Updates and Very Late, Very Extended Apologies!!

Short answer to the most important question: NO, none of my current projects are officially abandoned! That includes the fics Hard Sought (DRRR!!), In Pieces (DRRR!!), The Lost and the Caged (SnK), and Paint Me an Ocean (SnK).

My IRL life blew the fuck up within the past couple of months, and not in all bad ways--I’ve just been crazy busy. In addition, I’ve been working super hard on an original trilogy (and am beyond thrilled to be nearing completion of book two), taking more classes, and of course doing the food service thing to keep the proverbial boat afloat. On top of it all, my phone no longer supports the tumblr app, like, at all, so I’ve basically dropped off the face of the planet on my personal blog, too.

HOWEVER, I’m determined to finish what I’ve started--Hard Sought is actually really close to completion, I’ve still got like all the latent inspiration for In Pieces, and the shiny new SnK season has me super motivated to be active in that fandom again, too. I also haven’t forgotten about the requests gathering dust in my inbox.

I can’t really commit to any specific date at this point, but please know that I haven’t forgotten and do intend to return properly sooner or later! I’m so sorry to disappear so abruptly and for such a long time, and anyone sticking with me has my deepest level of gratitude! I’ll do my best to be back and updating sooner rather than later. Until then! -Niao =^^=

Disappearance

Fandom: Ajin  Characters/Ships: Kei/Kai  Rating: T   Length: oneshot; 4216 words

Summary:

AO3 Link (Coming Soon!) Read on Tumblr:

(A/N) A very late Secret Santa gift for @lokh; I am so sorry it’s late, dear! ;A; I just couldn’t for the life of me find an ending and then it got put off and I... I’m sorry. I’m also a bit rusty with Kou’s character, but I hope you otherwise enjoy! QuQ

"Don't you ever go home?"

Kaito jumped, wiping at his face with the heal of one small hand. Snuffling faintly, he looked around.

"Who's there?"

There was a soft splash, followed by silence. Kai looked down at the pond beside him from his elevated perch on a boulder. Tucking his knees closer to his chest, he peered into the dusk-dim water.

The surface parted; revealed a small face, followed by narrow shoulders and pale fingers that gripped the edge of the pond.

"... Oh."

"'Oh?'" the boy in the water echoed, tilting his head. He had pale skin, almost slate gray--though that could have been the light. "That's all?"

Kaito sniffed, leaning out over his stone. "Who are you?" He was scarcely six years old, all wide gold eyes and ruddy cheeks. The boy in the water was slightly smaller, if not younger.

"Kei."

"I'm Kai!" the human boy introduced himself brightly, offering his hand. Kei regarded it coolly, but didn't take it.

"Aren't you scared?"

Kai's head tilted. "Why?"

"I'm not human." Kei's eyes narrowed severely. "You are."

"That doesn't make a difference if we're friends!" Kai replied, his hand still held out.

Kei hesitated another beat, then reached up and grasped it. His skin was damp and clammy. He tightened his grip and pulled hard; used the human boy's hand as leverage to heave himself fully out of the water. After a slight scramble and thrashing of long, oil-black tail, he seated himself on the stone beside Kai.

To Start Again

Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan Characters/Ships: Gen-ish, heavily-inferred EruRi; Erwin, Levi  Rating: T    Length: oneshot; 1086 words

Summary:

AO3 Link (Coming Soon!) Read on Tumblr:

(A/N) I found out about this week so late and I am bitter. But I have been looking for an excuse to write this particular canon-divergence, so ta-dah! Something, at least. I hope to write something for the “Afterlife” theme as well, maybe just a day late, but we’ll see how that goes.

Erwin was heavier--heavier than Levi had imagined a body, living or dead, could be. Perhaps his own fatigue, too, was playing a role. Whatever the exact reason, he had to force his feet to move forward through the dust of the Shinganshinan streets; had to fight to keep his shrieking spine upright, and his aching shoulders straight.

But Erwin had carried him many times--physically; metaphorically; emotionally. That was how the two of them had survived--supporting one another. If Levi were to let him fall now, he may as well let himself crumple, too, and never rise from beneath the body of his commander.

Just a little... farther...

Eren Jaeger should, by rights, be the one making this trek. But, in deference to a sacrifice made, the young soldier had lent his Corporal the priceless key and pointed the way. Levi was grateful for that. Mikasa Ackerman had looked less pleased, but she too understood; let him do what he felt he needed to do, and bowed her head as he departed. Hanji was capable of handling what was left of the Survey Corps and its newest titan shifter, when the boy woke.

So Levi had set off for the basement.

Just a bit... farther...

