if those two don't kill each other, Sokka might lend a hand
a zutara drabble
HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO MY DEAREST @hneyteacup. I wrote a birthday drabble inspired by one of your faves, SPUFFY. I however have never seen Buffy and in fact I just found out the fate of Spuffy approximately 30 seconds ago lol, BUT STILL, this drabble is inspired by them, for you 💕 HBD!!!! ILY!
--
The others might buy Zuko’s little transformation, but not Katara.
She knows exactly how sympathetic he can make his sorry life seem, all in the pursuit of Fire Nation supremacy.
So that’s why she’s been interrogating Zuko in his room for the past 15 minutes. She’s made him promise he won’t fire bend at her, and she did not feel a tinge of regret when he frowned and said he would never, sounding almost hurt.
Even so, Katara stands at the ready in front of him, hands sheathed in water just in case Zuko decides to break her rule.
“So you’re telling me you saw the soldiers that were following us back in Fire Fountain City. And yet you can’t describe them?” she asks, voice dripping with disdain.
Zuko groans and rolls his eyes, almost as if this was nothing more than an annoying hassle for him rather than the serious interrogation it was. He waits a beat, staring angrily at the floor, before he lifts his head to meet her eyes.
“Well, they were human,” he says, voice annoyingly sweet. “Two legs. Two arms.”
Katara scowls.
“They were wearing helmets,” Zuko says in exasperation. “Am I supposed to be able to recognize soldiers by the way they walk?”
“Maybe!”
At this point, Sokka enters with a steaming cup of tea. He takes one look between the two—the scowl on the prince’s face and the murderous intent on Katara’s, and mutters, “Not sure you know what you’re doing, sis.”
At this, Katara transfers her glare to her brother, though he only rolls his eyes too.
Katara huffs and takes the tea that Sokka brought, silently dismissing him. Sokka sends what seems to be an apologetic look (traitor!) to Zuko before wordlessly exiting.
“It’s about time,” says Zuko when Katara hands him the mug of tea. “Hope he got it warm enough, since you’re forbidding me from bending.”
Katara ignores him. “How did you even get here?” she snaps, hoping that asking this question for the umpteenth time will expose how he’d been following them for weeks (which was likely!) or how he’d kidnapped some of their friends to get their location (even more likely!).
“I told you; I stole a war balloon and followed you from Caldera.” He takes a sip of his tea and sighs. “I’m done. Let me talk to Aang.”
“Not yet! I’m not done!”
Zuko purses his lips but doesn’t argue any longer.
“How did you break into the North Pole?” Katara finally asks.
Really? Zuko’s expression seems to ask.
For some reason, he smirks at her. “Hmm, I’m not sure.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m trying to remember,” he says, putting down his tea to make a show of tapping his chin. “It was very traumatic.”
“How long are you going to pull this crap?”
“How long are you going to keep me prisoner in my own room?”
Katara sniffs. “I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me something worthwhile.” Until he proves to her that allowing him to stay here will have some sort of benefit.
“Fine,” Zuko says, lying back and stretching out on his bed. One arm holds his head up as he watches Katara over his nose. “We can stay here all day and all night, with you—what did you call it?—interrogating me.” He smirks again, the crooked expression on his face downright infuriating.
Katara abruptly changes tactics, crossing her arms and stepping toward him, the water falling from her hands in large splashes that she ignores. “You know what, I don’t think you want me to leave you alone,” she says slowly, her lip curling in satisfaction. “I’m the only one who will talk to you, anyway.”
Zuko’s smirk falls, and Katara feels a little flame of triumph in her chest roar to life.
“Right, I don’t want you to leave me alone,” he parrots, the bite back in his voice. “I definitely want to be constantly reminded how much you hate me.”
Katara does not feel another twinge of regret. She does not push anything away.
Instead, she falls to her knees with a mocking gasp.
“Does his highness require better accommodations?” she says, her voice warbling. “Better amenities?”
“Katara—” Zuko says, unamused.
“An innocent victim to burn, perhaps?”
“Katara, please—” Zuko says, voice more serious. But she keeps going.
“Do you require a maiden before you cooperate?” she taunts, crawling toward him and exposing her neck. “What about me? Will I do?”
At this point, Zuko is exhaling smoke, but he’s not bending. She wonders how far she can goad him. She crawls closer until she’s at the edge of his bed and mockingly reaching toward him.
