#I usually just don’t shave and excuse any possible rant

[caninekin-culture-is]

canine culture is feeling uncomfortable without body hair/shaving because, bro, that's my fur- 😐

!

[maddiwrites]

Beauty is Pain

Pairing: Mostly Platonic!Pogues, mentions of JJ Maybank x reader 

Summary: You and Kie try to wax your legs yourselves for the first time and accidentally get yourselves trapped in a sticky situation that gets you locked in your room with JJ and Pope while you listen to Sarah and John B fight outside your door. Routledge!Reader.

Note: I got this idea from a Friends episode. If you watched the show, you’ll know exactly which one I’m talking about. Mostly wrote this without the intention of doing a JJ x reader pairing but then I got an idea(: Hope y'all like it!

Word Count: 3.5k

Warning: Language, maybe angst?? 

For her birthday, Kie was gifted a hard waxing kit. At first you thought it was odd, a Kook like her was better off going to a professional to get evenly waxed brows or a perfectly clear bikini line. But when she asked you to try it out with her, you were intrigued. 

You invited her over to your messy home everyone calls the Chateau. Your brother had a date with his Kook girlfriend, Sarah Cameron, which meant you had the house all to yourself. Even though it was just Kie, your best friend of four years, you decided to clean up the place before she got there. Your house was littered in empty beer cans and ends of JJ’s rolled blunts. You noticed John B was drinking more, smoking JJ’s weed, and even sleeping in later than usual. He’s called out of work two times in the past two weeks, and if he does manage to a say hello to you, it’s a grumbled mumble of words you can barely understand. You chopped it up to him just being moody, but there was also a small part of you that wondered if something serious was going on you didn’t know about.

You tried questioning your friends about it. Kie said she had no clue but noticed his change of attitude too. Pope would get nervous when you brought up John B’s name and claimed he didn’t know what you were talking about. Before you could question him further, his dad whisked him away to clean up the store and run a couple of last minute groceries. JJ, your boyfriend, tried to tell you it was probably nothing, but he wouldn’t make eye contact with you when he talked. He busied himself with rolling another blunt or folding the tossed laundry on your bedroom floor. When you called him out on it, he got snippy and frustrated, which just led you to drop the topic because you didn’t feel like dealing with a second moody teenager. 

Kie showed up right when she said she would with the boxed waxing kit in her hand. You raised one brow up at it as you tossed the filled trash bag out the door. 

“This it?” You said.

“Yes. You haven’t shaved your legs in a while, right?”

“Yeah. It’s been two weeks like you said. JJ says my legs are looking hairier than his. He’ll barely even touch them. One time he called them monkey legs.”

Kie rolled her eyes. “Boys are such hypocrites. If they had to do half the stuff we did, they wouldn’t be complaining at all. They shouldn’t even get to complain about what women decide to do with their bodies.”

Kie continued ranting about how pain is beauty and men will never understand it unless they lived in a woman’s body for a whole month, including the week a woman’s period started, as she set up the kit. 

You worked in your room because there was more space for both of you to try your best to be comfortable. Kie plugged in the warmer on your nightstand and mixed the pink wax pellets with a flat wooden stick until it turned to a warm goo. 

“Okay,” Kie sat up against your bed’s headboard and patted her thigh to motion for you to give her your leg. “You’re up.”

“Why do I have to be first?” You asked.

You’ve never waxed your legs before. Only your brows and sometimes bikini line and even then, you usually just pluck and shave. Getting your hair professionally waxed was expensive and you tried to prioritize your purchases as much as possible to stabilize the life you and John B still had.

Kie sighed. “Fine, we’ll do it together. Let me just put the wax on you.”

You gave Kie your left leg and she slathered the warm wax up the left side of your shin. You watched as she did the same to her own leg and grimaced nervously when you felt the wax hardening against your skin. 

“Ready?” She asked with a teasing smirk.

“On the count of three?”

Kie nodded. “One.”

“Two.” “Three.”

At exactly three, Kie pulled the long waxing strip from your leg and you did the same with hers. A searing hot pain ran up you leg as Kie ripped the wax off, making you bite down a scream. 

“Fuck!” Kie screamed up into the ceiling. You looked down at both your legs. There was a thick line of red from where the wax was. “That shit hurts.”

“Let’s try it again,” You suggested. “Maybe we’ll get use to it if we keep doing it.”

Kie nodded. “Okay. Yeah, let’s try again.”

This time, Kie slid two long strips on both your left and right leg. The warm wax felt soothing. You almost wished you didn’t have to rip it off in the first place. 

“On three?” You said.

Kie nodded.

On three, you each ripped one strip off your own legs. You cursed against gritted teeth from the pain. You were wrong about getting used to it. You didn’t think you would ever be able to tolerate this pain. 

“What the hell? This has never hurt this bad.” Kie said.

“I think whoever gave this to you secretly hates you,” You said to her.

Kie sighed and looked down at the hardening wax still left on your legs. “Well, we have to finish. We’ll just rip them all off really fast.”

“Okay.”

You ripped three out of the four strips that were left at rocket speed, but they all hurt exactly the same. It felt like you were ripping more than just the hair off your leg. You wouldn’t be surprised if you looked down and saw half the layers of your skin ripped off. 

You blinked back the tears at the exact same time Pope and JJ busted into your room looking around frantically. JJ was holding a baseball bat and Pope a pan you just washed and placed on the drying wrack an hour ago. 

“What’s wrong?” Pope yelled.

“What the hell is going on?” JJ narrowed his eyes at you, surprised he wasn’t looking at you being attacked by an intruder or covered in cuts and bruises. When he first heard you screaming when he and Pope walked into your house, his heart raced a million beats per minutes. His mind wandered to all the different things that could have happened to you. He swore he was going to make you lock your door every day and night now. 

But here you were, safe and sound and laying in bed with Kie. Although he could see your labored breathing and clouded eyes, he knew you weren’t in any imminent trouble. His eyes traced from your face down to your legs where a pink strip of wax was still waiting to be pulled off. 

“We’re fine. We’re just waxing our legs.” Kie said.

“What are you doing here?” You asked your boyfriend.

“Pope said Kie was here so we came to hang with you,” JJ said absentmindedly. “I thought you were being murdered.”

“It sure felt like it,” You rolled your eyes, but your heart fluttered from JJ’s protective side.

JJ scoffed. “It can’t hurt that bad.”

