#I’m looking forward to everything else but I’m especially eager to see the bros’ animated reunion

[roscolate]

I’M CRYING, THIS HURTS 😭😭💔💔

ACT 1

ACT 2 - 1 <<< 45 / 46 / ACT 3

OH MAN WE FINALLY FINISHED ACT 2 *whew* What a roller coaster, huh? Don’t forget to check the BGM starting on pg 37 👀👀👀. Or don’t huehue.

Ok, so, I will post ONE update for ACT 3 in a day or two and THEN I will go on a mini break from this comic to focus on other unfinished projects in the Masterpost. Projects include that animation and the alternate ending to The Tears Won’t Stop.

I should continue sometime in November.

[tinyshinysylveon]

i suddenly got this idea where izuku is an anonymous famous editor for youtubers who hire him to edit their videos because he’s a professional at doing it, and katsuki is an upcoming youtube vlogger who travels around the world and yet doesn’t know how to edit his own videos to save his life, so no matter what he does, he always seem to mess up even the basics of editing (part 1/??)

“i think you need professional help” kirishima says as he watches katsuki trying to drag an edited cut on to his video for the umpteenth time that day “shut up, shitty hair just give me a minute-” an error popup. “did you just.. deleted the video?” “....”

katsuki keeps trying, he even watched tutorials on youtube (while skipping important segments ofc because he can totally do that all on his own!) but his patience is wearing thin until kirishima recommended him to someone who’s known in the youtube community for their famous editing skills 

“..deku?” katsuki stares at his screen showing a youtube profile with the name deku as their username and an icon of all might with edited-in sunglasses “okay look, he may seem suspicious to you, but i gotta tell you bakugou, he’s legit, i’ve seen his videos and they look awesome!” well katsuki will be the judge of that despite this deku having 5 mil+ subscribers than him!

the blonde spent the whole day watching deku’s videos which mostly consists of amvs (anime music videos) and games, especially the ones that required a lot of effort to make, plus he even made tutorials! so he gotta give him credit for that, but alas, katsuki is still somehow having trouble following directions and gave up on the latest tutorial video on how to add an easy transition 

when kirishima came to check in with katsuki, all he heard were multiple clicks and grumbled noises, he let out an exasperated sigh “i can’t believe you’re still trying..” “what the fuck do you want me to do kirishima?” katsuki was trying not to flip his table at this point. “hire him obviously!” the red head yells out as if that’s the answer to their problems “..and how do you suppose i do that?” 

it actually took a lot of convincing in kirishima’s part, but katsuki finally threw away his pride and decided to send a message to deku’s business email that was left under his about page on youtube 

“..i want you to become my editor and help me in becoming the #1 youtube travel vlogger in the community” kirishima reads the message out loud that’s displayed on the screen, “you sure you want to send it like this?” “i don’t see anything wrong with it?” “but don’t you think it’s too.. blunt? no formalities or anything like, hello i’ve seen your videos and i would be honored to have you as my editor, you know?” katsuki just shrugged, “it’s too late, i already sent it to him”

about half a day later, deku replied back, “Good afternoon Mr.Explosionmurder, I appreciate that you requested me to become your editor and would like to discuss further details about our agreement via discord. You can contact me by adding my username, deku#2463. I look forward to hearing from you.” to this day, kirishima still can’t believe his eyes when he read the message

“oi shitty hair, what’s a discord?” 

it wasn’t katsuki’s fault that the majority of time he spent in high school was doing his best to stay on top of assignments and projects, plus being in the A honor roll, he didn’t really get to decide on his career until after he graduated, thanks to the courtesy of his parents owning their own modeling industry, he put the money he saved up to good use in traveling around the world and vlogging it for people to see with kirishima as his traveling partner

he explained all of this and his reasonings to deku on discord once he reached out to him and figured out how to use the platform, but katsuki was still suspicious regarding his video editing skills and wanted to see it firsthand on how his videos would look like as a finished product

deku: fair enough, send me your videos and i’ll see what i can do, until then, if you deem it satisfactory, which i’m confident that you will, i request a 50/50 payment on your revenue. take it or leave it. 

for some reason, katsuki agreed to it without a second thought due to the challenging tone from the message; “i can’t believe you! i told you to trust him! why do you have to doubt him?! haven’t you already seen his videos?!” kirishima was full on panicking at this point, how were they going to make money?! “shut up, i know what i’m doing! i know what’s best for my videos!” it was a good chance too since they’re currently in hong kong and planning to shoot the top 10 tourist spots to visit as claimed by an article he found online

a few days later, katsuki finally got all the videos piled up in one folder and sent them all in a google drive to share with deku just as he requested, he even mentioned to him thru discord message to follow the cues he was giving him on his videos such as when he and kirishima took a stroll and tried foods in the temple street night market; “hey deku, i want you to do a close up of kirishima eating the curry fish ball with erotic music playing in the background” he smirks while focusing the camera on the red head eating without a care in the world and not noticing katsuki making the comment, “mmm dude, mmm you gotta try this, it’s so freakin’ good- wait bro, how long have you been pointing the camera at me?” 

