I know this isn’t really relevant right now, with the new year announcements and all that shit, but I was talking with @crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer today about this AU and I figured I’d post this after making a few adjustments. Just keep in mind that this AU is pretty Americanized and I’m not even sorry for it.
Majors:
En: Philosophy
Atsushi: English
Io: Business (with a concentration in finance); thinking about double majoring in business and economics
Ryuu: Undeclared; thinking about declaring an art major (maybe fashion design) but he really isn’t sure
Yumoto: Theater; he started as a biology major but switched when he found the classes too hard to keep up with
Kinshiro: Business (with a concentration in management)
Arima: Biology (with a concentration in botany)
Akoya: Business (with a concentration in finance because Gero Financial Corp.)
Kou: Journalism
Masuya: Art (with a concentration in photography)
Wario: Architecture (because angles and symmetry and math)
Ichiban: Business
Aki and Haru: Theater (with a concentration in dance and choreography)
Relationships and blurbs:
En and Atsushi met in college when they were assigned to be roommates.
En’s side of the room is much messier than Atsushi’s, but other than that they get along great.
It actually works out well because Atsushi reminds En to do his homework and En reminds Atsushi that sleep is important.
En’s favorite philosopher is Arthur Schopenhauer.
Kinshiro and Atsushi had been friends through high school and went to the same college with hopes of staying in touch, but they’ve grown apart since school is taking them in different directions and Kinshiro’s really upset about it.
Yumoto commutes to school because he helps Gora run the family spa.
When Yumoto first started doing theater classes, he walked into the wrong classroom and saw a glimpse of a contemporary dance class that Aki and Haru were in.
Yumoto thought they were so cool that he knew he made the right decision in switching majors because he wanted to be cool like that.
Aki and Haru see Yumoto as the naive freshmen who doesn’t know how hard he’s gonna have to work in order to make it in the theater department.
Yumoto tries everything in the department from acting and dancing to playwrighting and drama history, but nothing’s really grabbing him.
Ryuu met Io at the campus coffee shop that Ryuu works at.
Io comes into the coffee shop in the afternoon, where there’s enough of a lull in business that he can get some coffee and do some homework there in peace.
Ioryuu is the coffee shop AU Ryuu was waiting for.
Io and Akoya became friends over their first two semesters because they share multiple classes due to sharing a major. They do homework and prepare for exams together when they can find the time.
Akoya starts meeting Io at the coffee shop to study with him when midterm season rolls around. Ryuu assumes that Akoya is Io’s girlfriend, which puts a dent in his “coffee shop AU” plan.
Ryuu starts drawing designs in the coffee he gives Io, like flowers and he starts drawing money later on.
Ryuu draws penises in Akoya’s coffee XD
Sometimes Io invites Ryuu to his and Akoya’s study sessions, but it’s rare since they don’t really like each other. Plus Ryuu feels stupid listening to Io and Akoya talk about money and help each other with complicated math problems.
Kinshiro and Arima are roommates.
Kinshiro has snuck his pet hedgehog into the dorms because there’s nobody else to take care of poor Zundar-sama. :P But it’s cool because their neighbors help hide Zundar during room inspections.
Arima’s side of the dorm room is covered in potted plants. Zundar likes to hide in them.
Akoya commutes because he’s heard too many dorm life horror stories (messy halls, obnoxious noise, etc.) and would rather live at home where it’s clean and quiet.
Everyone thinks En’s a stoner and a drug dealer because of his laid back demeanor and general messy appearance. Eventually he gets tired of it so he starts filling plastic bags with salt from the cafeteria and selling it to people.
He tells them to sprinkle it on their food and they’ll be good, don’t snort it or anything drastic. Just a pinch on the food. He keeps it up once he realizes that he makes enough money off of this that he doesn’t have to get a job.
En sells sugar during Valentine’s day season and he tells them to sprinkle it on cookies.
“Don’t bother me unless you want my salt.” “For a bit extra, I’ll give you sugar.”
