Chill Creeps Into His Skin, And Neji Isnt Sure If Its From The Cold Or From Their Shoulders Bumping Against

chill creeps into his skin, and neji isn’t sure if it’s from the cold or from their shoulders bumping against one another. pale eyes turn to the kazekage, daring not to turn his head to peer at the redhead beside him. The hyuuga’s hands tremble slightly, gaze turning back to the sky before them , dim , with only the moon’s pale light illuminating their countenance from their place by the balcony. neji doesn’t quite move , the back of his hand brushing against gaara’s knuckles, and he laces their fingers together, a delicate display a juxtaposition from their first ( though, awkward ) meetings that grew from taijutsu lessons, to a joining of two unlikely souls. neji turns away from the dimly lit sky to fully meet gaara’s countenance , pale eyes gazing with a kind of longing, a tenderness once lost. “ this is fine ? ” he inquires in a quiet voice, meant only for him. “ it’s a fine evening , ”  unprompted   //   always acc.     —— @hiyakku​.

he’d  kept  neji  around  entirely  to  show  him  the  night  sky  of  sunagakure.  gaara  knows  that  the  hyuuga  isn’t  quite  the  type  to  take  in  the  clean  air  &  look  into  the  sky  without  prompting.  a  bit  forward,  but  the  kazekage  simply  won’t  stand  for  neji  spending  his  entire  time  here  training  with  him  &  little  else.  as  their  fingers  entwine,  gaara  can  feel  a  wave  of  warmth  rush  through  his  body  from  his  chest.  this  is...  honestly  the  last  thing  he  expected.  despite  this,  it’s  welcomed.  when  neji’s  head  turns,  gaara  soon  faces  him  as  well.  what  gorgeous  eyes  ——    striking  &  intimidating,  usually,  but  there’s  such  a  soft  fondness  in  them  in  this  moment.  the  way  they  shine…

❛  i  agree,  the  stars  are  beautiful  tonight,  ❜    the  ones  in  the  sky  pale  in  comparison.    gaara  smiles  gently,  it’d  barely  be  visible  to  someone  who  wasn’t  looking  right  at  him.  he  leans  just  a  bit  closer,  but  only  to  rest  their  heads  together.  they  don’t  need  anything  else  right  now.  this  closeness  is  enough.  the  freezing  desert  air  feels  much  more  kind  now,  far  more  comfortable.

"So," he set a hand on Mitsuki's shoulder, his other gesturing to the comfortable space before them, "this is where you'll be living now." No empty apartments for this boy. Not while he was still alive in this village. "I can leave you to settle in by yourself, if you like."  unprompted   //   always acc.     —— @daybreakrising​.

mikazuki  has  jumped  from  his  arms  &  onto  the  floor,  off  to  explore  this  new  fun  home.  mitsuki  seems  antsy,  though.  it’s…  full.  of  things.  he’s  not  used  to  so  many  things.  the  air  is  alive,  so  much  clearer  than  the  stagnant,  heavy  air  of  his  own  apartment.  a  deep  breath  in,  a  deeper  breath  out.  his  nerves  don’t  usually  get  to  him,  but  this  is  too  new.  the  comforting  palm  on  his  shoulder,  the  patient  voice,  his  brows  furrow.  it’s  hard  to  process.  the  serpent  sees  this  kind  of  stuff  all  the  time,  but  with  his  old  classmates’  families,  not  with  people  who  have  no  obligation  to  do  so.  mitsuki  tilts  his  head  up,  striking  gold  staring  into  jet  black  with  a  nigh  unreadable  expression.

❛  yamato-san,  why  are  you  doing  all  of  this?  you  know  i  am  not  human  already,  you  do  not  have  to  treat  me  like  one.  ❜

"here's what you gotta do, kid..." she places her hand on mitsuki's shoulder, a steadying gesture that's played off as one of assurance, "nothing guarantees a win better than a distraction, but since you're lacking certain assets, you'll have to make due with that brain of yours. but don't worry, once i'm through with you, you'll never lose a game of poker again."  unprompted   //   always acc.     —— @ameagaari​.

certain  assets…  it  doesn’t  take  a  genius.  mitsuki  ignores  the  comment,  glancing  around  for  a  moment…  ah.