in less than a week, deku sent a reply back with the link to the fully edited video; deku: hmm, not gonna lie, but your cues were actually helpful and dare I say, creative? katsuki took it as a compliment and opened the link to the video file, it was about a few GB so it shouldn’t take a long time to upload on youtube, but.. was it ready? he called in kirishima to watch it with him and was actually prepared for it to look horrible despite deku’s obvious talent except.. it was actually pretty good?? better even?! “what did i tell ya katsuki? i told you he was legit,” his partner boasted, just earlier he was embarrassed when the part about him eating the curry fish ball with the “let’s get it on” music in the background showed up while the blonde just rolled his eyes. 

explosionmurder: thanks, and i just saw it, consider yourself hired deku: happy to be of service! i’m looking forward to working with you, mr.explosionmurder! it would be helpful again if you provided the cues during your journey! :)  explosionmurder: don’t mention it and also don’t call me that, call me katsuki  deku: okay, mr.katsuki! [all might emoji]

kastuki found it odd that he became really eager during the exchange but thought nothing of it

a couple of months flew by and katsuki with kirishima in tow have already travelled in 4 other different countries, he even received about 500k+ subscribers, he’s almost to 1 million! as per agreement, he gives half of his revenue to deku which was okay with him since he still has a lot of saved up money in the bank including kirishima’s since they’re sharing it anyway, most of the time, his communication with deku have been entirely professional with a few emojis in between (usually deku’s part), until today that is 

deku: it must be nice to travel 0:  explosionmurder: pfft, what are you talking about? you now have over 7 mil+ subscribers in your channel since i met you, you can go traveling whenever or wherever you want  deku: i can’t  explosionmurder: what do you mean you can’t?

no reply

since then, katsuki didn’t want to think too much on what deku said and focused mostly on traveling, those videos won’t work themselves! after he finished, he sent over the videos of his recent trip from india over to deku and as usual, deku delivered it back beautifully edited along with a message 

deku: that’s so cool! you guys went to india? *o* [link to video edit] explosionmurder: yeah, you should’ve seen shitty hair when he tried that really spicy curry, which reminds me, you did what i asked right? deku: of course mr. katsuki! as always, i’ve paid attention to every cue you asked for! [saluting pepe emoji] explosionmurder: good good, i didn’t just hire you to sit on your ass all day  deku: haha you’re not my only contractor you know ^^”  explosionmurder: is that what you meant when you said you couldn’t travel because you’ve been busy? way to be blunt katsuki, he mentally berated himself, but at least deku answered this time, although reluctantly deku: ...let’s just say im stuck at home  in that very moment, is when everything changed between them explosionmurder: alright nerd, you sound depressed as hell so i’m going to give you the decision to decide on where we’re going to travel to next, think of it as a reward for all you’ve done for us  deku: asdkjflas that’s too much! T_T are you sure mr. katsuki??? explosionmurder: i’m waiting, you got 3 seconds starting now, 3  deku: america! i’ve been wanting to go to america...

katsuki told kirishima his plans, then the spiky red head gave him a pat on the back and a thumbs up, “so you do have a sentimental bone in your body!” kirishima was almost close to being dead that very same day 

when they arrived to america, he asked deku the list of things he wanted to see and most of them were, “all might amusement park, all might cafe, all might- is there anything else the nerd likes besides all might and superheroes?” katsuki says while viewing the list in the hotel they’re staying at. “give him a break, you said so yourself that he couldn’t leave his house, so this is the least we can do for him and for all the hard work he put in our videos,” kirishima reasoned with him

on the last day of their trip, katsuki did his routine in piling the videos together and sending them to deku with the attached message, “i actually bought you a souvenir if you want it, looked like the type of shit you would like, you’ll see what it is in the videos i’ve sent you” they’ve known each other long enough so he thought why the hell not, it’s just a matter of getting his PO address, and the response to this was immediate, “AAA I SAW IT! THANK YOU THANK YOU!” <3<3 <(^w^<)

it was an all might limited edition figurine only available in the US 

for the first time, deku took two days longer to finish than katsuki expected him to since they’ve started because he always goes through them pretty quickly, maybe he’s too busy making them look up-to-par? whatever the case was, when katsuki received the video, it already had a title for it, “MY AWESOME TRIP TO AMERICA PLUS ULTRA!” kirishima just laughed and told him to keep it in honor of deku so he left it like that, “this better give me some views,” he grumbled and uploaded it the night before they went to bed, he wasn’t really worried in checking it out either because he has faith in deku’s abilities  

the morning after was hectic, katsuki has been receiving notifications upon notifications on the “travel bros” (courtesy of kirishima) twitter since last night, one in particular caught his eye, “i can’t believe deku and katsuki are dating! who would’ve thought!” what?

