#Ignore my friend doing gang signs

[runepou]

love love love screenshooting from videos bc wow I do look like that

[sardonic-the-writer]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐗-𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞���� 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

↳ includes: charles xavier, erik lehnsherr, logan howlett, marie lebeau, and peter maximoff

↳ warnings: x-man type violence maybe? nothing much

↳ notes: just some self indulgent headcanons about how the gang would deal with someone who hates skin on skin contact. this is based on my own personal experiences, so it might not cater to everyone. charles and erik are written to be more of themselves around the first class era, peter is himself as seen in apocalypse, and marie & logan are more set in the first movie's portrayal of them

↳ song: heavy metal lover—lady gaga

masterlist | commissions | carrd

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 [𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐗]

• Oh this is not one bit of a problem for Charles

• He's never needed physical contact to connect with people. Whether that's because of his powers, or his 'natural charm' as he calls it, you aren't sure, but your strange request for no contact never seemed to put him off his friendship with you

• Charles has his own ways of bonding with you, no hugs or handshakes required. Instead of nudges used to alert the other of a particularly funny joke, he'd just send you flashes in your mind regarding the situation. The end result was always the same; with the both of you grinning at each other while the rest of the room was left to make their own assumptions as to what you were thinking about

• "Seriously, it's creepy when they do that. They could be talking about anything." Alex whispered to Hank one day as you and Charles stood across the room from each other, not caring if the Professor was able to hear him or not. The only sign that you were even talking was the occasional huff of laughter Charles would let out as you scrunched your nose up in a toothy grin

• "Oh, I wouldn't say that." Hanks eyes gleam from behind his glasses as he watches the two of his friends. "Charles tells me most of it is just really bad jokes, if you want to know."

• As if on cue, the spell between you and Charles breaks as you delve into a laughing fit, and Alex and Hank can't help but shake their heads at each other in slight amusement as they watch

• He does an excellent job at speaking for you when you can't quite explain to new people why you are the way you are—as long as you'll let him, of course

• Maybe it's because he's been in your head, or just because he knows you so well that he can say exactly what you're thinking before you even know it. And sometimes, he doesn't even need to explain much at all. One carefully worded sentence backed with that steady tone of his is enough to make even the most ignorant of people understand

• "No handshakes for them, please." Charles had found himself saying that sentence more times than he could count since getting to know you, but he never found himself growing tired of it; even when you eventually found the awkward courage to start speaking on your behalf. Especially when you started speaking on your behalf

• Charles is a very patient man, and he couldn't be happier than to wait for you to open up to the world like you had done for him, even if it does take a while

𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫 [𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐨]

• I'm going to be completely honest with you. At first, Erik finds your habit of avoiding touch annoying

• It's a weakness in his eyes that you have every opportunity to avoid acquiring. He doesn't see the point in being afraid of something so miniscule

• When he first meets you, he's probably an asshole about it. Erik doesn't go out of his way to touch you on purpose, but he won't take extra steps to stop himself from doing so. If the back of his hand brushes against yours as he storms away from another one of Charles' annoying lectures? Then so be it. Who cares if you pull back from him like you've been burned, clutching your skin tightly as you glare at his retreating form

• It will take a while for Erik to begin to understand you, much like it does for him to understand a lot of things about the rest of the world. I won't say that he ever officially apologizes for his past behavior toward you, but he definitely drops hints that he does regret it

• "Never thought I'd live to hear the Erik Lehnsherr himself say sorry for something he did. Next you'll be telling me you've always liked humans." Your eyes were wide in faux surprise as you stared at him one day, looking like you had just heard the best news of your life. It was a good thing you and Erik had a much better relationship than when you had first met, otherwise he wouldn't have had a second thought about shutting you up

• "All I said was that maybe I maybe could have been a bit nicer to you." He sighed, already regretting this entire interaction

• "Oh, you're not getting off that easy." You were already scrambling for the door, completely missing the way Erik rolled his eyes and flicked his hand up in preparation. "Charles! Charles, you'll never believe what just happened—"

• He ended up using your belt buckle to drag you across the room before you could embarrass him any further

• Once he's warmed up to you, I'd like to think that he's definitely used the fact that lots of people wear rings and bracelets to his advantage to stop people from touching you at bars or in crowds

• He swears up and down he doesn't get attached to anyone, and especially not someone that associates with the X-Men of all groups, but you've definitely have had a few people look at their hands around you in confusion while he's around. Almost as if someone else had a say in their actions

• "Big softie."

• "You do know I could kill you if I wanted to."

• "I'd like to retract my last statement, please and thank you."

𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭 [𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞]

• Logan doesn't give two shits about your strange request

• Not in the way that he ignores it like Erik, but rather in the way that he literally doesn't give a fuck if you want to be touched or not. He wasn't planning on touching you anyways, so it's not like he really has to think about it

• If anything, Logan is one of the only people who can even begin to understand your mindset. He's never been too fond of people just outright touching him without a warning first, especially if they were strangers, but that's what you get after being experimented on for years

• He'll have to get to both know and like you before he starts taking your words more seriously. Otherwise, all you're getting from him is a gruff noise of disinterest and a roll of his shoulders as he blows past you

• Or ar least that's what he'd like you to think

• "Watch it, pal." You barely had time to process what that noise was next to your ear before Logan was standing dangerously close to you. You were about to ask him to back away before you saw his hand up, and when you looked at his hand you saw it was closed around a strangers wrist; the likes of which was outreached in your direction and just about to make contact with you

• Logans rough tone and sharp glare had sent the fellow stumbling away with an apology, and left you standing there with a bewildered look on your face. It only grew larger when he refused to look at you afterward

• "Don't let it get to your head." Was all he huffed out in your general direction before walking off to continue the mission the both of you were on. Through the com's in your ears, you could hear the rest of the team asking you what was going on, and with a slow upward tick of your lip you finally answered

• "I think Wolverine here has gone a bit soft on my end guys."

• You were given the cold shoulder for the rest of the week by Logan, and every time he glared at you, you couldn't help but try to hold in laughter

• "See, this is why I'm not nice."

• "No no no I take it all back, I swear. You're so mean. You're the meanest, toughest person here, never done a good deed in your life—"

• "Shut the fuck up."

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮 [𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞]

• She doesn't understand why you'd choose to have people not touch you

• For Marie, not being able to hug someone— to even so much as hold hands with the people she loved —is a curse. She wasn't such a fool to think that her mutation itself was the curse, Charles had managed to drill that thought out of her head a long while ago, but the side-effect that came with it would forever haunt her

• So when she found out that you actively took strides to make sure no one ever touched you (if possible), she was in disbelief

• "I just don't get it." She'd confessed to you out of the blue once. "How can you stand it? If I were you—"

• "But you're not." You cut her off and shrugged, voice devoid of any meanness or annoyance at the turn of conversation. "I get it. I must seem crazy to you. I'd imagine that you'd jump at the chance to be able to touch someone again. But that just isn't me. I can't stand the feeling of being touched. Makes me feel gross; inside and out. I don't ask you to understand it, just that you respect it. Yeah?"

• She had nodded slowly at you, not expecting the sudden explanation. It wasn't unwelcome, however. Quite the contrary. She'd rather understand you than stew in quiet confusion

• From that moment on, even if Marie thinks you're a little crazy in the head, she does her best to make sure that both herself and others take your wishes to heart

• You have to admit, it's nice having her look out for you. And it helps that she's one of the most powerful mutants on campus; one sideways look from her, and she could send anyone in the opposite direction from you if you need

𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐟𝐟 [𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫]

• You're constantly having to remind him that you don't like people touching you

• It's not Peter's fault he forgets sometime. His brain is always going going going from one thing to the next. Thinking about the next mission, the quickest way to get from one end of the country to the other, how to beat that stupid kid at the arcade that keeps leaving him and his high scores in the dust—

• Okay so maybe he could do a bit of a better job of trying to listen

• "Peter, reach for the back of my neck again and I'm gonna break both of your legs." You didn't even have to turn around to know that he was itching to latch onto your neck, most likely to take you on a surprise trip a few states over. Or maybe just to the mall. He was spontaneous like that

• When you did manage to look up from your notebook and back at him, you found that Peter was already a good few feet away from you, holding up his hands with a deceivingly innocent smile; but respecting your wishes all the same

• "You sure you're not a secret nun or something?" He poked fun at the way you refused to let anyone touch you, even going as far to squint at you in an unconvinced manner. You ignored his clear misunderstanding of nuns to snort in amusement

• "No."

• "Could have fooled me, babe."

• He sped away before you had the chance to throw your papers at his head

• Peter's probably the kind of guy to constantly tease you to your face, but the moment you're not in sight and someone's ragging on you, he'll shut them down. He's done it many times to stray students in the hallways of the school who talk just a little too loud about your personal boundaries

• "I'm just saying, man, they're a little weird. The other day, I asked to borrow a pencil, and they threw it at me. While standing less than a foot away. It's just strange—"

• Less than a second later, the student was sent falling to the floor over his shoelaces, which were suspiciously tied together in contrast to moments ago when they had been placed in neat little bows

• The only sign that this hadn't been a freak accident was the telltale burst of wind that sped by the student and their friend, a faint laugh following in its wake

[winterlynightlystories]

Bad day.

Tw; Mentions of murder, grief and spoilers I guess. Mentioned top!male!reader

Please do not copy or steal my work.

