, of course.
She takes in the mutinous pout on Kise's face and the smirk gentles to a bit of a smile. "You here to give me my chocolates?"
Kise rolls her eyes despite herself even as she reaches into the almost empty paper bag she holds in one hand. "Aominecchi shouldn't be so demanding. It's so unattractive."
Her words are ignored of course. Aomine makes grabby hands at her. Kise tries not to think too much about the proximity of those hands to her chest.
"Gimme my chocolates, Pretty."
"Stop calling me that." Kise likes to think that comes out snappy but it is definitely a whine. She pouts even as she hands over the coveted chocolates and Aomine takes them happily.
Kise watches Aomine open the fancy box (no cheap, generic chocolates from Kise Ryouta!) and take a piece, popping it into her mouth.
And it's a tiny thing, Aomine's casual thanks, but it makes Kise beam.
"Of course it's good! It's from me!'
Aomine takes another piece. "Not handmade, though."
Kise sighs. Sometimes Aomine is still an asshole. "Aominecchi is so picky! I came all the way here to Touou and this is what I--"
"Here."
Kise stops because something bright and fluffy is suddenly held up by her face. She steps back quickly because HER FACE but then stops. Stares.
They're white and yellow, delicate and pretty.
Roses are more fashionable today as they're symbols of love and romance but Aomine has never really been the romantic or loving type.
But they're flowers, pure and pretty daisies, and Kise can't help but feel soft especially since Aomine is holding them out to her.
Aomine isn't looking at her, the box of chocolates set aside. She's still holding the flowers out and waiting for Kise to take them.
"I saw them and... You know..." Aomine shrugs like that should explain everything and somehow it does.
Carefully, Kise takes them into her hands and smiles at Aomine, watching her avoid eye contact and fidget.
"Thank you, Aominecchi," she says, warmth in her cheeks and butterflies in her tummy, "they're pretty."
"Yeah," Aomine replies and looks to be about to say more but then Kise comes forward and wraps an arm around hers to tug her away, chattering about getting dinner.
She feels Aomine stare at her but she doggedly ignores it.
That stare is telling and she can feel her cheeks warming into another stupid blush.
She chatters but keeps an arm around Aomine's. Relief floods through her when Aomine finally looks away and relaxes in her hold and their usual banter.
It's Valentine's Day and there's so much to be said but Kise feels like it'll have to wait.
The butterflies and the warmth are too much and she feels she can't take much more of them for now.
AHH i'm always so excited to read whatever new piece you've written and the one you wrote for aokise week was no exception!! It was short but i loved it so much omg it was just so tender and soft :((
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I'm glad that there is still someone who reads what I write for AoKise so again, thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Soft and tender was really what I was going for for that drabble. Hope you're enjoying AoKise Day. 💙❤️💛
Notes: As usual, I had GRAND MASTER PLANS for AoKise Day that I started on too late and so they will have to be postponed. BUT I did not come empty handed, small as this offering may be for AoKise Day. I will do my best to be more prepared for next month's Teiko AoKise Day. ANYWAY! Here we have Kitse and Onimine from the Youkai-themed art we were graced with some time back. Happy AoKise Day everyone!
Also available over at Ao3!
The Oni finds the fox on a cold, rainy night. It is a sorry sight, looking worse for wear with its wet, matted fur and a bloody paw trapped between despicable sharp metal teeth. The humans barely wander in these parts of his mountain but some of them have gotten insolent and brave or just downright stupid.
Vulnerable, terrified, the fox whimpers at the sight of him, a tall, ominous shadow right out of nightmares and legend, but it has nowhere to run. Oni are known to eat whatever warm-blooded thing it comes across and a fox would make a good, hearty meal. The fox shrinks back when the Oni crouches down low, yellow ears flattening and crying out pitifully when the trap clamps on harder and threatens to break its paw.
But the Oni doesn't lunge for the fox, doesn't even move from his crouch. He fixes dark eyes at the poor creature, barely blinking at the rain falling steadily. When the Oni finally reaches forward, the fox flinches sharply, readying itself for certain death, but that isn't what happens.
There is pain but then there is relief when the trap is broken open, practically nothing under the Oni's incredible strength and sharp claws.
The fox should try to escape. It is free, yes, but it is also injured, tired. It would not make it far and it seems to know it. This might just be a brief respite before the Oni takes it for its next meal. A sharp clawed hand reaches again and the fox closes its amber eyes.
The Oni's touch is gentle, searching, careful as he takes the fox's paw in his big hand. He examines the wound by sight and only presses lightly to see for damage. His apology is deep and hushed when the fox cries out in pain.
The fox's paw is broken and an Oni holds it with care.
It's still raining and the fox shivers with both cold and exhaustion. It looks weak from loss of blood. Freezing and injured, the fox would probably not last long.
The Oni sighs deeply even as he continues to hold the fox's paw but then seems to come to a decision when he reaches forward once more.
The fox is light and still, barely resisting as the Oni tucks it gently into the folds of his shirt. They're both drenched but it will be easier for the fox to be carried this way. The Oni checks quickly for any other signs of injury but ends up going still as he catches sight of the fox’s tails.
Yes, it has more than one. Three golden, fluffy-looking tails that look like they’ve seen better days but that is understandable.
Three tails.
The Oni looks down to find the fox asleep, perhaps too tired to think of its fate then and just places its trust on the Oni who is warm and hasn't done him any harm.
With that, the Oni moves to walk back to its lair, one arm carefully holding the sleeping fox against him.
~*~
"Oniminecchi! Don't cry!"
Tiny hands with careful fingers catching and wiping away tears falling down childish, chubby cheeks.
"I will be back, you'll see! I promise! Of course I will."
A gentle kiss against his forehead near his little stub of a horn, the scent of sunflowers and sunshine.
"You're my baby, remember? I'll protect you and love you forever!"
The brush of warm, soft fur that gleams golden in the light and the sincere words of an even warmer promise.
what she means: captain america has been a huge part of my life and chris evans’s portrayal of one of my favourite characters got me through dark times and introduced me to a same but different incarnation of this character that i love. chris evans has played this character with such dignity and grace and has shown time and again that he understands the core of who steve rogers is; and despite his anxieties about taking it on, he’s grown so much in his time with steve rogers and has come to do his best to exemplify steve’s values on and off-screen. marvel is huge on legacy characters and of course the next captain america will be his own actor & character & person, but chris evans is steve rogers, and the last few years have been such a great & wonderful journey with him.
Notes: I'm back! Back to writing and also to the old fandom. This is all because of the lovely people over at the AoKise Discord Server. Hope you guys enjoy! 'So happy to be back.
Also available over at Ao3.
If there was anything Daiki expected when the door to the Kises’ apartment opened, it was not to suddenly be attacked by a clingy monkey. Well, if clingy monkeys had blond hair and called him--
“Dai-ojichan!”
Daiki had thankfully regained his footing before he fell over, bringing along precious cargo with him as he did. An arm had instinctively closed around a wriggling, scrawny body to then fall lower to support a little wiggling butt as his attacker settled himself against him. Daiki sighed, trying to even out the mini heart attack he had just suffered with what happened in the past 30 seconds or so.
“Seriously, kid, you gotta stop doing this.”
His new attachment giggled then drew back, aiming a bright, familiar grin at him that honestly made him feel warm and other funny feelings.
“But you caught me!” was the equally bright reply from Yuuta, Ryouta’s 7-year-old nephew, as he sat all settled comfortably on Daiki’s arm. “Oji-chan is the bestest!”
Daiki had to snort at that, unable to fight the little grin that lifted one side of his lips. He couldn’t help it; the kid was absurdly cute. Especially when he started kicking his legs a little and trying to see what he was holding in his other arm.
“You brought stuff! You got anything for me, oji-chan?” Yuuta asked as Daiki finally stepped in and closed the door behind him.
“I dunno, kiddo,” Daiki answered, carrying on the conversation even as he looked around for a pair of house slippers he could use. “I think so? A lot of this’s for Ryouta but I think I’ve got something for you in here somewhere…”
“Yuu-chan, stop bothering Daiki-kun,” a voice called from beyond the genkan.
Daiki turned and found himself looking at Hikaru, one of Ryouta's sisters and Yuuta's mother. She was giving them a bit of a fond, exasperated look, most of it aimed at her little livewire of a son.
“Okaasaaaaan,” Yuuta whined, pouting and clinging closer to Daiki as he did. “I was not.”
“He really wasn't,” Daiki agreed just as he lowered Yuuta down so he could get on his feet. A hair ruffle soon followed while Yuuta still pretty much clung to him, happy to be right there.
Hikaru sighed, pretty much in the know on how soft Aomine Daiki really was despite how he may look. “Either way, Daiki-kun is here to visit Ryouta. Your uncle must be waiting for him.”
Daiki looked down only to find himself subject to huge puppy dog eyes and a cute little pout. The little fingers gripping on to his shirt didn't help and he had to sigh, petting baby soft golden hair once more.