“Please, your highness, what must we do to please you?!” she all but shrieks, vaguely feeling like she would make a great actress as Zuko slowly shakes his head, as if to say What did I do to deserve this?
Well, she can think of a lot of things!
Just when she thinks of naming all those things to Zuko, she suddenly hears the swish of a cloak behind her and the sound of wood hitting the ground. Her and Zuko both turn toward the noise, to see Aang, a confused smile on his face, his ears a little pink, and his glider in his hand.
“Um—Katara—I think I’ll talk to Zuko now,” says Aang slowly, eying her strangely. She’s about to ask what’s up with him before she realizes her arms are sprawled beseechingly toward Zuko, her body half on his bed and half on the ground.
“Right, yes!” she says, getting up daintily and wiping her tunic with her hands as if what she’d been doing was perfectly normal. “I’ll just be—”
Inexplicably, she looks back to Zuko, who is also watching her, bemused.
“Bye!” she squeaks to the room with a hurried wave.
Let’s take “birth day” literally and have pregnant Buck go into labor someplace really dumb and/or inconvenient.
It's the hormones, Buck would like to say in his defense, but honestly, the omega would have done it even if he weren't nearly nine months pregnant....
The doctor's told him some light exercise will help, even with his due date being so close now, and so after picking Christopher up from school they'd decided to take a nice stroll in the park.
And it would have been nice if some asshole hadn't put his hands on his kid on the goddamn playground of all places! One minute Buck had been struggling to get up off the bench to see why it looked as though Christopher was in a seemingly heated argument over something or the other, with another little boy around his age, and the next said boy's mother was shoving Christopher away with a sharply pointed nail, poking at his shoulder and shouting obscenities.
And Buck was there in a flash, putting himself between Christopher and the woman and telling her to back off. "You don't touch someone else's kid like that, lady. If you have a problem, you come find me."
The woman looks flustered for a moment before raising her voice again, yelling about how she had barely even touched the eight year old, and about how maybe he shouldn't bring his son around other kids if he couldn't learn to play nice. "If you taught that boy some manners we wouldn't even be here right now!"
Buck knows he should have let it go, knows they were causing a huge and unnecessary scene, and this? This next part he totally blames on the hormones. "If your parents had taught you some manners and common sense we wouldn't be here right now!"
And that had only served to escalate the situation to the point where police had actually been called and arrived on the scene--and apparently the woman had been very convincing when she'd burst into tears and told the cops that Buck had threatened her with violence.
Which is how Buck ends up in a jailcell on a sunny Friday afternoon, waiting for Eddie to come and bail him out and worrying frantically about Christopher, who last he saw, as they'd cuffed him and put him into the back of their vehicle, was currently in the custody of a child services worker.
Buck puts his head in his hands and groans, beyond stressed. Not only is this humiliating as all hell, but his alpha is probably going to kill him for letting this shit happen. He should have ignored the woman and walked away with Christopher in tow. Instead, he'd made it worse and gotten arrested for an assault he hadn't even committed. "Jesus Christ."
"Buckley? Evan Buckley?" An officer calls out; he's older, maybe mid fifties, with a faint Southern drawl.
Buck raises his head. He'd only called Eddie fifteen minutes ago, was he really here that quickly? "Uh, yeah, that's me." he says.
"You're free to go; luckily a bunch of witnesses came forward with the same story--you weren't the aggressor here, son. Now c'mon, your kid's waiting for you right outside."
"Oh thank God." he breaths out, immeasurably relieved. But when he attempts to stand up Buck lets out a hiss and doubles over, face contorting in pain.
The officers eyes go wide and he rushes to open the cell, which is nearly empty, thankfully, except for Buck and a slumbering man in the corner, arrested that morning for public intoxication. "Whoa, whoa," the man's eyes go even wider, if possible, when he realizes what's happening. "Shoot, I think your water just broke, young man."
Buck shakes his head, even though the proof is on the bench and soaking his jeans through and through. He whines as the contraction continues, huffing and puffing. "H-hospital. Please." He pleads.
There is no way he's having this baby while still technically in custody at a police station. Hell, they're in a jailcell, for shit's sake. He'd rather give birth like a total cliché and in the back of a yellow taxi!