a short video appeared underneath that came from the video he uploaded, and regretfully never took a look at, showing katsuki saying to the camera as he held the AM figurine, “deku, you should’ve been here, look at what i got you, nerd,” at first glance, it was supposed to look normal (from the original video!) except hearts and sparkles began appearing around katsuki as he smirks up at the camera, what the fuck? besides, deku was suppose to edit that all out! for every cue in every part where he says deku’s name, he was expected to delete them like he usually does! even though it was no secret that deku was his video editor, he distinctly remembers mentioning about him in a video they took way back when they first started out their contract agreement

meanwhile, kirishima was having a field day, he finally saw their video while katsuki kept on seeing other short videos of him on twitter from different segments of the trip in which he either had sparkles or hearts around him, especially when he mentions deku’s name; “bro you won’t believe this, our subscribers grew up to over 1 million last night!” kirishima yells enthusiastically, but when he noticed katsuki not paying attention to him, he looked over his shoulder to check what he was looking at. “oh that, you know those aren’t fanmade videos, right?” katsuki unblinkingly turned to look at him, “you mean..?” kirishima gave him a toothy grin, “yep!” 

a video call from discord, “dekuuuu, what is the meaning of this?” a squeaky voice, “i-I’m so sorry i got carried away and i couldn’t help it! all might was too beautiful including you and-!” “..what did you just say?”

TBC maybe?

[tea-at-221]

So, let's delve a bit into the Spanish dub of Supernatural.

I'm going to go through a lot of terms here, and a lot of basics, in order to increase people's level of understanding as to how the dub may possibly have come about the way it did.

This post will provide information and, I hope, allow some members of the fandom to move forward with their own theories with more reassurance. Information is power. I will define and clarify industry terms to the best of my novice ability to make it easier for others who wish to do their own research.

This post was inspired by the fact that I've been part of multiple fandoms in which queerbaiting has played an enormous part: I am tired of seeing fandom friends left devastated and without answers, no emotional resolution in sight. So this post is, in spirit if not content, largely dedicated to my fellow Johnlockers and Queliot shippers. And most of all, for Quentin Coldwater, who deserved not just better but the very best.

Disclaimer: This is my own research and there is a bit of speculation involved; I can't guarantee 100% that I will get everything right (I hit some very frustrating walls looking up what should be easy-to-find facts), but I did a *lot* of work for this. Other people will doubtless be able to clarify points/give better specifics/correct what I've gotten wrong. I am not promising a concrete answer to “SPN gate” here, as without more information than we currently have that is impossible to declare with certainty.

More under the cut.

All that having been said, onwards (see end for sources):

First, who airs the Spanish dub of Supernatural?

Answer: the Warner Channel.

Why? It goes back to who owns The CW.

From Wikipedia (2): "The CW Network, LLC, a limited liability joint venture between the CBS Entertainment Group unit of ViacomCBS; and the Studios and Networks division of AT&T's WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB. The network's name is an abbreviation derived from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations (CBS and Warner Media)."

Warner Bros apparently is the side that handles the delegation of dubbing to outside studios. So, who does Warner use for their dubbing? Perhaps multiple studios, but the two I found in the course of my research were SPGStudios(5) (who specifically handle localization for Latin American Spanish productions) and Iyuno Media Group (formerly BTI Studios)(3).

What is localization?

Simply put, it refers to the translation of the home language of the show in question to the language of the new market it's entering. So, Supernatural 15x18 is translated from its native English to Spanish for Latin American viewers.

And what exactly *is* dubbing (actually called revoicing within the industry; dubbing is a widely-recognized term, however, and it's pretty well understood what is meant by it)?

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

"1 : to add (sound effects or new dialogue) to a film or to a radio or television production —usually used with "in"

They dubbed in the music.

2 : to provide (a motion-picture film) with a new soundtrack and especially dialogue in a different language

The film was dubbed in French and Spanish.

3 : to make a new recording of (sound or videotape already recorded) also : to mix (recorded sound or videotape from different sources) into a single recording"

There is a slang term, "dubby," which refers to any overdub that is comically jarring and obviously a dub. The history of dubbing has been such that this has become a way to think of and recognize it: by how awful and ineffective it used to be when it came to foreign films sloppily overlaid with English dubbing.

However, we are in the midst of an age of networks and companies scrambling to play catch-up, eager to use modern technology to create more effective, convincing dubs. In short, they see the moneymaking potential of presenting finished works that viewers may not even realize *are* dubbed without careful inspection. It's true that a good dub is about 10x more costly than subtitling, but it's hard to satisfy the viewer's desire for escapism if they can't suspend disbelief because they're busy reading.

