The Peninsula

The Fiction and Poetry Archive of Liana Mir and scribblemyname

Too Quiet

Feb
12

Quiet fills the space, and Yata bounces one foot as he turns the food in the wok. He’s alone and no one’s here.

He never knew how much noise Saruhiko used to make until there was no clack of typing keys or those quiet sounds when he clicked his tongue in displeasure or disgust, no rustling of clothing or blanket, no quiet footfalls on the threadbare carpet. The toilet doesn’t flush in the background, no clank against the bunk bed railing. The door doesn’t open or click shut. No thunk of small objects tossed.

He turns off breakfast, eats—alone.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , 0 Comment

Days Are Cold

Feb
12

The days are cold. He shrugs on his jacket and steps out into the chill winter air, knives under his clothes, up close against his skin. They’re sharp but they keep him safe. He’s used to sharp edges.

There used to be warmth and heat burning beside him, welling up inside when he thought of violence. Now it feels cool and crystal clear, except where he reaches up to scratch at the itching scar on his chest. There used to be heat beside him, near him, throwing an arm over his shoulders because he used to walk with Misaki. It used to burn inside him because there was no cool blue aura to outweigh the flaming red.

Now, both simmer and lie below the wind-kissed cool of his skin, and he feels the sharp electric buzz that goes with electricity and technology and change. He fingers a knife with knowing fingers, feels the eerie light of jungle green welling up across his knuckles, through his palms. Anna had looked at him years ago and known he’d never stay red.

The days are cold. There is no Misaki beside him. The fire within is banked. It’s time to go to work.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Double Drabble, Fanfic, K , 0 Comment

Feel It

Feb
04

They didn’t have to say anything to each other to know how important they were. They just had to feel it.

Chuuya sighed, barely able to make his body move and not overeager to try, regardless of Dazai making a point of telling him not to.

“The fog isn’t gone. I don’t feel like fighting Corruption.”

It was a thought that struck him then. This fog could give Chuuya back his own body and remove Arahabaki from it. His ability wasn’t natural to him the way others’ were.

But Dazai was warm, Chuuya was here, safe, and that’s what mattered.

Bungou Stray Dogs, Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic , , , , 0 Comment

Customers

Jan
31

His friends come to the funeral.

Mikoto stopped next to Kusanagi, hands in pockets, radiating warmth in the chill but without expression. Totsuka stood on the other side, close enough to brush arms and shoulders, a frown on his usually cheerful face. Neither of them looked “free.”

They stayed through all of it, caging him in with their bodies and their wordless care. He wasn’t alone in this world yet.

Kusanagi sighed. “Let’s go back to Homra.”

They stayed there too, Totsuka talking lightly, Mikoto quiet but present.

Yes, Uncle. I have friends that might help me serve.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , 0 Comment

First Time’s the Charm

Jan
28

Their first time was horrible, Saruhiko could admit to himself in hindsight. (more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , 0 Comment

Say My Name

Jan
23

He hadn’t meant to stay a cat long enough for this to happen. By the time Saruhiko had an opportunity to change back (after a harrowing long time trying to leave the group he’d been spying on inconspicuously; he hadn’t planned on being found and adopted), he’d almost forgotten how to human.

He was still curled up, catlike, when he heard a loud, very familiar voice, “What did you do to him?!”

He tried to say Misaki. What came out was a meow.

Misaki swore and settled in beside him, soothing hand on his back. “C’mon, let’s get you up.”

He didn’t know how to get up, his paws not working right, and Misaki wanted him on only two. He buried his face in Misaki’s neck and scratched the arm supporting him.

“Stop that,” Misaki said sharply, but he reached up and scratched just so, much gentler, on Saruhiko’s neck.

Saruhiko found himself melting with a loud exhale. Misaki knew just how to do it.

“Good,” Misaki said. He helped Saruhiko sit upright. “Now say my name.”

It took a minute, a few tries, but finally he got out a low, human rasp. “Misaki.”

Daily Ficlet 2019, Double Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , 0 Comment

The Usual Suspect

Jan
20

Dazai always looked like he’d just done something wrong. (more…)

Bungou Stray Dogs, Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic , , , , , 0 Comment

The Most Obvious Unstealthy Thief of Hearts

Jan
20

Fushimi Saruhiko wasn’t exactly hiding his heart, so much as he’d shelved it a long time ago as not particularly useful to him. There was always far too much pain involved with feeling things for as long as he could remember.

Then Misaki came, poking and prodding and asking a million stupid questions with that glowing look on his face as he pronounced Saruhiko amazing.

It was stupid how it made his heart beat, how every time Misaki came around, Saruhiko felt so much, he was practically vibrating with it.

