#I'd try and assign the other characters classes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aayakashii · 3 months

Text

routine

Pairing: Kagami Subaru x MC/reader

Tags: SFW. Character analysis, a bit of angst, hurt x comfort (I think), fluff and romance between you and Subaru, over 6k words

Author's note: this is probably the biggest fic I've written lol and I'm kinda proud of how it came out, since it also took me some days to fully flesh it out. I'd appreciate comments if you liked the fic! Comments literally keep every writers alive. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Kabuki Glossary:

Biwa: Japanese short-necked wooden flute traditionally used in narrative storytelling

Geza: the music that plays during kabuki, performed live

Hanamichi: flower path; a long, raised platform, running left or center to the stage through the audience, connecting to the main stage, used to make dramatic entrances and exits

Mie pose: a powerful and emotional pose struck by an actor

Onnagata: actor who acts the role of a young woman

Sewamono: a genre of contemporary setting plays in Japanese traditional theatre

Shamisen: three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument

Tachiyaku: young adult male roles, the actors who play those roles; most commonly these are hero roles, though not all of them

Takemoto: a specific type of song, it is also the narration device used during a kabuki play. It consists of a chanter/narrator (tayu) and the shamisen players

Subaru had become used to it.

You would come to visit him right after your classes, if you weren’t assigned a mission, and Subaru would welcome you with tea and some obscure sweet he managed to get, just to let you try it. You two would talk, and you would share stories about your friends in the Academy, how your life was before you became cursed, and he would tell his own stories, even if he thought they weren’t nearly as interesting as yours.

It gave him a sense of belonging.

Subaru hadn't had much experience with friendships or any interpersonal relationship at all.

His life was merely the background for his career as an actor. His bare skin was merely the foundational bricks for the red and white makeup that would adorn him once he was out on the stage.

When he was under the spotlight, his monotone voice resounded loudly – louder than the drums, louder than the shamisen, louder than the biwa. Subaru became gigantic under his costume. His movements were sharp and hypnotic, the flow of his kimono as he walked down the hanamichi and the pierce of his gaze turned all heads towards him. He was a genius, a talent like no other, the future of the kabuki theater.

And he did not see himself in any of it.

Here lies the true tragedy of a burned out genius child: to go under insurmountable levels of pressure, only to find that the dreams of your parents were never your own.

Subaru did not want to be under the spotlight, no matter how much the spotlight wanted him and no matter how much others wanted him to be under it.

As he was forced to keep walking the flower path, his chances of living life as a normal kid were gone: he had no friends, no acquaintances, nothing that helped him find out who he was for himself.

So, he had no experience.

But he knew that he could pick out the feeling of belonging somewhere after spending time with you.

Eagerly, he waited for the clock to reach 5PM everyday, knowing that you would come through his door to spend time with him.

Routine was always something he appreciated, anxious as he was. He didn't like surprises, he wanted things to be predictable, to give him even the slightest sense of control over his new life as a student.

Therefore, to know that you would come to visit everyday, at the exact same time, was his comfort – even if the thought of you made his heart skip a beat, although he didn't quite understand why.

Not even standing behind the greatest stages made his heart drum loudly after a while. As the green, red and brown curtains of the stage were pulled, his body went on automatic. The takemoto went through his ears, unnoticed, and the geza became white noise. He moved gracefully, although his mind flew into other planes. As the audience clapped enthusiastically as he stood in his mie pose, Subaru wished he was somewhere else. He felt extremely guilty for not being able to appreciate the hard work of the musicians and the actors, but after he figured out that the passion he thought he had was merely a reflection of his parents’ passion, everything became black, white and gray.

Yet, planning fancy snacks for you made his hands clammy and his heart restless – and it wasn't the most comfortable feeling, however, he didn't hate it. He knew you'd come through with the routine and wash his anxieties away.

However, much to his dismay, his comfort had been ripped off of him for the past three days. His precious routine had been broken and Subaru would be lying if he said he wasn't counting the hours, the minutes and the seconds until it was restored, somehow.

He just had no idea how to fix it.

You had been fiercely avoiding him for three days, ever since the last meeting was cut short, and he blamed himself for hurting you in the worst way he could have ever done it.

Subaru has always had awful self-esteem.

No matter the compliments about his genius, none of them stuck to him. When you despise what you do, being good at it just brings forth more bitterness towards oneself.

Subaru was a rarity in the kabuki world – someone who could represent a captivating tachiyaku or the most elegant onnagata. He could be the hero or the princess, something that most actors could not do. To don the costumes of two genders was the cause of endless praise and awe from the audience and members of his acting house alike – none of which he accepted.

To him, his talent came as second nature. There was no need to hone his skills – they were already there, much like an additional organ he was born with – and he loathed that fact. He loathed how this pushed him towards a world in which he didn't want to participate.

He truly valued the hard work he was now putting into his studies, something he was creating with his own hands. He could see his own growth and pat himself on the back for it – even if he still had a hard time accepting compliments (he knew the only reason he was the captain of Hotarubi was due to his status, after all. He was just a figurehead).

Subaru’s stigma was an even bigger burden towards his path of bettering himself.

If he hated being an actor, he hated himself even more for his powers. Much like his talent, he did not ask to be bestowed with such a repugnant stigma. It was the reason why his parents would never touch him, never hold him. He was a walking breach of privacy, a dangerous little thing that could easily become a weapon, if the truth of his stigma was found out. He was untouchable in every way, figuratively and literally.

He truly couldn't understand how Lyca, Zenji, Haku and you were so quick to accept his ugliness.

“You aren’t disgusting, something like this could never be your fault”, you had said, when he wallowed in self-pity after revealing his secret. But to step out of his cycle of self-hatred was a tough task.

Your visits helped, however. For the first time in his young life, someone saw him as himself and stayed.

Haku and Zenji were his true friends, but they still saw him through the lens of that one genius kabuki actor. And Lyca… he was alone and desperate.

You, however, had the ghouls of Darkwick Academy wrapped in your little finger and, still, you chose him. Despite his social awkwardness, his anxieties, his anger, his stigma. You chose him whenever it was time to get lunch, when you could be resting, when you could have anyone else. The thought of it made his heart skip a beat again. He was sensing a slight pattern.

Yet, it had been three days, and you were gone. No messages, no visits, no news.

He understood your avoidance despite it all. He had committed the worst sin he could have done to his dearest friend.

He had touched you.

You had come to Hotarubi at your usual time, 5PM, sharp. Your hair was disheveled and a few droplets of water stained the tatami of the tea room as they fell from your face and hands, while you hurriedly took off your shoes.

“I’m so sorry for making a mess, Subaru! I had to run here to arrive on time and ended up forgetting my umbrella… I had to walk under every cover I could find, but I still ended up being sprayed by the rain.” you said, as you stood at the entrance, shaking your body as if you were trying to get rid of the excess water.

Subaru shot up from his spot, his face contorted in worry.

“Oh no, please don’t do that!” he said, as he ran to quickly rummage through the drawers of the room for towels “You always have to use an umbrella when you come to Hotarubi, what if you get a cold?”

You grabbed the towel he gave you, smiling awkwardly.

“I know, I know. I just didn’t want to arrive late. I didn’t want you to get anxious.”

Subaru blinked, face blank, as he was caught off guard by your answer.

“You… you don’t need to worry about me. I’m not that anxious.”

You laughed, and he felt his breath hitch on his throat.

“Suuure, and I don’t breathe oxygen…” you said jokingly, hanging the towel on a nearby hanger after you finished patting your face and arms dry, giggling as you noticed the way he was pouting slightly. “I’m just playing with you! I’m sorry.”

“No no, I’m sorry about worrying you to the point of you having to hurry…”

You rolled your eyes and raised your hands to put them on his shoulder, quickly stopping yourself before you could actually touch him, resting them on your hips instead.

“Subaru. You don’t have to apologize for something like that. I am doing this because I care about your well-being. You're my friend and I want you to be okay. It’s not something to feel apologetic for. Instead, you can just thank me for being a great friend.” you winked and he immediately looked away from your face, that was too bright for him to stare at.

“O… okay… Thank you.” Subaru murmured, forcing himself to look at you again, from under his lashes, a small smile adorning his features.

“You’re very welcome.” you nodded “Now let’s drink some tea please, I do need something hot to warm myself!”

“That’s true, let’s get you warm so you won’t get a cold, please.”

Soon, time slowed down as you two sat and chatted about everything and nothing at all. You talked about how weird Darkwick's shopkeeper is, how awfully crowded the dining hall is (Subaru avoided it like the plague), how scary Professor Hyde can be sometimes, how loud Kaito and Luca are, how cute are the little cats running around all day…

How funny it is that you two always met for lunch in a place where only romantic couples hung out, you mentioned in passing, almost mumbling to yourself like you didn’t want to be heard.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Subaru asked, already looking apologetic, hearing you despite your low voice.

“No, no” you were quick to dismiss his concern “It’s, um, I don’t know... Doesn’t it make you a little nervous?” you said, laughing sheepishly, a foreign blush warming the tips of your ears, which went unnoticed by him.

“You get nervous when we’re there? We can eat somewhere else, you don't have to stay in a place you dislike just to appease me…” Subaru muttered, frowning “I’m so sorry I didn’t notice that it was making you uncomfortable…”

“No, no, no” you shook your head vigorously “That’s not what I meant at all! I… I don’t think I can explain it to you just yet. I don’t think I’m… ready, or… whatever, I don’t know…” you trailed off, incoherently.

“Ready? I’m sorry, I don't understand.”

“It’s okay” you flashed him a smile and grabbed one of the kimono catalogs that were littering his table, fidgeting with it, mindlessly “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just keep eating there, okay? Promise we’ll keep eating there?”

“But I want to understand what you mean- oh!” Subaru cut himself off as he saw a thick sheet of paper cut your thumb while you flipped it anxiously “Your thumb…”

You looked at the small cut that was letting out a single droplet of blood and shrugged.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice… it’s okay, I’ll put a bandaid over it later. Wait, Subaru? Wait… wait, no!”

The boy didn’t quite register his own movements, as his hand went to grab your bleeding one, gently grasping your pulse with his soft fingers, running his own thumb over your cut, as if his touch could heal you faster.

His hands were bare.

You inhaled sharply and, instantly, it all flashed into his mind in quick succession. Like a large wave overwhelming an inexperienced swimmer, he was pushed down into the deep waters of those memories, causing him to gasp, breathless.