Sano “Mikey” Manjirou/gang!member!Male!Reader

Summary; Mikey’s dark impulse almost comes out. Luckily for everyone, you are there to calm the beast.

~~~~~~

You sat behind Manjiro, watching the meeting over his shoulder. It was going nowhere. Your boyfriend and his captains were stuck in an endless cycle of yes, no, maybe. And Manjiro’s patience was running lower by the second. You could see it by how tensed his shoulders were and quiet he was.

Everyone could see how displeased Mikey was. Over his shoulder, you had a good sight on their expression; they were terrified. With good reason. Mikey could kill a man in a heartbeat if he wanted, with no warning or sign. Just like he could beat the poor fucker to a bloody mess for the littlest thing.

Apparently, Manjiro use to be different. Calmer, more in control of his Dark Impulse. Before the death of his sister, best friend and so many more. The last straw has been when a named Takemichi had left. You ignored why, Manjiro refused to speak about it. But sometimes, you would wake up to him calling for his friend while tears would roll down his cheeks.

You never said anything, thinking Mikey would talk when ready. The only thing you could do was offer your shoulder and cuddle him. Or fuck him until he forgot everything, but you.

Licking your lips, your gaze turned toward Mikey's neck. You could still see the love bite you left there last night surrounding his tattoo. You wished you could simply get up and give him more while giving his shoulders a good massage. Maybe get him to sit on your lap so you could kiss them instead. You knew he loved it when you two took a bath before going to bed.

You were kicked out of your fantasy when his whole demeanour switched. You saw all his muscles tensing in a second as he raised his head higher. The whole aura changed in the room, feeling as if the temperature dropped below freezing. Not literally, of course. But you did get chills running through your whole body.

You weren't the only one noticing the change. All the captains fell silent, all their colour draining off their faces and fear filled their eyes. What had been said, you ignored it, but one thing was sure; it has turned Mikey’s Dark Impulse on. And like a ticking bomb, it could explode at any second.

Sighing, you got up. All eyes, except Mikey’s, turned on you. Half we're hopeful, the rest scared for your well-being.

You walked behind Mikey and rested your hands on his shoulders. You felt them instantly relax under the contact. Bending over his right side, you kissed his temple.

- “Easy Mikey. You have good, competent captains, so don't go around blasting their brains on the walls okay?” you said, lips still pressed against his skin.

- “You weren't listening right, Y/n?” he asked, voice empty.

- “Sorry Mikey. I spaced out before the gorgeous view I had.” you smiled, knowing he might be blushing. “Might have been making plans for tonight too, for us. So please, no shooting, no beating. I know it's frustrating, but it won't change anything.” you added and Mikey said nothing, but you felt him relax completely. “Let’s take a pause, just an hour or two. Let the boys get some food and air, might help. What do you think?”

For only answer, Manjiro dismissed everyone with a simple waving of his hand. Without a word, they all left the room almost running. Chuckling, you grabbed a chair and sat by Manjiro’s side. His eyes were empty and dark, but there was no sign of his Dark Impulse. Taking his hand in your, you rubbed small circles on his skin.

- “Something is wrong, I can see it. What's going on love?” you asked, and when no answer came you asked another one; “What can I do?”

Mikey turned his eyes on you. For a second you thought he would remain quiet, but no.

- “Could you hold me? I'll like to listen to your heart.”

You simply opened your arms wildly, inviting him to do just that. You wrapped them around his little frame once Mikey was comfortable on your lap. Resting your chin on the top of his head, you closed your eyes.

- “You know I am here if you need to talk. Whatever is on your mind or heart, I will listen.” you said softly.

- “Just a bad day. Angry just...” he sighed and hid his face against your chest. “Today is Emma... It's...” you heard his voice crack and hugged him closer.

- “Hush, it's alright. Mikey, if you need to cry, then cry. Let it go, love, you have the right to. I'm sorry, I didn't know.”

Mikey gave no answer, but you felt his shoulders shake as he cried silently in your arms. You rarely saw your boyfriend cry. Sometimes after a nightmare, or coming out of his Dark Impulse after killing someone.

You also felt like an idiot.

You should have seen the signs.

When the Captains returned, they said nothing seeing their President sitting on your lap, your head resting on his shoulder as he played with your hair. And if Mikey’s hair looked wild or if he had a new set of love bites on his neck, and if you too had your share of them just now showing, they said nothing.

The tension had left the room, it was easier to breathe and focus. For the next hours, you listened to them deciding if they should start a war against a rival gang, and so on.

And for the rest of the meeting, Mikey’s Dark Impulse never made another appearance.

[simp4konig]

"Can I sit here?" König x Gender-neutral Reader (Part 2)

Word count: ~2700

König finally asks you out on a date!

*Slow burn

*Friends (to Lovers?)

*FINALLT a Part 2 to 👉👉this fic rught here!! Tysm to those for being so patient in regards to part 2 kf this fic!!!😽 i hope u guys think this js good enoigh to be the sequel 😢😢😢 😢 Lots of fluff!!! 🥺🥺SOME suggestive themes but only if u squint 🧐

*Author STILL doesn't speak German!! 🇩🇪🙅🏼(im so sorru to any German-speakers thst xan see thru my Google Translate and whince in pain 😬Not mucj i can do abt it 🤷🏼‍♀️otber than spend 3 yrs learning the language and i do NOT ❌have time for thst‼️sorry😿)

...

Life on the barracks was still as mundane as ever for König.

With no new information on any recent targets or any gang syndicates appearing on their radar, he had to ease in to this rather boring lifestyle, his only source of entertainment being at target practice. Never really paying much thought to what he could get up to when he had free time — the truth was, he had never had any — he essentially was left twiddling his thumbs, this being the worst part about his job.

With no hobbies, König chose to kill time by going to the gym more often, working out with high intensity. On particularly slow days he'd enter the gym for a second time, going in when he knew no one else would be around so he would have the equipment all to himself.

He still wasn't a fan of the monotony, yet he grew more appreciative as a new factor entered his schedule, the recent recruit that had made his life more interesting: you.

Ever since that day when you chose to sit at his table, you always walked to the corner of the cafeteria where he was sitting with something new to tell, and König would listen attentively, not looking away from you once. Having you chat in front of him every morning and afternoon gave him something to look forward to during the otherwise uneventful mornings and afternoons, and he over time became more pleasant to be with and less and less awkward.

He'd wait eagerly at his usual table, looking forward to seeing your face. You made it your due diligence to prepare him something the day before, which would usually be the same that you would have, and the two of you would eat in a comfortable silence, König always being complimentary about the food no matter how simple it was to prepare.

"Mein Gott! Delicious, this is, maus! You really are talented," he'd proclaim, the sound muffled by a mouthful of food.

Maus. You had noticed König begin dropping in words like that when addressing you instead of your call-sign, yet you, being an ignorant Westerner, couldn't even Google their meanings as you had no clue how attempt to spell them. Maus, on the other hand, was self-explanatory; your height difference made you look like a "mouse" to him. You weren't sure whether to take it as a compliment or not, but you didn't question it further.

Shaking your head with a smile, you'd wave a dismissive hand at his remarks. "Eh, those are just simple pancakes. It would be hard for someone to not make them delicious, in all honesty."

"Nein, I mean it!" He'd reply in earnest, not breaking eye contact. "No one could replicate the... the flavour! The—" König struggled for words, his vocabulary limited enough as it was, yet with you in front of him he'd be unable to recall nothing that he had been taught in his English lessons.

Still, he'd persevere. "Das köstliche aroma! It's— so good. Very good."

A bashful laugh. "Okay, okay, König! I get it." You placed a hand on your chest, trying to downplay the rising blush on your cheeks. "Really, I'm flattered. Thank you."

To which König's eyes would crinkle, a sure sign of a thick smile under that hood of his. He was glad you couldn't see it, though, as he was sure he looked like an idiot.

When you'd be late by a few minutes, König could feel himself start to panic, his mind racing with possibilities at what could have happened to you. His anxiety was irrational yet his alarm was nothing short from genuine, only having good intentions; to keep you from harm's way.

He wanted to protect you, but he didn't know your schedule yet, thus hated not knowing where you were at all times. Tense shoulders visibly relaxed seeing you hurry through the double doors, and he'd let out a sigh of relief, trying to remember what he had planned to say, last minute rehearsals gone over in his head.

All of that careful planning went of out of the window, though, as the two of you would talk about everything and nothing, sometimes about something deep and philosophical; other times, your favourite type of cheese, and each rave about them respectively for five minutes flat.

You were a breath of fresh air for König, which was why he was now training with such vigour.

When working out, König made minimal noise, his movements quick and controlled. This time, however, he was grunting with effort, working until maximum exhaustion and completely drenched in sweat.

Before, he had never bothered with his appearance, only carrying the basic neccesities and wearing tactical gear that was comfortable enough and wasn't too tight. With his height, it was difficult enough to find form-fitting clothes to begin with, and damn near impossible when his bulk was considered, so any clothing that somewhat fit was good enough to König to wear on a day-to-day basis.

Yet, on numerous occasions, he found himself staring at his barren closet, contemplating over what outfit would look best with the few options he had.

Thinking of you made him want to look better for you, to make him worth your time, and he busied himself with searching on the internet and comparing reviews for the best cologne, for the best aftershave, even finding the best shirts from a niche private retailer that nearly catered to his needs to a tee, and he'd specifically select t-shirts that revealed his bulging biceps whenever he crossed his arms and would show off his body to you. A physique he maintained and would improve with you in mind, not necessarily for the sake of being the ideal soldier.

He would practice conversation in the mirror, thinking up of the funniest jokes to say, the most interesting topics to bring up. Suddenly, the English textbooks that were long forgotten about under his bed and the dust-covered German-English dictionary became of use, and he'd study the words, the idioms, the grammar, committing it all to memory. A pencil in hand and a lamp shining down on the notebook in front of him, he'd write late into the night, improving his sentence structure and mastering the expressions he had highlighted earlier, not knowing their definitions.

You were worth the effort, and he vowed to do this right. He wanted to impress you, and didn't want you to ditch him or think of him as less for the way he presented himself.

He'd shower and comb the hair back that you wouldn't see (yet he felt it a necessary thing to do, just in case), and generously sprayed himself with scented deodorant, before going to his usual spot at the cafeteria with his chest puffed out, hoping he looked immaculate.

And he did. His colleagues and lower-downs noticed this shift in his charisma and his growing confidence, actively taking advantage of his status rather than watching passively in the back of the room. They could sense his presence as he was walking down the corridors, yet rather than immediately looking down at the ground, instead saluted him with a respectful: "Good afternoon, Colonel Sir."

Really, he was elated. He had never felt this happy in years, and he was loving this feeling, walking around base now with a self-assured swagger to his step.

Waiting, though, was the worst part about your encounters. Minutes felt like hours as König held a hand over his bouncing knee to keep it in place, his stomach fluttering with butterflies as he waited in anticipation.

Truth was, you'd always be worn out after training after your instructor pushed you to your limits, and sometimes took longer in getting ready and making yourself look presentable than other times because your joints were aching and your clothes stuck to you from how sweaty you were.

Now, quickly combing your hair and rolling some deodorant under your armpits, you had a goofy grin on your face, excited to see König again.

König, the 6'10 giant who was really just a sweet Austrian man to you.

His dead enemies, however, would be rolling in their graves and yelling in protest at the thought of you calling the brutal murderer that snapped their necks like they were twigs "sweet".

Really, you were ignorant to people's stances on him, and would defend his honour on his behalf with innocent stubbornness, with naive certainty that you were right. After all, he was a gentle giant!

Even if his total 180 shift was true, you doubted the full extent of his brutality. So what if he got a little aggressive? Adrenaline could do a lot to a man!

Still yet to see the side of him that König was trying desperately to keep hidden from you, he intended to keep it that way for as long as he could.

Counting down the seconds on his watch, König was sure you'd come in any moment now. A minute passing and he imagined that you'd come rushing in though the doors, frantically apologising for taking so long before sitting down and giving all of your attention to him, giving him the attention that he had never received from anyone so attractive before.

This meeting, however, was going to be different. He had revised all that he had wanted to say and exactly how he wanted to say it, until the words were permanently engraved in his brain.

At last, the double doors opened and there you were, a lopsided smile on your face as you speed-walked towards his table, already apologising sincerely and explaining why you were late by a few minutes before you had even sat down yet.

Honestly, your kindness towards König was too much for him to bear, and his heart was near the point of exploding from joy from having you so concerned over punctuality, when he considered it a blessing that the engel in front of him would even spare him any time of their day.

Eyes crinkling in a smile, König shook his head. "Nein, schatz. There is not a thing to be sorry for."

"But there is! I always keep you waiting and It's my bad," you said, rubbing your arm. "Sorry."

He shook his head again, this time reassuringly. "Don't be."

Then, added. "You're worth the wait."

Not knowing what to make of this, you sat down, trying to hide the fact that his remark flustered you.

Coughing as you deliberately tried to change topics. "How was your day, König? Beat up any bad guys at all?"

A chuckle. "Das ist lustig," he admitted. "Funny, but I wish. Only been at the gym today. But I also have been devoting some of my time to studying English."

Raised eyebrows in admiration as you nodded your head. "Your English has certainly improved, König," you observed, noticing how König would commit fewer and fewer grammar mistakes when speaking, until he was confident enough to even use some colloquial idioms of his own. Of course, some of the German ones didn't translate so well, yet you couldn't deny that there was improvement.

Not having told König anything about it, you yourself had actually begun learning some German on your own to surprise him with it one day, yet with how you were progressing at the moment you thought that this would be better left unsaid for the time being. Your knowledge of the language only went as far as "Guten morgen" and "Mein Name ist King". So, nothing extraordinary.

You smiled, your eyes reflecting the cafeteria lights. "I'm sure by the end of this year you'll be the most well-spoken on base! You'll probably become more fluent than me soon."

König was lost in your sparkling eyes, his sight taking in all of your features. You were so beautiful, so perfect.

"Danke, schön, but I still have a long way to go." Momentarily glancing at your lips for a split of a second, before he quickly cleared his throat. "I had... I had actually something to ask you, maus."

You tilted your head, eyebrows furrowed. "Really? What is it?"

The expectant expression on your face made König's voice hitch in his throat, suddenly forgetting all that he had carefully rehearsed and had revised for consecutive afternoons. "Y-you see—"

A thoughtful pause as he considered his next words, weighing the pros and cons of risking it all. "—From the day you sat down at my table, I— I've never felt this happiness in all my years on this world," he began steadily.

"My childhood... was... not the best—" He winced, and did not elaborate further. You didn't push him to, and waited patiently for him to finish. "—But... you make all those times I was unhappy forgettable when I make new memories with you. I couldn't be happier when you're with me. And—"

König took in a deep breath. "...Will you— will you do me the honour... of going on a date with me?"

Shock. This was not what you had expected. At all.

Your eyes were wide and throat dry as you licked your lips. No one had ever asked you on a date before. You hadn't dated a single person in all your years of living, or even went as far as having your first kiss, which was embarassing to admit. Too afraid to put yourself out there and keeping reserved in fear that you wouldn't be good enough, those same doubts entered your mind as you imagined König with someone better, someone more intelligent and more attractive, someone that always knew what to say in moments like these.

Not you, this moron that couldn't even learn some basic German for him, and the family's disappointing child which enlisted in the military as a last resort, with no qualifications good enough to secure you another job.

As you looked at the floor, König regretted ever bringing this up.

Oh Gods, did he cross a boundary? What if you didn't like him the way he liked you? What if— what if you were already in a relationship?! What if you were too nice to turn him down and tell him the truth?

It suddenly occured to you that you had not replied to König's proposal for a whole minute, and you pulled yourself together, reaching despairingly for his hand with a trembling one of your own, fearing that you blew everything.

"Oh my God, König— yes. Yes! I'd love to go on a date with you!"

König let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "—Really? You— want to go on a date... with me?"

You nodded emphatically, compensating for your lack of response. "Yes! Fuck, I'm so sorry for not saying anything, I just—"

Quiet laughter. "I know, you're late to things," he teased, your face red. "Schatz, I think... I think we can make this work. Is— is it okay if I pick you up at 6 on Friday?"

"It's more than okay! It's perfect, König!" A goofy grin as you couldn't contain your child-like excitement. Then, a sheepish rub of the neck. "And... I pinky promise that I will be ready on time. I wouldn't miss our date for the world."

Later on, as he was rounding the corner and knew no one could see him, he punched at the air enthusiastically, feeling like he had just won the lottery; only, the grand prize was you.

Locking his bedroom door and immediately crossing off the date on his calendar, his body dropped on a chair.

With his head on his palm, he smiled.

He couldn't wait to see you again.

...

Note: I fed u guys with a fluffy fic in preparation for my upcoming one as imGONNA BREAK UR HEARTS INTO A MILLION PIECES WITH THE NEXT ONE U READ👺👺my next fic is angst Angst ANGST and u habe to be mentslly prepared for it... 💔

If u are sad throighout it and feel empty inside dont say that i djdnt warn you beacuse its gonna be some REAL shit rjbht there and abojt to get HELLA Depressing🗿🗿

Thankfully it is going to have SOME sort of happy conclusion to rub less salt in ur wounds🥲 and on top of that I posted this first so u dont get a doible whammy of angst<33

[fcknstar]

,,locked up with you "

marcuslopez x fem! reader

a.n : this was requested and its been such a long time since ive watched deadly class omfg. im abit rusty in writing him and m vv sorry. i hope this is okay and could go to the suggestive way which m going to make a part 2 of! my taglist!

warnings : intoxication?, suggestive ending

**lowercase intended**

there was only one rule that was greatly feared by the students. “ never kill another student in and outside school grounds. “ it was widely known among students that there was once an incident that happened, the culprit facing grave punishments.

walking back to your dorm to set your thing down before getting lunch was the only thing you looked forward to. you enjoyed eating as much as you enjoyed eating it with your best friend. despite being one of the most respected students here, you didnt care if people gave you the side eye if they caught you being friends with the rats. it was normal some of the royals from other groups to bust down your door to take you to serve you a reminder to never communicate with that “ filthy rat “ you associated yourself with. lex, petra and billy were the only few rats you enjoyed being with. the rest? not really what you are looking for in a friend. of course, being friends with the rats doesnt mean that you get along with every single rat you see. for example marcus. ever since he joined kings dominion, hes nothing but a stuck up bitch. just because rumors has it that he killed an entire orphanage, he thinks that everyone will fear him. 

going out of your dorm to meet up with lex, you were met with a hard chest. when the scent smacked you in the face, you knew exactly who you bumped into. 

" hey! arent you going to apologize? " marcus voiced out. 

ignoring him, you quite literally had to push yourself out of his big figure, dodging him as he tried to push you against the wall. seeing lex in the distance, you called out for him and pretending that marcus isnt trying to kill you. of course, angered by your actions, he tried to scare you off, when the master lins people started pushing everyone into random dorms. to your luck, you were in your dorm with lex. to your luck, marcus was too in it. 

" another student have been found dead and im going to find out who. " master lins voice echoed through the empty halls. 

" oh my, t's lockdown. well, seems like we are going to miss lunch, beautiful. " lex chuckled. 

" beautiful? you? calling her beautiful? are you seriou- " marcus started pestering you, gesturing all kinds of hand signs that nearly looked similar to gang signs. 

" well, she is one of the finest women here in kings dominion. hey, you got any glue and a plastic pencil case? " lex started looking around the room for the said items, making marcus frown in confusion. 

" its in the drawer in my desk. to the left " you knew lex found it when you heard eager sniffing after a fart-like sound signaling that he emptied the glue out. 

" ohh.. " marcus concluded that lex wanted to get high. of course. 

it had been afew hours and lex got knocked out after being starved and getting high on an empty stomach. you were on your bed looking through your textbooks for answers to the chemistry equations. 

" you know those are really easy to answer. " 

" hey, im talking to you. " youve ignored him, not once, not twice but three times. 

" would you please shut up? if you want to talk, whisper " glancing at lex snoring softly. 

" someones mad. " marcus looked up from whatever book he saw lying around, watching you scratch your head in confusion. 

" you know, if you need helP- ouch " marcus was met with a book that was flung into his way. another indication of you wanting him to shut up. he watched the way you looked at lex, giggling about how stupid he looks, lying on the ground breathing slowly. 

turning to your side to look at marcus, you huffed. 

“ why do act the way you are? acting so high and mighty when you are just a timid rat? “ 