Io shows up one time and asks him if he can market the stuff and get some of the profit and En’s like “I just wanted people to leave me alone. Please don’t tell anyone.”
En makes more money during exam seasons.
Maybe he takes it to class once and passes it off as a project about the placebo effect. His professor gets wind of him “selling drugs” and En passes it off like “I figured out what I want to do for my final project.” He doesn’t have to present it to the class so no one finds out and he keeps selling salt to people. XD En’s the drug lord and the real drug dealers don’t like him.
Ichiban and Wario are RAs in the dorms.
Ichiban hasn’t had many classes with Io, but Ichiban decided they were rivals after seeing Io got higher grades than him on their first test freshmen year.
Ichiban is very thorough when he does dorm inspections to the point where he spends about 20 minutes in each room.
Wario adheres very strongly to the school’s regulations, but he spends most of his time during inspections complaining about how messy all of the dorms in his section are.
En and Atsushi’s dorm is the worst for him because Atsushi’s side is very much up to Wario’s standards, but then there’s En’s side giving him a headache.
Wario knows all of the tricks for covering shit up in the dorms and knows exactly when someone has torn down a single poster or put a nick in the wall.
Wario spends hours perfecting his architectural designs so that they’re symmetrical in every possible way that he can control, causing him to pull a lot of all nighters to get it just right.
So, inspired by the neko merch, @crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer and I came up with a Cat AU...
En
Strictly an indoor cat because going outside is too much effort
The lazy ass cat that sits in the window in the sun all day
He rolls over if the sun moves so that he’s still warm
Watches the outdoor cats from his perch and knows a lot about them because of it.
Atsushi
Lives in the same house as En (they’re owned by a newly married couple)
Spends most of his time inside with En but he does venture out
Gets concerned when En gets too lazy to walk over to the food bowls to eat/drink
Goes out and hunts small creatures to drop in front of En to make him eat
He and Kinshiro were in the same cage at a shelter before Atsushi was adopted
Ryuu
The neighborhood tomcat that has gotten every female cat in the area pregnant at least once
Grew up on on the streets but is super friendly because people give him free food
Becomes friends with Io despite literal barriers between them
Io’s owner keeps seeing him in the yard and catches him in a trap. He gets taken to the vet and neutered (the neighborhood in eternally grateful because finally he beast has been caught). Io’s owner winds up keeping him because he thinks another cat to keep Io company would be good for him.
Io
Strictly an indoor cat (he has no desire to go outside, he’s quite comfortable where he is thank you very much)
Owned by a stock broker who’s rarely home because he works long hours
Has to teach Ryuu how to be a house cat after his “capture” and he did not ask for this, please send help.
Akoya
A fancy, expensive ball of fluff owned by a young, up and coming model
His owner and Io’s owner are friends so sometimes the two of them are in the same house (when someone’s catsitting)
Meets Ryuu when he’s still a street cat that talks to Io through a screen window (”What’s this commoner cat doing here?”)
Didn’t like Io at first because he’s “not a purebred”
Kinshiro
An inside cat who will never go outside again after the incident that landed him in the shelter, but he wants to every time he sees Atsushi outside a window
Owned by a nice old man who loves classical music
Ibushi
Lives in the same home as Kinshiro
Goes in and out as he pleases, but he likes it more outside
Is fascinated by Akoya and tries a lot to get the floofy cat to talk to him
Tries to convince Kinshiro to come outside but it doesn’t work
Yumoto
The cat who asks you to rub his belly and then attacks your hand because he’s playing (it was cute when he was a kitten and it didn’t hurt but now he’s bigger and NO)
An outdoor cat who loves to explore and only comes home for food
Owned by a family of four, but never sees them because he’s almost never home
Gora
Owned by the same people as Yumoto
The most chill cat ever but he looks terrifying when he gets angry
An outdoor cat who stays close to home and likes to just chill under a tree or something
Aki and Haru
The neighborhood strays who walk in through people’s cat doors and steal their food
They’ve crossed paths with Ryuu before and fought over territory every time
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Fair warning: We have the next few chapters planned, but due to both myself and @crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer having personal obligations that take priority, this fic may not be updated for some time. We hope to continue writing later in the summer before college picks up. From the American school year’s beginning and forward, updates will become more sporadic. We hope you understand.