Subaru was swarmed by visions of himself in every possible situation. He saw how your gaze followed him when you spotted him from a distance in the campus; how you searched for him in the crowd of students during lunch time, on the tranquil balcony in which you two have shared your food together plenty of times before; and how you turned your head around whenever you heard someone mention his name in passing.

He had glimpses of the way his hands moved while making tea; his profile as he smiled gently when he tried explaining your homework to you; and his own eyes softening as he talked about Lyca. In your eyes, he looked magical. Ethereal, even. Someone who deserved to be admired, loved, praised and he knew these were your own emotions being whispered so subtly to him.

Subaru saw himself in a way the mirror had never reflected back to him. He discovered parts of his being that he wasn't able to find out for himself, because they would only come to the surface when he was with you.

In his mind's eye, right then, Subaru laughed, loud and breathless, as he clutched his stomach – all the restraint he built through his lifetime, gone through the window, after you had merely told him some silly joke. The way he brightened with your words, making your heart beat in a terrifying, yet delightful way, made your breath catch on your throat.

And much like a dying man seeing his whole life flash through his eyes, he arrived back to the present and saw himself, staring wide-eyed at his own hand tightly gripping yours.

He blinked, and his consciousness came back to him.

Subaru, like usual, felt incredibly weak after using his stigma, yet he still quickly turned his gaze towards you, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing like a fish, unable to say a word.

Your face was beet red and your eyes were blankly staring at your own lap, lips pursed into a thin line and eyebrows furrowed. Your free hand was clenched into a fist, knuckles pale with the force in which you dug your own nails into your palm.

“I…” Subaru murmured, trying his best to weave a coherent thought.

You got up quickly, breaking the hold Subaru had onto your arm, and grabbed your things in a hurry.

“I think- I think I should go.” your voice cracked and you cleared your throat harshly “Thank you so much for the snacks and tea, they were delicious like always” you blurted out, quickly making your way to his door.

“Wait, no, I- I'm sorry, I-” Subaru held his hand out, as if he tried to reach you but you were too far away, oceans of distance between you two.

“There's nothing to apologize for!” You said, way too cheerfully for him to believe you “I just gotta go now. I have… I gotta go. Yeah. See you soon, Subaru.” you stepped out into the rain and soon disappeared into the mist that surrounded Hotarubi, not waiting for whatever he tried to say.

Subaru stared at his own hands. The little droplet of your blood stained his fingertip, and he took a deep, shaky breath.

He had betrayed you. He had seen your innermost memories without your consent and now you were mad at him. He had to apologize. He had to beg for your forgiveness, until you took pity on him and allowed him to be your friend once again.

Falling into a deeper pit of self-hatred was hard, but he tried to keep it together, for you. He needed to be lucid in order to beg for your pardon once you came back to visit him. He just hoped it would be soon.

But you did not see him soon at all.

“I don't think they're mad at you for seeing their memories, it’s not really like them. But maybe they're embarrassed?” Haku pondered, taking a bite of the mochi Subaru had set out for you out of pure habit.

“No” he shook his head, adamant “They wouldn't simply disappear if it was just that. I don’t believe that. I have done something that made them angry at me. I saw something I definitely shouldn't have seen.”

It was the fifth day of you avoiding Subaru and he was hanging on by the thinnest thread. He was so close to snapping that it was becoming clear to the other Hotarubi students. And so, Haku and Zenji came to intervene.

“Well... I can't really give you my proper opinion if I don't know what you saw.” Haku said bluntly, making Subaru flinch.

“I can't tell you. I would be breaching their trust again. That’s the last thing I need to do right now.”

“You are absolutely correct, my dear friend!” Zenji remarked “However, we can’t possibly figure out the true essence of your situation if you can't tell us the whole entire story! How can we write an ending without knowing the beginning and the middle of the plot?”

“I don’t know…” Subaru murmured, looking more miserable with each second.

Haku sighed loudly, shifting his legs on the seat.

“Subaru. We don't want to gossip. We just want to know the situation better. We are their friends as well, you know?” he smirked “We can help you figure out their emotions. If anything, you might feel better after venting. How’s that phrase? A burden shared…”

“Is a burden halved!” Zenji finished, boisterously.

A pang resounded in Subaru's heart at how his friends were doing their best to help him.

“O…okay. I'll tell you”

After finishing recounting the last day he saw you, Subaru sighed loudly.

“Well?”

After a moment of silence, Zenji exclaimed loudly, startling the other two.

“Oh!! The spring begins!!” he yelled, one hand on his chest as the other went up in the air “How lovely it is to see young buds bloom into perfect flowers!!”

Haku slowly nodded at Zenji’s words and chuckled, rubbing his own face in disbelief while he noticed how absolutely perplexed and confused Subaru still was.

“I see now…”

“What?” the brown-haired boy fidgeted, almost desperate to grab Haku and Zenji and shake them by their shoulders “What's going on?”

The other boys looked at each other, before turning back to him.

“Subaru, I don’t want to beat around the bush so I’m just gonna say it straight away. They're like… very much in love with you.”

He blinked slowly, as if the words were entering his brain at a snail’s pace.

“What?” was all he managed to utter.

“Yes, my friend! Our lovely flower seems to be completely smitten by you!”

“No” Subaru shook his head “That can't be. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Man, if there’s one thing that makes sense in the world, is what we’re telling you right now” Haku said, while laughing “Specially after everything you said you saw. You just… saw their feelings when they weren't ready to tell you yet, so I bet it feels embarrassing. It's probably eating them alive right now. That’s why they’re not visiting.”

Subaru stared at his own lap, his mind not properly processing the depth of the situation – the word “Love” bouncing in his brain like a lost temari.

“Then…” he whispered, throat hoarse “What should I do now?”

“What do you feel for our little flower, my friend? Do you correspond to their feelings? Do you love them back?” Zenji worded gently, as if he was talking to a scared wild animal.

“Do I love them back…”

Haku nudged Zenji, motioning for both of them to get up and leave Subaru for the moment.

“Figure that out first. If you do, go after them and tell them you correspond to their feelings. If not, just let them deal with it on their own. Also, if you don’t like them back, don’t ask for them to come visit you again like nothing ever happened. You’d just be rubbing salt on their wounds.”

“How do I figure that out though?” Subaru looked up at the two men as they leisurely walked outside of his room, eyes already brimming with tears.

“You're a smart guy. You'll figure that out by yourself.” Haku winked at him and both him and Zenji slipped away, leaving Subaru at a loss.

Subaru did his due diligence the only way he knew how: by studying. He started reading romance mangas and watching romance movies. It was the type of media his family would never approve of, as they deemed it unworthy of someone refined like him.

Still, despite him thinking that that “forbidden knowledge” would give him all the answers, it still led him nowhere.

He wasn’t like any male lead from these works. He could never run after someone in an airport and yell their name, begging them to stay and forgo all of their life plans. Subaru wasn’t like that. He couldn't run, couldn't yell and could never see himself as more important than anything.

His self-esteem wasn’t nearly as good as what was necessary for him to feel even the slightest kinship towards the strong, bold male leads, who always had something impressive to show – something that made them who they are, even if they had failures in their personalities.

Subaru could say he had his career as a Kabuki actor as something impressive, but again, it wasn’t him. Kabuki was a part of him, yes, but he wanted to shed it like a cocoon.

Despite that, he thought, then, of all the romantic plays he had performed.

He remembered the pain of most love stories, the tragic end of most sewamono plays he performed and he felt the thorns of grief strangle his chest, tightly.

He remembered the star crossed lovers who could never be together, the man who was promised to someone else and couldn’t be with his beloved, and the woman who had her life binded to a place that would never let her be with the one she desired the most.

All of them, lovers who could never be together, so they chose to erase their own light, because being without one another was more painful than dying together.

Subaru thought about not having you in his life for a moment and he figured: maybe not having you was its own type of death. A life without his most beloved friend felt like an empty one. A loveless one.

He paused.

Love. He thought of this word so candidly, it came to his mind without conscious thought – like it was second nature, like it was the obvious conclusion. And so, he decided to allow his thoughts to flow naturally, without pressure or expectations for once.

He thought of the way he searched for your gaze whenever you two were in public, seeking your comfort and approval.

His heart skipped a beat whenever he glanced at you and you found his eyes, smiling silently at him, as if you two had a secret inside joke.

His chest swelled with pride whenever you agreed with him (it didn’t matter the subject) and he almost felt like he could burst with it whenever you thanked him for his help studying, or when you praised him, or when you giggled at something he said.

Subaru cared for your tastes and opinions, always asking for your favorite foods, flowers, scents and colors. He made sure to smother you in your favorite things, in order to keep you more comfortable – in order to keep you with him just a little longer everyday.

His thoughts wandered over to you at any given moment and he didn't even notice. He'd question himself whether you'd like something, which sweets he could order for you, which teas he could brew.

Without noticing, he based his life around you and it felt absolutely right when he did that. It felt like belonging somewhere.

Subaru inhaled sharply.

The place in which he belongs is wherever you are, he figured.

Subaru hastily got up and bolted out of his room, out of Hotarubi and into Darkwick's campus, where the rain was pouring heavily, accumulating around the lamp posts and pitter-pattering loudly on the asphalt. His clothes were drenched in mere seconds.

He had forgotten his umbrella.

Subaru banged as loud as he could on the door of the rundown cathedral, trying to blink away the raindrops that stuck to his eyelashes and blurred his vision. He could barely see through the heavy rain anyway, so he missed the lights on the windows flickering on and your shadow hurriedly descending the stairs to walk towards the tall doors.

“Subaru?!” you yelled through the sounds of the storm, his hands still raised in fists, ready to keep on banging at the door. “Oh my goodness, Subaru, you’re drenched!”

You pulled him by his uniform’s sleeve, doing your best to avoid touching him without his consent. ‘Always so thoughtful’ he thought to himself, feeling a little floaty after finally seeing you after a whole week.

With his realization, the dam that was keeping his feelings for you safely contained inside a hidden part of himself was no more.

Subaru acknowledged that he was madly in love with you and he immediately began feeling foolish. His fingers itched to touch you despite his fears and he could look at you for hours on end, drinking every detail and every mannerism.

It was like admitting his love was also letting go of his self control. He felt like something inside him nudged him to be as close to you as possible and it flustered him.

No wonder the movies and mangas said that being in love made people a bit sillier, a bit dumber. But the extent of it was almost ridiculous.

He followed you like a lost puppy when you motioned for him to come with you, and soon you two found yourselves in the kitchen.