“ well i did- “

“ didnt burn the orphanage down. fuckface did. “ you deadpanned.

“ ho- how did you.. “ marcus began sinking into the chair, realizing that you had figured him out which scared him. 

“ i know who fuckface is, marcus. “ you slowly advance towards him.

“ and something is telling me that he is after you.. for stealing his name.” you ran a finger against his neck, gesturing that fuckface was coming for his head. 

“ so, if i were you, id start running. “ you whispered, faces inches from his. lips close enough that if one of you were to lean in, your lips would be connected. 

marcus thought it was going to happen, everything you said flew out of his mind as he could only think of you. he would never admit it, but he was greatly attracted to you when he saw you in school. he felt something turn in his stomach, the undeniably annoying heat that he was tremendously feeling. so when you pulled away, he was caught off guard. jumping back onto your bed, you sighed happily, as if nothing ever happened between you two. 

“ i know the fucking game youre playing, ( name ) . “ marcus whispered. 

“ oh do you now ? “ you smiled softly. 

it was when marcus pushed your books away from your bed, moving towards you. once he was in the same eye length with you, he whispered, “ may i? “

it didnt have to be a verbal response, it was plenty to understand that you wanted it too. 

--

taglist :

@superpositvecloudshipper

[ruexarchive]

"Do me a favour and never talk to her again, Got it?"

Possessive! Draken x gn! reader

Rating: 16+

summary: it only started when I guy took an interest in you, but Draken wasn't taking that shit...

warnings: fluff + cussing + sexual implications

"I'm telling you, girl, Kaito has been staring at you all week. You have to talk to him!" A good friend of mine, Kuki, we were walking towards the school gates. Finally living the hell we called school. Though I had told her I had a boyfriend she still wouldn't believe me because I never showed her a picture let alone said what his name was. But he was a very private person and he was a gang member. "come on you know I have a boyfriend, and I'm not interested." "yeah you keep saying that but I'm starting to think he doesn't exist.." "hey, y/n can we talk for a bit?" "holy crap!" Kaito scared the living shit out of me, I wasn't expecting him to jump out from behind me. "oh sorry for scaring you beautiful" "ohh shit he called you beautiful, his definitely into you" Kuki whispered in my ear But I wasn't focused on what she was saying, I was trying to find my voice and reply to him. "um no it's okay. what did you want to talk to me about?" Kaito led me away from Kuki to a more secluded area. "I was wondering if you wanted to watch this new movie that came out a few days ago on Saturday?" He was staring right at me. "oh, I'm not sure if-" I couldn't finish my sentence when I spotted my boyfriend. Shit what was he doing here, I told him to wait outside if he was going to pick me up. "hey baby, I've been waiting for what feels like hours." he walked right beside me and kissed me on my cheek. "oh sorry, I hadn't realised it'd been that long." I chuckled trying to ignore Kaito staring daggers into me. "And you are?" Kaito turned to Draken feeling a bit threatened by the dragon tattoo on the side of his head. He ignored him and leaned into my ear and whispered "who's this?" "He's in one of my classes" I whispered back to him "We're gonna be late for the meeting, we should go." This time he wasn't whispering. Kaito was getting visibly irritated by the fact he decided to ignore him completely. Ken grabbed my hand, leading me towards the parking lot "Hey wait!" kaito yelled as we walked away "Yeah?" I turned my head around to face him. "Saturday?" kaito looked pretty desperate "she can't she's busy. Do me a favour and never talk to her again, Got it?" He didn't even bother to turn to Kaito just kept walking his hand interlocked with mine. I had already turned my head away from Kaito by then.

"he has some nerve talking to you, much less asking you out on a date." Draken looked pretty pissed yet he had a huge smirk on his face, staring down at me. "what's that smirk for huh?" "wanna go to a motel after the meeting?" I knew exactly what he was implying but I decided to play dumb, it was much more fun that way. "I don't understand why do you wanna go to a motel?" He didn't even answer me, just gave me a look I wouldn't make out. I didn't say anything so I just turned to him and kissed him on the cheek But he grabbed my face and kissed me hard on the lips. His so fucking demanding... But fuck I love him. He grinned and signalled me to get onto his bike. I held onto him by the shoulders. He made a clicking noise with his tongue which showed a sign of disapproval, so I moved my hands down to his waist. He was holding back a little smile, trying to keep his tough persona.

Author's notes:

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the support on my latest posts.

[jasmine-the-fox]

My uncle is the best

An anon made this request and this was... different from my usual salt fics but... let's get to it! This is a MLB and Batman crossover!

Marc Anciel was a sweet and quiet guy; he was known for his talent in writing but also because he and Nathaniel work together to make their comic book. But something not many knew was that his mom has a brother… the billionaire himself: Bruce Wayne. Growing up, his mom has taken him with her to Gotham to visit him and his family.

Thanks to Bruce’s kids… Marc trains in different things and is ready for many things that could happen in Gotham… but when the akuma’s first began to appear it was like everything he knew was thrown out the window.

And since he was also akumatized it simple proved that his training won’t help in Paris. So instead, he began to teach his friends and classmates how to fight… the reason was because his class had a trip to Gotham and they wanted to be ready for it no matter what.

One day, Kagami told him that Marinette got kicked out of her class’s field trip which angered him a bit. As a result, those who could decided to not donate a dime of money while Nathaniel, Alix and Chloe dropped out of going on the trip… which was fine for the class since Chloe was a bully and Alix with Nathaniel decided to side with a bully like Marinette.

Marc had already asked his uncle Bruce who was more then happy to care for his friends during the trip… without knowing that Marc planned to play cupid between Mari and Damian. Once his friends all agreed and their parent’s signed the consent forms Bruce paid for their first-class tickets and forwards Marc a list of things for them to pack.

Marc knew that Bruce had already planned out their time in Gotham and he didn’t mind as long as he could take his friends around sometimes. Everyone is very excited about there trip to Gotham together… but none of them knew about the lies Lila was spinning… all about her boyfriend Damian Wayne and the entire Wayne family… making them agree to have their trip to Gotham.

When they land in Gotham, they are greeted by Alfred and Richard who helped them with there things before driving them to Wayne manor where they were given a tour before being allowed to unpack. Meanwhile in the Batcave… Bruce with Damian, Jason and Tim were researching Lila Rossi and all of the lies she has claimed so far… and they weren’t happy with her latest lies not one bit… the problem came when the four only came out late at night.

Marc was awake and knew about there secret but was angry at them for not being there to meet his friends “You all better be here tomorrow morning to greet them or else!” he said before stomping off to his room… they all knew that when Marc says ‘or else’ it’s serious and is not a good idea to ignore the warning at all… Jason learned that the hard way.

When morning comes, Marc is happy to find them walk into the kitchen to greet his friends (he’s VERY happy when he sees that Damian is distracted by Mari) after introductions Damian joins the group with Richard to show them around Gotham. Marc takes pictures when he sees Damian keeping close to Marinette the entire time, on the other hand back in Paris…

Caline’s class is for the first time ever WORKING HARD to earn the funds for there trip to Gotham (considering Chloe didn’t get her dad to donate like usual and Mari wasn’t organizing everything like usual) Lila was shocked at how bad things were going and started to regret making Mari her enemy in the end and started to wonder if she could become her friend. Marc is happy to find his friends having an amazing time in Gotham, it was very clear to him that Damian and Mari were getting close and it was possible they would be dating soon.

Mari and Alfred are teaching them recipes to the gang. Marc also noticed how a few times, Damian and Mari would slip away from the group to do things together… he never told on them and lied for them of course because why not? Besides… Damian had asked Marinette to be his girlfriend which made him so very happy so it was all worth it in the end since he made this happen.

Now they were enjoying there last week in Gotham, it was raining and so they were all watching movies when Mari got a text “It’s my mom” she said making them all look at her “What does she say?” Jason asked. Mari reads it and her eyes go wide “Miss Bustier came by to talk to me and remind me about my ‘rude behavior’ towards Lila… and as a result… I can’t go on their trip to Gotham” she said making all of their eyes go wide at her words.

“They are coming here?” Selina Bruce’s wife asked making Mari nod “My mom is panicking though. Turns out that while she told miss Bustier that I wasn’t home… she slipped up and told her I was in Gotham” she explained making them now have no idea on what to do. Bruce then takes Marinette’s phone and calls Sabine to calm her down and inform her that it was alright that she told her daughter’s teacher.

He claimed that he would resolve the whole thing… but Mari is used to getting in trouble for no good reason, this caused her to worry but Damian pulled her away to calm his girlfriend down “Trust my father. When he says he will take care of everything… he tells the truth” he said which calmed her down… at that moment Bruce walked away saying he had to make a few phone calls.

Marc being used to Bruce saying that excuse had an idea on what his uncle was planning but decided to keep quiet due to the fact that he enjoyed the results of Bruce’s actions in the end. Slowly they all went back to relaxing without Bruce for now and watched some movies, Marc also noticed how Titus moved to lay over Mari… it was clear he worried about her and wanted to show her some comfort right now and that made him smile.

He knew that even with the comfort everyone was giving her… she was still worried and nervous… because at the end of the day they knew that Lila was bound to lie at some point… and blame Mari for something not happening her way at all.

And they weren’t wrong at all… as it happened at Wayne tech…

The gang had just finished their tour of the building when they heard Mari’s name being called by an angry Alya. The girl was screaming at Mari about her vile she was to cancel their tour of Wayne tech and steal it from them when Lila had worked so hard to set it up… but Marc already knew it was a lie since there group was the only one with a scheduled tour which meant Lila lied about setting it up in the first place.

Just as Alya was about to attack Mari, Damian stepped in “You will not lay a finger on my girlfriend!” he said which shocked Alya with the rest of the class… while Lila looked pissed “Who the hell are you!? Do you even know who you’re saying your dating!?” Alya demanded making the class agree… but she was shocked when Damian pulled out his ID… revealing himself as Damian Wayne.

The same Damian Wayne Lila claimed she was dating…

“Now tell me what rights you had to try and harm my girlfriend!” he demanded which made Alya sputter… while Lila was panicking… she had already lied to the class that they wouldn’t be able to see Damian because he was in Africa helping those in need with his dad… then she pulled out the crocodile tears “How could you Marinette!! I tried to be your friend and this is how you repay me!!? By tricking my sweet Damibear to date you!?” she claimed which got her the desired reaction… the class quickly began to scream at Mari for her actions.

Just as Alya was about to say something… Bruce walked over looking angry, just as Lila was about to say something… Marc beats her to it and points at Lila “That’s her uncle! She’s the psycho liar who lies and bullies my friend Marinette!” he said which shocks Lila and the class.

But he was enjoying this…

In an instant, Bruce reveals each and every lie Lila has said in her entire life. Lila of course in a panic tries to cover it all up but Bruce doesn’t give her a chance by continuing to speak… and the entire class ignored her to listen to Bruce instead.

As a result, Caline is angry because now Lila won’t have a single friend while the class minus Adrien were shocked and confused about all of this… but then Alya became angry… at Marinette for not telling them but Adrien snapped “Are you deaf or just plain stupid Alya!? Marinette has been telling you all that Lila was lying from the start! But because in your words ‘she didn’t have proof’ none of you believed her!!” he screamed which shocked Alya. Just as she was about to say something, security comes and kicks the class minus Adrien out and were made to leave.

Adrien apologizes to Mari for not doing better… but sadly with his father threatening him he could barely do anything to help her. Bruce offered to help him and he accepted the offer, once they were all back in Paris… Caline and Damocles were fired, Lila was expelled and deported back to Italy, the class was questioned, forced to see therapists while being also punished by both the school’s new principal and their parents who were informed and the gang was transferred to Olga’s class where they were now very happy.

Adrien was now in his aunt Amélie’s custody but was allowed to stay in school in Paris instead of transferring to a school in London, in the end they were all happy… Marc was extremely happy because he had his friends and boyfriend with him… and Mari was now happy once more now.

He should have brought them to Gotham sooner…

[litrumi]

“Just a Hangout Sesh” (DayNap Unannounced AU Short Story)

-

*This little short story IS based on an AU I literally have somewhat planned but am not yet ready to release out into the wild. It’s a work in progress so all things are subject to change anyway. Regardless…

The only details you need FOR NOW: Dogday and Catnap are in their early 20s. They live in a big city. Dogday’s working at a bakery. Catnap is a gang leader. Dogday is about 5’6” (167 cm), Catnap is 6’4” (193 cm).

This short story’s being told from Catnap’s perspective, but the main AU story is most likely gonna be told through Dogday’s. If I ever get around to this.

Enjoy!

Related music/track for reading: Danganronpa V3 - Becoming Friends

-

Another slow day, another reason to see him.

I think to myself as I walk down the pavement. The sounds of the running engines of cars and buses, driving on by, fills the streets. It’s morning, after all. People have places to be.

I look up to the sky for a moment in all of its smoggy, city glory. Smells like urban life alright…

Step after step, I find myself in front of a quaint but clean shop. Its colors are so vibrant and pink that it almost looks like it’s lit up and bright, but that’s just because it’s surrounded by other drab apartment buildings and the like.

I blink at the sign up top, reading “Pick-A-Treat”. A local bakery that’s been here for a couple years by now. I never really paid attention to it until recently. But I suppose that’s how it goes when someone you’re interested in suddenly starts working there.

A small thought crosses my mind, but I quickly dismiss it after remembering how he yelled at me for even bringing in a cigarette to the shop. I hadn’t even lit it yet and he still got on my case the second he realized I was holding one. That aggressive and yet non-threatening, scolding tone… I can’t help but chuckle to myself when I think back on it.

I brush the moment aside and open the door, stepping in. I’m immediately affronted by a warm atmosphere and aromatically relaxed by the scent of fresh baked goods.

“Welcome!” I hear the familiar voice say as the door closes and rings the bell atop it that signals a new visitor entering the premises.

I look in the direction of the counter and see him. That shorty. The busy pup, with a pink apron over the front of his light pink work shirt and sporting a small, pink chef’s hat on his head, is fixing up the display shelves and making sure everything is in its proper place. Geez, so much pink with this place… At least he has dark black pants.

Finally, he turns to me, and his bright, welcoming smile… changes to that of a quick realization and an expression that wants to sigh with disappointment. “Oh, it’s just you…” He looks at me with a tinge of annoyance.

“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I reply with a smile of my own. I walk over to the small seating area they have against the wall for customers who either are waiting for their order or may want to enjoy their little treat here in the meantime.

“Do you really have to sit? I just cleaned those seats before we opened for the day,” he tells me, unamused.

“I get tired just like anyone else, Shortbread,” I smirk. “I could use a break from walking over here. Besides, I’m not dirty. I showered just this morning,” I say as I fix up the collar of my black, leather jacket and rest my hands in my black jeans pockets.

Completely ignoring what I said, and only focusing on the nickname I used, he gets angry. “Don’t call me that,” the dog pouts in reference to the jab I took at him. “Also stop referring to my height! I’ve still got time to grow! And if I grow an extra foot, I’ll be taller than you!”

Yeah, by two inches… I think to myself.

“Forget about that, I’m older than you!” He retorts.

By a month… I think again.

“Anyway, what do you want, thug?” He scoffs.

“I’m here to see you,” I smile. “Isn’t that obvious?”

He blinks at me, not swayed by my flirting. “Well, hello. You can see me,” he waves. “Now can you leave? What if a patron comes by and gets intimidated by your… edginess,” he motions to me.

“I won’t be a bother to anyone,” I answer confidently. “I’ll sit here quietly and mind my own business.”

“Really?” He asks, unsure. “You won’t bother anyone?”

“Anyone but you, Biscuits,” I wink.

He glares with his hands on his hips. “…I’m two steps away from the sharp and blunt kitchen utensils. Watch yourself, Mugshot.”

I put my hands up in the air, with a smug grin. “Guilty as charged. I surrender,” I laugh. What a cute nickname he’s picked out for me. After teasing him for the millionth time, I look around the shop and notice something. He’s the only one working right now, huh? “Hey, Dogday, where’s your boss and shy co-worker?”

“Huh? Oh,” he realizes that I’ve noticed him working all alone. “They’re running some emergency errands,” he says while kneading some dough. “Picky’s got a lot of other things she needs to take care of today, and Crafty, well…” Dogday rubs the back of his head. “She could use the day off.” He’s immediately thinking about the fact that the poor unicorn is having trouble with finishing up other things in her life that require her to speak up for herself. There’s always the chance she’s caught herself up in a whirlwind of things she can’t say no to, as well. “Anyway, it is what it is,” the pup says.

“You’re really going to handle the shop today, all by yourself?” I wonder.

“Heh,” he just chuckles. He tightens his apron and feels challenged. “What? You think I don’t have what it takes? Oh, Catnap…” he clicks his tongue and wags his finger. “I could run this place with my eyes closed!” He announces proudly.

I eye him, up and down. “Bold statement, coming from you,” I remark. Three, two, one…

He sees how I glanced at him and his face heats up. “I- I’ll show you, you good for nothing delinquent! Just sit back and watch this canine run the whole show! Flawlessly!” He gets fired up.

There we go. Much better. I didn’t even have to convince him to let me stay.

Sooner rather than later, customers do come in eventually. Dogday’s demeanor switches up instantaneously to a cheery and enthusiastic worker with a principle for customer satisfaction. That part of him seems very effortless and easy to do. Maybe he just takes all work given to him seriously… I begin to wonder.

With me, he’d certainly rather shout at me or ignore me. But he’s pretty professional and upbeat when he’s not talking to me. I like that about him… Not many have what it takes to yell at the leader of the number one gang in the city.

But I guess he should know by now that I wouldn’t let anyone other than him act this way around me. I relax back more into the chair and rest the back of my head against my arms, behind me. I could never be mad at him… Not after what he did. I owe him that much.

When the most recent customer leaves and we have a moment to chat again, Dogday wipes some sweat from his forehead and relaxes a bit. As soon as I see him ready to take a small break, I decide to flip the switch back to playful mode.

“So nice to every customer in here…” I sigh as if I’m sad. “Everyone but me…”

He looks at me with slight irritation. “Tell me, when was the last time you bought anything here?”

“You gave me those tasty cookies just the other day!”

“For free!” He crosses his arms. “Just so you would shut up about wanting to try some of our baked treats!”

I hum and muse on the argument. “Aww,” I tease. “You do care. I didn’t know they were free,” I grin.

“I’m ready to change my mind about that,” his eyebrow twitches.

“Sure, I can arrange some quick cash,” I comply. “Just let me go find some money for ya and I’ll be back in five minutes,” I tell him.

“No blood money!” He scolds me. “I’m not letting you pay us with your filthy, gang obtained riches! Work hard and earn it the right way!”

I let out a sigh. “Alright, fine,” I concede. “Then I’ll pay ya back in a couple of weeks or something.” A stickler for the rules…

“Thank you,” he nods, satisfied with the terms of the agreement.

“Who baked them, anyway?” I decide to ask.

But once I ask that question, his behavior changes a little bit. He looks off to the ground, then to the side, before looking back at me with a shy but trying to look tough expression. A little redness is ever so present on his cheeks. “…Someone here at the bakery, obviously…” Was all he said on the matter.

Someone, huh? I feel a little warmth in my chest.

“Anyway, you almost done? I’ve been waiting for hours now,” I inform him.

“Huh?” He looks confused. “Actually… wait a sec, you really have been here for a while. What gives? Do you need something?” He begins to tidy up some of the supplies around him.

“Duh,” I roll my eyes. “I’m waiting for your shift to be over.” I then put on a charming smile for him. “We’re going on a date when you’re done.”

The room is silent for all of three seconds.

The dog takes in the information and then suddenly it was like a steaming kettle set off. “A- A date?!” He spouts out, flabbergasted. “What date?! W- Who said anything about a date?!”

I look around and see that no one else is here. “I did, about five seconds ago,” I point to myself.

“B- But who agreed to that?!?! I certainly didn’t!” He’s super red in the face now.

I put a finger to my chin for a moment and ponder. “Hmm… Oh,” I remember. “Must’ve forgot to tell you yesterday, my bad,” I grin.

“How convenient!” He groans, sweating bullets.

I smirk, enjoying the spectacle he’s putting on.

“Seriously, a date…” the pup begins to quietly talk to himself to sort out the situation. “Of all the…” He huffs under his breath.

Why is it so much fun to mess with him?

“Well?” I shrug. “We gonna go on that date after your shift or do you wanna go on it tomorrow?”

“Why are those my only two options?!” He sighs.

He turns his back to me and seems like he’s thinking really hard about it. He’s mulling it over so much that I just look at him, feeling pleased and entertained a little. But really… I’m kind of happy that he’s genuinely thinking so hard about this.

Eventually, he turns back around, takes a deep breath, and looks at me seriously. “Ugh… Fine. We can hangout after I finish work, but that’s all! We’re just hanging out!” He tacks on that disclaimer, flustered. “And please don’t do anything that’ll draw attention to us.”

I salute to him with a stupid look on my face. “Whatever you say, Shortstack.”

Immediately, he throws an oven mitt at me. “I’ll make you part of the next recipe, Thugzilla! Don’t patronize me!”

What a feisty pup…

No wonder he’s so cute. I feel my heartbeat quicken a little.