Kie tutted her head forward. “Oh yeah? Come here.”

“What? No.”

Kie ignored him and grabbed his arm from across your body and slapped on another slab of wax. JJ hissed from the heat then visibly relaxed.

“Y/N, wanna do the honors?” Kie smirked at you.

You glared at her. “I’m not volunteering to hurt my boyfriend.”

Kie scoffed at you. “What did he call your legs again?”

You clenched your teeth together and nodded once. Kie made her point, and you remembered everything she said about how men will never understand the pain women go through to please not only themselves, but their lovers too. 

“Oh, yeah,” You said within a split second and ripped the wax off JJ’s arms. He flinched away from you, rearing his arm back far away from your reach. His mouth was opened in an ‘O’ shape and his brows pinched together. “Monkey legs.” You smirked at him.

“Fuck,” JJ shook out his arm as if you physically lit it on fire. 

“It can’t hurt that bad, right, JJ?” Kie mocked him.

Pope laughed at his blonde friend and shook his head. “Stupid.”

“Y/N, you have one left.”

“Shut up, I know,” You rolled your shoulders back like you were getting ready to run a marathon. 

“Want me to do it for you?” You nodded. JJ came up next to you and offered his hand for you to squeeze. “Okay. On three. One, two -” Before Kie even said the word three, she ripped the wax off. You closed your eyes and squeezed JJ’s hand hard, until his knuckles rolled in your closed fingers. 

“Shit, baby,” JJ crouched next to you awkwardly, trying to mend his fingers back together.

“Sorry,” You huffed. You weren’t that sorry. He called you monkey legs.

You heard the screen door open and close. Figuring it was just John B back from his date, you relaxed against your headboard again and made a promise to yourself to never wax your legs again. Beauty wasn’t worth this pain. You’d rather be monkey legs than go through that again.

Or just simply shave. 

“ - And that’s supposed to make this all okay?” Your eyes opened when you heard, not JB, but Sarah Cameron screaming right outside your room. Pope quickly closed your bedroom door as quietly as possible and held up his finger to you and Kie to be quiet. “That’s your excuse?”

Your brows pinched together in confusion and you looked at your boyfriend for some kind of answer. This was the first time you ever heard Sarah raise her voice at your brother. As far as you knew, the couple never fought.

JJ was looking down at the ground and avoiding your stare. His hands were wracked through his blonde strands and resting on the top of his head. He and Pope didn’t look as surprised as you and Kie.

“What the hell is going on?” Kie asked in a hushed whisper.

“I - I was scared. I’ve never done this before -” John B stuttered.

“Here’s some advice. Rule number one. Don’t cheat!” Sarah yelled. You swore you could hear the pain behind her voice.

You gasped in surprise and snapped your head in JJ’s direction. He wouldn’t look at you, which mean he knew about this long before you did. You put the pieces together. No wonder John B has been acting miserable. Who knows how long he’s been holding onto this. 

Well...apparently JJ and Pope know.

“What the hell...” Kie sits up straighter. “Is she serious?”

“Did you know?” You asked your boyfriend. This time he did look at you. And he looked guilty as hell.

Your eyes snapped back to the door when John B yelled back at her. “That’s gold coming from you. Did Topper use that same line when you got together with me?”

You physically cringed at the mention of Topper’s name. It may have been a low blow, but John B had a point. 

“Shit,” Kie cursed and sped walked towards the door.

You followed in her footsteps and pressed your ear against the door. One thing was for sure, you couldn’t leave your room now. You couldn’t walk in on that. But at least you could be nosy and eavesdrop.

“That’s not fair. I didn’t love him. I loved you. I left Topper for you!”

“You cheated on him.”

“Because I loved you, John B! You cheated on me because you were scared because...why? Because I’m a Kook? I’ve always been a Kook and you’ve never had a problem with that! Not until now!”

You and Kie crouched on the floor so JJ and Pope could hover over you and listen. It sounded like John B cheated on Sarah a couple weeks ago with a Pogue from your school because he got scared of his feelings for Sarah. Rafe got in your brother’s head, telling him how he will never be enough to care for Sarah when she’s no longer reliant on her father’s money. He became insecure and looked to someone who wouldn’t ever think of him like that - someone who would understand him.

John B was in the wrong and your heart cracked for the couple you once swore was going to be the first to get married out of your group of friends. Although you and Sarah had a rocky start, she quickly became the sister you never had. You got along just as much as you and Kie did. Sometimes John B would find it annoying when Sarah would come over to hang out with you instead of him, but the other part of him loved that the two most important people in his life were as close as he was with JJ. You couldn’t imagine him with anyone else. Not even another Pogue. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Sarah asked. She sounded broken and her voice cracked with exhaustion. You wanted to walk out of the room and hug her tightly while yelling at John B for being an absolute idiot. 

You heard John B sigh. “I was going to. I regretted it the second it was over and I was afraid to tell you because I didn’t want you to leave me over some stupid mistake. JJ and Pope said -”

“JJ and Pope knew about this?”

You and Kie looked up at your boyfriends with the deadliest glare either of them have seen out of both you. JJ took a step back and held his hands up in surrender as if you were holding a loaded gun to his head. 

“I can explain -” JJ said quickly as Pope’s mouth moved silently to come up with an excuse.

“I didn’t know what to do! They said telling you would only hurt you -” John B weakly tried to explain.

“Of course it would fucking hurt me! You’ve been lying to me for weeks. You had sex with another girl!” 

You heard something shatter before a deafening silence. You waited for John B to say something, praying he was smart enough to say anything that could salvage what little of a relationship he had left.

You didn’t want to make this about you, but you wondered how many times JJ didn’t tell you something because it would hurt you. You wondered if he did anything just as detrimental to your relationship and didn’t tell you because he was afraid you would break up with him.

John B and Sarah continued to fight for another hour. You wondered if John B was worried about where you might be. If you go somewhere without telling John B, you usually text him later in the day to tell him where you are. It’s something both of you started doing ever since your father disappeared. So that if something were to happen, you would know where to look first.

You thought about jumping out your window, but your window frame was rusty. Even if you moved the window up a little bit, the wood would grind against each other, and your cover would be blown. You were getting hungry and JJ was getting antsy, probably afraid that John B would say something more to push him in the dog house. You’ve barely looked at him since John B threw him under the bus.

“Baby...” JJ said quietly to try to get your attention. “Come on, baby, let me explain.”

You glared at him and continued braiding Kie’s hair with your back to the door. 

