#I try to make it so that toya's arms were fading

[dynachan]

Two birds on a wire...

One says c'mon, and the other says I'm tired...

[strangeinternetwasteland]

Falling into You- Enji X F! Reader Part 1

A/N: Enji and Rei are not together in this and Toya is still around. Also, please don't come at me about Hawks, I love him so much.

Warnings: Fluff

It wasn’t like you were nervous for such a reason. Normally, you were cool, calm, poised, and could face anything. This wasn’t even your first time going out with them in public. With his high-profile career, and yours just sort of launching, it wasn’t like you both were exactly telling the world you two were a couple. It was a bit controversial though, with him being divorced, rather publicly too. Being seen together wasn’t a big deal; it could easily be written off as two heroes collaborating together, or one mentoring another, and to you, it was at first, anyway. You stood as close to the door as you possibly could to get a view of your date before he walked into the room. You knew that everyone’s eyes would be on him, and he’d probably be busy most of the night chatting away with people who only cared about his status.

You stood there feeling like time was passing slowly, wringing your hands nervously, awaiting his arrival. You knew the moment he walked in. A hush had fallen immediately followed by the uproar of footsteps walking toward him. He had a pout on his face as he scanned the crowd looking for someone. You knew it wasn’t you. While you knew he had feelings for you, the two of you never truly spoke of them. He never voluntarily gave up that information, and the only time he actually spoke of it, it was an inebriated phone call, that he didn’t remember. You took in all of his handsome frame. He was intimidating to look at and he naturally carried himself that way, but when his eyes met yours you noticed he visibly loosened up. He murmured hellos and thank yous to those he passed to make his way to you.

He was held up by the annoying Pro Hero Hawks, who talked his ear off for 10 minutes straight about work. He looked so annoyed about the whole exchange, you couldn’t help but laugh to yourself. No matter how many times he tried to walk away, Hawks were right there. Finally, he was able to free himself after he told him, “My son is here somewhere. You should go find him.” To which, Hawks happily and excitedly left. When he finally reached you, he grabbed you by the waist, pulled you close, and pressed his lips against your cheek. You both knew there would be a lot of cameras at the event, but that was a very bold move on his part.

“You look breathtaking in this dress.” He spoke softly in your ear as he pulled away. Your breath caught in your throat. His ocean eyes gave no hint of malice or ill intent. How could anyone resist? It was at that moment you realized, that you actually loved him. You knew all the terrible things he did in the past, and he never made excuses for them. He always told you they were mistakes he had to learn from. During the divorce, he never spoke ill of his ex-wife, and he seemed to understand why she wanted to divorce. She was the one who made it so public, after all, but even after all of the terrible truths, horrendous lies, and questionable judgment calls, you still felt so much for this man.

His attention was on another hero for the moment, and with your head and heart reeling in this sudden realization. You felt nauseous and short of breath. You felt the world spinning and then it faded to black. When you came to, you saw the saddest cerulean eyes with furrowed eyebrows. Someone came rushing over with water, and as you tried to focus on everything you for a moment saw fear in those eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked in a gruff but gentle voice, as he moved the hair out of your face. You gave him a small smile and tried to sit up. He adjusted himself to help you better. You realized how warm he was, and knowing it was probably his quirk, it didn’t stop you from wanting to be wrapped in his massive arms and snuggle your face in his chest. So you reached out to him and did just that. He wrapped his arms tight around you as if he was trying to guard you against the crowd that surrounded you. He picked you up with ease as he stood up.

“I am going to take her to get checked out and then bring her home. Enjoy the event.” He said matter-of-factly. As he walked outside and away, you noticed he was going in the opposite direction of the hospital. You didn’t question it; after all, he was a hero; he had to have someone he trusted to look after you.

You arrived at one of the most expensive high-rise buildings that you knew of in the city. The wealthiest people lived in their glamorous penthouses here. When he was greeted by the security guard and went up the private elevator. You arrived at the top floor and he opened the door; you saw the city sprawled beneath through the large glass windows.

“You can rest on the couch. I will get you some blankets and a pillow to make you more comfortable” he told you as he gently placed you on top of the soft couch cushions. You winced as he took his arms off of you quickly replacing the heat with the cold air that filled his penthouse. You really didn’t want to leave his warmth, and when he started to walk away, you grabbed the sleeve of his suit jacket.

“I want to stay wrapped in your arms…it’s so warm.” You barely whispered. You saw his ears turn pink and a blush creep across his cheeks when he stopped suddenly. In one swift move, he took you once again in his arms and brought you straight to his room, where he let you undress and wear one of his shirts, which was very oversized on you. He changed in the bathroom, and let you have your privacy. As you got comfortable in his bed, he climbed next to you, snuggled you close, and you fell into a heavenly sleep. It was the most peaceful sleep you’d had in a while.

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[palebluenoblesse]

some rambles about my project sekai swap unit, moonbeam arcadia!

crossposted from my twitter ... but i also wanted to post something here!!

moonbeam arcadia consists of mafuyu, ichika, toya, and haruka. in this universe, ichika never got the chance to reconnect with honami and shiho despite her and saki's best efforts (this is also mainly why saki decided to team up with emu in momoiro parfaits (another swap unit) og duo.) she becomes more and more disconnected from her peers, only focusing on her schoolwork and saki (occasionally). she still makes music and listens to miku in her free time, though. mafuyu stays the same. haruka after suffering from severe stage fright decides to quit being an idol and her fear starts developing even further, slowly but surely becoming agoraphobia. even when she met minori, haruka felt like she could never be seen as a proper idol in the eyes of her fans and her friends again. haruka turned to making music and uploading it to a nightcord music server anonymously to help her speak the things she's too scared to say. toya has the same story, but he never got the support and validation that vbs and akito gave him. coincidentally, ichika (1) owned the nightcord music server that all of the other members were in. ichika really liked haruka's (penguin) usage of vocaloids in her songs, so she invited haruka to make songs with her and teach her how to tune miku. touya (bluewillow) also enjoyed haruka and ichikas music and started making piano covers of the songs, drawing the others' attention. at the same time, mafuyu (yuki) was also making songs of her own and uploading them, and ichika (1) also invited her to the music circle (in a separate server. ichikas server name was also something miku related because i have to keep the girlflop in there. they make electropop music and the starter vocaloids are kaito and miku. their sekai is an underground metro station. there are shops littered around it, and you can get on the train to travel to another station. if you take the second train and drop by the 3rd station, the 4th shop to your right is a shop that sells your memories. a bottle of moonlight from that night, all the pens you've lent someone but never got back. and the cashier is no other than yourself, or rather, another version of yourself. ichika sees herself in the main storyline where they formed leo/need, toya sees himself in the main storyline where they formed VBS and haruka sees herself in the main storyline where they formed MMJ. mafuyu sees her past self. there's also a ramen shop and ice cream shop as well as vending machines. and a 7/11. and everything and anything you need. miku is laid-back and doesn't talk much, but she cares a lot for moonbeam arcadia's members and tries her best to help them. her hair is its original color but fades to dark blue at the ends. she has headphones that light up whenever she uses them (gamer headphones) and a tetris t-piece hairclip (don't ask). she wears an oversized jacket over a black crop top and loose high-waisted jeans. she also wears black converses with a white heartbeat pattern embroidered on top. she can often be found at the station arcade playing tetris 99 or beating the shit out of the maimai machine. she chews gum and has a seemingly endless supply of blueberry gum always on her. kaito wears a sleeveless hoodie and black arm coverings (think: mafuyu zozotown gloves). his hoodie has a little screen on it that changes based on what he's currently feeling (it changes to an angry face when he's pissed, sad face when he's sad, etc.) so even if he tries to lie about his emotions, he can't. his pants have a shit ton of pockets on them and has chains attached (think techwear). he also wears ankle high sneakers. kaito is less expressive than miku but is quick to anger, and any emotion, really. he tries his best to help moonbeam arcadia...but these don't end well sometimes. SOMETIMES. he's trying his best, okay.

miku got headphones for her and kaito but accidentally ordered kaito cat ear headphones and hes too embarrassed to wear them, but he still wears them in secret because as embarrassing as light-up cat ear gamer headphones are, theyre really high quality with good noise canceling. miku has a picture she snapped of him in secret wearing the headphones. he would EXPLODE if the others saw (they have, they're just sworn to secrecy). miku uses the picture as blackmail sometimes to get kaito to buy her free stuff sometimes.

kaito tried to beat miku in tetris 99 once and failed miserably. the only person that has been able to beat miku in tetris is toya and she has sworn herself to beating him someday. mafuyu also plays and is nearly as good as miku, but nowhere as good as toya.

miku tried the "dipping ice cream in ramen" trend once and kaito is trying his best to not get violent. he's shaking and so fucking close to combusting while miku is enjoying the ramen and trying to get ichika to try it. he tries to stop ichika from trying it but doesn't get there quick enough. and to his surprise and devastation, ichika enjoys the ice cream ramen.

once luka arrives at the sekai, she immediately catches air about kaito's cat headphones (somehow.) she proceeds to get him a whole cat set with ears and a tail and everything. like the cyber cat kaito module. kaito is FUMING. face is RED and theres SMOKE coming out of his ears. hes so mad the emotion screen is going to catch on fire with how much it's overheating. kailuka chase ensues through the station.

kaito has started to hide but luka keeps finding him and dragging him back to the main station. every time. he has started to check his clothes for hidden trackers because how the heck can she find him Every Single Time like that.

even more chaos will ensue once meiko appears, or at least that's what kaito thinks. meiko actually manages to calm down luka's shenanigans by occupying her time (thank god.) but kaito has to admit, he misses luka's constant pranking.

[kavikaslana]

Reader who's related to Overhaul but dating shigaraki??

Honestly, I’ve talked about this with someone before and how pissed off reader would be with Shigaraki

Manga Spoilers | SFW | Angst | Pairing Shigaraki x GN! reader (kinda Setsuno x reader too ig)

You had joined the league only a few months ago, as sort of an alliance between the Shie Hissaikai and the League of Villains, but that didn’t last very long.

——————————————————————————

Y/N Chisaki, Kai Chisaki’s sibling. You were prized for your quick returns from missions, whether it was to steal UA files, or simply to slip out of a battle to carry your arrogant brother back to the underground base. You were awfully close with the majority of the thug group, including Setsuno and Chronostasis. The only problem with that was your boyfriend, they were not exactly on good terms. 

Tomura Shigaraki, leader of the League of Villains. You met during the USJ attack, acting as a pro hero, only to serve as a spy for your brother. Neither of the villain groups were on good terms.

After Magne’s death, your boyfriend had been worse with you, always throwing a tantrum when Kai would message you. Shigaraki had banned the use of your last name from the hideout. Anyone who would even start to say it would choke on their own blood as their body slowly disintegrated. 

He’d always argue with you about forgetting the lowly Yakuza group, but you insisted on keeping the alliance. It’d break your heart to part ways with your friends now, wouldn’t it? Not to mention you were Eri’s only parental figure that didn’t treat her badly. Shigaraki would always tell you to just take her to the League, but with Toga, it wasn’t a very good idea. Not to mention, Shig didn’t really like kids, the idea alone made him sick. 

To make things worse, your dearest buddy, Toya Setsuno, had developed feelings for you. He loved how you genuinely cared about him, always popping into his room to check on him. If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t have anyone. You had found him on the streets, giving him a home and a family. There’s no way in hell he could ignore what you’ve done for him.

It took everything in Shigaraki’s power to keep his artist gloves on around him, you’d kill him if he did anything to Setsuno anyway.

The alliance was a way for you to join the league while being a part of the Shie Hissaikai. Information would go to both groups, and you’d meet up with either one for missions. Shigaraki would always tell you how much he hated this whole situation, even going as far to say he hated you before saying he loves you and he didn’t mean it right after.

You hated it too, but not for the same reason. Shigaraki wanted you to himself, not to Setsuno, and not to Overhaul. He wanted to protect you, no one else.

All you wanted was for them to get along. Afterall, you planned to spend the rest of your days with Shigaraki, they’d have to find common ground eventually if they both wanted you. 

——————————————————————————

“Tenko... we need to talk.” you spoke, your voice barely coming out. You had heard about what happened. 

He sat down next to you before pulling you onto his lap, tracing kisses along your face and neck. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine” he said. 

“Tenko, you can’t just do that to him and expect me to understand! He was the only comfort I had for years, the only friend I could rely on, and you expect me to ‘be fine’ with it?!” you yelled, pushing yourself away from his hold.

He couldn’t say anything. He’d only seen you angry once before, when Tabe had taken the food you were making for date night. 

“Please, try to understand. He was a threat to the league, my life’s work, and you were so stressed out with both groups, so I just lightened your load” he said, acting as if he did you a favor. 