The truth of that is reflected in internal statistics Netflix (for instance, but not just them) parses to gauge viewer interaction and retention with their various shows: when comparing subtitled vs. dubbed shows, it's easy to see which is the winner.(1)

So to be sure there is no nefarious intent here, we would need to be able to identify the following:

A.) What exactly was the process for this dub?

B.) Who decides what changes to make during a dubbing process?

C.) Who approves those changes?

*Can* there be such a thing as a "rogue translator," as Misha Collins put it? (I am going to clarify here that I think Misha is an upstanding person who believed the best of the show he was involved in and all the people who made it, so his assumption of a rogue translator makes sense in the context of that emotion-based reasoning).

I'm not sure which studio did the dub for the Latin American Spanish version of Supernatural; if I had access to that episode perhaps it's mentioned in the credits. You'd think that would be simple enough to figure out anyway, but I was unable. So maybe someone can take a look and let me know. But, as an example, here is how SPGStudios outlines their localization (dubbing) process:

1.) They make a digital or analog transcription of a show/movie.

2.) The translation, or localization, is done by their staff (in any of 40 available languages their staff can speak). When translating, they translate for meaning and then adapt for time, tempo, and style. They say that "extensive experience is required to capture the essence of the language dialog while accounting for variances in speaking time between the source and destination languages." i.e.,  wording/word choice will be kept as true as possible to the original intention of the native language, but at the same time the translation will need to use its chosen wording in a way that fits what is being shown on-screen. To produce a convincing/pleasing dub, they won't replace a word like "looked" with a longer phrase like "scanned the horizon" because it's not going to match what's onscreen. That would be venturing into "dubby" territory.

3.) They perform the ADR process: the voice actors (in this case it would normally be Guillermo Rojas performing for Dean Winchester, though it appears things may have been different in 15x18, possibly due to covid) record the new dialogue to replace the original actor's performance.

4.) The newly recorded dialogue goes to the sound editorial department "to ensure that lip-synch is optimized and technical aspects of the vocal performance match the original."

5.) All of the new audio--including dialogue, music, and sound effects--is mixed together to emulate the quality of the original production as closely as possible despite the changes in rhythm that resulted from the dialog having been translated.

6.) Designers, animators, and VFX editors assist with the localization or enhancement of graphics, if needed.

7.) Localized Master: SPG has a 'traffic team' who 'ensures that all client delivery and storage specifications are met, including file formatting, labeling, and uploading." So in other words, the files are heavily encrypted (or that's how I read this).

Presumably, after all steps are performed, SPGStudios transfers the show back to Warner, who then distributes it. The other studio, Iyuno, makes it very clear that *they* can coordinate and handle all distribution themselves to a vast number of networks. That means that if the client desires, Iyuno can send the finished product directly out into the world.

There seem to be two types of scripts that can be given to the dubbing company:

1.) "In-Production Dubbing indicates that dubbing production is active in tandem with post production. In-Production Dubbing fulfillment partners should expect potential changes to source materials."(4)

2.) "Final Asset Dubbing indicates that dubbing production takes place after final delivery of the show. All source assets will be in a final state. The dubbing fulfillment partner should not expect any changes to the source materials."(4)

Without knowing which of these was agreed upon for SPN 15x18, it is very hard to say exactly where or if additional edits may have been performed on the original material that weren't performed on the translated material (in other words, earlier draft).

If the studio was given the episode as an In-Production Dubbing project, this could explain why the title of the Spanish translation reflected the original script title, "The Truth," rather than the final title in English, "Despair".

Assuming this difference was unintentional, rather than a calculated marketing ploy re: audience enticement (which seems admittedly unlikely), then yes, it could indicate a screw-up on someone's part. The question is, was the dub company given the task of generating the title card, or did some other graphics department handle that before the project made it to them? If the latter is the case, the choice to add "Me too" instead of "Don't do this, Cas" could be either a conscious choice on the dub studio's part as sort of a nod to what they thought "the truth" was, or could just be them going with what they were given and making their translation choices based on something else, such as rhythm/timing.

SO, could there have been an original script that had Dean say "me too" in response to Cas, which then went through translation and made it out into the world? Teeechnically yes, but one would assume that the original script and original *footage* would have to have arrived at the dub studio together if the script is being transcribed in-house as SPGSTudios outlines in their process. I'm going to reason that the odds of them using a later edit of the visual--one that contained what in this instance we would be assuming was Warner's preferred dialogue ("Don't do this, Cas") yet choosing to stick with their own audio revoicing of the (supposed) original script/visual's "Me too, Cas" with its now subsequently poor timing, seems unlikely.

So either they would likely have to redo the exact same "Me too" audio again (having made the choice to keep the original dialogue, while also having to work under pandemic restrictions re: travel and talent availability) to make everything match the visual footage time-wise, OR, it was simply a matter that the English scene always was just as we saw it, but that the studio chose to interpret the script the way they did and were able to do their timing the first time around to match accordingly.