“We had good intentions,” Pope tried to save his own ass but Kie’s look mirrored yours. “We just didn’t want them to break up.”

“Shut up, Pope,” You said for Kie. 

“We were wrong,” JJ said, making you advert your attention from Pope to your boyfriend. “I was wrong. It was my idea for John B not to tell Sarah. But the more time I spent with you, I knew I’d never be able to do that to you. It would eat at me inside, and that’s exactly what it was doing to JB. So yesterday I told him he had to tell her. Or else he would hate himself for the rest of his life if he didn’t.” Your eyes soften under his ocean blue ones and your hands fell from Kie’s hair. “I know I would.”

The corner of your lip twitched up into a lopsided grin, and just like that, you were entranced by the blonde Pogue all over again. JJ had his way with words. It’s gotten him both into certain situations and out of other bad ones. But you knew JJ like the back of your hand. You knew when he was lying. He wouldn’t look at you and if you questioned him on it he would get angry. Looking at JJ, you knew he was telling the truth. 

“Yeah, what he said.” Pope said, pointing at your boyfriend.

You and Kie rolled your eyes playfully. Pope, on the other hand, wasn’t so great with his words. That’s why it took so long for him to score Kie as his girlfriend. 

“Where are you going?” You heard John B yell. He sounded defeated.

“I can’t be here. I need...I need space.”

“Sarah...”

“Please. I just need time to think. Okay?”

Your front door slammed shut and you held your breath, waiting for John B to run after her or break more shit in your living room. But nothing like that ever came. Instead, you listened to John B cry to himself probably somewhere on the couch. 

And just like that, you didn’t care about being caught. You didn’t care if he screamed in your face for eavesdropping or calling you nosy and inconsiderate. Your brother needed you, and in that moment, it didn’t matter to you that he was the one in the wrong. At the end of the day, he was your brother. Your blood. Your family. And you’re the one who will always be his rock. 

Kie stood up with you and watched wearily as you showed yourself to your brother. John B looked up with wide eyes, surprised to see not only you but the rest of the Pogues hidden away in your room. 

He wanted to be mad, but he didn’t have the energy to be. Instead, he cried harder because he hated that you of all people knew what he did and that he was now being weak by crying about it in your living room. He wanted to be the role model you could always look up to, especially now that your dad was gone. And he thought he failed at it. 

John B was pleasantly surprised when he felt a pair of gentle arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him into a side hug as you sat on the couch next to him. Kie sat on the coffee table in front of you and rubbed John B’s knee comfortingly. Pope and JJ knew the girls were better equipped to handle John B’s emotions, so they busied themselves in the kitchen, grabbing a couple beers and pretzels and setting them down on the table next to Kie. 

Even though John B cheated and created a big mess in not only his life, but the rest of yours too, you were family. You would never leave him on his darkest day and play the blame game. You’ll help him get control. You’ll help him fix it. You’ll help him live his life to the fullest. And that’s what John B loved about you. You never turned your back on him, even when he deserved it.

The five of you spent the rest of the night drinking beer, ordering pizza, and watching comedy movies to get him to forget. Later in the night, you and Kie left to comfort Sarah. You admitted that you two heard the whole thing and would support her with whatever she chose to do about her relationship. You and Kie slept over her house and discussed the pros and cons of her staying with John B. You ate popcorn and applied face masks while Keeping Up With The Kardashians played in the background. 

“You know, Kie’s waxing kit is still at my house,” A mischievous smirk pulled at your lips. “We could cause a lot of damage while he sleeps.”

Kie encouraged the idea and Sarah laughed, feeling grateful that the two of you would even come to see her when you both had loyalties to John B. She really did love you guys and would be devastated if her relationship with John B drove you guys apart. 

In the end, Sarah ended up taking John B back. It took a while for them to get their relationship back to the way it was, but they loved each other enough to salvage it. John B worked his ass off to prove how much he loved her and Sarah appreciated every second of it.

And as for you and JJ...well you made sure to give him one really good reason as to why he should never cheat on you (;

[crumburoo]

It came in 3 unassuming moments in his life. If asked, Pro hero Ground Zero will deny the possibility of a guardian angel until his dying breath, but the 3 letters he so carefully stored away in a shoebox inside his cabinet beg to differ.

The first letter he received was way back in middle school. It came the morning their homeroom teacher was due to discuss their selection for high school choices. Katsuki woke up as usual, had breakfast with his dad and his usual screaming match with his mom. After his bath, he went upstairs to prepare for the day. There, sitting unassuming in his desk, was a letter addressed to him. A girl did give him a letter yesterday. Probably another confession letter, he thought smugly, but then he remembered that he exploded that thing yesterday, causing the girl to cry and run away from him. Curiosity now piqued, he opens the letter and on it were written the words "Don't be an ass. Don't let them tell him that he can't make it."

"The fuck!?" was Katsuki's first thought, but he was quickly taken out of it when his mom yelled for him to hurry up, otherwise he will be late. Tossing the letter inside his drawer, he quickly gets himself ready for school. "That shit can wait" he mutters to himself.

In school and to no one's surprise, Izuku raises his hand and says he plans on applying to UA as well. Immediately, his classmates start snickering and makes fun of the "quirkless wonder." Katsuki used to bully Izuku in the past, and still does on occasion, but him taunting Izuku has since lost it's appeal. He doesn't start them anymore, but when prompted, he always gives out a little insult here and there.

Izuku stammers and nearly shakes, but he doesn't back down even when his homeroom teacher tells him to select a more "realistic" school of choice. It was then that Katsuki remembered the mysterious letter he received that morning. "Don't be an ass" the words kept repeating itself in his head.

-- "atsuki, what do you think!?" One of his classmates bumps his shoulder, likely trying to get him to make fun of Izuku. Izuku, who was crying silently but hasn't made a move to concede his dream of going to U.A. Izuku, who used to be his childhood bestfriend. Izuku, who was since diagnosed quirkless and has since been the subject of ridicule at his school.

In a strange mix of pity and reluctant awe, Katsuki opened his mouth and said "Tsk, leave the loser alone. If he wants to get killed that badly, then let him apply for U.A. As if he'll get in anyway." Izuku looks at him slackjawed, but as an impromptu leader within the classroom, all of his classmates decide to drop the subject.

