#Tails - “The fire department showed up! They let me sit in the front seat of the fire truck!”

[dreamweave01]

Do you Sonic squad ever cook and when you do, who sets the kitchen on fire first?

Tom picked up store bought cookies for Santa that year.

(If you can't read my messy handwriting, there's a translation down below in the hashtags.)

Knuckles is the cook out of the brothers, and spends a lot of quality time with his mom in the kitchen.

Sonic isn't much of a chef, though he'll bake if the others are doing it too.

Tails is the same way, though sometimes he likes to watch Knux and Maddie, especially when they're trying out a new recipe.

[celeryb1tch]

how you and spencer meet!

receptionist!reader starts a new job at the BAU, and a very handsome coworker shows her around!

content: meet cute, fem!reader, pov you’re an idiot who’s sensitive to blood, fainting for the plot and not in the way it works in real life lol, confident-ish but pretty canon compliant mid-seasons spencer!

—

the FBI certainly isn’t the place for squeamish little pansies…

at least, that’s what you were told in your interview. and you had nodded diligently, ignoring the lump in your throat as you thought about how you almost fainted the last time you had bloodwork done. but as a secretary, how bad could it get, right? you tried to assure yourself of this when you got the job offer.

on a brisk friday morning, you were wandering through the FBI Academy campus in an attempt to find your office. everyone around you seemed to be in a hurry, and no one had given you the time of day when you attempted to ask for directions. so fifteen minutes before your first day started, opposed to the promised half hour, you entered the NSAVC building with your tail between your legs.

the bullpen was empty. you had expected to be met by a trainer, or perhaps the person whose job you would be taking over, but you instead faced a grouping of empty desks. as you peered around the open area, your eyes landed on a conference room with large windows, allowing you to see a group of agents. with a sigh of relief, you headed up the stairs and knocked on the door lightly before letting yourself in.

before you was a circular table seating five people, all with their eyes trained directly on you. “hi!” you chirped. “i was looking for-“

“i think you’re lost, miss. students shouldn’t be allowed access into this department,” demanded a man in a full suit, who seemed to be in charge.

your smile faded as you saw the various displeased faces looking back at you. “oh no, i’m not…” in an attempt to avoid eye contact, you raised your sight to the opposite wall, projector casting images of open wounds and a dismembered corpse. and in only a second, your vision was going black.

—

the white of fluorescent bulbs seared even through to the inside of your eyelids, but despite this you still blinked a few times to shake the disorientation and open your eyes.

your legs were eased up in the air with a chair, brand new pencil skirt hiked slightly up your thighs. you felt the texture of carpet against your back through your blouse and the cool of ice on your forehead. your first instinct was to sit up and reorient yourself, which you tried to no avail.

“hey, hey, easy,” an unidentifiable voice said soothingly. you scanned your surroundings, finding a man with chin length chestnut hair in your periphery who couldn’t be much older than you. he was crouched beside you, apple juice box in hand and concern in his eyes. god, his eyes were pretty, you thought. like pools of dappled sunlight.

it took you a few seconds to recognize him as one of the displeased members of the conference room, and the previous events rushed back to you, bringing a flush to your cheeks. “i am so sorry, sir. um, agent. detective? there was a misunderstanding, and that was so unprofessional of me.”

he had a small smile playing on his lips as he scanned your face. he seemed to be entertained by the fact that you were so flustered, letting you finish rambling before he replied. “doctor spencer reid, and no worries at all. a freeze response to gore is a fairly common reaction. while you were unconscious we were able to identify you as the new front desk secretary, we thought you were starting next week so we weren’t expecting anyone.”

you visibly relaxed at his explanation. it seemed possible that you wouldn’t be fired on the spot for this. you took the hand he outstretched to you, helping you up from the ground slowly. he offered you the juice box, to which you shook your head. “i’m okay, but thank you.”

“i would recommend it. after fainting it’s likely that your blood sugar is low, and fruit juice is packed with natural sugars that will allow you to feel better almost immediately.”

“doctor’s orders, huh?” you joked, to which he cracked a smile again.

“i’m not exactly that kind of doctor. but yes, i do strongly advise it.”

so you took the juice box, and spencer walked you down the few steps from the office you’d been laying in toward the bullpen. suddenly you were filled with anxiety once again as the faces you had seen minutes ago holding inconvenienced stares now looked on with concern.

the man from before who was so clearly the leader of this operation approached, offering a hand to shake. “supervisory special agent aaron hotchner, i apologize for the misunderstanding.”

you winced away from him slightly, worried that any further mistake would result in you losing the position you had yet to start. “thank you, sir. i am so sorry for interrupting a meeting like that, and fainting. that wasn’t exactly the first impression i wanted.”

he had an easy smile, that of a reassuring father. “i can assure you that no punitive action will be taken, if that’s what you’re concerned about. if we knew you were coming today we would not have left graphic case evidence up on the screen.”

oh, thank god. you exhaled deeply, feeling the tightness in your chest subside. you stepped back toward spencer, whose gaze had never left you. “what should i be doing now? i was never informed of what my training would be, not to mention where my desk is.”

“linda’s out sick today, which is why we thought you weren’t coming until monday,” said the woman sat in the desk rightmost of you. her hair was pure black, with straight, blunt bangs that suited her well.

“we don’t exactly have training for you today without your predecessor here, so i thought you could shadow my agents to familiarize yourself with the office. and i’m happy to show you to your desk, but since you’ll mostly be seeing our faces daily, we should get introductions out of the way first,” agent hotchner said.

you glanced at spencer beside you almost unconsciously, in search of reassurance. despite knowing him for about three minutes, he was the closest thing you had to a friend or ally so far. and seeming to sense this, he shot you a smile that crinkled the edges of his eyes. you felt your anxiety melt a little, and you realized that everything was going to be okay.

—

by lunchtime, you had your things at your desk and nothing to do without a computer login or training. you remembered that hotchner had suggested shadowing someone, but the idea of asking one of the agents made your stomach churn. they sat only a dozen feet away from you, laughing and bantering as if they’d known each other all their lives. who were you to butt into their dynamic? so you sat twiddling your thumbs for the rest of the lunch hour, peeking at the group occasionally to confirm that you hadn’t spontaneously gained the confidence to approach.

spencer specifically appeared to be deep in thought once he got back to work. you thought that it would be best to shadow him if possible, given you were most familiar with the tall brunette, but you really had no business to interrupt his work. still, you worked up the courage to advance to his desk.

“would you like some more coffee, dr. reid? i could go get some for you, you seem pretty busy,” you offered in an attempt at nonchalance. but uncertainty and regret crept up quickly when you received no reply.

emily prentiss, the previously unnamed woman with dark hair, noticed the interaction. with a slight grin on her lips, she interjected. “don’t take it personally. he gets so into his case readings, it’s hard for him to pick up on anything else.”

“hey, pretty boy,” cooed derek morgan from another desk. “someone’s trying to talk to you.”

spencer lifted his head reluctantly, eyes following a moment later. he looked dazed, not quite focused on anything in particular. “sorry, what?”

“i noticed your coffee was almost empty, would you like some more?” you asked meakly. it took everything in you not to run and hide of embarrassment.

he finally registered the question, shaking his head fervently. “no, i couldn’t ask you to do that. i’m perfectly capable of refilling my own coffee, but while i do i could show you the kitchenette? it’s crucial to the operation of the office.”

and with a nod, the two of you headed to the tiny kitchen adjacent to the bullpen. you stood slightly out of the way as spencer placed his mug on the counter, refilling the drip coffee maker for a fresh batch. you watched him card his fingers through his hair, looking around casually.

“so, the kitchen is important why?” you inquired, head tilting slightly to emphasize your interest.

spencer finally met your eyes again, letting out a little breezy laugh. “oh, it’s not. i noticed that you were having trouble potentially asking one of us to show you around, so i thought this was an opportune moment.”

you flushed slightly at the confession, apparently caught red-handed in your effort. “wow, you’re pretty good at reading people. or was i just that transparent?”

“is that a joke?” his eyebrows knotted as he looked at you, no air of humour on his face.

you stared back, equally confused. “am i supposed to know that? do you have a particularly well known judgement of character?”

“well yes, you’re in the behavioural analysis unit.”

and with that, you were sure that you had damaged your ego and reputation in this job position irrevocably.

—

after a brief explanation of the lack of background information provided when accepting the job, spencer assured you that he wouldn’t tell the others. he expressed his surprise that the FBI hadn’t been as diligent as they usually are, and you had to agree.

“i mean, i told them that this was my first job after graduation. i was doing my field placement two months ago, and that was in a law firm!” you stifled a giggle, feeling at ease leaning against the kitchen counter with spencer taking occasional sips of his coffee.

“that’s astounding. they hired me young, but i’d argue that i was overqualified for the position,” he admitted. “you, however…”

you gasped in feigned offence, rolling your eyes. “hey, i learned a lot in that law office! i can photocopy anything you need me to, and schedule dry cleaning for same-day pickup.”

it had been well over a half hour at this point, with you and spencer getting gradually closer until your clothed elbow rubbed against his. no one else had come in, until mid-reply spencer was greeted by agent aaron hotchner himself, who happened to also need a fresh cup of coffee.

“reid, i see that you’ve taken it upon yourself to let our new team member shadow you. but maybe you should show her some places other than the coffee counter?” he suggested with a raised eyebrow.

spencer looked caught, eyes flitting from you to his boss. your boss too, you supposed. “of course. sorry hotch, we got a little caught up.”

“i can see that. as long as you get your files finished by end-of-day, it’s really none of my business.”

“yes, sir,” spencer yelped. he gestured rapidly for you to follow him, exiting the kitchen to return to his desk.

you watched him put his mug down and shuffle some papers around before his eyes lit up in recognition. “i actually do need you to photocopy this for me,” he admitted shyly.

“of course!” you replied, just before your smile dropped. “you actually never showed me where the copier is.”

spencer chuckled with you, getting up from his chair once again. “no problem, i’ll show you.”

and as the two of you began walking down the hallway together, the others laughed upon hearing, “by the way, would you like to go for dinner with me once we clock out? i have a lot more to tell you.”

derek grinned. “i didn’t know that kid had the balls.”

—

(hi guys!! thank you for all of the love on my first spencer post!! i’m having so much fun writing these! psa tho: as i said before, i’m a lesbian i just have a weird thing for this one particular fictional man- so if u follow me, pls expect woman-centred content mostly!!)

[girl-of-many-fandoms]

Out From The Shadows

Pairing: Steve McGarrett x Reader

Summary: Two years after John McGarrett's death certain circumstances drove you out of hiding bringing you straight to the person you swore you'd never see again

Warnings: mentions of blood, gunshots, angst

MASTERLIST

-------

Panting you continued to run through the tall greenery not risking a spared glance to see how far you had gotten from the hired hitman on your tail. Blood, sweat, dirt and blades of grass covered you from head to toe as you continued pressing in the direction of the main road

It was dark out but the sun would be rising soon and you prayed that someone would be driving on the road once you made it there. Your shoulder hurt the more you moved making you silently curse the man that shot you back at your temporary house

Your lungs felt like they were on fire but you couldn't afford to stop now, not when the open road was less than a mile ahead, you're almost there

Gunshots rang out behind you, giving you the extra push you needed to get the hell out of there. Clambering up the little hill you stepped onto the asphalt of the road just as a poilce car was headed your way. The officer stopped the car and his partener was about to get but you stopped him

"Ma'am wh-"

"Take me to the station" opening the backdoor open you sat quickly climbed in and urged the driver to get as far away as he can. You felt bad for the way you spoke but you needed to get away from the man

"We need to get you to a hospital" panic rushed through you

"No, no hospitals, that would be the first place he'd look for me" the officer in the passenger seat turned to look at me

Duke

"Y/n?"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck

"Duke, hey, long time no see" to his knowledge you were dead, well that's how your ex soon-to-be father-in-law wanted intended for you to be, he easily made it look like you were to protect you from someone that wanted him dead as he didn't want you to be caught in the crosshairs

"What's going on, I thought" you could see how hurt he was and you felt bad, you and Duke were close when John was still an officer, he had become a grandfather figure for you

"I know and I'll explain once I get to the station" nodding he told his partner to floor it and he did. Looking down at your arm, you grimaced at the blood that poured from your wound and onto the seats

Tearing the bottom of your shirt off you made yourself a tourniquet as best as you could to stop the blood loss and Duke shook his head

"You really would've fit in with the McGarrett's" releasing a heavy sigh you closed your eyes, your uninjured hand reached up and toyed with the engagement ring that dangled from the necklace you wore

There wasn't a day that went by where you hadn't thought about Steve and how he took the news of your 'death' when his father had told him

The car came to a stop roughly twenty minutes later and you got out. The morning sun felt good against your cold skin as you walked into the building with Duke and the unnamed officer. The older man pulled out a seat at his desk for me to sit and you gladly did

"Now, tell me exactly what happened"

And you did not leaving out any detail from the moment you heard the hitman's footsteps on your porch to you showing up on the road covered in blood and grime, the junior officer, Aolani wrote it all down. Duke nodded to his partner before standing up

"Come with me, let's get you cleaned up" he had a female officer escort you to the bathroom and she gave you a sweatshirt with HPD on the front with a pair of grey sweatpants to match it

This is going to be a long day

After you had showered and changed your bandage the lady gave you a visitors pass and took you up to the top floor. Stepping out of the elevator into the hallway you glanced at her as she walked ahead of you

Honolulu Police Department was written on the double glass doors which lead to

Steve

All the air in your lungs disappeared as you locked eyes with him. He recognized you in a heartbeat despite the new hair colour and style, you could see he was surprised but that lasted for so a split second

"Y/N"

"Steve"

Your name coldly fell off his tongue and you didn't need someone to tell you why he was reacting like this. His dead fiance is standing in the same room as him, the person he mourned for is breathing the same air as him after being apart for so long

Chin and his cousin Kono stood there frozen in their position near the desk, your chest hurt more, you could see how your 'death' had affected the ones you were close to at one point

"Duke filled me in on what happened, do you know anyone who would want you dead?" crossing his arms over his broad chest he waited for a response and your lips twitched

"I could think of one person who wished I had stayed dead" his face remained hard as he stared at your frame, no time for games y/n

"No but my guess would be it's the same person your dad was trying to keep me from crossing paths with" the muscles in his jaw clenched already knowing the answer

"Why would Wo Fat want her dead, I'm not following" the shorter detective asked and you couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow

"Chin and Kono find anything recent on Wo Fat if you can, Danny, my office" with one last glance thrown your way him and Danny went to discuss something personal

Tearing your eyes away from the pair you sighed, this was never the way things were supposed to be with you and the Navy Seal but here you were

"We thought you were dead" Chin wrapped you up in a hug and you returned it, greatful to be out of the shadows

"It wasn't my idea but it was the only way John could've gotten me off the grid" pulling away he smiled down at you

"Steve would disagree" chewing on your bottom lip you shifted your weight on your feet before mustering the courage to ask

"How is he?" before he got the chance to respond Kono rejoiced at the intel she just dug up, Chin let out a puff of air and that alone let you know that it had been rough

"Hey boss, I've got something" knocking on the glass she got the men's attention and they emerged, Steve didn't bother to glance your way as he kept his distance, Danny however stood next to you

Kono started going into her findings in Wo Fat's offshore accounts and found out who he transferred a lump sum of cash who you recognized as the man that broke into your place this morning. Although it was dark when he attacked you, you would never forget the deep cut in his left eyebrow and the scars that marked his face

"That's him" swallowing the lump in your throat you continued to stare that the two men who forced you out of hiding

"Danny, you and I are going to pay this man a visit. Chin, Kono, you two can go to where she was staying last, see if he left anything behind" his blue eyes finally landed on me

"You're staying here until this case is closed" you opened your mouth to protest but clamped it shut when he shot you a death glare

They took what they needed before heading out, leaving you with the four walls

Great

To say that you were bored was an understatement, it's been hours since they left and you were about to lose whatever sanity you had left. Turning your head towards Steve's office and once again, you forgot how to breathe. On his desk was a framed photo of you and him the day he proposed on the beach behind his house

Pushing yourself off the chair you opened the door and let yourself into his space. You were immediately enveloped by his strong scent; picking up the framed photo your chest tightened.

"Gosh it's so beautiful" the sun was setting on the horizon, the sky was pink and purple making the blue water at your feet even more stunning

Steve wrapped his arms tighter around your waist, kissing your temple. His heart beating widly in his chest and he was hoping that you weren't feeling it

Turning around you ran your hands up his arms locking your fingers behind his neck, your smile dimmed a bit noticing his zoned out state

"You're awfully quiet mister, what's going on in that big brain of yours?" snapping out of whatever trance he was in he pecked your lips

"Do you know how much I love you?" the water lapped at your feet as you both adored each other

"Nope, no clue" smirking you toyed with the hair on the nape of his neck

"I love you so much, in fact I love you to the point where I'm going to do this" his hold on you disappeared as he lowered himself to the ground on his knee, a gorgeous ring between his thumb and index finger

"Steve" your heart swelled, on the brink of tears

"I love you y/n and I want to spend the rest of our lives together so baby, would you marry me?"

"Yes"

"What are you doing in here?" startled at his voice you spun around, Steve's eyes dropped to the picture

"I'm sorry" scoffing he strided over to you, taking the photo out of your grasp, his eyes scanning it

"Twenty four months y/n" your eyes glazed over from the fresh tears that threatened to fall

"That's how long it's been since you died. That day dad called me while I was out in the field it broke me, my world came crashing down and the one person I knew that could've made things better was dead. I came home, watched that coffin get laid in the ground and then went back to where I was deployed like I didn't just lose a part of myself" placing the photo on his desk he was now towering over you, his eyes glossed over

"Now you're here, I'm scared to blink too much in case I'm imagining things and you disappear" reaching out to him you gently took his hand and vrought it up to you cheek, nuzzling into his touch

"I'm here Steve" that was all it took, Steve pulled you flush against his body, burying his face in your neck as you both clung to one another like your lives depended on it

"Leaving you was the hardest thing I had to do in my life" pulling away his eyes landed on my necklace, more specifically the sterling silver ring that hung from it

"You kept it" his fingers toyed with it a small smile etched onto his face

"You gave it to me, it was the only physical reminder I had left of you and I couldn't give it up" there was a knock on the glass drawing our attention to the doorway where Duke stood with a smile on his face

"We have your guy down in the interrogation room Commander"

"Thank you"

"Duke you could've told me Steve was working with HPD now"

"You could've told me you were alive" the older man hugged you, great full to have you around again

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay, I should leave you both to catch up" releasing you he nodded at Steve on his way out. As the door closed behind him you looked up at Steve

"Commander? Wow, I missed a lot sailor" chuckling me laced your fingers together with his, thumb gently rubbing yours

"There's a lot but right now, I just want to kiss you"

"Are you waiting for a freaking invitation McGarrett? Do it" wasting no time he crashed his lips against yours, setting you ablaze. You had forgotten the taste of his lips and now that you've gotten a taste you craved more of him

His large hands cupped your face as your lips molded together perfectly, pieces of a puzzle that fit each other. Remembering that you both need air, he broke the kiss pressing your foreheads together

"Don't leave me again"

"I won't"

______

Thinking about writing more Hawaii 5-0 fics, let me know what you guys think!