“Okay” you let out a loud exhale “This is the warmest place in this dorm. You’re lucky I was already making myself some tea. Also, I’m gonna bring some towels and a change of clothes for you, although I might not have something that’s your size. Geez, Subaru, what were you thinking, walking all the way here in this storm? And this late? Without an umbrella!” you rambled on and on, pouring boiling water into a mug for him to drink and dipping a tea bag inside, carelessly.

Subaru grabbed the warm mug and looked at you, with saddened eyes that felt like an arrow through your heart.

“I missed you.”

You took a long breath as you heard the words coming out of his lips, and stared at him, dumbfounded, like he had suddenly grown a second head. You were about to reply, when Subaru shivered intensely despite the warmth of the kitchen, and you came back to your senses, walking briskly towards your room, in order to fetch the towels, leaving his words unanswered.

Subaru sipped on the tea, suddenly every insecurity bubbling up to the surface while he waited for you to return. What if he totally misunderstood your memories? What if you just loved him as a friend and nothing else, what if Haku and Zenji were totally wrong, what if what if what if-

The sound of your hurried footsteps interrupted the avalanche of thoughts that were most definitely about to bury him under a panic attack. He focused on your silhouette approaching him with a handful of towels and what appeared to be a big nightgown.

“Okay, let's get you near the stove.” You said, beckoning him to sit where you were standing.

As soon as he sat down again, you covered his head with a towel and began drying him up as best as you could. Subaru focused on the feeling of the soft fabric rubbing against his head, and then his neck and his arms.

“I'm gonna turn around and close my eyes. Meanwhile, please try to dry yourself properly and then put on this nightgown I found, okay?” you said, quickly turning around on your feet, not waiting for his input.

Subaru stared at your back for a moment, and began doing as he was told – the thoughts that were plaguing him calming down and silencing on your presence, as if you were a protective charm. His protective charm.

“I'm done” he muttered, hair still dripping, but mostly dry when it came to his whole body.

You sighed, looking at his wet mop of hair and began drying him again, in silence.

“I’m sorry for touching you” Subaru was the one who first broke the comfortable stillness between you two.

“You know I’m not mad at you because of that, right?” you replied.

“You disappeared” he stares at you, the hurt in his eyes clear as spring water.

“I know, and I'm…” a beat passes by, longer than it actually was “I apologize. I know running away isn't the best approach, but that was all I came up with.”

Subaru stayed silent, as if he was waiting for you to complete your answer.

“It's just… I can imagine what you saw and I wasn't ready to discuss it yet.” you finished, shoulders slumping after you finish drying his hair.

Subaru moved a few strands of his brown hair away from his eyes.

“What do you think I saw?”

You glared at him, cocking an eyebrow at the question that sounded way too much like a tease.

“I don't think you’re in a position to ask questions like that, are you?” you replied, unintentionally snappy.

“Oh, I'm sorry… it truly wasn't my intention”

But it was Subaru that was standing before you, not anyone else. Truthfully, you knew he would never in a million lifetimes think of teasing you on purpose. It was one of the reasons why you ended up so lost in your feelings for him.

You sighed, more in frustration with yourself than anything else.

“I know, I’m just… Look, Subaru… I'm sorry too.”

It was his turn to raise his eyebrows, but in confusion.

“For what?”

You chewed on your bottom lip, avoiding his eyes even though you were standing so close to his sitting form that his whole presence overwhelmed you.

“For putting this burden on you. I know you saw my… like…”

He waited yet again for you to finish.

“I know you saw my feelings for you.”

Subaru could immediately feel a warmth spread through his chest, cheeks and ears at your words. So he wasn't mistaken? So you liked him back? Truly?

“But I didn't want to burden you with them.”

The smile that was tugging at the corner of his lips suddenly dissolved into nothing.

“B-burden me?”

You pursed your lips, transferring your weight between your legs, back and forth, back and forth, anxiety clear on your face as you thought of how you could tell him what was on your mind.

“I didn't want to ruin what we have, I think? But there's no point in hiding now, right?” You chuckled nervously “I mean, you already know, but I really like you, Subaru. If I ruined our friendship because I got too greedy, I think I wouldn't be able to handle it.”

You looked at him, eyes swirling with emotion and, for a second, Subaru thought this could all be a dream – the only thing that confirmed otherwise being the uncomfortable chill of his body, a sign of a fever approaching.

“Everything you do… every interaction we have, I just get more and more in love” you cringed at how emotional your own words sounded “But I am so scared of your rejection. I think in part I was hoping you'd forget about that incident during my time away from you. I didn’t imagine you’d come after me.”

Subaru's heart beat drummed loudly and fast inside his chest, although he tried to keep it hidden (his face betrayed him, however).

“Did you think of me while you were away?” He managed to mutter.

“Are you kidding me?” you laughed, breathlessly “You were all I thought about this whole week.”

His ears burned red.

“I… thought about you all the time too.” he mumbled, gaze fixed on his own hands.

“What?”

He took a sharp breath and steadied himself, training his eyes on you as he spoke his next words.

“I'm so… I'm so sorry I'm not good with emotions and I'm sorry that it took me a whole week to understand things when I could have relieved you of this earlier but… I figured it out. I finally did.”

“Figured out what?” you tilted your head to the side and his chest warmed once again at the effortlessly cute gesture, giving him even more certainty to keep saying what he had to say.

“I like… no… I love you too.” he watched the way your eyes widened and darted all over his face, as if to search for a sign of truth behind his words.

“I am so blind and afraid of other people that it took me that long” he proceeded “But I know now. I.. I really do love you and I don't want to be away from you any longer. You don't have to stay away anymore. So please.” He got up from his seat and took a small step towards you “Please don't leave me behind like that anymore.”

You shook your head, tears welling up on your eyes, his intensity squeezing your lungs until you thought you could die, breathless, his eyes stealing every ounce of air from you.

“Subaru… Please… please don't tell me you're doing this to appease me.”

He paused.

The thought of you not believing in his words tugged a little at his heartstrings, but he also couldn't blame you. Not when he was so unsure of all of his feelings on a daily basis, towards everyone and everything, and you were the main witness of the way he clumsily stumbled his way into understanding himself.

He was absolutely sure of this, though.

“I'm not.” he said, voice steady as he looked at you.

“Because if you're saying this just because you want to keep me close, I would never be able to forgive you.” You looked away from him, pain over this imaginary scenario clouding your face. It was the time for him to extinguish your anxieties and insecurities for once.

“I'm not.” He took a step closer towards you.

“Please… don’t try to please me if you don't truly feel the same way.” You shut your eyes tightly, throat clenching as you felt the tears threaten to fall.

“Look at me.” He pleaded, and you hesitantly complied, breath hitching on your throat when you noticed how close he was standing to you “I promise you. I'm not.”

Subaru leaned forward, capturing your lips into a quick, chaste kiss, a fire burning on his cheeks at his own boldness.

He was still afraid of his stigma and how it would work with the other parts of his body besides his hands, but once he noticed he was still grounded in reality and not locked in another memory of yours, he got a bit bolder once again, and kissed you for just a little longer, lips melding together just a little more. The softness of your kiss made him sigh and his heartbeat deafened his ears.

He tentatively rested his forehead on yours once the innocent kiss was broken.

The first thing he noticed was the warmth you radiated while he stood near you. Both of you had beet red faces and your minds were hazy, as if they were made of clouds.

You were the first to come back to reality and giggle at how overwhelmed both of you were with just a little kiss.

Slowly, hesitantly, your hand came up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into your touch like a cat.

“The stigma?” you whispered

“Not activated”

“Good.”

Your other hand came up to run your fingers through his hair, on his nose, on his chin.

“Do you believe me now?” Subaru asked, wholeheartedly.

“Maybe, I think I'm going to need a few more kisses to fully believe you.” you smiled, teasing him a little bit.

“Really?” He leaned away to look at your eyes, still a bit worried he hadn’t convinced you yet.

“No” you snorted “I'm just joking.”

“Oh I see… sorry I didn't get it right away” he furrowed his brows, apologetically.

“I don't mind getting more kisses though!” you squeezed his shoulders, reassuring.

Subaru chuckled, still a bit flustered at your proximity. Suddenly, however, he scrunched his nose and stepped backwards.

“Subaru?”

“Oh. Oh, I think I'm gonna–” Subaru quickly turned around and sneezed into the towel that still hung on his shoulders “Oh-oh. I think I'm getting a bit sick.” he said, nasally, nose dripping a little bit as he sniffed loudly, back still turned towards you.

You fretted, hovering all around him as you scolded the poor boy.

“See! What did I tell you!” You quickly placed your hand on his forehead and gasped “Let's get you to bed right now, Subaru. You're already feverish!”

You pulled him quickly towards your room, hearing his wheezes as both of you climbed the stairs that led to your quarters.

“But I don't regret what I did” he stifled another sneeze “I needed to talk to you.”

You blushed, opening the door to your room, and glared at him.

“And now you're sick…”

You two climbed the stairs to your lofted bed and you pulled the covers, motioning for him to lay down.

He sat on your bed and looked at you, puppy eyes blinking his allergy tears away.

“But… it kinda looked like a movie thing, didn't it…?” he said, sheepishly.

You pushed him towards your pillows and covered him thoroughly, pouting a bit.

“I think it did…” you stared at the giddy smile that tugged on his lips and sighed, shaking your head.

“I'm going to be down there” you pointed to the bottom of your room “So if you need anything, I'll be here. I'll just grab you some water and medicine and come back quickly, okay?”

You got up, but as you began to leave, Subaru held your hand. His eyes were already droopy, the events of the day getting to him, along with the cold that was quickly racking his body.

“Are you going to start visiting me again?” he asked quietly.

You felt your heart skip a beat as you looked at his sleepy face, the question making you fall even deeper in love with the adorable boy in front of you, if that could be even possible.

You nodded.

“Everyday, for as long as you want me near you.” you said quietly as well.

He shifted on the bed, snuggling closer to the blankets, and closed his eyes, letting sleep wash over him.

“Forever, then.” he mumbled, and, soon afterwards, began snoring softly.

#tokyo debunker #subaru kagami #tokyo debunker subaru kagami

195 notes · View notes

logicbutton · 3 months

Text

Hey guys what's up I learned bookbinding to make @cindthia a physical copy of Synchronized Cardioversion for our anniversary :3

Pics and process documentation below!