Time goes by, and more customers come in, get their orders, and leave. All I can do is stare at the clock on the wall, listen to its ticking noises, and watch Dogday work out of the corner of my eye.

What exactly should we do? I start to consider. There’s really nowhere we can’t go. No one has enough of a lack of brain cells to say no to me. But that’s not the real issue, I guess. What… does he like? I know what I like, but I honestly don’t know that much more about him. And if we just do the things I want, there’s no way he’d enjoy it.

Running through a million different things in my head, I can’t really pick anything in particular.

I glance over to him and see that he’s not busy chatting with any customers again. “Say, what kind of things do you like?” I ask him outright.

He stops what he’s doing to look at me. “Huh? What… I like?” He rests his head in the palm of his hand and looks up at the ceiling. “Kind of a tough question, but let me think…” His eyes just wander around as they please.

As I watch him turn the wheels in his head, I try to think how someone as normal as him might feel.

“Well, I guess I don’t mind the occasional stroll in the park or… a movie or… stargazing and stuff…” He answers.

“Those are your favorite things?” I question.

“No, not my… favorite, per se,” he rubs the back of his head. “To be honest, I just don’t have a favorite anything. I’m pretty okay with whatever.” He nods.

“Whatever, huh?” I repeat. “So… you wanna go start a fight with the other local territories and get back some stuff they stole from random people?”

He gives me a deadpan expression and doesn’t bother saying a single word.

“I’m just kidding,” I chuckle. “Well, if it’s totally up to me then…” I adjust my position in the chair and face him fully. “The train station.”

“What?” He curiously asks.

“The train station. Let’s just sit at the train platform and stick around until the sun sets,” it was an easy answer for me all along.

“That’s… the big plan you have for us hanging out?” He crosses his arms.

“C’mon, it’ll be a calm and peaceful time. Just watching the train pull up and leave with people. And when the train leaves, you get to see nothing but some nice open background scenery. Pretty cool stuff, if you ask me,” I tell him.

“You’re not suggesting this because of what I think you mean, right…?” He wonders, a little sadly.

“And if I am?” I reply.

He looks at me with a little unease and worry. He then looks down at the ground for a moment. “You don’t… need to keep thinking about that moment, you know? It’s not that big of a deal, really…”

“It was and still is a big deal to me,” I state. “I hear you loud and clear. But the truth is, it’s more important than you think. So do this little thing for me, ‘kay?” I smile. “I just want to spend some time with you.”

He’s silent because he just doesn’t know how to process it all. He’s not mad or upset at anything, but I can tell he’s a little taken back by remembering that moment. Our first time meeting. Something like that was just a passing moment to him, but for me, it was so much more.

“A- Alright,” he doesn’t put up a fuss. He just agrees and holds his arm.

I can tell that he feels a little tense. The atmosphere did drop a bit there, after all. But I feel a small weight lift off my shoulders from being able to tell him that much. I’m glad you’re here, Dogday…

“Now enough mush,” I interrupt to bring back the regular mood. “Can I get some more cookies or what?”

He looks up at me and quickly gets back to his old self. “Depends,” he starts. “Where’s the payment for the last batch?”

“I’ll take an advance on the cookies and you’ll see the money in a few weeks,” I slyly reply.

“Not how it works…” The dog sighs.

The routine continues on with me teasing him and him getting annoyed at my presence. But finally, his work day begins to come to a close. He cleans up and checks that everything is as it should be. I just stay out of the way, since I know he’d appreciate that.

“Hey, I just need a few minutes when we leave,” he tells me. “I just wanna run home, change, and then we can go. Won’t take long.”

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow. “Do I finally get to see the inside of your apartment?” I cheekily ask.

He’s totally done with me at this point. “Absolutely not,” he says with his teeth gritted.

“Fair enough,” I laugh.

Somebody stop him. He’s too adorable.

With that, we leave the bakery as he turns off the lights and remembers to lock up the shop.

I tell him that I’ll wait right here while he goes and pampers himself up for the date. Being the good guy that he is, I can still tell he’s restraining himself from using a rude gesture as he sprints off to get ready.

Now I’m left here waiting, with just me and my thoughts.

I find myself looking up at the still smoggy skies again.

Things are turning out better than I thought…

But I know it’s not because of anything special that I’m doing.

That’s just what it’s like having someone like him by your side. Hard to believe he moved here only about a month ago, now. I can only be thankful that I ever ran into him in the first place.

In fact, it’s nothing short of a miracle…

A miracle… for us both.

I just know it.

—

I needed some practice to get out of this writing funk I’m in. Being sick for a month sure drains motivation. So honestly I definitely had to use this.

Still, I was actually thinking that this could potentially be a two parter. I did “somewhat” feel like writing the other half of this or basically the actual “hanging out” portion too, but I dunno. Just gonna be a moment of intrigue. We’ll see.

Anyway, it also was a little preview of some other AU stuff I got in the brain. That’s all!

Take careeee!

-

[kitthepurplepotato]

Chapter 10 - The end and the beginning.

Last chapter!

Summary: It’s the last day of your trip with Shouta; it’s a day filled with tears, laughter and a bunch of confessions.

Warnings: Swear words, mentions of sex, keep an eye out for the !!! sign because this chapter has some saucy bits. Please skip it if you are under 18 or not comfortable with that kind of content. No actual smut though! Thank you for your cooperation!

First Chapter Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

It’s your last night at Shouta’s holiday home. To be honest, the vibe isn’t the best; the teens were really quiet today compared to their usual selves, Shouta’s been in his own head all day, barely responding to anyone, Present Mic tried his best to keep the gang entertained but somehow, even the loudest ones needed a bit of solitude on the last day, rather talking on the beach in small groups than playing around with the whole gang. For your surprise, the quietest one was Kaminari today; he’s been moping around since the morning, taking deep breaths before every single fake smile. There’s only few hours left before it’s bedtime so you decide to take the matter in your own hands; you absolutely hate seeing this boy all sad and mopey.

“What’s on your mind, Denks?” You ask him, slowly approaching the sulking boy who’s sprawled out on the sofa, all alone. You’ve been around the teen enough to know he’s not actually interested in the random show playing on the TV; his eyes are clouded with something sorrowful, fingers playing with the edge of the pillow he’s clutching to his chest.

“I’m okay, Y/N! Just a little bit tired.” Denki tries to make a fake smile. Instead of telling the boy off for lying, you take the pillow from him; first, he looks really confused by your actions but when the pillow is being replaced by your own body and you pull the boy to your chest in a motherly hug, the facade breaks; tiny sobs leave the youngling’s mouth, his fingers clutching the back of your shirt as he cries.

“It’s okay, Denks. Let it all out.” You tap his back soothingly. Hitoshi appears in the door leading to the beach, worried and just as sad as the blonde in your arms; you make a motion with your head, telling the boy to leave. He nods with a sad face and makes his way back to his friends; it breaks your heart to do this to him but you really want to talk to the boy and help him with his confession - let’s be honest, this must be about that - because it’s clearly killing them both.

“I can’t do this anymore.” The boy mumbles, completely broken. “It hurts so much but every time I think about being rejected and losing him as a friend hurts even more.”

“First of all, Hitoshi would never do that.” You reprimand. “You are his best friend and he would do anything to stay by your side. He’s not going to ghost you just because of this. Also, I’ll be honest with you; you are really fucking stupid if you think he doesn’t feel the same.”

Apparently, Denki didn’t like your answer because he pulls away, his voice loud and angry when he speaks up next.

“You literally heard me saying that I think he’s the hottest guy in the class and he didn’t even say anything about it since. He’s ignoring all my flirting. Stop giving me false confidence!”

“Denki, lower your voice, I’m not here to be yelled at, I’m here to help!” You reprimand again, this time with much more fervor. The blonde boy cowers under your gaze, probably realizing how disrespectful he’s being, but instead of saying sorry he stands up, ready to flee the scene. You roll your eyes and push the boy down to sit back. “I’ll tell you a story and you’ll listen. I’ll let you go after that, okay?” Your tone changes into a mild, soothing one. “Toshi probably told you most of the story anyway but I want you to listen to my side of it.” You sigh. “Shouta and I had a really nice first date. Honestly, it was the most perfect day ever but I knew Shouta only said yes to that date because of Megumi and it wasn’t supposed to be this great. We were both really confused by the end of it. I was with him the whole day, I met his family and loved them all; but then the day ended and he rejected me on the spot.” You give the sobbing blonde a sad smile. “That day, I went straight to my bed, ignoring my girl and cried the whole night. It was only one date but I liked that man since Megumi started UA and all my feelings came back to the surface and they started to suffocate me after that day so I decided to push him away instead of talking it all out. I was childish.” You sigh again. For your surprise, Denki looks really invested in your story now, sad puppy eyes staring into yours as you finish your story. “I was an absolute asshole to him the next time we met but instead of yelling he pulled me close, told me to stop and gave me his number. And now look at me.” You smile at the boy, ruffling his messy hair.

“You think I should tell him? Even if he might reject me?” Denki mutters then goes on a rant. “I want to tell him. I want to tell him how special he is, because I know he has no idea. He has no fucking idea how head over heels I am for his stupid lavender eyes and Gucci eye bags. He doesn’t even know that every time he touches me I feel like I’m being electrocuted even though I’m literally a guy with an electric quirk. He needs to know that his smile cures my depression and every time I feel down I think about him and life is suddenly so much brighter! Fuck, I’m gonna tell him now! Thank you, Y/N!” Denki jumps off the sofa but he can barely make two steps before he runs right into Hitoshi who clearly didn’t listen to you when you told him to leave. Denki pales completely, his confidence shattering right away as he’s face to face with the boy of his dreams.

“How… much…” Denki stutters, slowly stepping away from the purple haired boy.

“All of it.” Hitoshi pants, not even letting Denki to finish his sentence. He pulls the blonde boy to his chest, in a tight embrace. “Y/N is right by the way. You are really fucking stupid.”

… Okay, this is your time to sneak out of the room. You barely make it out to the beach before Hitoshi takes Denki’s confused face into his hands and crushes his lips together with his.

Uhh, that must have hurt. Oh well, they will get the hang of it by the time the gang goes back into the house tonight.

~•🩶•~

“Your kid is probably having a heated make out session on the couch, you two are like two peas in a pod.” You giggle as you lower yourself next to Shouta. He’s laying on a massive towel sprawled out behind a bunch of massive rocks, hidden away from the eyes of the youngsters and Present Mic.

“Thank you, now I’ll never be able to close my eyes without thinking about those two making out in Hitoshi’s room.” He frowns and wiggles around until he can put his face on your squishy chest.

“Tell me about it, they didn’t even wait until I left the room. I had to witness their first kiss, Shouta.” You retort, looking like you went through hell before coming out here.

“How bad was it?” Aizawa snorts, grinning. Your hands wander into his hair, massaging his scalp and Shouta murmurs quietly at the nice feeling.

“Really bad. Like teeth clashing, noses-in-the-way kinda bad.” You laugh, utterly amused.

“That’s our boy. I’m proud.” Shouta snorts again. Your heart skips a beat and you forget to laugh so Shouta looks up at you, worry written all over his face.

“Our… boy?” You mutter, hands falling from the hero’s hair. Shouta realizes his mistake, a tiny blush appearing on his face as his words sink in.

“One day, yeah.” He puts his head back, faking nonchalance. “If you want to.”

Silence falls on the two of you, only the sound of the rumbling sea and the distant laughter disturbing the peaceful, quiet night. After a few minutes, Shouta takes a deep breath, his head facing the rocks.

“Do you remember when I said Megumi will be yours sooner than you think?” Aizawa mutters into your chest.

“Yeah and I told you I can’t provide all the necessities to get accepted…” You start your rant but Shouta doesn’t let you finish your sentence.

“You do… have all of that now.” Shouta speaks up, his head facing your way now. For some reason, the man looks terrified. “I…” he sits up and takes your hand into his lap, caressing the skin to calm himself down. “I want us to be a family, Y/N. I know, this is really sudden and you probably think it’s too soon, but I told you how heroes think there’s no tomorrow when it comes to these things and I’m also one of those people who think that way.”

You are rendered speechless. Shouta trembles like a leaf, anxiety showing clearly on his face and if you look close enough you can see the fear of rejection in his eyes.

Your heart is about to explode in your chest, mostly from happiness but also from the fact that this is clearly not the end of his speech; there is something else, something extremely important for the hero in front of you so you decide not to show your happiness yet in case it all goes wrong. He fiddles your fingers and takes a deep breath before he continues.

“But…” There it is. There it fucking is. You knew it. “I don’t want any of this if Megumi can’t be officially a part of it. And I also don’t want you to be my date. Or my girlfriend.”

Your heart shatters into pieces. On the last day of your perfect holiday, your whole being is being crushed into the sand on this fucking amazing beach, by the hands of the man you loved with your whole being. Tears trail down your cheeks and you try to move away but your hand is stuck between Shouta’s so you can’t go to far; Shouta pulls you back into a sitting position and moves his hand to the side of yours; you look down at your hands, incapable of looking into the man’s eyes and something glistens in the moonlight; there is a ring on your ring finger, white gold with a black crystal in the middle. You look at Shouta with pure confusion.

“… I want you to be my wife, Y/N.” Shouta smiles, his eye shining from unshed tears. “I want you to be the mother of my kids and I want to be the father of Megumi. So… what… do you think?”

“I thought you are about dump me, you fucking idiot.” You start sobbing into the man’s shirt, pulling him as close as humanly possible.

“I tried my best with the speech, I’m sorry if it wasn’t the best, I’m not good with feelings…” He mutters, but you shut him up with your mouth.

“Marry me, Shouta.” You whimper into his mouth between two kisses. “I can’t wait to have a big, loud family with you.” You move away to give the man a big grin, happy tears still falling down your cheeks.

“I hope you guys can pack quickly, because I want you two in my house as soon as possible. I already asked Cementoss to fix my house by tomorrow in case you say yes.” Shouta admits with a blush.

“Is this why you were away that day? To have this all sorted?” You mumble into his chest.

“Yes. We can do the paperwork now then have a proper ceremony later. Megumi’s adoption papers are ready to go as well. I hope that’s okay.” Aizawa mutters, a little bit ashamed.

“Of course it’s okay, Shou.” You laugh. “Oh my god.” You yelp, shaking from the excitement. “We need to tell the kids.” You grin like a maniac, eyes shiny from the recently shedded tears. You pull your boyfriend… wait… fiancé?! up from the towel and make your way towards the loud group sitting around the other side of the beach. For your surprise, Hitoshi and Denki also joined the group, now shamelessly cuddling; Denki sits between Hitoshi’s long legs, his back resting on the purple haired boy’s chest, while Hitoshi’s arms are wrapped around the smaller boy, his chin on his shoulders.

“Attention!” Shouta speaks up and the group of younglings automatically sit up straight, like they’re still at school. It’s really adorable. “We have something to tell you…” Shouta says with utter seriousness but you don’t let him finish the sentence.

“We’re getting married!” You yell in a high pitched voice, jumping around like a lovesick teenager with your hands in the air, showing off the new ring Shouta just gave you.

It’s a lot to take in. It’s sudden and probably a little bit irresponsible; getting married to a guy you’ve only known for a year and dated for a few weeks… but that’s also the thrill of it. You lived your life doing what’s the best for the others around you; you helped out your sister, took in a kid in need, stopped dating to have more time to spend with your daughter… you never partied, never did anything stupid and while you certainly don’t think there is anything about this situation that’s considered stupid, it’s definitely something new, something that you’ll do for yourself, someone might even say it’s selfish but honestly, you don’t fucking care.

Since you got to know Shouta, your whole life turned upside down in the best way possible; seeing his little, hidden smile on the screen of your phone made even the worst day into the best one, his touches healed your broken soul and mended your broken heart; it might have been only a couple of weeks but you already know Shouta is the one. Fuck, you knew it from day one, when Aizawa-sensei opened his office door for you with a sleepy look on his face, cold as ice but somehow still warm under the surface. You knew it when Shouta brought you into that cute cat coffee and hogged all the cats to himself, you knew it when you met his two children, those broken souls with a heart of gold, you knew it when he first kissed you, first held you in his arms… the list goes on and on, a never ending circle of appreciation swirling in your mind when you think about Shouta. You look into your partner’s eye and he understands it all; there is no need for words, no need for reassurance; you both know this is the right thing to do for you, for him, for your children, for the world, for the whole fucking universe. You two are like two, off-shaped puzzle pieces, meant for no one but the other.

“Good luck finding a boyfriend if Aizawa-sensei is your father.” Katsuki snickers, his eyes glinting with mischievousness.

“Well, thank fuck he really loves you then.” Megumi retorts, not even looking at the blonde as she makes her way towards you to give you a massive hug. Katsuki just sits there, cheeks ruddy, his aggressive retort frozen on the tip of his tongue. “I’m really happy for you, Mom.” Megumi sniffles into your shirt then makes her way towards Shouta with a teary eyed smile.

“Aizawa-sensei, with all due respect, if you ever make her cry I’ll ruin your life.” Megumi tries to make a mean face and Shouta giggles at her. The whole gang gawks again, just like the last time but they school their faces just in time to not get caught.

“Call me Shouta when we’re not in class.” The hero mumbles with an almost red face.

“Give me 5 to 7 days to get used to that, Shouta…sensei.” Megumi mutters, giggling to herself as she hugs your partner affectionately.

You really shouldn’t cry again, fuck.

“You really did it, oh my god.” Hitoshi jumps up, letting Denki fall into the sand. He yelps then laughs, looking fondly at his new boyfriend embracing his father with nothing but pride and love. “You are a legend, dad.”

“I have a mom now!” Eri yells and jumps into your arms, happy tears trailing down her cheeks. “I have a big family! This is the best day ever!” The little girl smiles while she gives you a bone-crushing hug.

Shouta and you look at each other and you don’t need to say anything out loud for you two to know this was the best decision of your lives.

~•🩶•~

“Hey kids, do you mind if I crash with you tonight?” Present Mic comes out of your room with his super fancy, black and gold sleeping bag, ready for the impromptu sleepover with the kids. He gives you two a knowing look; both of you flush from his cheeky gaze, because you know what the real reason is.

“Make yourself comfortable, sensei! You can use my sleeping bag if you are cold!” Denki adds proudly; you are not even suprised to see the two boys sharing a sleeping bag. You have no idea how did those two fit into it, they might look thin and lanky from far away, but both of them have just enough muscle on them to make this stunt impossible. Well, with enough love in your heart, you can achieve whatever you want, they say.

“Oh my god Denks, stop throwing your happiness in our faces.” Megumi grins at the two boys, clearly not meaning any of it; apparently everyone decided to do a massive sleepover in the living room on the last day of the trip, even little Eri came out of her bedroom, her hello Kitty themed pillow and throw ready for her on the sofa. It melts you heart how it wasn’t even a question for them to let the little girl take the best place in the room, bless their little hearts.

“You two will boil to death in there, it’s the middle of the summer you stupid fucks.” Katsuki murmurs, disgusted by the PDA.

“Yeah, I’m quite sure you would be just as keen to boil to death in this situation, Katsuki.” Mina murmurs under her covers, half asleep.

“There’s literally no such thing as too hot with my quirk.” Katsuki retorts, clearly aggravated by the challenge.

“Well… there is only one way to find out if that’s true…” Mina goes from a sleepy potato into a wide-awake, ferocious animal as she moves towards the blonde with quick steps, not even giving the guy enough chance to react before her body falls on him. The rest of gang decides to do the same, plopping next to or on the top of the blonde; yells, explosions and death threats are being thrown around the room but none of them cares; the teens make a big pile around the angry Katsuki, giggling while Mic takes a picture of the group with a massive grin on his face.

“Let’s go.” Shouta murmurs into your ears and your heart stops for a second; his arms wrap around your hips from behind and pulls you into his chest, his whole body flush against you.

“Uhumm.” You agree and that’s all Shouta waited for; in a matter of seconds the door shuts behind you and your back hits the soft bed with Shouta right on top of you.

!!!

It all starts with heated kisses and gentle touches all over your clothed body; Shouta kisses your neck, your collarbone, your chin, your arms and slowly moves his hand to get rid of the “offensive”, oversized shirt you stole from Shouta’s dresser. Needless to say, you don’t wear a bra at home. Thank god Shouta had enough care for you to pop a throw over the two of you before his shenanigans.

The shirt is gone, your hands are under Shouta’s own top, mapping around his chest; finally, you are able to touch him all over, even the sensitive areas and nothing can stop you right now; the happiness of getting married and the excitement of a new life makes you brave and unstoppable, and Shouta clearly doesn’t mind your wandering hands all over him.

He kisses your fingers one by one then stares at the ring with a dark, possessive look on his face; needless to say it all goes right between your legs. The laughter has subdued outside the room; by the sound of it, the kids are already asleep.

“How quiet can you be, Y/N?” Shouta’s hand caresses your whole body; it moves from your neck all the way through the middle of your upper body in one straight line, then he stops at the hem of your joggers, absently playing with the strings then he starts to pull, slowly and gently, not breaking eye contact.

It’s soo much. It’s too much, really. But somehow, you want to push your limits today.

“Let’s find out.” You whisper into his mouth, your own hands working their way down to rid him of his underwear.