“A threat? He didn’t do anything! He kept his word after the agreement you asshole! Everyone was in on it and you didn’t even bother to tell me?! I could’ve talked to him for you, but no, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?” you shouted back, annoyed and angry with him.

Why couldn’t he just understand you? 

“I’m fucking done, I’m leaving tomorrow...” you said. 

“Baby please, just one more chance! You can’t leave me... please, just stay...” he whispered, pulling you into his arms as you tried to push away from him.

“I’m leaving, Shigaraki. You should’ve thought about that before you ruined his life.” Your words cut through him like daggers, you only called him by his alias around people, not when you two were alone. You could hear him walking towards you as you left the room, going to yours to pack you things.

“Y/N open the fucking door! I’m not fucking letting you leave too! Open the goddamn door before I disintegrate it, I’m done with this little game!” he shouted, banging on the door. 

As he decayed the door, you had finished packing your stuff, quickly activating your quirk and grabbing your bag before slipping out the door.

By the time he realized you slipped out, you were already out the door. He sat on your bed in silence, tears streaming down his face as he grabbed whatever you left behind, trying to get the last bit of your scent. 

——————————————————————————

You had gotten the Shie Hissaikai out of prison. The group was back together, Kai had gotten his arms back from a new member with a healing quirk. Your little world seemed whole again. You left about a month ago, already trying out things with Setsuno. 

Watching from the sidelines was the one and only, Tomura Shigaraki, hands frantically scratching his neck as he watched you cradle Setsuno, the exact same way you held him. 

His heart broke when you left. He didn’t realize how much of an impact you had made when you were there, and when you left.

His eyes were red from seemingly endless tears and sleepless nights, all for you. Pictures of you were turned to dust around the league, only for him to print them out again a few hours later, needing some kind of memory. Your scent had faded from his clothes, your room was cleared and given to a new member, and your leftover objects would slowly disappear as they moved in.

He longed to be in your embrace again, he wanted to hold your hand, he wanted to share his bed with you again. He missed your presence. Words couldn’t describe the pain he felt.

And now, all he could do was watch. Watch as you continued your life without him, and watch as you replaced your memories with him. He could tell you loved Setsuno, and he could easily see that he loved you just as much, if not more. His heart ached to be him, he would give you his life if you asked, he would’ve even abandoned his life’s work for you...

But he realized it all too late. He could only watch you now. He didn’t have your touch, he didn’t have your scent, and the only time you interacted with him was when you were on patrol as a “pro hero”. 

Y/N Chisaki, the love of his life, had found happiness without him. And all it took was one little mistake.

[bakubabes-tatakae]

Summary: When, Y/n, the daughter of one of the biggest stock traders in town runs into someone from her past, the last thing she expects is to be pulled into the shadows. With a quirk that makes her blood heal anything she’s wanted by many, but the only one she truly wanted disappeared years ago. So when she’s taken by a man that looks exactly like him her whole world gets turned upside down.

Part Two

Warnings: language, choking, abduction, violence

Word Count: 2.1k

The crisp air pinched at your face as you slowly opened the door of the coffee shop that your family had owned for some time now. As you looked up to the sky you noticed how dark it was getting, a storm was coming. You could smell it in the air. The musty smell of the rain was present before it even started. As the wind picked up you grasped the sides of your jacket, pulling them to your body to enclose yourself in the warmth.

The city around you bustled despite the chaotic, gray clouds that loomed overhead. As much as you didn’t want to go home, you had nothing better to do. The thought of the empty house you would be going home to made your stomach turn. Another night alone…

As you walked you saw the two men that were assigned to protect you approaching. Your father had always been afraid that someone would try to get a hold of your quirk and where he was always away on business you had hired bodyguards at all times. Being twenty-three, still living at home, and having bodyguards around you constantly made it very hard to ever do anything fun.

With a quirk that made your blood heal people from the worst of injuries, even being on the brink of death, the fear of people trying to take your blood was ever present. As much as you liked having that sense of security with the guards, you hated it at the same time. All you ever wanted was to have five minutes to yourself. To really be alone.

The presence of the men behind you made you feel better, but there was an uneasy feeling in the air. Something that you weren’t able to put your finger on. You shook your head, trying to toss the thoughts out of your mind.

You could hear the men talking quietly behind you, but you ignored it, hoping that if you didn’t acknowledge them it would feel like they weren’t there. The walk to your house felt longer today than it had in a long time. The darkness around you makes the eerie feeling never leave.

As you walked into the living room of the house your stomach flipped. Being by yourself was something that you had grown accustomed too, despite your attempts to keep that from happening. You walked to the couch and let yourself fall upon it, not even bothering to turn off the lights that had been left on. You knew that the guards would be just outside the door, always there and always watching. A loud sigh left your lips as you finally reached over and turned off the lamp beside the couch.

* * * * * *

As he watched from the darkness a smirk grew on his face. He could feel the excitement in the young woman that stood next to him radiating off of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to keep her still. “Stay calm Toga. We’ll strike in time.”

Toga kept her voice low as she watched the light go off in the living room, complete darkness filling the windows. Toga was itching to go after the men that stood outside your door, she wanted nothing more than to jump them and taste their blood just a little. “Let me at them Dabi.”

Dabi twisted her head so that she was facing him. “Stop it. We’ll go when I say and there’s no way around it.”

An annoyed sound left her lips, but he grabbed her arm and slowly moved out of the alley, dragging her with him. He spoke low, careful so that the men couldn’t hear him. “When I give the signal take them down. I’ll blind them with my flames and go in after the girl, they’re all on you.”

Toga was even more annoyed now. She had wanted her chance to attack them, but she wanted to go after Y/n even more. “Maybe I wanted to be the one to go after her… I could make her a new friend.”

Dabi sighed. “You really are a little psycho, aren’t you.” He slowly rose his hand as he got closer to the men. “We’re sticking with my plan.” The men were visibly growing uneasy as Dabi and Toga approached. “Hello gentlemen, could I interest you in-” Dabi’s flames filled the area a second later, lighting up the sky with a blue hue.

It was so bright that you opened your eyes, but it disappeared a second later. You figured a thunder storm was starting, it had been gloomy out tonight after all. You sat up and reached for the lamp, you knew that you wouldn’t be falling asleep after that. As the light filled the room with the soft click of it coming back to life you were greeted by a face. It was a face you had never thought you’d see again.

You jumped from the couch. There was no way this was happening. He was dead. As you started to open your mouth to scream out to the guards at the door you felt a hand cover your mouth. He was fast. You hadn’t expected him to move so swiftly. His raspy voice filled your ears as he whispered to you. “There’s no use in screaming Y/n. Your guards are being taken care of by my colleague.”

You tried to squirm from his grasp. This was impossible. You hadn’t seen him since you had both turned 18. It had been 5 years. The voice was spot on tho… it had never changed. You stayed still in his arms and tried to turn your head to him. “Toya?”

Dabi said nothing and the sound of the front door opening took your attention. You looked over in hope that it would be one of your guards… but who were you kidding? Even if it had been one of your guards, Toya had proved to have flames even stronger than Endeavors when you were growing up. If it was him they wouldn’t stand a chance.

But it wasn’t them. A young girl with blonde hair strolled in, casually talking to the man holding onto you as if nothing was happening. “I’m ready to go home if you are Dabi, those two were like nothing.”

Dabi chuckled and tightened his grip on your neck. “I’m ready. Call Kurogiri, tell him to warp us out of here.”

As the young girl spoke on the phone you tried to speak to him again. “Is that really you Toya?”

The man that went by Dabi hissed at you. “Be quiet. Toya is dead.”

A purple and black portal appeared in front of the three of you and a school girl giggle erupted from the young girl. “Looks like our ride’s here.”

* * * * * *

You were slammed into a chair a second after stepping through the portal, your arms being tugged behind you and tied together as more unfamiliar people stood before you. You heard the deep voice of Dabi from behind them all. “How about we be a little easier with the precious cargo you absolute buffoons.”

The two men tying you to the chair growled at him as they continued, but they obeyed what he said. Another man emerged from the darkness across the room, a severed hand covered his face, only showing an eye as he nervously scratched at the skin of his neck. “Good work Dabi… and I guess you helped too, Toga.”

Toga whipped her head to him. “What’s the supposed to mean Shiggy?”

The man she called Shiggy ignored her and stepped in front of you, watching you with curious eyes. “Welcome to the League of Villains. We wanted to give you a proper inauguration, but we figured you wouldn’t be very willing.”

You felt your anger rising. Why was Toya letting them do this to you? Did he have no memory of your time together? Did he forget all the promises that you had made to each other people he had left you? You opened your mouth and spit, hitting the man, an angry scream filling him as he reached forward for you.

Before you could react yourself you saw blue flames erupt and with intense force the man that had once stood in front of you flew into the bar behind him. “Don’t be stupid Shigaraki.” Dabi’s figure blocked your view, but you could feel the pure anger that was radiating off of him now. He did remember.

Shigaraki stood up and went to grab Dabi when he was grabbed by multiple other members, holding him back.

Dabi spoke again. “We need her, why would you try to use your quirk on her. Sometimes your anger gets the best of you crusty.”

Shigaraki growled at him and the blonde woman that had been with Dabi began to lead him from the room. “Come on Shiggy, we have to get going. Dabi is going to watch her, remember? We have another mission.”

He walked away with her and they all exited the room. As each of them left you could feel the anger slowly leaving him. You had always been able to sense the moods that Toya had been in. When he was sure that they had all left for the next mission he turned to you and sauntered around your chair. You felt his warm breath on your arms as you felt the ropes being loosened.

The sound of the rope hitting the floor made your anxiety fade a little. You stood from the chair and turned to face him. “Will you please answer me now? You’ve been ignoring me since we came face to face.”

Dabi leaned against the wall and finally opened his mouth. “It’s been a long time Y/n.” He stood and walked closer to you. “Where did we leave off again?”

You felt his breath getting closer and closer to your lips as you tried to hold yourself back. Toya had always been intoxicating for you. It was like he had always held a spell over you. His hands found there way to your hips a second later and he backed you up against the wall.

He smirked as he saw that familiar sense of fear that you always got when his quirk was activated, the warmth on your hips had told you that he was. When you got your wits about you you grabbed his wrists and pushed him away from you. “Get away from me.”

Dabi was almost taken aback by your words. A second ago you had looked like you had wanted to climb him like a tree. “Now, now, Y/n. Don’t be that way. Come back over here. There’s a lot of things that we didn’t get to experience before that we can experience now.”

You had known exactly what he had meant. All the promises that you had shared together. You had promised to marry each other. You had promised to be each others first time. You had promised to be each others first kiss… but that had been the only one that you had gotten to do.

You stepped forward and he waited to see what you would do. “Don’t try to act like you care now… why didn’t you tell me you were alive all those years ago?”

An amused exhalation left him as he blocked your way of heading for the door. “That’s a story for another time.”

You had regretted the words the second they had left your mouth. “Fuck off. Just leave me alone.”

That laugh. The one that melted your heart every time you heard it. You had expected him to get angry. You had expected him to scream at you, but instead, he only laughed. “I don’t like being told what to do unless I’m naked Y/n.”

Dabi wrapped his hands around your neck and pushed you into the wall behind you once again, his hips pushing into your own as you felt his lips touch your cheek. “You’ll learn that soon enough.”

The familiar touch of the man you had once loved took over your senses. You hesitated for only a second before wrapping yourself around him and throwing your head back against the wall, nothing but pleasure filling your veins. Back with Toya. Back where you belonged.

Taglist: @monic00l @strangeinternetwasteland @rowley-with-ackerman @caothicsimptown @ellechanwrites @taliyahvermillion @susceptible-but-siriusexual

[humanitysburrito]

𖥸 - delirium

𑁤 SUMMARY; you and dabi reminisce on your friendship while you bleed out in his arms ᨟ PAIRING; f!reader x dabi ᨟ WARNINGS; 18+! smut, light bondage, angst, death, blood and wounds, language, outta char dabi? lol idc, dabi is toya todoroki ᨟ WC; 5k

authors note; this is the first fanfic I’ve ever written. I hope I wrote the whole y/n thing correctly. I debated on how to format the memories and reader quirk, and figured this looked and felt best. This originally was gonna be nothing but smut, but I do love me some sads. Comments are hella appreciated! Practice makes perfect and I will trust the process! (i put together the gif so you can pair it with the end uWu)

Wrong place, wrong time. There simply was no other way to put it. Seeking out Dabi while he was working had always been a dangerous game to play, but neither of you took the time to consider the possibility of friendly fire being your checkmate.

You found yourself stumbling through a vacant alleyway, praying to a higher power - if it existed - that Dabi was able to hear your pleas through the thick of the chaos. Your vision fuzzed into white cotton, prompting you to squeeze your eyes shut in an attempt to clear the fog.