“I'll see you after I see Ryouta, okay?”
More pouting but at least Yuuta looked more thoughtful now as he leaned his sharp little chin on Daiki's side. “You'll take care of Ryouta-jiichan, okay?”
Daiki held out a pinkie without a hesitation. “I promise.”
Yuuta grinned at that and locked their pinkies together, shaking once for good measure.
“Okay! Oh, and can you give him something for me too, please? Wait!”
A quick run and Yuuta came back with a bright red card and a chocolate bar. It was another one of those moments when Daiki felt like taking the kid home and never returning him ever.
“Okaasan said I can't go into Ryou-jichan’s room,” Yuuta explained, handing over the card and the chocolate as he did. “So this is still here...”
Nope, taking the kid and never bringing him back. “I'll make sure he gets all of this.”
Yuuta beamed at him. “Thank you!”
With that, Daiki sent him off back to his mother with another fond hair ruffle and a banana milk he just oh-so-conveniently had on him before finally heading on towards Ryouta's room. He knocked before calling out,
“Ryouta?”
He was answered by a sneeze and a muffled “come in”.
Ryouta was on his bed in his pajamas, red in the face and valiantly trying to tidy up as he was surrounded by tissues and what looked like an assortment of magazines. From the sluggish way he moved and the way he sniffed every so often, Daiki could tell that he still had some ways to go before he was really better.
“Oi, let me,” Daiki said as he stepped further into the room, putting down the bag of stuff he brought with him.
Ryouta sighed as Daiki came up, flopping back on to the bed dramatically with a pout as he watched Daiki fuss over him. Didn't that pout look familiar?
Daiki leaned over and pressed a kiss over his messy hair.
“Happy Valentine's Day.”
That made Ryouta whine, sinking in and burrowing into his pillows and blankets.
“Daikiiiiii, you'll get sick. Nooooo…”
“No, I won't,” Daiki insisted as he settled down on the bedside, looking to Ryouta as he did. “And where else would I even be right now, huh?”
Despite this, Ryouta sighed, looking at him miserably as he lay on his side. He sniffled.
“Sorry I'm sick on Valentine's Day…”
Ryouta had Grand Master Plans but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. At least, not today.
Daiki shrugged. “It's fine. I'm here, you're here.” He smirked a little as he took in Kise's yellow Pikachu pajamas. “Seeing you look so cute in your pajamas reminds me of why I fell in love with you.”
“Oh God,” Ryouta groaned and Daiki had to laugh even as he nimbly evaded Ryouta's weak attempts at hitting him. “Liar. I look and feel like shit.”
“But still cute,” Daiki insisted before pulling up the bag he brought. “Now, I got you soup from Okaasan--”
“I love your mother. Please tell her I love her.”
“She loves you too,” Daiki confirmed as he pulled out a soup container. “And of course there's gifts from me, your Valentine, and Yuuta.”
Flowers, chocolates, a card, and a teddy bear. Surrounded by his gifts, Ryouta looked less miserable and Daiki liked that. He watched as Ryouta looked at everything fondly then reached to pick up Yuuta's card. Daiki hardly minded.
“Aww,” Ryouta cooed over his adorable nephew's card, eyes flitting over the message inside. “I miss Yuu-chan.”
“He misses you too,” Daiki said as he settled beside him again. “So get better quick, okay?”
Ryouta nodded before settling back, taking the bear and snuggling with it. Golden eyes looked at Daiki over the bear's darling head.
Notes: Inspired by Matched Pairs by Cassie @bunnyhips and this is the flipped scenario where Aomine is the angel and Kise is the demon. This has a bit of a different tone compared to the original because demon!Kise likes to make things difficult, haha.
AND I AM BACK TO THIS AFTER ALMOST THREE YEARS. You have the AoKise Discord server peeps to thank for that. :D This part in particular is for @digimondestined. Hope you feel better soon. ❤
Other parts can be found here.
Incubi, by nature, were attracted to crowds. Crowds meant people, of course, and people meant nourishment.
It had been a while since Ryouta found himself in a club but getting there was like coming home. The loud music coupled with the crush of warm, willing bodies sang to his senses and Ryouta had to take a moment to just bask and enjoy. Why had he stayed away for so long? Oh, his Angel.
Right.
Aomine didn’t seem too fond of clubs or anywhere it was loud and crowded. Ryouta almost had to laugh at the thought. His Angel was so much like an old man sometimes, it was funny. Aomine had a made a face when Ryouta invited him out and had burrowed in deeper under the blankets of his admittedly very comfortable bed.
And he was thinking about him again. Ryouta really tried not to think too much about him doing that. He didn’t want to think about what that meant because honestly, it meant nothing. So maybe he had gotten kind of attached (“Kind of?” Reo-nee had lifted an immaculately maintained eyebrow at him and Ryouta tried not to squirm under the dubious scrutiny), but how could he not have? Aominecchi was… Adorable. Like a sweet, clueless puppy and Ryouta had a near crippling weakness for baby animals. He just couldn’t help himself! And Aomine was also the lethal combination of hot and huggable so while he certainly wanted to fuck him, he also would probably not mind staying after to… Hold him a bit. Soothe him because Falling would definitely suck and--
“So I hear you’re shacking up with an angel now.”
And now Ryouta remembered the other reason why he didn’t frequent clubs as often as he used to.
“Shougo-kun.”
The demon Haizaki Shougo could be handsome if you had no idea what he was and what he was capable of. That and the cornrows but Ryouta had taken himself away from the place where he could even mention such a thing offhand. Nowadays, he barely thought of Haizaki and he thought himself better for it.
Unfortunately, Haizaki was like a dog with a bone and would not let it go. It was the complete opposite of adorable and Ryouta was not amused.
Haizaki was close and had moved even closer. Ryouta didn’t move an inch, stood his ground, and he watched as that made Haizaki smile.
“So it’s the truth? What happened to the sweet digs Mr. CEO got for ya?” Haizaki prodded.
Ryouta shrugged and ignored the question. “What’re you doing here, Shougo-kun?”
“Can’t I go out? Enjoy some downtime?” Haizaki eyed him meaningfully, that smile on his face, and Ryouta almost rolled his eyes. “Catch up with an old friend?”
That unsubtle question really did have Ryouta rolling his eyes. He just couldn’t help himself at that point. “I told you to stay away, didn’t I?”
And the air around them shifted, turning cold then hot and Ryouta stopped himself from instinctively shivering at the feel of Haizaki’s palpable, violent rage that near burned against his skin. Sharp teeth was bared as Haizaki got bitingly close, near snarling. “And I told you that I didn’t give a shit.”
Ryouta stared back at him, took in this display of power and fury, and didn’t flinch. He was the cold calculation to Haizaki’s brute force and that had always driven the other demon crazy. Admittedly, Ryouta took pleasure in being able to rattle and shake the powerful demon every so often but that was it. Being close to Haizaki was dangerous and Ryouta preferred to stay away.
Ryouta straightened and finally reached to push the other demon away, perhaps a stupid move but Ryouta wasn’t just anyone. “Go away, Shougo-kun.”
Predictably, Haizaki resisted, not budging or breaking under Ryouta’s gaze. “Or what? Gonna sic your guardian angel at me?”
The question made Ryouta pause. Guardian angel? He was about to answer, say something to really get Haizaki away from him, but Haizaki wasn’t even looking at him anymore. His sharp, feral gaze was at something beyond Ryouta’s shoulder and Ryouta had to turn to look.
The Angel was tall, heads above the crowd, and looked a bit out of place in his dark and casual clothes as he stood still amidst the human horde. He didn’t seem to mind this as he looked through the crowd and then found Ryouta’s gaze on him. Aomine kept the eye contact for a long, surveying moment before moving forward.
Ryouta didn’t move, couldn’t look away, as Aomine moved through the crowd towards him.
Aomine was really here? Ryouta could scarcely believe it.
The crowd parted for him and the next thing Ryouta knew, Aomine was standing beside him. He was looking at Ryouta and Ryouta alone.
“I still don’t like clubs.”
Aomine was still looking intently at him with those dark, penetrating eyes and it took Ryouta some time to absorb what it was he said. When it got through to him, Ryouta almost wanted to laugh. And also cry. Aomine was so--
“What the fuck.”
And then Aomine wasn’t looking at him anymore. He had finally seemed to notice that Haizaki was also there and so he fixed that intent look at him. Only to flick away dismissively a moment later as if it was nothing to him that a Class-A demon was standing right there within smiting distance.
The look on Haizaki’s face was priceless and that was what broke Ryouta to pieces.
“Are you done here?” Aomine probably asked Ryouta but the incubus was too busy trying not to fall all over himself, laughing as hard as he was. It was okay because Aomine caught him (strong, steadfast Aominecchi) and started leading him away, away from Haizaki and his face.
