Requests Are Closed For Now! Thank You To Everyone Who Requested, Now Please Be Patient With Me As I

requests are closed for now! thank you to everyone who requested, now please be patient with me as i try to deliver the stories bit by bit 🙏

(i can't write short stuff so it's gonna take more time than art).

see you!

one-shot requests are open!

so in order to celebrate the migration between the blogs (yep, it's still about that) as well as to motivate me to write more, i'll be holding a little writing event for you all!

namely, for the whole day today i'm taking requests for writing drabbles! all you need to do is go to this post, pick a prompt and then send me an ask following this pattern:

"one-shot request, [prompt number], [fandom], [pairing]"

and i'll do my best to deliver something to your liking

i can't promise you long fics and i can't guarantee that i'll be able to post them all tomorrow, but i will do my best to do it as quickly as possible. it worked pretty well with art last time - so here's to hoping it will help with the writing to :)

the list of my fandom and ships under the tag, but if something isn't listed, you can always message me to ask about it :)

can't wait!

fandoms & ships:

chihayafuru (anime only): taichihaya is bae but i may try other pairings if they click with me :) miraculous ladybug: all sides of the love square, lukanette, adrigami, lukagami, felinette fruits basket 2019 & sequels: all canon ships! kono oto tomare! (anime & manga, you may specify): hozuki&kudo, kurata&kurusu fma(b): royai, edwin, almei atla: zutara. that's it. JULIE & THE PHANTOMS: julie&luke

payback chocolates | taichihaya one-shot

A little something snatched from a bigger something I’ve been working on but can’t post yet. Written for Valentine's Day 2021, reposted now due to the blog migration :)

PS The setting is their college lives. They’re friends. And that’s all you need to know.

Read on AO3!

Taichi's gaze shifted from Chihaya's face to the package in her hands, only to go back to her eyes again.

He blinked, still not able to guess what all of this meant.

What could he possibly have done to deserve Goudi pralines from her?

And on Valentine's day, no less.

"Just to make it clear, these are payback chocolates," Chihaya mumbled with conviction, looking away and crossing her arms the moment Taichi took the bag from her hands. "Nothing to make a fuss about. They're long overdue, anyway."

"Wait. Payback chocolates? Not even friendship chocolates? My, Chihaya, you're colder than I thought you could be."

She glanced up at him, irked.

If looks could kill, Taichi would have dropped dead at the spot.

"Of course they are friendship chocolates," she parried. "But that's obvious, right? It's the payback part that needs mentioning."

"What on earth are you paying me back for?"

"What do you mean: what? That's obvious, too."

"Not to me, it isn't."

"How so?" she asked. "You're the one with a freaky memory here. I was sure you'd remember this, if only so you could tease me. You have teased me about this. Have you really forgotten?"

Suddenly, she was looking straight at him, her eyes round with astonishment, as if all of her irritation and embarrassment alike had evaporated completely. More than a little taken aback himself, Taichi could do little more than stare back, brow raised and mind reeling, as he tried to think of any situation to which she could be referring to.

Just what could she be repaying him for?

"I give up," was what he said out loud. "Unless you mean it's some kind of retribution for my coming here, then I have no idea what you might be talking about here. Not that the fact that I've been coming is enough to explain it, either. If anything, it's probably something I should be compensating you. Heavens know half the time you look like you want me gone the moment you see me at the door. So, what is it for?"

Chihaya didn't respond immediately. Instead, she looked away from him again, the arms that she had somewhat loosened in her surprise now folding back tightly again. Just like with her earlier declaration, Taichi had no idea what went through her mind; yet, that was precisely why he was determined to make her tell him herself.

Whether that meant waiting patiently or pushing her with his taunting, he was not going to retreat now.

After all, it was not her answers that he had given up on.

"Chihaya? Tell me what it is."

She didn't look back at him like he hoped she would. She didn't relax, didn't roll her eyes or waved her hand at him with a laugh or even a smile showing on her face.

She was...

...anxious?

Really, what was all that about?

"The Shinami Society Tournament in our first year of high school," she said eventually. "You'd stepped away from karuta at the time, so you weren't playing in that one. But you still came to watch and after I'd passed out after a match, Harada-sensei made you rush to buy chocolates for me. And you brought these," she added, nodding towards the package in his hands. As if it was completely regardless of her will, a small, weak smile blossomed on her lips then, a fact of which Chihaya probably wasn't aware herself but which Taichi couldn't ignore. "I never would have won that tournament if you hadn't done that. I really appreciated it. But since I probably failed to thank you properly back then, I thought it's high time to let you know now."