"I'm gonna have 'em call you an ambulance, but let's get you outta here first." the officer tries to help Buck stand but another contraction hits, this one harder and more agonizing than the last and Buck cries out, his knees buckling under him.
The officer manages to hold him aloft just long enough to reposition him on the floor as Buck pants and tries not to lose it. The contractions are way too close...
The officer radios his men and calls for help. "Need help in the holding cell on floor 2B, we've got a custodial here who's gone into labor. Urgent request for help in holding cell 2B."
Buck can't help but let out a sob--it's even worse than he'd imagined--he's going to end up giving birth inside a jailcell five feet away from some guy who smells like tequila and regret. Alone.
"What the hell is going on in--Buck?!"
Buck sniffles as he turns his head towards the door, where Athena is standing, mouth agape at the chaotic scene before her. "Athena!" he cries, reaching out for her, needy as can be and not giving a damn.
Athena doesn't waste any time, dropping to her knees beside him, letting him rest his head on her lap. She sooths back his curly locks, now sweaty, and look at the officer, asking sharply, "What happened?"
"He was being released when he went into labor--must be from the stress of the situation. Tried to get him up, but that baby's comin' and soon." he informs her, grimacing when Buck whines in pain as another contraction follows his statement, as if to prove the mans words true.
"Eddie," Buck clenches his teeth, tries to stifle another groans. "Need Eddie."
"He's right outside," Athena tells him, reassuringly. She nods at the officer. "Reyes, get me Eddie Diaz, he's a medic and he should be waiting down on the first floor for us. Hurry!"
***************
Eddie's at the grocery store picking stuff up for dinner tonight when he gets the unexpected call. He almost doesn't answer it, when he sees it's from an unfamiliar number, thinking it's spam, but something nags at him to take the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey..."
It's Buck. And he sounds upset.
"Buck? What's going on? Everything alright? Who's phone are you using?"
He can hear Buck gulp from the other end of the line. "I've been arrested. I need you to come bail me out and get Christopher out of police custody." he says, all in one rushed statement, like he'd ripping off a band aid.
"Wha--I'm sorry, what? Did you say you're in jail? And Christopher's with the police? What the hell is going on?" Eddie's not proud of the way he raises his voice, especially not in the fruit aisle, where a mother with her toddler gives him a dirty look on her way past, but he's so shocked and panicked he can't stop himself from blurting out, "Buck, what the fuck happened? You were picking Christopher up from school today! Where does jail fit into this?!"
"Eddie, I'm sorry." Buck sighs. "I swear I'll explain everything when you get here, but I don't have a lot of time left on this call and I'm kind of freaking out right now. Please, can you just--"
"Of course, yeah, sorry, I'm on my way, give me like twenty minutes, ok? I'm across town."
"Thank you." the line cuts off abruptly and Eddie's left to ponder what could possibly have happened to have led up to his almost nine months pregnant husband being arrested as he abandons his cart and runs out into the parking lot.
****************
Eddie nearly gets arrested himself, with the way he's speeding down the highway before turning onto the main road and parking right in front of the station, where only police vehicles are allowed.
The alpha finds his kid with a social worker, happily munching on a donut. “Chris!?” Eddie runs over and engulfs his son in a suffocating hug. “Are you ok? What happened?”
Christopher pulls away slightly, nodding. “I’m ok. Bucky got in trouble ‘cause the lady at the park lied. Officer Reyes said he’s gonna bring him out soon.”
The social worker explains the whole story to Eddie, “Thankfully there were a lot of witnesses who corroborated the events. Your husband should be out in a few minutes; it was all just an awful misunderstanding. The woman at the park is in custody right now for giving the police a false accusation and wasting everybody’s time.”
Eddie’s shoulders slump in relief and he practically falls into a chair nearby, pulling Christopher onto his lap and holding him tight around the middle. “Is he ok? Buck is pregnant. He’s due in two weeks.”
The social worker gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m sure he’s in good hands. Officer Reyes will have him out here in a couple of minutes.”
****************
After a couple of minutes turns to five, turns to ten, Eddie starts to get angsty. Which is why it’s a good thing, when he happens to spot Athena rounding the corner and into the station. He calls over to her and she furrows her brows in concern before making her way across to them.
“Eddie? Christopher? What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story.” Eddie sighs, “But Buck is being held in a cell right now, they said an officer Reyes was supposed to bring him down here, that he was free to go, but that was forever ago,” he exaggerates. “Can you please find out what’s taking so long?”