After school, Katsuki goes straight home and takes a nap. When dinner time came, his mom casually mentions that she and her friend, Midoriya Inko will meet tomorrow night for some spa date. Katsuki just dismisses his mom's rant, but then Mitsuki casually says " Oi brat, Izu-chan called too, says he wants to say thank you. I didn't wake you up cause I know you'll be pissy. The hell did you do?"

"I didn't do shit, old hag! He said thank you to me, why are you assuming I did something wrong!?"

"Because you're you" is his mom's retort. After dinner, Katsuki locks himself in his room and thought back on Izuku's phone call, getting a weird sense of accomplishment all the while.

The second letter came during his 2nd year as a high school student. Katsuki and Izuku both got into U.A. It was a surprise to everyone when Izuku somehow passed the entrance exam. Still quirkless, Izuku did poorly on the physical part of the exam, but aced the written part, barely scraping enough points to get into the hero support courses. Katsuki and Izuku have since developed a tentative sort of understanding regarding their "friendship." If asked, yes they knew each other, but other than that, they never sought each other out. It was a weird thing, being apathetic to the existance of your once childhood bestfriend, but Katsuki and Izuku make it work. Even though Katsuki hears Izuku's name in passing, he never seeks out the nerd.

At U.A., Izuku's penchant for anything hero-related was considered endearing and not a total nerd-alert, so much so that Izuku has grown comfortable in his own skin. Before long, he started having friends of his own. Izuku has long since accepted the fact that he has no quirk, but still wants to do work in the pro hero circuit, so he decided to enroll in the hero support program at U.A.

During their second year, Katsuki's homeroom teacher mentioned that in preparation for their future pro hero careers, they need to get acquinted with other works related to their chosen field, which means that tomorrow, they will be working with the hero support students to work on possible support items they can use.

Katsuki trudges to his room at Heights Alliance and decides to do his homework before hitting the gym. There, stuck between his math and hero history notebooks, was a letter with his name on it. Immediately remembering the note he got in middle school, Katsuki hurriedly opens the letter and reads it. It was a lot longer than the first, with notes on always being careful and not being complacent about his own goals. What caught his attention though, was the footnote. Written in red ink were the words "it's okay to be confused at times. You're still young, so you got time to figure it out."

Katsuki hurriedly calls his homeroom teacher and asks permission to leave the dorm and go home for the weekend. Aizawa doesn't see any harm in it, and quickly agrees (if only to get Katsuki off the phone).

Morning comes and Katsuki is bored out of his skull. When Aizawa-sensei faced the class and started introducing the support course students, Katsuki was casually listening but felt himself bummed when Izuku wasn't with the class. Perhaps he was doing this shit with class 2-B, Katsuki wasn't sure. "Well, I can just make fun of Deku's scrawny little ass next time", Katsuki thinks. Aizawa then starts assigning their class with their support course partners, when a mop of hair pops inside their classroom and asks if this is the 2-A class. Katsuki looks up just in time to see Aizawa use his capture weapon to shush the mumbling support course student who was spouting excuses as to why he was late. Aizawa then releases his capture weapon and loudly exclaims "and just for that, you will be assigned to my problem child. Row 4 aisle 3, you'll be working with Bakugou Katsuki."

This is it, Katsuki thought to himself. He's screwed. As Aizawa lowers his capture weapon, Katsuki is immediately assaulted by Izuku's blushing face, likely embarrased from being called out by a pro hero for his clumsiness. What he was not prepared for, was the sight of his childhood friend. No longer a scrawny kid, Izuku has hit a growth spurt and has since learned to do basic toning exercises by the looks of it. Somehow, he's also developed a sense of style cause his hair is no longer an unruly mess of green hair, but it was shaved a bit at the edges and is parted, accentuating his dimples and the freckles on his cheeks.

Izuku hesitantly walks up to him and gives him a tentative smile. "H..hi Kacchan" Izuku stammers. Katsuki was not prepared for Izuku's smile. Not wanting to show his internal freakout, Katsuki says "you got tall, but I'm still taller, nerd" and then Izuku full on laughs at him. It was then that Katsuki realized that Izuku's laugh maybe has a nice ring to it. It was literal years since he heard that laugh, and he was not assaulted with good childhood memories. Nope, not at all.

The thing was, Katsuki has since come to terms with his sexuality. Sure, he dated men and women before, but he somehow leaned more on the masculine side when choosing his dates, and he is starting to realize that his once scrawny childhood bestfriend's smile makes him feel prickly but in a good kind of way.

Katsuki was brought out of his musings when Aizawa began to drone off on what they should do for the next hour of class before zipping himself up in his sleeping bag. Izuku then picks up Aizawa's queue and starts asking Katsuki questions about his quirk. It was then that Katsuki started to notice the little things, like how Izuku's drawings and note taking have gotten more meticulous over time. How his line of questioning about the intricacies of his quirk were more profound. No longer was Izuku always rambling about how cool and powerful his quirk is, he's now able to spout information on how he thinks Katsuki's present hero costume can be altered, so that he can get rid of his bulky gauntlets while still maintaining the same level of firepower he always had. Katsuki was left with nothing, but to answer the questions thrown his way. Before he knew it, the one hour mark was up, and Aizawa-sensei was emerging from his sleeping bag on the floor.

"Uhm, thanks for not exploding me there Kacchan" Izuku rambles. Wide-eyed at how the (not) nerd looks, Katsuki just grunts and says "whatever." Izuku takes it as some sort of sign and just smiles and says "So I'll need your number so we can meet up next week." That got Katsuki's mind reeling and immediately tries to think of reasons why Izuku of all people will ask for his number. He's taken out of his internal monologue when Izuku says "Oh wait, it's probably better if I email you using your school email handle, atleast I can send you progress reports on your costume upgrades. Well, I'll talk to you next week. See ya!"

With that, Izuku and his entire class all bow their heads and Aizawa sheperds them outside the classroom, probably to talk to them for a bit.

After class ends, Katsuki decides to forgo his training and holes up in his dorm room, just staring at the anonymous letter in his grasp. He's kinda screwed. He knows, but he grins despite himself. He's looking forward to the weekend, when he can keep the second letter he received together with the first.

The third letter came that morning. Fast forward 7 years, with lots of problems, misunderstandings, and a whole lot of crying (on Izuku's part, Katsuki swears), he and Izuku have managed to repair their ruined friendship and has since learned to exist together in the same room and even work together on occasion. Katsuki graduated as one of the Big 3 at U.A. and Izuku was scouted by a support company during his third year internship, and has since been working with a reputable support item company right after graduation.