It was Taichi's turn to act flabbergasted this time. Surprised not only by the remoteness of the event Chihaya had referred to, but also (if not mostly) by the amount of details she'd brought up on that occasion, he gazed at her for more than a little while – until he realised that she was not going to add anything else to her tale, and instead awaited his response this time.

And she wasn't wrong to expect that.

"You did thank me, though," he said awkwardly, unable to come with a better reply. Then he chuckled, reminded of another detail from that time so very long ago. "You were so surprised by getting fancy chocolates like these, and you even commented on it, and still, it didn't stop you from gobbling them down one after another in an instant. They really were nothing but fuel at the time, were they?"

He sighed, smiling fondly at the sight of Chihaya's blushing cheeks and a frown that pursed her brow. There sure were things in this world that didn't change – and it looked like his all-time friend's puzzled expression was one of them, too.

No wonder his old feelings were taking over him again so easily.

"Winning that tournament was your condition, right?" he added somewhat absently after a moment. "If I win and make Class A, you'll help me start the karuta club,'' was what you said. I must say, I didn't think you'd pull it off. You did, though. Splendidly."

"As I said, I wouldn't have if you hadn't got me that energy boost."

"All the more reason not to regret it. Not that I would have opposed to making the club if you had lost, really."

"You wouldn't?"

"Well, I did make that decision after our visit to Fukui, which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't called Arata first, which wouldn't have happened had you not won that tournament. Still, I'd rather think even without all that, you'd still repeat your request. And I know I would have agreed if you had."

"Really?" she asked, her voice strangely hopeful. Taichi couldn't help but smile wider, even if a little wistfully.

"Yes, really," he replied. "After all, so many great things have come from creating that club. I don't think the universe would have left it to a single karuta tournament like this. And I did agree to pretty much everything you suggested those days."

Chihaya didn't reply to this, not with words, anyway. Instead, she laughed, shortly but enthusiastically, quietly but sincerely, shaking her head as if she was trying to say that she couldn't disagree more with that last addition of his. He didn't care to correct her, glad that this was what had caught her attention; didn't care to think of all the hardship that his times in the club had brought to him as well, happy that Chihaya's mind didn't guide her that way.

And so they stood, careless and content, with a bag of Goudi chocolates like a talisman of good luck between them.

A little 'thank you for the past', a shy 'I'm glad we've got the present'.

Maybe it was all in Taichi's mind, but thinking of it like this, he couldn't help but grow some hope for the future as well.

i can't write.

chihaya my beloved.

if I loved you less (i might talk about it more)

requested by one and only @nerdypanda3126. thanks so much!

Read on AO3!

"Taichi... You still like me, don't you?"

The young man in question raised his eyes from the book he'd been trying to read for the past quarter, and fixed them on Chihaya, confused. It wasn't just the question that surprised him, even though its content sure would have been enough to puzzle a better prepared soul.

The fact that Chihaya had barely spoken at all for most of their time together today was the main reason why he felt startled by her words now.

She really had been quiet for most of the day, even though they were spending it at his place, determined, as she herself had claimed, not to get in the way of his studies. Taichi had tried to make her realise that it wasn't what he wanted at all, that the very reason he'd invited her over was to get a break from all the reading and just relax a little. He'd explained over and over again that he needed her to be a distraction; tried – unsuccessfully – to get it into her head that she was actually doing him a favour. He knew how much of a workaholic he could be and so he specifically planned the visit as a means to enforce the necessary break he might not have taken otherwise.

He had told her all of that. And yet, she'd remained quiet.

All the way until now, that is.

And just what on earth was she going on about?

"What's with that question? You know the answer to that," he replied casually, almost dismissively, before going back to the textbook in his hand. He really had no idea what had gotten into her all of the sudden, but then again, he didn't care to delve on the subject. He knew she'd tell him anyway.

"I was just wondering," she answered, a trace of hurt ringing in her voice; Taichi needed to hold back the smile that sprang on his lips at the sight of her pout. "Is it so bad if I do?"

Taichi hummed in thought.

"Is that why you've been so quiet all day?" he asked right after. "You've been just busy considering my possible affection for you?"

"Stop with the mockery. I'm thinking of it seriously."

"Oh? And what conclusions did you come to?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I'd come to any."

He had no choice but to close the book and put it away after a statement he'd just heard. Not that he minded. Throwing it on the floor rather carelessly, he sat up straight in his corner of the couch and, resting his chin on his palm, he fixed his gaze on the girl seated by his desk on the other side of the room.