“Of course.”
****************
Buck sobs openly when his alpha enters the room, “Eddie!” he calls out desperately.
Athena holds Buck close and looks up. “He’s in labor. Contractions are less than a minute apart. He needs to start pushing.”
Eddie doesn’t hesitate, though his brain feels like it’s about to short circuit if even one more insane thing happens within these twenty four hours. He drops between Buck’s knees and reaches out to squeeze his hand. “Hey, I’m here, I’m here, you’ve got this, ok? Cause I’ve got you.”
“I’m scared.” Buck admits, tears sliding down face, and he’s shaking like a leaf, terrified that something will go wrong. “I don’t--” he groans pitifully against another contraction. “Don’t wanna have her in here.”
“I know baby, I know, but she’s coming now, Buck. She’s not gonna wait for us to make it to a hospital. She’s impatient,” Eddie kisses his hand, squeezing again, comfortingly. “Just like you.”
Buck huffs. “No, like you. Y-you never wait for your soup to cool down.”
“My Tia’s sopa is worth the burnt tongue.” Eddie plays along, trying to distract him from the pain. “Baby, I need you to push, ok? I know this isn’t how we pictured any of this, but it’s time.”
Buck nods through the tears and steels himself.
“Good, good, now push, c’mon, you can do this. I’m right here.”
****************
“You look handsome in your mugshot.” Eddie tells Buck, staring at the photo he asked Athena to send him on his phone.
Buck glares at the alpha. “Funny.”
Eddie leans down to kiss the frown off his face. “Sorry, too soon?”
Buck turns the other way in bed with an annoyed huff. “You’re on baby night duty for the rest of the week.” he shuts the lamp light off and then the room is dim with just the moon peaking in through their blinds.
“Hey,” Eddie sits up, tilting his head. It’s been over a month since the incident, and sure, it hadn’t been pleasant, but Buck and their baby had made it through just fine, health intact, and in the hospital Buck hadn’t seemed too phased after the ordeal, mostly content with Christopher and the baby curled up against and on him. “That was a stupid joke, I’m sorry.”
Buck gulps. He’s being way too sensitive about this. Everything turned out alright and shortly after the whole thing had passed Chimney had even teased him that of course only Buck would have bad enough luck to end up giving birth in a holding cell. And Buck had laughed it off.
Mostly because he’d been relieved.
And then of course with the new baby the last month has been a whirlwind of constant activity, of making sure all her needs are met, of making sure Christopher’s not feeling neglected, of debating on when he should start thinking about going back to work and--
Eddie’s heart leaps when he hears Buck’s sharp intake of breath. “Buck?”
Buck sits up now, too, swiping miserably at the tears that suddenly won’t stop falling. “Sorry, I--ignore me. I didn’t--” he sniffles. “I haven’t really thought about that day since--everything’s been so busy with--you know?--and--” he cuts himself off with a choked off sob. “It’s the hormones.”
It’s been four weeks now and his hormones from the pregnancy are still driving him every which way and he feels ridiculous right now, crying over something he should have processed a month ago already.
Eddie wraps his arms around Buck and pulls him between his legs and against his chest. “Let it out.” he says. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Buck curls into Eddie and releases all emotion he hadn’t realized he’d been keeping all pent up inside. The fear, the anguish--Buck lets himself be held, coddled, loved.
It feels good.
After he’s cried for what feels like ages Buck rests the side of his head on Eddie’s shoulder and exhales. “You know Christopher wanted to name her Tuubee?” he murmurs.
Eddie, who’s rubbing up and down his husbands back, pauses a moment. “’Tuubee’?” he repeats.
Buck half smirks against his shoulder. “Two B. The cell where she was born.”
“HEY HEY HEY!” I turned to see Kou-chan and Tetsu-chan with matching grins on their faces.
“Kou-chan, Tetsu-chan, did you need something?” I smiled at them, picking up the bag I had dropped in surprise, hoping this wouldn’t take too long as I was in a hurry.
“You sure you don’t want to go with us to the club tonight?" Tetsu-chan asked, “YEAH, It’ll be our treat Birthday Boy” Bokuto reminded me excitedly.
“Thanks, but I’ll have to raincheck, after all, I have a skype date with Iwa-chan today” I grinned at them, flashing them a peace sign.