I used the following resources:

How to Make a Book by ArmoredSuperHeavy

Bookbinding Resources Master List by Renegade Bindery

r/Fanbinding

the fanbinding tag on AO3 - shoutout to r3zuri's fanbinding of a FFVII fic for their extremely informative cliff's notes version of the process

the Intro to Hand Bookbinding class at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, an incredible resource for anyone in or near Minneapolis interested in learning how to bind their own books.

First, I typeset the fanfic. I did this by downloading it from AO3, trying to figure it out myself, checking How to Make a Book for help with a problem I was having, and realizing that I should have just used it from the beginning in the first place. I used Microsoft Word 2013.

Fonts: Palatino Linotype, Helvetica (for the characters' text messages), Beatline (for titles) Margins: .88" top, 1" bottom, .75" inside, .75" outside, .25" gutter Front matter: - Title page with only the title - "Praise for Synchronized Cardioversion" with comments from the fic - Title page with title, author name, and a colophon I made - Copyright page with fic copyright, fic URL, TLT series copyright, disclaimer, AO3 fic summary, first chapter author's notes, copyright for in-text art, book design credit, font info Back matter: - Acknowledgments (from the fic) - "Also by CindFourth" with all their TLT fic separated into Synchronized Cardioversion Extended Universe (might make another book of this at some point); Other Camgideon, Campal, and Team 69; and Other Locked Tomb

I set the page layout to "book fold" with 16-page signatures. As for the art, one of Cind's requests in last year's TLT Holiday Exchange was for art of this fic and they got not only a fantastic one-page comic from their assigned creator, our friend @anaeolist (who also did a sketch of Cam and Gideon kissing - we'll come back to that later), but also a lovely piece as a treat from our friend @kat-hikari. I got permission from both artists to include their work in the book.

The finished file was 408 pages, so I added four blank pages (two sheets) to the beginning and the end to make 26 signatures even.

Next, I printed the pages. I used my Brother DCP-L2550DW and Hammermill 11x8.5 24/60 lb. cream bookbinding paper from Church Paper. I'd read that sometimes using short-grain paper in a regular printer could cause it to jam, but it went fine. The cream color made the pages look so professional.

I folded the pages into signatures and then pressed them overnight. Since I don't have a book press, I sandwiched them between two sheets of bookboard and put a heavy box on top, and that worked well.

The next step, punching holes and sewing, was my favorite. I'd made a punching cradle using instructions I got in my bookbinding class. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it only used bookboard and PVA glue, so I didn't even need to buy anything I hadn't already bought for the project.

I used three pieces of tape and sewed them on using a kettle stitch.

Then I went to MCBA to use their guillotine on the text block and their board shear to cut boards for the cover.

I chose orange cardstock for the endpaper, and because I am a novice making novice mistakes I unfortunately forgot to get a size of cardstock that would let me fold it on the grain, but anyway. I trimmed it to the exact size of the pages and glued it to the text block. Next I glued the spine of the text block, rounded it a bit (not the way an expert would; you learn that in Intermediate Hand Bookbinding), added a strip of super mull and headbands at either end, and sat it under a weight to dry while I made the cover.

The Bristol board I cut for the spine was probably 1/8" too wide, which makes a bigger difference than you would think. Next time I'm going to err on the side of slightly too narrow when I'm already giving myself three board widths of a buffer on either side.

Aside from that, the cover turned out great! I could have done a better job lining up the endpaper when I glued it in, but that's the kind of thing you practice I guess.

I love the way the navy blue bookcloth looks with the cream paper, the orange endpaper, and the red and white headbands.

Now that I had the exact dimensions of the book, I could finally design the dust jacket. Remember that sketch of Cam and Gideon kissing that anaeolist did for the holiday exchange? I commissioned them to turn it into a finished piece for the cover, and boy did they ever deliver. I also asked some of our other friends who had read the fic to give me blurbs for the back cover, and they delivered too. Cind's and my relationship wouldn't have been possible without the wonderful community we met in and I wanted this gift to reflect that.

I created the jacket in GIMP at a print resolution of 300ppi and saved it as a pdf. The final step was to get it printed, which I was nervous about because it was the only part of the process that I had no control over at all. Long story short, I ended up with something I was very happy with done by a small chain print shop where I had to go in and talk to a human about what I needed.

I also posted this to AO3!

#fanbinding #the locked tomb

110 notes · View notes

when-wax-wings-melt · 11 months

Text

Y'all wanted the presentation? Here's the presentation. Image descriptions are below the cut!

(technically this wasnt part of the assignment, which was "write an essay and read at least one full page to the class" so the reason why there's those huge blocks of text is because that is taken directly from the essay. i can condense things if I WANT to condense them)

[ID: 15 screenshots of a powerpoint presentation. The text is either white or gray, and the theme is various shades of purple, typically with bubbles of dark/light purple and images.

Slide one: Title reading "Keeper of the Lost Cities: A Love-Hate-Love Relationship, And What It Can Do To Your Psyche" with three images on the side. The first image is a meme of two stick figures, the first saying "kotlc lore is second nature to us rabid fans so it's easy to forget that the average person only knows the average special ability count and one or two vackers", the second figure saying "and valin, of course," and the first saying "of course." with text at the bottom reading "Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overcompensate the average person's familiarity with their field." The other two images are of Shannon Messenger, a white woman with blonde hair. The images are captioned "The dastardly mastermind behind it all" and "meet Shannon Messenger".

Slide Two: Title reading "Background" with a block of text and two images. The text reads "In total, the Keeper of The Lost Cities (KOTLC) series has over 7000 pages, split between nine and a half books (Book 8.5 was, uselessly, a novella) with a planned tenth coming in late 2024, and a graphic novel dropping in November. It’s the kind of series that hooks you the same way a fisherman hooks a fish: with a promise of a treat that goes very, very unfulfilled." The top image is the cover of the first keeper of the lost cities book, captioned with "book one of what will soon consume my entire brain for years and years and years" and the bottom image is a fish staring at the top image as if it is a tasty treat, captioned "Poor, innocent little 6th grade me".

Slide Three: A block of text reading "This is to say: KOTLC is a good series, at least at first. It’s certainly been my core obsession for a good (or bad) five years. It’s a hook because you can’t escape once you’ve begun. It’s my own personal brand of heroine, as Edward Cullen might say if Bella were a too-long book series that doesn’t resolve any plotlines or character arcs and instead piles more information on top of worldbuilding until contradictions are more plentiful than the packed main cast." An image of Edward Cullen from twilight is captioned "Me, apparently".

Slide Four: A small caption at the top reads "If the series ever ends you can call me Brant when Jolie asked him to leave the Neverseen the way I will burn down my house and kill everyone I love (haha just a joke to get us going)" with an image of a huge explosion below it. Text reads, "Basically, KOTLC is a good series, but the idea of recommending it feels like I’d be violating several articles of the Geneva Conventions. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The thought of it ending is an impossibility on the scale of the apocalypse and I hope (I'd rather) the world ends before this series does."

Slide Five: Titled "Queer-Coding in the Lost Cities" with the image of Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker on the side. Text reads, "The queer-coding doesn't just stem from Sophie’s dedicated denial of both her worth as a human being and her desire to kiss her pretty girl friends. A connection called a “Cognate Bond” is often referred to in the text as the closest two elves can become, emotionally and mentally. Cognates exist when two Telepaths (such as Sophie) have such a deep and unbreakable trust bond that they become more skilled together than they were apart. In creating and maintaining this bond, they have to complete trust exercises and not hold back secrets keeping them from total confidentiality. Sophie’s cognate is her friend (and love interest, and, debatably, ex-boyfriend) Fitz, whose romantic relationship was in a large part focused on their cognate one. Their trust exercises involve staring into each other’s eyes, holding hands, having matching rings, and Fitz telling Sophie that she’s the only person he can truly trust. Fitz also asks his father at one point if cognates are allowed to date each other— his father affirms the statement."

Slide Six: Titled "Queer-Coding: Qualden, Tiertice, and such other 🤨🏳️‍🌈 moments" with the text, "Notably, Alden has the authority to do so since he himself was a cognate, only undergoing a nasty breakup— sorry, only losing the bond after his cognate, Quinlin, kept too many secrets. It’s implied that two other characters were once almost Cognates, only to grow too far apart when one of them, Prentice, has his sanity forcibly shattered and is locked in prison, leaving his (gay lover) best friend, Tiergan (code name Granite), to raise his son. The choice to parallel Fitz/Sophie, Alden/Quinlin, and Tiergan/Prentice was possibly not a conscious one, since Messenger has never attempted to hint at the existence of homosexuality before, but it still resonates with hundreds of queer teen readers who look at the portrayal of utter devotion and trust between two men and think, wow. this is what i see in myself." The image is a quote from Neverseen, reading "'What did you give him?' Granite asked, cradling Prentice like a baby. Prentice's head lolled to the side, his body limp and pale." / "Granite held Prentice tighter, whispering, 'It's going to be okay.'"

Slide Seven: Titled "Honorary Errol "I have five identities and they're all the true me" Forkle Mention". Smaller text below reads "Strut it Magnate "I inspired Loki but don’t even ask about the horse thing" Leto!" A picture of Mr. Forkle is next to a tumble post by me about Forkle being trans based on the Loki thing. The slide is decorated with several trans flags.

Slide Eight: Titled "Beauty Standards" with text reading "Speaking of things Shannon Messenger did subconsciously, it’s so painfully clear that this series was written by a white American woman that it makes me break out in hives. Messenger establishes very early on in the series that all elves, no matter who they are, are gorgeous in comparison to humans. For some reason that I’m sure has no correlation to Sophie and therefore Messenger’s personal biases (aka Western hetero/cisnormativity and gender roles), every single elven character is slim with clear skin and no glasses. For some reason, beards seem to be impossible for elves to grow naturally, since the only time facial hair ever appears on anyone’s face is when they take an elixir to change their appearance." An image of Sophie with her human family is captioned "Sophie with her ugly nasty disgusting human family apparently".

Slide Nine: Text reading "Valin is a member of “the drooly boys” who, had they been “human, would’ve been skinny, with acne and braces. Since they were elves, they were fairly good-looking—or they could’ve been if they hadn’t slicked their hair into greasy ponytails” (Messenger KOTLC 170). It seems elves have evolved past the need for brown eyes, acne, crooked teeth, facial hair beyond eyebrows, and variations in body fat—not to mention most other features that make people unique. There is indeed a single elf who is fat and even has wrinkles (elves also don’t physically age past 30, fun fact). He alters his appearance with berries that swell his skin, making him the only unique body type besides Sophie’s human family, who are consistently thrown in terrible comparison to her new, movie-star-looking adoptive parents. The berries also make him smell, interestingly enough." Images of Councillors Zarina, Terik, and Clarette line the right side of the slide.