This still leaves a question in the air regarding the origin and fate of certain clips of Dean's more visually emotive reaction to Castiel's confession that have been floating around the internet. I've only seen very very brief glimpses of them, myself, and I'm not certain that they're really evidence of anything other than more than one take having been done of that scene, which wouldn't be uncommon and doesn't necessarily point to a conspiracy.

I also want to state that in the wake of 15x18, I opted to protect my mental health rather than follow every development/rumor/speculation that cropped up in the aftermath, so there’s probably a lot that I’m leaving out of this post that may be pertinent. Do me a favor and do assume that I know nothing of it. lol

I will also add this about the other studio, Iyuno: they are very careful to state on their site, repeatedly and with great pride, that they are committed to presenting the world with the smoothest, most true-to-the-original localized version of a film or show possible. Quote: "...our entire team of staff wants nothing more than to make every single one of our partner's content feel as if it were never translated." They are not fucking around. They want to please the client. Would they have done something like the translation in question without any direct go-ahead from Warner? It seems unlikely, though they don't outline their process on their site the way SPG does.

Notice that in the SPGStudios process outlined above, there is no mention made of a review step in which the studio presents the translated dialogue to the client for approval re: the new wording. That doesn't mean there isn't a review step; however, without seeing the contractual agreement that was made between Warner and whatever dub studio they used, or knowing Warner's preferred process by some other means, it's difficult to be certain whether or not there was a review process for the translated script. I did find evidence that Netflix reserves the right to review such translated scripts before air.

Speaking of Netflix, I will include here what their translation requirements are, as I did find those. They, like Warner, also use Iyuno Media Group much of the time for dubbing (voiceover style dubbing in which they apparently like to leave the original language audible underneath, so that's slightly different from revoicing, but I'm working on an assumption that the general expectations are the same for both):(4)

"1. Translation Requirements

1.1 Main Dialogue

   All main dialogue in the source (original) language should be translated unless specifically noted.

   Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot.

   Please refrain from dubbing redundant words such as character names and repetitions.

       Additionally, do not recreate laughs, hesitations, reaction noises, etc."

I'm looking at that bit: "Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot."

So let's say just for argument's sake that this is pretty standard language provided to the dubbing studios. Netflix is a giant, so I'll proceed with that assumption given the lack of more concrete information:

Does it really change essential elements of the remaining plot to have Dean return Castiel's declaration of love? Forgetting about the outside, emotional ripple effect such a declaration was bound to set off in the viewing audience, no. The two characters have no further scenes together, nor does Dean go on in the next episode to immediately embark on a new relationship, or tell anyone that Cas said he was in love with him but he couldn't return it because he didn't feel the same. So technically, no rule was broken. And that is what it comes down to, if you're thinking like a lawyer reading a contract: specifics, not theoretical implications or consequences.

So, possibly what we have is something that was simple to add and easy to get away with/argue for: translated dialog that fit a dub better due to its length, and didn't actually change anything plot-wise (or at least, the argument for that could easily be made). This points to the painful crux of the matter: why would the Spanish version of Supernatural which aired in Latin America allow Dean Winchester to return Castiel's declaration of love with a "Me too, Cas"? Could it *really* be as insulting as the fact that "Yo a ti, Cas" would be a quicker, smoother dub than "No hagas esto, Cas"? ("Don't do this, Cas" in English.) Or did they see something they could get away with, and a reasonable argument to provide for it, so they went ahead and claimed a small LGBT+ victory?

Is someone, somewhere, getting in trouble for all this? Maybe. But could action be taken against them? That would look pretty bad, public-relations-wise, for the party expressing condemnation if that got out. Could Iyuno, or whatever other studio (again, I don't actually know which one handled the dub) theoretically feel a ripple effect from the fallout of this? Could they quietly suffer a drop in acquisitions/revenue for "reasons unclear"? Sure. That sort of thing happens all the time, so theoretically yeah.

Whatever the reasoning behind the decision to have Dean return Cas' declaration of love, surely they didn't have to do it. Surely they could have chosen some other phrase that fit. But they chose to do exactly what they did. I don't know what went down, in the end, or whether censorship was indeed involved, but I will certainly say that I think it was a brave and admirable choice that was made with the Spanish dub. It doesn't undo the "bury your gays" trope of course, but for some LGBT+ audience members it surely provides a sense of validation and maybe even lends a little hope for better representation--which is long, long overdue.

Thanks if you read this far. I hope that even though it’s not perfect it will be helpful in some way.

Sources

(1) https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/subtitles-vs-dubbing-what-you-need-to-know-1202212800/amp

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW

(3) https://www.iyunomg.com/

(4) https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/115016062708-Dubbed-Audio-Style-Guide-VO-Style-Dubbing

(5) https://www.spgstudios.com/localization

[shutupandshipit]

Sharpen Your Blades - Ch.6

Summary: “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The thinning of Aizawa’s patience was evident in the twitching of his brow. “If you stop asking questions, maybe I could finish explaining.