Katsuki has come to terms with the idea that yes, his longing for his childhood bestfriend was not as platonic as he used to think (I'm just making up for lost time), but rather because he may or may not have developed romantic feelings for the (not) nerd. After finding out from class 3-A that Katsuki was bi, Izuku has been smiling at him more, and has even invited him out several times, always in the guise of "Kacchan, I want to discuss some possible costume upgrades, are you free?" And if they just so happen to meet up at some chic coffee shop or a cute cake shop, then it is what it is.

7 years into their tentative "friendship", Katsuki was hit with the realization that he really likes Izuku, and wants to ask him to be his boyfriend. So last week, he casually invited Izuku to their favorite izakaya that's situated in between his hero agency and Izuku's company. After arriving at his apartment to prepare for his "not date", he notices a letter in his mailbox. Seeing the same envelope and lettering, he quickly runs inside his room and opens his cabinet. Underneath his spare boots, he takes out the shoebox containing the first 2 letters he got. All the same envelope, same handwriting, and Katsuki has yet to figure out who sends these to him. Not wanting to jinx it, Katsuki sits on his bed and opens the new letter. The only words written inside was today's date, the restaurant he was supposed to meet Izuku in, and the words "Go to the other place" in bold black letters. Katsuki snickers and calls Izuku and tells him to meet him at that restaurant that serves Katsudon instead.

Later that night, while Izuku snuggles with Katsuki on his couch, Izuku jumps up and says "Oh yeah Kacchan, I forgot to tell you, but that izakaya we were supposed to go to got attacked by a villain earlier! Good thing Red Riot and Uravity were on patrol so they got everything under control! Can we drop by tomorrow? Check things out" Katsuki just snuggles into Izuku more. "Sure nerd, whatever you want."

-- end

PS: Now if only I can work out some details as to who is Katsuki's mysterious letter sender. A Katsuki from an alternate universe? Katsuki from the future sending his past self some dating tips? I'll leave it to your imagination 💚🧡

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #169

VM 3x08 Lord of the Pi’s

Stray thoughts

1)   If you ever wondered what crossover fanfiction would look like if actually made a reality, this is it. This episode is basically Rob Thomas’ dream of making the universe of VM collide with The Big Lebowski’s. Fanwank doesn’t usually result in masterpieces, and this is no exception. The episode is lackluster at best, and after you’ve found all TBL references you end up realizing it lacks substance. The best parts of it are the LoVe scenes, and not in the good kind of way but in the why-does-this-hurt-so-much-I-want-to-die kind of way. 

Now, this isn’t to say that I wouldn’t love to see some sort of creation in any media where The Dude and Veronica meet and work a case together (because, let’s face it, among other things, TBL is a mystery and The Dude is a reluctant detective but a detective nonetheless.)

2)    I present thee the reason this episode is Kristen Bell’s favorite…

Yes, you’ve read it right. Kristen loves this episode because she finds the fact Chip was sexually assaulted freaking hilarious. I guess she doesn’t think it’s abuse if you get an egg shoved up your anus. Or if you’re a man. You make what you will of this information.

3)   So… after nearly getting raped and being rescued but Logan, Veronica is still dodging his calls? Of course, she is, she’s Veronica. Never mind.

4)   And then “the talk”...

LOGAN: We need to have a talk, a serious one. VERONICA: Yeah, I got that from your messages. That-it's why I haven't called. I haven't had time to have a talk. LOGAN: Well, then I'll make it quick. I want you to stay away from the rape case. Okay? Just let it go. And it's clear the rapist knows who you are. VERONICA: He doesn't know about the hair, just about the getting dosed part. LOGAN: Well, maybe he should be in the loop on this one. VERONICA: Don't you dare. LOGAN: Fine. Just stop digging around. Okay? No more looking into the serial rapes. No more putting your nose where it doesn't belong. VERONICA: My nose kind of belongs wherever I decide to put it. LOGAN: I'm worried about you. Okay? I want you to stop now. I'm not kidding. VERONICA: Kind of a one-eighty, isn't it? Can we rewind a week? Cue it up to the part where you were asking me to exonerate your Mexican vacation buddy, Mercer. LOGAN: That was before you were attacked. Why can't you for once just leave things alone? VERONICA: Okay, now you're starting to piss me off. LOGAN: Frankly, Veronica, so what?! You're not invincible, and you're not always right! KEITH: Hey! You might want to stop yelling at my daughter. LOGAN: Yeah? You might want to start.

A lot happens in this very short scene, and first of all, let me say that I’m on Logan’s side. He may have gone about it all wrong, but his heart was in the right place. And see, communication wasn’t his forte, but he was trying. He kept calling Veronica to talk about what had happened, and she wasn’t answering his calls. Let’s put this in perspective, shall we? Just a couple of days ago (I can’t imagine more time than that had gone by because there’s no way Veronica could’ve have avoided him for more than a few days...) Veronica wasn’t answering his calls, and he had found her drugged and passed out with her hair shaved. And now, she wasn’t pickin up AGAIN. So I get why the guy was a little jumpy and on edge, okay? Even if she wasn’t ready to have a conversation, she could have at least told him she was okay. 

I don’t get how Keith wouldn’t know about the hair? So, Logan found Veronica at the garage and either took her home or to the ER room - more likely the latter. There, Veronica must have been examined and Logan questioned about how he found her, isn’t that the regular procedure? He must’ve told the doctors about the hair. And even if he didn’t, they probably noticed. And then the doctors probably informed Keith? Wouldn’t they? And even if they didn’t, and even if Logan kept his mouth shut for reasons (he didn’t want to worry Keith any further?), Keith took care of Veronica while she was getting better, so like, how is it possible that he didn’t know about/see her hair? 

Anywho, that’s just something that kind of bugs me. What’s more important, though, is the fact that Logan quite wisely points out that Keith should be in the loop about his daughter being targeted by the serial rapist. Damn straight he should. Of course, Veronica then not-so-subtly threatens Logan and he acquiesces on the condition that she stops investigating the case that put her in danger.

As a general rule, I agree with Veronica’s statement that her nose belongs wherever she decides to put it. Except in this case, Veronica is acting like a spoiled child. She’s choosing to rebel against someone telling her what to do for her own safety instead of choosing, you know, her own safety! That is monumentally stupid if you ask me. Choose your battles, my sweet child. Be your own person as long as it doesn’t put you in danger, you know? 