@just-arather-veryconfused-being @idk-whats-happened @maximeevansblog @mac99martin

[blueberrypossum]

Hit Me with Your Best Shot

A Nova and Shiki short

Hey yall! I'm back with a little short of just @greaser-wolf and I's ocs Nova and Shiki! This one is set after the No One Does It Like You Do fanfic and also is based off the sparring drawing wolf drew!! Hope you guys enjoy!!

⚠️WARNING⚠️: There is usage of adult language and also mention of blood and abuse, viewer discretion is advised.

Word Bank: Rhubarb- An argument or fight 

Shiki looked down at her phone at the address Nova had texted her. After the boar yokai healed from the mountain mission, the cop asked the feline if she would be down to spare. And with Nova being the competitive and boastful yokai she is, accepted the offer. 

Shiki knew what she was getting into, if she lost Nova would rub it in her face for weeks on end, but the cop was a little rusty when it came to cats and if her and the Mud Dogz were going to keep running into cat like yokai, she needed to be prepared. 

As the brown furred yokai went towards the front door, two figures started to head towards her. 

“No way,” she whispered to herself as she finally made out the two yokai that decided to show up. 

“What are you guys doing here?”

Dastardly Danny was practically dragging the ogre next to him as he caught up with his girlfriend. 

“Did ya really think we would miss this rhubarb? Not a chance!” The rat exclaimed as he brushed back the few tufts of hair on his head. Both of the men wore more casual outfits than their usual gang outfits so they could blend in with the crowd. 

Shiki was a little excited to have the boys here after all the battles and adventures they had gone through, the cop never recalled Danny ever seeing her spare one-on-one with someone, and maybe with the guys being there than her and Nova will give all they got into the fight. 

“You sure you want to be here?” Shiki asked as she opened the door and looked over at Leonard, who’s tired eyes and messy hair in a bun indicated that he was forcefully dragged to this. 

“I really don’t believe I have a choice.”

As Shiki asked for Nova at the front desk, the rat yokai leaned in and said something about the feline in question and the ogre just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 

 The gym worker led them to one of the large rooms that could be rented out for dance or sparring practice; the rooms had a glass barrier around it so yokai’s could watch from the outside without getting hurt. 

The tabby was sitting on one of the mountain's piles of folding mats, her claws scrolling through her phone as she drank from her water container. She wore a long grey thermal and workout shorts, sweat barely dripping down her face and her hair stuck to her back in its ponytail. The worker that led the three knocked on the door and the feline walked over to unlock it, a poised smile on her mouth.

“Well, not only do I get a sparring partner, but she also brought cheerleaders as well! This must be my lucky day!” Nova laughed out as she let her three friends in and waved at the worker. 

“You would just love to see us in skirts, wouldn’t you?” Leonard asked and Nova stuck her tongue out at him with a wink.

“Well of course.”

Nova placed her phone and drink over in one of the corners of the room and then strolled over to her friend, her multi-colored eyes scanning over the boar’s workout outfit. 

“Do you expect to bleed today, Munchkin?” Nova asked as her eyes landed on Shiki’s handaged wrapped hands. 

“Didn’t the police academy teach you how to fight cats?”  

The tabby flashed her fangs in a bright smile as she turned tail and over to one of the mats, her feet barely pressing into the soft floor. 

“It taught us how to fight almost all different kinds of yokai, I’m just a little rusty in the feline department.”

“More like I don’t want to get my hooves dirty.”

Nova tightened her hair tie and pushed the bangs out of her eyes as she stretched her long arms up towards the ceiling. She then turned to the guys. 

“Well, the cheerleaders can’t be this close to the players,” she chuckled out and then pointed to the row of seats that were outside of the room. 

“Alright, boss.”

 The two members of the Mud Dogz walked out of the room and sat up against the cold, metal bleachers, the only sound coming from the room was the vibration of the speakers that popped out Nova’s songs. 

“Okay, I believe that the most important thing you must know about a cat is their flexibility, most small and nimble cats are flexible, except for lions and such,” Nova started as she sat down and reached for her toes while Shiki popped a few of her tight joints.

“How flexible are you?”

It almost seemed like the cat was waiting for her friend to ask that because stretched out onto her hands and did a handstand and then split her legs away from each other, all while giving a cocky smile. 

“As flexible as you want me to be.”

In the stands Danny had to elbow his friend in the stomach who seemed to have cottonmouth. 

“Would ya like me to get ya a drink? Ya looking kind of parch.”

“Oh shut up I saw you staring at Shiki’s ass on the way in.”

The tabby then did a front flip to land on her feet, her arms now crossed behind her back as she looked over at the stacks of soft mats. 

“Most cats will use height to their advantage, to jump off of or use the hard surface to bring more power. So, that’s what I’ll be using,” she explained and then took a fighting stance.

“Alright, Shiki, got any questions?”

“I’ll ask along the way.”

“Then hit me with your best shot.”

The boar yokai grinned under her fist as she charged, her fist flying towards the feline’s stomach but the tabby dodged quickly, her hands not even coming up to protect herself. Shiki frowned and then lifted her leg to roundhouse kick her but the feline ducked down and then used her own leg to trip over Shiki, who hit the ground with a thud. 

Nova leaned down to look at her, her brown curls creating waves at the end of Shiki’s vision. 

“Your moves are predictable, if you’re fighting a criminal then they’ll know what moves you’ll try to pull since you’re a cop.”

Shiki responded with a grunt as she got herself up and they both took their fighting stance once more, this time Nova was the one to take the first step forward. She turned left and then a hard right at the last second, her paws digging Shiki’s arm as she came up to block.

"Cats will use their claws when they can," Nova grunted as Shiki's strength started to take over her arm.

"So, you'll need to protect yourself whenever they attack."

"Okay, how do I do that?"

Nova took her hands off of the boar’s arm and had the cop grab her by the wrists. 

“You can usually see a cat about to attack with their claws when their claws come out and they’ll look for a perfect angle to attack, so grab them before they can do that.”

With Shiki’s grip on Nova’s wrists she then flipped her off her feet and then onto the ground, a forceful bust of air coming out of her white chest as the cop smiled. 

Shiki helped the mountain cat up and they took a fighting stance once more, the fire boar edging closer to Nova until she had enough room to attack, her bandaged fist raising up to hit Nova in her freckled cheek. But the feline held the fist with her white paws and bounced off the momentum of Shiki’s power and strength, and with her tongue sticking out she flipped over the cop, her own power pushing Shiki to the ground. 

“Jeez, Nova, you know the force could use someone like you.”

“Yes I’m sure they would love someone who’s been in their jail cell to have access to their private information,” Nova cooed and swayed from side to side. 

“I’m barely breaking a sweat, Shiki! I said hit me with your best shot!” The cat challenged and Shiki raised her eyebrow in irritation, but she lifted herself up and went rogue from her usually fighting techniques. 

The tinge of shock that danced over Nova’s eyes was pleasing to see as Shiki swung an underhook into her side, the cat barely dodging it before the fire boar went in for another hit, hitting her knuckles deep into Nova’s thigh. 

A hiss parted between Nova’s teeth and she backed away, her strong legs leaping on top a five stacked mattress and then higher and higher onto the stack of long pillows. Shiki watched closely as Nova rubbed her thumb over the spot that was hit. 

“I’m guessing that you take the legs down, you take the whole cat down?” The officer asked, confidence and arrogance leaking throughout her tone. 

The feline laughed at her comment as she stood up. 

“Their legs are their backup plan, if things aren’t working out for them, they can at least jump out of the situation.”

The mountain cat then jumped from one of the hanging poles and landed on one of the smaller pile of mats and then leapt towards Shiki, the female dodging the attack and Nova rolled to a complete stop next to her, her hand taking hold of her okay colored ankle and flipping her onto the floor. Shiki let out a snort as she felt her lungs hit against her back and her hand went flying towards Nova, bringing her down with her in a single pull. 

They both instantly got up before either of them could get in another hit. Sweat was dripping at the corner of Nova’s face and Shiki’s palms started to feel clammy. But the brown mammal charged after the cat, Nova’s arms constantly going up to use as a barrier and then raised her knee up while Shiki was invested into trying to go for her top. 

But even through the pain that Nova’s knee brought the shorter female slammed her elbow into the middle of her thigh and the fishing cat reeled back as Shiki turled and had her foot make contact with Nova’s flat chest and stomach. 

The feline took a few steps back, her snowy paw gripping her stomach as she took in a few gulps of air and for a second fear traveled over Shiki as she saw spit drip from Nova’s mouth. 

Maybe she took it too far? This was just supposed to be practice.

As Shiki raised her hand closer to the feline her white hand seized her wrapped hooves and twisted it behind her back in remarkable speed all while the tall cat was letting out light chuckles. 

“You can’t hurt me that easily,” she growled and then released the fire boar, her white foot slamming into her back and sending her onto her feet. 

Shiki could taste blood in her mouth and realized that her tongue was between her teeth and she thrashed her head around as she got herself up from the ground. 

‘Cats sure do like bringing their opponent to the ground,’ Shiki thought as Nova came racing towards her, the force of her legs threw her up to the point that her foot could make contact with the Shiki’s face, who rapidly blocked it by shoving her her fist into the sole of her foot. Instead of it hurting Nova, she used it as a boost and did another front flip over the fire boar and once again used her powerful legs to kick her face down into the ground. 

This time a snort of anger erupted from Shiki’s mouth as she felt a bruise start to form on her back for how many times she was kicked. She didn’t even notice the blood that soaked her wrapped hand and how Nova was leaving little pawprints of blood over the mats. 

The two guys that were watching were each growing their own amount of concern as they noticed the drops of crimson that stained the blue mats and how Shiki’s and Nova’s face had changed from friendly to almost cutthroat death glares. 

Nova winced as she walked over to Shiki who was getting up, the feline overhearing that she was done for the day. 

“Oh we are not done, little piglet,” Nova reported as her paws enfolded over Shiki’s ankle and instant panic reaped over her body as flashes of her father crossed her mind. 

“Shiki! Get your ass back here! We are not done yet!” 

“But Dad, we've been at it for hours! I have homework to do!”

“And you have to show that you’re not weak! AGAIN!”

The years of fighting, if never having a break and going to bed bloody and bruised to the point others thought she was a brown and black spotted boar. The cop couldn’t hear the fake giggles Nova was pushing out as she playfully dragged her back to the center of the room, all she could hear was her father’s heart stopping screams trembled in her memory. 

Shiki could feel it bubbling at the edge of her throat, the uncooked and fresh rage that started to take form as a living thing inside of her. And when she turned to look at Nova the feline stopped in her tracks, her white paws letting go of her friend’s ankle as she took a step back. Tusks were now growing out the side of the boar’s mouth and they curled towards her dark eyes. 

“Hey, Shiki, I was only playing, if you need a break-”

“You wanna fight? Let’s fight then.”

Nova narrowed her eyes as puffs of smoke started to leach out of the corner of Shiki’s mouth and the feline took a step back in fear, she had seen Shiki mad before but nothing like this, nothing as dangerous as this.

The blur of smoke and dust was upon Nova in a blink of an eye and Nova was on the floor, Shiki’s body hovering over her as a harsh gargle and shriek boiled from her mouth. 

‘Shit, shit!’ Nova thought as she kneed the boar in the stomach and then rolled away before the fire could spill over her, the liquid flames pinching into the floor where she was laying. 

Back in the stands, both Leonard and Danny started to realize that this wasn’t just friendly training anymore, but a full blown war. 

“Okay, we have to stop this before they kill each other,” Leonard said as he got up to head over to the door, but he came to a stop when the door didn’t budge and the ogre turned back to the rat in panic. 

“They locked the door.”

Nova climbed onto one of the mats as her friend eyed her like a predator to its prey. 

“Shiki! You need to calm down! You won, is that what you want to hear?”

“I want to hear your face bashed into the wall!”

Nova leapt onto another patch of mattresses as the fire boar spat a fireball at her, the sparkling orange sphere engulfing the gym equipment as the feline had to pull her tail closer to her due to the heat. 

The mountain cat vaulted off of the pile and tried to slip past Shiki to head for the door, but the cop was instantly on her, her strong hands gripping the back of Nova’s shirt and panic fizzled throughout the feline’s body at the thought of her scars showing. The feline realized that her friend was targeting her back with how her hands pulled at the fabric, she was the only one who knew about them.

“Shiki, let go! Please!”

“I’ll show you what I can do! I’ll give you my best shot!”

 Without even thinking, Nova’s claws came out and she swiped, a loud roar of pain seizing the room as the grip on her loosened. 

“Shiki! Oh my gosh!”

Nova looked over in horror to see three small cuts over the fire boar’s cheek, not deep enough to scar, but enough to where the scent of blood hit the humid air once again. 

“I’m so sorry-”

“You’re weak.”

Nova’s eyes rose with shock as Shiki licked at one of the cuts that was near her mouth, her tusks now fully grown out and fire leaked from her mouth like a volcano, the liquid fire pooling at her feet. 

‘She’s playing at your emotions, Nova. Don’t fall for it.’

“Shiki, you need to calm down, we are going to get hurt-”

“You’re weak!”

‘Don’t fall for it!’

“You’re weak for hiding it!”

Nova couldn't help but rub the back of her neck, the faintest scar barely poking out from her shirt as Ashur invaded her mind. 

The fury that started to simmer in Nova’s gut was almost too much to bear, she had tried to reason, and even though the cat saw regret flash across the fire boar’s face it was too late and the feline let her full set of claws come out. She heard the hard bang of the door and guessed it was the two men trying to get in, but she gladly ignored it as her tail lashed back and forth. 

“You know, you don’t have to project your sad little daddy issues onto me.”

Shiki let out an offended snort as she watched the long nails from Nova’s feet grow out and tap against the floor as the two of them started to circle each other, as if they were back in the days before yokai, before humans, just animals trying to survive. 

Both of the females could hear the muffled screams from outside the room but Shiki kicked a mat in front of the door without looking as they continued to go around each other. 

“At least it made me stronger, and not a fraidy-cat who can’t show herself.”

With a low roar Nova charged, her extended claws digging into the soft floor as she headed straight for Shiki, at the last second edging herself towards the left and then leaping upward with all four of her limbs, her claws sinking into her friend’s thigh. 

A shriek echoed into the room and Shiki encased Nova in her arms and threw her off, sending the feline into a pile of mats and it falling over due to impact. 

Back outside, Danny had gotten a worker to come and unlock the door while Leonard watched as Nova became a living nightmare. Her tail growing in fur size and her pupils were barely visible from where he stood and she had grown a few inches and he couldn’t help but wince as the feline hid from Shiki and then pounced from the shadows, her hands digging into the boar’s shoulders. 

When Danny and the worker came back, the key was useless due to the mattress blocking the door. 

“What do you think happened?” Danny asked no one in particular as Shiki slammed Nova into the glass wall to get her off her back and all three yoakis took a step back as they could finally hear the hollering and screams that were traveling between them. 

“Daddy’s girl!”

“Weakling!”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“These yokai’s are unstable in their powers, we are going to have to wait until they calm down,” the employee instructed as Shiki took a hold of Nova’s shirt and threw her into the window, the clear sheet bouncing against her, the feline taking a few seconds to get up before she pounced at the fire boar, using her long legs to kick into her stomach and sent the officer rolling across the floor. 

“They’ll kill each other if we wait!” Leonard reported as he eyed Nova’s long fangs, they were even longer than his as they passed her chin. 

Both members of the Mud Dogz were beyond concern at what the girls could do to each other, with Shiki’s fire power and Nova’s flexibility they could go at it for hours, neither of them wanting to give in. 

The women had attracted a crowd as the commotion extended past the semi sound-proof room and the two men had to keep yokai’s from recording it. But with them having the criminal look they had to give one death-glare and the mammal would put its phone down. 

A long yowl bounced off the windows and the ogre and rat yokai turned just in time to see Shiki send Nova through the glass, her body sending the million shards of mirrors scattering across the gym floor as her beaten up body slid with it. 

Her curled body stayed still as Shiki climbed through the broken glass, the smoke and fumes that flooded the room she was in as she threw herself onto the hard ground, the glass under her hooves as the yokai’s who had crowded around started to slowly back away. 

Danny started to make his way over to his girlfriend but with one look he stood stiff in his spot. The fire that stormed in her eyes could barely scratch the surface of her powers, the cuts and bruises that coated her didn’t seem to bother her as she looked for where Nova had landed. 

The rat couldn’t tell if he was utterly terrified or if he should make her mad more often. 

“Restrain her!” 

Two of the buff workers came up behind Shiki and held her arms back, then instantly wincing at the heat that radiated off of her. 

Leonard had raced over to where Nova was laying and he could feel the harsh growls that were rumbling in her chest. 

“Nova..”

Her eyes instantly opened and he was caught in the sunset of her face as she rose from the ground and her pupils landed on Shiki, and with one grunt she was on her feet and past the ogre. 

“Move.”

The leader of the Mud Dogz swallowed as the feline took a stance and charged towards the fire boar, taking out the worker on the left with a kick and the one on the right with a shove as she took Shiki all for herself. 

She had the officer in a dance as her lengthy body crawled over the cop like a bug, her nails digging into any part she could find before Shiki would blow a fireball at her. 

“Should we...Should we do something?”

“I really don’t want to die today.”

Shiki finally got a hold of Nova and launched her across the building, the feline letting an earthy scream as her body came into contact with the front desk, the computer and paperwork flying as her body disappeared behind it. 

Her white paws curled into the desk as she pulled herself up, her curly hair out of its ponytail and spilled over her face. 

“You throw like your weakass mother!”

A wave of heat was jetted over to Nova and she quickly scaled the walls indented grooves of the gyms design, her nails creating long marks into the stainless wall. 

Just as Nova pushed herself off the wall and reached for Shiki, a small grunt of surprise escaped her throat and she looked down to find a dart in her thigh. Shiki let out a squeal of shock as one lodged into her leg as well and they both started to wobble. The boar was the first to go down, her body crashing into the floor as the fire that was tussling around the corners of her mouth extinguished. 

The tranquilizer that hit Nova was having a harder time making her fall asleep, her pupils shaking within her eyes as she fought to stay awake. 

“Jeez, it’s like she’s been dosed before,” the worker who shot them said, making Leonard frown as another dart was poked into her other leg and the feline finally went down, her long fangs slowly shrinking back into her mouth and her tail going back to its thin length. 