”With a huff and roll of his eyes, Katsuki glanced away from their coach.

“City Hall and the SC want us to give them more variety. We are a team solely made up of single skaters. Every year, we dominate the rankings for single skate while Shinketsu dominates the pairs, so this year both cities are being required to split their skaters evenly between singles and pairs with at least one pair coming from out top five.” There was a collective intake of breath, but no one commented, choosing instead to remain silent. “Unfortunately, for us, it’s a lot easier to switch from pairs to singles. With our male to female ratio, alpha/beta/omega ratio, and those of you actually experienced with pair skating, we’re at a disadvantage. So, I’ve decided to choose your partners for you.”

…..

Or where Katsuki and Izuku are forced to be partners so they can continue to compete, but the blood in the water may be thicker than anyone realized.

Pairing: Bakudeku

Rating: T

Chapter: 6/20

Previously <- Chapter 5: Nine-years-old

Chapter 7: Catch -> Next

Chapter 6: Something about cats and bags

“And first place goes to the very talented and ever excelling Bakugou Katsuki! We look forward to seeing where you go from here!” The announcer stepped forward, her smell so sweet that it was nearly syrup on his tongue. She slipped the gold first place medal over his head, the ribbon scratchy against the back of his neck, before stepping back. “Let's hear another round of applause for our winners! What a great competition they gave us!”

The stands erupted in cheers all over again. Bouquets were thrown onto the ice, red and blue and yellow. Letters with his name scrawled across the front. Stuffed animals, several of which were bunnies. Bunnies like the ones people had come to associate with Izuku.

Katsuki had won first place in his first ever competition skating singles. He'd completely annihilated the other competitors. That was a huge accomplishment, especially after his abysmal show from last season. He should have been elated. He should have been proud. He should have been smug.

But all he felt was bitter. Bitter and frustrated and angry.

He shouldn't have been alone up on his podium. There should have been a tousle of green curls on the podium next to his.

There should have been someone for him to celebrate with.

When the photographers called, “Smile for the camera!” he could only manage a deeper scowl.

…..

Katsuki was, for all intents and purposes, distracted. Had been distracted from the moment they'd set up shop in the studio again, Midnight presiding over their training for the day. Midnight was and had always been her stage name. She specialized in Burlesque and pole dancing, but few people knew she'd been classically trained in ballet before finding her true passion. The addition of her specialties gave her too much insight into the body, but made her an asset in Aizawa's arsenal.

It also meant she had a rather... unique training style, to put it simply.

He enjoyed it, enjoyed the challenge her particular teaching style presented. After more than half a decade of training, people might have thought they'd get used to the rigor of her training techniques, but she never let them dwell in the same regimen for too long.

That day though he was too focused on how far she was getting Izuku to pull his leg over his head. Due to his injury when they were younger, she tended to make Izuku stretch out his hips more than anything else. And fuck, could they stretch.

Izuku's leg easily straightened out above his head with his hands wrapped around his ankle, and then Midnight put a hand on his shoulder to push him forward. “I've seen you pull some stunts, Midoriya, I know you can bend further than that! Test your limits! You will be the envy of all mates, and you and your future mate will both be thankful for your flexibility!”

“Midnight, please stop!” Izuku shouted in reply, cheeks and ears red, but there was also laughter on his lips.

'Omega mate. Omega mate. Omega mate.'

Katsuki wanted to tell his alpha to shove it and shut the fuck up, but he couldn't deny that Midnight had a point. They weren't mates, but fuck if Katsuki wasn't already imagining every position he could bend Izuku into. His mouth was watering.

He really was doing his best to discreetly stare, but just like the last time, he lost track of his surroundings after a few moments.

“Bro, stop looking like you're ready to rip out his spine! It's creepy!” Sero shouted right into his ear, startling Katsuki out of his reverie. His friends seemed to be really good at that nowadays.

Ashido smirked, elbowing Kirishima in the ribs and startling the other alpha out of where his eyes were trained on Kaminari beside Izuku as he tried and failed to mimic the omega. Kirishima had had a crush on Kaminari for the better part of five years, but the blond had been up Shinsou's ass since the alpha had joined their team. It was a little sad to watch how hard his best friend pined, but it helped that he also had the hots for Ashido. She was affable about the whole thing at worst and willing to experiment at best.

“What?” Kirishima asked, grinning abashedly as he scrubbed at the back of his head, “I, uh, wasn't paying attention.”

“Bakugou looking at Midoriya like he wants to rip out his spine. I think he's thinking about his spine, but for entirely different reasons, am I right?”

Kirishima, bless his dumb heart, looked completely lost when he looked back at her. “Why would he be thinking about his spine at all?”

Ashido's smirk only grew. “Same reason you'd be thinking about Kaminari's spine. It's that curve.”