“OHO OHO?” They both grinned at me.
“Not one fucking word” I glared at them.
“Alright, alright” Kou-chan laughed.
“Next time then?” Tetsu-chan asked, “Definitely” I grinned back at him.
“Alright see ya” Tetsu-chan walked away with a wave. As I turned to start walking back home I heard Kou-chan shout a ‘BYE ‘KAWA’ and shook my head in amusement when I turned just in time to see him jump on Tetsu-chan’s back, and pointed in the direction he wanted to go to.
I waved goodbye one last time before continuing on my journey back home, to my apartment. On my way there, I was thinking about what to do when I arrived, I think I still have enough time to shower before Hajime calls. I was so deep in thought about what I needed to do that I didn’t even notice how my door was unlocked even when I clearly remember locking it before I left earlier that morning.
What I did notice though, was that there was someone in my kitchen, with their head inside the refrigerator, their back to me so I couldn’t see their face, not that it mattered. After spending our entire lives together, I would know who that is anywhere, even if I can’t see his face.
I dropped my things in haste before I ran towards him and jumped onto his back, latching onto him like a koala. He quietly cursed as he regained his balance.
“Welcome home, love” he sighed as I nuzzled his cheek fondly.
“You’re here” I smiled up at him, eyes never leaving his face. “Of course I did” he scoffed, “If you ever thought that college was gonna keep me from continuing our ‘sleepover tradition,’ then you are a bigger dumbass than I thought Trashykawa” he chuckled, saying the last part teasingly.
“Wait, so we are actually going to...?” I asked, hopefully as I trailed off from what I was going to say. “Mhm” he nodded, “It won’t be the usual stargazing that we usually do since all we have is your balcony, but I did a little something special to make up for it” he grinned at me.
“You’re the best!” I squealed, tightening my arms around him for a hug. “Obviously, I put up with you for who knows how long” he scoffed, but the way he looked at me told me otherwise. “I love you too~” I grinned at him, “Yeah, yeah, I love you, now get off” he huffed as he blushed.
“Ugh, fine” I pouted at him and jumped off his back. Once I was down, he turned to face me and cupped my face in his hands, “Happy birthday, my love” he whispered before pulling me into a kiss which I happily responded to.
“I missed you” I mumbled into his neck after we had pulled away and were cuddling on the couch.
I felt him place a kiss into my temple with a smile on his lips, “I know To, I missed you too”
~~~
“Babe, go and change into something more comfortable,” he told me walking into the room, not even looking up from his phone as he typed something in.
“But I’m comfortable here” I pouted up at him, “Yeah, well, you won’t be when you complain later when we’re stargazing” he pointed out, staring at me.
“Alright, fine” I sighed and got up to head into the room, only to walk out a few minutes later in a pair of grey sweatpants that had an alien patch on the left thigh and a dark blue hoodie that I may or may not have stolen from him.
“Is that the hoodie that I’ve been looking for the past month or so?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.
“Maybe” I grinned at him, flashing him a peace sign which he rolled his eyes at.
“Come on,” he chuckled, dragging me off to the balcony where a table for two has been set with a plate of freshly cooked, homemade milk bread sat in the middle with two bowls of ramen sitting opposite of each other and a pot of jasmine tea, my favorite, as music played from the speaker his phone was connected to and played songs from our playlist.
“You really went all out this year” I grinned at him as I felt him hug me from behind, watching as my comment made him blush, “Shut up and sit the fuck down, Shittykawa” he mumbled, I laughed but did as I was told.
After finishing the ramen, I looked up at the sky with wonder and amazement even after the millions of times I looked up at this sky. I pointed out all the constellations that I could see while munching on the milk bread that Hajime had made. I smiled in content and said, “The stars really are beautiful tonight”
“Yeah, they are” he replied, and I looked over at him to say something about him actually agreeing with me for once, but I noticed that his eyes were already focused on me.
I jokingly rolled my eyes at him, “Why agree if you’re not even looking at it?” I chuckled.
He glanced up at the sky for a few moments before looking back at me, “Nah, the stars I’m looking at are much prettier” he said, flashing me the smile that was only ever directed at me, as he looked me in the eyes.
I blushed and covered my face with my hands, mumbling, ‘baka’ over and over again.
He chuckled as he stood up and walked over to me, “Come on, babe,” he took my hands from my face and pulled me into his arms as we started dancing along to the music as he started humming along to the song that was currently playing.