When you opened your eyes again, you threw your arms out towards your scarred lover, who was desperately sprinting towards you.

This was the first moment the word ‘love’ ever crossed your mind. The feelings you’ve had for Dabi over the past few years, especially in the last couple of months, have been ambivalent, to say the least. But right now, all you knew was him. All you could see was him. The nearly angelic image of his blue flames fanning out behind him - his tattered coat swaying in the wind. His body language was your gospel, and you were his resolve. 

Your best friend.

Damn, you thought. 

“Shit! Dabi..” Your fading voice trailed off into a light whisper as your ankles cracked underneath your weight. “I’m sorry.”

You could do nothing but apply pressure around the gaping, shredded hole that tore clear through your stomach. A dumpster broke your fall, and your body slid down to rest in a pool of your own blood.

Your quirk did little to restrain the Nomu that had charged in your direction just minutes earlier. Instead, it absorbed your power and released it instantaneously - piercing it right through you.

Blood oozed from your wound as you erupted into a fit of strained laughter. 

Oh, how stupid must I look?

“I’m going out because of my own quirk! How anticlimactic!” Your words came out in a pitiful squeak absolutely littered with sarcasm as the remaining adrenaline in your body faded away.

What felt like a lifetime for you were mere seconds for Dabi as he reached for you, tripping over his feet before sitting down to pull your back flush against his chest, wrapping his arms around your shoulders. One of his palms rested along the side of your neck while the other cupped the side of your face in a vice grip.

“Shut up, y/n. You’re gonna be fine, yeah? Just breathe, doll.”

His heart was hammering wildly through his system despite his attempts to calm down and cool his body off. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, gently rubbing circles on the back your scalp - his first instinct to do whatever he could to make you comfortable. 

“Don’t put me in limbo,” you said through gritted teeth as blood seeped out of your mouth. Dabi brought his legs around to hook over yours - similar to the way you two just started to cuddle.  “We both know how this is going to end.”

And the both of you did. You’d be stupid not to, and Dabi knew that. He would enjoy this much more if you were a pro hero he could sadistically taunt as your life swayed in the balance. But you weren’t. 

It would be easier if you were a comrade who unfortunately took a hit, who would go down forgotten and quickly replaced among the ranks. But you weren’t. 

Right now, he wished you were anyone else. 

“Quit talking like you’re gonna die, y/n!” He yelled into your skin as he erupted into a vicious cycle of shakes.

How the fuck did it come to this, what the fuck! His turquoise eyes strained forward, pulsing, and burning due to the tears he was unable to produce.

Dabi’s voice was laced with sorrow and regret. You had only heard it one other time, and the realization was the tipping point for you to finally cry. Salty water poured down your face as your mind began to cycle through the memories you’ve made with him.

Sweat pooled on your forehead as you drew closer to the man that was hunched over on the curb of your dirt driveway.

Through the darkness, you could see that he was covered in blood - all the way down his face and chest. Shiny, sharp pieces of metal sticking out from his skin glistened under the moonlight, and although you were still at least twelve feet away, the heat radiating off of him was enough to instantly make your clothes stick to your flesh.

As quiet as you tried to be with your movements, you were careless enough to kick some rocks up under your feet, earning you an icy glare from the man before you.

With one quick movement of his hand, ethereal blue flames roared from his palm in your direction but quickly dissipated into steam as he groaned into a state of incoherence and irrationality - the effects of your quirk.

You rose your hand, beckoning rusty chains to come forth from the earth and bind around him. He looked at you through the bloody strands of his raven hair - his turquoise eyes meeting your (e/c) irises that matched the billowing smoke coming from your quirk. The image in his eyes caused your heart to race. Anger and sorrow were swirling into your soul as he stared at you, but it was overpowered by a desperate plea for help as his eyes became lidded.

“Hell, dollface, you got a second?”

These were the first words Dabi ever spoke to you.

“You should have left me alone, y/n!” Dabi sobbed, leaving light kisses and nips along your ear, gently urging you to keep talking - about anything and everything.

You struggled against him to find a more comfortable position in his arms, shooting a hand up into his scarred flesh. He silently berated himself for letting you help him as much as you did. 

Maybe then, he could have lived in a world blissfully unaware of your existence.

He choked on his tongue, his body falling limp against the ground as his aura erupted in a swelling mass of dust as your chains dissolved into the gravel. He passed out - falling face-first into the dirt.

You towered over his unconscious body and reached down, hooking your arms underneath his as you dragged him up your driveway towards your house, keeping him delirious with your quirk just in case he woke up. You brought forth more chains to keep him restrained in the bathroom connected to your garage. The sound of the lights buzzing on was enough to wake him up - snapping his head upright. 

You had no choice but to let up on the delirium in an attempt to speak to him. As you knelt down to be level headed, his eyes never stopped following you. “Who are you?”

“You’re the one who has me chained up like a dog! Who the fuck are you?” His voice was strained and horse, exhaustion overpowering his vocal cords.

You raised your (h/c) eyebrows at his question, licking your teeth behind your lips, shaking your head as you stood up and pushed the bathroom door wide open. There was a clear shot through the garage towards the street you just plucked him off of. 

“I’ll let you go then. You can make a run from here.” You calmly said, uninterested at his display of aggression. “If you try anything stupid, I’ll gladly tie you right back up and keep you here.” You looked down at him, your (h/c), (h/type) falling from behind your ear to the side of your face. “But let’s not forget who asked for a second of my time, dollface.”

“I forgot about that,” Dabi chuckled behind you. “Always using my own words against me.” A warm shiver trickled up your body as his breath steadied in your ear. “You know, I was just going to use you for some free food and a piece of ass before I left?”

You whispered, panting for air as a smirk painted your lips. “Did you get more than you bargained for?”

Dabi didn’t respond to you. He only squeezed your face closer into his chest as you felt his body jitter around you.

“So, what’s your name?”

There was a brief moment of silence before he answered your question.

He finally responded when you reached up to lightly dapple the blood away from under his scarred eyes.

“Dabi.”

“Hello, Dabi. My name is y/n. Do you make it a habit of passing out in people's yards?”

“Only the yards of pretty dolls like you.” Even through the blood and dirt and the satire in his voice - you notice the smirk on his face brighter than any other smile you had ever seen before.

You scoffed, blinking your thoughts away. “I’m sure you do, dollface.” His pride took a small hit at your attempts to use his words against him. Before he could respond, you pushed his head back into the bathtub and doused his hair in ice-cold water with your shower head.

“Oh, baby, how’d you know?” He managed to whisper in a moan, his hands clutching at his sides.

You couldn’t deny that this was the most exciting thing to happen to you in quite a while. You made your living by side hustling for heroes and villains - you didn’t care the cause as long as there was something beneficial for you in the long run. This was a wanted, and much-needed change of activity for you - the possible danger in it giving you a euphoric feeling your quirk never could.

“All jokes aside, Dabi, I’m glad I met you. Just being your friend has given me the best few years of my life. My only regret-,” you paused in a scream, the soft motions in his hands begging you to stop talking and save it for later, “-is that it took me this long to realize,” you whispered into the air, gritting your teeth and turning around against him the best you could to look at him. “I love you, you know.” Dabi froze, his arms becoming limp around you as he cradled your body.

His mind raced with every memory he’s ever had of the way you looked at him. The way you touched him, the way you took care of him. The way your fingertips gently worked their magic, repairing his weak constitution when he needed it the most.

You had been friends for a few years, and your relationship took its sweet fucking time to grow. His occasional visits for first aid eventually led to him crashing on your couch, to moving in as your elusive ‘never-home’ roommate. He enjoyed being around you because you weren’t a complete nuisance, and you were someone who chose to stay oblivious of his criminal activities. 

The day he found out about your own indictments was when Tomura Shigaraki tried to recruit you one day while he was sipping whiskey at the bar.

“I’m sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to come.” The sound of your sneering voice made his ears perk up, and he shot around his bar seat to lock eyes with you.

Even though you declined Tomura’s offer, you came with your own contribution of intel that had a price. That night, you and Dabi stayed up drinking, chain-smoking, and sharing your thoughts and feelings about Stain’s ideology and the hypocrisy of pro-heroes.

Dabi wasn’t sure when he started to develop strange feelings for you. The three years of your friendship had turned into an intense myriad of passionate, sexual frustration that neither of you wanted to cave on. All he knew is that it was a slow, agonizing burn that eventually reached its termination. 

If only you two hadn’t taken so long. If only it hadn’t been just last night.

You both somehow arrived home unscathed during a prep mission you decided to join him on because it had been weeks since you last saw each other. It ended with a massive rush of adrenaline coursing through your bodies - the teasing of who was actually the sidekick in the rare villainous scenarios you involved yourself in in flew out the window, and all you could see were equals as you stared into each other's eyes.

“If we do this, I might not be able to stop.” Dabi’s forehead was pressed against yours, his lips hovering tantalizingly close to your own. His words were coated in a sugary lacquer that rolled off his tongue, seemingly into your own mouth. Tears pooled in the corners of you (e/c) eyes - your mind hazy in a rush of anticipation and fear.

At this moment, you two felt like entirely different people - the exhilaration of a strange encounter filling your bodies with lust and excitement. 

You needed him.

He needed you.

Dabi’s hand came around the back of your head and grasped at your hair, finally pushing your lips together for the first time in a cry of passion. Serotonin flooded his brain, his eyes opening halfway at the feeling of being absolutely wasted against your lips.

His mouth was warm - conflicting with his cold personality, but he tasted like cigarettes and cheap-ass whiskey - oh, my, you needed more.

The two of you were completely lost. Unaware of what the next step was as you kissed each other like a couple of love-struck teenagers for what felt like a lifetime.

His other hand eventually snaked up your side and underneath your shirt before palming his hand against the small of your back and pushing your body against him. Your hands reached to cup his face, your tongues dancing in a messy rhythm. You pulled away, saliva stringing and popping against his bottom lip. Dabi softly tilted you backward to rest your body on your couch as he climbed on top of you, his lips trailing down your jaw and neck while the cold steel on his face did little to chill the heat rising in your body.

“Da-bi,” your breath hitched in a moan as he nipped at the skin on your throat, your hands fisting his hair in frustration.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say my name like that, doll.” Dabi purred along your throat. “I’m going to make you say it over and over and over again.” His body slithered up to give you one last kiss before he sat up and removed his white shirt, tossing it over the side of the couch. 

Your hands trailed along his abdomen, relishing in the feeling of his defined muscles and the cold bars on his nipples. He felt just as you thought he would, and the smell of charcoal and cologne brought you to a drunk reality - an indicator that you were not dreaming. 

Your hands messily tried to undo the buckle on his belt, but he slapped them away. He reached down to kiss you again, his hands grabbing at your shirt and pulling it over your head.

Dabi looked down, seeing your nipples hardening underneath your bra. He bowed his head, struggling to keep his balance as a strange wave of guilt rushed through him. There was only one thing about you that he absolutely couldn’t stand - that you could make him feel things he’s never felt before.

It had taken three years to get to this point. What the fuck were you doing? The way you looked splayed out underneath him was nearly a forbidden sight. 

“Y/n..” His words were lost as his eyes trailed along with your frame - ravenous hunger evident in his glassy orbs.

“No take backs. I have you right where I want you, so let’s finish what we started.” You reached up and pushed him down against you, capturing his lips in another heated kiss, grinding your hips against the twitching bulge in his pants. He felt you smile along his lips, reassuring the nervousness quelling inside his body.

Within seconds he had picked you up and sat down so you could straddle him. His hands caressed your waist and trickled all the way up to your bra that he quickly disposed of. His pierced tongue swirled around your swollen nipples, nibbling and sucking each one as he pushed your hips down harder, encouraging you to grind a little faster. 

Your breath became ragged at the friction between your legs - your pussy practically gushing through your clothes and onto his pants. He pushed you away, leaving one hand on your side while the other unzipped your pants and slid a palm inside to rub along your clothed cunt. Your body shuddered as you threw your head back, leaning backwards to continue to grind as he stroked you teasingly. When he could feel your clit begin to swell and bulge out from your lips, he took the opportunity to sneak two fingers past your underwear and push inside you to beckon you towards him at high speed. 

The sounds of your wet sex drenching his skin were almost too erotic for him to handle, and he ripped his hand out to bring it up to your face.

“Lick them clean.”

You did as you were told, taking each one of his digits into your mouth, swirling your tongue in a euphoric trance as you tried to replace what was missing between your legs with your own hand. Dabi snatched your wrist and held it against your thigh. “You don’t touch yourself unless I say so, dollface.”

“Yes, Dabi.” You replied, struggling to catch your breath. Dabi’s display of aggression and dominance was something you only dreamed of, and you needed more.