Slide Ten: Text reading: "By portraying the elves as the standard for beauty and then removing any pimple, stretch mark, fat roll, body hair, crooked tooth, big nose, or any of the thousands of features that add depth to faces and bodies, Messenger tells us that perfection lies in eliminating all “flaws.” She tells her young readers that they are desirable if they look like Sophie, or Biana, or Keefe—not Stina with her curly hair, or Dex’s too-skinny arms, or Forkle’s large stomach, or my human body." The family portrait of the Vackers is also there.

Slide Eleven: Text reading: "Mostly, what defines KOTLC is how it’s interpreted rather than the content itself. I look at Sophie Foster and see parts of myself, but that does not make her me. These characters always feel so painfully real, desperately relatable, as if Messenger cobbled together a main cast from bits of my life, but they are not. In the end, they are just characters. In the end, it’s just a series made for middle schoolers, in the same way the sun is just the sun, and the stars are just there to twinkle merrily and not to be explored." Sophie on the cover of Exile is also there.

Slide Twelve: Text reading "Literally the day after I finished this presentation a new Marella short story came out in the paperback version of Stellarlune (book 9). This is a quote in the short story:" with a picture of the short story of Marella being gay about Linh. Also on the slide is "🚨🚨🚨Alert Alert!🚨🚨🚨" "🤨🤨🤨🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️" and "Everyone is excited about Marellinh canon but I think she will simply never acknowledge it again."

Slide Thirteen: Just the text "Oh, By The Way, This Series Is Off The Walls Insane"

Slide Fourteen: Text reading "Things that happen in this series: Alicorns have sex and then there is a graphic birth scene (but the Forkle as Loki thing is going too far 🤨), Love Interest confesses his feelings by telling Sophie he wants her to be assigned to marry him by the government, An ogre bodyguard plays matchmaker with her charge and his crush (successfully), There's a guy who can sense "potential" except is definitely lying about this, Villains die so disappointingly. So far we have "hit on head with rock" "smushed by door opened too quickly" "exploded" "fell into evil birthing sauce" (this last one was cool though), and A school principal becomes president" Three tumblr screenshots and memes detailing other things that happen in the book are also there.

Slide Fifteen: THE END. A screenshot captioned with "Credits for the fake book 7 cover go to @/aphelea on tumblr" shows a canva/booktok style fake cover for Flashback, with a dancing couple, a horse, and the words "he was a boy. she was a horse. could I make it any more obvious?"

/end id]

#this id was HELLLLLLL by the way. like I had to take breaks and stuff this was TERRIBLE #i hope it's good enough because fellows. my eye is actively twitching from writing that shit out manually #anyways hope u enjoy the essay might make it somewhere sometime blah blah #summer rambles #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #the essay was actually mainly about sophie's insecurity but #it's even better w the transitions #i'll have you know my class LOVED this they were giggling and chortling and such #if the quality is bad. well. good thing we have these lovely image descriptions

338 notes · View notes

tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang · 5 months

Note

What are your favorite headcanons you have? I notice you always have asks about specific characters, but I think a post dedicated to miscellaneous headcanons you especially love would be a nice break!

Like out of the ones I've already done? I'd say these ones are my favourites

Yuzuha offered to get a bike and drive Hakkai around (not to mention learn to drive) when she realised he was constantly riding with Mitsuya. Hakkai quickly said no though.

Kazutora likes his hair being played with but is too nervous to ask anyone to do it (luckily baji noticed this a while ago and occasionally when they're just hanging out and lying around Baji will play with it).

Izana anonymously donated to orphans in the bad toman timeline

Ran and Rindou both using Koko as their middle man when they're arguing. "Koko, please tell Ran to get his job done" "Koko, please tell Rindou his outfit sucks today" "YOU TWO ARE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER"

Baji gets extremely excited for zoo visits, as a kid he actually used to frequently get lost at zoo trips since he'd run off to look at all the animals faster then his mum/ class.

Kakucho used to make Izana crayon birthday cards each year as a kid

If Akane had known Koko had manged to save Inupi then she would've been happy that her little brother got out.

Hanma's the type of person who can fall asleep anywhere, chair, bed, floor, laundry pile. He can sleep on any of them.

South kept accidentally mixing up the Haitani brother's names when he first met them.

The first time Mikey's toman friends heard him say "please" is when he was desperately asking them for some of their food. (After they said no the first time, he sighed then suddenly got serious and just said "please"

Sometimes when it rains, Chifuyu will glance around for anyone without an umbrella. Wondering if he'll get to have a manga moment with them.

While Sanzu was in tenjiku he kept his hands in his pockets a lot. This was to hide the way he'd clench his fists whenever they mentioned taking Mikey down.

One time, after the Kawata twins learnt about the classic trope of twins switching places for a day they decided to try it. Despite their obvious differences they were so sure it was going to work too (it did not work).

Inui once called Shinichiro big brother by accident, Shinichiro was thrilled.

Shion couldn't read the room when it came to South, he thought they were good friends.

Rindou had a teddy bear as a kid that he was super attached to, so attached that he still has it (it's hidden in his room). Ran still teases him about it.

When Benkei's training people in the gym he can seem a bit loud and aggressive but he's actually very supportive, cheering people on and practising them to help with their motivation (he's just very enthusiastic).

In the good timeline Ran thinks signing a few pieces of paper for a few minutes count as a full days work.

Kazutora despises any kind of violence against women, it actually reminds him of the situation with his mother. So because of this he always steps in to beat the guys up stop the situation. (In the good timeline this actually causes problems between him and Senju since he frequently steps into her fights).

Yuzuha can hold her alcohol very well, Hakkai thinks this is unfair (he's more of a lightweight)

Kazutora secretly talks to the animals at the pet shop, telling them about his day.

Baji went to visit Sanzu in the hospital after the incident, he brought him magazines to try and cheer him up.

South doesn't understand the concept of a water fight, will start punching

Kakucho wasn't sure of his birthday so Izana assigned him one

Taiju hates hospitals, they just remind him of his mother and her death.

Hanma has stolen Kisaki's glasses to try on before (and did a Kisaki impression while wearing them)

During the good timeline Sanzu hinted he wanted a pet once. He was thinking like a dog or maybe a cat but Senju got him a hamster. He still ended up loving the little guy

Chifuyu was kicked out of a library once for having such a loud reaction to a twist in a book.

It actually took a long time for Wakasa's friends to figure out what he's scared of. They tried testing him with lots of different things and actually gave up before a house centipede just so happened to crawl by, scaring Wakasa.

Kisaki has yelled at Hanma for eating and leaving crumbs on his bed many times.

Sometimes while sleeping at school, Mikey will talk in his sleep (Draken always glares at the other students and teachers if they dare turn around to look at Mikey)

When Mochi's grocery shopping he normally gets asked by people to reach things on the higher shelves, he always gets them what they need.

Mitsuya has a few burn scars on his hands from where he learnt to cook at a young age and made a few mistakes

The first few times Rindou decided to drive his bike, Ran forced him to wear a helmet. (Ran said he didn't need one though, only Rindou)

Mucho didn't actually give Sanzu his jacket, he just let him borrow it. But then didn't have the heart to ask for it back when he saw how much Sanzu loved it.

#tokyo revengers #tokrev #tokyo rev #tokyo revengers spoilers

111 notes · View notes

lovelyiida · 11 months

Text

𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐍

YANDERE! TODOROKI X READER

SYNOPSIS: Todoroki deeply appreciates all of his upperclassmen, but it seems that you matter the most.

WARNINGS: fem reader, manipulation, possessive nature, stalking, suggestive content, gaslighting, swearing/vulgar language, endeavor sneak

JOIN TAG-LIST

MASTERLIST

WORDS: 3.6K

The day you walked through the door and your eyes met his, he knew he was absolutely smitten. His duo-toned eyes tracked your every move as you looked around the classroom, your eyes trained and curious, excited to meet the new underclassmen.

"These are your upperclassmen leaders," said Mr. Aizawa, his tone straight, with a not-so-subtle hint of boredom. His eyes scanned a sheet of paper as he read to the students, "The upperclassmen you see here today are sophomores; they will lead and guide you when in doubt," he finished.

"When I call your name, please raise your hand so I can assign you a leader," Aizawa grumbled.

Todoroki scanned the room; some of his classmates seemed excited to meet new people and be assigned a leader. Todoroki never had a problem with it; he knew he would never really "use" his leader since he was so stubborn in his own ways.

As he patiently waited, he saw the group narrowing down. With every name called, the leader would walk next to the student's desk.

"Shoto Todoroki."

Snapping out of his daze, Todoroki raised his hand silently. With a deep sigh, Aizawa looked at the small group of patient sophomores and then pointed toward you. Blinking, you smiled and bowed politely before walking your way toward Todoroki.

Todoroki looked into your eyes; they were warm and welcoming as you approached him with a polite smile. The way your hair accentuated your features and the sense of shy pride in your walk made you seem inviting, much like his friends.

As you stepped next to him, you greeted him with a bow. "Nice to meet you, I'm Y/n L/n," you said softly, extending your arm; you placed your hand out for him to shake.

With a nod, he reached out and shook it.

"Todoroki."

Throughout his freshman year, he had small interactions with you, sometimes bumping into each other in the hallways or exchanging a quick hello.

"Hey, Todoroki!" You waved, a bright smile showing on your lips as you stepped towards him. Todoroki stopped in his tracks and politely bowed.

"L/n, I'd like to talk, but you'll be late," he said. Todoroki turned to point at the clock. Three minutes until the bell.

"Nah, don't worry; gonna skip anyway," you said with a chuckle. "Skip?" He said in confusion, earning a laugh from you.

"Yeah, skip—you do know what skipping means, right?" You asked, a bit concerned if he didn't. Todoroki scratched the back of his neck and nodded in reply. "I do, it's just—I thought as an upperclassman, you're supposed to lead by example and not do things you aren't supposed to do," he mumbled. You let out a sigh.

"Well, sometimes upperclassmen get tired of hearing the same predictable things from the same teachers every day and decide to take a new path for the day. Think of it as character development," you said with a smug smile.

Todoroki looked at you with his eyes filled with wonder (and confusion), trying to figure out your actions.

"Why would you—"

Todoroki's words were cut off by the bell sounding for the next class. Looking up at the clock, he made a mental note to end the conversation.