We were just kids when we fell in love,
not knowing what it was,
I will not give you up, this time
~~~
“Hajime?” I stared up at him as we were cuddling in bed with my head on his chest as usual.
“Yes, love?” he replied, eyes still closed.
“Thanks for the best birthday” I smiled up at him.
“You say that every year” he chuckled, pulling me closer and finally opening his eyes to kiss me on the forehead.
“I mean it every time,” I told him honestly, chuckling when he blushed and told me to ‘go the fuck to sleep already.’
“Alright, alright” I laughed, closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of Hajime, hoping that it would help lull me to sleep.
“I love you, To” he mumbled after a few moments of me trying to get comfortable.
“I love you too, Haji” I grinned up at him, giving him one last kiss before I was lulled to sleep with the beat of his heart as my lullaby.
Okayyy, so this is technically a late add for my bb’s bday gift
If you follow me on watty then you’ve probably read this, except that this one is edited a bit
Anyways, happy birthday to my bby Oikawa! Hope Iwa-chan gave you a great gift 💝
He wraps his plump lips around the bottle and tips it back; his neck lengthening, his eyes closing. He fills his mouth with the last drops and pulls the empty glass away; a slight pop reaching your ears as the bottle leaves his lips. He takes a moment to enjoy it, rolling the burning amber around his numbed tongue before swallowing slowly. Your eyes glass over as you watch his throat contract, each muscle moving in a perfect dance as your mind fills with dirty thoughts. A single, glistening droplet clings to his lips and your breath catches. You lean forward, your hand falling to rest against his denim covered thigh, your lips parting, begging for a taste. Green eyes turn to you and lighten with a smile.
"What're you lookin' at?" Dean asks, his voice thick and his tongue slow.
There's no answer that could define the beauty you're staring at, so a kiss will have to do. You close the space between you and catch the last drop of whiskey with your lips, dabbing your tongue at the corner of his mouth.
"Delicious..."
Your whisper is cut short as Dean turns and grabs you, his hand reaching up to cup the nape of your neck. His kiss is wet and sloppy, his hand burns against your skin.
「 The final piece of protection is set gently on the hardwood floor. Dozens of objects are spread around the living room for them to step on. In fact, Ryūichi and Shūichi have been setting up this little game all morning. The sofa and objects are the only safe places to be. Everywhere else is dangerous and should be avoided. Why? Because the floor is lava!
❝ Hehe, what do you think, Ari-chan? This'll be fun, right? ❞ Ryūichi smiles and asks as he pulls his legs against his chest to avoid touching the pretend lava. He was thrilled when he received the call to spend some free time with Shūichi. Hearing about the little girl was a surprise. He had blown up with a dozen questions about her. When he met her, before setting up, he kneeled down to her level and offered her a few tiny gifts. The one he was most excited to present was a snail plush, since Shūichi had told him about her heroic deed of helping a snail travel safely to the grass.
The child currently held the plush securely, protecting him from the lava. She sat between the two and nobbed. ❝ Yes ...peas. ❞ Shūichi sat on his knees on her other side. His hands were on his hips as he scanned over their hard work. It was perfect. Even if they didn't leave the couch, he still tried to ensure the distance between objects wasn't too far, so Ari wouldn't have to struggle much. He considered giving her a superpower that made her invincible to lava, but worried that might take away from the fun. But still an option, if need be.
The only downside was that he forgot to think past the initial game, leaving them without an actual goal. All they could do was either stay on the sofa until they got bored or jump around on the objects. There needed to be something more grand. Some bigger obstacles to give the lava purpose. But what? He scratched his head, trying to activate a lightbulb idea. ❝ What are you doing? ❞ Shūichi blinked and noticed Eiri. He softly sighed and crossed his arms. ❝ Playing the floor is lava. But we're missing something, and I can't figure out what. ❞ He shifts so he can lean back against the sofa.
❝ That's because you don't think before you do things. ❞ As Yuki speaks, he bends over, trying to see what his foot has touched. Meanwhile, Ryūichi starts to seem anxious. ❝ Kumagoro? Oh, no, where's Kumagoro? ❞ Shūichi huffs at Yuki's words, but sits back up. ❝ I do think things through, Yuki. I thought about this game and how to set it up. And you know what? It's gonna be so much fun! Just you wait! Ari will be talking about it all day tomorrow! And we're gonna start as soon as we find kumo- huh? ❞ He notices Yuki has the plush in his hand. Wait! That's it! The missing link! Why didn't he think about it before?!