Both of the yokai were heavily wounded, Shiki was covered in scratches and bruises, a few bite marks were even covering her arms and blood mixed within her brown fur. Nova had burn marks over her, the tips of her fur in certain areas were singed off, both were breathing heavily, both were exhausted to the bone. 

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

It had been over two weeks since that fight, and Shiki hadn’t seen or heard from Nova. Danny had taken her back to her apartment (after him and Leonard had to pay for the damage the girls had caused). 

Shiki brushed her hand over one of her bandages and rolled her shoulders, the pulsing of the bruises that covered her back hisses with dull pain. 

The fire boar sat on the stair of her fire escape as the city roared under her, the casual conversation of passing yokai poking into her hearing range.  

The officer didn’t know what to do with the situation, even if she went up to Nova what would she say? I’m sorry for throwing up your trauma into your face like an asshole?

Of course the things that the feline spat back were...hurtful, they tore into Shiki’s heart like her claws, squeezing every drop of blood out. 

Maybe this was a sign that Shiki couldn’t have friends, she was somehow lucky enough to have a healthy relationship with a criminal, the cop didn’t think that her luck would run dry with any friendship. 

“Need some company?”

Shiki looked up to find the mountain cat hanging off the railing of the rusted fire escape, a grocery bag hanging off the tips of her fingers. 

The feline had a healing black eye and even though she wore her usual wine colored jacket, Shiki could see the bundles of bandages as they pushed outward due to no room under the sleeves. 

“Sure.”

Nova settled herself on the fire escape and sat on the ledge next to her, the boar yokai seeing the redness that poked through her torn leggings from the burns. The lights of the city blurred around Nova’s sides as she placed the bag next to Shiki’s legs. 

“I brought your favorite.”

Shiki peeked into the bag and saw chocolate covered strawberries along with two handmade smoothes, one being a mixture of purple and the other was a bright pink. 

“Did you steal these?”

Nova let out a snort as she reached down with her tail and picked up the purple drink. 

“I don’t steal food, that department is taken by Mickey.”

It went silent between the two friends as they ate and drank in silence, Nova moving from the railing to sit next to Shiki on the step. 

“How are your wounds?”

“They’ll heal, nothing I can’t handle. Yours?”

“You definitely got claws, you’ll make some yokai happy one day.”

The feline bit into one of the strawberries and stared at it in her hands. 

“I want you to know that I’m not using these treats as an apology,” Nova started and as Shiki looked up at her the cat looked away. 

“I don’t know what exactly happened with your dad, and for me to remind you of him or even bring him up to coax you into fighting. I don’t even know how to begin the word sorry for what I’ve done.”

“Nova-”

“Leonard was scared of me when I came to, like I was a different animal. When I...when I get like that I don’t recall much of what happened. I just know what I said was wrong, what happened was wrong. I’m sorry, Shiki.”

The fire boar was silent as she took in the somber words and she finished her fruit to push the tears back. 

“I’m a lot alike with my father than I would like to admit, and I shouldn’t have let my rage get in the way, I shouldn’t have been like him during that battle.”

“He hurt you, didn’t he?”

The tears that were silent against the cop’s face were now loud and clear and shined bright like shooting stars. 

“Yeah...yeah he did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Who hurt you?”

Nova leaned into her friend’s arm as she let out her own shaky sigh, her own eyes trying to keep the tears at bay. 

“His name is Ashur… You can call him my ex or whatever, but uh...He didn’t like it when I disobeyed his rules,” the female choked out and she buried her face in Shiki’s arm as a sob got caught in her throat. 

“I’m sorry, Nova.”

Shiki rested her head on top of Nova’s as they took in each other’s presence, the comforting stillness between them was like a bank full of snow; quiet and undisturbed. 

The fire boar decided not to press Nova any further about her past, just like the feline didn’t press on what her father did to her. 

“Maybe you should tell, Leonard. Out of all of us, I think he would understand the most.”

“You know,” Nova coughed out, the side of her fingers wiping the corner of her eyes to conceal the tears and forced a laugh out. 

“You and Leonard are a lot alike.”

“Really? Why do you say that.”

“You both want to be stronger because your shitty dads wanted to be assholes for some reason. But, it’s their loss, those weak excuses of men don’t deserve you both in their lives.”

Shiki let out a shifted chuckle as she took a long drink from her smoothie. 

“You’re not weak by the way. This Assur guy better watch his back if he ever comes around, because not only will he have to deal with you, but the rest of us as well.”

“Did….Did you just call him Assur?”

"What's the difference?"

Their laughter hit the night sky as they continued on to eat their snacks and went onward to talk about other things and even talked about the fight they had, going over the strategies and techniques that they can share with each other in the next round.

With Leonard and Danny in the room next time, of course.

[kbmercer]

Ch.1, Part 1: Encounter

My Heroic Pokemon Squad (A Pokemon/My Hero Academia Crossover)

Summary:

After receiving an emergency call to assist in sedating the legendary pokémon of time and space, Top Ranger (Y/n) (L/n) gets caught in the crossfire of their rampage. Sent barreling into a world unknown, (L/n) must now navigate her new surroundings and somehow find a way home. Yet, the aftermath of a momentary rift between dimensions carries drastic repercussions, especially considering that pokémon had never existed in this place to begin with. Not only that, but it seems humanity here have powers of their own, not unlike that of the creatures she has grown to love.

“In today’s news: ‘International Turmoil’.

It has been 48 hours following reports of a spike in supernatural activity occurring all over the world leaving countries on high alert. According to the investigations currently underway, it is said that all instances appear to stem from the creation of portals. The portals have since disappeared, yet the aftermath of this phenomena has resulted in a noticeable change, specifically in the wildlife. ‘Quirked animals’ are said to have begun inhabiting the areas where the portals had manifested. In Indonesia, pictures posted on social media show a group of mole-like creatures with steel claws drilling into the earth; and in Canada a video from a wildlife researcher spotting a dog-like creature with a pointed tail and curved horns spitting fire from its mouth...”

To say that (Y/n) was frazzled by this information would be an understatement. The young Ranger stood on the pavement of an unknown street within an unknown city listening to a broadcast presented by people unknown to her. She was one person within a crowd of many, watching the grid of televisions displayed at the window of a small tech shop. The air of uncertainty was palpable within the people surrounding her. Conversations about animals having “quirks” was the hot topic. Words of fear, anticipation, and curiosity fly from the people’s mouths, intertwining into a tangle of chatter.

“Oh my goodness, look at them! I would’ve never thought it to be a dog if I wasn’t told.”

“Man…I guess if humans can have quirks, animals gaining some of their own was kinda inevitable, yeah?”

“Don’t say that! This has to be some sort of mistake…”

“This isn’t good! We’re already dealing with the fall of All Might and now we have to deal with this?!”

The commotion had gotten louder and incomprehensible leaving (Y/n) to stop listening. She separated herself from the crowd. Taking a deep breath, she adjusts the red duffel bag she carries with her, keeping it close to her body like it was her lifeline. It might just be, considering the circumstances. She had no shelter apart from a makeshift tent she possessed, and the food she had been eating upon arrival two days ago had since depleted. She wasn’t only feeding herself…and while (Y/n) was sufficient in money, the girl highly doubted that this world’s currency was the Pokémon Dollar. Pokémon had never even existed here.

If the commentary wasn’t clear enough, in this world, Pokémon had never existed until those portals had opened.

             Perhaps the extent of how big of a problem this was didn’t catch up to the young ranger until she thought about it in further detail. Perhaps the shock of waking up on some random beach with minor injuries and a wet uniform took all of her attention. It’s entirely possible that all her time and energy was focused on making sure she and her pokémon party who suffered the same fate could effectively recover. Though, she neglected to consider the bigger picture – the grand question: What do I do now?

Panic began to overwhelm (Y/n) but she suppressed thee tears that threatened to spill. Pokémon are especially perceptive to their trainer’s emotions both inside and outside their capsules. Her companions were a rather rambunctious and protective bunch know to break out of their pokéballs to aid her, but she couldn’t risk that. Instead she mulled over a potential plan of action as her feet carried her any which way. Down streets and past crosswalks, (Y/n) took in her surroundings: skyscrapers as tall as the eye can see, bustling city folk, narrow alleyways, advertisers and advertisement posters, vending machines that light up when anyone happens to walk near them, stairs to the subways. Despite the location being different, the girl couldn’t help but draw similarities to all the cities she had traveled to back in her own world like Rustboro City in Hoenn or Goldenrod City in Johto. Both were just as busy and energetic, complete with districts lined with stores and fast-food spots with corporate buildings being just around the corner. Though, it was by no means as Castelia City in Unova. That was a completely different beast.

By the time the top ranger had collected her thoughts, the sun had since set over the horizon casting a warm yellow-orange glow through the metropolitan, welcoming shadows to form underneath the feet of passersby. (Y/n) had her head lowered (e/c) eyes trained on the asphalt beneath her. After weighing her options, all she could think of was either settling for another day of living under her tent or simply searching for enforcement, the only viable option of helping her. The caveat to that decision, however, was that her lack of identity could possibly garner suspicion and make her situation worse than they already are. She was at an impasse.  The young Top Ranger had never been stuck with so little options and it was upsetting. With a stamp of her foot she settled on taking repose in a café within her vicinity, unintentionally ignoring the welcoming words of the employees stationed behind the counter in her frustration and taking a window seat. (Y/n) failed to notice the inquisitive looks she received as she kept her eyes out the window, especially the person she had unceremoniously sat in front of.

“Well, if you’re going to take a seat there, the least you could do is acknowledge my existence,” (Y/n)’s eyes widened as her head snapped to the woman sitting opposite of her in the booth that she had sat. With bright blue eyes staring at her past the bangs of her deep purple hair, her upper body clad with a red camisole reclined in the place she sat. It was clear that she was mildly displeased at what happened. The girl sputters abashed by her lack of awareness before bowing her head.

“Sorry! I d-didn’t mean to not notice you. I just have a lot on my mind I guess…” Her eyes averted from the woman, she wanted to look anywhere but towards her pointed stare.

“Oh yeah? Then I’ll bite. If you’re gonna keep me company I’ll settle for a little small talk.” The woman takes a sip of the coffee in hand, but the hesitation from the girl across from her gets her guessing. “School trouble? Family issues maybe?” She gasps. “Is it about a boy?” (Y/n) shakes her head profusely.

“No! Nothing of that sort!” Oh Arceus, is she really the person she has to air her troubles out to? A brief moment of pause results in (Y/n) deciding to take the opportunity. This woman is just a regular civilian. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not really like she had any better options. Under the blue-eyed woman’s expecting gaze (Y/n) shifts in her seat.

“It seems that I’m kinda lost…I don’t know where I am or why I’m here…” The woman’s gaze appears to transition into a deep frown and (Y/n) gets progressively nervous but resists the urge to clamming up. “I…washed up on the beach near here…and I don’t really have a home to go back to, if that makes any sense…I’ve been deciding on whether I should talk to law enforcement about my predicament, but I just feel that nothing good will come of it…y’know.” The steel grip (Y/n) kept on the duffel next to her doesn’t evade the eyes of Kayama. The words spoken from the teen were undoubtedly distressed, the contained uncertainty shown in their eyes coupled with the tenseness of their body supported that. It’d be foolish to dismiss and turn a blind eye to this. Yet, the reason to why she hadn’t already risen from the booth to take the girl to the police department was because of her last phrase. “I feel that nothing good will come of it.” Is (Y/n)’s relationship with authorities a sour one, or is there something else that she’s deliberately not telling her? Kayama let out a hum before viewing the skyline. The sun had taken rest for the day and streets of Musutafu were dimly lit by the various streetlamps and remainder of open shops on the strip.

“I know talking to authorities isn’t really a thing people like to do. But if you are is in as much of tough spot as you say you are, don’t you think it’s at least worth a shot?”

“If I may be honest, at this point I don’t think I have much of a choice,” with up-turned brows and a embarrassed scratch of the cheek, (Y/n) sighs in resignation. “I just don’t know where to start, I’ve basically been wandering all day.”

“Well, lucky for you I know exactly how to get you there.” Downing the remainder of her caffeine, Kayama motions (Y/n) to follow suit to which the young ranger obeys, securing her crossbody comfortably.

“Thank you, Ms…”

“There’s no need for the formality. Just call me Midnight for now.”

[shortandsatirical]

Rat-ical Case

I

Before the rat, my day had already been off to an unwelcome start. To start off, I hadn’t woken up until minutes after my first class began. This was especially unacceptable, because I was the one teaching it.

I considered not showing up at all and calling in sick, just to avoid a lecture from my employer (I was the one who was supposed to be giving lectures, not him), but I was rather dedicated to my job and students and so I decided against it. I was almost certain I'd be found out in the end, guaranteeing unemployment for me. I wasn't the most stable financially at the time.

I tugged on my coat and grabbed my briefcase before trudging out the door. Breakfast would only make me later, which I could not afford. The university I had taught at was a bit far, but there had been an electrical outage the previous night and the trains were likely not up yet, forcing me to walk the whole way. However, it was Friday, and I had the next week off anyway, so it didn't matter much to me. I would likely be doing nothing and therefore didn't need my legs.

The next issue in my day, happened right after that. One of my neighbors- a talkative man named Alexander, but insisted on being called Alex- had stopped me to chat, and because I was a kind man, I couldn't find it in myself to avoid him.

"Ah, Professor Stephen, what a surprise to see you up so early," the issue said, closing his gate behind him. He had brought his dog out with him, likely taking him on a walk. His name, if I recalled correctly, was Caleb (a strange name for a dog, if you were to ask me). "On our way to work, are we?"

I refrained from pointing out that it was indeed not early, and already noon. "Yes, so if you don't mind, Alex, I've no time to chat."

"Of course, of course..."

Now, one would expect that to be enough for him, but alas, it was not. Instead, he followed after me. Whether it was intentional, I was not sure.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen Caleb's collar, have you?" He asked, dragging said dog along. He appeared to be trying to sit in a single spot, and I couldn't help but sympathize with him.

"No, I haven't," I said. "You see, Alex, I'm already running late. Any later, and I just might be fired." This bit was a lie but he did not know that. "I might rush ahead, but please don't take it personally."

Alexander’s eyes widened (How was that still possible?) and he frantically shook his head. “No, no, go right ahead. You’re a wonderful professor, Stephen. If only we had teachers like you back in the day...”

With the way he acted, I had always forgotten that he was actually older than me. It wasn’t a big difference, only six years, which made him 35. To me, he seemed in every way not much older than 23.

I sped up before he had a chance to talk my ear off, which I suppose I could consider a win. Only, it wasted another five minutes of my time.

The third instance wasn’t until I reach the school. Of all 53 of my students, only 6 had remained. I still do not know whether they were the only ones to show up at all, or if the others had left after waiting for some time. It wasn’t often that more than about 20 students showed up, and as their teacher... I don’t think they should remain in the school.

Deciding that there was no point in my staying, I allowed my students to go to their next class and prepared to leave. I only had one other class to teach that day, but I didn’t think many would show up, so there was no reason for me to wait.

But as I was leaving, I felt a flare of pain on my shin, and kicked reflexively. I heard a thud and that was when I saw the scoundrel of a rat. It noticed my gaze and let out a squeal, dashing off somewhere in the room. However, I was not going to allow the pest to remain, in fear of someone seeing it and reporting that such a creature was spotted in my classroom.

I grabbed at it’s tail and dragged it towards me, lifting it in my hands and squeezing it, though I wasn’t quite sure what I was aiming for at the time.

And then, the door opened, and in walked Prof. Peters, who taught in the law department. He took one look at me and shook his head disapprovingly, rushing over to force the rat out of my hands. It landed on the ground with another thud (did that hurt?) and hid behind the law professor. If it were possible, it appeared to be glaring at me.

II

“Prof. Stephen, you know you should not be hurting innocent animals like that. I’m sure it didn’t cause you any harm,” Prof. Peters spoke.

“Ah, but that is were you’re wrong, Peters. This rat, as I was leaving, bit me for no reason,” I defended myself. “It does not belong here, in the school or on school grounds.”

“You must be mistaken, Stephen. Henry would never bite someone without provocation, and the school has no such rule. You must have done something for him to have bitten you like that.”

“Henry? So you know this rat?”

“I do know this rat, he has resided in my classroom for some weeks.”

“Well, either way, all I was doing was leaving, so I see no reason for him to have bitten me.”

“Let him defend himself, he can explain.”

“Ha! a rat, explaining itself? It must first be able to talk.”

The rat finally came out from behind Peters. “Harsh man, I am perfectly capable of doing such, so would you please stop talking as though I cannot?” the small creature said.

I froze at the small voice, unable to believe my ears. The rodent has spoken! But that is impossible!

I looked over at Prof. Peters, thinking it was all him and he was playing a trick on me. That man, I had never liked him since I met him four years ago. He had always behaved in such a stale manner and was much to stern to his students.

“Do not look at me, Stephen, look at the one speaking! Have you no manners?” Peters spoke angrily. He looked down to the rat. “Henry, did you bite this man?”

“I did, I bit this man. I felt threatened by his presence,” the rat explained briefly.

“And why did you feel that way?”

“Because, he seemed very angry and was too close to my home,” it answered.

“Nonsense!” I cried. “This creature spouts utter nonsense (and that is assuming it isn’t you doing the talking, Prof. Peters)! While I did feel angry, I had not even noticed this rat until it bit me. Therefore, I was the one threatened, and my actions were justified.”

“You human, your initial response to being bitten should not be to squeeze it until it pops. My bite is not deadly, and I am a very clean rat,” it exclaimed. It looked up at Peters. “Mr. Peters, I would like to take this man to court, for attempted murder.”

I scoffed. “Rodents cannot say nor do such things.”

Peters ignored me. “I believe you have every right, Mr. Henry. And would you accept me as your lawyer?”

“Of course, Peters, who else?” it squeaked. “Please make all necessary preparations as soon as possible. I am... uncomfortable to be anywhere near this man so I will reside in a tree in the meantime. Good day, Peters. Stephen.”

With that, the rat scurried out the door.

Prof. Peters gave me that stale look of his. “Please think twice before you try to murder and innocent being next time. Who knows where you’ll end up?” And then he, too, left the room.

I could not comprehend what had just happened. Was I going to court because of a pesky rat? How was it possible that it had spoken? As if the court would allow this! It must have been some weird dream I was having... Either way, I was sure I had nothing to worry about.

Fortunately, my misfortune for the day ended there.

III

Somehow, Peters had arranged everything as the rat had asked in only one week (and the court did allow it, can you believe that?), so I hadn’t any choice but to spend my own week off working with my lawyer to defend myself.

The week went by fast and before I knew it, I was in the defendant’s seat next to my lawyer, while that rat and the professor occupied the table to my left. Since Henry was so small, he had to sit on the table to be seen. In front of him was a notebook and pen, but for what?