Anyway, enjoy the new chapter~!
“The life of a snitch wasn’t an easy one. In fact, it was about even with robbing royal caravans when it came to danger. After all, gossip was serious business. If the wrong person found out who exactly spread said gossip, well, the term “snitches get stitches” had to start somewhere, right?”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hi everyone~. Chapter 2 is officially up!
“And now you see, my queen, that Laverna Village cannot continue down this path. It’s filled to the brim with thieves and troublemakers and it cannot be ignored now that we know this is occurring. I propose that a squadron of the Royal Guard head for that wretched place and get rid of the vagrants ourselves before it’s completely irredeemable.”
Prince Ryuu leaned to one side of his chair and let his chin rest in his hand as he continued to listen to General Uriya give his long-winded speech. He let out a heavy exhale through his nose, subtly enough that his grandmother missed it even though she was right next to him.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hello there, Boueibu tag! So, @crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer and I have been working on a little project for... quite some time now. Some of you may have heard about it from one of us, and now we’re proud to say that chapter 1 is officially available for reading~! I hope you guys enjoy it!
For those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s the summary:
Medieval/Fantasy AU. Io Naruko used to be known in the kingdom of Vesta as “the boy with the dragon.” Four years after his disappearance, Prince Ryuu of Vesta and Prince Akoya of Perlite have been kidnapped by such a beast. With the two lands threatening war and Prince Kinshiro of Aurite stuck in the middle, who will find the princes first: a ragtag team of palace staff or a knight sent by Prince Kinshiro himself?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Also available on fanfiction.net and below the cut.
Akoya had been drifting in and out of consciousness for some time now. Every so often his brain would begin to wake up, only to be shut down again because of how comfortable he was. His body was wrapped around something warm and soft, that rose and fell in time with his own breathing. He was aware of the object draping over his shoulders and the other one resting on his waist, but he didn't care enough to figure out what they were. Within their grasp, against this lovely pillow, he felt warm and safe. Akoya was content and that was all that mattered to him.
Occasionally the thing holding Akoya would fidget or change position slightly, but it never released him. At one of these points, Akoya realized that the thing over his waist was an arm because he could feel a hand resting right above his hip bone.
That was when the memories of the previous night came back to Akoya. He'd spent the afternoon with Ibushi and then they came back to his house to begin their sleepover scheme. He supposed that it was working so far, since they'd managed to fall asleep during a movie… in each other's arms.
Akoya's eyes quickly fluttered open, taking in his surroundings. His head was resting on Ibushi's chest, arms wrapped around the older boy's middle as well as possible. The light was still filtering through the cracks in the blinds, the sunlight still slightly irritating to Akoya's half-asleep eyes. So he nuzzled his face into Ibushi, trying to hide from the light with a moan.
For a second, Ibushi's steady breathing went out of time. Then Akoya felt him nuzzle back, pushing his nose into the younger teen's hair with a content exhale. Akoya blushed at the response he'd received and sat up a bit, resting most of his weight on his elbow… which was feeling tingly from both himself and Ibushi sleeping on top of that arm.
As if responding to the sudden lack of a head under his chin, Ibushi's dark red eyes opened, resting fondly with a smile on Akoya. "Good morning."
"G-good morning." Akoya stammered, letting go of Ibushi and scooting a few inches away. "Sorry I woke you up."
"You didn't wake me." Ibushi assured. "I've been awake for a little while, but I didn't want to move and disturb you."
"Oh… sorry for the inconvenience then."
"It was no inconvenience."
Akoya yawned and looked around the room. When had the TV been turned off? "What time is it?"
Ibushi took his phone from the nightstand and unlocked it. "6:15." He put it back, sat up, and stretched his arms over his head. "My parents should be home by now." His arms fell back to his sides and he laid back down.