… apparently, you can do quiet, but not quiet enough to not rile up Shouta until he starts biting and panting, body bursting from lust and affection.

!!! - cheekyness done

Today, you’ve learned that Shouta isn’t just an amazing person; he’s also amazing at everything else. You can’t wait to live your whole life with this wonderful, hidden gem of a man.

“I love you, Shou.” You mumble into his naked chest, legs tangled together under the light comforter. Shouta pulls you even closer and takes a big breath right in the crook of your neck; you are quite sure you don’t smell that nice after the shenanigans you’ve been up to but you decide not to comment on that.

“I love too. I can’t wait to call you my wife. I’ll put a picture of you on my desk so everyone can gawk at how pretty you are.” He murmurs, clearly out of it. Post-sex Shouta is an interesting species. The guy has no filter.

“People usually say things like that before the action, not after.” You giggle to yourself, tired and ready to sleep.

“Who said we are done here?” Shouta mutters as he leaves tiny kisses on your neck. You are quite sure you have goosebumps in places goosebumps shouldn’t even appear.

“Your alarm clock set to 5AM, Shou.” You sigh into the man’s mouth.

“Want me to stop then?” He smiles like a cheeky child, leaving kisses everywhere he can reach.

“Don’t you dare.” You giggle; tomorrow’s problems doesn’t matter today anyway.

… needless to say, you both slept through your alarm the next day and got bullied for it during breakfast, but it was definitely worth it.

You started this journey as a lonely soul, but left Shouta’s holiday home as a part of a new family; finally, everything is okay and there is nothing but anticipation in your heart, burns and bruises long forgotten.

~•🩶•~

4 years later

“We’re home!” The two boys, Hitoshi and Denki stumble in through the door, hands full of gift bags.

“You two!” You put your ladle down right away, sprinting towards the two with pure anger in your eyes. These two motherfuckers are the bane of your existence. Why, you ask? “Don’t you fucking dare to leave me for a month ever again, you hear me?!” The two boys look at your teary eyes with nothing but fondness as they hug you, each on one side. You are so sad Mic couldn’t make it today due to a mission; he missed his boys so much he called Shouta every day to cry about it. Shou really knows how to choose the perfect godfather for his kids; they are all spoiled to death by him, especially the little one.

“We missed you too, mom!” Hitoshi snickers and hugs you tighter; you can’t believe these two boys are almost 20 years old. They went to America for a month by themselves, for fucks sake! Where has the time gone?!

“Mama said a bad word!” The little boy yells, sitting up straight on his favorite kitten bean bag.

“Yes she did.” Shouta makes a suprised face at the kid. “And what happens when someone says a bad word in this house, Oboro?” Shouta makes a wondering face, stroking his stubble and all that jazz. You love this man so much.

“Bad word… box!” The boy says and you roll your eyes.

“Swear jar, honey, but that’s right.” You put a few coins into the jar sitting on the coffee table.

Hitoshi hugs his little brother and tickles him viciously; the sound makes the rest of the household and Katsuki come out from Megumi’s room to investigate the sudden commotion.

“Toshi! Denks! Finally!” Eri and Megumi runs towards the two boys, tackling them to the floor out of pure love.

“I won’t leave you alone until you finished your assignment, young lady! Chop-chop!” Katsuki murmurs towards the pile on the floor; Megumi stands up and makes her way towards his boyfriend of 4 years and leaves a tiny kiss on his cheeks. Funnily enough, Katsuki still gets all red when Megumi does anything romantic when others are around and it’s the cutest thing the world has ever seen.

“Let her enjoy this moment, Kat. It’s so rare we have the whole family together now that we all moved out.” Megumi snuggles into the blonde’s arms and his frown changes into a fond look; oh damn, you give them another year before Katsuki pops the question. That boy is head over heels for your girl and you absolutely love to see it. Talking about popping the question…

“… then we almost got married in Vegas.” Denki finishes his sentence with a dreamy look on his face while Hitoshi spits his virgin margarita on the dinner table.

“Honestly? I’m surprised you didn’t actually do it.” Megumi grins at the two lovebirds.

“Apparently we were too drunk for the ceremo…” Hitoshi’s hand lands on Denki’s nape with a loud slap, his whole face flushed with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Toshi.”

You can barely contain your anger.

“We let you two go away for a month and you thank us by getting wasted on a foreign land?! Illegally, I must add?!”

Shouta can’t hide his giggle; he puts one hand on your thigh, stroking it gently to calm you down.

“They are both in University, trust me it wasn’t the first time they got wasted.” Shouta smiles and your anger evaporates into thin air, your frown changing into a fond, lovesick look as you gaze at your perfect husband.

“Oh my god, not at the dinner table!” Megumi retorts with a grin. “It has been 4 years but you two are still insufferable. I can’t believe you.”

Honestly? Neither can you. The amount of love and affection you feel towards your husband even after all these years is almost ridiculous and it goes the other way around as well; Shouta saw you giving birth to his child yet he still looks at you like you are the most perfect human being, with your loose skin, stretch marks and all that jazz.

“What can I say, love is like a truck; you can’t just dust your legs and walk away when you get hit by it.” Aizawa retorts then hides his face with his hands, embarrassed. “That sounded so much better in my head.”

“Did you just compare me to a terrible accident, Shou?!” You laugh like a maniac, cuddling into your husband’s arms to make him feel better.

“At least he didn’t compare you to Shigaraki’s decay.” Megumi retorts. “Love is like being hit by Shigaraki’s quirk; once it’s done it lasts forever.”

For everyone’s surprise, Shouta is the one who starts to howl at that, tears falling on his face at how hard he’s laughing.

“Bro, too deep.” Katsuki says but he can’t hide his fond smile as he looks at the whole family laughing their asses off.

“Why is this so funny?” The little boy blinks a few times, his face hilariously confused. Needless to say, that triggers another laughing fit and you are quite sure the whole UA can hear your laughter in their dorms but they are quite used to Aizawa sensei’s loud family by now so it’s okay.

Fuck, your life is amazing and so are the people surrounding you; you couldn’t be more proud of them.

Life is fucking good, Goddammit.

You pop a few coins into the swear jar sitting on the table, conveniently placed in the middle in case someone says something nasty during dinner time; the whole family looks at you with questioning eyes, and you couldn’t keep the smile off your face even if you tried.

“I fucking love you, guys.” You grin at them and continue eating.

“Mom is so cheeky.” Oboro mutters to himself, his hands deep in his bowl.

“And we love her for that.” Shouta murmurs into your ears, leaving a tiny kiss on your cheeks.

You feel like you’ll never get used to this constant feeling of happiness but that’s not a problem; you have at least 40 more years to get properly used to it.

The end.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Potato ramble:

- Oh my goodness, it’s over! What the heck?! How did this happen? Also, this was supposed to be a 5 chapter long short-story yet it ended up with 10 chapters, the last chapter more that 5K words, I must add.

I want to thank you guys for your patience, but I hope this chapter soothes your bothered soul! Also thank you for reading this silly fic, your comments always make my day! You are the best of the best and I love all of you so much! 💜

- Some plus info about the end of this story: Hitoshi moved together with Denki after graduating UA. They collected enough money this year to finally start traveling around the world during their summer breaks.

Megumi also wanted to move out when Hitoshi did but her parents didn’t let her until she graduates so Katsuki worked his little ass off in that one year to have enough money to get a really nice flat for them! Oh, and Y/N was absolutely right, Katsuki proposed to Megumi in front of the whole family on her birthday. 💜

Y/N and Aizawa has a kid; little Oboro was born a year and a half after Aizawa’s proposal on the beach. He was named after Aizawa’s best friend who died during his high school years. Present Mic was almost taken to a hospital due to dehydration on the day Aizawa told him what the kid’s name will be.

If you have any questions, I’m more than keen to answer them in the comments! 💜

I hope you enjoyed this story and don’t forget to check the Master List if you want to read more, it’s pinned to the top of my page! 🩶

TL - thank you guys for being here 💜 -

@cheesenmax @bobcar1 @ginevraxrogers @garfieldthomas @venuseuripedis @mrsyixingunicorn10 @millerworld @keeri-vents @pwinglez1 @desired-realitea @yao-ai

[klbwriting]

Not Romeo, Not Juliet

Chapter 2: Great Stage of Fools

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: bullying

Summary: Jason goes to auditions and at Dick's urging, tries to make friends, it doesn't turn out well

When we are born we cry that we are come / To this great stage of fools

— KING LEAR, ACT 4 SCENE 6

               Jason had hoped to just coast through this theater class.  He would get some side part like Fortinbras or Marcellus, in fact he was auditioning for those parts, not working super hard on getting anything right, just knowing he would be in the show and have a group of people who, so far, weren’t that bad.  The other seniors, two guys and a girl, were alright and made him feel welcome as soon as he joined their row in the auditorium prior to auditions. 

               “You don’t look the theater type,” one of the guys, Jackson, said.  Jason glanced over at him and shrugged as the other guy, Matt, muttered something about Luke Evans.  “Ya, but Luke Evans is British, that’s why does theater.”

               “My guardian signed me up, thought it would help me mellow out,” Jason said, trying to make conversation.  This whole situation sucked but he might as well make the best of it, that’s what his therapist was always telling him anyway.  He was reading over the few lines he was doing for Marcellus, ignoring the eyes of the girl, Chelsea, on him. 

               “What is with the white hair?” she asked finally.  The guys stared at her.  “Do you die it like that?”

               “No, was in an accident over the summer, turned some hair white,” he said, very practiced in that response after the first couple days of school.  He was getting a little tired of it honestly and couldn’t wait until everyone just forgot about him being new.  She nodded and turned back to her book, throwing looks at him as she tried to read her lines. 

               “Jason Todd, Matt Peters,” called the theater director.  Jason and Matt stood, going to the stage.  “Ready for Marcellus and Horatio, Act 1, Scene 1, lines 70-90.”  Jason brought the script up, checked where that was and put it down.  He already knew the lines, had read Hamlet quite a few times, and didn’t want to bother holding the book.  Matt started to look nervous, still holding up the script to read.  As the scene started Jason felt himself slipping away.  He was someone else, he didn’t have to be weird, zombie, ex-vigilante Jason keeping a lid on his emotions and his anger.  He could be this guard, seeing ghosts and just trying to get by without losing him mind.  Ya, he could do that. 

               “Good now, sit down, and tell, he that knows, Why this same strict and most observant watch…” he started.  The words flowed out of him, and he found himself really getting into it.  When the scene was stopped, he stood quietly, watching Matt eye him curiously.

               “Where did you come from?” he whispered to him as they walked off the stage.  Jason shrugged.

               “Homeschool,” he answered.  He sat back in his chair, pulling out Frankenstein, and starting to read that.  He could hear the others discussing him but tried to ignore it.  Then he heard them mention someone named YN and he stilled, thinking back to the alley and her bandaging his hand.  Not the same person probably, but the name just sprung her face into his mind, and he had to shake himself to get back to the present. Weird. 

               “Hey Jason,” Chelsea called.  He looked over and saw them all facing him.  Great, ganging up on him, lovely.  “So this show is going to be in the citywide high school Shakespeare competition in December, and we were thinking of going to check out the competition, Gotham Academy is having an open mic night fundraiser for their theater program on Friday night, how about you come with us?”  Jason was about to say that sounds terrible when he thought about Dick that morning.

               “You should make some friends, it wouldn’t be so bad to have to hang out here if you invited people over,” he had said over breakfast.  “Plus, you’ve never really been allowed to have friends since you were like 10, why not make some now?”  Jason had to admit he was right, once you became Robin it was hard to be friends with anyone, you just worried about them finding out, or them getting hurt.  He wasn’t Robin anymore, he was just Jason, and that thought, being just Jason with no friends, did kind of suck.  So fine, why not?

               “Sure, what time and where we meeting?” he asked.  Matt handed him a crumbled flyer that read Gotham Academy café, Friday night, 8PM.  “Just meet you guys there?”

               “Yes, it’ll be very fun,” Chelsea said.  They were dismissed, the roles would be posted on Monday.  The other seniors walked him out where he saw Dick waiting for him at the car.  “Is that your dad?”

               “No, that’s my older brother,” he said, heading over to meet him.  Dick let him in the car and then joined him to drive.  “Keeping tabs on me, mom?”

               “Yes, I am,” Dick said honestly.  “How did auditions go?”

               “Fine, met a couple people, we’re going to some open mic night at Gotham Academy.  Something about a Shakespeare competition?” Jason said, leaning his head back to the chair. 

               “Good, friends, friends will keep you out of fights clubs,” Dick mumbled.

               “Not likely.”

               Friday rolled around and Jason was heading out when Dick handed him a tracking device.  He glared and snapped it to his leather jacket.  If he didn’t Dick would just have one implanted anyway.

               “You know that’s fucked up right?  I’m not a puppy,” Jason said, grabbing his book and wallet. 

               “I know, but you’re also prone to not being where you say you’ll be,” he said.  Jason grunted.  One time he sneaks out and suddenly he’s never going to be trustworthy again. 

               “You know, sometimes I wonder if Bruce wouldn’t be better at this,” Jason snapped.  Dick sighed, not saying anything.  Jason knew he should take it back, but he was annoyed now so he just left instead, taking the bike from the other night and heading over to Gotham Academy.  It was still warm in the late August evening and Jason didn’t really want to be inside at some café, so he was pleasantly surprised when he parked and saw chairs set up on a grassy lawn next to the school.  There was a staging area on raised pallets and several people were already seated with coolers and bags of food from local restaurants.  He felt more relaxed knowing that he wasn’t going to be confined to a closed in area with people he didn’t know and probably wouldn’t like. 

               He paid for a ticket and moved among the folding chairs, finding the others from school.  They had two coolers and pulled a water bottle for him from one.  He sat down, not sure what he actually expected.  Seeing YN walk on stage at the beginning of the show wasn’t it though. 

               “Hello everyone, and thank you for coming to our open mic night fundraiser to help fund this year’s Shakespeare competition show ‘MacBeth’,” she said and a round of applause sounded.  He looked around, seeing a decent size crowd there, more than he thought would show up for a theater program.  He clapped at first, then noticed the others weren’t.  He frowned as they shook their heads at him. 

               “What?” he asked as the first act started.  They leaned in close so no one would hear.

               “That is YN, she was runner up for best actress last year for her role in The Tempest, she lost to Amber, she graduated last year, but she also caught Amber screwing one of the judges at the afterparty and told the Gotham City theater council.  Got the award taken away.  I mean, so what if Amber wanted to make sure she would win?  She was winning anyway, YN is not talented,” Jackson explained, glaring over at YN who was sitting off the side of the stage, watching the show, checking her notes every now and then.  Jason just nodded and looked back at them. 

               “Ya, we have a great surprise for her after the show, she’s going to regret being such a bitch last year,” Chelsea said.  Jason frowned but didn’t say anything, just sat back to watch the rest of the show.  Maybe these guys were not who he wanted to be friends with after all.  He sat quietly as they headed for the final act, which was YN.

               “Thank you everyone again for coming, as MC I have the honor of the final performance and I’m taking a request from one of our freshmen ladies who really just wanted some Taylor Swift tonight,” she said.  There was a keyboard setup and she sat down at it, playing some chords to a song Jason didn’t know.  Then she was singing, and Jason wasn’t sure if he ever wanted her to stop.

He was sunshine I was midnight rain

He wanted comfortable

I wanted that pain

               Jason listened, staring at her.  He had never heard this song before, but he doubted anyone sounded as good as YN at it.  She felt these words, felt this heartbreak and Jason could feel it through her.  It was intoxicating and he wanted to talk to her, wanted to know her, wanted to make this heartbreak stop.  He didn’t realize that something was placed in his hand until he saw what the other seniors were doing.

It came like a postcard

Picture perfect, shiny family…

SPLAT

               The water balloon hit her square in the face, breaking and dousing her in Koolaid, the red staining the soft purple shirt she was wearing.  Two more went flying and landed on her body as she stood, eyes focusing on the group from Bludhaven Prep, narrowing at the sight of the water balloon Jason had just realized was in his hand.  He looked down at it and then at her.

               “O shit…” Matt said as YN launched off the stage, giving chase.  Jason was slow to react, diving over people as he followed the other three towards the parking lot.  She caught up to him, tackling him from behind, forearm around his throat.  He ran couple more steps before falling to his knees so he could flip her over his head as gently as he could.  She landed on the grass with an ‘oof’ and stared up at him.  She growled, turning around and getting on her knees.

               “Listen…” he said before the fist hit his face.  He reeled and grabbed her fists before she could throw another.  “Hey!  I didn’t know they were going to do that!”  She glared, looking at the bandage on his hand, the cut on his palm healing slowly, and recognition dawned on her.

               “Jason?  Really?  You’re with those assholes?” she asked.  He shook his head.  “O so you don’t go to Bludhaven prep?”

               “Well ya, I go there now,” he said.

               “And you’re in the theater program?” she asked.

               “Yes, I just auditioned a couple days ago…” he said.

               “And the first thing you do when joining them is all decide to come here and ruin my open mic night?” she asked.  Then she stared at him, remembering where he had seen her, where they met.  “Did you tell them where I live?”  He made a face, confused. 

               “No, I didn’t even know you went to Gotham Academy, I was just here because they said they wanted to check out the competition and I was trying to make friends,” he explained.  You looked around, there was a crowd slowly gathering around you two. 

               “Get out of here, and I never want to see you again,” she said, shoving him back.  He stared at her for a moment, seeing her looking around, her face shifting from humiliated, to hurt, and then, her eyes falling back on him, rage.  “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”  In that moment he wished Dick had left him in the ground.  He knew from her eyes that he had made an enemy for life.  He ran to the parking lot, got on his bike and drove back to the penthouse, unable to get her hurt expression out of his head.    

[t0ast-ghost]

You know this has got me in a pretty deep (Obsession) which is the name of S2 episode 13 of Star Trek tos.

Better luck next time on that opening:

- Kirk’s on edge…

- Star Trek horror episode when?

- is this inspiration for when Doctor Crusher fucks a ghost

- god I love Chapel

- Hot new redshirt is probably the shapeshifter (edit: this is just wrong)

- The fucking gas is sneaking up on ‘em. Of all the things to die to it’s the vampire gas

- Kirk’s boyfriends both think that they should leave and deliver the supplies. Two versus one AND it’s the two that always fight against their favourite idiot

- Kirk ignoring both McCoy AND Spock is not a good sign

- The chief security guy dramatically flopping on his bed is so relatable bbygirl

- Kirk getting paranoid about his bridge crew “conspiring” is like. haven’t you learned trust? Haven’t you learned love? I guess he’s still a soldier at heart or smt

- “I hope I’m not disturbing you, Doctor.” “Interrupting another autopsy report is no disturbance, Mr. Spock. It’s a relief” I just remembered that they’re married and in love

- Spock outright asking McCoy for his advice/opinion is like. YEAH he respects you, he has his own beliefs and ideals but he wants to hear from you! And when he’s worried about your (boy)friend he wants you to be on the same page as him. He wants you to validate his thoughts.

- whatever the fuck this is

- “Mind if I come in?” McCoy you shouldn’t be able to just enter people’s quarters like that. Can’t you see he’s writing his diary and listening to Mitski in bed?

- Oh my Bones pulling out the big guns.. AND SPOCK. Oh they really were conspiring. You know if they worked together like this more often, they could literally do anything. Like kiss.

- Genuinely unsure if the gas is intelligent or not. I like the mystery of this one.

- “Jim, we’re not trying to gang up on you.” They are though and it’s probably for the best

- Love how the entire bridge crew is just like “this isn’t healthy. Kirk, this is concerning behaviour.”

- OH WOW Kirk came so close to blowing up his own ship

- “Self pity’s a terrible first course, how about you try the soup.” Christine Chapel is literally the best. She also knows how to make threats, not even McCoy knows about (I love how terrifying the medical department is)

- I want a pair of those slutty boots

- McCoy is fucking furious

- “I’m sorry, Jim. I was wrong.” McCoy in short sleeves <3

- Spock genuinely trying to comfort Kirk cause he has an unhealthy obsession with the creature and Kirk dismissing it

- Spock then trying to comfort the ensign

- He breaks the vent controls with his strength then tries to COVER IT WITH HIS HANDS. Spock, babygirl, that is not logical

- “Don’t misunderstand my next question. Mr. Spock, why aren’t you dead?” Happy to see you too, Jim

- “Bet he left a bad taste in the creatures mouth.” “Colloquially expressed, but essentially correct.” That is a fucking banger line

- KIRK HEALING ARC

- Spock and Bones at odds once again

- Of course Kirk is gonna be self sacrificial and Spock is going to try and self sacrifice himself.. admittedly Spock had the more logical thought process

- HE FUCKIN KARATE CHOPPED HIS NECK . WHAT THE HECK NEW GUY?!?

- I’d love if I lived on the enterprise and got little updates through the comms by Chekov “stand by for shockwaves.” Of course thank you :))

- Spock is like “I’m to thank, not god, thank me Jim.”

- Kirk healing <3

Better episode than I thought it would be :)

Masterpost

Episode written by Art Wallace

[winterlynightlystories]

Viper’s tongue

Tw; mention of past accidental murder, fighting, injury, blood, attempt murder.

Please do not copy or steal my work

Mikey/Male!reader

Summary; Lied to, you find yourself in the middle of the fight between Valhalla and Toman. But you won't let Kazutora go unpunished. Unknown to you, altering the time line.