Logan’s cry of worry was valid and, more importantly, well-founded. Of course, he wasn’t about to win an argument against Veronica, even if he was kind of right. Veronica is using the fact that he had asked her to help Mercer against him, but she’s wrong. Even if it seems she’s making a good point, it’s troll logic. You see, she’s asking him: “oh you wanted to get involved in the case when your buddy was in a jam but now you’re worried?” Well, of course he is! Before she was targeted, there really wasn’t any reason for any of them to be worried about Veronica’s safety. And it wasn’t as if she wasn’t in the case before he asked her to clear Mercer. Now he has a pretty good reason to be worried about her. And she should be worried, too. 

And even though I’m not a fan of yelling and shouting your arguments (I believe that if you shout, your good points get lost amidst the shouting. Even if you’re right, you won’t get your message across because people will only hear your yelling instead of your arguments.) I do applaud Logan for finally dumping a truth bomb: Veronica is not invincible, and SHE IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT. She likes to think she is always right, but that’s hardly the case. And more often than not, she lets her instincts guide her actions before finding out if she is actually right, and ends up hurting people.  

Like I explained above, all Keith hears is Logan yelling and not the actual words he was saying. 

5)   

VERONICA: Dad, please, it's okay. He's just worried about me. KEITH: Does he have a reason to be? VERONICA: The Hearst rapist has everyone on edge. KEITH: Well, you take care of yourself. I'm always a phone call away. VERONICA: I know you are. Ciao, Papa.

 YES, HE DOES HAVE A REASON TO BE WORRIED! WHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS YELLING AT YOUR DAUGHTER? FOR FUN? 

And listen, I love Keith to death and I truly think he’s the best father in television history. He always put Veronica’s wants and needs first - almost to a fault. He valued Veronica’s opinion and he respected her decisions, but the thing is, she was still a kid, and she wasn’t always right. And yet, she had him wrapped around her finger, and she knew it. Veronica truly knew how to play her father. I’m not saying she did it on purpose, I think she wasn’t aware she was manipulating him most of the times, but that doesn’t change the fact that she did, in fact, manipulate him A LOT. Take this scene for example. Logan was literally begging Veronica to stop investigating the case because she got in danger and he was yelling about how she wasn’t invincible. Instead of becoming worried, Keith asks Veronica if he should be. That was his first mistake. And then, Veronica doesn’t really answer his question (I could go on a long rant about conversational implicatures but that’s neither here nor there.) She doesn’t say “No, dad, you shouldn’t be.” She offers him a sort of explanation for Logan’s behavior and lets him fill in the blanks about whether he should be worried or not. Don’t you know your daughter, Keith? Can’t you infer the reason she was drugged was because she was walking into the lion’s den by investigating the serial rapist case? Like, what did Keith think had happened? What was the reason he thought Veronica was drugged? Why is he so chill about this?

6)   The first time I watched this episode I had no idea who the actress who played Selma Hearst Rose was and why it was relevant that she was playing that character. In case you’re still in the dark, as I was back then, I’ll break it down for you. 

This billionaire heiress became famous in 1974 when the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped her in Berkeley, California. She eventually joined her captors in a series of bank robberies and, after being captured, claimed she was brainwashed and/or intimidated into committing the robberies. Nevertheless, she was jailed for almost two years until being released and later receiving a Presidential pardon for her role in the crimes. Patty Hearst, who now acts for fun and not to save her life, plays Selma Hearst Rose, a rich heiress whose mysterious disappearance suggests a kidnapping. The similarities are eerie. And deliberate, according to Veronica Marscreator Rob Thomas. (marsinvestigations.net)

7)   It’s nice to see Lamb has preconceptions about people from all walks of life. He’s an equal-opportunity bigot if it means it will get him out of actually doing his job.

LAMB: Foul play. You think? What makes you say so? DEAN O'DELL: An extremely wealthy woman disappears in the middle of a reception held in her honour. Don't you find that, I don't know, odd? LAMB: Well, I mean, there's "odd" and there's "foul play." Rich ladies aren't the most reliable creatures. DEAN O'DELL: Of course, she must have remembered her tennis lesson. How silly of her to forget. I don't suppose there's someone I can speak with who would take this seriously. LAMB: Dollars to doughnuts, you'll find her sobbing into a mojito at the club because she lost an earring. DEAN O'DELL: Well, you'd be the doughnut expert. Excuse me.

 8)   They were really trying to make the campus extra creepy. 

 No lighting? Mist? Desolation? Why would ANY girl, let alone Veronica of all people, walk alone at night there?

9) BUFFY REFERENCE!!!

VERONICA: Hey, Fern. What up, girl? FERN: What do you want, Buffy...Tiffany...whatever your name is?

10) And how awesome is it that Veronica impersonates Martina Vázquez and makes Lamb look like the incompetent asshole that he is? And that she doesn’t even pretend not to be making a fool out of him when Keith blows up her cover… 

VERONICA: Well, thank you, Sheriff, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We've learned that Selma Rose received a phone call before she went missing. Have you learned who the call was from yet? LAMB: Actually, Martina, we checked that out, and it was false information. There was no record of an incoming call that night. VERONICA: You are sure? LAMB: Yeah, if you'd like, I can keep you in the loop with this sort of stuff. KEITH: Hello? VERONICA: Dad, I'm on the phone. KEITH: Oh, sorry, honey! Let me know when you're off. VERONICA: Sheriff...you were saying you'd be able to keep me in the loop?

Lamb knows Veronica has outsmarted him yet again… 

11) Listening to Veronica making assault jokes at the expense of the assault victim is really disheartening, okay? I can’t ever get behind this writing choice.

12) This shit was scary, though.

13) This scene was super fun.

Can you blame Veronica, though? She was so excited she got to do some old-fashioned sleuthing/breaking-and-entering with her dad a.k.a. her hero.

14) 

KEITH: This is my daughter, Veronica. She works with me...occasionally. VERONICA: Ryan. Tatum. When he gets in a jam, I make with the cute.

15) 

SELMA: Have you ever been a walking punch line, Mr. Mars? I mean, on a national scale?

16) This scene, though! Such a rollercoaster and it all happens in what? A minute?

17) 

MOUNTAIN MAN: It's okay, Veronica. It's okay. I'm here to help. VERONICA: What the hell is going on?! MOUNTAIN MAN: Just calm down, all right? Mr. Echolls has been concerned about your safety. I've been hired to keep an eye on you.