After the opening statements were made, the clerk (whose name I had not bothered remembering) swore in the jury and then the first witness, Henry, was asked to stand up.

“Do you swear that the evidence you shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” the clerk asked.

The rat picked up the pen in front of him and wrote something on the notebook. Peters picked it up and held it for the clerk to see. It had not been pointed in my direction, but I was still able to make out the words, in neat handwriting, ‘I do’.

Murmurs were heard throughout the jury. However, they quickly quieted down. Why was the rat writing? Could he not talk? Ah, but if I point it out, they’ll assume I’m crazy...

“Please state your full name,” the clerk said.

‘My name is Henry Watts,’ Henry wrote. It has a surname?

“Please be seated,” The judge said. It sat. Peters stood up.

“Mr. Watts, please tell the court what happened on the evening of April 1st, 1996,” Peters said. It began to write.

‘As I was on my way home, this Prof. Stephen was too close to my hole and as I was running away, he grabbed me by my tail and squeezed me so that I almost died.’

“Do you see Mr. Stephen in court today?” Peters asked.

‘Yes, he is right over there.’ The rat pointed at me with it’s weird tiny finger.

“Did you do anything to cause Mr. Stephen to attempt murder on you?”

‘Hardly. I bit him because I felt threatened.’

“And why did you feel threatened?”

‘He was angry, much bigger than me, and too close to my house than I found comfortable.’

“What happened after the attempted murder?”

‘Well, Prof. Peters made him drop me. He offered to help me in court and I spent the next week living in a tree in fear of Prof. Stephen’s return.’

“So after the incident, you began to fear Mr. Stephen?”

‘I feared him the second I met that man.’

“And after the incident, have you felt any pain?”

‘Yes, the man may have dislocated my arm, and it will flare up in pain every now and then.’

“Thank you. No further questions, My Lord.” The last part was spoken to the judge and Peters sat down.

I don’t remember much of what happened after Henry was questioned. I do believe my counsel cross-examined him, and then the second witness, who was a remaining student of mine, was called on to give her evidence. My counsel cross-examined her, too. Finally, I was called on to speak.

“Do you swear that the evidence you shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” the clerk now asked me.

“I do,” I said.

“Please state your full name and spell your last name for the record.”

“Haris Stephen, S-T-E-P-H-E-N.”

“You may be seated,” the judge said. I sat.

“How many years have you been teaching at X University?” My counsel, Mr. Patel, asked me. I should not give the name of the university I taught at.

“I have taught at X University for four years.”

“Has any incident like this happened since you began teaching?”

“Not as far as I’m aware.”

“Why were you angry on the evening of the incident?”

“Because I was late to work and when I finally arrived, very few students of mine had remained.”

“And why did you try to kill the rat upon being bitten?”

“I am very dedicated to my job and was not aware that rats were allowed in the school, so I ought to have gotten rid of it.”

“Where did Mr. Watts bite you?”

“On my shin.”

“Was the bite infected and did it leave any marks?”

“The bite was not infected, but left a faint mark.”

“Does it still cause you any pain?”

“It did for the first three days following the incident, but not anymore.”

“No further questions.” Mr. Patel sat down.

“Does the plaintiff wish to cross-examine this witness?” the judge asked.

“Yes, my Lord. Have you seen any rats besides Mr. Watts throughout your four years teaching?” Peters asked.

“Other than the ones being used in the science department, I have not.”

"And you still felt it was fine for you to murder a resident of the school?"

"I did not know he was a resident at the time."

"Have you ever heard of any other professor attempting such a crime?"

"I have not."

"Would you have still tried such a thing if you weren't already angry that evening?"

"Yes, so long as I was not aware of his residing there."

“But you still believe it is fine if you murder a rat?”

“Yes, they are pests and can cause disease. Rats in the university would ruin it’s image.”

He announced that his cross-examination was complete.

And finally, Alexander, the talkative neighbor was called on. Again, I had not paid much attention to what was said but I do know that he was asked if I had ever acted cruelly towards an innocent creature during the entire time he had known me (nine years), to which he replied he once saw me catch a butterfly and tear off it's wings and antennae. I do not remember doing this, and therefore cannot defend my actions. But, if I ever had done such a thing, I deeply regret it.

After Alexander was questioned by Patel, Peters had cross-examined him, too. The only thing I had remembered by the end of it was that I did not look innocent in the slightest.

My case as the defendant had been completed and Peters and Patel gave the closing statements.

The rat wanted me behind bars for at least 6 months, followed by some time in anger management. Mr. Patel countered with only one month of jail time, or anger management, but not both. The jury went into the jury room and the judge went into his chambers. I sat silently as I waited for my verdict.

IV

The judge returned about half an hour later.

“Mister Reid, has the jury reached a verdict?” the judge asked.

“They have, my Lord.”

The sheriff brought the jury in upon being told to do so.

The clerk asked the foreperson if they reached a verdict, to which they replied that they did.

“Did you find the defendant, Haris Stephen, guilty or not guilty of the trauma and injuries sustained by the plaintiff, Henry Watts?”

“We find the defendant, Haris Stephen, guilty of the trauma and injuries sustained by the plaintiff, Henry Watts.”

And all thanks to that rat, I lost my job and spent the next six months in prison and the following six months in anger management. I wasn’t able to return to my job until a year after that, and taught at a different university, far away from the rat and Peters. One would expect me to have learned my lesson, but I have not! Instead, I killed every rat I’ve come across upon sight, only I never ended up in court again.

End

[jestdrabbles]

Every Hurdle, Every Chasm - Chapter 03

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia Warnings: none Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Asui Tsuyu, Todoroki Shouto Relationships: Dekusquad friendship | Pining Tododeku & Tsuchako Other info: Dekusquad Roadtrip AU ; Fun times ahead but also some emotional times so I should definitely warn about that!; MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS.

Words: ~8,600 | Chapter: 03/14 | Language: English

Somehow this one turned out longer even though I struggled a lot to actually write it. Hopefully next chapter doesn’t take too long to put out! Also I made up the city they stop at, so that’s not supposed to be a real place or anything

Day 03 - Don’t Expect Too Much  [December 26]

The bathroom door is closed when Izuku rises from the dead of sleep, ready to wash his face and brush his teeth to rid himself of the nightly grime. Windows tell him sunrise is still on its way, once again losing against Tenya’s near-perfect record. His eyelids drop once, twice, then will him back into his drowsiness, but he wakes in full when the door creaks open. Messy brown hair nearly matches his own, and her eyes remain shut despite her attempted energy.

“Mornin’ Deku,” Ochako bumps her knuckles to his arm, “bathroom’s all yours.”

“Thanks,” he passes through, but leans his head out the doorway as she walks toward her parents’ room. “Is Tsuyu awake?”

“Mmhm,” she waves back without turning around. Izuku nods to himself and shuts the door to tend to the morning’s grooming. He half-expected Shouto to need more nudging out of bed, but the sleeping bag was already rolled and set against the sofa by the time he’d awakened; Shouto himself had been sitting against the wall with his phone plugged in, bag seemingly packed at his side. Now that he thinks about it, he has no way of knowing if he actually slept at all.

In any case, he regrets not getting to bed sooner himself with how sluggish he feels. That’s what he gets for pushing his limitations, so he opens the bathroom for whomever may need it next and nearly collides with them mid-yawn.

“Still sleepy?” Shouto asks with his hand at Izuku’s shoulder to keep them from running into each other.

“I’m amazed you aren’t.”

He grins and pats his shoulder as he passes him, content without saying much else when he walks further down toward Ochako’s room. Izuku watches as the door opens to let him inside, then he returns to the living room to find Tenya sitting beside the stack of folded blankets. Izuku returns his toiletry bag to his luggage and zips it shut.

“Do you have everything packed?”

Izuku sets aside the blankets and takes the newly made spot beside Tenya so he can use his arm as a place to rest his head, and he nods. The other smiles down at him and decides to let him rest his eyes a little longer until they have to load everything in the car.

The engine takes a few turns to finally start up, and the whirring lulls the resident sleepyheads to catch up on those last few hours before having to truly face the oncoming day. Ochako takes the front seat with Tenya, and they set out beneath dawn’s deceptively warm lights peeking over the landscape as they depart from the city and merge onto the highway. Ochako watches her hometown vanish behind her in the side mirror, and she smiles at the memory of her parents’ half-awake farewell.

She promises next time, they’ll have more time together.

They drive with the music low, voices no higher than careful exchanges during class, and soon enough they hear movement in the backseat between the blanket draped across both Tsuyu and Izuku. She wakes with her squint at the sunlight and yawns into her long fingers.

“Mornin’,” Ochako turns in her seat, “again.”

“Morning for real,” she sits up straighter to stretch her back and lets out a content sigh. “It’s so warm in here.”

“Yeah, we figured making it nice and toasty would help everyone rest easier.”

“You figured right,” she gives them a thumbs up, even if Ochako is the only one who can really see it. “Do we want to stop somewhere for breakfast?”

“I was thinking we could wait until everyone wakes up,” Tenya begins, glancing toward the back through the mirror, and he catches himself in a grin when he sees one teal eye open.

“I’m awake.”

“Of course you are,” Ochako deadpans and looks to Izuku, head leaning against his seatbelt strap as he snoozes. “Did you guys stay up late or something?”

“I didn’t hear them after going to bed myself,” Tenya shrugs, “and I didn’t feel Midoriya move all that much. As for Todoroki, he’s fairly quiet to begin with.” Once realizing that they are not, in fact, stopping for breakfast just yet, Shouto closes his eye and leans back in his seat without further comment.

The three make small talk concerning the weather predictions, the unlikelihood of rain with all the snow, and Tsuyu almost slumps in her seat. Tenya attempts to boost her spirits through the various sights they’ll be able to enjoy together, and Ochako chimes in to add that a hot spring will be even better in this kind of weather. They can all agree on that one.

Within the hour, Izuku blinks awake and stretches his neck until it cracks, then his shoulders. His phone reads a bit past 7AM before he tries to lean toward the center seat to see the digital clock on the dashboard; Tsuyu tells him good morning, and he illuminates almost instantly. Leave it to the fluffiest of the bunch to be bright eyed and bushy tailed at his real start of the day.

Tenya grins and keeps his eye out for an exit while Ochako searches for nearby cafes.

Tsuyu nudges Shouto awake once Tenya masterfully parallel parks on a side street, and they pull their shoes back on quick. Izuku wins that race since his sneakers are always tied loose anyway, and he joins Ochako on the sidewalk to contribute to the meter. Tenya finishes up by tossing the blanket over their luggage to discourage any curious eyes from breaking in, and they follow their rosy-cheeked companion as she directs them toward the restaurant.

“Western-style?” Tsuyu comments once they reach the building, noting the menu on display outside the window.

“I’m going to eat so many pancakes,” Izuku taps his finger on the all-you-can-eat price, but Ochako drags his finger to the All-Star American combo, and he finds himself immensely conflicted. Tenya holds the door open for them, the small ring of a bell notifying the hostess to welcome them and take them to a booth. Shouto and Tenya occupy one side while the three shorter squeeze into the other, Ochako having claimed the center.

The waitress arrives to take their drink orders after distributing water for the table, and Ochako peels the paper of her straw just enough to blow the wrapper out at Izuku’s cheek. She snickers, and he fires his back at her in vengeance, the paper striking at her nose. Thankfully the other three keep out of the spat, but Shouto’s worked his into an intertwined shape until he pushes the bottom upward and forms a small paper rose.

“That’s so neat!” Izuku stares at it pinched between his finger and thumb, and Shouto offers it to him since he seems interested enough. “I didn’t know you did origami, Todoroki.”

“Don’t be too impressed,” he leans back and shrugs. “I only know how to make things like this from strips of paper, but I can’t make anything from squares.”

“Oh, you mean like lucky stars?” Ochako takes the paper rose from Izuku to twirl it in her fingers. He nods, and her eyes sparkle. The implications make her cheeks flush, and she kicks her boots under the table. Who would have thought he could be a romantic? “Can you teach me some time?” Another nod, and she returns the rose to Izuku without calling as much attention to it as she’d like. Lucky, indeed.

The waitress comes back with their preferred drinks, and they each take their turns ordering their food after skipping Izuku, still weighing his options until he goes for the combo, and Tenya takes a sip from his juice once she’s left them again.

“So we have a long stretch until we reach Hokkaido. If we time it well, we won’t have to drive too much into tomorrow, but we have time to make a stop if there’s anything on the way you all want to do. I’d prefer we get back on the road by sundown at least,” Tenya thinks aloud, and Shouto stops himself from taking his coffee, setting it back down on the saucer. The three across mentally debate locations, and Tsuyu is the first to pull out her phone and check for anything interesting. Ochako glances over to share some input, and both of them grin wide and turn the phone to Tenya and Shouto without showing the curious set of green eyes across from them. They read the article header and immediately shift their eyes to a very confused Izuku, and they both nod in their own smiles.

“This is rude,” he rests his chin in his hand, and Ochako relents to share the screen with him. His expression lifts almost instantly, and he holds the phone in both his trembling hands as he scrolls through the review on a famous Hero Museum in Kashu, about an hour away from where they are now. “Am I the only one who wants to do this, or…?”

“I’m interested,” Shouto assures as Izuku passes Tsuyu’s phone back to her. He doesn’t add any further explanation, but the others seem to agree. They discuss possible attractions, debate over what heroes will have larger displays, and check out other sights in the area. The Ice and Snow museum piques their interest as they try to delicately hint toward Shouto, but he states only if they have time and nothing else to do.

His lukewarm reaction motivates Ochako to try finding something else, but the waitress brings their food, and soon the table is covered in plates of pancakes, waffles, eggs, sausage, and bread. Tsuyu practically hoards the jelly for herself as she spreads it between a biscuit, and Izuku draws a star from the syrup over his short stack. Ochako takes a couple pictures of the spread and puts her phone away to enjoy her large waffle, and Tenya slides his fried egg over toast while Shouto cuts into his omelette. Conversation dies as their hunger satisfies; the only words exchanged go between offers of sharing and tasting.

“Waiting for it to cool off?” Tsuyu points to Shouto’s coffee after noticing how he hasn’t touched it since putting it down, and he finishes chewing when he shakes his head.

“If we’re stopping somewhere, then I need to sleep a little more so I can drive later.”

“This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if you went to bed earlier,” Tenya advises, and Shouto hums his mmhm as he continues eating. He glances at the coffee, taps it with the side of his finger, and points across to offer it to anyone if they want it. Ochako sways her ankle against Izuku’s lower leg gently, and he takes the hint to accept.

When Shouto smiles, Izuku shields his own in a gulp of semi-sweetness.

They leave the restaurant and pile back into the car after finishing up their breakfast.

Somehow, Tsuyu manages to convince the backseat that Shouto should nap sprawled across them so she can style his hair. Izuku ends up with his legs bent like a cage nearly trapping him in his seat, and a pillow separates his head from Tsuyu’s lap. Shouto’s fingers lace over his abdomen, and he closes his eyes to try and sleep while long fingers comb through his outgrown hair. Their restless friend relaxes enough to drift off, and Izuku does his best not to accidentally knock his knee or thigh when he leans.

“Hey Uraraka?” she turns around in the front seat, “Can you grab my bag? I can’t really reach it like this.”

“Sure thing!” she stretches her arm toward his feet and taps the yellow backpack with her quirk, lifting it to pat over in his direction. Once he’s taken hold, she releases it, and the weight nearly drops on Shouto’s knees before he catches it fully. His hand rummages inside to search for a small case, and he pulls out his Vita to continue the next level of his game.

“That reminds me... I should check up on my camp,” Ochako occupies herself with the app on her phone, “I still need to work on my aesthetic. Have you added anything new to yours, Tsuyu?”

“I’m still hoping to find the lilypad table, so I’m working on crafting plants mostly,” she recounts as she continues brushing through his hair, careful not to bump his scar when she sweeps his bangs to the side. “I’m still trying to level up and unlock more frog villagers to host.”

“What are you two talking about?” Tenya inquires, and Ochako nearly holds her phone out to show him until she realizes that he will absolutely not take his eyes off the road to study the display for details. They explain the mechanics of Animal Crossing, and Ochako uses the opportunity to brag about Tsuyu’s talents in keeping up with her town and decorating it. While she never had an opportunity to own a game console herself, Tsuyu recommended the app so they could play together.

They’d tried to convince everyone else to join in, but it’s too easy to fall out of maintenance when schedules are so hectic for heroes.

Tenya laments briefly the busyness of the program, but he commends the two for managing to balance time enough to enjoy a leisurely activity together. Tsuyu cuts herself short in a ribbit, and Izuku notices the way her cheeks flush while she finishes up a braid with his silvery strands. The rest of the ride is spent in pleasant quiet, mindful of their one sleeping passenger and also enthralled by their respective hobbying.

Ochako breaks the silence with her giddiness upon coming across Mikacchi, and she mutters her extensive plans of friendship courting enough for Izuku to tease her about it.

Shouto wakes as the car pulls into park, and his wrist rubs at his eyes before noticing how the hair on his right side doesn’t fall back on his cheek. His fingers find the tied hairs pulled back, and he sits up and frees both Tsuyu and Izuku from his weight. He checks the rest of his hair for any styling, but to no avail.

Astonished, he turns to her. “I didn’t even feel it.”

“Corpse, then,” she remarks as she opens the door, and he falls for its ambiguity until shrugging it off on his way out. Ochako is the first to praise her handiwork and asks if he’ll take a picture with them, and he complies without changing his drowsy expression. She calls everyone else to group in so she can take a shot with the museum behind them, and she passes her phone to Tenya for his much longer arm so they would all fit.

Despite its popularity, the lines pass efficiently through quick bag checks and cooperating card readers. Izuku nearly bounces in his clunky red sneakers the closer they get, and once he has the museum map in his hands, he pulls it open and scans the exhibits with his own eagerness interrupting his muttering, and it takes both Tenya and Ochako to steer him onward and away from the entry so others can pass. He works out a route with his finger dragging across the map and connecting the ins-and-outs of the varying rooms, everyone leaving it to him and his capable hands.

Shouto asks to borrow the map a moment, and Izuku happily passes it with a peek as he follows his eyes scanning the map. No real indication what he’s reading and thinking, but he folds it and slips it back into Izuku’s hands as he returns his own to his pockets.

“No way! Is that Crimson Riot? I have to send this to Kirishima,” Ochako charges forward and takes as many pictures as she can to capture the bits of old merchandise and news articles, and she sends the plethora of photographs to his biggest fan despite the limited signal inside the building. Rather than fight with it, she manages to connect to the guest wifi and receives a string of gushing texts once they all go through at once.