~~~~~~

Rage burned in your veins as you searched trough the mass for Kazutora. You could not believe how stupid you have been! How could you believe that viper and his sweet words?

How could you believe that your friend would come back untouched after the crime he committed? You should have dropped and forgotten Kazutora the second he killed Shin. Better, you should have beaten his sorry ass when he came with his proposition of joining your gang to his.

How could you be so blind?

Believing him when he said he wanted to take back the Black Dragon and restore them in memory for Shin. It was so sweet, so touching and you wanted that. You missed Shin and his smile, his big heart and his advice.

But it was only lies.

From the corner of your eyes, you saw Hanma fighting Draken. The two beasts seemed tireless as they kept hitting each other over and over in an endless dance. But no sign of Mikey or Kazutora by their side. Cursing, you avoided two Toman members, refusing to hit them.

It might be too late to take your gang out of this mess, but you refused to fight Toman. They weren't your enemy or the one you should be facing right now.

- “Mikey!”

Draken’s scream froze everyone in place and your blood turned to ice in your veins, fear gripping your heart. Slowly, you turned around to face the pile of cars. There, almost on top, you saw Kazutora with a metal pipe in hand and two other figures around one, blond, lying down.

That was Mikey.

Shin’s little brother.

You two were more or less the same age and you remembered playing around with Manjirowhen you came to their dojo. You two used to be inseparable and so close.

You haven't seen him since... since Shin’s death.

And you missed Mikey.

Anger ignited your blood once more when you saw Kazutora’s accomplices grab onto Mikey and Kazutora ready to beat the young President one more time with his weapon. You bolted in their direction, followed by Draken. Unlike you, Draken was stopped by Hanma. Maybe the idiot thought you were joining the party and not planning to crash it.

As fast as you could you climbed the cars. Your rage blinded you more and more as you watched, powerless, your former friend beating Mikey on the head. You felt each hit as your own.

- “Kazutora! Stop it!” you screamed, horrified when you saw blood splashing in the air.

He ignored you, too caught in his monologue. You finally reached their level and the fucker dared smile at you. Crazy. Kazutora was simply crazy, you decided.

- “Y/n! You are joining us!” rejoiced Kazutora, but quickly lost his joyful demeanour when he saw your angry face. “What is it?”

- “You fucking lying piece of shit!” you screamed, running toward him.

Before anyone could react, you tackled Kazutora. Arms wrapped tightly around him, and with all your strength, you jumped into the void. Kazutora screamed in fear, and somewhere someone cried your name. Then, you hit the top of a car. The shock and pain had you let go of your enemy and you both rolled. You were the only one able to get a grip before falling, unlike Kazutora.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the rage, but you got back on your feet in an instant before jumping down. Your eyes never left the falling teen until he reached the ground on broken glass. You didn't give Kazutora the time to get up; you pinned him down before hitting him in the face.

The silence around you two was deafening. Only the sound of your panting and fists colliding with Kaz’s face could be heard.

- “Kazutora!” shouted Hanma, running toward you. “Son of a bitch, let go of him!”

You ignored Hanma and hit Kazutora one more time.

- “Did you really think that I would be fine with all of this? You lied to me! How dare you use Shin’? How dare you!” you screamed and slapped him across the face.

From the corner of your eyes, you saw Hanma almost on you. But Draken got between you, blocking the kick Hanma's kick.

- “Y/n! What is going on?” asked Draken, giving you the side eye. “Aren't you with them?”

- “No! I mean, yes but no. Kazutora told me we were taking back Black Dragon, but he lied. He used Shin’ to get me to agree.” you replied, panting. “I'm so sorry Draken.”

- “I see.” he sighed before adding; “Thought so. I couldn't see you hurting Mikey on your own will”

- “Eh? What is that supposed to mean?” you asked before gasping in pain.

Kazutora punched you back, getting you off him. Cursing, you got back on your feet. Back to back with Draken, you dared look up. Mikey stared at you, face blank. A shiver ran down your spine when you realized he was now standing alone, blood definitely pouring down his face. Turning your attention to Kazutora, you gave him a cold stare.

- “Y/n... You are betraying me for Mikey?” asked Kazutora, smiling madly.

- “Fucking yes! And you are the one who betrayed me first! I can't believe I trusted you... Believed in you! You are nothing but a filthy murderer!” you shouted at him, shaking.

- “Oi! Y/n, don't you think you are going a bit too far?” asked Draken, blocking another hit from Hanma

- “No!” you grunted, barely blocking Kazutora's punch. “He killed Shin’ and now he's after Mikey. What kind of psychopath do that? And you think he will stop there? What make you believe he won't go after Emma-chan?”

You yelped, feeling Draken grab you by the wrist. With all his strength, the Vice President spun you around. You barely had the time to understand what was going on when you saw Hanma attacking. Your foot hit him on the jaw and send him to the ground.

- “Oi! Draken! A warning beforehand would be nice!” you scolded him

- “Kazutora would never hurt Emma.” was his only answer.

- “Want to bet?” you replied, watching with horror as Kazutora took a knife out of his pocket. “Because that moron got a knife!”

Holding back a scream, you barely avoided Kazutora as he jumped on you. Your ex-friend was determined to stab you. Not giving you a second to rest, Kazutora kept attacking, his eyes shining with madness.

- “You are not laughing anymore, right Y/n? I’m going to guts you in front of everyone!” he shouted, smiling like a lunatic.

- “You are crazy!” you shouted back, fear growing up.

Because how the hell was he getting faster? You could feel the pain in your back and legs becoming harder to ignore. Your breath also getting harder to catch, making you slower to react. But it was impossible to look away, your eyes stuck on the blade.

- “Y/n! Watch out!” warned Draken

Was it how you would die, you wondered as Kazutora was finally catching up on you. You could not move anymore, too tired.

Then something hit you, sending you to the ground. A scream of pain left your lips as you heard Draken scream again.

- “MIKEY!”

Looking back, you gasped and felt tears threatening to spill. There stood Mikey, Kazutora's knife deep in his shoulder. Blood poured generously from the wound. Yet, Mikey didn't even seem bothered. His face, dark and grim, was turned toward Kazutora. Fear could be read on the culprit’s face. Neither of them moved as if time was frozen.

Out of nowhere, as quick as lightning, Mikey kicked Kazutora in the head, sending his aggressor face first on the ground.

- “Oh Gods. Oh, Gods! Mikey!” you whined. Getting up, you ran to Mikey and stopped him before he could take out the knife. “Don't! Please don't take it out.”

- “Y/n, did he hurt you?” asked Mikey, unbothered by his wound. His expression had changed, you realized. It was now softer, but worried.

- “No, no he didn't,” you answered, feeling tears run down your cheeks. “I'm so sorry Mikey.”

- “Mikey! Are you alright?” inquired Draken, running to join you two. Behind him, Hanma was also unconscious on the ground. “Son of a bitch! He got you.” cursed Draken, taking your place by Mikey's side.

Mikey grabbed your wrist, not letting you go anywhere. The blond offered you a big smile.

- “I'm happy you didn't get hurt! You scared me when you jumped with Kazutora. Please, Y/n, never do something like that again,” he said

- “I can't promise you anything, Mikey,” you replied, smiling as well.

All around you, the battle was finally over. Roman had won and you could not be happier. After everything Valhalla did, this felt like the right thing. Every member of Toman cheered, congratulating each other and taking care of the wounded. Somewhere, you heard someone screaming Mikey's name. It was Baji, followed by Chifuyu and a blond you didn't know who was crying.

You felt Mikey take your hand in his, smiling.

- “You know, there is enough place for you in Toman. If you want of course! “ said Mikey, blushiing.

- “It'll be an honour for us to join you, Mikey.” you smiled, blushing as well.

[rikis-girl]

Sign him up

Warnings: Ultra fluff , light humiliation. Pairing: Non-idol!Sunghoon x fem!reader Synopsis: When your're trying to stay mad at your bf but he's just too cute to ignore.

A/N: First time writing a drabble on tumblr with all this intro stuff... Hope it works!

You were standing there, awkwardly in a corner at a party with all of your boyfriend's friends while they had the time of their lives. You were supposed to be accompanied by Sunghoon and introduced to his gang tonight but said Ice prince was nowhere to be seen. "_____ Noona, where is Sunghoon hyung? He said he's bringing the samgyeopsal." Riki asked. "I don't know Riki. I tried calling him like 20 times and he hasn't picked up or noticed anything." The dejected pouty skyscraper walked away and decided to attack Jake, as you recalled; the sweet and funny Aussie boy.

The party came to an end as you managed to make yourself acquainted with most of the boys except for Heeseung who seemed to be a bit occupied with his phone. "Need a ride _____ noona? I'm sure Jay hyung can drive you to your place" Jungwon asked. "Sure might as well get home if he's not coming." "Sunghoon hyung is gonna get an earful tonight!!" Riki snickered and you just laughed with him. "Oh he sure is."

You walk into your shared apartment with your "lovely" boyfriend only to see him sorting out the skittles on the floor and his phone on silence on the other side of the room.

"Care to explain why you invited me to a party with your gang and not show up yourself?" An intimidating gaze fell on Sunghoon. "The party is next week darling. Besides, I did all this for you because I know you like grape and strawberry best!" Sunghoon said with his eyes sparkling, looking up at you with nothing but love in his eyes.

"Check your phone Park Sunghoon. And the calendar." "Dang the full government name?" Sunghoon went to get his phone and checked the calendar. Ohh boy was he in trouble. "I-I-I didn't mean for this to happen.... Dang it how could I forget?" Sunghoon paced back and forth, phone in his hand checking all the missed calls, the posts from his gang, the 54849 messages from Riki asking if he was alive or not. Sunghoon turned to you and in a desperate attempt to ease your anger, pulled you in by the waist, "Love I'm so so soooo sorry, how can I make it up to you?" "Sorry isn't going to fix this Hoon. You didn't show up to our dinner reservation, and I was fine with that. The movie? It's ok, totally understandable. The opening of my friend's cafe? Sure, no biggie. But the introduction of me to YOUR gang? How could you forget to show up to the party YOU planned and the friends YOU invited and grew up with? And what about your socially awkward girlfriend who had enough troubles talking to men?" You fumed and poked his chest accusingly.

Sunghoon remembered the time when the two of you met. Jake found out with the help of his friend Lia that you liked Sunghoon as much as he liked you. Your first date was extremely awkward with both of you too flustered to say anything, Sunghoon panicking, looking at his crush and you, having to talk to your crush and facing the fact that you were never able to be comfortable around men. It took you over 7 weeks to form proper sentences with each other let alone have any conversation. This is why you two ended up waiting an entire year before introducing each other to your close friend groups. despite everyone knowing about you.

"Princess I'm sorry, I don't know what else to do right now." Sunghoon pleaded with both his hands gently cradling your head. "Punch me if that'll make you feel better, please." He begged, guiding your hand to his abdomen.

"Why would I punch you? And what difference would that make you gym addict?" You sassed. Not being able to take any more of it, you start giving him the silent treatment. Walking to your room, you pulled a blanket and a pillow and made a makeshift bed on the couch and pushed Sunghoon's favorite plush onto it.

Without a word, you continued to the bathroom to wash up with Sunghoon following you like a lost puppy and getting the bathroom door slammed in his face.

"Princess please I'm sorry!!! Talk to me!!! You're torturing me!!!" Sunghoon wailed as you go on with your nightly schedule. "That's the point, dimwit." you mumble to yourself.

You exit the bathroom and had Sunghoon following you again, towering you from behind like a shadow. "Won't you even look at me?" He asked, pulling you into his arms and holding your jaw trying to meet your averting eyes.

"Please??" He pouted, eyes shimmering with tears ready to spill, red, puffy cheeks and scrunched up bushy eyebrows. "I. MUST. RESIST." you repeat to yourself and avoided all eye contact with your boyfriend.

"Why won't you even look at me? Spending 3 hours without you just sorting skittles was punishment enough." He pouted, getting to your eye level forcing you to look at him. He presses his lips to a thin line and tries to use his eyes to woo you to forgiving him and as much as you hate to admit it, it was working a little too well.

"Princess I'll do anything for you, absolutely ANYTHING!" He begs. And after a moment's consideration, you give in. "Fine. BUT, you owe me this." you point to the 'anything I want' card that you two came up with. "All yours love." Sunghoon handed it to you, gleaming with joy.

Two hours later and your all snuggled up next to him and he plays with your hair, spooning you from the back. "So pretty, all mine." He mumbles in your hair before leaving multiple kisses on your head.

A week later, Sunghoon showed up to work in the most adorable puppy scarf with fluffy ears adorning his head. "About time we saw you miserable after standing up _______ noona." Riki snickered, watching him walk in with his cheeks and ears beet red and his suit adorned with a fluffy bowtie instead of his go-to black sleek tie. "It was worth it." he said, swallowing his pride and dignity as he remembered you with shining eyes, cooing over him all morning, making him late because he looked "adorable". If being humiliated at work got him your full attention and adoration,

. Sign him up.

A/N Hope you liked it!! Will update more frequently once my exams are over!!

[kassiekole22]

Right Where I Belong

Description: You got invited to the lodge by Josh for a reunion with all of your friends but to your surprise, you and Josh were the only ones there... Warnings: Just Floof! 💖 Word Count: 1.6k A/N: So, in this story, Josh was planning on pranking his friends, but the gang can't show up due to flights being delayed. So, he takes the opportunity to spend time with you and during that quality time, he decide to not do the prank, therefore, he lives. 🥺 Also, if any of you know why I choose Scream 4 to be the movie they're watching, I just want you to know that I love you! 🤭 MasterList: 🖤 Josh's Angels: @lorebite, @yellowroses-world, @house-of-kolchek, @koexchange, @yesitsloulou, @mistmoose, @jasonexo, @mornandil, @fortune-fool02, and @raven-the-cryptid. (If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments! 🖤)

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I watched the snow slowly fall to the ground as the cable car approached the lodge. Me and my friends had been invited to stay at the Washington's lodge by Josh. As much as I loved the lodge and the moutains, I was nervous to go back since the incident that occurred last year. Such a tragedy. At least I knew that the others had the same feelings as I did and I was not alone.

I was excited to see the whole gang again but the person I was most excited to see was Josh. Well, excited but nervous. I had deep feelings for Josh for a couple of years and they weren't getting any lighter as time went on. I wanted to tell him how I felt. I really did. But each time I was given the opportunity to confess my feelings, the unsettling fear of losing his friendship would set it. I gave up on the possibility of ever being with Josh because of that. Now, I was just happy to be in his presence again.

The cable car came to a stop and I hoped out before making my way up to the lodge. I hadn't seen any signs of the others around but I figured that they were already inside. I walked up the wooden steps, heaving a deep sigh as I fantasized about the warmth of the inside embracing me as I walked through the door. I entered the lodge and to my surprise, it was completely silent.

'Am I early? I'm sure that Josh told me to arrive today.'

"Hello?" I called out as I took my coat off and hung it on the rack by the door.

No answer.

"Guys? Hello?" I called out again as an eerie feeling grew in my chest. I didn't like the idea of being all the way up here alone.

"Hey there, lil bird." I jumped, slightly startled by the abrupt voice, breaking the silence, before smiling at the familiar nickname. "Thought you'd never make it."

I looked up to see Josh coming down the stairs with a pleased smile on his face. It made me happy to see him smile, since I know that he has had some serious struggles in his past, especially during this last year. He reached the bottom of the stairs and approached me as he extended his arms out wide for a hug.

I gladly accepted his embrace, wrapping my arms around him as I let my cold body relax in his soothing warmth. Being in his arms felt so perfect. I felt right where I belonged. We parted and his eyes lingered on my own for a moment before tearing his gaze away from mine while scratching his neck nervously.

'That's odd for him.'

"Uh- So, where are the others?" I asked as I looked around the room for any sign of life other than our own.

"Oh... Well, they couldn't come today due to the flights being delayed..." He muttered as he grabbed my bags. "Want me to take these upstairs for you?"