"Sorry, but I have to leave—"

"Come with me," you said.

Todoroki blinked at you, taken aback by your words. Did you want him to skip with you? Why would you want to do that?

"What if we get caught? We'll get in trouble," he said with a frown. "You won't get caught if you run into the right people... c'mon," you smiled, lightly grabbing hold of his wrist and gently pulling him next to you.

"I know a place where no one can find us," you whispered, your voice carrying a sense of secrecy and excitement.

After climbing a few flights of stairs and navigating through a maze of corridors, the two of you arrived in what felt like a forgotten corner of the school.

The hallway appeared ordinary but had an eerie atmosphere, with dust hanging in the air and a silence broken only by the distant sounds of the outside world. The windows were covered with plastic, casting a muted, filtered light into the desolate space. It felt like a post-apocalyptic scene, frozen in time.

"What is this place?" Todoroki asked, his eyes scanning the surroundings curiously.

"I believe this was supposed to be the main floor for all the #-A pro-hero students. Perhaps, one year, we'll be just a couple of feet away from each other. Sadly, this won't be our official hangout spot anymore," you said, a touch of melancholy in your voice, aware of the missed opportunities this hidden place represented.

But your words piqued Todoroki's interest. "Our spot?" he repeated.

You nodded, a soft smile playing on your lips. "Yep. I used to come here by myself—until you. I felt you were worthy of sharing this space. So now, this is our secret hideaway."

Eagerly, you led him into a vacant classroom. Upon entering, both of you marveled at the sight before you. The room was immaculate, filled with brand-new seats and desks that gleamed under the faint light. The desks even had touchscreen technology.

Walking over to a random area, you read a tag on one of the shelves.

"Class 3-A Seniors, this is the senior classroom!" you whispered with excitement, your eyes lighting up at the thought of what the future might hold.

"It seems kind of small," Todoroki remarked, his analytical nature always observant.

You pursed your lips, contemplating his observation. "Well, you don't see too many senior pro-heroes around, do you? Most of them are out there, gaining experience through internships and missions. The lower-ranked ones stay back, focusing on honing their fundamental skills and knowledge before they graduate," you explained, your voice filled with understanding.

Todoroki nodded in acknowledgment, pulling out a chair. You followed suit, sitting down beside him, the excitement still palpable in the air.

"So, why did you bring me here?" he asked, his gaze finally meeting yours, his eyes searching for the depths of your intentions.

"Because," you began, your voice soft yet earnest, "I wanted to get to know you beyond the classroom, beyond the hero facade. I wanted to understand the person you are, and I thought this hidden place might be the perfect setting for that." As you spoke, your eyes met his, filled with a genuine curiosity and a desire to connect on a deeper level.

So that’s what the both of you did, you talked.

Todoroki didn’t realize how nice it was to have someone to vent all his issues to. He dumped his guts out to you, and by the end of the class hour the both of you walked out with a deeper bond. A bond he was never able to share with his fellow classmates.

As the years went by, he became even more fond of you.

He’d constantly be at your hip, from seeing each other early in the morning to talking on the phone until late at night. He considered you a very close friend, someone he found solitude in. Your bond was so strong that it felt like no matter where you went you felt connected to each other.

And maybe it’s because you were, from a distance of course.

While you attended your classes, Todoroki would watch you intensely. It was his duty as an underclassman and a close friend to protect you from harm's way. He’d sometimes follow you home to ensure you were perfectly safe. You meant something to him, he cared for you.

Deeply.

Soon before you knew it, you were a fourth-year student, enveloping in the last few moments you’d have in UA, and Todoroki didn’t have it. Whenever you were on patrol, he’d watch you too. Sometimes he’d get caught and have to disguise it as just running in together during patrols, even though Todoroki is supposed to have a partner, he was always alone.

Sometimes, when your class would combine with his, he would observe the way your other classmates interacted with you. They were too close, too loud, tarnishing the precious time he was supposed to have with you.

With a small frown, he'd approach you almost with puppy eyes, a sight his classmates had never witnessed before. He'd gently pull you by the arm, leading you to your special hideout, a place you readily agreed to go.

He watched the way you spoke to him, how you looked into his eyes every time he spoke. It was as if you were holding onto every word, and it meant the world to him. He often felt as if he were living for someone else's purpose, fulfilling someone else's expectations. But with you? He finally felt like his own person.

And he didn’t want to give that up.

He tried so hard to hold onto every moment the two of you shared, but soon it felt insufficient. He wanted to be with you at all times, to feel your presence enveloping him, to breathe in your essence until it became a part of him.

So he resorted to the next best thing. When your class was in the arena, sparring, he would sneak into the locker room and steal an article of your clothing. At first, it was just a regular pair of shorts, but soon it escalated to shirts, a bra, and even a pair of underwear.

Todoroki would lay them out on his bed, arranging them from top to bottom, imagining you were there, your figure pressed against the fabric, your scent lingering. He would do this every night and then quickly return the clothes to your locker, hoping to go unnoticed. Or so he thought.

“Todoroki, we need to talk.”

As you both sat at your regular hangout spot, he noticed how distant you seemed. Each time he attempted to get closer, you'd back away. "I want you to be honest with me about this. Recently, someone has been stealing my clothes and returning them the next day… is it you?" you asked, your expression stern and unnerving.

“How could it be me? Our schedules don’t align then–”

“And how do you know my schedule?” you interrupted, your words laced with venom, antagonizing his very being.

Biting the inside of his cheek, the third-yearer responded, "Because I'm your friend. Friends should know each other's schedules, right? What am I to you?" His tone grew increasingly angry, frustration and hurt seeping into his words.

"Because it sounds to me like we aren't friends," he said, his voice laced with hurt and frustration.

"What are you even saying, Todoroki? We are friends–"

"I've been feeling distant from you lately. We can't hang out like we used to, and it upsets me. It feels like you don't make any time for us. Are we fading away, L/n?" His voice trembled, tears welling up in his eyes. Without hesitation, you gently brought him into your embrace.

Todoroki seized the opportunity, holding you tightly by the waist and burying his face into the crook of your neck, taking in the lovely scent he had yearned for since last night. You were so inviting, and everything about you felt perfect to him.

He cared for you so deeply; there was no one else in this world who mattered more than you.

"Todoroki... I didn't know you felt that way. I'm sorry–"

"No, I shouldn't have snapped at you," he mumbled into your figure. Pulling away slightly, he looked into your eyes. "Whoever is taking your things is sick and perverted. Trust me, I'll handle it." Determination flashed in his eyes as he spoke, and he watched a soft smile grow on your lips. Pulling you back into his embrace, the two of you stayed like that for a while.

It felt as if time had come to a standstill; it was just you and him, floating through the universe. He cherished this feeling, but unfortunately, it was short-lived.

As the semester came to an end, graduation approached. The ceremony was magnificent, with the largest crowd imaginable cheering on the next generation of heroes. Emotions ran high. After the ceremony, everyone gathered where it all began - where you and Todoroki first met.

In the 1-A classroom, fourth-years faced the third years, forming lines opposite each other. Some had tears in their eyes, but when you looked into Todoroki’s eyes, they were inscrutable. There was something on his mind, something he seemed to be holding back, but you couldn't quite discern what it was.

For the subsequent ceremony, the third years had prepared written letters for the graduating fourth years. Each letter was filled with words of encouragement to guide you on your journey to heroism. At least, that's what you thought.

Back home, in your own space, you opened the letter Todoroki had given you.

In the quiet confines of your room, you sat down with the letter Todoroki had given you. The weight of the paper in your hands seemed inconsequential compared to the weight of the emotions it contained. The room was still, filled only with the ambient sounds of the outside world seeping in through the window.

Opening the letter, you could almost feel his presence in the carefully chosen words. Your eyes traced the lines, absorbing the depth of his feelings as the ink on the page seemed to come alive, carrying the essence of his emotions.

Dear, Y/n…

As you embark on your journey to becoming a true pro-hero, I wanted to tell you something important. Something to give you another train of thought for the future. This has been on my mind for a while, and I’m glad to finally be able to tell you this.

Ever since I met you, the moment you took us to our spot, I’ve been deeply in love with you.

From the moment I wake to the moment I close my eyes, my only thoughts are about you.

What I would do if I could hold you longer, hold you tighter, kiss you, touch you, truly be able to show you how I felt.

Here I must confess, I watched you every day, every moment. From class to walking home, I was there. I love you, I care for you. You’ve made me feel things so foreign; I can’t give you up.

No, I can’t.

I lied about the clothes, I stole them.

I couldn’t go another night in my bed without you; sometimes I would get carried away—forgive me, Y/n.

But I promise this to you when I graduate. I will truly show you how much I care for you. I will see you again; I want to hold you, I want to kiss you, touch you in places you’ve never been touched.

I want to claim you.

I may be too quick, but I want you to be my wife, my lover, the mother to my children. Will you be that? Will you promise that whenever we see each other, my dreams will be fulfilled?

Please, Y/n?

Love, Shoto.

The words hung in the air, each line echoing with his sincerity and vulnerability. You folded the letter gently, a mix of emotions swirling within you.

Your emotions were in turmoil as you approached the park where you were to meet Todoroki. The weight of his confession hung heavily in the air, leaving you with a sense of trepidation mixed with a curious need to understand his perspective. The atmosphere around you seemed to echo your inner turmoil - the leaves rustled with uncertainty, and the distant sounds of children playing provided a contrast to the storm of emotions swirling within you.

As you neared the swings, you spotted Todoroki, his figure etched against the backdrop of the setting sun. The golden hues of twilight cast a warm glow upon his face, accentuating the seriousness in his eyes. His breath seemed visible in the cool evening air, adding to the tension that enveloped both of you.

Approaching him, you noticed the subtle nuances in his expression – the furrowed brows, the slightly trembling hands, and the anticipation in his gaze. His eyes, usually calm and composed, now reflected a mixture of vulnerability and determination. It was as if he stood on the edge of a precipice, uncertain if he would fall or find solid ground beneath his feet.

Silence hung between you for a moment, thick with unspoken words and unexpressed emotions. The world around you seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in a bubble of anticipation and uncertainty. Your heart drummed in your chest, a rhythm echoing the complexity of your feelings.

When he finally stood up from the swing, his movements were deliberate, as if every step towards you was a testament to his courage. As he approached, he hesitated for a brief moment, his eyes searching yours for reassurance. And then, with a sudden surge of determination, he enveloped you in a tight embrace.