It was probably some minutes later. They were out of the club and walking to what looked Aomine’s apartment building when Ryouta realized they were holding hands. Aomine was walking beside him with this very serious look on his face. He was holding Ryouta’s hand in a firm grip that didn’t feel punishing or painful but something else instead. Something warmer and almost… possessive.
Ryouta couldn’t help the gleeful delight that bubbled up in his chest as he shifted closer to Aomine, leaning on his shoulder as he said,
“You went out and came to the club.”
Aomine glanced at him and Ryouta almost laughed again at the grumpy, almost pained look he got. It was definitely colder out there beyond Aomine’s warm, comfortable nest of blankets and pillows but there they were.
So I actually have the next chapter/part of Fallen literally written out (yeah, as in with a pen and paper) and I’m debating whether I should type it up, edit it a bit and post it on here. I’ve had it for more than a year or so, hahaha. I feel like it’s kind of “meh” personally but you know, sometimes you gotta just continue and see where it takes you, even when it sucks. Does anyone around here even know about Fallen or is interested in an update...? Let me know, please.
Summary: Satsuki is getting married and Daiki is dragged in to help. And well, you know weddings. They tend to catch you off guard with thoughts about the future and the possibilities it brings. Meanwhile, Ryouta just thinks Daiki will make the best "Maid" of Honor ever.
Notes: For Cassie because we encourage each other to write when we can. :3 And hi, everyone else! I'm back with something new and troublesome. This sat in my Google Drive for a long time and I am just glad to have finished it. It could be better, definitely, but sometimes you just need to toss it out and have it done and dusted. Maybe I'll come back and edit it some day but for now, here, have some wedding shenanigans. P.S. This is very self indulgent so there would most probably be stuff that's inconsistent or outright wrong. I've been to a couple of weddings and was actually a bridesmaid once so. I was pretty much getting stuff from my own experiences and stories, movies, etc.
Also available over at AO3.
“So, what’s up?” Daiki asked after he and Satsuki found their seats in the restaurant his childhood friend had invited him out to, “and tell me you’re actually paying for this.”
It wasn’t the first time Satsuki had dragged him into this restaurant. It was some kind of Japanese fusion place that was somehow popular with girls. Maybe it was the cafe-like atmosphere and the fusion food. Daiki wasn’t really a fan; the food was expensive and the servings were tiny though Satsuki would tell him that most restaurants’ servings were small for him. And there was the fact that Satsuki always made him pay.
Satsuki just sighed and somehow looked suspiciously less annoyed-looking than she usually would have been whenever Daiki so bluntly pointed out who was going to foot the bill. Looking back later, Daiki would probably think that was the first sign but at the present, he was counting his lucky stars that Satsuki seemed happy enough to pay for her own damn meal (and his) for once.
“I invited you out, Dai-chan, so yes. I’m paying.”
“Good,” Daiki acknowledged with a nod. “So what’s the occasion?”
Satsuki looked at him all bright-eyed and pink-cheeked; it was kind of freaky. “Can’t I just take out my oldest friend for a nice lunch?”
Daiki stared. “Are you pregnant?”
“Dai-chan!” She slapped him on the arm, her cheeks flaring with both shock and embarrassment. “No! Why would you even think--”
“Because then maybe I’d have an excuse to actually punch that guy in the face.”
Satsuki rolled her eyes at him. “You are not punching my boyfriend. When are you getting over the fact that he is perfect and amazing?”
“And that’s not suspicious at all,” he muttered as he reached for the little Specials Menu at the center of the table to do something with his hands.
Satsuki just watched him, smiling. “I know you like him, though. No matter how much you say you don’t.”
Daiki didn’t bother saying anything about that because he hated to admit it but Satsuki’s boyfriend was actually more than okay for her. He just didn’t want to openly acknowledge that fact because, well. No one would ever be good enough for Satsuki. No one.
“But he is part of why I took you here today,” Satsuki continued after a short moment of comfortable silence.
Daiki actually bothered to look around. “So where is he?”
“He’s at work and I told him that I’d break the news to you myself.”
He stopped fiddling with the Specials Menu and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at a still too-happy-looking Satsuki. “What did he do?”
Satsuki was unfazed by that frown on his face that could have sent lesser men cowering. “Nothing awful. I promise.”
“Well, what is it?”
Daiki looked at his childhood friend, the one who was actually the best friend he had ever had, and tried to see for any signs that this was actually bad despite what she said. If she was trying to bullshit him, he’d know. He was a bit disappointed but a lot more relieved to find her still smiling at him, looking very serene actually. It was still kind of suspicious.
He almost jumped when she put her hand over his.
“Dai-chan.”
He did his best to look Satsuki straight in the eye. “What?”
Satsuki’s grip on his hand tightened, like she was bracing herself, and Daiki should’ve probably been more scared, not confused, at that look on her face. He couldn’t tell what it was but if anything, she didn’t look upset. Not at all. Far from it.
“Dai-chan.”
“Yeah, Satsuki?”
She smiled and her eyes were shining and her lips were trembling and Daiki felt that teeny bit of fear turn into outright panic because Oh my God. She was fucking pregnant--
“I’m engaged.”
“Momocchi! Congratulations!”
Ryouta was in their bedroom talking on his phone and of course he had to scream into it. Daiki was used to it. After years of living with the loud blond, it was hard not to be. Besides, Ryouta had reason to scream. He had just found out that one of his closest friends was going to get married.
“Daiki just told me!” the model gushed and Daiki felt the usual urge to roll his eyes coming along but stopped himself, “I wish I was there too when you told him because Momocchi! This is huge!”
Daiki had made himself comfortable on their bed. He was so ready to sleep already but the lights were still on and Ryouta was talking on the phone and walking around, unable to contain his excitement. Ryouta was dressed in one of Daiki’s old sweatshirts and one of those weird pajama pants of his. Tonight, they were purple with a pattern of yellow chicks. Overall, he was doing a good job of distracting Daiki from sleep.
“--I’m so sorry for calling so late but I’m just so happy for you! Let’s have lunch soon, okay? I wanna hear all about the proposal. I’m sure it was amazing…” Ryouta had finally paused before the bed, eyes not really looking at anything but smiling so softly and happily. Daiki was pretty sure he had some tears in his eyes.
“I love you, Momocchi. Goodnight. Let me know when we can meet up, okay? Bye!”
Ryouta ended the call and let out a deep sigh. Daiki watched quietly as he looked at his phone with that same soft fondness before finally looking up to meet Daiki’s eyes. And Daiki’s heart honest to God fluttered. There was no other word for it. Daiki knew that look of pure joy wasn’t for him exactly but it sure felt like it when Ryouta looked at him like that.
It was almost like a relief when Ryouta put his phone away and crawled into his arms. Daiki held him over his chest, put him over his heart where he belonged. Sometimes, it still staggered him how much he could love someone else like this. Just one look and he became unsteady.
“Momocchi’s getting married,” Ryouta whispered softly moments later, the smile and wonder on his face clear in the tone of his voice.
“Yeah,” Daiki breathed and some of that pressure in his chest eased. He lifted a hand and gently started to stroke Ryouta’s hair. His hair was as soft and silky as always, a great comfort to the touch.
Ryouta snuggled in closer. “I’m so happy for her…”
“I know…”
“Hey, Daiki.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to be Momocchi’s Maid of Honor?”
Daiki paused. He stared down at Ryouta and in return, Ryouta had his face tilted up, looking right back with wide, golden, guileless eyes and an innocent smile.
A frown. “What?”
“It would make sense, right?” Ryouta continued in the same quiet tone, even nuzzling in affectionately into the crook of Daiki’s throat and shoulder all cozily. “You’re her oldest friend and we know Daiki looks so good in a dress.”
Ryouta had started to lightly run fingertips along his chest, the motions gentle and soothing like they were just talking about quiet, unassuming things and not about dresses and Daiki wearing them.
Daiki was still staring at Ryouta, giving him a look.
The blond menace caught the look and returned it with the same expression of sweet innocence.
Ryouta’s all-too wary boyfriend was not fooled one bit.
“I am not wearing a dress.”
Ryouta just grinned.
Yes, this was the little shit Daiki was head over heels in love with.
Lucky him.
“I’m not gonna be your Maid of Honor.”
Satsuki barely looked up at him as she went through another one of her notebooks. Planning for the wedding was well on its way and Satsuki was of course in the thick of it. Should it be surprising that Satsuki was a hands-on bride? Daiki wouldn’t be shocked if she already had the bare bones of this wedding figured out after her relationship with her then-boyfriend-now-fiance reached the one year mark.
Or even earlier, if the crap they say on TV about little girls and their dolls could be believed. Daiki had no idea; Satsuki didn’t play her dolls with him. Much.
“Of course not, Dai-chan,” she told him patiently but also distractedly, “you’re my Man of Honor.”
Daiki would have groaned and put his head over the table were they still in Middle School but they were adults now and Daiki had grown up some. Instead, he just groaned and looked down grumpily at the cup of black coffee he had in front of him. The cup was tiny. He should have known he was going to be dining in more girly places with tiny servings because of this wedding.