They follow along per Izuku’s suggestion, stopping at familiar heroes to tease their professional personas versus meeting them in person, but a tribute to Ragdoll and her team leaves them in bittersweet memory. Shouto steers their attention to Gang Orca, only to reference how much of an idiot he’d been during the license exam their first year, and Izuku snorts with the softened mood. They exchange a light banter with Shouto’s hand blocking Izuku’s gentle fist, and Tenya turns toward one of the more sizable exhibits showcasing past members in his family tree.

Before he gets carried away, he checks to make sure how his brother’s reposition is handled and breathes a sigh of relief at the absence of any mention of the word victim. Izuku is the first to join his side, admiring the replica displays of each costume.

“They’re probably going to add you when you graduate, Tenya,” Tsuyu reaches the end of the family tree and points to the available space. The rest immediately face him with a spark in their eyes, and he coughs into his closed hand

“I’d much rather earn it then obtain the honor by default on account of my family name,” he flattens his hand as it comes down from his mouth. Although they respect his ideal, they can’t help but poke at him with additional praise that he’ll earn it in no time at the rate he’s going. Ochako especially points toward a mention of him as a nameless younger brother to the former Ingenium, and he appreciates remaining anonymous until making a true debut.

As he discusses some context for a few articles pertaining to his grandparents, other guests stop to listen and brighten when they realize who he is. Tenya entertains a few questions, smile beaming with pride as he shares what he can. Izuku notes the difference between bragging and praising another’s accomplishments, and he listens intently for whatever new details he can jot down in his notes. Once he’s had his fill, he dismisses himself and thanks those who have listened earnestly for their interest and support.

Tsuyu and Ochako smile to themselves as they overhear the chatter and compliments directed toward him.

The following displays bleed into one another from veteran heroes to rising stars, and Izuku mentions that there’s a sense of build up to some larger names like Best Jeanist and Ryukyu, garnering excitement from both the girls. When they reach her exhibit, they join hands and read through the item descriptions and clippings together and recount a few memories from their internship without mentioning the catastrophic morning mission.

Izuku doesn’t linger around to listen. If anything, he seems preoccupied with what’s to come.

The girls take a selfie with the image of Ryukyu behind them and send it to Nejire for old time’s sake, to let her know they’re thinking of her, then continue onward through the supposed countdown of heroes. Soon enough, they reach the hero both Izuku and Shouto have been dreading without sharing a single word about it to one another, and the former continues in his steps as if to completely pass the display until he notices Shouto stiff in his steps.

Hellfire burns in the forefront of his mind when the flames flicker in the roped-off chalice.

He squints at the small placate discussing its significance, and he grimaces at the thought of Endeavor having granted them some sort of mock eternal flame.

The display is just as gaudy as Shouto imagined it would be. Newspaper clippings, photographs, and awards encased and proudly broadcasted to showcase someone who dedicated his entire life to second place. A victory only due to the first stepping down. It figures the only remnant of his personal life exists in the form of his old U.A. gym uniform, if only to discuss his alma mater, athletic, and academic accomplishments.

No mention of a wife or four children.

Or so he’d like to pretend, but the visitors recognize him immediately, and he shuts them down coldly as they ask for additional trivia. It’s the total opposite of Tenya’s attitude toward his own family’s dedication; he almost wants to press further, but Izuku halts his arm and asks him to leave it be. Shouto understands what it means to ignore fans, and he knows the consequences. This is no way to rise to the top or win favor, but neither is pretending that a renowned hero deserves a display and following like this.

The space closes in, fire threatening to burn its remaining oxygen, and he holds his breath.

“I’m sorry if I upset him,” a woman approaches the other four, Shouto having moved on to the next display on his own. Ochako shakes her head and waves her arms hoping to soften any offense, but the woman continues, “I just never thought I’d have a chance to meet someone connected to Endeavor, so I may have come off pushier than I’d meant.”

“Don’t worry,” Tenya reassures, “he comes across as aloof, but I don’t believe it directly reflects how he feels to the other person. And being the son of such an established hero, I’m sure he has to deal with it often. Sometimes it’s easier to deny everyone then end up stuck in an unyielding questionnaire.”

“That,” she cups her cheek as she mulls over what he’s said, “makes perfect sense. I should have been more considerate. I suppose I’ll try sending another letter… Anyway, sorry to take your time!” The woman dismisses herself, leaving the others to ponder what she could have wanted with the Number One hero that would make her try to reach his son instead.

They shake their heads and regroup with Shouto, unfazed by what’s happened, and he calls Izuku closer to show him an old trinket from the beginnings of heroism back in the United States. With fingertips hovering in front of the glass, it nearly fogs from his breath so close as he marvels at the history. These items seem to be on loan from a museum abroad, and he takes his time absorbing the notes and evolution of hero merchandise.

“Some of these are so cheesy,” Ochako reads a few translations from old buttons, and Izuku grins.

“That’s part of the charm, I think.”

“I can’t wait to see what yours are like,” she bumps him with her elbow, and he pulls back from the glass with a degree of confidence rising from his blush. If anyone can derive comfort from seeing his name or motto, then he knows he’ll have done his job.

They follow the path of former heroic icons, ones who could have been considered number one of their respective eras  if the title were around at the time. The further they walk, the heavier his soles; Izuku can sense the pressure of expectations rising in his bones, and it nearly swallows him whole. Rescuing a few fellow classmates, heroes, and children is one thing, but it dawns on him that his goals have transformed his body into a future monument. He’ll become a wax statue, a glass case of history, a video on loop, a rusty, metal button, and a compost of remember-whens.

The red, white, blue, and gold cast upon them and leave him in his shadow.

“Oh wow, it’s lifesize!”

“Just what you’d expect from All Might’s exhibit,” Tsuyu ribbits as they approach.

“Midoriya could most likely recite every fact here,” Tenya boasts on his friend’s behalf, and Izuku snaps from his daze and chuckles. Shouto watches from the corner of his eye but keeps his observations to himself and instead basks in the comforting presence of their former Symbol of Peace.

“Try me,” he encourages Tenya and turns himself away from the display so he won’t read any of the tidbits. Entertaining the challenge, the others decide on which obscure fact to quiz him on.

“Two years following his debut, All Might left his agency abruptly and rushed himself to Imaichi to--”

“To apprehend villains who had struck dangerously close to Cedar Avenue, which was peculiar given the smaller population and inactivity there, so the attack had been a deliberate threat to the historic site in order to call attention to an otherwise peaceful area. It’s said that All Might rushed so quickly he was able to travel there, defeat and arrest the ones responsible, and return to his agency before lunch.”

“Impressive,” Shouto finishes reading the card and turns to Izuku, now blushing.

“Really, I don’t understand the point,” Ochako hums.

“Some people just want to watch the world burn,” Tsuyu quotes, and she isn’t satisfied but lets the matter go.

“How much control do you suppose the heroes themselves have over what ends up in here?” Tenya brings his hand to his chin, and Izuku eyes the rest of All Might’s portion to take note of what may stand out as a personal choice. Looking over the timeline’s order, he notices the lack of All for One’s mention in their previous battle before their reunion. Of course, there’s a muted news loop of his final battle’s coverage, but no real information on the villain at all.

“What is it, Midoriya?” Izuku breaks from his focus and turns to Shouto now at his left, and he apologizes for spacing out again but doesn’t quite answer the question. The other boy brings his attention to the display and recalls the night, but keeps his own thoughts to himself due to the company surrounding them.

“Hey, Deku, why don’t we send a picture to All Might?” Ochako joins him at his right and nudges him gently. His downcast illuminates almost instantly, and he tugs his phone from his pocket with a sincere nod. Rather than ask Tenya to take the picture again, she grabs the attention of a young couple and asks one of them to take a shot of all of them posing similarly to the giant statue of All Might with Izuku at the center.

“I could go for some activity after all that! Seeing all those heroes just made me want to get back out there,” Ochako adapts to a stance and swings her fist once they’ve regrouped in the nearby park after stopping for a quick snack. “Anyone wanna go for a jog? Or how about a spar?”

“That isn’t a bad idea,” Tenya agrees, then notices Tsuyu in her many layers, far too impractical for exercise. Before he can comment for her sake, she raises a hand.

“Moving around wouldn’t hurt,” she says, “besides, I can take this off if I need to.”

“Then how about we do some sparring? No using our quirks though!”

“Sounds good to me.”

“So, how are we gonna decide this?”

The five exchange looks until an idea sparks in Izuku’s brain and lifts his hand around his semi-empty soda bottle to showcase. They stare at it, then him, and he realizes all he’d exclaimed was This! and gave no further context.

“You know, like spin the bottle. But instead of kissing, we fight.”

“I love it!” claps Ochako. With no objections, they form a circle in the cold, dry dirt and each take their seats. They work out the ground rules, mostly to establish how long each sparring match should last, and finalize the window. “You go first since it was your idea, Deku!” He nods and spins it with far too much gusto, and they end up telling him to re-spin with less power behind it.

It lands between Tenya and Tsuyu, though closer to the former.

“Ooh! The two kickers!” Ochako cheers as they rise to their feet. She starts up a low chant of fight fight fight to get them in the spirit of competition, and they walk further toward an open patch of the park to give them plenty room to work with. Both take the time to stretch their arms, legs, joints, and back, then they assume the proper stance as they wait for their self-appointed announcer to give them the go. “And start!”

Izuku springs from the ground with a swift start and twists his kick into Tenya’s block, forcing him to shift quickly to avoid his counter. Confidence glints from his dark blue eyes when he swings his longer leg, and Izuku takes to defense as he shields himself behind his arms, studying Tenya’s movements and taking into account similar ways he could apply them to his own skills. Even without his quirk, he’s fast; Izuku relies on their height difference to break out of his range and ducks to try and knock him off his feet. Tenya stammers but anchors himself in heavy steps. Izuku retaliates with his palm digging into the cold dirt and swings his leg again, connecting successfully, but still only knocks him back without falling.

If that won’t work, an aerial strike might, he plans, but Tenya is already at his side with the side of his flattened hand knocking against Izuku’s shoulder blade to drop him forward. He braces his fall and whips himself around to face his opponent again, this time actively shutting off his analytical mind to rely on instinct. Just as he leaps from the earth again, Ochako shouts.

“Time!”

He falls the the dirt and grumbles, Tenya’s laughter filling his ears only until he extends his hand to offer him back to his feet.

“I’m still amazed how high you can jump even without your quirk,” he admires, “I would have liked to see where that went.”

“You and me both,” he tugs on their handshake, releases it, and bumps his fist. They exchange momentary flattery before returning to the circle, and Shouto takes Izuku’s dirtied hand in his own to inspect. Once he’s satisfied without worry of scratch or cut from the dirt, he releases it without having once looked Izuku in the face. Partly a blessing, since he could feel the heat building in his cheeks, more than before.

“Y-you’re turn,” he manages to say, and Shouto nods as he takes the bottle and spins it. His gaze fixates on the neck as it slows, passing Tsuyu, Tenya, then stopping almost perfectly on Ochako. She practically jumps to her feet with a loud, exuberant cheer.

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!” she sheds her jacket and readies herself to slam it on the ground, but she plops it over Tsuyu’s shoulders instead, adding complimentary pats. Her enthusiasm is intoxicating enough to upturn his lip, and he unties his scarf to pack it safely into his messenger bag left on the ground, letting his cardigan tumble into a puddle of itself on top. By the time they gain enough distance, she’s tied most of her hair back into a tight, messy bun, and she readies herself until no one says anything, and she turns forlorn toward the group.

“C’mon, someone announce us!”

Izuku immediately tries to think of what they could either have in common or stark contrast, but he overwhelms himself with the fact that he’s had a serious crush on both of them at some point. Tenya cuts in with his hand in the air as he shouts:

“Class A’s sun versus moon! Start!”

Shouto almost questions what he means, but he has no time when Ochako darts toward him with her body low to get a charging rush to his waist. While she knows it won’t necessarily work, she needs to keep close to him in order to have a chance at restraining him before time runs out. She may not be as analytically observant as Izuku, but she knows who is and isn’t a ranged fighter; Shouto does best when he’s working from a distance to propel ice and fire as necessary. So when he dodges her charge, she ducks out from under his arm where he swings his fist, and rises to wrap both hands around his arm and try to pull him down.

“Hey, no quirks!” she lets go of his heated arm as a precaution, and he touches it with his right.

“Sorry. I’ve been using it all day,” he quickens the cooling process so they don’t lose time, and she hits him with a penalty strike to his chest. She can tell he intentionally leaves himself open, opting to take the hit rather than block, and he uses the opportunity to reach for her shoulder and shove her away from him. Once balanced in her footing, she rises to the challenge and closes the space again, trying to keep on his left to restrain the arm again.

She’s strong enough, and she knows it, but something changes almost too instantly for her to register, and she shifts to the defensive to avoid his leg swinging around and against her armed barrier. The force pushes her back, soles clinging to the dirt, but her endurance keeps her standing. Ochako thrusts herself into his fist with one last charge, and they topple over into the ground with her weight pushing down on him to keep him secured below, but he jostles himself loose and sends her off to the side. Before either can recover, Tenya forms a T with his hands and shouts.

“Time!”

“Actually, a little over,” Tsuyu remarks. The two help one another off the ground, and Shouto inspects her less directly than he had Izuku. On their way back, she agrees to his offer of cooling the swelling on her arm where he’d struck, but she quickly feels her chilling sweat and pulls herself away to throw on her jacket again.

“So what was that about sun and moon?” Shouto asks as they catch their breaths and prepare for the next turn.

“I’ll admit, it was a dramatic stretch,” Tenya speaks with his fingers pressed to his chest and his other hand extended, “but I was referring to Uraraka’s sunny disposition and your… calmer one.”

“I’m a little insulted,” Ochako muses. “I kind of like being associated with the moon since it matches my face.”

“It does?”

“Yeah! Round and pretty, like me!”

“Plus your whole space motif.”

“Exactly!”

“I see now the error of my interpretations,” Tenya adjusts his glasses and lowers his head in a slight apologetic bow. “I’ll leave the announcements to you, Uraraka.”

Izuku turns to Shouto to watch him rub his hands together and hold his left arm, presumably warming himself up again after the match, and he attempts to offer his jacket when Tsuyu grabs the bottle in her turn to spin, watching with intense curiosity and ribbiting when it halts to a stop nearest Shouto.

“Again?!” Ochako exclaims.

“She can spin again if she w--”

“No,” Tsuyu interrupts Shouto’s proposal to stare into his eyes, “you’re my natural weakness if we’re talking about quirks, so if you’re up for going twice in a row, I’d like to spar with you.”

“I don’t mind, but let me even myself out first,” he learns from last time and cools down his left half before the match to neutralize his hot-and-cold levels.

“Also Tsuyu, since your quirk is mostly part of you, refrain from using your camouflage or tongue,” Tenya instructs, and she nods, working off most of her layers and piling them on Ochako’s offering arms. “Should we permit her long leaps?”

“Fine by me,” Shouto sheds himself of his cardigan once again and watches Tsuyu rub her arms in a momentary shiver. She notices the look in his eyes, sees how Recovery Girl’s teaching has influenced him, and she reassures that she’ll be fine once they start moving. He agrees that they not linger any longer than they need to, and they prepare themselves in the field. Ochako waits out their stretching before cupping her hands around her mouth to mimic a megaphone.

“Finish him off, Tsu! Start!!”

“Hey, we’re supposed to stay neutral!” Izuku turns to her, but she shrugs and keeps all of Tsuyu’s accessories and coat close to her chest as she watches eagerly. He forfeits a further argument, lighthearted as it were, and hugs his knees as he looks on.

Tsuyu keeps herself moving, leaping from side to side to keep her position unpredictable and shorten the distance between them. Her moves are quick and out of his natural range due to their stark difference in heights, and she uses it to her advantage when he swings a right hook. She ducks, and he swings again with his left, and she leaps from the dirt to twist herself midair and latch her leg around his neck, spinning the both of them in her momentum as she yanks them down to the ground with her thighs locking him in place as she lands perpendicular to him.

His hands press her thigh to pry himself loose, but she’s relying on their strength to keep him down. Ochako starts a mock countdown, pausing for dramatic effect when he manages to push them apart enough to squeeze himself loose and release an icy cough, and he holds up a hand to call an end to the match while she repositions her crouch to lunge for him again, but quickly returns to standing.

“That was incredible!” Izuku marvels at her technique as she pats her large hand against Shouto’s back.

“I just wanted to see if I could break your grip before calling it off,” he admits. “I’ll have to spar with you more under better circumstances.”

“You train a lot in your spare time, don’t you?” she asks with her finger on her cheek while they walk back to the circle.

“Yeah, but my sparring partner...s aren’t usually the small and agile type.”

She notes the correction but chalks it up to an afterthought when considering the class as a whole, and Tsuyu feels herself smiling at the thought of overcoming their weaknesses with each other’s help. But her smile spreads further when Ochako returns her clothes to her and hugs her tight with various praises about how cool that was and how she wishes she’d have filmed it.

Shouto returns to where his bag lay between Izuku and Ochako, and he exhales frosty breath as he dresses himself again and bundles the lower half of his face in his scarf wrapped around his neck. The boy beside him scoots closer to get a better look, and Shouto thanks his scarf from masking most of his flush from the green eyes lingering on him. “What is it?” he asks, voice muffled by the cloth.

“Are you okay doing that? Fluctuating your body temperature rapidly like that, I mean.”

“It’s fine, but I’m benching myself,” he replies. “Do you need me to warm up your jacket or anything?”

“Maybe if it lands on me again, yeah,” he looks away and props his arm on his knee to somewhat hide his face behind.

“Since everyone’s had a chance, does anyone want to just go for it?”

“Tsuyu, as much as I want to see you take us down, I think you should sit out to keep warm,” Ochako reluctantly advises, and Tsuyu blinks up from her nose sheltered by both mittens, sighing and concealing her frown when she nods. “Hey, Deku? Wanna fight me?”

Her grin says it all. She was listening to them.

“You’re on!” he regains his spirit and springs to his feet. He yanks the zipper down and pulls the thick sleeves from his arms to plop into Shouto’s extended hand, missing how the other boy’s fingers clutch into the fabric gently. Ochako’s attitude mirrors his, and she rips her own jacket off with an exaggerated pop of each snap button.

They walk toward the designated clearing, and both Tsuyu and Tenya sit at either side of Shouto with a looming presence that has him tense, almost agitated by the closeness. “What?” he asks rather than let them continue silently exchanging glances over him.

“I didn’t hear you offering to warm any of us up,” Tsuyu comments, indicating how he’s holding Izuku’s hoodie in his lap, fingers feeling the fabric absentmindedly. He almost apologizes if they’re bothered by it, but Tenya stops him.