"Does that mean someone will be up to get you soon?" Akoya questioned.
Ibushi nodded. "Any minute now."
The pair waited in silence for a rather awkward moment. Or, it was awkward for Akoya. He'd fallen asleep with the TV on. If Ibushi had done the same, then that meant that someone had come into the room and turned it off at some point. Did that change anything? Did Ibushi's parents already know he'd spent the night? Oh, Akoya hoped he was just over-thinking this whole thing.
Knocks resounded on the door before it creaked open, revealing that woman with the mole from last night… Aya was her name..?
"Oh, good, you two are awake now." Crap. "Ibushi-san, your parents have just arrived and they know that you… have a guest."
Ibushi groaned. "Thanks, Aya."
Aya smiled sympathetically at him and Akoya. "I'm sorry, this is part of my job. The masters of the house have every right to know who's in it. Come down to the kitchen soon; you can all talk over breakfast." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
They waited for a minute but heard no footsteps outside the door. Ibushi sighed and rolled onto his side to face Akoya. "What do we do now?" Was it just him or was Ibushi speaking a bit louder than he needed to?
Then he winked and Akoya got the hint, going into character. "I don't know, I'm… I'm sorry Ibu-chan, I shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"Hey, hey." Ibushi hushed. "It's not your fault; I fell asleep too."
"But…" Akoya made himself sound more upset. "But you were supposed to walk me home after we-" Akoya gasped. "Ibu-chan, what if your parents don't let me see you anymore?"
"They won't do that-"
"How do you know?" Akoya cut him off. "You told me you didn't date anyone before me; we have no idea how they'll react-"
"Akoya." Ibushi called with a stern, even voice. "It's going to be alright; I promise."
Akoya softened his voice. "Ibu-chan…"
"I promise that." Ibushi kissed his hand. "We are gonna be." He did it again. "Just fine." And again. "Okay?"
Akoya nodded, trying not to giggle at how stupid all of this was. He failed. "Okay."
"Alright." Finally, the two of them heard footsteps against the hardwood and they smirked at one another. Damn, they were good!
Ibushi stood up and walked up to the door leading into his closet, on the other side of his night stand. "I'm just going to change my shirt quickly. If you'd like to do anything before we go downstairs, feel free to use the bathroom."
"Thank you." Akoya stood from the bed and began the search for his hairbrush while Ibushi went into the closet. "Do you think we left that open enough?"
"Definitely." Came Ibushi's faint reply. "Hey, Akoya…"
"Hmm?" He replied. Finally, he found his brush.
Ibushi stepped out of the closet while buttoning up a blue polo. "I'm having more fun with this than I originally thought.
Akoya smiled at him and gripped his brush. "Me too."
******************
After one trip to the bathroom each and fifteen minutes of Akoya brushing out his hair, he and Ibushi made their way down to the dining area. They were greeted by a decent spread of food on the table and two neutral expressions from Mr. and Mrs. Arima. The heads of the house watched carefully as the pair sat down beside each other and started making up plates.
Ibushi's father was the first to break the silence. "Good morning."
"Good morning." His mother said a few seconds later.
"Welcome home." Ibushi answered. "How was Iceland?"
"Warmer than you'd first think." Mrs. Arima replied. "How was your evening?"
Ibushi cleared his throat and glanced at Akoya, who was blushing beside him. "Oh, it was uh…" He definitely made it look like he couldn't find the correct words. "We had a nice time. I took Akoya out for dinner last night and we came back here to watch some movies."
"And she spent the night?" Ibushi's mother added.
"Well, um…" Ibushi started poking at his food. "Yeah, that's what wound up happening."
"And how does something like this 'wind up' happening?" His father continued.
Akoya started twirling some hair around his finger. "Well you uh… fall asleep."
Ibushi's father smirked at him. "Must've tired her out on this date, huh?"
"Dad, I swear, we didn't do anything." Ibushi protested.