“Now, be a good girl and get on your knees for me?” The way he said it almost made you pass the fuck out - the demanding yet sensitive tone playing with your ears. It was not a question.

Once again, you followed instructions and sat on the floor. You spread his legs and positioned yourself as you unbuttoned his pants, smiling at his struggling erection, trying to spring free. 

A gasp escaped from above you as you pulled his cock out, your hand wrapping perfectly around him. He watched you lick your lips with half-lidded eyes and instantly threw his head back at the feeling of your tongue tracing his head, down the underside of his shaft before licking back up and taking him into the back of your throat. He balled his fists into your soft, shiny (h/c) hair at the feeling and pumped ever so slightly to the rhythm you were still trying to find.

“Fuck, y/n.” The affirmation made you suck him deeper into your throat. Your watery eyes and gagging sounds encouraged him to force your nose down into his stubble as he set the pace and fucked into your mouth.

A feeling of white, hot fuzz started to form in his toes and up to his legs at the sight before him, causing him to rip you away from his cock with a ‘pop.’ “Look at you, dollface,” he cooed, smearing your saliva down your chin as you coughed and struggled to catch your breath. “Is this what you think about at night, hmm? Sucking my dick until you can’t breathe?” He teased, pushing his thumb between your lips to hook around your bottom teeth and pull you up with his index finger tightly fastened underneath your chin.

“Among other things,” you whispered before pulling him into another fiery kiss. His hands squeezed your waist, drawing your jeans down to leave you in nothing but your panties.

“Oh, well, if that’s the case, show me what comes next, babydoll,” Dabi growled as he picked you up and carried you off into your bedroom. He threw you on the bed and ripped off the useless, drenched fabric in between your legs.

The gravity of your situation set in. You were now completely naked in front of your best friend, for the very first time. And you sucked his dick. Oh, my god, I sucked his dick! Your face turned bright red in an embarrassing blush, your arms and legs balling up in an attempt to cover yourself. 

“Y/n,” Dabi gently stopped you by crawling on top of you and cupping your face in his hands. “Don’t be shy. You have no idea how beautiful I find you, so let me show you, yeah?” He kissed you, this time it lasted longer than any. It felt different. Your heart strummed with a barrage of hot butterflies as his tongue ran across your teeth and pulled away to slither his body down to your dripping wet core.

“Oh, baby, look at this pretty little pussy.” The sight of your dripping wet, swollen cunt made Dabi want to completely ravage you right then and there. He could see you pulsating with need - wetness pouring down your legs. “You want me to do something about this, doll?”

All you could manage to do was moan in agreement as you lifted your head to give him permission to do anything he desired.

Dabi kissed your hips, down your thighs, so very close to giving you what you wanted. Your spine arched, perfectly, he thought.

He took your clit in-between two fingers, squeezing the bundle of nerves before giving you a quick lap with the tip of his tongue. The sound that escaped your lips was honest and excited him to the point of insanity. After a few seconds he lapped you again, using his tongue to toy with your folds before closing his lips around to suck on your engorged clit. You cried out, writhing in a fit of euphoria.

“Dabi! Oh - fuck, right there!” Dabi switched motions and took your clit into his mouth, sucking on it before using the tip of his tongue to relentlessly nick your swollen bud as it pressurized in his mouth. You were so wet that the entire bottom of his face was soaked, dripping down his chin and neck.

“I could devour you all night long, dollface, look at me.” Dabi wrapped his arm around your waist to prevent you from grinding your pussy in his mouth, pushing your body down into the bed. The minute you made eye contact with him, your orgasm skipped a few steps in the building process.

“You lick my pussy so fucking good - Dabi!” He raised his eyebrows at your reaction, and before you could finish in more ways than one, he pulled away, knocking the wind right out of your body while a cold chill crept up your spine.

“You’re gonna what?” Dabi teased as he rid himself of the rest of his clothes and positioned himself in between your legs, using the head of his cock to toy with the wet folds of your pussy before tapping your throbbing clit. You closed your eyes and tensed up, focusing because the rhythm was totally just enough to-

He pulled away, sitting back in satisfaction. You were speechless, your legs trembling in frustration. “I’ll ask you this again, y/n. What comes next?”

You were a shuddering, whimpering, melting mess at his words. The tone of Dabi’s voice was so erotic to your ears - and the way he spoke to you, so demanding, so sexy, you thought, was a way no one had ever spoken to you before. And you wanted more. You needed more.

“Mm,” You moaned, feeling like you were losing yourself to a darkness, and you were going to let it happen. “Touch me - make me yours. Fuck me, kiss me, just don’t stop, please!” He could tell you couldn’t take it anymore but something inside of him wanted to make this so much worse for you, to drag it out as long as possible.

You threw your head back, losing your reflexes to resist touching yourself.

Dabi snickered, leaning down to purr in your ear, pinning your hands above your head. “Be a good doll and beg for it, then.”

His words caused your lascivious desire to take over, and he was pushed back against your headboard, his arms and legs wrapped in the chains of your quirk. The chains snaked around the supports of your bed, leaving his cock wide open to do as you pleased. The delirium accompanied filled Dabi’s head with ecstasy, leaving him fully vulnerable to your advances. You climbed on top of him and sank your pussy down agonizingly slow to get used to his size. He threw his head back, moaning in a way that sent jolts straight to your sopping wet sex. With a wave of your hand, you banished the chains, looking at Dabi, who was clear-minded and perplexed. 

“Wow.” Was all he could say as he gripped your hips and rammed up into you. “You wanna tie me up, is that it?” He said through gritted teeth as he kept you still, vigorously pumping into you. “You wanna have it your way, baby? You want me to shut up so you can fuck me like you want it done? Is this how you want it? Ugh, fuck!” Your skin turned red as his cock continued to massage your velvet lining, your liquid splashing with every thrust.

Your arms rose up and twined in your hair, your breasts bouncing in just the right way to drive him absolutely crazy. The room was filled with the wet noises of this long awaited night - the moans coming from both of you fulfilling the carnal desires deep within.

“Dabi, please let me come!”

He sat up, snaking an arm around your waist to throw you backwards. You locked eyes, both of you struggling to breathe, heaving for dear life. “You feel so good, doll, you like that cock, yeah?” 

Dabi sat up on his knees, pulling your waist off of the bed so you were flush against him - his cock bottoming out as far as it could go. He used one hand under your back to keep you raised, and his other one to push your chest into the mattress.

He leaned over you for a brief moment to collide in a kiss - the best one of his life. With you. Only you.

You cried out as he fucked you and gave you everything you needed - everything he could think of giving you. Your hands trailed along his chest to keep him against you, wrapping your arms around his scarred neck to beg for more.

Dabi growled at the sensation rising in his body and ripped away from you, using both hands on your hips to viciously fuck into you - giving you pure, relentless, unadulterated ecstasy. 

“Come all over my cock, dollface, do it! You know you want to.” Dabi brought his thumb to your clit, softly rubbing in wide, fast circles. The stimulation inside was matching perfectly with what he was offering your clit, filling your body with something deep and intense. 

Dabi’s eyes widened at the feeling of constant streams of wetness, coating his cock and running down his legs. He smirked. “That’s it, y/n, you have permission.” Dabi, nearing his own release, started to shake and bite his lip. “You’re making such a fucking mess!” He growled and threw his head backward, his vision becoming hazy as he rolled his head on his shoulders.

“Da-bi, Dabi!” You screamed out in a lustful moan that was like candy to his ears.

“Yes, that’s it, say my fucking name!”

“I’m gonna cum-ah! Dabi!”

The sight before him was absolutely gorgeous - you - body flushed, drenched in sweat, writhing in rapture as your body exploded into a blended orgasm, your squirting pussy gripping him as you tried to milk him of his own release. But he was so focused on you that he delayed his own orgasm until you were at your tail end. Your body shuddered as he came inside of you, squeaking at the feeling of your pussy being filled with his warmth.

“Y/n,” Dabi moaned, leaning down to pull you in a warm embrace. Your fingers ran through his hair as he salted your neck and cheek with wet kisses and whispers of praise in your ear. “I could get used to this,” he softly growled into your ear, laying on his side to spoon you into him.

The lust and euphoria began to fade, and you two were left to cope with the left over feelings of what transpired. You rolled over, Dabi softly brushing the hair out of your face. This soft side of him was something you never thought he had in him and you wanted to cherish every second of it - not ruin it with a slew of unspoken questions and feelings. Instead, the two of you softly, and passionately kissed yourselves into an accidental sleep.

Both of you wished that you had stayed home to live another night like it. To feel your body cradled close to him - for both of you to experience more of what you had been putting off for so long.

“Keep going, y/n.” He urged you when you hadn’t said anything else, squeezing your shoulder with his arm. 

But you were unable to speak anymore. The only sounds escaping were cracked whimpers.

He reached his head down in front of your face, a soft smile forming in the corner of your lips as your beautiful life left your eyes - your arms dropping to your sides as he gave you his final kiss. “I love you, doll.”

Those were the last words Dabi said to you.

He picked your body up and ran towards the little secluded place in the woods that he had learned to call home, and he filled the gap of your conversation with dozens of memories as if you were merely asleep in his arms. When he couldn’t physically go any further, he laid your body on the ground, and set every tree in sight ablaze before getting back to his task at hand.

He had to push you into the back of his mind along with the people he chose to forget about. With you, he had no choice but to forget. Another page torn from the story he was living. He put the walls he let you tear down back up, this time, forever.

Ultimately, he would never forget you. You gave him the first happy experience he’ll ever have, and with every move he continues to make, you will always play a part in them. No matter how hard he tries to forget.

[costellos]

Helloooo Toya!! I have a question: how would each Duwang Gang member react to be given their favorite flower (and what's their favorite flower)? Thank you for reading my ask!!

a/n: YELLS!!! anon this is SUCH a cute question! you’re the first to request anything with the Duwang Gang so bless u. thank u. there isn’t enough content for them. also I know you probably just wanted a concept but bc I love this idea I’m writing full headcanons.

tw: mentions of death in Okuyasu’s part

❥ ┋ ❝ duwang gang, what their favorite flowers are, & how they react when given it!

jotaro kujo.

Jotaro’s favorite flowers are wisteria (though holly is a close second).

he’s not much of a flower guy. he typically finds them to be too much, with cherry blossoms getting everywhere and the memory of Suzie Q’s gardenia perfume being  unbearable. if you asked him for his favorite, he’d say wisteria.

he wouldn’t elaborate if you asked why. truthfully, he doesn’t know. but between you and me, it’s because he saw a wisteria tree in full bloom before he, Joseph, Kakyoin, and Avdol left for Egypt. it’s the last thing he saw as his house faded over the horizon, with the cab Joseph ordered pulling the group away from the lives they knew.

the idea strikes you while looking through travel guides. being a Morioh native, why not make the most of Jotaro’s visit? there’s a wisteria tree at the Morioh Botanic Garden; being a sucker for botanics yourself, it’d be nice to do a little two-in-one. you get to enjoy the view while bringing Jotaro to his favorite flower.

but when you lead him to the tree, the reaction he gives you isn’t what you expected. he’s quiet. not a mad or sad kind of quiet, just... silent. even after months of dating, you can’t tell what he’s thinking. but judging by his face, whatever is running through his head is something he’s made peace with. he only puts his hand on the top of your arm, pulling your figure close to him. ↳ “I’m surprised you remembered.” a beat, and then a sigh. “thank you, [Name]. but let’s keep moving, I don’t want to linger here.”

rohan kishibe.

Rohan’s favorite flowers are moonflowers.

he dislikes any flower that’s associated with manga. red spider lilies, roses, cherry blossoms (which is heightened thanks to Josuke), you name it. he thinks it’s a lazy way to draw symbolism.

it’s why he finds moonflowers so fascinating. there’s no grandiose meaning to them, they’re just a peculiar flower. they only bloom at night and when they do bloom, they die shortly thereafter. it’s a fleeting moment of beauty. lovely and slightly tragic.

he’d never expect you to get it for him. moonflowers aren’t native to Japan and the Japanese climate makes it difficult for them to grow here. that’s why he finds it odd that you’ve been spending an unusual amount of time outside. toiling away, saying it’s nothing more than a little gardening project to pass the time. he’d ask more, but he’s busy himself. it’s not until you drag him outside at night under a full moon that it hits him.

it takes him a moment to process it. there’s a trellis with moonflowers carefully laced between. emerald green leaves tell him that you’ve taken impeccable care of the plant. his first thought is “how?”; there’s no way you could house a tropical flower in this climate. but he brushes the thought away ― he’d rather not waste time on dumb questions like that ― and sighs, donning his signature smirk. ↳ “pfft, you’re that desperate to impress me? ...I’m teasing, obviously. I’m... honestly speechless, [Name]. you really are something else.”

josuke higashikata.