“Couldn’t one of your girl friends do it?”
Satsuki sighed, rolling her eyes and finally looked at him to send him a very familiar look that said he was so, so stupid. “They could, but of course the question is, ‘Who is it going to be?’ And Dai-chan, believe me--” She looked him dead in the eye. “--No one wants to be in the middle of that kind of drama.”
The severe look in Satsuki’s eyes almost made Daiki shudder.
Drama.
Right.
Why do girls have to put up so much fuss and make things complicated?
“You should just make them fight for it,” Daiki suggested as he stole another one of Satsuki’s tiny tea sandwiches from her plate. “Strip them down to swimsuits. Put them in a ring, toss up between mud or oil to make it difficult. First blood wins…”
He gave Satsuki an approving thumbs up. “Profit.”
Satsuki was giving him one of her judging looks again and he was just steadily ignoring her as always. The little tea sandwiches were good. Why did they just have to be so tiny?
“You’ll understand when it’s your wedding you’re planning out,” Satsuki said to him before turning back to her notes and slapping his hand away from stealing more of her sandwiches.
“Are you having those in the wedding?” Daiki asked hopefully even if his hand stung a bit from the well-aimed slap.
Satsuki sighed but took note that “Dai-chan really liked the egg salad and cucumber sandwiches”.
“You are totally the Maid of Honor.”
“What. The. Fuck.” Daiki narrowed his eyes at Kagami. He wondered for the nth time why he was even out with him that night at all.
Something to do with not wanting to look at any more wedding souvenir samples. How much tiny, girly, breakable shit does he have to put up with for this wedding?
“Will Aomine-kun be wearing a dress again? I haven’t shown you the pictures, Kagami-kun, but Aomine-kun does carry a dress well.”
And also Tetsu. Tetsu and Kagami came in a set nowadays; Daiki frankly thought it was disgusting even after all these years.
Kagami had the nerve to shudder. “Nah, no thanks. I think I’d like to keep the nightmare fodder to a minimum if I could and Ahomine in a dress? No thank you.”
Tetsu just had his usual innocent-looking smile on his face like he wasn’t unearthing some very awful, terrible Middle School memories. “That was a fun day.”
“Easy for you to say,” Daiki muttered with a glare, “Akashi was wearing a dress instead of you.”
Kagami almost choked on his Coke. “Akashi in a dress--Okay! No more fucked up Teikou memories! Thank! You!”
Thankfully, Tetsu took that as his cue to switch to another topic. Or rather, back to the original topic of their conversation. “Do you have any particular tasks as the Maid of Honor, Aomine-kun?”
Daiki frowned at him. “Basically I just gotta make sure Satsuki doesn’t have a breakdown over all the details. You won’t believe all the fucking stuff she has to do… There’s also the food. It’s my duty to make sure the food’s good. And I am not the Maid of Honor.”
“Yes, you are,” Kagami giggled because that was totally what he did.
Daiki threw a french fry at him. “No, I’m not.”
“Please take care of Momoi-san, Aomine-kun.” Tetsu said over the ruckus, smiling in that small, soft way that always meant he was happy. Happy for Satsuki for getting married. Happy for him because he was helping out.
“Don’t I always?”
“So I guess this is good practice for you, huh?” Kagami suddenly asked.
Daiki stared at him. “Practice for what?”
“Well, you know,” Kagami started with a shrug, “I know you and Kise can’t really get married here right now but in the future, you could have a ceremony or something just to make things kinda official…”
Kagami trailed off because now even Tetsu was staring at him.
“...What?”
“Have you been thinking of getting married, Kagami-kun?” Tetsu asked, straightforward as always, but though he was staring piercingly at Kagami, there was a suspicious red flush creeping up his face.
Kagami’s face blossomed red like a tomato. “Well, I! I mean, not anytime soon! But--!” he sputtered, almost flailing at the spot and seemingly couldn’t look Tetsu in the eye.
His boyfriend just kept on staring at him like he held all the answers of the universe.
“...Fuck, Kuroko,” Kagami mumbled, avoiding looking at him and clumsily picking at his burger. “You don’t think I’m just with you and not thinking about the future and shit, right?”
Tetsu just stared at him for a bit before moving to put his hand over one of Kagami’s. That soft, happy smile had returned to Tetsu’s face and just grew a little when Kagami turned his hand up to tangle their fingers.
“I can’t say I’m that surprised that you thought about it first, to be honest.”
Kagami still won’t look at him but he seemed happy, the sides of his lips lifting while he squeezed at Tetsu’s hand.
They both looked happy, trapped in a happy bubble.
And beside them, Daiki just wanted to lurch to the side and throw up.
Gross.
The tuxedo was finer and more tailored than anything he would normally wear. It was also tighter around places he’d really prefer his clothes not to be and it was restricting, annoying. Plus he looked like a goddamned penguin.
Daiki grimaced and tugged at the tightly knotted bow tie at his neck. He really hated ties of any kind.
The gasp that came from behind him made him instinctively turn and he almost cringed at the teary-eyed look Ryouta was giving him.
“Are you ever gonna stop crying today?” He grumbled but gently because he wasn’t really annoyed. He was used to Ryouta being dramatic and emotional and it was his schtick to be grumpy about it. Besides, it was the first time Ryouta was able to come for any of the activities related to Satsuki’s wedding preparations so it was expected that he was especially emotional.
Ryouta made a pouty face at him before coming closer and snuggling onto his back, chin resting lightly over his shoulder.
“Daiki is awful,” Ryouta sulked even as his eyes took in their reflection, Daiki in his tuxedo and Ryouta with his arms around him, “even when he’s looking so handsome! So cruel!”
“Shut up,” Daiki muttered gruffly even as he turned his head a little to gently brush a bit of a kiss by Ryouta’s cheekbone instead of the usual forehead flick.
Ryouta hummed at that, smiling a little at the kiss, and just made himself more comfortable as he snuggled in a bit more tightly. He continued drinking in their reflection, amber eyes lingering on the handsome picture Daiki made.
Despite the discomfort, Daiki had to admit he looked pretty good.
“Are you comfortable?” Ryouta asked, “I mean, it isn’t too tight anywhere?”
Daiki tried to shrug. “Kinda tight around the shoulders.”
“Daiki’s shoulders are just all muscled.”
“Are you saying that’s a bad thing? I thought you liked my shoulders.”
“There better be no funny business in the dressing rooms from you two today, okay?”
They both turned at Satsuki’s voice and found her looking at them with a slightly exasperated look on her face. Satsuki had bags under her eyes and her usually brushed and shiny hair looked a bit frazzled. She looked harassed but that wasn’t anything new nowadays.
Undeterred, because he was a little shit, Ryouta snuggled in even more as he flashed her a bright but obviously teasing grin. “But Daiki looks so good, Momocchi! How am I to resist?”
Daiki’s look at Ryouta was unamused. “You are not fucking me in this penguin suit.”
And Satsuki held her face in her hands and looked like she was trying not to scream as Ryouta just burst out laughing.
Daiki knew Satsuki’s stress levels were at an all-time high as the wedding date was steadily getting closer and there was still so much to be done. Still, it was mildly terrifying when she gathered herself up, looked at them oh so calmly and said,
“Just you two wait.”
“Thank you for bringing the invitation yourself, Aomine, and please also thank Momoi for me for sending over the cheese tart. She didn’t have to bother,” Akashi said as they sat down for tea in one of the many sitting rooms in the Akashis’ huge mansion. Ever the gracious host, he poured the tea and sliced the tart himself, serving Daiki who tried not to fidget against all the elegant luxury surrounding him. Daiki had thought Akashi would have had a couple of maids doing the tea serving and tart cutting instead.
Most of the invitations for the wedding were sent by mail but for special people, like Akashi, they were hand carried and Daiki decided to do his poor, harassed childhood friend a favor. Akashi was in town nowadays anyway so it wasn’t going to be hard. But yeah, Satsuki didn’t have to send over the tart with the invitation but what can you do? Akashi was just that special apparently. The cheese tart was good, though.
Red eyes fixed on him as Akashi continued, “I do hope Momoi isn’t working herself too hard.”
Daiki sighed, “You know how she is…”
Akashi nodded because of course he knew. “Please continue on taking care of her.”
“Yeah…”
They sipped their tea.
“How about you, Aomine? How have you and Kise been?” Akashi inquired though Daiki still felt he already knew and was just being polite.
“We’re fine. Kise’s got a new ad coming out and it’s off season so…”
“You have been together a while.”
“A couple of years, yeah.”
“And you two are very happy.”