“Stop. Just stop,” Sero pleaded as Kirishima's cheeks blushed the same color as his hair, “I don't want to hear anything else. That's just... Whatever's going on here, let's leave it for after practice.”

“What are we leaving for after practice?” Kaminari chirped as he dropped down between Sero and Kirishima, cheeks flushed and sweat dripping down his brow. He grinned and panted, “Midnight wants you next Bakugou. She's eager to get her hands on you, Shinsou, and the other leads today.”

“Fantastic,” Katsuki grumbled, standing. He was thankful though, thankful that he would be able to escape the conversation without having to contribute to it.

“Spines and how flexible they can be,” Ashido chirped back, cheeky smile firmly in place as Kaminari grinned back just as knowingly.

Again, Sero said, “Stop!”

Katsuki made his escape, leaving Sero and Kirishima to deal with the ensuing conversation.

…..

Izuku didn't notice that he was staring until Uraraka's elbow found its way into his side. Groaning, he glared over at her. “What was that for, Chako? It's supposed to be Omega Solidarity, not Omegas Against Each Other. Why would you hurt me?”

Uraraka smiled at him. Well, 'smiled' might have been a nice way of putting it. Smirked was more along the lines of what she was doing. “This is Omega Solidarity.”

Passing her an unimpressed look, Izuku continued to remove the tape from his ankles and toes. A second later though, he glanced up and found himself distracted all over again. His hands stilled as he watched Katsuki easily work through the exercise Midnight had assigned the leads.

Katsuki had been holding a handstand for the better part of a minute, and with easy grace, he tilted one leg down to touch the floor in front of his face while the other remained extended. With barely a push, he returned his leg to its original position before dropping the opposite leg on the other side of his body near the back of his head. It was a feat of athleticism that had Izuku hotter around the collar than he'd been in awhile.

In his chest, his omega chanted, 'Alpha mate. Alpha mate. Alpha mate.' He wanted his omega to shut up because it only made him long for Katsuki all the more.

When Uraraka nudged him again, he took a discreet sniff of the surrounding air, but luckily, his blockers were still working as advertised. People could already smell when he got anxious, he didn't want to imagine what he'd do if they could smell his arousal as well.

Leaning into him, Uraraka murmured, “You might want to wipe the drool off your chin.” She sat back with a laugh and watched as he stammered loudly.

“I-I-I- I don't have drool-! Chako!” Jumping to his feet, he shoved his feet into his red sneakers and everything else into his bag. He scrubbed a hand across his chin, but luckily, it was dry. “You're a menace!”

“I'm not the one slobbering everywhere!”

“I'm leaving!” he shot back, gathering his bag tightly to his chest, “I don't know why we're friends!”

“Because you love me. Tell Mirio I said hello!” she called as he darted towards the door that led to the locker rooms.

A quick glance back found Katsuki's inverted eyes on him. For the briefest of moments, they caught each others gaze, and heat sizzled beneath his skin. Immediately, he ducked his head and pushed out of the studio with a muttered 'goodbye'.

The walk to the studio where he recorded the podcast with his co-host was uneventful, but uncomfortable in the cold. It seemed like overnight the temperature had dropped from a comfortable 10 degrees celsius to something just above freezing. His breath plumed from his mouth, and he fervently wished he had a scarf and something warm to drink. He had neither though. He didn't even have his gloves or hat, both threadbare after nearly ten years of use. They'd begun to fall apart last year, but he still hadn't set aside the money to buy a new set, more focused on growing his collection of figure skating memorabilia and replacing the blades on his skates. Honestly, he thought he'd had more time before the cold really set in.

Instead, he just hunched his shoulders toward his ears and shoved his hands as deep into his pockets as they would go.

Stepping into the studio with a tremble, it was to the sight of his co-host already stationed in the recording booth with papers spread around him and their producer seated at the control panel. She pressed a warm milk tea into his hand after he'd shrugged out of his heavy coat. “You should have at least dried off before walking here. I bet your freezing.”

Izuku held the drink between his palms, sighing happily. “I am, but I'll be fine. Are we ready to go? Where's Tamaki?”

“Sick, and we sure are. Mirio's got a really interesting topic lined up for today.”

Grinning and stepping towards the room, Izuku said, “Can't wait.”

…..

If he had been smarter, Katsuki would have taught figure skating classes at his own team's rink. As it was, he hadn't been that smart when he'd started up the class. Instead, he'd been idealistic and allowed himself to be talked into doing them in the low income neighborhood on the other side of the city. He didn't get paid much for teaching classes, just whatever the recreation center could afford. Sometimes he didn't get paid at all, but he liked it. Liked working with the kids and watching them progress, and conversing with the parents to glean whatever information he could from them for whenever he had pups of his own.

Because he would have pups. There was no doubt in his mind about that. The question was with the 'when', but he was content enough to just wait for that to happen rather than seeking it out.