(mountain man lol!) Questionable decision? Yes. But I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. And it’s not like he was wrong. Mountain Man had to rescue Veronica from a dangerous situation. But more on this in a bit.

18) 

VERONICA: I have spent the last few days being terrified that I had some whacked-out rapist following me!

AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ANYONE! YOU’RE SCARED AND JUMPY AND WORRIED AND YOU HAVE REASON TO BE YET YOU REFUSE TO DROP THE CASE AND YOU HIDE ALL OF THIS FROM YOUR FATHER AND YOU GET MAD AT YOUR BOYFRIEND BECAUSE HE’S WORRIED ABOUT YOU AND IS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!

(if Keith won’t yell at Veronica, then I will hahaha!)

19) 

VERONICA: So you pay someone to tail me? LOGAN: No, so I asked you to stop putting yourself in danger, and you told me to piss off. Then I hired someone to protect you. VERONICA: You had no right to do that. LOGAN: Look, that's probably true...okay? It's just I don't care. VERONICA: You don't care? LOGAN: Look, I don't give a rat's ass if it's right or fair. I don't care if you're angry. I care that you're safe. VERONICA: That's all sweet and great, but it doesn't really work that way. It's not like this is all some new facet of my personality. You know who I am! You know what I do. LOGAN: And? VERONICA: And...it isn't gonna change. And if you can't accept that, this isn't gonna work. LOGAN: You know who I am. And you're constantly expecting me to change.

LOGAN: And even right now, as you're thinking, "crap, he's got a point," you still think you're ultimately right. I love you, Veronica. I love you.But, do you love me?

VERONICA: Yeah. LOGAN: Well then, can we try to go a little easier on each other? VERONICA: Yeah, I think that's a good idea. LOGAN: So, are we okay? VERONICA: Yeah...we're okay.

Like I said before, Logan’s decision to hire a bodyguard (is that what Mountain Man was?) to protect her was questionable at best. He is aware of it, but he doesn’t care. But it wasn’t his first call. Unlike Veronica (who would put tags on him without giving it as much as a second thought, and who actually followed him like four episodes ago.) It was more of a “if you won’t take care of yourself, then I’ll take care of you however I have to” kind of decision. And also, I get it, I get him. So what if she got upset? So what if she found out about it and broke up with him because of it? At least she’d be safe. (I think there’s an interesting parallel to be made between Logan and the girl who only cared about his missing boyfriend being safe.) 

But then we get to the meat of the matter, which is, in a nutshell, Veronica is a hypocrite. Veronica is always quick to judge others but the girl kind of sucks at introspection. She truly believes she’s always right. For once, though, she’s rendered speechless. She has no retort because she knows Logan’s right. Of course, she won’t admit it, not out loud. And it won’t change the fact that she will continue to expect him to change while remaining reluctant to change herself. 

The problem is, this wasn’t an either/or situation. Okay, so Veronica didn’t want to drop the case because going after the truth was what made her tick. I get that. I support that. I wouldn’t love her as much as I do if that wasn’t who she is. But she could still continue investigating the rape without being reckless by accepting Logan’s help and protection and opening up to Keith about it. But Veronica never knew any other way than her own way. 

And then, the “I love you”. Twice. And Veronica’s response, “yeah.” It never really bothered me that Veronica never said it back because I didn’t need Veronica to say it to know that she felt it. She truly loved Logan, I think we all know that. But it made sense for her as a character to have that inability to completely give herself to someone, especially to someone who she thought could totally destroy her. For Veronica, loving was being vulnerable, and she had been taken advantage of one to many times to let herself be in that kind of position. She wasn’t ready yet. And she wouldn’t be for a very long time.

Logan, on the other hand, was always wearing his heart on his sleeve. He was always the one doing the grand romantic gestures and giving the epic romantic speeches. So it makes total sense that he would say it twice and that she wouldn’t say it at all.

20) Ugh ugh ugh! And how much do you hate Veronica for implying this after almost getting raped herself?! 

VERONICA: Oh, I believe you. And I think it's horrible. I also think it's powerful motivation for someone to take desperate action. Fake a rape, right? Possibly a series of rapes. How many of them were real? I mean, other than Chip Diller's. There hasn't been any forensic evidence; no semen, no hair found on any of the victims. NISH: The Greeks would be gone if you hadn't gotten them off. Are you proud of that fact? VERONICA: The moral superiority would fit better if there wasn't already one fake rape on your résumé.

I’ve talked about this before when Veronica found that Clare’s rape claim was fake. But all of this was completely unnecessary. I get it. It's noir. Everyone’s corrupted. But this whole plot just proves that the writers were using rape ONLY as a plot device and they never really cared about bringing light to the real issues underlying rape culture. By reinforcing the idea that women fake rapes (a series of rapes, for god’s sake!) and by having a rape victim of all people actually endorse this idea, they’re contributing to the rape apologists’ agenda. Rob Thomas, I beg of you, don’t ever write another rape storyline. EVER. 

21) This breaks my heart, every time.

You know what the saddest part is? You know what makes this scene so utterly heartbreaking? The moments leading to it. Because you see, I don’t think this was a setup, I don’t think Logan was trying to test Veronica or something. Logan was never that kind of guy. You know what kind of guy he was? The one who would be walking around the cafeteria and spot his girlfriend, and who would then decide to call her and say hello, pretending to engage in casual conversation. He would compliment her on her outfit, mentioning something very specific, and probably make some witty remark about her choice of food - a few hints here and there that would make her suspect he was closer by than he originally let her in on. And then he would tell her something like: “I hope you’re not ogling that handsome guy standing by the door...” And she’d say: “what guy...?” and look in that direction and find him standing there. And he would smirk and wave, and she would smile and he would make his way to her, and she’d tell him, still on the phone, “I hate to break it to you, honey, but you know I have a sweet spot for poor little rich boys...” And finally, he’d reach her, and kiss the devious grin off her face. And it’d all be okay.

Except... none of that really happened. And instead, he got the sobering realization that they were really not okay, at all. 

*cries self into oblivion*

[abdlbdsmstories]

Going Home

A guy leaves home to makes his way in the big wide world, unfortunately the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

At the age of 23 years old, I was finally allowed to leave home, to set up my own place and finally have a chance of freedom and hopefully find a relationship. Living at home with your Mum, not driving and not having a good job is not the way to impress a girl. But finally I had secured myself a decent job working as waiter in a restaurant, saved enough for a deposit and the first 2 months rent for my place and hopefully I could work long hours and attempt to learn to drive.