In that moment, you felt the warmth of his presence, the sincerity of his emotions, and the depth of his vulnerability. His arms around you offered both solace and uncertainty, creating a space where unspoken words hung heavy in the air, waiting for the right moment to be shared. The park, once a place of playfulness and laughter, now bore witness to the complexity of human emotions, leaving you both standing there, on the threshold of a conversation that would shape the course of your relationship.

"Y/n," he uttered softly, his voice almost a whimper. As you allowed him to hold onto you, you noticed how his fingers dug into your waist, the pressure feeling almost bruising. The sound of him deeply inhaling your scent sent shivers up your spine. Quickly shoving him off, your breath came in staggered gasps.

"It’s L/n, please Todoroki–"

"Have you read my letter?" he asked, his voice trembling. With a slight nod, you answered him. Tears welled down your cheeks, and you balled your fists together. "Todoroki, we can’t see each other anymore... I’m not comfortable around you. You're... you're–"

"I'm in love, what crime is that?--"

"No! This isn’t love, Todoroki, this is an obsession. You don’t love me," you said, your words sharp as a blade, slicing through the charged atmosphere.

Silence hung heavily in the air after your statement, the weight of truth settling between you.

"I don’t love you? Y/n, I have loved you since the moment I met you! Call me obsessed then, because I want you to be mine. I can’t live another moment without you under me. I need you so bad. I can't live within this reality knowing that I can’t live it with you," he pleaded, desperation seeping into his voice.

As he spoke, his monochromatic eyes held something within them, a lustful desire that went beyond the bounds of love. It was a look that sent a chill down your spine, leaving you with an unsettling feeling, as if you were standing at the edge of a precipice, unsure of whether to step back or take the plunge into the unknown.

“Todoroki, from now on, if I see you anywhere near me, I'm calling the cops. That's my promise to you," you said, each word delivered with a cold, venomous edge. You watched as his entire demeanor changed, his previously hopeful and determined eyes now filled with something else entirely.

His gaze bore into your soul, and you observed the hero back away from you. His lips were drawn into a thin line, and he straightened his stance. "You? Call the cops on me? Do you know who my father is?" His tone, once familiar and soft, now sounded foreign. It was deep and jagged, a tone that could break glass and cut through the air like a knife.

"I want you to listen to me. If I can't have you, no one will... and that's my promise to you."

Your eyes widened at the chilling threat. Without hesitation, you turned away and broke into a sprint, running as far away from the aspiring hero as your legs could carry you. The echoes of his words lingered in your ears, leaving you with a profound sense of dread and fear, urging you to escape the darkness that seemed to surround him.

Since that moment, you heard nothing from him. No calls, no texts, not even an email.

A year later, you found yourself happy and carefree, rising to the top as a new and excited pro-hero in the states. You took great pains to distance yourself as far as possible from the man you feared the most, Todoroki.

You made sure to leave for the states without a trace, erasing any documentation, or articles about your current placement, and even discussing with the school to not share your whereabouts. But somehow, Todoroki still found out.

On a regular day for the aspiring pro-hero, he briskly walked into his father's agency, his eyes cold and demeanor resolute. He entered his father's quarters with only one thing on his mind. As he set foot into the office, he approached his father.

"I need to talk to you," he said.

The burly man, known as his father, paid him no mind, indicating that whatever he needed to say must be said quickly.

"I've been thinking. Once I graduate, I'll move to the states. It's for better expansion. If I showcase my skills there, it will eventually reflect back to you, bolstering your ranks. Does that sound like a deal?" Todoroki stated firmly.

His father, a formidable figure, met his gaze with a mischievous smile.

"We have a deal indeed."

Hello, dropping this off for the holiday or whatever. This was very rushed so I deeply apologize in advance!!

— 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐢𝐝𝐚 ❤︎︎

❥: @xo-evangeline , @nar00 , @king-dynamight , @gold24fish , @lovra974 , @bakugospartner , @gaby-11 , @akqsa-xxi , @jolynegf , @goldenglow149 , @aliruuiz , @zukowantshishonourback , @ilovedenk-i , @atsushiki , @smolbeanzzz , @urdecentartist09 , @lem-hhn , @stevenknightmarc , @ryumiii , @idontevenknowlolls , @lyn07 , @kennshifts , @ackerman-suck-3-r , @elegantvoids , @thecurlyhairedgoddess , @sunyrose , @thisbicc , @thekookiecorner , @snxwycloud , @skylardarling

#mha headcanons #lovelyiida #mha #mha imagines #mha x reader #bnha x reader #bnha headcanons #bnha insert #mha fanfiction #todoroki headcanons #todoroki fanfiction #mha todoroki #todoroki x reader #bnha todoroki #shouto todoroki #yandere mha #yandere todoroki x reader

149 notes · View notes

pyjamaart · 6 months

Text

Breaking Bot (read more for some rambling about mega man fully charged)

Mega Man Fully Charged has been on my mind again lately, which made me realize that there's literally a robot named Chemistryman who worked as a chemistry teacher. Not using him as a Walter White stand-in would be a criminal offense.

I'll have to admit I started getting back into Fully Charged again after seeing some asshole on twitter complain about the character design for the hundredth time. I just can't stand that kind of negativity. I swear to god, Fully Charged is like the Sonic Boom of the Mega Man franchise. Personally, I really enjoy the FC designs. I've probably said this before, but I feel like the redesigns give some of the more forgettable robot masters way more character. Like, do I care for Classic Drillman from Mega Man 4? I mean, yeah, I do, but I wouldn't care as much if it wasn't for his Fully Charged incarnation.

I also really enjoy most of the original robot masters. I already talked plenty about Blastowoman and why I love her so much, but I want to talk about the others this time.

Take for example Chemistryman. Comparisons to Walter White out of the way, I feel like his character was a really fun idea. God knows I had teachers who put me to sleep back in the day. For me, it wasn't chemistry though, it was my economics teacher. I always compared her to a story teller at a Christmas market who would read children stories out of her big fairy tale book. Only that in reality, it was stuff like the minimization/maximization principle. Most of my notes for that class were incomprehensible chicken scratch, because I just couldn't keep my eyes open. In the end, I slept through like half her classes, lol. But I gotta say that I still always got a B or higher in the end. Somehow. I thank god every day that I never have to step foot in a school again.

I really wish Chemistryman got a little more time to shine though. Two episodes is just way too little. I would gladly take three more episodes with him over those gross Gutsman episodes. I know I love talking about wasted potential with this show, but I wish there was an episode that focused on Chemistryman outside of the school setting. I get that his whole character is "boring, bitter teacher", but I'd really like to see what he gets up to when he's not trying to force children to listen to his chemistry lectures. Like having Aki try to talk him into going into retirement for good. And then he tries to find hobbies for him so that he doesn't bore himself to death. I can see him getting into building model ships or something like that, lol.

Now that I'm already writing up a storm again, I might as well talk about some other headcanons I have about the FC bots. Since Woodman was in sleep mode for 30 years after the war ended (I don't know where I got that number from. I rewatched his debut episode, but the exact number doesn't appear anywhere. Oh well, let's just pretend this is canon, even if it isn't.) we got kind of a Shadow the Hedgehog type situation on our hands. All of his friends and family got to live their lives in this new, peaceful world of harmony between robots and humans, while Woodman spent 30 years powered down in a bush or something. Completely forgotten about. Like, why didn't they go look for him after the war ended? I don't think Aki and Suna wandered that far into the forest for their school assignment. If you really think about Woodmans back story for a moment, you realize how fucked up it actually is.

Now my explanation for this goes into heavy heavy headcanon territory. When Suna calls the principal about Woodman, he warns her that Woodman is dangerous and to get away from him immediately. Now why would he say that? The principal also calls him "ruthless" in that same explanation. What I think happened back then was that Woodman actually planned to assassinate the human armies leader. (Possibly Sgt. Night?) The leader of the robots caught wind of his plan and put him into sleep mode himself, since he and Dr. Light were on the brink of finding a way to end the war peacefully. In my mind, this leader is the FC version of Swordman. Don't ask me why, he was just the first guy I thought of. And then it just stuck.

I know this makes Woodmans back story even more fucked up, but I just love putting my favorite blorbos through hardship. Don't even ask me about my headcanons for Drillman. They'd actually put me in prison.

Now all this culminates after Woodman is reactivated by Suna and Aki. Finding himself alienated from all his former friends and comrades (Maybe the other Mega Man 2 robot masters?), what was he supposed to do? He couldn't spend the rest of his life isolated (and homeless) in the forest, could he? And this is where season 2 could have delivered. But I'm done whining about that. If Capcom doesn't deliver, I gotta write my own season 2. Simple as that.

Anyway, getting back to Chemistryman, since he's pretty old, I imagine that he was already working as a teacher when Woodman was still around. Maybe he even was his teacher at some point.

And since I love having my favorite characters interact, I also thought of a scenario where Drillman wanders into the forest out of frustration over his miserable life, only to meet Woodman by coincidence. In the end, Woodman helps him work through his daddy issues and his body dysmorphia, while Drillman helps Woodman reintegrate and manage this (for him) completely new world of peace. Another great headcanon of mine is that Chemistryman is actually Acidmans father. Just because I think it would be funny. And as Fully Charged has confirmed: robots in that universe do indeed have parents. (Flashback to the time I drew Dr. Light beating the shit out of Drillman's father)

Speaking of Drillman.... For being one of my favorite Mega Man characters of all time, I haven't drawn him nearly enough. That will probably be my next project.

This might also be a great time to tell you that I've never watched Breaking Bad before, lol. Everything I know about it comes from RTGame's Stardew Valley playthrough and the RTVS Half Life parody.

Sorry for all the yapping. But if I don't talk about robots at least once a day, I might die. This is a serious condition.

#megaman #mega man #mega man fully charged #acidman #acid man #chemistry man #chemistryman #im just gonna add my essays under the read more from now on hehe #the funny crossover you never know you needed #i am very normal about the fully charged bots #should i also tag woodman and drillman? eeeh no

73 notes · View notes

envies-writing-corner · 9 months

Note

do you accept requests right now? if so, i'd like a cater diamond and rollo flamme version of this fic. i really loved the previous one.

feel free to disregard this if you don't write fir those characters or not taking reqs. thank you.

What if I Left? (Pt. 2)

Synopsis: With a previously "Gifted Child" partner who's burnt out and questions of NRC would be better off without them.

Genre: Angst

Contains: Cater Diamond, Riddle Rosehearts

CW: panic attacks, thoughts of not being good enough, overthinking, talk of sewerslide, etc.