Without stealth or skill, Misaki stole his heart.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , 0 Comment

You Have Magic

Jan
14

You’re always on the lookout for magical items, especially unusual ones. They’re the lifeblood of your small shop at the edge of the living mall where regular humans only wander by fate or by accident and magic-users congregate on any given weekend. So when you hear that mermaids have returned to the lake in the deep woods, you’re wrapped up in your invisibility cloak that protects against all weather almost before the words are out of your aunt’s mouth.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Fandom Stocking 2018, One-Shot, Original Fiction, Other Original , , , , , , , 0 Comment

The Buff

Jan
11

“Aaaaaaah!” A stream of rather flustered swearing followed the startled shout, and Saruhiko groggily blinked open his eyes as he woke.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , 0 Comment

Courting Red

Jan
09

There was exactly one way Nagare could see ever joining someone like Suoh Mikoto to his cause, and no comfortable way to kill him or his directly and bring his own power to bear.

It took quite a bit of work to get a message to Homura before they did anything rash—like completely destroy Totsuka’s body.

“You can resurrect him without consequences?” Kusanagi’s voice was appropriately skeptical under the diplomatic tone.

“There are always consequences,” Nagare corrected. “But yes, I can bring him back. He’ll have my aura.”

He wouldn’t be the first with two.

“Do it,” Mikoto said.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , , 0 Comment

A Terrible Patient

Jan
08

“Isn’t he a terrible patient?” the Blue with the red hair and bright smile asked with a quizzical head tilt.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Fanfic, Ficlet, K , , , , , , 0 Comment

Welcome to the New Age

Jan
08

Aura still sparked in Fushimi’s veins, but he could actually feel it fading, bleeding out slowly until one day, he knew, it would no longer answer his call. He wasn’t even sure he’d miss it.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Fanfic, Ficlet, K , , , , , , 0 Comment

In Practice

Jan
08

Saruhiko still had access to his money but found himself easily drawn into Misaki’s way of life and all the moneysaving tricks his mother had taught him. Sharing shower water was certainly no hardship. Turning off lights when they didn’t need them was only annoying when Misaki started nagging. Leaving the heat off at night sounded good in theory, since they both had a pile of blankets.

It was not good in practice.

Saruhiko didn’t realize he was cold until after he was shivering. He hunched his shoulders and gritted his teeth and plotted in the back of his mind how to tell Misaki they were never doing this again in a way that would actually forestall Misaki’s numerous good reasons why he knew better than Saruhiko how to save money. (He did, in fact.)

All that fled Saruhiko’s mind when a sleepy, tousled Misaki pulled himself onto the top bunk and burrowed into Saruhiko’s covers like that made any kind of sense. His arms wrapped around Saruhiko, his warm breath suddenly heating the back of Saruhiko’s neck, and suddenly Saruhiko couldn’t even feel the cold—just every single place their bodies touched.

He swallowed and permanently retired his objections.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Double Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , , , 0 Comment

Lies Unspoken

Jan
08

Dazai was already lying on the futon by the time Chuuya got in. He was too stiff, his lanky form stretched out with his back to the door, face to the wall, almost radiating with tension.

Chuuya sighed. “Did you even get patched up?”

Dazai didn’t answer.

It had been a hard enough fight and Dazai had never been good at self-care.

Chuuya hung up his jacket and his hat and changed into one of Dazai’s overlong shirts. He glanced over Dazai’s body for any major injuries. Finding none, he curled his body around his partner’s until finally Dazai relaxed.

Bungou Stray Dogs, Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic , , , , , 0 Comment

This Wasn’t What I Wanted

Jan
08

Fushimi hadn’t planned to leave at all, both deeply intrigued and intensely uncomfortable with the way the Blue King wanted him to leave Homura and join his clan.

Fushimi couldn’t find fulfillment in Homura, its growing problems and Misaki’s growing infatuation more and more annoying to him, but he had never planned to betray them. He’d joined them for Misaki’s sake, protected them for Misaki’s sake, and never wanted to leave Misaki at all.

But he didn’t cry when his heart was burning inside him and Misaki’s tears inflamed him. He didn’t cry until in a quiet dorm room—alone.

Daily Ficlet 2019, Drabble, Fanfic, K , , , 0 Comment

For Lorden

Jan
07

This is what keeps you alive. You breathe in the stale, bloodstained air—the smell of iron and sweat—and you press down with even pressure on her wound as you listen to her shallow breaths. You can already see the fever in her glazed eyes and flushed face. It doesn’t matter if you can’t actually smell the infection yet.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Kingdoms and Thorn, One-Shot, Original Fiction , , , , , , , 0 Comment

Breaking Points

Jan
07

There were moments when all anyone could think about was the blood on their hands, their fallen team members—something not quite family but beyond mere friends—and their own willingness to go bloody themselves again.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Ficlet, Kingdoms and Thorn, Original Fiction , , , , , , 0 Comment

Watching You Work

Jan
05

“And this is the hacker,” Kusanagi announced. “Now play nice, Fushimi,” he added to the hacker.

(more…)

Daily Ficlet 2019, Fanfic, Ficlet, K , , , , , 0 Comment