“Yeah…”
Somehow, Daiki had a feeling that he had been having this same kind of conversation for a while now and he didn’t know why though he felt like he should. He just had this sense that Akashi was trying to tell him something but Akashi being Akashi, he didn’t lay it all out before him and instead left him with something to chew on for a while until he figured it out himself. Because every move Akashi made was deliberate and Daiki was not stupid when it came to Akashi and how he managed them. Really, the Captain of the Generation of Miracles hadn’t changed that much through the years.
He and Akashi were never actually particularly close or chatty so it wasn’t long before Daiki made his excuses and Akashi saw him to the door.
“Please send my regards to Kise,” Akashi said to him in goodbye, a slight smile playing on his lips as he does like he knew something Daiki didn’t (which would not be a surprise at all). “I look forward to new developments soon.”
Of course he was.
Satsuki, just like any enthusiastic bride, had a rather expansive and detailed wedding registry and for that, Daiki was... Well, it was sort of a relief she had one because then he didn’t have to be burdened with actually going around hunting for a gift. Granted, he got strong-armed into spending too much money on some kind of food processing thing (God forbid he was actually encouraging Satsuki to cook something) but at least that was another task done for the wedding.
He should have known his involvement with getting wedding gifts was not yet over. He thought it was done after his own mother practically went to war with one of Satsuki’s aunts over the most perfect sets of dinnerware and he had to… Yeah, that was a nightmare. He was glad that was over but apparently he had more struggles to get past.
Ryouta had that determined look on his face that reminded Daiki of old high-stakes basketball games and it should have been hot but Daiki wasn’t exactly in a sexy kind of mood right then. Not when Ryouta had him by the wrist and was dragging him through a part of the mall that he had seen too much of for the past week or so. Daiki wanted to shake him off because no. Why were they here? He was just here the other day with all the monstrous selections of kitchen appliances and cutlery and what have you and he was pretty sure his bank account still felt the dent he regretfully bashed into it because Satsuki was relentless and thought he was made of money or something.
“You know Satsuki has a wedding registry, right?” Daiki knew Ryouta knew but if he could wheedle his way out of another shopping trip, he would ask again in the hope that Ryouta would reconsider.
“Yes,” Ryouta replied, barely sparing him a glance over his shoulder, “but none of them are what I want to give Momocchi and her husband-to-be.”
Daiki sighed and didn’t even bother masking his exasperation. “You’re not the one who’s gonna be receiving the damned gift...”
“Momocchi knows I have taste, Daiki,” Ryouta put in matter of factly and Daiki purposefully ignored the feeling that Ryouta thought he didn’t have taste, “she’ll like what I’ll give her.”
And then Ryouta flashed him that bright, dazzling smile. “I just need to find what that gift is.”
It really wasn’t fair when Ryouta smiled at him like that, like he had no idea what it was like for Daiki when he did that to him. Daiki didn’t like shopping for the most part and would rather not be dragged around for hours in a mall but here he was and a smile was enough to make him feel less irritated and a bit more patient. Just because of a beautiful smile from this annoying, determined person he shared most everything with. God he was such a sap.
“...Please tell me you have at least some idea of what kind of gift you want to get.”
Ryouta’s smile turned cheeky as he tugged Daiki away from the current section of the mall they were at. “No kitchen appliances.”
Daiki wanted to hit him and he tried but Ryouta expected it and ducked in time, laughing.
And he still held on to Daiki’s wrist. Eventually, Daiki himself shifted his fingers and tangled their hands together. Ryouta’s hold was loose but warm.
“Don’t worry, Daiki. I know where to go.” More cheery smiles and a bit of a swing of their linked hands.
Barely noticing it, Daiki squeezed Ryouta’s hand in response.
“Fine but don’t take too long looking around.”
“I’ll treat you to dinner!”
“No salads.”
Ryouta’s laugh was musical and did funny things to Daiki’s heart like it always did and when Ryouta magnanimously agreed to his condition, Daiki braced himself for two, if not three, hours of mind-numbing waiting while Ryouta browsed and deliberated among the many options he was faced with.
The things he did for Ryouta, really.
(It was like they were already married or something.)
“I’m gonna get more snacks!” Ryouta piped up, bouncing up on his feet and running off to the kitchen. He was a bright yellow blur as he sped out of their living room and Daiki almost felt tired watching him go.
“Get the ice cream too, Ki-chan, okay?” Satsuki called after him and got a bright affirmative in reply. She started absently humming and Daiki turned to look at her just as she started fussing with her outfit again.
Tonight, Satsuki was dressed in a white and pink unicorn kigurumi, looking cozy and comfortable as she lounged back against their living room couch. She was looking very relaxed and cheerful for somebody who was about to tie the knot in a few days. Looking at her kind of made Daiki nervous, not that he’d ever say so. She had been running around on a mix of manic determination and too much caffeine for months trying to get everything done and now that The Day was almost upon them, she looked finally and eerily at peace. Daiki figured she’d be more of a wreck the nearer it got but then again this was Satsuki. He didn’t really know of anyone else who was more put together than she was when it came to being faced with heavy, stressful situations. Like promising yourself and your life to another person forever.
Satsuki finished up her humming with a sudden smile, aiming it at him in a way that made him jolt a bit. “This was such a great idea, Dai-chan. Thanks.”
Daiki brushed off her thanks with snort as he stretched out beside her. “Whatever. Ryouta probably just wanted to be Pikachu for the night…”
“And you wanted to be Godzilla?” Satsuki asked him innocently, batting her eyelashes and nudging her white and pink covered foot against his own. Which was inside a dark gray Godzilla onesie foot thing.
“Anyone would be lucky to be Godzilla,” he told her seriously before she giggled and slumped sideways onto his shoulder with a soft sigh.
Satsuki had her Bachelorette Party with her girl friends the other day. That probably explained the relaxed mood. They had a group spa and of course Daiki had nothing to do with it because apparently “no boys allowed”. Ryouta had deemed it unfair, pouting about “wanting a party with Momocchi, too” but Daiki put his foot down on going to a spa. And so here they were, having a slumber party and drama marathon in their kigurumi. And yes, it was also an excuse to wear their cute character onesies. Daiki was very unashamedly fond of his Godzilla one and would wear it everywhere if it wouldn’t make Ryouta disown him.
“What is it?”
“Huh?” Daiki looked down and found Satsuki looking up at him inquisitively.
“You look like you’ve been wanting to say something all night.”
Daiki snorted, looking away, “What? No.”
“Yes.”
“Nope.”
“Yeeees.”
She gave his foot another nudge and there was that Look on her face.
From many years of knowing Satsuki, Daiki knew all about how tenacious she could be. She would not let something go when she was sure about it and it was just better to spit it out right away or she would just hurt you.
Daiki sighed, tired already and he hadn’t even started putting up much of a fight yet. This was old age probably getting to him. Dealing with a determined Satsuki was somehow harder nowadays. He blamed it on Ryouta; Ryouta just had a way of making him soft.
Speaking of the Pikachu kigurumi-clad blond, he was still in the kitchen and making popcorn, so it seemed. Microwave popcorn was safe. Ryouta could handle the microwave pretty well. Daiki could hear Ryouta singing faintly and could easily imagine the dorky little dance moves happening right about now. It would all look dorkier with Ryouta in his Pikachu outfit but he’d be able to carry it with his usual cheeky and mischievous bravado.
Daiki turned his gaze back to Satsuki to find her giving him an inquiring look.
“Just…,” he paused, trying to come up with the words. Why was talking so hard? “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That you wanted to get married.”
It was just something that came to him as the day of the wedding drew closer. It was probably inevitable, with him being in the thick of preparations and being beside Satsuki almost every step of the way. That and Ryouta was there too, being excited and enthusiastic about everything like he always was when his friends and celebrations were involved and always eager to help with whatever whenever he could. Daiki had no idea Ryouta enjoyed weddings though he supposed it was different when your friends were involved.
“Well,” Satsuki began after a while, “he asked and before that we’ve talked about it. It wasn’t something that just happened.”
“So, what, you knew when he was gonna propose?” Well that sounded lame.
Satsuki laughed, eyes dancing. “No, but I knew he was going to eventually. We were both just waiting for the right time.”
Relationships were work; Daiki had come to learn that well in the past few years of him being with Ryouta. Love and care was not enough. There also had to be a level of trust and understanding that people needed to work on to achieve. Daiki liked to think that he and Ryouta were at that level after so many years. So now, what with Satsuki getting herself shackled soon and dragging him along for the wild ride preparing for it, it seemed like just the time to ask himself, “So what’s next?”
“...You’re really gonna get married, huh?” Daiki said, looking down at Satsuki again. She had put up the hood of her kigurumi and the soft unicorn horn almost poked him in the eye. How could it be that it felt like things were the same but they actually weren’t?
Satsuki looked at him from under her hood with a smile that reminded him far too much of Ryouta for some reason.
“Yep,” she responded easily, happily just as they heard Ryouta making his way back to them with the snacks.
She nudged at his shoulder with a giggle.
“Don’t cry, okay?”
(He didn’t cry, okay?
There was just something in his eye when Satsuki was walking down the aisle in her huge, floofy wedding dress.