Word Count: 1k

Part 1, Part 2

-------------------------------

You sighed shakily as you stepped out of the classroom and into the crowded hallways, clutching your folders to your chest as you tried to force down the lump in your throat. How did it come to this? You were the 'gifted kid' in your world, had excelled in these new classes during your first few months, and even helped tutor Ace when he was failing. Now, you had forgotten your assignment for Professor Crewel, been late to nearly every class today, and had gotten failing marks on two tests. What happened...?

It didn't matter at this point, all you knew was the tears were coming and fast, you couldn't cry, not here, not in front of everyone. You just had to breathe, right...? When did It become so difficult to breathe? Your mind was running miles a minute as you pushed through the crowd, not caring who you accidentally ran into, mumbling quiet apologies as you tried to run, not expecting your partner to find you.

Cater Diamond

The redheaded boy looked up as a body pushed past him, his phone dropped from his hand as he processed your form getting further and further away. It took him a moment to realize the situation before he chased after you. Quickly picking up his device and breaking into a full sprint, he called after you desperately trying to catch up despite the head start you had gained.

"Yo! Babe?! Slow down, please?" Cater's voice carried through the quickly emptying hallways, panting as he keeled over. He placed his hands on his knees as he found your curled-up form. He watched as your hands crumpled and ripped apart various note sheets and poor scoring tests. Your harsh sobbing grew as you threw the balls of paper away from yourself, not noticing your boyfriend's presence only mere feet away.

"(Y/N)," He mumbled out once he caught his breath. He quietly kneeled to your height, gently cupped your cheek, and lifted your head to look into your misty eyes. Softly rubbing the tear stains from your cheeks, he sighed and pulled you into his arms. "Hey, doll... What's going on? What's got you in such a state?"

Cater stumbled back as your sobs grew louder. You pushed your face against his neck and practically groveled in his arms, your voice no louder than a whimper against his skin. " Do you want me to be honest?" you said sobbing even harder. "Yes of course I do doll" Cater replied with a gentle yet concerned voice. "I can't anymore, Cater... I was made a fool today, no matter how hard I studied I couldn't do any better than a 'D'... I'm not meant for this school, I'm not good enough for anyone," The redhead frowned, about to argue back that you were worthy of good things and worthy of being here. "I'm not even good enough...for you..."

Cater's face burned red at the insinuation, not taking a second before pulling your lips together. As he tightened his arm around your waist, he attempted to tell you exactly how much you mean to him in a single kiss. He knew it would never be enough to show or tell you all the love he held for you, but it was a start. He took short breaths as you parted, hoping you had no reason to continue with the self-deprecating thoughts as your foreheads rested against each other. Cater silently promised to protect you, even if it was from yourself.

"I love you, doll... Never think that you're not enough. Even when things get rough, please try to remember there's at least one person who will miss you and will mourn."

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle was studying when he heard it, the soft cries coming from a secluded corner of the library. At first, the housewarden had ignored it, trying to focus back in on his own notes. The harder he tried to block out the world, the harder it was to not hear the sobbing grow louder. Quickly standing from his seat, the redhead searched nearly every aisle, every nook and cranny, every corner. The sound didn't stop but continued to grow louder, your breath catching in your throat once you saw Riddle appear at the end of the bookshelves, his eyes softening at the sight of you.

"Rose?" He softly called out, eyebrows furrowed in worry as he looked over your tear-stained face, taking note of the trembling in your fingers that gripped the edges of your papers. Guilt began to plague Riddle, seeing a younger version of himself in your eyes, a scared child who wishes to prove themself. Sighing, he knelt down and gently took the papers from your hands, eyes tracing over the red marks and comments.

"I know what you're thinking, for I too felt that way once," Riddle whispered, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and beginning to wipe away your tears, his heart aching at the thought of you experiencing the same thing he did as a child. Remembering the same pain you are feeling right now, the desperation to be enough for someone. "this isn't how it has to be... You've helped me during my worst, it's only right that I return the favor."

The soft cloth was dabbed against your cheeks, carefully drying the wet streaks along your skin as Riddle smiled softly, leaning forward and pressing a gentle but love-filled kiss to your forehead. "You're not alone in this and you never will be."

-------------------------------

Authors Note: Thank you for requesting! I currently don't write for Rollo Flamme and don't have current plans too soon. I have taken down and changed the original draft to include another student so I hope this is to your liking! If there's anything else you'd like to see, please feel free to request! My inbox is always open!

#twisted wonderland x reader #cater diamond #cater diamond x reader #twisted wonderland #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader

96 notes · View notes

oddballwriter · 7 months

Text

Moon Boys as Subject Teachers

Warnings: None that I know of

Author’s Snip: This was inspired by @ominoose's post for Oscar Issac characters as school subjects teachers so shoutout to them for the inspo.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Steven Grant - History & English/Literature

A bit of an obvious choice but there's a reason

Steven 100% is a favorite amongst the students

He actually makes learning history and reading fun for them because he talks so enthusiastically about everything in each unit and finds ways to let the kids engage in what's happening

He tries his best to personalize the lessons with either making a worksheet for it to help the kids take in the knowledge or make a slide show for demonstration and visualizing what's being said

His slideshows are actually very iconic because he makes sure they look nice so that the kids will pay attention to them. He has an occasional outdated meme but you know what he's trying and the kids know that

Steven's classroom is also very decorated with both posters that he bought or ones made by students (matter of fact poster making is an extra credit thing if you need it)

He's very attentive to his students and believes that it's crucial for teaching. If a student is struggling then he gladly helps them and works on finding a way to help them learn the lessons in their own way, and if they need to spend some time after school then he'd be happy to stay and see what they need

Steven hates having to be strict and disciplinary but if he needs to then he will.

If a kid misses an assignment's deadline it's okay as long as they give him a heads-up and they turn it in before a unit is done or something. But if someone is actively not doing their homework or assigned work then he will have a talk with them and give them detention if need be and make them do that work

As for troublemakers who disrupt the class he does the whole politely telling them to quiet down or stop, to telling them more sternly, to standing outside till he tells them to come back in, and then the final strike is sending them to the office

On a lighter note, Steven is definitely the kind of teacher to let students eat in his classroom during lunch as long as they don't make a mess and clean after themselves and actually uses that to get to know the kids outside of the lessons

I firmly believe that Steven has talked to the school about creating a book club of some kind so that kids can be in an environment that treats reading as an activity you can do rather than something you NEED to do and sort of does the same with his literature and english students

For example, my senior year English teacher had us do fifteen minute reading time at the beginning of class each day with a book we checked out at the library. I feel like he'd do something like that

But anyway, yeah, he's definitely petitioned to have a book club or some other club similar to that

Marc Spector - Math

I actually see him being more of a student counselor but I just get this weird sense that if I had to pick a subject that he would teach then I'd say math like algebra, calculus, and geometry, for some reason

I don't know he just seems like he's good at math and would be fine with teaching it

His class, despite being a math class, isn't so bad.

Marc's one of those chill teachers who teaches what he needs to and lets the students do their own thing so long as it's not causing any trouble

The first half of class is him teaching the students a new formula, how to do it, how it applies to the world and stuff and then he writes some equations on the board for the students to solve on their own on a piece of paper that they give to him at the end of class just to confirm that they were listening

He's not an easy A exactly. He is when you actually try and listen though

Marc hardly has rules to be honest, they're basic as hell. His class rules are just "Pay attention, do your classwork and homework, yes you are allowed to use a calculator if you need/want to, yes they are allowed on tests, show your work on the sheet or a piece of paper as long as you write your name on it and staple it to the worksheet, don't cheat on your tests, and don't disrupt the class"

He's also very lenient on things. You can listen to music while you work so long as he isn't actively teaching. You can chew gum so long as you aren't chewing or blowing it loudly and sticking it on the desks. You can freely talk to your friends and classmates as long as you aren't bugging them, being loud, or doing it while he is teaching.

Due to the free talking he knows all the gossip around school simply because the kids will be talking about it while they work

He says he doesn't care/isn't into gossip but he secretly moves the kids who gossip toward his desk so that he can hear it while he works at his desk when he changes up the seating chart every once in a while

On top of that he gets to know his students because he will walk around the classroom to stretch his legs and will start small talk with the kids that sometimes leads to full conversations

Marc is very no-nonsense or slacking off though. If a kid is not doing their work then he tells them to start doing it or else they'll need to do it at home along with their homework if they don't get it done at the end of class. As for troublemakers, he just sends them out or to the office since he's learned that more want the attention

Jake Lockley - PE

I know a lot of people say that Jake would be a Spanish/foreign language teacher, and I can see that, but to me, this man gives off PE teacher energy (in a good way)

Jake is sort of the tough love kind of PE teacher that still makes the kids do the activities but he's not cruel

He also doesn't just stand there. If he can he will do the exercises with the kids so that they don't try and be a smart ass with him. He will run the mile with the kids but stays behind so that no one can walk it while he's not looking. It also helps boost the confidence of the kids who don't run as fast and fall behind by being there and praising them for keeping it going

"You're going great. It's about being active not pushing yourself."

If a student feels sick or is on their period and having cramps he'll ask how bad it is and depending on how severe it is he'll let them sit out on that day if it's bad or walk a few laps around the track if they can. "Just as long as you're doing something, okay?"

He's not an idiot though. If they use the sick or period card too many times and it doesn't add up then he calls them out and tells them to do the activity

"Matter of fact, do double because you think I'm stupid."

Jake also isn't oblivious to the fact that he's "the hot teacher" that the female teachers and students blush and giggle at. Of course, he doesn't do anything about either because it's unprofessional and one is a literal crime

But he's not dumb. He knows that some teachers check him out while he's running and exercising with the kids outside

Jake is a part of after-school/extracurricular programs too.

He's definitely a coach for one of the school's sports teams, he finds it to be a great way to give kids something to do after school instead of running around and possibly causing trouble. Jake also likes seeing the kids who've got something going for them and encourages them to do something with it

He also loves seeing all the other clubs and extracurriculars too and is so supportive.

Cheer and dance team going to a competition? Knock 'em dead!

Theatre doing a production? He's buying a ticket and encourages his students and players to go if they can.

Speech and Debate off to a tournament? The other schools have no idea what's coming.

He's sending his love to all of them

Taglist: @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction (I forgot to add this, also my applications are open just ask lol)

#moon knight #moonknight #jake lockley #steven grant #marc spector #moon knight headcanons

79 notes · View notes