Muscles quivering, legs aching nearly unbearably, Levi stumbled down the steps toward the appointed room. The door was sealed, with a padlock the key around his neck didn't unlock. As Erwin's arm was draped over his left shoulder, Levi rammed his right against the deteriorating wood as hard as he could; repeated the motion once and then twice, until at last it splintered and gave. He staggered, off-balance, into the room, and found himself in what appeared to be a doctor's workshop.

This... is...

"Erwin..." he rasped, "we're here. Grisha Jaeger's basement. You made it."

Sorry for the Inactivity!!

School is taking a surprising amount of my energy, work is a constant time-suck, and this fucking novel is draining the life out of me! But I do plan on posting a couple of oneshots within the next couple of days, and I managed to get Hard Sought updated so I feel pretty good about that...

Thanks for sticking with me! TTwTT

Hard Sought (Chapter 11)

Fandom: Durarara!!   Characters/Ships: Shizaya/Izuo; Shizuo, Izaya, Harukahito (The Boy), Harumi (The Girl), Misc. Others   Rating: T   Length: Chapter 11/?; 3389 words

Summary:

AO3 Link Here Read on Tumblr: (previous chapter–You Are Here–Coming Soon!)

(A/N) NEVER FEAR, I'M NOT DEAD. I'm sorry the update took so long. ^^;; It's also pretty short, but standard for earlier chapters of this fic, so... Without further ado, onto Chapter 11 (also, the Holy-Hell-is-this-a-Family-AU-in-Disguise-Send-Help chapter)!

For three nights, Shizuo tried to sleep on the chair. For three nights, Izaya followed him out and curled up on his chest or by his side. On the fourth night, Shizuo returned to the bed. Rhoyo, after a couple days of being tied up in the closet of the guest room, agreed to leave town peacefully. Izaya closed the business deal with Akiko and Hibi.

Everything was once again on track.

Izaya crouched agilely atop an iron bar, hands gripping the metal and legs folded up beneath him. He was eyeing his next step, and launched himself suddenly forward.

"Oof...!" he huffed exaggeratedly, rolling head over heals across the wooden bridge on the jungle-gym. Harukahito yelped with excitement as he skidded to a halt beside him.

"This is called parkour," Izaya explained to him. "Agility—the goal is to get from one point to another as fast as possible, using nothing but your own body. The discipline was conceived and honed in an urban environment, so you'll rarely seen it used outside of cities."

"Wow!" the boy exclaimed, wide eyes shining. "And Izaya-san can do it?"

If anyone has any 91 Days writing prompts for me, please. After that finale, please.

(I am partial to Angelo/Corteo where ships are concerned, but I’m pretty up for whatever rn...)

In Pieces (Chapter 6; Work)

Fandom: Durarara!! Characters/Ships: Izaya/Shinra, past!Shinra/Celty, Shizuo/Celty; Shinra, Celty, Shizuo, Izaya, Shiki, more to-be-added Rating: T (NEW WARNING: things get a bit steamy at the beginning of this chapter...)  Length: Chapter 6/?; 3178 words

Summary:

AO3 Link Read on Tumblr: (previous chapter–You Are Here–coming soon)

(A/N) MEANWHILE, in this dysfunctional corner of Ikebukuro....

Izaya was woken by the weight of a body--by Shinra Kishitani climbing atop him, their hips resting against one another's. Instantly alert, Izaya pushed slightly against his chest.

"Shinra, what's--?"

"I want to repay you..." the doctor breathed against Izaya's mouth. "This is what you want most, isn't it?"

The kiss was hot and passionate; Izaya groaned with longing into it, feeling Shinra's living body moving against his; his most precious human's tongue grinding against his own. But he pulled back against his pillow, using one forearm across Shinra's breast to hold the doctor where he was.

"Orihara-kun?"

"Shinra, I--" Izaya began, his voice breathy. He could see, out of the corner of his eye, the dullahan's head resting on the pillow beside him--Shinra's pillow.

"Let me..." Shinra breathed cheerily, his hands pushing Izaya's nightshirt up. "This is what you want more than anything, isn't it? We're already living as a couple, for all intents and purposes... just like Celty and I were. For all intents and purposes, we're already lovers--just like Celty and I were. Let's consummate it... like Celty and I never did.