❝ That's it! Yuki, you should play with us! ❞ He smiles. Ari's eyes seem to light up at that proposal. ❝ Pl... play with us. ...peas? ❞ Much to Yuki's dismay, all three of them are looking his way, chanting for him to join. ❝ Ari, don't copy them... ❞ He notices her expression. Great, did she think she was in trouble? He sighed, not meaning to give her that impression. Shūichi gently ruffles her hair. ❝ It's alright, Ari. The dragon's just grumpy. ❞ ❝ Dragon...? ❞ Shūichi ignores Yuki and continues, ❝ the dragon's just grumpy from being woken up so early. Because of it, he's taken the sweet princess Kumagoro. ❞ Ryūichi interjects a moment to say Kumogoro is a prince. Shūichi promptly continues. ❝ Prince Kumagoro! He's gonna be taken to the top of his tower, waiting for a handsome - ❞ he stops speaking for a moment, then smiles at Ari. He gently pokes her nose, ❝ - or adorable hero, to come save her from the grumpy old dragon! ❞
Since he knew Yuki wouldn't want them playing around in his room, he'd likely put the plush in the kitchen. Either on the table or on top of the fridge. ❝ So if we can make it across the lava, we can save the prince! ❞ This meant they officially had a goal for the game! ❝ Oh, I get it! That's why he's holding Kumagoro~ ❞ Ryūichi smiled. Even if Kumogoro was actually a prince, it was just a game. And he didn't mind sharing his comfort plush for it. Yuki sighs, but instead of dropping the plush, he actually carries it off to the kitchen. Even if it doesn't seem like it, Yuki may actually be playing with them in his own way. ❝ Alright, Ari! Operation Save the Prince is a go! We'll save the prince, then we'll get ice cream to celebrate! ❞ Even Ryūichi cheers.
Ryūichi offers to take the rear, allowing Shūichi and Ari to go first. Shūichi, now with Ari on his back, piggystyle hold, gets to his feet on the first two objects. Just some stupid novels his rival Shigure wrote. He wobbles a bit, honestly pretending he'll fall, to add some excitement to the game. ❝ Remember, Ari, use your imagination. There's lava everywhere, and all of the objects are stepping stones. But you don't have to be scared, because I'm going to protect you. ❞ He assures her. Even outside of this game, he would always protect her. She was precious to Yuki, and was precious to him too.
She was a sweet child. She was probably too young to understand the impact she had on their lives. Yuki had an odd way of expressing his feelings. It was easier to be distant, cold, or seemingly uninterested. Even he didn't understand why, but he had started to pick up on the small things Yuki did that meant he cared. He'd often tuck Ari in and check on her throughout the night, especially when he couldn't sleep. There were three chairs in his writing room. One was hers. He had even let her sit in his lap once while he wrote. She had fallen asleep, and not too long after, he himself had. Shūichi remembered how cute this was, and, at the time, draped a blanket over them.
With those memories in mind, he wasn't surprised Yuki was willing, even if he didn't admit it, to play with them. He stepped onto the next book, but when he actually almost slipped, he pushed to the next. ❝ Phew, we dodged one of the dragon's traps. He thought he could get us, but he doesn't know you're a lucky charm~ ❞ Another book was crossed, but soon the doorbell rang. The dragon suddenly emerged to answer it. He said nothing as he returned to the kitchen. Inside walked two of Ari's new friends: Yuki and Kyo Sōma. They greeted them but were shortly cut off by Ari, ❝ ..u..uki, ..Ko...No, no thank you... ❞ The two seemed confused as they stared, wondering what Ari and Shūichi were doing. ❝ What the hell? ❞ ❝ Kyo! ❞ Yuki scolded him before smiling at Ari and Shūichi. ❝ Miss Honda made these treats for Miss Ari and asked us to bring them over. ❞ But he noticed the two still looked at him with horror. ❝ I'm sorry, but is there a problem? ❞
Shūichi, as dramatic as ever, wiped away a fake tear from his eyes, then sniffled. ❝ They were so young. You'll pay for this dragon! ❞ Yuki and Kyo looked at each other in disbelief. ❝ Dragon? ❞ They both asked each other. ❝ Uh-huh. Yuki-san is a big, grumpy old dragon who stole Kumagoro. They're trying to save him~ Oh, and the floor is lava. He he, you're both toast now for the dragon~ ❞ Ryūichi answered. The floor was lava? So it seems these three were playing a childish game. That, at least, made sense. ❝ Hurry! If you jump on a stone, you'll be ok! ❞ Shūichi hurriedly shouted.