"Wait. They what?" I ignored his sweet question, shocked by the new information I was receiving.

"They aren't coming today, (Y/N). They'll be here tomorrow. It's just you and me for now."

I froze in my place, feeling my stomach turn slightly with nerves. I hadn't been alone with Josh in so long. My mind raced, knowing damn well that since I grew feelings for him, I always over thought everything. What to say, how to look, how to act. It was quite frankly hell without thought wingman nearby. And now I had to spend the whole night alone with him? How would I survive?

"O-Oh, ok..." I stammered awkwardly as I watched him carry my bag upstairs, trying so hard not to catch a tempting peek at the nice view before me. A few moments later, he was marching down the stairs rather quickly again, almost as if he was eager about something.

"I hope you don't mind me letting you drive up here even though the others weren't coming yet. I just figured that we could hang out one on one, you know? Spend some quality time together?"

'Spend some quality time together...' I repeated his words in my head for a few seconds. He actually wanted to spend time with me. Just me. Butterflies started to flutter around in my stomach due to what I was only accepting as 'false hope'.

"Uh- Yeah. No worries. It's all good." I said as my lips turned up into an nervous and very awkward smile.

"So, you wanna watch a movie with me?" He asked as he started to walk in the direction of the theater room. I followed closely behind. "I've got a fuck ton of popcorn. I know you love that shit."

"Ha, great!" I chuckled as a short memory played in my mind. It was back a couple years prior to this, around the time I began to fall for Josh.

Everybody went to bed early so he made a huge bowl of popcorn, just for the two of us, and we watched Psycho. He found out about my unhealthy love for popcorn when I practically hogged the bowl all to myself and playfully slapped his hand away whenever he would try to steal a piece. Of course, I would allow him to have some. He was too cute to deny him any.

"What do you want to watch? I have everything." He said as he approached the huge DVD rack and started scanning through movies while I sat down in an overwhelmingly comfortable seat. Leaning back into the comfy cushions, I stretched out my arms and my legs, listening to my joints crack and pop, giving me further relief.

"You pick." I sighed as I let my head lull back onto the headrest as I watch Josh from behind, wondering how he could look at good doing even the simplest things.

"Ummm, Scream 4?" He pulled out the DVD from the shelf and turned to raise a questioning brow. My lips curved up into an excited grin. He knew me so well.

"Hell yeah!"

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We sat right beside each other in the front row of the theater, munching away at a big bowl of buttery popcorn that he had promised me and chatting about the movie and all the special effects. If I got too scared during a scene, Josh would inform me of how each effect was done to put my mind at ease. As we were watching the movie, I noticed something. Josh seemed different. Happier. There was a genuine smile apon his face. It warmed my heart to see him back to being his old self again.

And I didn't feel nearly as nervous or insecure as I once was in his presence. It was as if I was hanging out with an old friend. Though those deep feelings didn't completely go away. No. I still felt them, deep within my chest, wrapping around my heart and squeezing it ever so tightly. But in that moment, I felt so calm and at peace and didn't feel a single worry weighing down my mind. Everything felt so right. Being with him felt so right.

We approached the scene where Charlie was strapped to a chair and Kirby was on the phone with the killer and I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Subconsciously, I lightly placed my hand on Josh's arm and flexed my fingers, squeezing him slightly for comfort. Josh noticed this action right away, wrapping his arm around my shoulder instantly. My breath hitched in my throat and stayed there as I froze in shock.

"You ok, Sweetheart?" He asked in a gentle tone. I couldn't help but focus on that name, 'Sweetheart', for a second before responding.

"Yeah, I'm just nervous. I mean, I know what happens but I can't help but get anxious at this part." I whispered, keeping my voice below the movie volume so we could still hear.

"Don't worry. I'm here." I turned to look at him for a brief moment and caught the sweet smile he was giving me. I looked into his big green eyes and seen something different. He was no longer looking at me as if I was a friend. It was more than that now. He was gazing at me as if I hung the moon. And because of that, I couldn't hold back anymore. I just couldn't.

"Josh-" I whispered and he put his finger up to my lips to silence me before leaning in and replacing his digit with a soft kiss. My eyes fell shut as my breath caught in my throat. His lips were so soft and moved so gently upon my own. It felt as if our lips were made for kissing each other, moving so naturally together like we had been doing it for years.

He pulled away and gazed into my eyes for a moment, almost as if he was admiring me with a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips before turning his attention back to the movie. Though he didn't say a single word, by the look in his eyes and his thumb gently stroking my shoulder, I knew what this meant. My long lasting dream of him becoming mine had come true. And still to this day, I'll never been happier than sitting in front of a TV screen while in the arms of Josh, because it's right where I belong.

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[sagesolsticewrites]

Pyaar Dosti Hai

Benny DeMarco x Ruthvika Patel (OFC)

Ruthie Patel runs into a certain furry member of the 100th Bomb Group— and his owner— on her way to celebrate her friend Juliet’s engagement to John Brady. The gang quickly welcomes her into their found family, but there could be something more between her and Benny DeMarco— if either of them ever finds the courage to make a move.

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: implied racism (being a brown girl in 1940s New York… oof), mentions of strict parenting, I think that’s it? Please let me know if I missed anything!

a/n: the final member of the Book Club Girlies is here! Writing our little girl gang with @winniemaywebber and @ginabaker1666 has been so much fun, I can’t wait for y’all to see more of our darling girls! And a huge thank you to @hephaestn for the gorgeous moodboard!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

Masterlist

Ruthvika Patel— Ruthie to her friends (and to, well… pretty much everyone outside of her small immigrant community)— rummages in her purse for the scrap of paper she had been referencing the whole way to the city. It was the address of the restaurant her old school friend had given her, where she was hosting a small get together with her and her fiancé’s friends, and had insisted that Ruthie come along.

“Are you sure, Jules?” She’d said over the phone, glancing over her shoulder for any sign of her mother— Ranjan Patel would be livid if she knew her daughter was using their hotel phone for a personal call, “I won’t really know any of them, I wouldn’t want to intrude—”

“Absolutely, Ruthie!” Her friend’s bubbly voice insisted, “You’re one of my best friends, I want you to meet Johnny. And it’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. Please? Jean and Jo will be there, we had so much fun with them last time, didn’t we?”

Ruthie could practically hear her batting her lashes pleadingly, and her resolve crumbled.

“Alright,” she relented, reaching for a pen and paper, “What’s the address?”

The Patels ran a hotel just on the outskirts of New York City, but that didn’t mean Ruthie was in any way prepared for being in the heart of it. Glancing from the street to the paper in her hands, and doing her best to ignore the stares of passers by— her mother always said she was lucky to get her father’s lighter tea-with-milk complexion, rather than her mother’s darker tones, but that didn’t mean she didn’t stand out in a crowd— she tries to get her bearings, but her efforts prove futile. She was utterly lost.

She doesn’t have long to mourn her circumstances, though, before a large mass of fur barrels into her legs.

Benny DeMarco grins as he strolls through the streets of New York, Meatball trotting happily by his side.

“You excited to see everyone, buddy?” He asks, the husky barking happily in response before returning to sniffing the air in earnest.

He’d been glad to get the invitation from Brady & his fiancée for a get together to celebrate their engagement, and he was looking forward to seeing his friends again. It had been a while since he’d seen anyone from Thorpe Abbotts, but last he’d heard, Olive and Dougie were still together and very happy, and he was happy for them.

Meatball tugs at the leash, straining to chase after all these new sights and smells.

“Hang on, buddy, we’ve still got a few blocks to go—“

Meatball pays no heed to Benny’s words, and soon the leash is tugged out of his grip entirely.

“Meatball! Get back here!”

He weaves through the crowded streets, chasing after the husky who’s getting farther and farther away. Eventually he loses sight of him completely and has no choice but to just keep running, hoping that his dog runs out of energy before he does.

Benny slows, gasping, as Meatball comes into view, sniffing eagerly at the feet of what Benny can’t help but notice is a very pretty girl.

“There you are, bud.”

“Oh!” The girl looks up from petting his dog with a sheepish smile, “Is he yours?”

“He is,” he laughs, noting her slight accent accompanying her rich brown skin and lush black waves, “Meatball’s first time in the city, he got a little excited.”

“Well, Meatball,” she grins, giving him one last pet before he returns to Benny’s side, “We have that in common. Is it yours as well? First time in the city, I mean.”

“Yes, sort of. I’m from Philly, but I’ve got a few friends who live here and I feel like I’ve been here already just from hearing them talk about it,” He laughs.

“Oh, I see,” the girl nods politely, seeming to wilt the tiniest bit before gathering herself, “Well, I hate to bother you, but…”

The girl seems to turn shy for a moment, fiddling with the scrap of paper in her hand, “Would you happen to know where to find—?” She says the name of the very restaurant he’s on his way to— “I’m a little lost.”

“Lucky for you,” he grins, “I’m on my way there now. I’d be happy to walk with you.”

“Thank you so much,” she says earnestly, falling into step beside him, “My friend’s waiting for me and I cannot be late.”

“Oh? What’s the occasion?”

“She’s having a small party to celebrate her engagement, and I promised I’d be here to meet her fiancé.”

It’s too much to be a coincidence.

“Your friend’s fiancé wouldn’t happen to be named John Brady…?”

“I— yes!” She blinks, surprised, “You know him?”

“I’m on my way to that same party,” he grins, “Brady and I served together. Bernard DeMarco,” he holds out his hand, “But everyone calls me Benny.”

She shakes his hand, “Ruthie Patel.”

“Ruthie?”

He tries not to sound too surprised, but a name like Ruthie doesn’t exactly match up with what he had imagined…

“Well, it’s actually Ruthvika, but Ruthie’s easier for everyone, so—”

“Ruthvika?” He tests out the syllables, hoping he isn’t butchering them too badly, “That’s very pretty. You really prefer Ruthie?”

She flushes, and he backtracks quickly, hoping he didn’t overstep. He just met this girl, what was he thinking?

“Not that Ruthie’s not very pretty too! It’s just… if I had a name like that I’d want everyone to use it.”

“It’s not exactly a matter of preference,” Ruthie says shyly, reaching up to fiddle with the thin gold necklace resting between her collarbones, “But most people don’t want to bother trying to pronounce something like Ruthvika, so I went by Ruthie in school, and it just… stuck. Helped me assimilate.”

“Well,” he says, “You deserve to have your name pronounced correctly. Especially one as pretty as yours, Ruthvika.”

She does her best to smother her grin at his attempt at her full name, helping him with the pronunciation as they approach their destination.

“Ah, we’re here,” Benny says, beaming at his last nearly-flawless attempt at her name.

“I never would’ve found my way here on my own,” Ruthie admits with a laugh, “Thank you very much, Benny.”

“Ah, it was nothing,” he shrugs, “It’s really Meatball we should be thanking, otherwise I never would’ve run into you. Good thing he has excellent taste,” He can’t help adding with a wink, if only to see that pretty rose flush cover her cheeks again. “Shall we?”

Ruthie follows her new friend and his dog into the restaurant, scanning the room until she spots her friend seated at a secluded table on the back patio, along with several other people.

There’s some whispering around the room, and she can feel eyes on her as she makes her way out the back, but she does her best to ignore it and plasters a smile on her face just in time for Jules to meet her gaze.

“Ruthie!” She all but squeals, standing to pull her into a hug, “I’m so glad you could make it, it’s been too long. You look wonderful!”

“It’s so good to see you, Jules,” she beams, squeezing her friend tight.

Juliet steps back, seemingly taking in her friend, before turning to the table and beckoning over the man in the chair next to the one she had just left.

“Johnny,” Juliet grins, green eyes sparkling as he moves to stand next to her, hand resting easily on her waist, “this is Ruthie, my friend from school. Ruthie, this is John, my fiancé.”

Ruthie could practically see the little thrill that went through her friend at that last word, and her smile widens.

“A pleasure to finally meet you,” John smiles, blue eyes crinkling as he reaches out for a handshake, “Jules here hasn’t stopped talking about how excited she was to see you.”

“She’s told me so much about you, it’s very nice to finally meet you as well.”

“Come on, let me introduce you to everyone!”

Jules guides her over to the other people sitting at the table, as Ruthie is reintroduced to Jean & Jo — their day at Coney Island and the sleepover at Jo & Jean’s apartment wasn’t an experience she was likely to forget anytime soon — and introduced in quick succession to Val DiRosano, Olive Lewis, and the men settled next to them: Harry Crosby, Rosie Rosenthal, Everett Blakely, and James Douglass (who insisted she call him Dougie, “everyone does”).

“How do you all kn—?”

Ruthie is in the middle of asking what their connection is to Jules when the relative quiet on the patio is broken by a chorus of “DEMARCO!” from the gentlemen in their group, a shout that has Ruthie nearly jumping out of her skin.

“Egan does that to me one time—” Benny grumbles good-naturedly as he pulls Brady in for a hug, reaching out for handshakes from Croz, Rosie, Blakely, and Douglass.

“A running joke from during the war,” Benny leans over to explain with a smile upon seeing the confused expression on Ruthie’s face as everyone settles into their seats.

“Ruthie, how do you know Benny?” Olive asks as she leans down to pet Meatball, calming the husky’s whines for attention.

“Oh! Well… I don’t, really? We just met—”

“Oh I’m sorry!” The Brit says hurriedly, “I just saw the two of you come in together, I shouldn’t have assumed—”

“No, it’s fine!” Ruthie assures her quickly, “Completely understandable—”

“That troublemaker’s the reason we met,” Benny interjects, putting a stop to the cycle of nervous politeness as he nods to Meatball, “I guess he got a little excited being in the big city, because he bolted away from me on our way here. Ended up chasing him for I don’t even know how many blocks until I found him with Ruthie here.”

Ruthie misses the knowing smile playing on Olive’s lips as she continues the story.

“I was trying to find the restaurant and was… completely lost,” she admits with a slightly embarrassed smile, “But luckily Benny here offered to walk with me.”

“Ever the gentleman,” Olive grins, with a teasing smile directed at the man himself, “Well I’m glad you made it. Jules has told us nothing but wonderful things.”

“I was so excited she invited me,” Ruthie smiles, “My parents’ hotel has been so busy, I’ve hardly gotten a second to breathe. And I was looking forward to meeting all of you.” Her smile turns soft, one meant just for Olive, “I know your letters to her were a great comfort, and I wanted to thank you for that.”

“I’m glad,” Olive says, “I was grateful to her as well for indulging me with that first letter, and now—” she gestures around the table at the girls, then towards the bar where the boys have migrated, “— what a friendship it’s turned into.”

“So Ruthie,” her attention is pulled towards Val, sitting across the table, “tell us about yourself! You said something about a hotel?” Val asks, innocent curiosity on her face.

“Oh, yes!”

She can’t help falling into her please-help-my-parents-stay-in-business persona, the one she usually reserves for her time at the hotel.

“My parents own a little hotel just outside the city— perfect for if you want a bit of quiet after a night out on the town or a day of sightseeing— and I’ve helped them run it since I was a little girl.”

She can’t quite hide a smile at the fond memories of helping carry meals up to rooms, helping change sheets between guests— her parents were right in assuming that her youth would earn her a few extra sympathy tips, and every little bit helped— and as she got older, she progressed to helping check guests in and out on top of all that, making sure everything was running smoothly for her aging parents.

At the rest of the girls’ insistence, she tells story after story of growing up in the hotel, Juliet chiming in with a story or two of her own from their school days— “That scratch behind the front desk is still there, by the way.” “No!”— and soon they’re all laughing and chatting like old friends, occasionally bending down to indulge Meatball with a pet when his whining becomes insistent enough.

Ruthie finds herself relaxing as the chatter envelops her, a smile stretching wide across her face and growing each time her eyes are drawn towards Benny leaning up against the bar with the boys. Her gaze repeatedly flicks back to the table before he can catch her staring, though apparently she hasn't been as subtle as she thinks when Olive leans in to whisper, “he’s handsome, isn’t he?”

Heat rushes to Ruthie’s cheeks.

“Oh— your fiancé?” Her eyes flick to the man next to Benny as she attempts to recall his name from the fairly rushed introductions, “Dougie, right? Yes, he is very handsome, you did well,” she makes an attempt at teasing her new friend.

“Oh, I know,” Olive grins, then clarifies, “But I was talking about Benny! I noticed you looking over at him and, well… you should know he’s an absolutely wonderful fella, such a gentleman. I could put in a good word for you if you want,” she adds with a friendly wink.

“I— no, no, that’s not necessary,” Ruthie scrambles to say as her cheeks heat even more, “I wasn’t— he was just nice to me,and I appreciated it, that’s all. But… you seem to know him very well,” she nods with a laugh to Meatball sitting comfortably at Olive’s feet, his head resting in her lap, “if his dog is any indication. Did you two meet during the war?”

“We did,” Olive smiles, “I was with the Red Cross on base, he was one of the first people I met there…”

As Olive tells the tale of her and Benny— strictly a friendship and nothing more, she assures her new friend— Ruthie notes out of the corner of her eye Val heading over to the bar.

“Benny,” Val nods in greeting as she squeezes between the boys to reach the bar, ordering another French 75.

“Val,” he smiles, “Sorry for stealing your man away.”

“I’ll live,” she says, catching Ev’s eye from where he’s chatting with Dougie to shoot him a wink and a red-lipped smile before turning her attention back to DeMarco and switching seamlessly into Italian.

“Ask her out, Benny.”

Benny blinks, quickly translating in his head before replying in the same.

“Ask who out? Olive’s already engaged, Val.”

“Don’t make me smack you, just because the war is over DeMarco…”

An arched eyebrow is all he needs to know that his glances over at Ruthvika weren’t as subtle as he’d hoped.

“…how did you know?”

“Um, because you’ve been staring at her all evening and I can tell you’ve barely listened to a word Croz has said.”

“To be fair, Croz is going on about some jazz record and only Rosie is listening at this point.” Benny laughs, glancing over to where Croz is conversing animatedly with a captivated Rosie Rosenthal, John Brady only half-listening next to them with his eyes fixed on his fiancée.

“Then, bring Ruthie a drink and maybe talk to her?” She flicks her gaze over to Ruthie, prompting Benny to glance over at her too, and he can’t help the smile that stretches across his face seeing her laughing with Olive.