"We really didn't." Akoya repeated.
"We just fell asleep while we were watching a movie." Ibushi explained.
It was silent for a bit longer than Akoya had hoped. Did they sound defensive enough? Was what they said too much? Or too little? There were still more parts to this plan, but was this one offense somehow enough for them?
Ibushi's parents exchanged a look before his mom sighed. "Alright, we believe you. Just make sure that this never happens again, understood?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Yes, Ma'am."
******************
After what had to be the most awkward breakfast Akoya had ever had to sit through, he collected his things and Ibushi walked him back into the city. On the way, Akoya sent a text to his driver asking to be picked up in front of the school. It wasn't too far away, but the two of them have found that these walks after their "dates" to be helpful. It gave both of them time to cool down, prepare for what would come next, and figure out if they needed to adjust anything in their plan.
It seemed like the Arimas weren't too upset by their sleepover, so they might have to make another offense in a few weeks. But that would entirely depend on what Ibushi's parents say to him when Akoya isn't around.
Then Ibushi made a suggestion for their next move, should they need one. He said that maybe they should go to commoners' hangouts and come back with souvenirs for his parents to find. Akoya wanted to laugh at the idea until Ibushi explained his reasoning further.
It was no secret anymore that Ibushi was a sheltered child, and still was sheltered. His parents were surely trying to keep him from something, even if he didn't know what that was yet. Ibushi wanted to have more experiences with things that average people did. He wanted to see more of the world and this was the perfect opportunity to do it. If his parents thought that Akoya was taking him to these places that they tried to keep him away from, surely there would be some kind of reaction.
Akoya wanted to reject the proposal. He really did. Right from the moment Ibushi said he'd like to visit a "thrift store" Akoya wrinkled his nose and thought no way. But he looked so genuinely interested and excited that… Akoya didn't have the heart to say no. He was already pretending to date the guy, which was a big deal. So, he might as well take another one for the team… and at least say he'd think about it.
One of the family limos pulled up in front of the school gates and the pair said their goodbyes as Akoya opened the door and climbed in.
"Good morning, Akoya-san." The driver greeted plainly. He started driving again the moment Akoya was settled in the back seat. Akoya barely got a chance to watch Ibushi's form fade into the distance, but he managed a quick glance.
The ride home was silent, as usual. But Akoya didn't mind. It gave him time to think and organize things in his head. What did he have to do today? How much homework did he still have to do? Was he sure he did everything Kinshiro had told him to complete this week? And, most importantly, would he be able to manage these "commoners excursions" Ibushi wanted to go on? These questions occupied him until they reached his home.
"Welcome home, Akoya." He was greeted the instant he walked in the front door by Emi, one of his personal maids. She was a petite woman, her head only reaching Akoya's chest when she stood upright, and had gorgeous long black hair. Emi had been working at the house since Akoya was three years old and was somehow assigned to the specific task of caring for him a couple of years later. He didn't remember the details, but Akoya'd known the woman for most of his life. She was one of the few constants within it.
He greeted her back as he toed off his shoes and immediately made his way up to the second floor, where his personal wing of the house was located. Every room down this one hallway to the right of the staircase belonged to him. The bedrooms, the bathrooms, the living spaces, and every single closet.
They were all a part of his space, and even a stranger could tell that Akoya had been a heavy influence on the wing's entire design. Whites, beiges, and creams were colors used in every one of Akoya's rooms. Tasteful pastels added a splash of color, saving his favorite pinks for the bedroom that he actually called his own. The rest were merely used as closet spaces or guest rooms, if the need applied. Chandeliers, crystal doorknobs, and ample natural light from big windows… the entire wing wasted no time in sharing Akoya's expensive taste.
When he got to his bedroom, Akoya tossed his bag onto the couch and shrugged off the jean jacket he'd been wearing since yesterday as he entered his closet. He shut the door behind him and dropped the jacket on a nearby ottoman, next working on unzipping his dress and stepping out of it. Those definitely both need a wash. He mused as he looked over the lines of clothes covering the walls, stopping when his eye caught his reflection in one of the many mirrors installed in the space.