It was probably the flowers. There were so many flowers. Why the fuck were there so many flowers anyway? He probably developed allergies and they made him tear up. Thank God there weren’t any bees...
Fuck, he felt like punching something.
He should’ve finally punched Satsuki’s boyfriend.
He should be the one crying.
(Not Daiki because he was happy for her, okay? The guy had no way of deserving her ever but he made her so goddamned happy and what was he supposed to do about that?
...God he was gonna miss her so much…)
The food at the reception was great. Daiki made absolutely sure of that. Sure, Ryouta helped in keeping it “appropriate” but still. Satsuki approved so that was that.
After everything, after the eating and pictures and speeches and dancing, Satsuki and her new husband left for their honeymoon. She was able to say goodbye before she got whisked away. She had changed into street clothes, looking tired but still smiling, glowing like a happy bride.
“You be good to Ki-chan while I’m gone. I’ll be away for a while.” She said to him, smiling but still nagging at him.
Daiki had to roll his eyes. “Yeah, I won’t make him cry. Go already. You’ll be late for your flight.”
He almost fell over at the force of her hug. Tiny as she was, she had always been a force of nature and she was very capable of knocking him over if she wanted to. She clung to him for a long second, so many words unsaid but somehow Daiki understood and was touched by them, and then she was off, waving over her shoulder and calling out a goodbye.
It’ll be a few months until he saw her face to face again.
The guests were slowly leaving after the newlyweds’ exit and Satsuki’s and his family were seeing to the clean up and other post wedding brouhaha. Daiki was excused from all that because he was who he was a.k.a. he slipped away before his mother caught him. He has had enough of weddings for a while.
Daiki sighed in relief as he sank down onto a bench which was inside a garden gazebo he found at the back of the wedding chapel. Someone will find him eventually but until then, he would sit there and finally relax.
The gazebo was a perfect setting for wedding pictures. It was surrounded by the garden with flowers hanging down and curling around the posts. Someone even hung up fairy lights around. Daiki discovered them when they were suddenly turned on. The sun had started setting a while ago and now the gazebo was all softly, romantically lit up.
“There you are.”
Daiki looked over his shoulder and was not surprised to find Ryouta standing there. Ryouta was handsome as always but he was elegant and polished today in the dark, tailored suit he wore. His hair was styled like he was going to be in one of those photoshoots he did and Daiki had been itching to run his fingers through the soft-looking strands all day. Honestly. Kise Ryouta and his pretty boy looks and soft, pretty hair. He was a menace.
Ryouta had a hand in his pocket as he tilted his head a bit to the side after catching Daiki’s gaze. He smiled and followed it up with a saucy wink.
“Did you fall in love with me all over again just now?”
Daiki scoffed, frowning. “Oh shut up. You already know how pretty you are.”
Ryouta laughed and entered the gazebo to sit beside him. He sat down with much less grace than he usually would when he wore suits.
“I still like having Daiki say so, though!”
Ryouta was still smiling when Daiki looked away.
A comfortable silence fell between them for a while. The day started early and ended late. They were both tired but the mood between them was a soft, wistful one. It was still kind of surreal, thinking of Satsuki as a married woman. For all that they were involved in the preparations leading to this day, that concept was still kind of hard to grasp.
“Momocchi’s married.” Ryouta finally broke the silence as he was wont to do.
Daiki glanced to him at that. “I don’t think you can call her that anymore.”
“E? Why not? Momocchi is Momocchi. It doesn’t matter if she’s married now! She didn’t take her husband’s name, right?”
“...Oh yeah.”
Ryouta lifted up a closed fist with a grin. “By the way, congratulations, Maid of Honor. Great job.”
“Call me that again and I will end you,” Daiki grumbled but bumped fists with him anyway. He totally deserved the congratulations.
“I still think you should’ve worn a dress but whatever--Ah! Daiki!”
Ryouta was laughing even as Daiki got him in a headlock and Daiki couldn’t get enough of it. Of Ryouta’s everything, really, even if half the time Ryouta just plain drove him up the wall. Daiki had to ask sometimes, how was this his life? How did he get here, and with this spoiled, ridiculous, amazing creature to boot? Sure, it wasn’t perfect and he had to deal with so much shit sometimes but it was also good. It was just as surreal to think about sometimes.
It wasn’t long before Ryouta’s laughter faded to a smug, mischievous grin and he had happily claimed Daiki as his portable heater. Daiki wrapped him up in his arms with hardly any fuss because the idiot was going to get cold and was refusing to go back inside because the gazebo had “a nice, romantic atmosphere”.
Ryouta’s hair was brushing against his cheek and chin as he snuggled into him. Daiki didn’t really get cold easily but he was definitely warmer now with Ryouta all over him. He cleared his throat.
“Are you getting a cold?” asked Ryouta and Daiki could feel those eyes fixing on him inquisitively.
“No. I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“...Well, okay. Let’s stay here a bit more but we’ll go in in a few minutes. Promise.”
Ryouta wriggled a bit before settling in more comfortably. Daiki looked down at him and started petting his hair. It was, unsurprisingly, as soft as it looked.
“That was nice, huh?”
“The reception?” Ryouta asked as he looked up at him.
“No…”
“The wedding?”
“Yeah....”
“Yeah,” Ryouta agreed with a fond smile, “It was. Momocchi was a beautiful bride.”
Daiki kept on petting his hair, letting the smooth strands weave gently through his fingers.
“You know… I wouldn’t mind…”
“Wouldn’t mind…?”
“...That.”
“E?”
His fingers settled in Ryouta’s hair.
“...I said I wouldn’t mind.”
“Wouldn’t mind what?” Ryouta’s expression was curious and Daiki had to force the words out.
“...Something like that.”
By then, Ryouta had straightened up so he could look at Daiki’s face as if trying to get a better gauge on what it was they were talking about. The look on Ryouta’s face was confused, unsure. He licked his lips, bit them, and Daiki did his best not to be distracted.
“...A wedding?” he asked softly.
“...”
“...Daiki?” Ryouta prompted him.
“...Yeah…”
Getting that out didn’t really make Daiki feel any better. Whoever said speaking your mind was a good thing should think again. The long moment after Daiki opened his mouth and said what had been on his mind for almost all of that day was terrifying.
And it didn’t get better when the long, nerve-wracking silence was over and Ryouta opened his mouth.
“Daiki?”
“Yeah?”
Ryouta looked at him and scrunched up his nose, lips pouting petulantly.
“Just so you know, that was the lamest proposal ever.”
You know how in anime where a character turned into stone and slowly started breaking into pieces or blowing away into dust? That was how Daiki felt like then.
“Hey!” he protested, though he felt frozen all over and like his head was going to explode at the same time. “I wasn’t proposing!”
Ryouta raised him an eyebrow, unimpressed. “But you said you wanted a wedding.”
“Not right now!” Daiki found himself stuttering out and oh my God. This was the lamest proposal ever.
“Well no,” and now Ryouta was rolling his eyes at him, “because I think we’re too old and attached to go and elope and can you imagine what that’d do to my mother and my sisters? They’ll be devastated, Daiki! And Momocchi has to be here. She has to help me out with all the planning! I can’t do everything myself! So it has to be sometime maybe next year at the earliest but it doesn’t have to be. Because I can wait. Because my boyfriend is an idiot and owes me a great, amazing proposal...”
It looked Ryouta wanted to say more but he trailed off and couldn’t help but stop, biting his lip again. Not even an hour after Satsuki left and Ryouta was already crying. Daiki was the absolute worst. Despite that, Ryouta allowed Daiki to take him back into his arms and hold him. Daiki started stroking his hair again and they stayed like that for a while.
When it seemed like Ryouta had calmed down, Daiki had to ask, “...So you’d like a wedding, huh?”
Ryouta’s voice when he answered was soft, wistful as he laid his head by Daiki’s shoulder. “I want to get married, yeah…”
The words made Daiki pause for a second but it didn’t take much for him to just hold Ryouta closer. “You never said anything…”
Ryouta let out a snort. “You’re a scaredy cat so you had to be the one to say it first.”
That made Daiki frown. “I’m not a scaredy cat…”
Ryouta shifted a little and somehow Daiki knew he was smiling. He squeezed him a bit in what was supposed to be a reprimand but they both knew it didn’t work one bit.
“...I knew I was going to marry you somehow, some way.” Ryouta murmured when the sun had completely set and the air had gotten chilly but between the two of them there was warmth; Daiki felt it the most on his face.
“Cheesy...”
Ryouta looked at him soberly, leaned up and kissed him.
Notes: Inspired by Matched Pairs by Cassie @bunnyhips and this is the flipped scenario where Aomine is the angel and Kise is the demon. This has a bit of a different tone compared to the original because demon!Kise likes to make things difficult, haha. And I have no excuses for being so late with this so yeah...
Other parts can be found here.