“See?” Val says, gesturing to him, her eyes almost accusatory, “You’ve been looking at her like that all night and you expect me not to notice. Talk to her, Benny.”

With a final friendly nudge, she wanders back to the table, glass in hand.

Ruthie nods politely as Olive’s story winds down, her attention now captured by Val and Benny together at the bar, leaning into each other as they speak a language that, as far as she can tell, is definitely not English.

“And… I don’t mean to pry, but are Val and Benny close as well?”

“Hm?” Olive follows her gaze to the bar, “Oh, in a way.”

On Ruthie’s other side, Jean Crosby turns from her conversation with Jo, frowning slightly as she registers Val’s empty chair and her current place at the bar.

“Oh darn, I was hoping I could ask Val for a refill while she was over there,” she says, ice tinkling in her now empty rum and cola, brow furrowing as their voices reach the table, “Are she and Benny doing that thing where they speak Italian so none of us can understand them again? It’s a beautiful language, I’ll grant her that, but I can’t handle anything other than English after a few of these.”

At Ruthie’s somehow even more confused expression, Olive jumps in to explain.

“Val and Benny became good friends when we were on base, both being Italian and whatnot. I guess he was like a bit of home for her, giving her a chance to stretch her legs with her Italian, and I’ll admit it was very fun trying to figure out what they were saying at times,” the Brit adds with a laugh.

“Oh yes honey, they’re just friends, never been anything more” Jean adds from her place on Ruthie’s right with a knowing smile, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. We're all just one big happy family, aren’t we?”

A flush of embarrassment races through Ruthie at the knowledge that her attraction really wasn’t as subtle as she’d thought, but her smile grows at the tender way Jean refers to the group as a family. Given her own experience with family was largely with strict uncles and aunties, even stricter parents, and cousins competing ruthlessly for praise from the adults, the idea of a friendship of the kind she had seen Jo, Jean, and Juliet share becoming a kind of chosen family sent a warm thrill of happiness radiating from her heart.

“Family,” she murmurs, “That sounds wonderful.”

Jean lays a gentle hand on Ruthie’s arm, kind eyes sparkling, “And you’re one of us now, Vika sweetheart. Family whether you like it or not.”

Ruthie blinks back sudden tears at the use of the name she’d told the girls she preferred at their sleepover all those months ago. The young cousins who used to call her that had switched to Ruthie when they started school, along with using their own Americanized names at home, and it was so nice to hear even just a part of her true name from someone other than her mother.

Jean’s words echoed through Ruthie’s head. Family. One of us.

She could get used to that.

“Oh dear… I’m sorry, honey, did I say something wrong?” Jean fusses, seeing Ruthie’s watery eyes.

“No, I’m fine, I’m fine,” she assures her, brushing away her tears, “I just… you’re all so nice,” she laughs, unsure of how else to explain the overwhelming joy and disbelief welling up inside her.

“Just wait ‘til you see Val before she’s had her coffee, chicken,” Olive says lightheartedly, bumping Ruthie’s shoulder playfully, “You won’t think we’re all so nice then.”

“Vika’s seen what Jo and I are like in the mornings, Ol,” Jean replies with a laugh, “I’d say she’s ready for anything after that.”

“I think your infamous martinis had more of a hand in that than the early morning, Jean.”

Feeling bold, Ruthie takes a shot of her own at her new friend, much to the table’s delight.

“There she is!”

“Alright, Ruthie!”

“Oh goodness, what did I miss?” Val grins as she returns to the table, a fresh French 75 clutched in her perfectly manicured hand.

“Just Vika teasing me about my martinis,” Jean says, flashing Ruthie a grin.

“Vika?” Val looks momentarily confused.

“A nickname from when I was younger,” Ruthie explains, “But of course Ruthie’s fine as well if that’s easier—”

“Nonsense!” Val waves away Ruthie’s anxious rambling, “Vika’s a gorgeous name, I love it.”

Ruthie’s shoulders relax at Val’s smile and the compliment.

“So, we were talking martinis?” Val says, moving the conversation along, “Is now a good time to bring up the lasagna story?”

A chorus of good-natured groans tells Ruthie that this isn’t the first time Val has brought this up, and whatever it is, it’s sure to be amusing.

Val leans in with a grin, eyes sparkling mischievously.

“So, the first time Jean made me one of her martinis…”

The group, some a little tipsier than others, decide to call it a night as the bright sunshine warming the patio begins to fade to the red-gold of sunset. With plenty of hugs and several exchanges of addresses with Ruthie, most of the couples depart, leaving Benny and Ruthie with John and Juliet at the table, Meatball curled contently at their feet.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride, Ruthie?” Juliet asks, “I don’t love the idea of you taking the subway alone.”

“I'll be fine, Jules, I promise,” she assures her friend, tamping down the anxiety spiking in her chest at the thought of being alone on a dark subway platform. She made it here on her own, she can surely make it back.

“I’d be happy to go with you,” Benny says, leaning down to pet a whining Meatball, “I know this guy could use some adventure before being cooped up on a train tomorrow.”

“Well…” she pretends to think about it for a moment, then nods. “If it’s for Meatball’s sake, then yes,” adding sincerely, “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Benny grins.

They say their goodbyes and depart, Ruthie glancing back to catch a glimpse of John pulling her friend into a tender kiss.

It takes them a moment to get their bearings in the fading light, but with Benny’s help, Ruthie manages to guide them onto the subway for the hour-long commute to her little town of Lynbrook.

“So,” Benny says from his place beside her as he pets a snoozing Meatball, the excitement of the day having worn out the playful husky, “Have you… always lived here?”

Ruthie’s heard this question enough times to know what he’s really asking.

“I was born here, yes. In Harlem, actually, not too long after my parents came over from India,” A smile crosses her face at the fuzzy memories of playing with the neighbor children in their tiny, run-down apartment building, of visiting her uncle’s jewelry shop and begging to try on some of the cheap costume jewelry he sold alongside the much more valuable items.

She continues, “My parents moved out to Lynbrook to start their hotel when I was five, and we’ve been there ever since.”

“You like it there, don’t you.”

It wasn’t exactly a question, but she answered anyway.

“I do,” she smiles, “Don’t tell Jo and Jean this, but I like being a little removed from the hustle and bustle of the big city, getting to choose when to be part of all the excitement instead of having it all around me all the time. And my parents love the hotel— love having something they own, love being their own bosses, so to speak. And I love getting to help them live their dream.”

A warmth blooms in Benny’s chest seeing the tender look in Ruthie’s eyes when she talks about her parents. It’s clear to him how much she cares about her family, how close she is to them, and he feels extremely lucky to see that softness in her come to the surface.

A question floats to the front of his mind that… well, he’s not sure if it’s too personal, but he’s had a few drinks and his filter isn’t quite where it should be tonight.

“Do your parents call you Ruthie too?”

“Sometimes,” Ruthie replies, seemingly unfazed by the way Benny blurted out his question, “They usually stick to Ruthvika, though. My little cousins used to call me Vika, but when they started school they switched to their own Americanized names and started calling me Ruthie.”

“Vika…” Benny hums, testing the pronunciation, “I think I heard some of the girls calling you that tonight. Is that a favorite nickname of yours?”

“I don’t really have a favorite,” Ruthie lies. Ever agreeable, ever flexible Ruthie. Her parents had trained her to keep most of her opinions to herself, especially with men, to be seen and not heard, and that training was coming in handy now.

Benny sees right through it.

“Are you sure?” He asks sincerely, “It’s your name, you can have a preference.”

His warm brown eyes meet her own, fingers brushing ever so slightly in the space between them.

The courage she’d managed to reach for during her conversations with the girls seems a bit farther away now, but she manages to summon a scrap of it to say, “I do love being called Vika.”

She meets Benny’s gaze with a small smile, but can’t help adding: “But I’m also fine with Ruthie— it’s easier for people to pronounce.”

The corner of Benny’s mouth quirks up into a smile.

“We’ll work on that. Vika’s a very pretty name.”

He resists adding for a very pretty girl. Now isn’t the time to be trying out lines, no matter how true the sentiment is.

Ruthie— Vika— ducks her chin to hide her smile, changing the subject quickly.

“Has Meatball always been yours?” She asks, smiling down at the sleeping husky at her feet.

“Feels like it,” Benny grins, “Won him at craps during the war.”

His smile grows at Ruthie’s raised eyebrows, and he continues.

“We stopped in Greenland on our way over to refuel, I ended up taking this troublemaker with me to base on our way out. Sorta became our official mascot.”

“You didn’t— he didn’t come up in the plane with you, did he?”

“Only on that first flight to base,” he replies, wanting to soothe away the slight hint of alarm in her voice, “He stayed with Olive and Val and the rest of the Clubmobile girls when I went up. Got a thousand complaints about fur in the donuts, but come on, imagine staying mad at a sweet boy like him.”

Vika laughs, “He does have a way of winning people over.”

Their banter continues for the rest of the ride, so engrossed in each other that the time speeds by and the pair have to scramble to make it off the train at Ruthie’s stop. They hail a taxi to get to the hotel, at which point Benny asks:

“There wouldn’t happen to be any available rooms at your parent’s hotel tonight, would there?”

“I… believe there are. Why?”

Benny gestures to the suitcase he’s been carrying all day, the one Ruthie had wholly forgotten about, “My train doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning, and I don’t exactly plan on sleeping under the stars tonight. Not that I have anything against that, but,” he shrugs, “what can I say? I like my creature comforts. This will be much more convenient than going back and trying to find someplace to stay in the city, and besides,” he flashes Vika a teasing grin, “I’ve gotta see what all the fuss is about.”

The taxi pulls up to a modest two-story hotel, the words Forest Inn lettered in vibrant red above the doorway. Ruthie finds herself suddenly nervous as they pay the fare— or rather, Benny does, despite Ruthie’s protests— and exit the car, scanning over Benny’s face as subtly as she can as he takes in the building.

“It’s nothing fancy,” she rambles as she leads Benny and Meatball to the front doors, “But my parents have put so much work into it and, well… it’s home.”

The group steps into a small lobby, and something in Ruthie relaxes at the familiarity of the polished wood floors, rich burgundy wallpaper, the lamps along the walls washing everything in a golden glow, the soft red carpet leading to the dark wood front desk where—

“Mammi?”

Standing at the front desk, Ranjan Patel looks up from the ledger she’s writing in, a tired smile crossing her face when she sees her daughter.

“Welcome home, beta. Did you have a good time with Juliet? How is she? Is her fiancé nice?”

“It was fine, she’s good, I—“ Ruthie blinks, “Mammi, I thought Pravi Auntie was going to take over for you at 6–“

Mrs. Patel waves away her daughter’s concern, “One of her little ones took ill, I told her to look after her daughter. I don’t mind staying here.”

Ruthie lets out an exasperated sigh, but it’s clear her annoyance stems from concern for her mother.

“You were up at the crack of dawn today, Mammi, you need rest,” She steps behind the desk to usher her mother out of the way, “Please? I’ll take over until Ronny Uncle comes in for the night shift.”

Ruthie’s mother sighs, relenting, then straightens when her gaze catches Benny standing in the middle of the room.

“Alright, beta, just let me get this gentleman checked in—”

“No, Mammi, I’ve got it,” Ruthie says hurriedly, waving Benny over, “This is one of Juliet’s friends, he was kind enough to give me an escort home and needed a place to stay before he leaves town tomorrow. I told him I could get it all taken care of. Benny, this is my mother.” She introduces anxiously.

“Bernard DeMarco, ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Benny greets with a beaming smile, “Your daughter’s told me nothing but wonderful things about your hotel.”

“Very nice to meet you, sir,” Mrs. Patel says with a tight smile, glancing with a slight frown down at Meatball, before putting on her customer service mask once more, “I hope you enjoy your stay, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Introductions finished, she turns back to Ruthie, “Ronny Uncle should be here at 10, Ruthvika, but I can send over your father if you want him with you.”

“I’ll be fine, Mammi,” she waves her away gently, “Good night.”

“Shubh ratri, beta.”

With that, her mother slips out the side door towards their apartment in the building next door.

“Sorry about that,” Vika says with an embarrassed laugh, “She’s always working too hard.”

“No, I understand,” Benny says with a soft smile, “Mothers never think they’re doing enough, even when they’re going above and beyond.”

A quiet moment passed between them, interrupted by a whine from Meatball— the husky’s apparently eager to get to bed.

“Oh, your room!” Ruthie starts, “Sorry about that…” She reaches for a key with one hand as she begins filling out paperwork with the other.

“You’ll be in room 213,” she beams, turning the paper towards him for him to sign as she holds out the key.

Benny’s brow furrows as he notes the price stated on the paper— it’s much lower than the rate they have posted on the signage.

“Hang on, uh— Vika, I’m not much of a math whiz, but this seems—”

“Consider it a friends and family discount,” she says, waving away his concern, and the look in her eyes brooks no room for argument.

“Thank you,” he says sincerely once she’s noted it in the ledger, concern sparking in his mind as he notes the darkness outside and shy, sweet Vika manning the desk. “You’ll be alright out here until your uncle comes?” He asks, recalling her conversation with her mother.

“My uncle?” Her brow furrows, then her expression clears as she understands, “Oh, Ronny isn’t really my uncle, he’s my neighbor,” she explains with a laugh, “It’s just a thing Indian people do, showing respect to our elders. We’re raised to refer to elders, even ones not related to us, as Uncle or Auntie as a sign of respect. But anyway,” she ducks her head down to hide her embarrassment— she must be more tired than she thought to be rambling like that— “Yes, I’ll be fine, Benny. Have a good night.”

“You too, Ruthvika.”

A wide smile stretches across her face as Benny leads Meatball towards the stairs.

His pronunciation of her name had been almost perfect.

[pluckyredhead]

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (2011)

It's been a while since I've read RHATO, so I figured I'd reread it - and if I'm doing that, why not make you all suffer with me? I will probably get tired of this before I finish all the various series, but let's see how far we get.

Roy, that would probably work better if your bow had a string.

The issue begins with Roy in a prison in Qurac for trying to overthrow a dictator. He's rescued by Jason, in disguise as a pastor in a fat suit (sigh). There's so much wrong with these opening pages: the fat suit, the writing off an entire Middle Eastern nation as evil and corrupt, the fact that there's no way even a collapsed bow would fit inside a hollowed-out bible, the lazy way the panel layouts waste space...and yet. And yet.

These pages. THESE FUCKING PAGES. "His name is Roy Harper. He's an idiot. Nice guy, but an idiot." "His name is Jason Todd. A lot of people say he's crazy...Let's just say the Red Hood is my kind of crazy!"

This kind of parallel narration always makes me think of the 2003 Superman/Batman comic, which used it extensively, to extremely (and likely unintentionally?) homoerotic effect. After I read this issue, I told a friend that I got it now: Red Hood and the Outlaws was Superman/Batman for edgelords.

Which is to say, I'm pretty sure I started shipping these assholes just from these first terrible pages.

(But seriously, there are three pages up there and only five panels. Five panels! Plus some pointless maroon boxes that don't do anything! I want my money back.)

This panel is super misleading, because it implies that Roy and Jason know each other well enough for Jason to tease Roy about being a chatterbox, but later issues will show that barely know each other at this point. But then, trying to keep the backstories straight in this or any Lobdell book is like watching sand run out between your fingers.

And again here, it implies that they were already friends, a team, partners...something. But later we'll learn that they only met once, and it was years ago, when they were kids, so...what gives?

(This page is actually interesting, because Jason is constantly saying playfully mean things to Roy and Roy never seems to mind, but here he clearly hurts Roy, and he knows it.)

Siiiiigh.

To add insult to injury, Jason immediately announces that he's fucked Kori. You'll notice I aggressively ignore this in every fic I've ever written. Part of that is because I love Secret Virgin Jason, but also it just doesn't mesh with his and Kori's relationship throughout the rest of the series or his hilarious lack of game in general, and it's also so inextricably part of Amnesiac Sex Doll Kori that I just want nothing to do with it.

HATE. HAAAAAATE. The devious smile on Jason's face in the bottom row and Roy's calculating expression are so deeply disgusting to me. "This woman can't meaningly consent! She's like a cave fish with a vagina! Sweet!" Scott Lobdell is a vile human being and so is everyone who signed off on this piece of shit. (Fun fact: this was a HUGE controversy when the New 52 launched and the outcry was so loud they walked it back in a later issue when Kori tells Roy she...just lied about all of that for no reason? Okay.)

Also, "ask her about the gang you used to hang with." Uh...what gang is that, Jason? Because Donna didn't exist at this point, Wally was 12, Garth was a literal baby, Vic joined the League immediately upon getting his powers, and Gar was a child being tortured in a lab somewhere. So was it just Roy, Dick, and Raven? And they certainly weren't the Titans, because Tim's team was the founders in this continuity...which Lobdell should have known, since he was also writing that book.

The person asking to speak to Jason is Essence, his ex, who tells him something cryptic about murder victims with missing organs.

YOU DON'T KNOW MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE EITHER, ROY!!! "Remember Garth? The baby?" (Literally, he is a baby who shows up for one panel. In Atlantis.) And who the fuck is Dustin?

Anyway, Kori propositions Roy and he's like "Sure, why not." Did the target audience actually think this was hot? It's so depressing.

Essence tells Jason that something called the Untitled has attacked something called the All Caste, and Jason makes a surprised Pikachu face.

Elsewhere, a guy in a basement looks at a picture of Kori online.

I will admit to liking two things about this page: the fact that Jason's helmet is in the nightstand implies that Roy and Kori fucked in Jason's bed, which is either hilariously rude or an invitation that sailed right over Jason's head, and the red hand print on Roy's chest. It's the first glimpse of a recognizable Roy in this book; he did always like getting manhandled by scarily powerful women, pre-Flashpoint.

Jason goes...somewhere, to a temple of sorts with a lot of vague cultural appropriation going on, and kneels over the corpse of an old lady. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, Ducra," he says, before a bunch of people attack him. END OF ISSUE!

And that's Red Hood and the Outlaws #1! It's confusing, misogynistic, lazily drawn, and not very funny, and there's no reason to be invested in whatever the fuck happened at the end because I know nothing about Ducra, Essence, the All Caste, or frankly, this version of Jason. And yet I am absolutely going to read nine more years' worth of this shit. See you in issue #2!