She really was being impossible today.

Well, he supposed that wasn't anything new. He'd known Chihaya long and well enough to not be fazed by the swings in her mood or the inane schemes she so often came up with. He had learnt to expect the unexpected, every day, every hour of his otherwise boring life, because that was obviously the only way to keep up with her. The one thing he had to keep doing if he still wanted to be a part of her life.

Because that was how Ayase Chihaya was.

Chihaya. His best friend. His fiercest karuta rival. The girl he'd been in love with since fourth grade of primary school and the girl who'd rejected him straightforwardly at the very beginning of their third year in Mizusawa High. The girl whom he'd thought he could never win over, on whom he'd given up again and again, fooling himself he could move on and blight the love he'd had for her since he'd been a ten year old squirt.

He sighed and shook his head, remembering her question from a moment before.

She knew damn well he was still head over heels for her.

She was his girlfriend, for sanity's sake.

"I can't believe you actually have asked, you know," he picked up with the same fake weariness he'd shown before, if only to cover his growing amusement. Seeing her very real anxiety made him assume a more solemn expression, as he asked, "Seriously, what brought this on? Are you mad about something?"

"I'm not mad," she disagreed instantly, and with good emphasis.

"Are you unhappy then? Did I do something to make you feel like that?"

Again, she denied. Now she just looked sad. "That's not it."

Wrong. She was flustered.

"Then what is it?" Taichi asked, as gently and warmly as he could. Not for the first time, he felt grateful for all the hard training his patience had received. It was obvious that Chihaya needed that from him now. "It's not like I could get over you like this, you of all people should be aware of that. You're the most important person in my life. The best companion I could think of. You know I get lonely and grumpy when I can't see you, and you know I still get absurdly jealous, even though I hate being so. And so I can't help but think there's something else I'm not doing right."

Taichi stopped there, waiting for her to, if not answer his question, then to contradict him in one way or another, at least. After all, he really was at a loss.

He thought he'd been doing a fairly good job as a boyfriend, when all was said and done. He'd already shared Chihaya's most important interest and it wasn't difficult to at least understand the new ones she'd found. He made sure to be there for her when she needed him, and tried his best to give her space when she needed that more. True, he'd had some trouble coming for help on his part, but even that was a thing of a past rather than present – certainly not something that could shock Chihaya into thinking like this.

He would think that the all-day-long date he'd come up with and seen through in celebration of their first anniversary as a couple last week was a good show of how much he still cared.

He wasn't perfect. Neither was she. But never in his life would he have thought that he'd failed to get his feelings across.

"Chihaya," he prompted once more, his voice audibly quieter. "Please tell me what it is. I can't fix it if I don't know what's broken."

She looked up from the floor she'd been glaring at for a while and met his gaze, a shadow of unease still clouding her big brown eyes. She opened her mouth to answer; she closed it instantly and looked away again, abashed. There was a hint of pink on her cheeks, and it only grew darker as the time passed, though whether it was because of embarrassment or something more alarming, Taichi couldn't tell yet.

"Chihaya–"

"It's because you never say it."

He supposed his eyes opened wider than ever, what's with the utter astonishment he felt growing inside him immediately. For a few moments, he could do nothing but stare, the craziness of the situation overwhelming enough to successfully prevent him from forming a sensible thought, and much less coming up with any kind of solution. One look at Chihaya was enough to sober him up, however.

She was distressed. She was insecure.

No matter how stupid he thought the reason to be, he could hardly allow the situation to last.

With a groan that was bound to startle her, he bent over and buried his face in his hands.

Only one thing he could do now.

"Come here," he said, his face still hidden behind one hand as he tore the other one away and beckoned her towards him. "No excuses. You'll talk later. Now just come here, please."

She did, albeit tentatively, as if afraid of the reaction he might show her. With his patience starting to run thin at last, Taichi didn't wait for her to cover the whole distance, instead reaching out and grabbing her by the wrist, only to pull her down on the couch right next to him.

And then he pulled her even closer, locking her in a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm gonna do something to you," he mumbled into her hair, his voice a mixture of laughter and complaint. "You cruel, cruel, woman. Have you no heart? Here I am, mind reeling as I try to figure out what the hell I did wrong again and you say it's because I don't say I like you enough. As if you didn't already know you've got a firmer hold of my heart than I ever did. Tell me, am I really this bad at showing you that I care that you doubt it?"