Reading Partners

Fandom: 91 Days   Characters/Ships: Angelo and Corteo, reader’s call if its gen or shippy <3 Rating: T   Length: oneshot; 1427 words

Summary:

AO3 Link (Coming Soon!) Read on Tumblr:

(A/N) So last Friday. I hadn’t watched the new episode yet but I thought it would be a fantastic idea to just look at the title... and Fridays are my cat-shelter nights, so... this was what I wrote to soothe my frazzled nerves. Just now got around to editing it into something post-able. Also, ever since I saw this post relating 91D to Hamlet, I haven’t been able to shake the association. orz This is my first foray into this fandom, but I do have at least two more fics in the works for it! Stay tuned, if you wish, and feel free to drop 91D prompts into my inbox~

"Put it back."

"Back out into the rain, you mean?"

"Put it back where it came from--if that's 'out in the rain,' then so be it."

"Angelo..."

At the plaintive appeal of his name, Angelo Lagusa made his fatal mistake: he looked up from his book. He was warm and comfortable, legs crossed where he sat in his oversized chair beside the fireplace; he had his nice copy of Hamlet in-hand and a cup of coco on the table beside him.

The sight of his roommate, wet and bedraggled and with an equally-wet-and-bedraggled cat in his arms, melted his resolve like sugar in hot coffee.

In Pieces (Chapter 5; Day-Job)

Fandom: Durarara!! Characters/Ships: Shizuo/Celty, past!Shinra/Celty, Izaya/Shinra; Shinra, Celty, Shizuo, Izaya, Tom, more to-be-added Rating: T   Length: Chapter 5/?; 2046 words

Summary:

AO3 Link Read on Tumblr: (previous chapter–You Are Here–Coming Soon)

(A/N) Lookie-lookie, new chapter! Sorry for the delay. ^^;; This is the next Shizelty part, and I’ll be sure to post it’s IzaShin counterpart some time tomorrow. <3 Thanks for sticking with me! ;w;

"Shiiit!"

Celty was woken not only by the shout, but by a sharp pain in her ankle and a tremendous crash. Bolting upright on her futon, the first thing she realized was that the house was still dark, save for the light slanting in through the curtains. The second thing she realized was that Shizuo had apparently tripped over her feet--the pain she had felt--and subsequently careened headfirst into the coffee table--the crash she had heard.

"Shit, Celty, I'm sorry...!" came his hasty apology, gasped between grit teeth. "Shit, and here I was trying not to wake you..."

Celty found she could only laugh, standing as Shizuo scrambled to pick himself up. She could see, in the dim light, that he was halfway dressed, and as she watched he stumbled back towards his bedroom.

"Sorry!" he called again. "I'm fucking late, wouldn't you know? I fell back asleep after my stupid alarm went off!"

Shaking off whatever sleepiness still clung to her shoulders, Celty moved to draw the curtains; when Shizuo appeared again he was blinking disorientedly, shoes in one hand and tie undone around his neck. His hair was slightly wet.

"Sorry," he muttered again, even as he hurried over to the table to grab his wallet. "Was just moving too fast for my own damn good."

"Hang on," Celty scribbled hastily, and when Shizuo didn't see it she grabbed his shoulder. Although supremely agitated, undoubtedly about the time he was losing, the blonde paused to read her next words. "I can give you a ride, you know. That'll save you a few minutes, won't it?"

Shizuo blinked, some of the tension draining from him. "You'd do that?"

Hard Sought (Chapter 10)

Fandom: Durarara!!   Characters/Ships: Shizaya/Izuo; Shizuo, Izaya, Harukahito (The Boy), Harumi (The Girl), Misc. Others   Rating: T   Length: Chapter 10/?; 7771 words

Summary:

AO3 Link Here Read on Tumblr: (previous chapter–You Are Here–next chapter)

(A/N) Not entirely sure how I feel about the last chapter, in reterospect. But I think I’ve got my shit together in this chapter, tb100%h. I hope you guys enjoy tit!

"Ow-ow-owww...! Shizu-chan, it hurts, it hurts...!"

"Do you want me to stop?" the blonde asked; his eyes were clear and earnest, and Izaya was fairly certain he didn't realize how hard he was pressing down.

Domestic captivity was not a thing that suited Shizuo Heiwajima. He didn't have much, save for Izaya's physical therapy and household chores, to pour his efforts into. For someone as virile as him, that meant a lot of unspent and bottled up energy. Izaya had wondered if he should suggest the blonde get a job of some sort after all, but since he'd insisted so vehemently that money wasn't an issue he didn't really want to reopen that discussion. Furthermore, the chances of Shizuo causing a scene in any sort of workplace were simply too high--and in a city where he was relatively unknown, Izaya would rather keep it that way.

But, as it was, it was common to see Shizuo pacing for minutes or hours, often in circles around the living room. He would redo chores, especially those that the kids had already attended to--not to mention the fact that he would put altogether too much strength into everyday tasks, sometimes breaking things as a result. Izaya had even caught him, just once, picking a fight with Harumi out of nothing more than sheer boredom.