“And taking his hand earlier was--”

“That was,” Shouto stops before he can listen to the fact that no one knows how to keep their eyes to themselves, and he sighs. By now, Izuku and Ochako are delivering and blocking kick after punch, their taunts and yells nearly overpowering the others’ voices. “He doesn’t take care of himself. I already knew that, but when I started working with Recovery Girl, I could understand why she got so frustrated with him.”

“Midoriya has that effect on people,” Tenya shrugs, watching the two of his friends let loose in the dirt. “But you don’t look frustrated when you look at him.”

“Usually I’m the one on that receiving end,” he huffs in a semi-smile but almost loses his composure when Izuku and Ochako momentarily abandon sparring formality to start messing around with new moves, the latter telling him his moves are weak. He retaliates by knocking her off her feet in a quick kick from below.

Tsuyu and Tenya exchange a look, wondering if they should pry further about his genuine feelings, but they don’t want to press Shouto to the point where he’ll never act again in fear of them mentioning it. They decide to let the matter go and watch as Ochako and Izuku wrangle their last bouts of energy from one another. By the time they’re sweating, panting messes of ruffled hair and dirty clothes, the sky’s cast down from blues to golds.

Shouto tends to their post-scuffle skin, dealing with Ochako first since hers are easier to identify. He clears her once he’s given her his cooled handkerchief to keep on her forearm and offered her a bandage that she could apply herself. Usually none of this particularly matters, and they aren’t used to holding back as much with quirks and an easy cure available on campus, but no one wants to spend the trip sore.

Izuku readies himself to deny the need for anything, but Shouto’s hand is already on his cheek where she managed to land a hit strong enough to cause swelling. Nervous eyes fixate on the sun setting behind his head, noticing how the orange and pink reflect off his white hairs still trying to keep in a loosened braid over his ear. Quickly, they dart away while his fingers fidget with one another, and he’s soon muttering on about how they should get going soon since the temperature is going to drop even further, despite the fact that he’s sure his skin is burning underneath Shouto’s touch, but he doesn’t dare allow the thought to cross his mind lest the ever-building snowball of his feelings comes tumbling out his mouth.

“Here,” he removes his hand and returns the jacket, nice and toasty as he’d like it. Izuku accepts and shoves his arms into it, zips it up, lifts his hood, and proceeds to tug the draw strings shut to close it around his face as he turns toward the others teasing him about his new look.

“You rather I not say anything.”

“That’s right,” Shouto watches Izuku walk on with the girls at his sides, and Tenya pats his shoulder.

“Even if he feels the same way?”

Shouto sighs, the air visibly leaving his nose in a stream of frost. Despite his best efforts, Izuku struggles to hide his heart anywhere but his sleeve; he recalls when Ochako would get too close, his face would burst in its blush to the point where he had to shelter it behind his arms. Somewhere along the way, those barriers started building around the both of them.

“Especially if he does.”

Tenya’s worry shows through his face; Shouto takes the first step to catch up with the others, and when everyone is regrouped, he advises that they take a bath before heading out again. No one argues with a quick, hot bath on the table, so they try to reach the nearest one before nightfall, gaining on them far too early.

When Shouto takes the wheel, Tenya lists off various tips to the long-term drive despite having passed the role to him back in Ochako’s hometown. Rather than shut him down, he listens to instruction and assures him he won’t immortalize them into a headline. Rest easy, he says; they do, all three bundled in their blankets and pillows after the quick meal prior. Ochako compiles her photos from the day neatly into a folder and starts filtering out the doubles, and most of them use the time to catch up on missed messages throughout the day.

“So how long until we reach the ferry?”

“We should board it sometime around midday if we don’t make any more extra stops.”

“Has everyone contacted their families for the night?” Tenya eyes the clock to make sure it’s still reasonable enough, and he’s met with a mostly unanimous variation of yeah. Shouto glances at his phone, ribbon lighting up across its screen, but he decides to ignore it to avoid a texting-and-driving fiasco. “Do you need one of us to send it for you?”

“No, I took care of it before we left. Probably just a notification about something else.”

“Oh sorry that was probably me! I uploaded a few pictures and tagged us all,” Ochako says as she scrolls through her own feed, but there are no new comments to be seen. He hums in acknowledgement, and she carries on the conversation by switching to the topic of their classmates’ party held back at the dorm for the holidays. One picture in particular has her trapped in a series of snickers, and she shares the sight of Kirishima’s spiked hair being decorated like the class’ Christmas tree with everyone but their driver. Izuku keeps his eye on the time and forces himself to disengage from the sharing once he’s dedicated himself to sleep. It doesn’t take long for the rest to follow his lead.

The clock reads half past ten when Shouto confirms their unconsciousness.

Tsuyu leaves the volume low when she connects her phone to the auxiliary cord, and she sneaks a picture of the three sleeping behind, gracelessly as ever. Otherwise, she watches the roadside from her window and notices the decline in lighting the further they stretch along. She can almost see the temperature drop, and she tries to visualize warmer climates to keep her mind off it.

“You can sleep too, if you need to,” Shouto acknowledges Tsuyu’s yawn, and she waves her hand dismissively.

“It isn’t nice to leave the driver alone,” she tugs her knee to her chest, “besides, I don’t get many chances to talk to you one-on-one.”

“I’m not very good conversation,” he states, but it sounds more like an apology. She nearly hears the word company instead.

“You don’t have to talk a lot to say something worthwhile.”

As if proving his own point, he fails to conjure a proper response and slips into his comfortable silence while she switches the audio to a more calming playlist from her phone. Ordinarily, soft vocals may lull them to sleep, but she can see his thumb’s twitching from copious amounts of caffeine coursing through his system.

Tsuyu breaks the silence after the third song, lyrics already leaving their memory. His right wrist still adorns the bracelet clashing against the beige of his cardigan, and she recalls his fluctuation between dark jackets and soft sweaters. Everyone seems to have their style: Izuku with his hooded jackets, Ochako with her sportier looks, Tenya and his collared shirts, and herself with long layers.

She takes her chances at the cast, reels back, and lets her voice plop onto the current.

“You don’t have a very consistent wardrobe, Todoroki.”

If he didn’t know Tsuyu Asui, he would squint and wonder where the statement came from; however, he answers her observation as if it were a question to satisfy whatever curiosity has suddenly struck her.

“Hand-me-downs.”

So that’s it. Peculiar that a family with immense wealth like theirs would rely on such a frugal method, but practicality governed most of Shouto’s actions to begin with. Something she can understand well-- hook, line, and sinker.

“It’s weird to me,” she glances back at Tenya sleeping soundly with Ochako and Izuku stacked against him like collapsing domino blocks, “you and Tenya are the youngest of your siblings, but I’m the oldest of mine.”

Shouto sneers, “Do we act like it?”

“If I didn’t know, I’d think you were an only child, Todoroki,” she blinks as they pass another streetlight in the darkened highway. A curious hum builds in his throat, but she shakes her head. “No, actually, you do have some little brother tendencies.”

“Such as?”

“You have a messy side,” Tsuyu ribbits, “and you take things as they come but still do your best to stand out. I guess it’s difficult to put into words now that I’m trying.” He glances toward her and blinks back to the road as if absorbing what she’s spoken into the quiet air between them. Both could be accurate; he doesn’t need to tell her the whole story for her to catch onto the complications. Instead, he takes the opportunity to hear more about her and clears his throat.

“What are your younger siblings like?”

“A handful.”

“Big handful?” he remarks and is met with a quick tongue-slap on his shoulder. He apologizes accordingly, and she grins, but it lacks her usual mirth.

“It isn’t their fault,” Tsuyu shakes her head. “Maybe it’s partly mine. I can’t help but worry about them even though I know they’re fine.”

“Do you keep in touch?”

“About every other week,” she taps her phone on her thigh. “Thankfully, I haven’t had to check in so often since my parents changed positions.” Her back eases into the seat behind her as her shoulders slump, and she turns her attention toward the window at her left. Unlike him, she isn’t as secret about her home situation, but it isn’t something she shares smiling. Shouto almost asks if she needs him to turn up the heat, but she permits her thoughts to leave her lips.

“Maybe I’m jealous. I know my parents love us, and I know they wanted us, but I don’t think they wanted to be parents, if that makes sense,” she admits. He knows better than to interrupt someone opening up, so he listens on as the road continues. “It almost feels like now that I had to leave home, they suddenly know how to balance their work to take care of my brother and sister. Neither of them had to take that kind of responsibility.”

The next light passes over, and Shouto catches Fuyumi in its flare as Tsuyu confesses an honesty that she’s kept sheltered away from her siblings’ ears. Shouto wonders if he should be the one to hear it; anyone else could offer her warmer comfort than single nods in chilling car air. He at least helps himself not overwork his left by turning on the heater instead of continuing to debate it.

“Sorry, you didn’t ask about all that,” she turns back to face the front, and he draws himself in an almost bittersweet memory sneaking across his lips in a wry smile.

“Trust me, I’ve been there,” he merges onto the next road and glances at the map, setting it down again in the cupholder after taking note of how long they’ll be on it. When he speaks again, it takes a moment or two for him to fully form the question, and he decides that with Tsuyu, there’s no need to be articulate. “Did they burden you? Your siblings, I mean.”

“They could be annoying and stressful, yeah, but the burden was never their fault. My parents are the ones to blame, even if they never intended to put that stress on me,” she looks down to her lap at her phone, screen lighting up in a late-night notification, and she locks it. “A burden like that is something I’m prepared to take again if I have to, but they’re old enough now to help out, too. At least Samidare.”

Shouto glances toward her with a subtle turn of his head, then eases to a smile and faces the road again on the exhale. Tsuyu ribbits in curiosity, finger rising to her chin as she questions the gesture. He shifts the vent away from himself and shakes his head.

“You sound like a big sister, Asui.”

“Tsuyu,” she corrects, one of the few times to him specifically. “Call me Tsuyu.” He parts his lips, readying hesitation, and closes them. While she wouldn’t take it back, she’s ready to tell him to take his time with it, but his voice returns before her opportunity.

“Then Shouto,” he concedes, and her wide smile spreads from ear to ear.

[devotedtojoe]