It was definitely a bad idea to bring an incubus into the apartment he called home on Earth but somehow, Ryouta had made him weak. There was just something pitiful about the blond getting soaked under the rain and really, Ryouta must have done something to him that he had lowered his guard down around him this much.
It was debatable whether it was a good or a bad thing that Ryouta seemed to have gotten back to his usual self once they arrived at his door.
"Ooooh, Aominecchi~" he cooed, standing too close and grinning too wide. "You took me home. I didn't know you had it in you."
Daiki was an Angel but he wasn't an innocent. He knew what the incubus meant and he felt his cheeks and ears heating up despite himself.
"Don't get any ideas," Daik told him sternly, pushing Ryouta off of him before getting the door open.
"I have no objections," Ryouta said as he breezed past him into the apartment and started looking around and touching everything. "But I'm really impressed that Aominecchi is so forward. Then again, we have already gone on so many dates. We're so overdue."
Daiki took away the basketball that Ryouta had found, making the incubus pout. With determination, Daiki did his best to ignore it.
"The bathroom's over there. There are towels and some clothes in there to change into."
Ryouta's eyelashes were really ridiculously long, especially when he fluttered them at him. "I don't think I'll be needing clothes, don't you think so, Aominecchi?"
Daiki felt like rubbing a hand down his face. "Yes. You do," he managed to grit out instead. "You'll get cold."
"Then keep me warm."
Arms were suddenly around him and Ryouta so close. Daiki smelled the clean scent of rain but also the usual sweetness that seemed to just naturally come from Ryouta himself. Their clothes were wet but they weren't cold. If anything, Daiki definitely felt very warm being this close to the beautiful incubus holding on to him.
"We're wet," Daiki told him, ignoring the way his voice had fallen low, much like the way Ryouta sounded now.
Golden eyes darkened to amber and Ryouta's voice was honey to his senses. "So let's get out of these wet things, hm?"
This close, it was hard not to be taken in by the alluring look in those eyes and the seductive curve of those lips. Daiki found himself moving forward, hands falling down to Ryouta's hips as he gently moved him back--
Into the bathroom behind them. He pushed Ryouta inside and closed the door.
The screech of betrayal from behind the closed door could probably be heard all the way to Heaven.
"Aominecchi! Not fair!"
The door could be opened from the inside and Aomine wasn't bothering to lock it. For now, it was enough to escape Ryouta and his everything for a few minutes.
"The towels are to the left and my clothes are on the right. You can shower or whatever and just change." Daiki called to Ryouta before moving away to the living room. He was also wet but he didn't mind waiting his turn while he tried to figure out what the heck it was he was actually doing.
Satsuki explained to him what a Matched Pair was: an Angel and Demon pair to keep the balance of powers between Heaven and Hell. It sounded neat and simple enough and it sounded like such a romantic story but the concept of it just made his head hurt.
Forces beyond him and Ryouta were working to forge a bond between them, like some kind of fated, cosmic marriage.
Daiki certainly knew what marriage was all about but that didn’t mean he could even begin to comprehend the possibility that he could be bonded so closely to another being, let alone a Demon who often confused him and made him feel strange, unfamiliar things. Never mind the other things he just seemed to be so capable of doing that Daiki found all sorts of wrong.
“I told you we wouldn’t be needing clothes. So nice that you saw it my way,” called that sweet, sly voice from the entrance to the living room and Daiki was almost scared to look.
Ryouta was leaning against the wall, hip cocked in a way that pulled attention to curves and legs that shouldn’t be legal for him to have. Curves that were subtly but effectively displayed and legs that were long and bare under one of his t-shirts and you would think his old oversized t-shirt would have the decency to, well, keep Ryouta decent.
“Why aren’t you wearing shorts?” Daiki asked though he knew there was probably no point to it.
“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Ryouta returned and was soon close enough to press against him, not at all minding that Daiki’s bare skin was still damp and cool.
“It was wet.”
Ryouta smiled up at him, looking pretty and pleased, before giggling and the next thing Daiki knew, he was pushed down onto his couch and he had a lapful of clingy, half-naked incubus.
“Fine,” Ryouta conceded as he made himself comfortable over Daiki and giving him no choice but to stay where he was. “We can just cuddle. ‘Don’t want my Angel to be uncomfortable after all.”
A tail was wrapped around one of his legs and Daiki had no idea where to put his hands but he most certainly was not putting them anywhere on Ryouta.
“...You’re not even wearing any underwear, are you.” Daiki didn’t even bother making it a question. For now, he was resigned to his fate and just let Ryouta nuzzle and purr against him like a content pussycat.
“Aominecchi is so funny.” Ryouta giggled and gave him another kiss, this time by his jaw and Daiki definitely felt the graze of sharp teeth (he would not admit how that made him feel what felt like butterflies in his belly and a flash of heat even lower).
Notes: So while I procrastinate on Fallen, have some of this. Also available over at AO3.
In the middle of a quiet, almost empty train car, an obnoxiously loud English song started playing. The song was not silenced fast enough, evidenced by heads raising to find the owner of the source. And when it finally, mercifully, did stop, it was because a call was answered.
"...Hello?"
A tall blond held the phone to his ear as he tried to smile apologetically to the few, weary people eying him. He seemed perfectly aware that he was being rude but it didn't look like he was going to quit the call within the next few minutes. Instead, he turned away and tried to keep his voice down.
"Neechan?"
"Ryouta. Can you hear me?"
The blond, Ryouta, sighed as he listened to his sister's voice.
"Loud and clear," he almost grumbled. "It's like you're right here sitting beside me."
"Well good," his sister replied lightly as if she cared little for the inconvenience the call cost him. "It's your fault for escaping. If you had been here, I wouldn't be calling you."
Ryouta was listening but his gaze was to the lit up landscape on the other side of the window. It was late and he should have been back hours ago but he hadn't wanted to come home. Tonight was the night of the full moon right smack in the middle of hanami season and it could get weird. Well, weirder.
"Ryouta." His sister called his attention and he found himself facing forward as if she was right there in front of him, looking at him with faint disapproval but also some sympathy. "You were missed, you know? "
Despite himself, Ryouta sighed. "I know..." It wasn't as if he actually enjoyed disappointing everyone when he didn't fulfill his so-called duties. He had duties and responsibilities to his family and he loved them so much, but things had gotten harder and harder the older he got and the more he realized that he walked a different path.
" ...Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
A sad smile quirked one side of his lips, eyes unfocused as he listened to his sister's clear voice and the gentle sound of wind chimes that hung by her bedroom window.
"Not really. Is Rika-neechan really mad?"
"Well." Ryouta heard her sigh as she seemed to pause for a moment. "She's not there with you so I'm guessing she's not as mad as she could be."
At the answer, Ryouta couldn't help but shiver.
"I'll be home soon."
"You better. Or I'm eating your share of the dango the Murasakibaras brought over."
"Oi!" Ryouta found himself raising his voice in protest, drawing stares again, and he tried to make himself smaller against his seat in apology. "No fair!"
"That's what you get for not being here~ " Her voice carried over in a playful singsong and Ryouta started relaxing. At least one of his sisters was kind of normal.
“I’ll be home in a bit.”
“Good.”
“Don’t touch my share. And Hikaru-neechan?”
"Yes, Ryouta?”
“Use your phone next time?”
In answer to that, Hikaru laughed, clear as a bell, and really, it was just like she was right there with him, sitting with him on the train. Or as if he was sitting with her in her room, the window open as the wind played gently with her wind chimes. He could almost see her mischievous little grin that looked so much like the one found on his face a lot of the time.
“‘Don’t really want to,” she told him, playful and maybe a touch evil, and then there was nothing. Not even a goodbye. Her voice was simply gone and so was she.
So much for being kind of normal.
He was about to put his phone away when he felt himself stilling. It was as if something was rooting him on the spot and instinctively, he looked up to see for the source.
It was the guy sitting a few seats away and across him. He was tall, maybe around his height, with dark hair that almost fell over his eyes and looked due for a trim. His skin was dark, like he spent a lot of time under the sun, and his shoulders looked strong and capable. But it was his eyes that really caught Ryouta's attention. They were dark and intently focused on him and under their gaze it felt like he could hardly move or breathe.
It took what felt like an eternity before the guy's gaze wavered to meet his own eyes and it was a bit easier.
"...That must be gross."
Ryouta blinked.
It took him another moment to realize that he was actually being spoken to and yet another to figure out what the guy just said.
"...What?"
Did he have something on his face? Something on his clothes? Did he sit on something he shouldn't have?
It was as if the guy was also surprised that Ryouta had acknowledged what he said. A couple of expressions passed through the his face as if he was trying to figure out what to do and say. And eventually, he settled on resignation, eyes closing for a moment as if bracing himself for something.
"...You're sitting on a ghost."
Whatever Ryouta thought it was that the guy was going to say, this was not it.
"...A ghost?"