Josuke’s favorite flowers are cherry blossoms.

to be honest, if you asked Josuke what his favorite flower was, he wouldn’t know what to say. he’s not a big flower person. hence, cherry blossoms would be the first thing that come to mind. and while it sounds like a half-assed answer, it is true. sort of.

cherry blossoms remind those early spring days when his mother would take him to the park as a child. to Josuke, cherry blossoms are warmth and laughter. they’re the pink petals his mother would collect and drop on his hair. they’re the milk pudding his grandfather would bring him when he’d come home early from the station.

that said, he wouldn’t react much if you gave him a bouquet of cherry blossoms. he’d be flattered ― a gift is a gift ― but it wouldn’t go much further than that. you quickly realized that when you took a cutting and placed it behind his ear. (he was really confused; maybe best to save the theatrics to him.)

it’s not until you gave Josuke cherry blossom-flavored pudding that he melted. it’s favorite flavor! how did you know? all those memories would come flooding back to him, all teasings from his mother and evenings spent with his grandfather. and now, a new memory: sharing his favorite dessert with you. ↳ “whaaat, you got this for me?! gah, you’re too sweet... here, let’s share it. I can’t eat this alone.” 

okuyasu nijimura.

Okuyasu’s favorite flowers are forget-me-nots.

like the other boys, Okuyasu never really had a favorite flower. he could acknowledge that some were prettier than others, but his botanical knowledge didn’t extend farther than identifying roses. that is, until you pointed out forget-me-nots to him while walking to school.

something about the name just... stuck. it really resonated with him. sure, the flower is pretty and all, but now he feels a pang in his heart whenever he passes by them. forget-me-not. he thinks of Keicho and his father every time he sees those baby blue petals.

it wasn’t hard to pick up on his silence. every day, there and back from school, his mouth would shut as you walked past the raised bed overflowing with tiny, blue flowers. and with his visiting Keicho’s grave more often, you could easily put two and two together.

needless to say, he cried when you placed a bouquet of forget-me-nots near his brother’s headstone. “so he’s never really gone,” you murmured, taking his hand in yours. you didn’t look at Okuyasu’s face. you didn’t have to. his squeezing your hand and his quivering breaths were enough. ↳ “th-thanks, [Name]... he... he would’ve really liked you, yanno.”

koichi hirose.

Koichi’s favorite flowers are camellias.

he’s the only boy who can name his favorite flowers off the bat. he can still remember seeing red camellia petals dance across the panels of his favorite shonen manga. a female samurai was confronting her evil brother, and despite all stakes being against her, she defeated him once and for all. it’s for that reason he thinks camellias are so. cool.

needless to say, Koichi associates camellias with being cool. sometimes he wishes he had a flashier stand to recreate the drama he’s read in manga, but he’d never admit it out loud. still, it’s not hard to tell. Koichi is used to being unnoticed. he still doesn’t understand why you’d pick him over guys like Josuke and Jotaro.

you try to show him your appreciation by slipping him small letters in his desk before class. some are notes of encouragement, some are long compositions of why you love him. this one is a drawing of him looking extra cool, with exaggerated bishonen features and a red camellia you clipped from Mrs. Tamura’s garden taped on. “to my favorite hero” is scrawled across the bottom.

Koichi is floored. you did this? for him? he can’t even comprehend that you were paying that much attention to his rambling. yet here he is, minutes before class, staring at a ridiculous picture of himself and his favorite flower taped on. ↳ “pfft, that [Name]... they really know how to get to me, huh?”

like this piece? here are similar works! 🌑 🌒 🌓

[artsninspo]

Unexpected Renaissance (Tre X Reader)

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Trevante Rhodes X Reader

Word count: 1.9K 

Summary: When Tre and the reader meet at his fraternity’s party they have no idea the kind of bond heading up to his room is bound to create. 

---

I was in my junior year of college when you met Tre. A totally different person; stuck up, condescending and exclusively committed to your artistic pursuits. I felt disconnected from my culture but connected to my ancestry unable to find beauty in the mundane everyday stuff that makes black beautiful. Guess surburbia and privilege can do that to a person. My mother decided to take a sabbatical and my father being a dean organized my special permission to have a roving semester. I was never interested in my mother’s mystification of the south or how she spoke about it with all its lore.

I was mortified to hear my cousin Toya didn’t know what to do with her life. But tapping into my inner artist you listened anyway considering it might be good inspiration for some work. While both of my parents went to survey some family land Toya painted my face.

“You ever been to a college party?” She asked.

“Of course… I’m in college” I stated obviously making Toya snicker.

“You’re a real bitch you know that. But still you my cousin - that’s what this family does they judge me. But you see, I’m a real bitch, I’m not gonna let you go out sad in whatever this shit is. Aren’t you supposed to be an artist?” She asked the real deal from then. “Is it avant garde or some shit I don’t understand?” She added making me smile.

“Some shit” I nodded.

“Yeah well you ain’t about to wear them rags around me. What size are you?” She asked.

“12”

“I’m sure my mama got something laying around that looks better than those rags. Cause I bet you’re into that classist sustainability bullshit too huh” Toya snapped.

“Yes I am, but I think it should start with the corporations and the rich. The lower classes naturally practice many sustainable methods.” I acknowledged.

“Good, then you ain’t all the way air headed” she commented pulling out a dress.

“I’m not a scholar I’m an artist” I clarified.

“They make y’all pay for that too? Any of those niggas in museums degreed up?” Toya asked smug as always.

“You’d do well in intellectual circles.” I commented putting on the dress and denim jacket.

“And you’re about to tear up this party” she smiled looking at me in disbelief.

The ride to campus was short and we could hear the music from the house once we got out the car. I’d never been to an HBCU before. I especially stayed away from fratboys. I watched as people greeted Toya with familiarity.

“Who’s your homegirl?” One of the guys asked. Clearly high ranking in the sorority by his confidence and posturing.

“Met her at the hair store, you said you want pretty girls” Toya justified omitting our familial relations, taking his hand and disappearing. It wasn’t until about an hour or so later that she returned and him and a few other guys got into line that I saw Tre. His movement in the stroll caught my eye and so did his arms.he had this elegance and the way the light his his skin was perfect. I didn’t realize I was staring until he was beside me. I got a closer look at his biceps .

“Tre, like what you see?” He introduced and I snickered wiping my eyes at his confidence.

“You crossed the room” I noted.

“I thought it was the right thing to do with you staring so hard” he commented. He kept talking but my mind was wrapped up on all the pieces I could create with him as the subject. My final project was on black version of renaissance art.

“What does your penis look like?” I asked interrupting him with a raised eyebrow.

“Wow, you came in with Toya right? That happened pretty fast” he swallowed as his air of confidence deflated slightly.

“What’s it look like, you have pictures on your phone?” I asked.

“Is it a prerequisite?” He asked and nodded.

“Actually it is” I responded truthfully. The tiny penises on the most renowned works of art never sat well with me. Appreciating the beauty of the sculptors work only so see those tiny members always was a sore point. Tre motioned for me to follow him in his room. I noticed eyes on us, even Toyas. He closed the door and I looked around a bit noting the minimal design.

“I bet that bed is filthy”

“Nah, I like clean sheets” he commented taking his shirt off leaving his gold chain. It made me smiled as I decided to add that touch.

“How tall are you?”

“Six feet” he noted as you stored the I information in my memory bank trying to consider how expensive it would be to do a life size sculpture in dark stone.

“Fuck” I muttered making him smile.

“You don’t want no foreplay or nothing, we can just get to it?” He asked dropping his pants and by far the best shaped and well endowed nude model I’d ever come across. Not to mention he was handsome. I circled him using my gift - a laser accurate photographic memory. I needed the body to be perfect. I could ask him for pictures of his face later I thought.

When I got up from looking at his member there was sheer confusion in his eyes.

“What, you want me to sit?” He asked confusing me.

“You can put your clothes back on.” I commented ecstatic.

“What the fuck?” He asked dressing. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

“I’m sorry, you just had perfect biceps. I’m an artist and I think you’d be an excellent sculpture. I’m probably gonna sketch you when I get back home” I told him as he grabbed his shirt. He was dumbfounded and annoyed.

“What kind of-“ he started about to blast me so I pulled out my phone finally coming back into reality and the evident danger.

“Look, I’m an artist - senior year I want to have a collection, enough for an exhibit. I’ve been waiting for the perfect subject to model a sculpture after. Michelangelo’s David is beautiful. He may have me in skill but you have David by at least six inches. In scale” I explained tempering the tension and complementing his manhood. The fire faded in his eyes as he looked through my digital portfolio.

“You did all this” he looked surprised and impressed.

“Yeah, I think it’s important for black people to enjoy art they can see themselves in” I admitted.

“You’re lucky you think my biceps are beautiful any other guy would have been fucked up with you getting that close and not sucking” he said frankly.

“My sincerest apologies.” I admitted and he smiled. “Think Toyas ready to go?” I asked.

“Nah” Tre said telling me she was occupied with his eyes.

“Alright thanks, thanks for being cool about my request” I nodded.

...

Tre was different than any other subject. It was like he was iridescent. I got another dimension another colour, more depth anytime I looked at him. Toya came home from her work one day saying Tre wanted me to call him. She never asked about that night so I didn’t say anything. We talked all night. Then there was another party and this time I went with my sketchbook and coals he stood with shirtless as I tried capturing his chest and shoulders having finished his rough outline.

Then he was visiting museums with me. Stopping by my makeshift studio in the sabbatical house nearly shitting himself every time pops came in to inquire about my progress. He was there when I cursed out suppliers and cried at the cost of a life sized adaptation, immortalization through art. He was there when the sabbatical and semester were over and we were heading back home. Then there was a Tre sized hole with me. I missed him, I missed our conversations and somehow all the art school politics, drama and preoccupations meant a little less. I found myself drifting away from superficial and towards real. My renaissance was happening at the same time I was preparing my exhibit. My Mona Lisa had brown skin and cornrows — it was Toya.

Tre and I didn’t cross paths again because of my travels until my graduation. He was visibly absent from the exhibit and frustrated about it. I’d never put out anything wit I’m that wasn’t perfect. I showed him my favourite places, I just got my own place afforded by my art instead of my parents wealth. We had sex that night, a fitting way to celebrate. He’d made a comment about not seeing me naked and how it wasn’t fair. I told him he wasn’t going to. Wrapped my insecurity on the moral high ground of not living for the visual satisfaction of men. Tre being Tre - a good man let me get away with it. Still we ended up in my unlit living room going at it on the couch. He used his hands to make mental notes. He took his hands feeling every curve, every roll every imperfection before showing me sex with artistic geniuses and proteges was nothing. I knew I loved him when he woke up and covered me over respecting my wishes about being seen. Somehow that night turned into every night for two weeks. Then he moved in three weeks later. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

I slide my stool back looking at the life sized sculpture of my man. I swallow a little emotional about it finally coming to an end. I swallow standing and daring to probe it for imperfections as my greatest critic. No one knows this body like I do.

“Tre!” I scream. “Tre!” I repeat with urgency like it can animate and walk out of the studio. He comes sleepily leaning in the doorway with his eyes barely open.

“What’s wrong babe?” He asks.

“Babe, it’s finished, four years later it’s finished” I squeal jumping into his arms and it’s a miracle he catches me smiling as he holds me close. I’ve never toiled at anything this long.

“So are you sick of looking at me yet?” He teases and I smile as he kisses me.

“No”

“You said once you finish we can start our family” he says with a one track mind.

“You’re not sick of me yet?” I retort.

“No” he admits.

I smile having denied him kids for the past two years since we’ve been married. The first year we were honeymooners and then the pressure for kids began. He stood with me in solidarity for the public while wearing me out behind closed doors. I stopped taking my birth control six months ago and have been neglecting my real husband for the art piece.

I step down from his hold taking off my glasses and gloves.

“Tre?” I ask putting things back in their place.

“Yeah?”

“I need you for something else” I admit and he swallows nodding despite his agitation the greatest husband ever. I can never thank Toya enough for dragging me to that party.

“What babe?”

“Let’s get started on our greatest masterpiece yet” I smile and it takes the double-entendre awhile to set in before he smiles ready and we get started.

______________

TAGLIST:

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[gotmeringinghellsbells]

A Little Fun With the Boss

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi

A/N: This was a small idea that randomly hit me while struggling to write another fanfic. Yes, I do believe that Dabi is Toya Todoroki.

Description: Noticing the boss still wasn’t awake, Dabi was sent to wake Shigaraki; but he didn’t go alone. 