Boy get out of the ice

Introduction sequence - The introduction to this first episode is longer than the standard sequence that introduces the rest of the Avatar episodes. It contains more background than the standard sequence. The animation contains some additions to accommodate the longer narrative. The trip through the map to the Fire Nation amphibious assault is longer, the shot of the Avatar silhouetted by the sun is longer, and the third paragraph below is accompanied by a pan right shot over a still frame that shows a burning landscape ravaged by war. Also, the narration around the departure of her father is voiced over shots of the Water Tribe ships departing, and of a younger Katara and Sokka watching them leave. Lastly, the stone pinnacle on which Aang stands in future episodes is empty.] Katara (voice over): Water... Earth... Fire... Air... My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world. Act I (The show opens with an overhead shot of iceberg laden waters. The screen pans left and rotates showing footprints in the snow, then fades to soaring pan shot from the air of the icy waters. As if the shot were taken from the outside of an airplane, the camera banks left as it moves forward. It comes to rest and slowly zooms in on a two person canoe out among the icebergs. Cut to a closer shot of the canoe. A teenage boy, Sokka, shaven headed except for a pony tail, stands in the canoe. He looks down at the water, spear at the ready. The other occupant is a young girl. Both wear blue overcoats. The canoe drifts slowly as the boy concentrates on fishing. Cut to a close, overhead shot of the canoe. Beside the boat a fish swims close to the surface in front of the boy.) Sokka: It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish. (Katara leans over the edge of the canoe to see a fish. Hesitantly, she removes her left glove. She takes a deep breather and with a look of trepidation begins to motion with her exposed hand. Suddenly, a globe of water containing the fish bursts out of the water.) Katara: Sokka, look! Sokka: (whispers) Shhh. Katara, you're gonna scare it away. Mmmm... I can already smell it cookin'! Katara (trying to retain control of the globe of water): But Sokka! I caught one! (She struggles with the blob of water and it floats closer to Sokka, who raises his spear to strike a fish. When he cocks his arm back he burst the bubble of water. The fish falls back into the sea and Sokka gets drenched.) Katara: Hey! Sokka (very exasperated): Ugh! Why is it that every time you play with magic water I get soaked? Katara: It's not magic. It's waterbending, and it's- Sokka: Yeah, yeah, an ancient art unique to our culture, blah blah blah. Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself. Katara: You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water. (Cut to Sokka, who is making a muscle and looking at his reflection in the water. He turns to Katara and gives her a look. Suddenly the boat is bumped, they look up to see they have entered an ice packed area. The begin to work frantically to maneuver the canoe between the icebergs.) Katara and Sokka: Ahhh! Katara: Watch out! Go left! Go left! (Cut to an overhead shot of the canoe as it threads its way through the ice pack. Icebergs are colliding all around them. Each time they manage to avoid getting crushed between the colliding icebergs, but their safety margins decreases rapidly each time. Finally the canoe is crushed when three icebergs collide at once. Sokka and Katara jump out in time onto one of the icebergs. Cut to a wide shot of the ice field. They are now at the mercy of the currents. Then cut back to the kids.) Katara: You call that left? Sokka: You don't like my steering. Well, maybe you should have waterbended us out of the ice. (Cut to a wide shot of the kids on their little iceberg. Behind them a huge towering iceberg rears up into the sky.) Katara: So it's my fault? Sokka: I knew I should have left you home. Leave it to a girl to screw things up. (Cut to a close of up Katara, her anger boiling over. She points at her brother.) Katara: You are the most sexist, immature, nut brained... (As she gets more excited, the iceberg on which they are sitting begins to heave. Switch to a wider shot, where the huge iceberg behind her cracks.) Katara: Ugh, I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! Sokka (noticing the cracking iceberg): Uh... Katara? Katara: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT! Sokka: Katara! Settle down! Katara: No, that's it. I'm done helping you. From now on, you're on your own! (By the end she is screaming. As she finishes, the iceberg behind her splits open entirely. It disintegrates and the major pieces fall into the water, pushing their iceberg away. They hold on desperately until the iceberg settles.) Sokka: Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara. Katara: You mean I did that? Sokka: Yup. Congratulations. (They both are leaning over the edge of the iceberg raft. Suddenly, the water just in front of them begins to glow an incandescent blue. They move backwards on their raft as another, lighter colored iceberg breaks the surface. It is unclear whether this is part of the one Katara broke up or not. As the new iceberg settles, Katara walks to edge of their iceberg raft to get a better look. Deep in the ice, the figure of a boy in a meditation pose is seen. He has white arrows on his fists and on his bald head. Suddenly, his eyes glow and his arrow markings glow white.) Katara: He's alive! We have to help. (She grabs Sokka's hockey stick type spear, pulls down her hood and turns to go to the boy.) Sokka: Katara! Get back here! We don't know what that thing is! (Katara ignores him and skips across a few little icebergs to arrive at the one in which the boy is trapped. Sokka follows. She begins to use the hockey stick to whack the ice. After a few big whacks, she cracks open the ice. It looks like air is released, as if the iceberg had a hollow chamber within it, but it is not entirely clear. The iceberg then cracks from top to bottom and explodes open. A huge shaft of white blue light shoots straight into the heavens. Cut to a quick shot of the iceberg from underwater where it glows brightly, then to shot an above ground shot from somewhere nearby where the shaft of light and the aurora australis is clearly seen in the background. The foreground is occupied by a herd of tiger seals, who rear themselves up and roar at the phenomenon. Cut to a view of an iron hulled battleship with a spiked prow cutting through the sea also nearby. It is apparently steam powered as it has a single smokestack. The foredeck is much longer than the afterdeck. The bridge appears to be several decks above the main deck. Cut to a shot of the back of a young man on the foredeck dressed in red, also shaven-headed except for a pony-tail, staring intently at the shaft of light in front of the ship. Then cut to a shot of his face, still illuminated by the shaft of light. The left side of his face is badly scarred around his left eye. This is Prince Zuko. The light from the light shaft dissipates.) Zuko: Finally. (He turns to address someone o.c.) Uncle, do you realize what this means? (Cut to an old man seated cross legged at a low table, drinking tea and playing a game involving domino like objects.) Iroh: I won't get to finish my game? Zuko: It means my search - it's about to come to an end. (Iroh groans.) Zuko: That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It has to be him! Iroh: Or it's just the celestial lights. We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get too excited over nothing. Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea? Zuko (exploding in anger): I don't need any calming tea! I need to capture the Avatar. Helmsman, head a course for the light! (Cut back to a wide shot of the exploded iceberg, which quickly shifts to Sokka still shielding his sister from the blast that just dissipated. They look up to see residual blue light still swirling around the top of what is left of the iceberg. Suddenly, the boy appears, his eyes and arrow markings still aglow.) Sokka (raising his spear at the boy): Stop! (The boy stands up as the glow and residual energy fades. He seems to pass out and slides down the side of the ruined iceberg to Sokka and Katara, who lunges forward and catches him as he falls. Sokka pokes Aang in the head with the blunt end of his weapon.) Katara: Stop it! (She gives Sokka the Heisman and turns to the boy. She gently turns him over so that he is lying on his back. He begins to wake up. He slowly opens his eyes and the camera switches to the boy's p.o.v. to show his view of Katara. A breeze gently blows her braids and we hear him intake a breath.) Aang (whispering in a weak voice): I need to ask you something. Katara: What? Aang (still whispering): Please... come closer. Katara: What is it? Aang (in a normal, even excited voice): Will you go penguin sledding with me? Katara: Uh... sure. I guess. (Aang airbends himself to his feet as he starts to rub the back of his head.) Sokka: Ahh! Aang: What's going on here? Sokka: You tell us! How'd you get in the ice? (Poking Aang with his spear) And why aren't you frozen? Aang (batting the spear anway, absently): I'm not sure. (Aang gasps as a low, animal like noise is heard from o.c. and begins to frantically climb back up the ruined iceberg. He jumps over the lip of what is in fact now a crater and lands on a huge furry animal.) Aang: Appa! Are you all right? Wake up, buddy. (He leans down and opens one of the beasts eyes. He closes it again. Aang hops down and tries to lift the animal's huge head, but without effect. Katara and Sokka come around the corner and their mouths drop in shock as the see the monster, whose mouth opens and licks the boy trying to wake him up.) Aang: Haha! You're okay! (He hugs Appa, then cut to a wide shot of the destroyed iceberg. Appa occupies most of the crater left by the explosion. He is a huge flying bison with six legs and horns like a steer. He gets up and shakes himself off a bit.) Sokka: What is that thing? Aang: This is Appa, my flying bison. Sokka: Right. And this is Katara, my flying sister. (Aang is about to reply, but doesn't as Appa begins to sneeze. Aang ducks in time as Appa proceeds to sneeze all over Sokka.) Sokka: Ewww! Aahh!!! (Sokka, covered in snot, tries to get rid of it by rolling around on the ice and snow.) Aang: Don't worry. It'll wash out. Sokka: Ugh! Aang: So, do you guys live around here? Sokka: Don't answer that! Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy. Katara: Oh, yeah, I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in his eye. (Cut to a shot of Aang's innocent face, his smile accompanied by a funny sound effect.) Katara: The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your name. Aang: I'm A... aaaahhhh... ahhhhhh.... aaah aaah aaah AAAAAAACHOOOO! (As Aang sneezes he zooms of the ground far into the air. He responds to her question after he lands to the whistling sound of a bomb dropping.) Aang: I'm Aang. (He sniffles and rubs his nose.) Sokka: (incredulous) You just sneezed... and flew ten feet in the air. Aang: Really? It felt higher that that. Katara (gasping): You're an airbender! Aang: Sure am. Sokka: Giant light beams... flying bison... airbenders... I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense. (Sokka turns to walk off, but is stopped at the iceberg's edge. The camera zooms way out to show how desolate the area is. Just sea and ice.) Aang: Well, if you guys are stuck Appa and I can give you a lift. (Aang airbends himself onto Appa's head, then to the top of his back where rests an enormous saddle. Reigns are attached to both of Appa's great horns.) Katara: We'd love a ride! Thanks! (She gets on Appa.) Sokka: Oh, no... I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster. Katara: Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home? You know... before you freeze to death? (Sokka starts to say something and gives up before he does. He sighs. Cut to Katara and Sokka in the back part of the saddle. Katara looks excited. Sokka looks grumpy, arms folded across his chest.) Aang: Okay. First time flyers, hold on tight! Appa, yip yip! (Aang shakes the reigns and Appa makes a low rumble. Cut to a rear shot of Appa. He flaps his huge beaver tail and then launches into the air. He spreads his legs wide, but then comes right back down into the water with a huge splash. He begins to swim them forward.) Aang (shaking the reigns again): Come on, Appa. Yip yip. Sokka: Wow. That was truly amazing. Aang: Appa's just tired. A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky. You'll see. (He makes a “soaring through the sky” motion with his hand, his eyes finally resting on Katara. He leaves them there, a smile on his face as he looks at her.) Katara: Why are you smiling at me like that? Aang: Oh... I was smiling? Sokka (disgusted): Uuuuugh. (Cut to a shot of Appa swimming through the water, flopping his tale. Fade back to Prince Zuko's Fire Navy ship. Zuko, on the spotting deck off the bridge looking forward, is approached by Iroh. It is now night.) Iroh: I'm going to bed now. (He makes an exaggerated yawn) Yep. A man needs his rest. Prince Zuko, you need some sleep. Even if you're right and the Avatar is alive, you won't find him. Your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all tried and failed. Zuko: Because their honor didn't hinge on the Avatar's capture. Mine does. This coward's hundred years in hiding are over. (Fade back to a long shot of Appa swimming, his friends on his back. Cut to a closer, overhead shot. Aang lies back on top of Appa's head. Katara, in the saddle on Appa's back with her brother, crawls forward and looks down from the saddle at Aang.) Katara: Hey. Aang: Hey. Whatcha thinkin' about? Katara: I guess I was wondering – your being an airbender and all – if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar. Aang (looking disconcerted): Uhh... no. I didn't know him... I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry. Katara: Okay. Just curious. Goodnight. Aang: Sleep tight. (Katara turns away and the camera zooms up to Aang, who also looks away, an expression of fear on his face. Cut to a long shot of Appa swimming again before a cut to commercial break.) Act II (The show returns to Aang in a dream. The colors are grays, crèmes and pale browns. He wakes up on top of Appa and the view rotates with Aang in Appa's saddle, then cut to Aang struggling against Appa's reigns with heavy rain coming down.) Aang: Aaahhh! (Cut to an underwater shot, where Aang and Appa suddenly penetrate the surface and enter the watery depths. They come up briefly for air, Appa groans, but they are once again driven under the storm tossed waves. As they drift downward, Aang drops Appa's reigns and begins to lose consciousness. Suddenly, Aang's eyes and markings glow white. He puts his hands together and he freezes himself and Appa in a huge ball of ice.) Katara (voice over): Aang! Aang, wake up! (He wakes up, gasping) It's okay. We're in the village now. Come on, get ready. Everyone's waiting to meet you. (Aang gets up and puts on his shirt and hood. Katara looks at his airbender tattoos. She grabs Aang by the hand and drags him outside. He carries a staff with him.) Aang: Whaaaa! (Cut to a wide overhead shot as Katara pulls him out. A small crowd has gathered to greet him. It is composed of women of various ages and children.) Katara: Aang, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang. (Aang bows to them in a friendly manner, but the people pull back from him anyway.) Aang: Uh... why are they all looking at me like that? Did Appa sneeze on me? (An old woman enters the frame as Aang inspects his clothes for bison snot.) Gran Gran: Well, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct until my granddaughter and grandson found you. Aang: 'Extinct'? Katara: Aang, this is my grandmother. Gran Gran: Call me Gran Gran. Sokka (grabbing Aang's staff): What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this. Aang: It's not for stabbing. (He creates a jet of air that sucks the staff back into his hand.) It's for airbending. (Aang opens the staff into a glider with red wings.) Little Girl: Magic trick! Do it again! Aang: Not magic, airbending. It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly. Sokka: You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly. Aang: Check again! (Aang launches himself into the air with his glider. He soars through the air, doing loops as the villagers on the ground point to him in wonder.) Villagers: Whoa... it's flying... it's amazing! (Aang looks down at Katara who smiles at him. He is so enthralled with her attention that slams right into Sokka's guard tower. He pulls his head out of the tower and falls to the ground with his glider.) Aang (as he crashes): Oof! Sokka (gasping): My watchtower! Katara: That was amazing. (She helps Aang back to his feet. He twirls his glider shut as Sokka examines the damaged tower behind him. After Aang closes the glider a huge bank of snow buries Sokka.) Sokka: Great. You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender, together you can just waste time all day long. Aang: You're a waterbender! Katara: Well... sort of. Not yet. Gran Gran: All right. No more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores. (Gran Gran leads Katara away.) Katara: I told you! He's the real thing, Gran Gran! I finally found a bender to teach me. Gran Gran: Katara, try not to put all your hopes in this boy. Katara: But he's special. I can tell. I sense he's filled with much wisdom. (She looks over to her right. Cut to Aang with his tongue frozen to his staff, children gathered around him.) Aang: (slurring) Sthee? Now my tongue ith thuck to my sthaff. (A child next to him grabs the staff and yanks, but Aang's tongue stays stuck.) Children (clapping): Tee hee! (Fade to an afternoon or sunset shot of Zuko's ship cutting through the waves, then cut to Zuko facing two Fire Navy seamen. Iroh sits nearby.) Iroh: Again. (Zuko blasts fire from his hands at the guards, but misses. Then the guards attack Zuko with blasts of fire from their fists, but Zuko dodges. He back flips over the guards to land behind them.) Zuko: Ha! Heeya! (Iroh sighs and gets up.) Iroh: No! Power in firebending comes from the breath. Not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire. (Iroh demonstrates, releasing a controlling plume of flame that bursts in front of Zuko, but does not hit him) Get it right this time. Zuko: Enough. I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set. I'm more than ready. Iroh: No, you are impatient. You have yet to master your basics. (More forcefully) Drill it again! Zuko: Grrrr... huh! (He blasts one of the guards backwards with a gout of fire.) The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements. I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him. You WILL teach me the advanced set! Iroh: Very well. But first I must finish my roast duck. (Begins eating) Num num... num... (Cut to a shot of the afternoon sky. The screen pans down to reveal Sokka, clearly addressing an audience as he paces back and forth.) Sokka: Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a firebender. In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men? (Cut to the audience. It is a group of six children, most of whom are toddlers.) Little Boy (raising his hand): I gotta pee! Sokka: Listen! Until your fathers return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe. And that means no potty breaks. Little Boy: But I really gotta go. Sokka (sighing): Okay... who else has to go? (All six raise their hands. Sokka slaps his forehead in disgust as all six exit to the right. Katara enters from the left.) Katara: Have you seen Aang? Gran Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago. (Cut to Aang emerging from a small igloo type bathroom stall. He adjusts his pants and smiles at the trip of boys coming to use the toilet.) Aang (gesturing over his shoulder at the toilet): Wow! Everything freezes in there! Children: Hahaha! Sokka: Ugh! Katara, get him out of here. This lesson is for warriors only. Kid (voice over): Wheeee! (Cut to a rear shot of Appa, Aang on his back. They have propped up his tail using a makeshift sawhorse. A kid has used Appa's back and tail as a slide to land in a pile of snow. The children, and soon Katara, all start laughing.) Sokka: Stop! Stop it right now! (To Aang) What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on. Aang: What war? (He hops down off of Appa) What are you talking about? Sokka: You're kidding, right? (Aang's gaze shifts slightly off of Sokka to look at something beyond him o.c.) Aang: PENGUIN! (To accentuate Aang's exclamation the screen around him vibrates slightly in a visual effect. Cut to a shot of a penguin in distance, visible between Sokka and Katara. The camera closes on the penguin almost instantly. The penguin, aware that it has been spotted, makes an excited noise and turns to waddle away. Aang uses his airbending skill to run at unbelievable speed toward the horizon where the penguin had just been.) Sokka: He's kidding, right? Act III (Fade to a beach loaded with penguins who waddle around squawking. Katara enters, looking for Aang.) Katara: Aang? (Cut to Aang chasing some penguins, but unable to catch them as the waddle away.) Aang: Haha! Hey, come on little guy. Wanna go sledding? (Aang lunges, but falls flat on his face. He gets back up as Katara approaches.) Aang: Oof! Heh heh, I have a way with animals. (He puts his arms out and waddles in imitation of the four flippered penguins) Yarp! Yarp yarp! Yarp! Yarp yarp! Yarp! Katara: (giggles) Hahaha... Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me waterbending. Aang: You got a deal! Just one little problem. I'm an airbender, not a waterbender. Isn't there someone in your tribe who can teach you? Katara (looking away in sadness): No. You're looking at the only waterbender on the whole South Pole. Aang: This isn't right. A waterbender needs to master water. What about the North Pole? There's another Water Tribe up there, right? Maybe they have waterbenders who could teach you. Katara: Maybe. But we haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly 'turn right at the second glacier.' It's on the other side of the world. Aang: But you forget: I have a flying bison. Appa and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara, we're gonna find you a master! Katara (happily): That's... (then uncertain) I mean, I don't know. I've never left home before. Aang: Well, you think about it. But in the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of these penguins? Katara (mock teacherly tone): Okay, listen closely my young pupil. Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art. Observe. (She produces a little fish from her coat and tosses it at Aang. He is instantly surrounded by a horde of hungry penguins. Fade to a shot of an ice bank. It appears to be late afternoon. Suddenly, Katara and Aang rocket off the ice bank, each sitting atop a penguin. The land on the bank below and continue down at high speed on the penguin's belly. Aang and his penguin take a jump off a small ramp, eventually landing in front of Katara. She takes the jump and lands near him. They laugh and whoop happily.) Katara: I haven't done this since I was a kid! Aang: You still are a kid! (They continue to rocket across the frozen landscape, eventually entering system of ice tunnels. The tunnels are have periodic gaps where sunlight pours through. They emerge from the tunnels and get off their mounts, which stand up and dizzily wander away making little chirping noises. They walk forward, looking at something in front of them.) Aang: Whoa... what is that? (Cut to a huge ship locked in the ice in front of them. It is a derelict Fire Navy ship, silhouetted by the sun behind it.) Katara (deathly serious): A Fire Navy ship, and a very bad memory for my people. (Aang begins to walk to the ship.) Katara: Aang, stop! We're not allowed to go near it. The ship could be booby trapped. Aang: If you wanna be a bender, you have to let go of fear. (She looks uncertain, then follows him to the ship. They climb up and enter the ship through a gaping hole in one of the forward compartments below the water line. They walk around the dark corridors inside past many a darkened room.) Katara: This ship has haunted my tribe since Gran Gran was a little girl. It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks. Aang: Okay, back up. I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation. I've never seen any war. Katara: Aang, how long were you in that iceberg? Aang: I don't know... a few days, maybe? Katara: I think it was more like a hundred years! Aang: What? That's impossible. Do I look like a hundred-twelve year old man to you? Katara: Think about it. The war is a century old. You don't know about it because, somehow, you were in there that whole time. It's the only explanation. (Aang puts his hand to his head and walks backward. Stunned by this realization, he sinks to the floor.) Aang: A hundred years! I can't believe it. Katara (kneeling next to him): I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this. Aang: I did get to meet you. Katara (smiles): Come on. Let's get out of here. (She helps him back to his feet and they start walking once again. Fade to an exterior shot of the Fire Navy ship. Cut back to an interior shot of the ship as Aang enters a darkened room on the ship, Katara behind in the hallway.) Katara: Aang? Let's head back. This place is creepy. Aang: Huh? (Cut to a shot of Aang's foot dragging a trip wire on the floor. Behind them the door is blocked by a grate that drops from the ceiling. They grab it just after it falls shut. They are trapped.) Aang: What's that you said about booby traps? (Around them, machinery in the room starts to operate. Gauges show steam pressure and wheels begin to turn. Steam begins to pour out of some of the equipment. Cut to an exterior shot of the ship. Suddenly, a bright flare explodes out of the Fire Navy ship and into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. Cut back to Aang and Katara looking out the window of the ship's bridge.) Aang: Uh oh. (Cut back to the flare as it rises. When it reaches its zenith it explodes with a small shower of sparks. Cut back to Aang and Katara with a wide shot on the bridge. There is a hole in the ceiling that Aang is looking at.) Aang: Hold on tight! (He grabs Katara, who cries out in surprise, and launches them both through the hole in the ceiling. He lands with her in his arms on top of the bridge. Cut to a long shot of the falling flare as seen through the lens of a telescope. The telescope follows the flare down for a few moments, before shifting downwards to show Aang hopping down the ship and the ice which encases it to the ground below, Katara still in his arms.) Zuko (voice over): The last airbender. (Cut to a profile view of Zuko looking through his telescope) Quite agile for his old age. Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the Avatar... (Zuko looks back into his telescope to see Aang and Katara running across the ice away from the ship. He then scans left quickly, then pulls it back right to focus on Katara's village.) Zuko: ...as well as his hiding place. (Cut to a close up of Zuko's left eye, the scarred one, which arches in determination.) [End Credits]

[hexusproductions]

Gasoline & A Lot Of Cash

Title: Gasoline And A Lot Of Cash Summary: How Roxy Rocket met another adrenaline-chasing racer Author’s Note: I’ve turned into Rockethead trash

A money transfer was currently being made on Gotham’s only bullet train, speeding along the tracks at a stupendous rate. Being Gotham, security was fairly tight, but who would be able to board a train going that fast anyway?

Any idiot dumb enough to ask that question would have had it answered as a repurposed rocket swooped down to fly alongside it. It steered close enough for its fins to almost graze the wall of the train. The pilot, Roxy Rocket, smiled as she almost carelessly reached over and pulled back the door, revealing a large stack of tightly wrapped bills.

“They even gift-wrapped it for me.” She smirked. Her ears pricked at the roar of a car engine, and her smirk widened as she looked back over her shoulder.

“Right on cue.”

She expected the Batmobile to come roaring around the corner with Mr Pointy-Ears in tow, so it was no less than a surprise when the car that appeared was bright yellow, not black. Her eyes widened as it was able to match the speed of the bullet train, speeding alongside both it and the still-open door. Roxy watched in shock as the back of the car opened, a crane-like arm stretching out and closing around the train’s cargo.

“Hey!” Roxy’s grip tightened on the handlebars as the arm pulled out the money and pulled it into the back of the car, hatch instantly closing again behind it. Without so much as a glimpse of the driver, the car’s engine revved and it took off again. For a moment Roxy could only stare in disbelief, but then she blinked and her teeth gritted in determination as she followed after the yellow car.

No way was some freeloader taking all of that money after all of her hard work! Besides, with the Bat as a no-show she needed someone to entertain her.

The car quickly increased its speed, giving absolutely no care towards the rules of the road whatsoever. The driver had guts, she’d give them that. Roxy steered downwards to get a bit closer to the car, seeing just how far she could get. The answer; close enough to swing her leg over the rocket so she was flying side-saddle, lean forward, and tap on the windshield. She reckoned that there was about a two-second moment of surprise before the driver quickly turned the steering wheel and skidded around a very sharp corner. Roxy smiled before righting herself and turning as well, scaling a building in the process. High in the air, she looked around for her target, kind of grateful that it was such a noticeable colour. When she found it, it was being tailed by the sleek black vehicle she had wanted in the first place.

“Oh, now the Bat decides to come out to play!” Roxy exclaimed, and immediately turned the rocket straight down and plummeted back towards the earth. A laugh escaped her as the air rushed past around her, waiting until the very last second before pulling up and barely avoiding hitting the ground.

“Woo-hoo!”

The bright yellow cash-mobile was effortlessly manoeuvring through other cars on the street, but the Bat seemed to be having a bit more trouble. Didn’t help that it was about twice as wide. Roxy chuckled a little before raising her head and spotting an alley up ahead. It was too big for the Batmobile, but the yellow car might have just been able to fit through. And if the driver was thinking like her, that’s exactly were they would be heading.

Roxy grinned and pulled her gun from her holster, aiming for the wooden boards covering the windows of a building facing the alley.

There was no reason she couldn’t give the Bat a little bit of help.

She fired, and the blast sent debris tumbling down, falling on the yellow car and stopping it in its tracks. Roxy smiled to herself in satisfaction before flying down into the narrow alley, hovering above what was left of the car. She looked down as wooden boards were kicked away from the driver’s compartment, allowing said driver to climb out muttering curses that would make a priest blush.

“Where’s the fire, slick?” Roxy called, and his head whipped up to her.

“You!” He exclaimed, but quickly set to trying to climb over the debris, “Get out of my way!” Roxy raised an eyebrow as the driver, dressed from head to toe in black and yellow, practically vaulted over the top of the rubble-filled mountain to the ground below. Wait, was that a metal arm? Holy crap.

“Well either you and I have similar priorities,” Roxy continued, “Or you just left all of your ‘grand haul’ behind.” He didn’t answer, running towards the nearest car he could find, parked next to a meter with three pink tickets stuck to the windshield. Roxy grinned and quickly swooped down, grabbing him and pulling him up beside her on the rocket.

“What are you doing?!” He cried, and Roxy grinned again.

“Just showing you a good time, slick.” She replied, and stepped on the metaphorical gas, ascending back into the sky. Black-and-yellow clung to her for dear life, practically shouting at her to land. What was the fun in that?

Once she was far above the tops of the highest buildings in Gotham, Roxy eased up a little and let the rocket glide slowly and smoothly.

“You can let go now.” Roxy teased, and while he stopped hugging her waist he didn’t let go of her jacket.