Ghosts existed, of course, but Ryouta never really had the opportunity to actually see or interact with one. Not that he particularly wanted to, but when you belonged to a certain kind of family like he did, you tended to think that things like that could happen sometime. And there were people who were especially sensitive to ghosts, who could see and interact with them, but Ryouta had never been one of them. Apparently this guy across from him could be if this wasn't just some weird ploy to get his attention.
For now, Ryouta gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked, "So...what should I do?"
The guy looked like he couldn’t believe that Ryouta was taking this seriously. "Well, I don't think it's bothered much by you sitting on it but... Anyway, here. Come on."
A hand was suddenly held out to him and without hesitation, Ryouta found himself taking it.
And his skin buzzed with sudden, electric awareness. The hand was dry, warm, not unpleasant but there was more to this hand, this guy, and Ryouta knew it to the very core of him that got exasperated at his sisters' natural, effortless use of their abilities and recoiled from the stream of power that flowed through his very veins. This person saw ghosts as he held Ryouta's hand like it was nothing, like nothing but skin and muscle and bone stopped them from actually touching and possibly combusting--
"--shouldn't look at it. Just sit here with me. Don't worry about it."
It was that voice that brought him back, made him focus on the present though he was still holding on to that hand. He was sitting beside the stranger, so close that their shoulders touched. They weren't looking at the ghost and that was probably for the best. Ryouta may not be able to see it but the man beside him certainly could and it looked like he preferred not to have to engage with it at all.
Their linked hands sat between them and Ryouta focused on that connection until they came to his stop.
They exited the train together and stepping out onto the platform made him feel a bit lighter as if being able to move about freed him from something. By then, he had forgotten that they were still holding hands until his companion let go.
"Sorry," the guy said, looking flustered, and it was then that Ryouta noticed that he was handsome. Not in the typical, perfectly chiseled sort of way but it could be seen in the well-formed angles of his face and the deep blue of his eyes.
And his hand had been warm and he had felt safe, tucked into his side.
"It's all right," Ryouta assured him with a smile that he beamed up at him because he was a bit taller than he was. "Thank you. For protecting me from the ghost."
"It couldn't really do anything to you, but," he insisted. "It must've been uncomfortable. If you had felt it."
He was tall and strong and adorably awkward. Ryouta was charmed and his curiosity peaked.
His adorable psychic cleared his throat and seemed to be having a hard time looking at him. "You've probably got somewhere to be, so."
Ryouta nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll see you, then." He winced. "I mean!"
Ryouta tried hard not to laugh because he was obviously embarrassed and he didn't want to make it worse for him. Before he could say anything--ask for a name, ask him out for a date--the guy had taken his hand again.
"Just. Keep this with you, all right?"
He had pressed a cat into his hand. It was made of jade and looked perfectly content and comfortable in its carved out pose of napping on its side. A sturdy, deep blue string was attached to its curved back and it would make a perfect charm for his phone.
And when Ryouta looked up, he was gone.
The charm, because that was what it was, was warm in his hand and he knew that warmth wouldn't fade no matter how long he kept it with him. He definitely planned to keep it.
Humming softly, Ryouta wound the charm into his phone so it hung down one side of it and started walking toward the exit of the train station. He didn't keep his phone and fiddled with it even as he walked, only looking up to smooth his hand and fingertips over the turnstile as he made his exit. The bars gave way for him without any resistance. He walked out into the night, enjoying the cool breeze and the faint sweet scent of spring, and stopped for a bit as he came to a crossroad. Ryouta looked from one direction to another before turning his gaze down to his phone again.
"All right. Let's find you, shall we?" he murmured as he tapped on an app and watched it load, his eyes taking on a gleaming, golden light.
Notes: Inspired by Matched Pairs by Cassie @bunnyhips and this is the flipped scenario where Aomine is the angel and Kise is the demon. This has a bit of a different tone compared to the original because demon!Kise likes to make things difficult, haha. Again, sorry for the lateness of this part. You get Aomine and Kise interacting again, though. :3
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
His Angel was ignoring him.
They were walking as they usually did, keeping a steady pace side by side with no particular destination in mind. Aomine's patrol routes pretty much seemed to be "wherever my feet took me". Surprisingly, Ryouta didn't mind this too much. Sometimes, he complained about his feet hurting and they would stop for a bit to rest. Resting usually meant stopping for a bite to eat though they both didn't really need to. Ryouta adored cafes with sugary drinks and fancy cakes and Aomine apparently liked burgers and meat enough that he didn't mind sitting down for some at times. Sometimes, they just grazed lazily, enjoying the taste and texture of food and drink, while at other times it all somehow ended up in a heated competition of who could put away the most of the day's meal.
And then they would walk again until Ryouta actually had somewhere else to be. Ryouta was usually between one task or another but nowadays, for some reason, it was these walks with Aomine that were the highlight of his days. It was just something new, something different, Ryouta reasoned to himself breezily as he checked his schedule and where Aomine could possibly be at a certain time.
Usually, these walks of theirs were more entertaining with Ryouta regaling the angel with tales of his fabulous existence while Aomine put in some dry, teasing comments here and there. Then Ryouta would feign hurt and commence the pouting and Aomine would roll his eyes, grumbling about him being ridiculous.
But now there was nothing, no bantering, not even a single sigh, and Ryouta just knew Aomine was miles away.
"Mou, Aominecchi!" Ryouta huffed after taking the torture of silence long enough. "What are you even thinking about when I'm right here?!"
Ryouta really did not take too kindly to having Aomine's attention be elsewhere. It was so annoying and so rude. Anyone else would have felt blessed by the opportunity just to be in the same place he was but of course Aomine didn't think so. He watched Aomine finally come back to Earth beside him, staring at him until those dark eyes finally focused on him.
"What?" Aomine asked, confused, blinking at Ryouta like he had just woken up and it was really unfair how that pulled attention to his eyes. Aomine had such beautiful eyes he could drown in. "You were saying something?"
"No," Ryouta retorted and no, he did not sound like a sulky child when he did, "but if I did, you wouldn't have heard it!"
Aomine shrugged. "I was just thinking."
"Be careful. You might hurt yourself."
"...Are you mad at me?"
"Am not..." But he was very aware that he was sulking. Sulking about being neglected by an angel who didn't know any better. What was wrong with him?
Aomine was still staring at him in that very still, very focused way he did sometimes and he almost shivered.
"I think you are." The angel concluded after a while and Ryouta wanted to stomp his foot and give in to the urge to throw a tantrum.
Instead he drew in a calming breath and calmly said, "No, Aominecchi. I'm not."
"You're not looking at me and you're lying."
Stupid angel and his ability to have a sharp sense for lies. Ryouta wanted to throw something at him. Why did he have to make things so difficult?
"It doesn't matter." Ryouta found himself saying though he still found it hard to look at Aomine for some reason.
He felt the weight of Aomine's gaze on him and he could clearly imagine the open look of puzzlement on his face.
"Of course it does."
Ryouta chanced a glance at him and found the exact same expression he imagined: wide, questioning eyes and lips half slack. He looked dumb, innocent; it was infuriating and Ryouta was almost exhausted by the many emotions that he had cycled through in the past few seconds of having this ridiculous conversation.
He closed his eyes and took another breath, a hand lifting to brush back his bangs from his face to further ground himself.
"Okay, I'll bite. Why does it matter?"
Now Aomine looked at him like he was the idiot. "So we can work things out and you don't have to be mad at me again."
It was simple, so very simple, and Ryouta never even thought of the possibility of that reasoning.
So they could work things out and Aomine would know what not to do so Ryouta won't be mad.
The very idea was surprising, disarming, and Ryouta found himself at a standstill. His mind was blank and he was robbed of words. Honestly. What was he supposed to do with this?
"Ah--"
Ryouta blinked, feeling a drop of water on his cheek.
He couldn't be crying.
No, that would be the most embarrassing thing and Ryouta refused to be caught dead crying over ridiculous angels and their charming, adorable notions of peacekeeping and niceties! Absolutely not! There was already this ache in his chest and he would positively explode if this kept up. He just knew it!
"It's coming down."
Aomine's eyes were to the sky as little drops of rain started to fall. Ryouta just continued on watching him. He had been unable to tear his eyes away from him since so it was a surprise when Ryouta suddenly found himself with an open hoodie draped around his shoulders and Aomine now had one less layer of clothing.
The angel's movements were firm but careful as he pulled the hood over Ryouta's head and adjusted the hoodie to cover him more. Ryouta watched his face before letting his gaze fall to his hands.
"...You know I can't get sick, Aominecchi."
Aomine snorted. "I know. I'm not that dumb." He gave the hoodie another tug to fix it. "But you don't enjoy getting wet, do you?"
The rain was starting to fall harder and really, the hoodie didn't do much in keeping him dry but for some reason he felt warm.
"Now you're all wet, too."
Aomine took his observation with an easy smile.
"No shit."
Ryouta felt his heart throb painfully in his chest.