❛  how  many  times  do  you  think  letting  a  snake  loose  would  work,  or...  if  would  that  be  too  much?  ❜    he  asks  with  such  an  innocent  tone,  a  charming  smile  fit  for  an  angel  spread  across  his  face.  admittedly,  learning  new  things  is  fun,  but  he  knows  rather  well  how  to  deceive  &  formulate  distractions  &  scenes.  he  knows  how  to  keep  a  poker  face.  

❛  actually,  aunt  fifth,  ❜    the  moon’s  head  turns,  staring  up  at  the  woman——  it’s  interesting,    ❛  why  are  you  teaching  me  this,  anyway?  ❜

there’s  just  something  that  feels  wrong.

does mitsuki ever consider yamato as a father/parental figure? (and if so, when does he start to feel that way/what prompts it?) if not, what does he consider yamato to be to him?

he does, & it happens quicker than expected. just not consciously. in his mind, yamato was just someone who likes to help. orochimaru would always be his true parent. it's only when he notices things, how familiar it all feels but only as an outsider looking in. he'd always been an outsider. now he gets to experience it— this is what his parent never did. he thought he was above it. the perfect shinobi has no need. but was orochimaru not a good parent? it felt wrong to think that.

it unraveled when mitsuki offhandedly said "goodbye, father" before leaving for a mission

he didn't notice, & wouldn't have cared much, but yamato did. they had a very long talk when mitsuki returned. yamato was emotional for days, it felt like.

"Giyuu!" A few hurried steps brought Izumo level to the other, smiling brightly at them. It had become something of a determined mission for him, Iruka, Anko and Kotetsu to coax the other out of their isolation and that included friendly encounters in the street. "How'd your mission go; I guess Iruka or Kote' caught you at the desk, right? We're meeting up later, but I have this data to look over first... don't suppose you are free to lend a hand?" He did not need help, but it was a good ploy to secure the other's time. "I'll buy lunch - you can pick!" Bribery at its finest, but there was a lot of data to go through and the company was appreciated. The Fifth had been working him so hard lately with it all. unprompted   //   always acc.     —— @fightingdreamcrs.

giyuu  tenses  at  the  excited  call  of  their  name.  as  they  turn,  they’re  met  with  an  equally  excited  grin.  it’s  a  bit  jarring,  to  say  the  least.  deep  blue  eyes  widen  a  bit,  their  usual  neutral-scowl  shifted  into  an  innocent  look  of  surprise.  it’s  not  like  giyuu  is  very  interesting,  do  they  seem  interesting?  or  maybe  this  is  a  joke.  pity?  no,  probably  not.  maybe?  the  ravenette  soon  finally  responds,

❛  the  mission  was  successful,  but  i..  uh...  ❜    how  do  they  get  out  of  this?  say  they  have  other  plans?  like  anyone  would  believe  that,    ❛  sure.  i  can.  don’t  worry  about  lunch  though,  ❜    ——  they’d  only  feel  bad  if  he  wasted  any  money  on  them.  it’s  best  to  avoid  feeling  like  they  owe  anyone  anything.  expression  relaxes  back  into  a  neutral,  but  not  back  into  a  scowl.  this  is  giyuu  trying  to  be  friendly,  it’s  all  you’re  getting.  sorry,  izumo!

[ touch ] for your muse to rest their forehead against mine’s word prompts   //   acc.     —— @wovenpetal​ .

     hands   come   up   to   hold   her   face   gently   ,   a   laugh   filling   the   room   despite   the   sharp   ache   in   his   torso   .   he   shouldn’t   even   be   awake   ,   let   alone   moving   &&   putting   on   his   little   act   .   pretending   it’s   all   okay   as   if   he   hadn’t   just   nearly   died   .   as   if   anything   will   go   back   to   normal   .   is   he   in   denial   ,   or   does   he   just   want   to   make   her   feel   better   ?