_

A soft sigh escaped into the chill morning air as Tomura decided to climb out of bed. He couldn’t sleep any longer anyway, and with a busted clock he wouldn’t be able to tell what time it was. He stretched out, arms overhead before quickly dropping them down in surprise as hands found his sides. “Gah! What are you,” he stopped himself with a sigh. “Kurogiri, I told you not to do that.” He could see a shape in the glow from his computer, but not a full face. 

He was awake, and he wasn’t a kid anymore! Tickling wasn’t…. something a leader should enjoy. The hands left his being as weight left the bed. Shigaraki sighed as he rubbed his sides before hissing as the room suddenly lit up. “Gah! Kurogiri!” He covered his eyes before slowly trying to adjust. His guardian could be so bothersome! 

“Wakey, wakey boss.” What? Tomura’s eyes widened as he quickly jumped, twisting around. Red met blue as silent anticipation set in. “What? Cat got your tongue?” The leader’s look of shock turned to irritation as he fully turned to face the other. “What are you doing in here Dabi?!” The leader tried to seem bigger than his “opponent”, but Dabi ignored him before walking back over to the bed. “Got a little concerned when you didn’t show this morning. Thought I’d come up and check on ya.” He smiled casually as he sat at the foot of the bed. 

“Where’s Kurogiri?” The leader sat back, moving further towards his pillows; practically sitting on them. He curled up slightly, seeming more uneasy then upset. This was a feast to the Todoroki’s eyes. “Cooking. He sent me up to wake his highness.” Red eyes rolled before a foot shoved at the other. “And I’m awake. Now get out.” A sense of panic came over the leader as a smirk came onto the other’s face. 

Dabi’s eyes glinted with mischief. Tomura quickly tried to pull his legs back, but it was too late. A firm grip had his ankle hostage. “Dabi,” the male yelled, but was ultimately ignored. “You know Shigy, I never thought of you to be…. ticklish. It would be a shame if Mage, Toga,” he chuckled evilly before his smirk revealed teeth, “or Twice knew about such a devastating secret.” Tomura blushed, a look of shock on his face. 

“Don’t even think about it.” 

Red eyes narrowed, a practical snarl coming onto the leader’s face. Dabi snorted, a small laugh escaping at the reaction. This was too good! A finger swiped up the sole, earning a yelp. Dabi’s gaze never left his leader’s face, craving to see what reaction the other would have. Tomura covered his mouth after the noise escaped his chapped and cracked lips. “Last warning Dabi,” the growled. It sounded more panicked than serious. Toya chuckled deeply. “You think I fear you? 

“I’ve seen your work boss, but I’ve also lived in your home for far too long for that.” He leaned in closer to the other, taunting him. The evil finger started to stroke up and down more, earning jolts from the leg as a reaction. “SSthahaop that!” The pale haired male was losing it! He tried his best to keep his composure, despite giving his attacker mostly everything they wanted. “You sound so scary boss. Coochie, coochie, coo!” That little! Tomura giggled, covering his mouth harsher as he turned his head. “Aw, is the big, bad, Shigaraki ticklish? Huh, is he?”

Damn it, not teasing! Even as a child Tomura could never taking teasing! Not from his father, er master, and not from Kurogiri. It always made him so kiddy and giggly; and it seemed he never grew out of that. “Ah! Sthahahaop, sthahahop!” He started kicking at the other, shrieking with laughter as more fingers joined in the act. 

“I’ll ghehehehet yahahaou, yhahahaou ahahahahAH!” Fingers started digging into the area before Dabi moved to get on his knees. He lifted the leg, hands aiming for the backs of the knees. “Nmmm! Ahahahaha! Whahay the hehehell ahahre yhahaou thahahickling mhhehehe?!”

Dabi smirked before moving closer to rearrange his position. He sat between Shigaraki’s legs, turning to his side to extend the hardly clothed leg. “Gotta say boss, should show your legs more often; and maybe tone them a bit.” Tomura blushed form the double sided compliment before kicking the other’s back. “Shahahahut it! Ghehehet of mhahahahahe!” He was snorting and squealing, voice reaching new pitches as he tried to free himself. 

He bounced and floundered about like a fish out of water. “”Wow, really ticklish.” He felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he laid “helplessly”. It was kind of nice to have a break from the more grueling activities; such as: planning, arranging, meeting, interviewing, trying to prove his worth to the man who raised him, and overall just trying to keep these psychos in line. 

But to be taken back out of the element, even if it was only for a little while. Beng in such a sacred feeling area, a room no one but himself and his guardian would be allowed to enter. To have someone being so… physical with him? He hadn’t made this much contact with someone in a long time. He didn’t hate it, but he still wasn’t sure how okay with it he was.  Not to mention the fact that his hands were nowhere on his person, and all he was wearing was boxer briefs and a loose, thin t-shirt.

But the feeling of closeness soon faded as the touch did. Shigaraki blinked in confusion, panting softly. His leg fell back to the bed, allowing him to curl up. As he did… he felt… something weird. Looking down at his lower body, his eyes narrowed. Those…. Idiots! “Dabi! Twice!” Those sons of bitches! Laughter rang out from the hall as the two members took off running. “Go man go, he looks mad!” “Maybe we should go back and try to make it up to him?!” Dabit moved in front of Twice as they rounded the corner. “Your funeral Twice,” he warned as footsteps and yelling echoed behind them. 

Kurogiri sighed as he looked down at the stove before him. It was going to be another long day, wasn’t it?

[sockablock]

Congratulations on 5,000 followers! For the fanfic thing, do you remember how originally Beau was going to be part of the circus along with Molly and Yasha? Do with this what you will!

how dare you come into my house and make me feel things

—

The sword caught sun as it curved through the air, blade gleaming soft in the morning autumn light. Then it arced downwards, a silver bird in flight, and Beau just managed to dive out of the way and slam into Yasha as it careened towards her head.

Molly burst out into laughter. And from across the clearing, where the other performers stood, Ornna let out a long sigh.

“Don’t kill her, Mol, she’s in my act! And I don’t want to look for another acrobat, not this close to the start of the season.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he managed between snickers, “gods, I just couldn’t help it.”

Ornna rolled her eyes and returned to her work retouching the faded paint on their wagon. Toya, standing next to her, held up a stained bucket. 

“Are you alright?” Yasha glanced down and raised an eyebrow at Beau. “Sorry if he is bothering you.”

“Yeah, well,” Beau stood, and brushed herself off, “he should be apologizin’, not you. Though if you really wanted to make it up to me, I think I have a few ideas?”

Molly blustered over before Yasha could take the hint. Not that Beau’s attempts had succeeded thus far. 

“She’s much better than the rest of us,” Molly grinned, slinging an arm around Beau’s—stiffened—shoulders. “And I am most repentant of the non-injury I didn’t give you. How’s that for remorseful, eh?”

“I think it’s too sarcastic to count for anything.” Beau scowled and shrugged him off. “Man, I preferred it when you didn’t talk. If I’d have known you’d start gabbin’ like this, I never would have signed onto this troupe.”

“Ah, but think of our many benefits!” Gustav waved his hand beside the wagon, sending paint scattering across the wood. “You get to travel to exotic locales, see the sights, meet strange new people—"

“Not much stranger than you and I,” Desmond sighed, “but still certainly strange all the same.”

Beau dodged another offensive hug from Molly, who delighted in her rather deep frown. 

“Yeah, well…yeah, I guess it could be worse.” She ran and hid behind Yasha. “You lot have shit wine, though.”

“We’re performers, not hobnobbers,” Bo said. “Besides, we’ll be in Kamordah soon. You can stock up there.”

Beau’s gaze was on him instantly, though Bosun didn’t notice—he was busy navigating a particularly curly “C”.

“Wait, Kamordah?” she demanded. “We’re going to—why are we going there?”

“Eh? Why not?” Gustav raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve been there before,” Ornna added. “It’s not so bad, lots of land, plus the townsfolk are starved for entertainment.”

“Yeah,” Beau muttered under her breath, “yeah, I know, I just…” she raised her voice. “I just didn’t know. I thought we were heading to Trostenweald, or something.”

“Oh, sure,” Desmond nodded, “we’ll stop there eventually. But there’s plenty of smaller places on the way. Not as grand as Zadash, where you’re from, but still good for restocking, and getting coin.”

Beau’s expression darkened further. The sun didn’t shine as bright in her eyes.

“Right,” she mumbled, “…from Zadash.”

“Beauregard?” Yasha tilted her head. “Are you…sure you are alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” though she quickly stepped back. “It’s…it’s fine, I was just surprised, is all.”

“Are you sure?” Molly had retrieved his sword from the ground and strapped it once again to his waist. “Because you certainly seem—”

Beau whirled around to face him, eyes narrow and mouth thin.

“I’m fine,” she hissed intently, again. “Don’t worry about me, alright?” She took one final step back, then exhaled.

“I’m just gonna…get some air, now. I…it’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

She turned and slipped between their carts, vanishing in an instant through the trees beyond.

There was a moment, where everyone stood and watched.

Then Molly shrugged. He unsheathed his sword. “Well, whatever, since she’s gone, Yasha, look at this new spin—”

She grabbed his arm before he could finish.

“You should apologize,” she said firmly. “Let us go.”

—

They found Beau sitting up in a tree, leaning against the trunk, staring out into the canopy. Molly almost called it quits right there—she looks peaceful, and I’m not sure I can make it up—until Yasha grasped him firmly by the armpits and half-thrust, half-hurled, him up into the boughs.

As it happened, he did manage to catch himself, just as Beau gave a startled yelp.

“What the f—”

“H—ow, hello, dear.”

He scrambled up onto the rest of the branch, to avoid falling and also shame. He’d meant to ask Yasha to do that anyways. Of course.

Beau watched him, suspiciously, find his balance. Then she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“Okay, what do you want?”

“It’s a pleasure to see you too. I’m here to apologize. Ow. For real.”

She stared back at him, saying nothing.

A few rather awkward seconds went by.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“You’re here to say ‘sorry.’ Out with it, then, and you can go.”

“What? But I already said it, didn’t I?”

“Did you? I just heard you say that’s why you’rehere.”

Molly sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, I see,” he said. “You actually do want it.”

“‘Course I do.” She gave a brisk nod. “I dunno why you’re giving in, you dick, but I’m definitely not gonna shoot that one down. You probably owe me some apologizes anyway, and we can just say that this one pays ‘em back.”

Molly stopped.

His jaw went slack.

“W—wait, hang on, are you…are you not mad?”

She frowned. “Why would I be?”

“What? That’s obvious, you hate me!” He waved his hands around and almost fell. “I just mean…you do find me irritating, do you not? You make that delightfully angry face at me all the time, and you never want to hear my wonderful jokes. I thought you left because you were bloody pissed! Yasha did too! Otherwise she wouldn’t have dragged me here to apologize.”

“Hah! Really?” Beau snorted. “Well, I was wondering what the ulterior motive was. I guess I should thank her, or something.”

“Yes, well I’m still confused,” Molly spluttered, “I don’t—if you aren’t mad at me, then what was that? Why did you storm out all of a sudden? Is it…” Suddenly, he leaned in. “was it for…you know?”

“Oh, gods—” Beau smacked him away, “gods above, stop being nasty. No, fuck, no, I just…I just wanted some alone t—” she scowled when she heard him nod, the charms on his horns giving a faint jingle. “Move again, and I push you off the branch.”

“I’m sure Yasha will catch me.”

They both looked down. Yasha was nowhere in sight.

“Fine, fine, you win this round.”

Beau rubbed her face. “Alone time,” she continued. “That’s all. I just needed to think. You probably can’t relate to that, right?”

“…I’ll let you have that one for free. In this, your apparent time of need.”

“That’s…not exactly what I would call it, but…yeah, I guess that’s close enough.”

“Do you…” Molly squeezed his eyes shut. “I mean…do you need to…talk about it?”

“Oh, fuck no.”

“Oh, thank the gods.”

They sat there in silence a moment longer, watching the dance of the sun-dappled leaves.

Then Molly gave a soft grunt. He reached into his jacket and produced a small bottle, narrow-necked, curving outwards at the bottom.

He held it up to the light.

“I almost forgot that I brought this, actually. A…a peace offering, of sorts.”

Beau examined the liquid inside. Crimson, with a hint of gold.

She knew in an instant what it was.

“Oh, gods, you brought me a Santirra? No, you can’t expect me to drink that.”

“What?” Molly frowned immediately. “Wait, why not? What’s so bad—”

“What’s so bad?” She grabbed the bottle. The cork popped free between her teeth.

“Santirras are—” she spat, “—Santirras are shit. That family doesn’t know a thing about wine. This is probably one of the worst labels.”

She took a swig. Molly watched her carefully.

“Your…voice says one thing, but your actions say another.”

She handed him the bottle. She wiped at her mouth.