6 months down the line, my world had completely fell apart. The cost of living was extortionate, I had severely underestimated how much life would cost, food, water, gas, electric, council tax. The bills became too much, I went to a couple of payday loan companies to try to ease the burden but the more I borrowed the more debt I acquired until one day the bailiffs came calling. I had been on a morning and afternoon shift and returned back to my poky flat to find 2 rather burly men running their eye over my stuff. They informed me they were bailiffs and had been sent by the council to recoup over £300 I owed them along with the bill from the utility company to recoup another £300. They handed me a letter that along with their fees I owed them nearly £1000. I had nothing near to that amount. I begged and pleaded with them that I could get the money but they knew better and saw right through me. So inevitably they took everything, every single piece of furniture I owned, my tv, bed, microwave, fridge, computer, and my wardrobe, including every single piece of clothing I owned. All I was left with was the work uniform I was wearing, the underwear I had on and my work shoes. That night I had to sleep on the floor, shivering away with fear and sadness. I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t wash, shave, eat. I turned up for work early hoping to grab a quick wash in the customer toilet but I was met by my manageress, Hazel. Hazel didn’t need an excuse to sack me, she hated me. And when she saw me in my crumpled shirt, dirty trousers and mucky face, she sent me packing. I trudged to my flat, inserted my key, it wouldn’t bloody turn. I tried and I tried, then I spotted the envelope sticking out of the mail box. t informed me that the rent had bounced and due to the landlord hearing about my financial troubles, he changed the locks and cancelled my tenancy.

I was so distraught, I slumped to my bum in the doorway and cried. I had no idea what I was going to do, I had no money whatsoever, no possessions, no where to live, nothing to eat, I was basically homeless. Throughout this whole ordeal I had convinced myself that I didn’t need to go and ask my Mum for help, despite the mountain of debt I had accrued. As the darkness began to fall, and with nowhere to go and nothing to wear, I had to make that gut wrenching decision to make the 3 mile walk across town out to the suburbs and knock on my Mums door. The walk took me about an hour, it had gone pitch black and to be honest as I was leaving town through the maze of streets past some pretty dim council houses, I was pretty terrified. At best, I was a bit of a wimp. I hated conflict, I hated being shouted at and my stature wasn’t exactly intimidating. All I had on was my scruffy work shirt and trousers and a thin fleece. As I finally escaped the intimidation and entered the quiet suburb and cul-de-sac of my Mums street I stood there at the top, staring at my Mums straight ahead of me. The front porch light was on, the front room light was on so she was still awake. I stood there for a good 10 minutes contemplating whether or not to just sneak into the shed and sleep there for the night, but I took too long and before long Mum had spotted me and was stood on the porch.

“Hello?” She asked curiously.

“Hi Mum. Erm... can I come in please.” I stuttered.

“What’s the matter? What happened now?”

I walked in past her and too say she displeased was an understatement. She sat down in the front room, whilst I stood there in the middle in front of her. Mum was a very picky lady, she would never let anybody sit down who looked scruffy and I was no exception.

“Mum, I kinda made a huge mistake. I got into a bit of trouble....”

“You mean like I told you you would. How much debt did you accrue? And don’t think I don’t know the truth either. I told you you weren’t a big boy and you had to go find out the hard way. So now you’ve gone and ruined your future. I told you to stay here longer but oh know, you’re the big boy and you know better.”

I broke down in tears whilst she continued to scold me like the fool I was.

“Mum, I have nothing left. No clothes, no money, no possessions, nothing.”

“And? What do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to bail you out?”

“Please Mum. Can I borrow enough to buy some new clothes and I will pay you back when I get another job.”

“So you lost your job as well? Who is going to want to employ a bankrupt, school drop out with nothing in his life.”

That comment became too much and I started bawling my eyes out. Mum continued to rant and rave about how stupid I had been, how much of a fool I was and what she had in store for me.

“No, I will not buy you any clothes. IF you want to stay here, you will earn your keep. And I will give you the chance to start your life again. You have no clothes, no money and no possessions, I will sort your debts but you will restart your life again.”

“How do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“Go take those clothes off, shower and come back down here.”

I didn’t hesitate, I jumped in that shower. My old shower dribbled out lukewarm water, now Mums was a power shower. I felt so relaxed and clean for a change. But a little part of me was hesitant as to what my Mum meant by starting again. I tried to put it off for as long as possible but it was inevitable that I would have to face up to Mum. Getting out of the shower I grabbed my towel and the first thing I noticed was that the pile of clothes I left had gone. I walked into my old room, it was a blank shell. There was nothing in there, the possessions that were once in there, my bed, wardrobe were taken to my new place. And now they were in the possession of the bailiffs. I tentatively walked downstairs and into the front room. Mum was sat on the settee still, legs crossed, looking rather displeased like the moment she saw me on her doorstep.

“So, we have concluded you have absolutely nothing left. I disposed of that disgusting work uniform you no longer need and those boxers were a disgrace. So what are you going to wear to bed tonight? Come to that, where are you thinking of sleeping tonight?”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the ground. Stood there in my towel, like a child being scolded.

“Well like I said, you will start again. This is the only piece of clothing I will give you. Take it or leave it. It’s your choice.”

She leaned around the side of the sofa and to my shock, she pulled out my old cloth nappies and plastic pants.

“Mum, the nappy. Please no?” I begged.

“That’s fine, i’m sure you will be fine wandering the streets in that towel for the night.”

“But Mum, I don’t need the nappies again, please.” I pleaded.

The reason I say again, was that I had to wear nappies up until the age of 18. I didn’t have anything medically wrong with, the doctors called it psychological. But either way, until then I had little control over my bowels. So the easiest way for Mum to deal with it was keeping me in those stupid cloth nappies. They were super thick, usually resulted in me getting nappy rash at least once a week. The whole neighbourhood at the time knew I wore them, regularly I would wear just the nappy and plastic pants. All the kids at school knew, I was bullied every now and again but according to some it was my own doing.

“You will be back in the nappies for the foreseeable future. Right now, this is the only piece of clothing you own. Don’t worry, I will still change you. But you will need to earn your keep around here just like when you was a teenager. If the neighbours need a job doing, I have told them you will be round. I am giving you a chance to restart your life.”