It was Chihaya's turn to growl at him, though it surely – and fortunately – didn't stop her from burying her face even deeper into his chest and digging her fingers into the shirt on his back. Again, Taichi laughed at the display, but didn't loosen his grip one bit.

That silly, unbelievable, most beloved girl.

"This and that are different things," she muttered finally in response against his buttons, her stubborn indignation probably being the only reason why he could discern the words at all. "There are different kinds of love languages. We even talked about it, you know."

"Yes. And as far as I remember, we've already established that neither of us cared for this one. So your argument doesn't work."

Well, this was a lie, or at least, it wasn’t fully true. After all, he could never get tired of hearing her say those words, to him and him only. But he didn't need it that much, not when he already knew of so many other ways in which Chihaya expressed her love towards him. He'd always assumed it was the same for her, too.

Funnily enough, he still didn't think he was mistaken.

"I've had feelings for you for the past fourteen years, you dummy, I wouldn't change my mind just because you decided to return them," he threw in only half-jokingly, as if to make sure he got his point across before moving onto the next part. "So? Care to tell me what's the source of it all?"

He felt her tense against him for a split second, only to relax in the next moment with a long, weary sigh. He waited for her to make herself comfortable in his arms, shifting ever so slightly to make it easier for them both. And then he heard her speak.

"I met up with Kana-chan the other day," she admitted weakly. "Her and Desktomu. And I guess... They're always so sweet with one another, now more than ever. I suppose... It made me feel a little jealous. But most of all, it just made me think."

"And you decided that I'd fallen out of love with you, because I don't talk like Komano does?"

"I didn't decide anything, I told you already. I just wondered if maybe I was doing something wrong to deserve that treatment. Sorry for being so terribly scared of losing you again because of my own foolishness."

Words caught in his throat as Taichi tried to protest against this new development. That last addition Chihaya had made – and more importantly, the wounded, truly uncertain voice with which she'd spoken – would have been enough to melt his heart even if he had actually been angry with her. Right now, he had to hold back from grabbing her by the chin and kissing her senseless until all the idiotic ideas evaporated from her overworked mind.

The things she did to him without as much as trying.

You evil little imp.

"They're newly-weds. You can't use them for reference," he managed to stutter out at least, conveniently ignoring the hoarseness of his own voice and the emotion that hovered behind it. "Not to mention, those two are the opposite of us when it comes to talking about feelings openly. There's a reason they got together six years before we did. Just because something works for them doesn't mean it's the best course for us to take as well."

He smiled again and planted a kiss at the top of her hair, before adding, "I still can't believe you really doubted me, though."

She huffed and pulled away, although she still didn't move from her place on the couch. They were still close; close enough for Taichi to see the light reflecting in her eyes and the blush that hadn't left her cheeks, and to reach out and comb her tangled hair with his fingers. Another gesture so full of love, even though it was but a fraction of all that she made him feel.

"Well, since I never understood what had made you fall in love with me in the first place, it's only natural that I'd have this kind of doubts."

He chuckled and she smiled on her part, her obstinacy giving it to the desire to just be with him. It was another thing Taichi was able to read in her eyes – and, knowing the feeling well enough from his own experience, he had no trouble deciphering it.

Delayed, the first part of her sentence entered his brain.

What made me fall for you, I wonder?

He didn't know. It had been so long since he’d realised his feelings after all, and longer still since those feelings had been born. Even all those years earlier, he probably wouldn’t have been able to point out the reasons clearly, never mind finding the one spark that had started it – trying to do so now seemed downright impossible.

There were so many reasons, after all.

Maybe it was because she had never considered herself a possible love interest for anyone, first when she was too engrossed in karuta and later, when she thought she didn't deserve to be one. Maybe it was her hot-headedness and her drive, and how different she'd always been from him, and yet never failed to tell him how much she'd admired and envied those qualities of his that she lacked.

Maybe it was the fact that she'd always been with him, so close and so dear and yet so impossible to grasp.

Maybe it was because she'd loved him long before either of them dared believe that was the case.

Maybe...

"Maybe," he said out loud, though in fact not loud at all, his lips moving against her forehead as he leaned in to put a kiss there, too. "Maybe, if I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

Edging away, Taichi saw tears gathering in her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb, his hand cupping the side of her jaw fittingly.

And then he kissed her properly.

Just like he had wanted to ever since he'd first seen her that day.

i just realised edward elric would love and admire young astrid hofferson so much like not only is she super intense she also fights well but most importantly dude did you see those skulls