“Well, go ahead, try it for yourself. What does it taste like?”

He took a sip.

Then he really gave this some thought.

“It…it tastes like wine…?”

Beau snorted. “Tastes like wine? Good gods, only someone who’d crawled out of a hole would think that this horse-piss is wine.”

He handed it back to her and watched her drink. Strangely, he didn’t feel all that offended.

She passed it over once again. He felt the smooth glass against his hand.

“Well…regardless,” he sighed after another, final swig, “I hope that this helps, anyway. Even if all it does is fuck you up.”

He handed the bottle back to her.

“And, for what it’s worth…I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t exactly sure why he was. And yet, somehow, in thatmoment…

It felt right.

She swirled the wine around in her mouth. Then she swallowed.

“You really have nothin’ to apologize for. But, uh…”

She nodded.

“Thanks.”

—

From 8/11-8/15, I’m holding a grand fic giveaway! Check out the guidelines right here and feel free to send in a prompt 💜

[sockablock]

Something New for Me and You

• (start) (prev) (next) •

Chapter 7:  The Light of Early-Morning Winter

“Here,” Molly said as he walked out of the kitchen with a tray of teacups, “it’s passionflower. It’s supposed to be calming, which I think we could probably use right about now.”

They were all seated around his and Fjord’s coffee table, sprawled atop a sea of technicolor cushions and blankets. Those, along with the bright floral wallpaper, plush carpet, lace doilies on the TV stand, and deeply gaudy 15-foot tapestry to the Platinum Dragon hanging on their left, only added to the general feeling that this living room had been decorated by a colorblind, rules-blind, shame-blind maniac with too many tastes, too much funding, and altogether too much free time.

So, Mollymauk.

He finished passing around the cups and took a seat on the floor next to Yasha. “Careful,” he added, “they’re still hot.”

“It smells very nice.” Caleb noted. He and Nott were also on the ground, across the table and leaning against the couch where Fjord rested, hands on his ribs, head in Jester’s lap. Beau was perched on the armrest of the sofa opposite them.

“Thank you, dear,” Molly said. “I rather think so too.”

Jester nodded enthusiastically. “It’s really nice. Where’d you buy it?”

“I didn’t, actually. It was a gift from a…a bar patron. She said she got it from some exotic tea shop.”

“Exotic?” Beau echoed.

Molly shot her a grin. “According to the owner, all of the flowers were grown in a graveyard.”

Fjord nearly spat out his drink. “How long’ve you been making this in our kitchen?” he asked incredulously.

“Oh, months.”

Fjord gazed morosely into his cup. “Spooky.”

“I think it’s neat,” Molly shrugged. “I’d love to visit that graveyard, one day. Meet the owner.”

Nott eyed her drink suspiciously. “How’s this supposed to calm you without any alcohol?” she demanded. Her gnome disguise had long faded by now, leaving behind a goblin girl in a tattered hoodie. There was a crossbow casually resting next to her on the carpet.

“Tea has soothing effects,” Molly said. “Look it up.”

She considered this. She took a swig, then made a face. The others drank too, with varying degrees of satisfaction (Caleb, Yasha, Jester, Beau) and disgust (Fjord).

For a while they just sat there in silence, nursing the graveyard tea, listening through the walls to the distant sounds typical of apartment life, trying to wrap their minds around what had just happened. Each one of them looked like they had just run a marathon and gotten pummeled at the end—Beau and Yasha were bruised to hell, Molly had a thick bandage wrapped around his palm, Jester’s dress was torn and Nott’s covered in mud and Caleb’s entire body smelled like a forest fire.

And all of them were acutely aware that if not for a certain blue cleric, there was a chance that Fjord might not have been sitting with them in the living room, tonight.

Thankfully, he was. And he was also sighing now, turning to the rest of the group. “So…” he said slowly, “should we maybe talk about…what just happened?”

Then he gestured vaguely over to Molly’s bedroom door. “And about what to do with Toya? She’s unconscious now, but when she wakes up and realizes that we’ve suddenly kidnapped her—”

“We didn’t, though,” Beau said immediately. “We stopped someone who was trying to kidnap her.”

Molly pinched the bridge of his nose. “Technically…I suppose you’re right,” he said, “but I don’t know if she’ll see it that way. She was part of the troupe, but nobody actually had custody of her. We found her on the streets, for the gods’ sake. But Kylre was her constant companion. Probably her best friend. What he was doing might have been ill-conceived and suspicious and wrong—

“—and creepy,” Beau added.

“—but out of all of us, she was definitely closest to him.”

Yasha nodded. “When she wakes and sees that Kylre is missing, she will not react well.”

“The only good part is that at least she’ll recognize us,” Molly sighed. Then he kicked the coffee table half-heartedly and slumped his shoulders. “I don’t understand why Kylre ever attacked like that. He knows us.”

“He probably felt cornered and resorted to instinct,” Yasha reasoned.

“To be completely fair,” Beau pointed out, “he didn’t actually do anything until Jester blasted him full of…of fuckin’ holy light, or whatever.”

“He threw Fjord against a wall,” said cleric responded testily. “And it wasn’t 100% on purpose.”

Fjord hesitated. “Is that…should I be thanking you for that?”

She shrugged and said anyways, “You’re welcome.”

“I just never thought he could do something like that,” Molly muttered glumly.

“Well,” Caleb shrugged and took another sip of tea. “I can understand attacking someone who tried to control me with magic.”

There was a pause, where the rest stared at him in silence.  

It took him a few seconds to notice. “What?” he asked, lowering his cup. “Why are you all looking at me?”

“What do you mean by, by…control with magic?” Molly asked.

Caleb blinked. “Was? Obviously, your Friends spell did not go over well. Do not worry, it is a reasonable reaction.”

Molly gave him a puzzled frown. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “I didn’t cast any spell. I don’t even know how to do that.”

Caleb looked just as confused as Molly felt. “But you did,” he pressed. “I saw you do it. All of us did, no?”

This elicited a round of shrugging.

“If I did, I couldn’t tell you,” Fjord said. “I don’t…uh…I don’t really know much about magic.”

“Neither do I,” said Yasha.

“I know a little,” Beau admitted.

“I know a bunch,” Jester said, “but nothing about wizard magic.”

“And I don’t have Friends,” Nott added.  

Caleb rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Well, you did,” he said. “I should know. Maybe it is a tiefling thing, and you are only just coming into your abilities. Unless you have prior magical training…?”

Molly instantly shook his head. “None,” he said. “None at all.”

Nobody else caught it, but Yasha frowned slightly and turned to look at him

“I’ve got natural magic,” Jester volunteered. “You probably do too.”

“I buy that,” Fjord sighed, shifting on the cushions. “And it makes sense if he panicked at your…your mind control, or whatever. But why did he bolt from the Moondrop in the first place?”

“Oh, that one’s easy,” Nott said. “He looks like a monster. If he were there at the scene of the crime, they’d blame him.”

They paused and that sink in. Jester silently reached down and pulled Nott up onto the couch with her, plopping the little goblin onto her knee and nudging Fjord aside.

“Well alright then,” Beau said eventually. “Asked and answered.”

“Unless,” Caleb said quietly, tapping his chin, “unless Kylre was guilty. Hear me out,” he added, raising his hands quickly. “Remember, he got worried when we said that we had taken care of that strange grey creature. Like he was afraid of us, for destroying it. Not glad that it was gone, or relieved it was no longer rampaging and threatening his home. Why? Perhaps because he thought we knew something, and we were coming after the source next.”

They took a moment to consider this.

After a while, Molly shook his head and shrugged. “Maybe,” he conceded. “Maybe that’s possible. But it’s awful that we just left him there. Even if we had no choice. It still feels like we abandoned him.”

Caleb nodded solemnly. “Understood,” he said.

“I hope they are not too hard on him,” Yasha sighed. “The best case would be they just arrest him and release him with Gustav when everything is over.”

“That would be ideal,” Fjord agreed. “Especially if he is innocent.”

Molly leaned back glumly, resting his head on the pillows. “This whole thing was a mess,” he mumbled. “And now I’m bleeding and exhausted and covered in mud.”

“You could take a shower,” Jester suggested. “It is your house.”

He cracked a smile at that. “I might. All of you can as well,” he added, “since we’re rather filthy.”

“I feel fine,” Nott said immediately. “No need for any of that.”

As Molly shot her a skeptical glance, Fjord closed his eyes and draped an arm over his face. “What time is it?” he asked.

Beau glanced at her phone. “Twelve forty-two,” she said.

He nodded. “In that case, y’all are also more than welcome to stay the night,” he said. “The streets are crawling with police right now, and I have a feeling you wouldn’t wanna run into them. Plus, it’s not the safest, afterhours.” He gestured vaguely at the room around them. “This probably isn’t the most glamorous place to be, but there are plenty of blankets and cushions in the living room, and we can grab some quilts off me and Molly’s beds. I know for sure I ain’t moving any more than I have to, tonight. The couch is it, for me. And there’s a little dwarf girl in Mol’s room.”

“Oooh!” Jester grinned immediately. “A sleepover! We can all stay out here and keep them company!”

“Yeah, sure,” Beau shrugged. “It would be boring at home without you anyways, Jes.”

“I would like to avoid the police,” Yasha said quietly. “I do not want to explain to them why I am still outdoors after the Detective Sergeant told me to go inside.”

“And it’s been a bit since our days bunking together in the old dressing room, eh?” Molly added in an attempt to lighten the mood. Yasha nodded back with a faint smile.

Caleb glanced at Nott, who had at this point almost completely submerged herself into a pile of pillows. Despite having survived two ridiculous battles today, she looked brighter—and warmer—than she ever had in their apartment.

“If you are alright with us staying,” Caleb said slowly, “then we will definitely take up that offer.”

Nott immediately nodded her agreement and burrowed deeper into the nest.

“Heck yeah!” Jester beamed. “Oh, it’ll be so much fun, we can stay up and braid each other’s hair, and tell each other stories, and—”

Molly put a hand up and gave her a weak smile. “Jester, dear,” he said gently, “normally I would be all for that, but do you think maybe tonight we could just take it easy and get some real rest? I, no joke, lost blood tonight. And I’m pretty sure we desperately need the sleep.”

Jester’s shoulders slumped, but she took in the worn-out shapes of Beau and Yasha, the wrecked ribcage of Fjord, and the ragged faces of Caleb, Nott, and Molly. Her expression turned soft and she nodded.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Here, I’ll help you get some quilts.”

Molly stood up slowly and extended an elbow for her to take, and she giggled and did.

“We’ll be back,” he said. “I’ll grab some more tea, too. In the meantime, all of you clean up! I don’t want my stuff getting any dirtier than it already has.”

• 

“Hey!” Molly stuck his head into the bathroom, nearly scaring the life out of Caleb. “Sorry, sorry,” he chuckled, gesturing in a calming manner. “I just brought you a toothbrush. And you can use my razor if you need to. It’s the purple one.”

Caleb was standing in front of the mirror, examining his face and wiping the grime away from his skin with a towel Jester had launched at him not ten minutes ago. Being this careful with his personal grooming was still somewhat new to him, but he felt like he needed to make an effort in someone else’s home. His battered coat dangled off the back of the door, and his tie hung limply from one of the pockets.

“Oh,” he said, turning around. “Ah…thank you. I should be fine, but the toothbrush is appreciated.”

He took it from Molly’s hands, and then paused.

“I just…uh…I just wanted to say, there is no shame in casting magic unawares,” he said slowly.

Molly raised an eyebrow and his lips quirked into a confused smile. “Whatever do you mean, dear?” he asked.

Caleb blinked and tried again. “Just that…well…you seemed somewhat bothered before when I said that you had cast Friends. It is not unheard of, when emotions are running high, to accidentally trigger a spell. I have done it once or twice without meaning to, just on instinct. You are not alone there.”

Molly immediately opened his mouth to say something. And then he paused, and closed it again.

He met Caleb’s concerned gaze and nodded. “Okay,” he said. His tone was much more subdued than before. “That’s…uh…that’s good to know, I think. Thank you.”

“Er…no problem?”

Molly nodded. Then his expression brightened again and he said, “Hey! Hey, let me also grab you some pajamas. I can definitely find you something better for the night than muddy performance attire.”

“Er…er…I am fine though,” Caleb said, thrown by the sudden shift in conversation. “I do not, uh, need anything fancy.”

Molly snorted. “You’re already wearing fancy, dear. I can’t imagine that a collared shirt and slacks are comfortable to sleep in. Let me lend you something! I must have another t-shirt and some clean boxers somewhere.”