The other unfortunate result was that he was a lot rougher with Izaya himself. Though it had been nearly a month since he'd snapped in earnest, he often showed flashes of temper or violence, a thing that still frightened Izaya--understandably, although his fear had lessened after he made the connection between the behavior and the lack of stimulation.

"Just a little less, please...!" Izaya whimpered, and the pressure on his leg eased. His chest heaved with a relieved sigh as the pain in his hip dulled. He could still feel the stretch, and it still ached, but it no longer felt like his joint was being separated. "Better... that's good, Shizu-chan, right there..."

The Perfect Shelter

Fandom: Durarara!! Characters/Ships: Shinzaya/IzaShin or Gen, your call; Izaya, Shinra        Rating: G  Length: oneshot; 1046 words

Summary:

AO3 Link (Coming Soon!) Read on Tumblr:

(A/N) The first of several Shinzaya prompts @karinakamichi was kind enough to send me! It was the perfect bit of fluff and I had so much fun writing it. <3 Hope you enjoy~

Maybe it wasn’t the absolute last thing he had expected, but Shinra hadn’t anticipated opening his door to a wet, bedraggled Izaya Orihara at such dismally late hour. His current physical state was due, of course, to the raging storm putting half of Ikebukuro underwater, but the reason for his location was still quite a mystery.

“Oh! Orihara-kun, is there something--?” Shinra began to ask, only to be shouldered out of the way as his classmate invited himself in. Shinra didn’t bat an eye. “Make yourself at home!”

Izaya muttered something that might have been thanks, stepping out of his water-filled shoes and shaking each foot slightly--futile, as he was soaked to the bone--before donning the spare pair of house-slippers that Shinra kept.

“That hobgoblin roommate of yours around?” he asked suddenly, peering around the living room. The storm could be seen raging outside of Shinra’s window, branches beating noisily against the glass, and Izaya seemed to shy slightly away from it.

“Fairy, Orihara-kun, she’s a fairy!” Shinra objected, then laughed. “No, she’s not around. Unfortunate! She’d love the fact that I have a friend over. Maybe not the fact that you’re getting the carpets wet, but...”

“Well, don’t mind me,” Izaya cut in with a sigh, before Shinra could get too far off on a tangent. With one more furtive look at the window, he slunk over to the L-shaped couch and sat unceremoniously on the floor in front of it, wedging himself into the space in the corner of the L. “I’m just here to wait out the storm, if you weren’t capable of surmising.” 

Hard Sought (Chapter 9)

Fandom: Durarara!!   Characters/Ships: Shizaya/Izuo; Shizuo, Izaya, Harukahito (The Boy), Harumi (The Girl)   Rating: T   Length: Chapter 9/?; 3618 words

Summary:

AO3 Link Here Read on Tumblr: (previous chapter–You Are Here–next chapter)

(A/N) Th-Thank you guys for your support and readership! I hope the new chapter is worth the wait! :'3 I DONT KNOW WHERE THIS NEW SUBPLOT IS GOING (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ also my anatomy nerd is showing pls dont pay it mind...

"Shi~zu~chan...

"Good~mor~niiing~"

Shizuo grumbled sleepily, even as Izaya dragged himself more fully onto the blonde's back. It was an awkward army-crawl-esce maneuver, and he wondered idly if it would soon be easier. For the time being, he settled himself in comfortably with his head on the blonde's shoulder.

"Your chin is sharp..." Shizuo complained mildly, and Izaya chuckled before tilting his head slightly.

"Better?"

"Better..."

Staring into the lush blonde hair inches from his face, Izaya reached over to tangle his fingers in it. "Gonna let it grow out?" he asked, stroking brunette roots among blonde strands. "Or are you going to dye it again?"

Shizuo gave a noncommittal grunt beneath him.

"I've never seen you with brown hair..." Izaya continued idly. "Shinra showed me a picture once, but you were very young in it. Such a small little beastie... You looked so very angry... You had a cast on your arm! ... Shinra said you clobbered him for snapping the picture... I think you should consider going back to brown... if you want my opinion... or maybe try re—aah!"

Izaya's words ended in a yelp as Shizuo surged up suddenly beneath him, flipping their positions and pinning Izaya roughly to the mattress. His smile had an edge to it, and the information broker felt a thrill in his bones.

"You talk a hell of a lot, you know that?" Shizuo asked, a vein visible on his forehead. His hand clenched tighter in the pillow for a moment, and Izaya swallowed.

"Shi—"