By the time he arrived, he was freezing and pissed about it. His fingertips had blushed a deep red despite the gloves he'd jerked on. At least his beanie and scarf had done their jobs, so he's just shoved his hands as deep into his pockets as possible. Glaring at the sky, all he could think about was that it would snow within the next two weeks.

All his alpha brain could do was worry about whether Izuku had made it to his next destination without freezing to death. 'Omega okay? Must keep omega warm. Provide warmth. Keep omega body warm to bear healthy pups. Provide for omega to provide for pups.'

Just inside the door to the small recreational rink, Katsuki growled and scrubbed at his forehead. He couldn't tell if his alpha was doing it on purpose or if the puppy fever was a sign that his body was ramping back up for a rut that was an entire month away, but he was over it. Ideally, he would have liked to get through the next few hours without thinking of Izuku at all.

Only if wishes were horses, he supposed.

As soon as his bag hit the bench near his students' parents, all ten of the tween gremlins' heads snapped around. They darted towards him, stumbling across the ice in their haste.

“Mr. Bakugou!” they shouted almost in unison, wide toothy grins pulling at their mouths.

“What? Can't I put my skates on without y'all bothering me?” he shouted back, sitting down heavily and pulling his skates free from his bag. When he glanced up, it was to every single one of them staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”

One of the girls, a little omega that had presented earlier that year smiled, canines small but sharp and lethal. One of her front teeth was missing. “Mr. Bakugou, we heard a rumor.”

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki returned his attention back to his skates. “Yeah, what was that? One of your teachers not really a beta?”

The kids giggled, and the same girl answered. “Noooo~” she sang, and something in her voice worried him.

Narrowing his eyes, he glanced back up at all of them. He didn't say anything, just waiting them out.

Finally, all of them still giggling, she said, “We heard you were skating pairs this season! We want to know who your partner is! Is it Mina? She's really pretty. Or is it one of the omegas?” She gasped. “Is it Uraraka? Oh! Or Kaminari, he's fun!” The gaggle of kids went off, tittering among themselves about who would be good enough to be his partner.

Before he could filter himself, he blurted, “How the hell did that get out so fucking fast? Jesus.” When the kids started to giggle again, he grimaced and glanced towards the parents, but he'd been teaching their kids so long that they seemed immune to his mouth.

“So it's true!” one of the boys crowed, “Who's your partner? Come on, Mr. Bakugou, tell us who you're skating with! Please!”

“I'm not tell you lot shit unless every single one of you can land your Salchow without falling!” Standing with a frown as they groaned, he marched towards the rink entrance. “Warm-ups! Get going! You're wasting my time and your parents'! Get going!”

Grumbling, the group pushed off the wall one by one.

…..

Across from Izuku, Nejire on the other side of the glass ticked off the seconds on her hand. When she reached 0, the On-Air sign flashed red and Mirio jumped in with a giant smile that only Izuku and Nejire could see.

“Welcome to another episode of the award winning podcast, Sharpen Your Blades! I am your host, Mirio, here to lead you through the intricacies of the figure skating world. With me, as always, is the beautiful, wonderful, underrated expert that is Deku. Tell us, Deku, how are you doing this fine evening?”

Grinning, Izuku theatrically groaned. “Well, I'm a little sore, Mirio. We were working with Midnight today, and I'm pretty sure she was trying to fold us into pretzels. I honestly come away from training with her feeling like under cooked pizza dough every time.”

“Sounds like my kind of time! So, training for the upcoming competitive season is going well then?”

Izuku snorted before he could stop himself. “It's going as well as it can right now. The beginning of a new season is always a little rocky, and I'm sure City Hall has already released the news that the skating division will be doing the spotlight for the Christmas Showcase.”

Something flashed across Mirio's expression, and apprehension wormed its way beneath Izuku's skin, making his smile falter. “Yes, yes, that's some big news. So, I have a question for you friend.”

Izuku said, “Sure. Shoot.”

“So, word through the grapevine, and I'm talking like a really trustworthy grapevine, is that you're going to be skating pairs this competitive season. Any validity to that statement?”

Mirio knew exactly what he was doing when he didn't brief Izuku on that question, and Izuku couldn't stop himself even knowing that it was the reaction Mirio had wanted from him. Silently, the other host let him stammer out unintelligible sounds for the better part of a minute before finding his words. “What are you talking about? Where did you hear that?!”

“I cannot, unfortunately, release the name of my informant as that would compromise their wonderfully convenient position! So, I take that to mean it's true. I can say that I am really excited to see you get back to your roots. Even if you don't stay on pairs, I think it'll be wonderful to see you in that vein of skating again. So, with that, care to let us in on who your partner will be?”

Instead of answering, Izuku groaned loudly and let his had smack into the table.

“Oh no, listeners! I think I may just have killed Deku. While he returns to the land of the living, I'll just continue on with this piece of gossip! And what a piece of gossip it is!”