Kyo was about to leave, but Yuki grabbed him by the arm and made him play along. ❝ Play along, stupid cat. It's just a game. Unless you're a coward. ❞ Yuki said, without even a glance in Kyo's direction. ❝ What did you say, you damn rat?! You wanna fight?! ❞ ❝ Be quiet, you'll wake the dragon. And mind your language or I'll let him eat you. ❞ ❝ You shut up! You know what? Fine! I'll bet I can balance longer on this book - ❞ ❝ stepping stone ❞ ❝ - stepping stone longer than you can! ❞ ❝ Whatever. ❞ Yuki answered, clearly disinterested, but he soon smiled at Ari. ❝ Don't worry about us. The prince needs your help. Good luck. ❞
Shūichi snickered a little, watching those two. It, in an odd way, reminded him a little of his Yuki and himself. But he had to stay focused. The prince needed saving. He crossed a few more objects, allowing Ari to point out the way. They were close. Really, really close to the kitchen now! Just a few more steps and, ❝ LAVA RAIN! ❞ And lava rain. Wait, Lava rain?! It took him a minute to realize Ryūichi had been the one to shout it. Suddenly, bits of paper fluttered through the air. Yuki barely moved an inch, as if luck kept the paper at bay. But Kyo struggled to dodge them, nearly falling off his book. Shūichi gulped. Being careful of Ari, he tried to playfully dodge them. He shifted her so she would be safe in his arms from the pretend lava assault.
When he felt some finally hit the back of his head, he chuckled, then realized he had to admit defeat. He kneeled down and pulled a couple of books together to set her on, being mindful of her clumsiness. He lay on his stomach on the floor. ❝ I've been hit! Ari, please, you must go on. The prince needs you. You must go on. ❞ He dug in his pocket and pulled out a 1-yen coin he just happened to have on him and handed it to her. ❝ My secret weapon. I was saving it. Hold it tight, and it'll protect you from the lava. I believe in you, Ari. ❞ He lowered his head, pretending like the lava got the best of him. He felt Ari shake him a little, ❝ Shu ...hi. ❞ He chuckled and told her he was fine, just resting right now. He poked her nose before giving her a nudge to go to the kitchen.
With her new secret weapon, Shūichi's precious coin, she set off for the kitchen. The pretend stepping stones were no longer needed as she walked along the hardwood floor towards the kitchen. Inside, her adoptive father, Yuki, was sitting at the table. The objective was to retrieve the adorable plush, but unless she climbed onto the chair, she wouldn't be able to reach it. And extending her arm so her hand could feel the table for it would be pointless ( and funny ). The brave child stood before the seated dragon. His eyes were intently gazing at her. She pointed to the prince. ❝ May I ...have the prince...peas? ...Mister dra ...dragon? ❞
He smirked. Seems Shūichi hadn't entirely rubbed off on her yet since she was politely asking. ❝ Here. ❞ He gave her the plush. ❝ Thank you~ ❞ She had to show the others. She ran out, tripping once, but recovered, filled with excitement. When she was back in the living room, she held the plush up in the air. ❝ Shu ...hi! ❞ From behind, Papa Yuki scooped her up. With a rare smile, he kissed the top of her head. ❝ The reward was ice cream, right? ❞ He started towards the door. Shūichi jumped up and gasped. ❝ Yuki, wait! C'mon! ❞ He grabbed Ryūichi by the hand and tugged him to follow after.
❝ Kyo? ❞ ❝ What? ❞ Kyo asked Yuki. ❝ Your shoe's untied. ❞ ❝ What?! ❞ Kyo stupidly looked and slipped off the book. He started complaining, but Yuki offered his hand to help him up. ❝ If you're done, I believe Ari is waiting for us. ❞ They looked over, seeing her wave at them. ❝ Fine... ❞ The two headed towards the door. Maybe they could all play this again sometime. 」