He smiled at his reflection. Beautiful, as always. Though his hair could use another brushing, everything else was perfect. Flawless skin, a perfectly slim figure, just the right amount of muscle to show off some athleticism. He had to admit, he looked pretty damn good in just his underwear. But Akoya definitely preferred to be covered up. Clothing only enhanced his beauty, showcased it to everyone he encountered. And it was just more comfortable.
Because even someone as flawless as Akoya was could have insecurities. He hated showing too much skin; it just seemed so… indecent. Of course, he had shorts and tank tops for those scorching summer days, but he never enjoyed dressing for that kind of weather. It wasn't as fun as sporting a twirly skirt in the spring time or a fluffy sweater in the winter.
Akoya sighed, drawing his eyes away from his reflection and back to his racks of clothes. Ugh, he didn't know what he wanted to wear! Nothing stuck out to him, he'd worn everything that he'd gotten on his latest shopping trip… god, why was this so hard?! At least when he went to school he didn't have to choose what to wear every morning. Bless uniforms, seriously.
In the end, after he'd stood in the same spot for ten minutes and started to shiver a bit due to exposure, Akoya had settled for a cardigan over a plain shirt and skinny jeans. It wasn't like he planned on going anywhere else today anyway; he still had homework to finish for tomorrow.
Speaking of that, he should probably get going on it right away. So Akoya grabbed his school bag and sat on his sofa, pulling everything he needed out of his bag and piling it onto his coffee table. He double-checked his assignments and only then did he realize how much still needed to be done. He huffed. He was going to be here for a while.
About three worksheets and thirty math problems later, Akoya heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He said without taking his eyes off of his next example.
He heard the door open before Emi's voice reached him. "Hard at work?" Akoya just nodded. He heard the door close. "Can I get you anything, sweetie?"
Only then did Akoya look up at her. It still surprised him when she actually offered to get him things. That was mostly because… no one else did. If it was any of the other staff, they'd just make sure he was still alive and wouldn't otherwise come unless he called.
Not Emi. She actually seemed to… care.
"Um…" He glanced back down at his notebooks. "How long have I been up here?"
"About two hours." Emi replied. "Maybe a bit more."
"Then can I have some tea and a snack?" Akoya requested.
"Of course!" Emi chirped. "Oh! Guess what I went out and bought for you~." She didn't give him time to answer. "I went to that bakery that you like and got you a box of your macarons."
Akoya couldn't help but smile. "Really?"
"I did~." Emi sang as she opened the door again. "I'll make up a tray for you and be back up in a bit."
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
After Emi left, Akoya went back to his work. Sheesh, he still had ten more math examples to go… He wound up finishing half of them before Emi came back to his room, silver platter with his morning snack in-hand.
"Here you go." Emi set the tray down on the coffee table and Akoya's focus immediately turned to the steaming cup of tea and the delicate stack of macarons on a plate. "Come on, you've been at that long enough. You deserve a little break."
Akoya chuckled as he put his pencil down and picked up the cup of tea. "You're right." He took a sip and sighed contently. Ah, jasmine tea… good choice.
Emi sat on one of the armrests of the couch. "So, how was your night with Arima-san? Did you get all your work done?"
"We believe so." Akoya put down the teacup and went for the macarons. "We may need to revise it, depending on what happens tomorrow."
Emi hummed in agreement, staying silent until Akoya'd finished off the first macaroon. "You've been spending a lot of time with Arima-san lately, I've noticed."
"Yes. A lot of business lately has demanded our joint effort."
"Just business, huh?" Akoya nodded in response. "Okay." Emi stood and made her way to the door. "I have a chore to get back to downstairs. Text me if you need anything, alright?"
Akoya took the teacup in his hands again. "Thank you, Emi."
After she left the room, Akoya drank some more of his tea. Somehow he wound up asking himself a similar question. Was spending all this time with Ibushi really just to help him out?