Caleb’s ears went red. He hoped that Molly wouldn’t notice. “Really,” he said. “Really, I am fine—”

Molly shook his head and waved a finger in front of Caleb’s nose. “Nonsense!” he said. “You’re my guest tonight. I’ve got to make sure you’ve got everything you need. Besides, Beau already stole some of Fjord’s stuff, and Jester keeps a spare set of pajamas here. We managed to find a t-shirt that fit Yasha and I convinced Nott to take one from me already as well. So it’s only you left, Mister Caleb.”

Caleb considered mounting a defense. He had the words on the tip of his tongue, until he caught Molly’s pleading eyes and excited grin. He sighed and nodded in defeat. “Sure,” he said. “Ja, okay. But not anything too ridiculous, alright?”

Molly put a hand over his heart. “Ridiculous? What do you take me for?”

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “There are lace doilies on your TV stand,” he said.

Molly laughed. “Point taken,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.” Then winked and vanished behind the doorframe.

Caleb looked down at the toothbrush in his hands. It was bright purple, with glittery pink flowers on it. He wondered what store in the world would carry something like this. Then he sighed again, and reached for the toothpaste.

•

“Those were, uh, those were some pretty sick moves,” Beau said over the basket of dirty clothes in her arms. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

Yasha, swinging a bottle of liquid detergent in her hands, paused. “Er…nowhere, really,” she said slowly. “I just sort of…learned.”

She crouched down in front of Molly and Fjord’s washing machine and motioned for Beau to pass over the laundry.

“Where did you learn your skills?” she asked absent-mindedly, gaze fixed on the series of dials before her. “You handled yourself well in the fight. Both of them.”

She was so busy trying to decide if their clothes were dirty enough to justify using the “heavy-duty” setting that she completely missed Beau’s eyes going wide and cheeks turning red.

“Uh…nowhere also,” came the somewhat strained reply. “I also just…kinda…learned them.”

Yasha settled on “ultra-clean,” and started pouring detergent in.

“It was impressive,” she said. “Like you had been in real fights before.”

Beau snorted. “Of course I’ve been in real fights,” she said. “I’m a bouncer, remember? I might not look as tough as you, but I can handle myself in a scrap.”

“I will admit,” and here Yasha reached for the laundry basket, “I was somewhat worried about you during the battles. You are just so…small.” Then she immediately turned around and met Beau’s incredulous expression and added hastily, “Not, not in a bad way! Not that you are weak, or defenseless, or…er…” she trailed off and rubbed the back of her neck. “You are just surprising,” she finished lamely. “That is all.”

In the awkward silence that followed, Beau struggled to form a response. She settled on:

“Uh…thanks?”

“You are…welcome.”

Behind them, water started pouring out of the washing machine. Their attention instantly shifted.

“Quick!” Beau yelled, gesturing wildly. “Quick, quick, close it!”

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Yasha whirled around and kicked the machine’s door. It swung shut with a loud clunk. The flood stopped, leaving them standing in a shallow puddle of foamy, soapy water.

“I’ll just…uh…get a mop, then?” Beau suggested eventually.

Yasha nodded slowly. “I think…yes. I think that would be a good idea.”

•

“Are you comfy?” Jester asked Fjord, handing him another pillow. From somewhere else in the apartment she suddenly heard the sound of bare feet slapping wetly against hardwood floors, then a strange skidding noise, then the crash of someone colliding with the hallway closet.

They both immediately elected to ignore this.

“Plenty comfortable,” he answered, giving her a faint smile. “Thanks a million again, Jes. Really. I’m pretty sure I owe you my life for gettin’ me outta that scrap in one piece.”

“Aww,” she beamed, “it was nothing.”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t, though. Seriously, that was some pretty incredible magic. I mean, I knew you could heal, I’ve seen you do it with papercuts and stuff before, but…but Jester, I had a shattered ribcage. And now it’s…it’s fixed. How did you even do that?”

She shrugged. “The same way I do the other stuff!” she said. “We talked about it before, it was the Traveler! He gives me all sorts of cool powers.”

“Yeah,” Fjord said, “yeah, I remember that. I just…I didn’t know he could do…all that.”

“He’s a god, silly,” Jester giggled. “He can do anything.”

Fjord nodded slowly. “Right. Right, of course. Hey, uh, just out of curiosity, how much do you think he—”

“Alright!” Molly announced, entering the living room. He was now in his silk pajamas, being trailed by a very reluctant, very embarrassed-looking Caleb dressed in an oversized rainbow t-shirt and what appeared to be a pair of long, rainbow tie-dyed pants of indeterminate material, completely covered with images of smiling cat heads. They were obviously meant for someone taller, and completely obscured his feet.

Fjord had seen these pants before, worn by Molly unironically a few months ago. Jester had never seen this much color on Caleb’s body before.

Nott emerged from her cocoon of blankets under the coffee table and gave him a cursory once-over.

“Well…” she said eventually, “I’ll support you if this is how you want to dress from now. It’s very…flashy.”

“You. Look. Amazing!” Jester declared, running over to admire the outfit in closer detail. “Where did you get these?”

Molly grinned. “I have no idea,” he said. “That’s the best part, really.”

Caleb had his hands on his face now, to prevent anybody from making eye contact with him. “It was the most tame thing in Mollymauk’s closet,” he said dejectedly. “It was either this or a suit made of sequins, some sort of leather harness, lederhosen, or a vampire cloak.”

“Or paisley,” Molly added helpfully. “There was a lot of paisley.”

“Right,” Caleb mumbled. “That too.”

“I’m making this my new phone background,” Jester said, reaching for her cell. “I’m going to take photos and then print out copies and then staple them to every telephone pole in this city.”

“Please no,” Caleb protested weakly. “Just…no.”

“Let’s spare the poor man and just keep some blackmail images for ourselves, eh?” Molly suggested. “Some things are better kept private, after all.”

Jester laughed. “Okay, okay,” she said. “But I wasn’t kidding about the phone background part.”

Then Beau and Yasha emerged from the hallway as well. They were also dressed in baggy t-shirts, but their shorts were much more tame and definitely had come from Fjord. Strangely, their feet were soaked. As they approached, they both stopped in their tracks and stared at Caleb.

“You look like a pride parade threw up on your ass,” Beau said. “And then a cat shelter.”

“Do those belong to Mollymauk?” Yasha asked.

“Can we please just go to bed?” Caleb groaned. “Please? Lights off and nobody looking at my legs?”

Beau snorted. “If I know Molly, it’s not the legs he’s—”

She was cut off as Yasha pointedly nudged her with an elbow and shook her head. Beau pouted, but relented.

Molly gave a cough and glared at Beau. “Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I think maybe going to bed is a good idea. 2AM seems like the perfect time finally get some sleep, huh?”

“Amen to that,” Fjord called from the couch. “I’m not talking to any of you anymore, until I’ve had a full eight hours.”

Jester yawned and nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said. “Besides, I used a lot of magic today and I’m pretty tired.”

Molly waltzed over to the wall and shut the lights, letting a quiet blanket of darkness settle over the apartment.

“Good night, everyone,” he grinned. His eyes glimmered red in the gloom. “Sleep tight. And don’t let the goblins bite.”

“Fuck you,” Nott grumbled. Her voice was muffled by her pillow fortress.

And then, with that, the group finally settled in for well-deserved late-night—early-morning—rest.

•

Today 2:28 AM

Molly Tealeaf: well, what a mess eh, mister caleb? Molly Tealeaf: im so sorry the night didn’t turn out the way id hoped Molly Tealeaf: and im sorry we ended up having to fight two insane monsters Molly Tealeaf: if im being frank, it was a load of bullshite Molly Tealeaf: an quite a bit happened that I really could have done without Molly Tealeaf: including that magic nonsense you were going on about earlier Molly Tealeaf: but hey! Molly Tealeaf: i AM still happy you decided to come Molly Tealeaf: perhaps i’ll get to sing for you another time Molly Tealeaf: and nice moves! Molly Tealeaf: where’d you learn to cast spells like that? Molly Tealeaf: don’t worry, I know I won’t be getting an answer ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Molly Tealeaf: good night, sleep tight Molly Tealeaf: I hope my living room floor suffices!

 •

“Hey, asshole! Hey, hey, asshole, get up!”

Molly groaned loudly, shook his head, turned over, and awoke to see a mouth full of razor-sharp, crooked teeth hovering about four inches above his head.

It smelled like hot spit, and death.

As Molly took a moment to recover from the abject terror coursing through his body, Nott tapped her fingernails impatiently against her knee. Eventually, he rubbed his eyes and managed to sit up.

“What the fuck,” he asked groggily.

She pointed to the TV set. The rest of the group were already awake and gathered around the screen, peering intently at whatever was playing at the moment in the dim light of early-morning winter.

Molly followed their gazes. It was the morning news.

—a scene of carnage last night at the Moondrop & Fletching, where during the establishment’s 25th Anniversary Performance, a member of the audience transformed into a creature that immediately began attacking the other patrons. After a brief battle, it was subdued by the brave members of our city’s Crownsguard—

“Hey, that’s a lie!” Jester frowned, but was immediately shushed by the rest.

—of this morning, clerics have confirmed that the main suspect, owner Gustav Fletching, is innocent. The real culprit, identified by police as one of the performers, was captured at around 1:30AM not three blocks away, hiding in a Menagerie Merchant Company warehouse along the Eistus Marina. This individual reportedly masqueraded as a common lizard-man among the Moondrop’s other performers for two years, concealing his true identity as a Nergaliid. Better known as “devil toads,” Nergaliids are fiendish creatures originating from the wastelands of Xhorhas—

“What?” Molly shouted.

“Hang on, hang on, shut up,” Beau said.

—a common feeding pattern for these terrible monsters. Police are now working with monks of the Cobalt Soul to investigate if this was a singular event, or if it was in any way connected to the recent string of skirmishes along the Xhorhastian border. This is Cora Underbough, reporting for the Daily Crier from the King’s Hall. Stay tuned for more updates—

Nott lowered the volume and set the remote back down onto the coffee table.

“That’s why I woke you all up,” she said. “That, and I was starting to get bored.”

“Thank you,” Caleb said, rubbing his eyes. “Very…informative.”

“A what?” Molly repeated. “He was a what?”

“Nergaliid,” Beau said. “Open your ears.”

Molly shot her a half-hearted glare. “I heard what she said,” he muttered. “I was just…just expressing my shock.”

Yasha nodded slowly. “I admit…I did not realize what he was either. I always thought…I mean…he told us he was a lizard-man, and we believed him.”

“Are we sure that he really is a, a, a nerg-thing, though?” Jester asked. “What if it’s just the city looking for a goat to scrape?”

“A scapegoat?” Fjord asked.

“Yeah, that one.”

Beau shrugged. “It’s possible,” she said, “but to be completely honest, if the Cobalt Soul is involved, then it’s probably the truth. Those fuckers hate lying, even for the government. It goes against their beliefs, and stuff.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

Beau gave another shrug, this one more evasive. “Dunno for sure,” she said lightly. “I guess it’s one of those things I just sorta picked up. Through like…social osmosis.”

Caleb understandably did not seem convinced, but he dropped the subject.

Molly sighed. “I just…I just can’t believe any of that. I mean…it seems wrong, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it feel like—”

And then he paused, as a wave of, of…something suddenly washed over him. It felt like he was being engulfed by sensations, his vision blurring and his hearing fading. For a split second, his mind was flooded with an inundation of knowledge, of information, of foreign memories that told him: that’s it, that’s exactly it, how could you have missed it? The large stature, the ragged speech, the glowing eyes and thick scales and long tongue, the way he clung to living things and held Toya close, of course it was a Nergaliid, of course it was, how did you miss that—

He shook his head. He blinked a few times, and saw his friends staring back at him with extremely concerned expressions.

“Are you…alright?” Yasha asked.

Molly hesistated. He waited to see if any other intrusive thoughts would strike, and when none did, he gave her a faint smile.

“Of course I am, dear,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well,” Beau said, “maybe it’s ‘casue you just completely spaced out and you look like you’ve seen a ghost, and—”

And then, the door to Molly’s room opened.

A very small dwarven girl in a long white dress came out, rubbing her eyes and looking thoroughly bewildered.

She met the gazes of the group sitting in the living room. She saw Molly and Yasha, and her confusion grew.

“Um…” she said softly, voice breaking like gravel underfoot, “…um, where am I? What’s going on?”

Molly glanced over at Yasha. “What time is it?” he asked quietly.

She checked her phone. “Almost seven.”

Molly nodded. “Do you think you could shoot the whole gang a text? See what’s going on, maybe if we can get a meeting together? If the news is right then Gustav should be out by now. I feel like…I feel like we all need to have a chat.”

Then he turned towards Toya and gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll fill you in on everything, dear,” he said. “But first, maybe you’d like some breakfast?”

He nodded to the rest of the group. “You all, too. I make great blueberry pancakes.”

•

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