“Are you crazy?” He glanced at the ground for a split-second, and she shrugged. She had nothin’ for that question.

“So, you gotta name?” Roxy asked over her shoulder, and he frowned.

“Gearhead.”

“Huh. ‘Gearhead’.” Roxy repeated the name to herself, almost thinking aloud, “I guess that explains the arm. I’m Roxy.” She turned around and held out a hand, but Gearhead began to freak out again so she turned back in the right direction. After a moment he calmed down, and Gearhead exhaled in exasperated relief before frowning again.

“Put me down. Now.” He ordered.

“No can do Slick. But hey, you’re welcome to jump at any time.” She replied, a hint of amusement on her voice. Gearhead didn’t even look this time.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged flatly, and turned his arm. A large cylinder shot off of his arm and attached to the rocket, letting off strange noises as yellow circuitry injected into the vehicle began to glow.

“Hey what are you-“ Roxy cut herself off with a shout as the rocket lurched, and she gripped the handlebars as it shot back towards the ground at almost a free-fall.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Roxy exclaimed, and Gearhead gritted his teeth as he tried his best to steer the rocket into a more even descent. Roxy moved to stop him but suddenly faltered, and after a moment a strange-looking smile spread on her face and she grabbed the handlebars, leaning forward.

Now this was what she called excitement! Hurtling towards the ground at over two hundred kilometres an hour, what a rush! The wind whipped past her hair at an alarming rate, probably hitting Gearhead in the face a few times if he hadn’t been concentrating too hard to care and if Roxy hadn’t been leaning forward so much. Her adrenaline was running high, heart beating so hard it was about to burst out of her chest and sending thrills up her spine. The feeling only began to fade when she realised how close they were getting to the street.

“Uh, Gearhead?” Roxy asked with concern, and he grimaced.

“I’m trying!” Gearhead exclaimed, and Roxy’s eyes widened as she glanced at the quickly nearing tarmac.

“How do you get this thing off?!” She tried to pull off the device attached to her rocket, and Gearhead quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.

“Here!” He pressed a button on the end, and the cylinder retracted and detached from the metal surface. Roxy whirled around and tried to pull up, hoping that whatever he had done had put her back in the driver’s seat. The nose yanked up abruptly, the rocket skidding across the ground like a stone on a river and sending sparks flying. Roxy and Gearhead were sent flying as the rocket rolled to a stop, dents, scratches and tears all across the hull.

Roxy groaned before slowly sitting up, holding a hand to her head. Something was definitely going to bruise. She shook her head before her eyes widened, and Roxy looked over to where Gearhead was sprawled facedown a few meters away. Oh, crap!

Roxy pulled herself to her feet and ran over to Gearhead, kneeling beside him. He wasn’t dead, was he!? Oh god, please don’t let him be dead.

Roxy’s face fell with fear and dismay as she grabbed his shoulder, and Gearhead slapped her arm away, causing her to almost jump in the air.

“Oh thank god!” Roxy exclaimed in relief. Gearhead shakily pushed himself up to a kneel, groaning as he pulled the hood from his head. He held a hand to his face and almost instantly recoiled.

“Dammit.” He hissed, and Roxy instantly moved to sit in front of him.

“Let me see.” She reached for him, but Gearhead quickly pulled his head away.

“No.”

“Let me-“

“No!”

“Let me see!”

She grabbed his head firmly, and Gearhead scowled as she turned his head to the side, and her lips twisted in a slight grimace.

“You’ll be fine. It’s just a scratch.” She told him.

“The look you’re giving fills me with confidence.” He replied flatly, and Roxy smiled.

“Nah, you’re fine. Look…” She wiped away the trickle of blood with her thumb, “See?” Gearhead still didn’t look impressed, but as he went to reply the sound of sirens filled the air, causing the two to turn their heads.

“Fire department.” Gearhead grimaced as he stood, and Roxy thought she saw a smirk briefly flash across his face, “And probably the cops, too.” He took off, and Roxy quickly followed after him. With her ride totalled, she’d need another way out of here. Maybe she’d try to distract a cop and steal his car. Could be fun.

Gearhead huddled behind a dumpster, back against the wall as he let out a sigh of relief.

All he needed was a car, even a motorbike, and he could get out of here.

Gearhead had to bite his tongue as Roxy sat down next to him.

“Find your own hiding place!” He hissed, keeping his voice low as he looked around for any cops.

“Is that the thanks I get after saving your life?” Roxy questioned. Gearhead rolled his eyes, and Roxy glanced out before getting that look on her face again as recollection hit.

“And by the way, Slick…” She slid closer to him as she purred, “That was some nice flying back there. Ever consider doing it professionally?” Gearhead’s head turned around rather sharply to her, looking a little surprised.

“I prefer the ground.” He replied, and Roxy hummed.

“Oh I bet you can do a lot of things on the ground.” She replied, moving closer.

They were interrupted by the dumpster being moved, if only a few centimetres. The two looked up like deer caught in headlights to see a very familiar figure in a black cape.

“Dammit.” Gearhead groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall.

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

Gearhead grimaced as he was pushed onto the hood of Batman’s car.

“Oh, the special cuffs.” He remarked sourly as the stupidly shaped handcuffs were fastened around his wrists, “Must be my lucky day.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t die.” Batman replied flatly. He turned to Roxy, pulling her wrists behind her back. She didn’t put up much of a fight as she was cuffed as well, frowning disappointedly. When she was safety restrained Batman turned her towards the Batmobile, but she suddenly planted her feet in the ground.

“Wait a minute!” She whipped around and pressed against Gearhead’s chest, kissing him firmly before Batman yanked her back and pushed her into the car. “Jealous, Batman?” Roxy grinned and winked at Gearhead as he stood there, stunned and occasionally blinking as he tried to form a sentence.

“Um…okay?”

Batman didn’t say anything as he grabbed Gearhead’s shoulders, directing him into the other back seat. When the door was closed, Batman paused to exhale and shake his head slightly.

This was going to be an…interesting car trip.

[jacewilliams1]

The after symphony

All materials have a thermal expansion coefficient that measures the minute change in size per degree of temperature change.

When the engines of our aircraft cool on shut down, the heat generated by combustion and friction dissipates at various rates based on the composition of the different materials. Cast iron and nickel based alloys change the least in size; aluminum the most.

These various metals bolted tightly together shrink as they lose heat, creating surface tension at the point they meet. When the amount of change overcomes the static friction a momentary slippage occurs between them.

It’s that shift we hear every time the engine ticks as the parts become unstuck from each other, change position and then stick together again.

The sound triggered vague thoughts that had been gnawing at the edge of my subconscious for months. After each flight I realized I had heard that sound before in a completely different context, that it was important to me, and I needed to remember where, and why and how.

That engine can make unique noises – even when it’s not running.

I positioned the electric tug’s pincers over the nose wheel of the 182, clamped down with the lever and began easing the ship into the hangar. Dallas seemed longer than the five hours ago as I heard the boys in the shed near the museum holler out that the beer was cold. Not wanting to leave my buddy’s Piper unprotected, I let the big door come back down, left my aircraft outside and exchanged lies over Blue Ribbons for an hour.

The sound had continued as I walked away. It was gone when I came back, but the feelings that the sound evoked had stayed.

Trying to force the memory to the surface, others kept popping up, getting in the way.

Rolling in the snow with my six-year-old after his first big mountain ski day.

Sitting by the fire sipping bourbon as my new son-in-law regaled me with the stories of him and my daughter in London.

Feeling happy exhaustion after a day hiking with my too-long-absent son and his girlfriend at Rattlesnake Gulch near Boulder, Colorado.

Sailboats near the beach, sleds at the bottom, bride to the altar, toddler’s first steps.

What did all of these happy memories have to do with surface friction and thermal expansion?

I unlocked the man-door to the hangar, reached inside and turned on the light, punched the green UP button, and walked to the front of the plane.

As the big door slowly rose, light spilling out, I realized where I had heard that sound.

In high school, I was a band geek. I loved playing the trumpet with my fellow nerds. Creating a symphony with these friends and rivals and other similarly awkward teenagers, I felt a part of something bigger, something more than I could ever be by myself.

Our leader – Gladys Wright (no relation to the brothers) – would stand at the podium with her plastic baton and strike it against her metallic music stand as she implored, cajoled, embarrassed and teased us to our best musical selves by pointing out each sour note, poor tempo, and lapse in concentration.

We worked so hard.

We were good, too. Good enough to win an International Competition in Steenwijk, Holland my freshman year. Music was my refuge in high school; it was where I was happiest, most challenged and most accomplished.

When we were practicing during school hours and the band members were raucous and inattentive, Mrs. Wright would smack the stand in an urgent staccato to gain our attention.

But in the nervous excitement in the most important times before our biggest performances, just before the curtain opened, she held us all rapt by a measured and distinct tap that sounds exactly like the various metals of a Lycoming 0-540-D relaxing from its labors at different rates.

I pulled away from the airport and realized the connection: the sound of the engine ticking signaled the beginning of the most important time to my flying that’s not airborne.

I’ve come to know it as the after symphony.

After the winds have been tamed, after the distance traveled; after you have set aside the weather maps and navigational charts and flying’s fears. After you have arrived… it’s a moment so sublime, there is no other feeling like it. Joy and pride and relief and excitement drenched in the smell of hot oil and the sound of happy strangers and friends who know exactly how you feel – because they have felt it, too. It is the first movement of the symphony, brisk and lively, a sonata with you as the soloist accompanied by whoever is there to share the muse. When we are true to our self, we also hear the discordant note of sadness, that the excitement has ended and we have returned to our lesser earth-based selves.

Not all the sights from the air are heart-warming.

As I stopped to pick up dinner, the strong theme emerged of tonight’s opus – it had been a joyous trip across the heartland from bright afternoon to golden dusk exposed and developed with a second darker theme in minor key – the witness of recent raw devastation by tornados in Oklahoma and Missouri. They had roamed my same air just two days before, and the images of the debris field became a foreboding, haunting second melody.

I turned these notes over again and again, recapitulating the larger images of beauty and serenity with the deep sadness including the deaths in an elementary school just 30 miles off my port wing.

After dinner and visiting with my wife, she retired while the song continued for me. The second movement is my time to slowly review the journey, to think of all the mistakes I had made and how I could avoid them the next time. I reviewed every single phase of flight and honed in on the dominant strains.

I sat back and thought deeply about my altitude decisions. I had started at 15,000 and, disappointed by the tail winds or lack thereof, had descended too soon in retrospect. While I still had an hour and 10 minutes of fuel at landing, I would have liked more and wondered what would have been the result had I stayed high.

I thought of lesser errors as well: the biggest was forgetting the autopilot was on Heading not Nav mode and drifting nearly a mile off course as I searched the downed trees and scattered mobile homes; the least was tuning a radio one digit off and immediately catching it myself when Springfield approach failed to answer.

I congratulated myself for good decisions in avoiding buildups, including requesting three waypoints to use a developing low pressure area to slingshot around Saint Louis instead of just asking for a few right and left deviations.

As I readied for bed, the lighthearted scherzo began. I thought of the lineman at Arlington (KGKY) who told me I had just missed a famous actor whose name I didn’t recognize. I had asked him for an encore from the fuel truck – my airplane is so hard to get full – and he found it funny that 2.5 extra gallons really did matter to me, even if he had to spill .1 gallons on the ground to get there. A five spot kept the smile on his face.

The ladies at the front desk told me the actor was Ty Burrell who plays Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. They said he was super nice in real life, “Just like you,” added the older woman who had checked me in on arrival. My gratitude included the special note that my adult daughter has said since the show’s pilot episode that I AM the real life Phil Dunphy. The kindness of the staff and their response to me reveal – “I don’t think that is a compliment!” they chortled – was a counterpointing fugue added to the movement.

I thought of the thorough preflight I had done, a slow trio shared with the lineman and his supervisor. As I touched each panel, checked each door, I ended with sounding the stall horn and bid adieu to the friendly ground-bound Texans and said hello to those above in the tower. A waltzing movement using a progressive taxi led to the thrilling takeoff capped by a “Ya’ll come back now” flourish to send me off to departure.

It is when I begin to fall asleep that the after symphony reaches its finale. It always begins with the joyous ode of overwhelming gratitude I have for the opportunity to pilot an aircraft, the realization that I am immensely happy and fulfilled in the air, that nothing could ever take the place of being in that left seat and that I can’t wait to get back there again.

A pilot and a controller working together – sort of like a waltz.

This night it continued with a rollicking repetition of all I had before reviewed. The beauty and devastation; the strong and weak tones of my airmanship; the happy people who greet me away and at home.

It always ends with what I call the rondo of responsibility.

I am a good pilot.

I have a lot to learn.

I am a good pilot.

I will be better next time.

I am a good pilot.

I must always be vigilant.

I am a good pilot.

I will continue to read, to study, to practice and to remember that complacency is the enemy, the after symphony the ally.

I am a good pilot.

Mrs. Wright would be proud of me.

***

Three days later on a cold spring morning the process reverses.

The Cessna is pulled from the hangar and the engine instruments catalog the rapid temperature increase. I know under the cowling surface tension is being overcome at a rapid rate but its sound is inaudible among the cacophony. Now is not the time to play the music. It is time for the serious business of composition.

Frost covers the airport grass dusted by the slightest bit of granular snow that streams across the runway, driven by the northwest wind of a departed cold front. I am pleased taxiing south for a north departure turning west. This route will pass just to the right of my neighborhood and I will have a great view of my home.

Rich, the airport maintenance head, zooms across the ramp on his green ATV pick up attending to one of the multitude of details that make Clow International (1C5) as perfect as possible. We exchange gloved hand waves.

After liftoff the dawn has risen so the view is bathed in sunlight. I look down upon my street as the yellow school bus waits patiently for a child running on the sidewalk along Princess Lane. All around me the moisture in the trees and on the grass reflect the morning light and the refraction causes a billion pinpoints of brilliance to stream upward to meet my appreciative gaze. My net worth will never be more than a rounding error for the truly wealthy but this morning I am a king in a sea of diamonds.

So often the music writes itself.

Up here, the music writes itself.

A too short 70 minutes passes to find me on the ground at Grinnell, Iowa (KGGI). Over the radio the friendly voice of the lineman tells me to park at the self-serve. He already has the rental car running nearby.

“Just leave it at the pump, I’ll take care of it in a few minutes,” he says. “We’ll worry about the money later.”

Exiting the aircraft, I am alone, the engine clicking loudly as the chill meets the hot metal. Oil perfumes the air while I load the luggage into the car.

I absorb the stark beauty of the prairie, slowly turning a full 360. To the south the dull roar of Interstate 80 is a mile and a half away and I can see large trucks tracing the route. Just beyond is the purpose of the trip – my insurance company customer. Westward I know from experience the land is flat for miles and then slowly rises until interrupted by the majestic continental divide. Now I can see freshly plowed fields in that direction with tiny rows of struggling corn. North are the structures of the airport, the weather station, the beacon. Behind them I know is the quaint town with a jewel box and famous university, both surprising additions to what many would mistakenly consider the middle of nowhere. And east toward home the endless blue sky with smears of high white cirrus, an unspoken invitation to my anticipated return.

Locking the baggage and pilot doors, I take one last look before I head to the building for the restroom and more coffee. It is impossible to miss: the baton is lightly tapping the music stand.

Inside Ron Lowry and the duster boys are getting ready to spray. Their chorus of greetings – banal, bawdy, bantering at once – are the opening notes.

The next performance of the after symphony has begun.

The post The after symphony appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2018/04/the-after-symphony/

[readbookywooks]

The Valiant Little Tailor

One summer’s morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came a peasant woman down the street crying: ’Good jams, cheap! Good jams, cheap!’ This rang pleasantly in the tailor’s ears; he stretched his delicate head out of the window, and called: ’Come up here, dear woman; here you will get rid of your goods.’ The woman came up the three steps to the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack all the pots for him. He inspected each one, lifted it up, put his nose to it, and at length said: ’The jam seems to me to be good, so weigh me out four ounces, dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no consequence.’ The woman who had hoped to find a good sale, gave him what he desired, but went away quite angry and grumbling. ’Now, this jam shall be blessed by God,’ cried the little tailor, ’and give me health and strength’; so he brought the bread out of the cupboard, cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it. ’This won’t taste bitter,’ said he, ’but I will just finish the jacket before I take a bite.’ He laid the bread near him, sewed on, and in his joy, made bigger and bigger stitches. In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to where the flies were sitting in great numbers, and they were attracted and descended on it in hosts. ’Hi! who invited you?’ said the little tailor, and drove the unbidden guests away. The flies, however, who understood no German, would not be turned away, but came back again in ever-increasing companies. The little tailor at last lost all patience, and drew a piece of cloth from the hole under his work-table, and saying: ’Wait, and I will give it to you,’ struck it mercilessly on them. When he drew it away and counted, there lay before him no fewer than seven, dead and with legs stretched out. ’Are you a fellow of that sort?’ said he, and could not help admiring his own bravery. ’The whole town shall know of this!’ And the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle, stitched it, and embroidered on it in large letters: ’Seven at one stroke!’ ’What, the town!’ he continued, ’the whole world shall hear of it!’ and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb’s tail. The tailor put on the girdle, and resolved to go forth into the world, because he thought his workshop was too small for his valour. Before he went away, he sought about in the house to see if there was anything which he could take with him; however, he found nothing but an old cheese, and that he put in his pocket. In front of the door he observed a bird which had caught itself in the thicket. It had to go into his pocket with the cheese. Now he took to the road boldly, and as he was light and nimble, he felt no fatigue. The road led him up a mountain, and when he had reached the highest point of it, there sat a powerful giant looking peacefully about him. The little tailor went bravely up, spoke to him, and said: ’Good day, comrade, so you are sitting there overlooking the wide-spread world! I am just on my way thither, and want to try my luck. Have you any inclination to go with me?’ The giant looked contemptuously at the tailor, and said: ’You ragamuffin! You miserable creature!’

’Oh, indeed?’ answered the little tailor, and unbuttoned his coat, and showed the giant the girdle, ’there may you read what kind of a man I am!’ The giant read: ’Seven at one stroke,’ and thought that they had been men whom the tailor had killed, and began to feel a little respect for the tiny fellow. Nevertheless, he wished to try him first, and took a stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out of it. ’Do that likewise,’ said the giant, ’if you have strength.’ ’Is that all?’ said the tailor, ’that is child’s play with us!’ and put his hand into his pocket, brought out the soft cheese, and pressed it until the liquid ran out of it. ’Faith,’ said he, ’that was a little better, wasn’t it?’ The giant did not know what to say, and could not believe it of the little man. Then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so high that the eye could scarcely follow it. ’Now, little mite of a man, do that likewise,’ ’Well thrown,’ said the tailor, ’but after all the stone came down to earth again; I will throw you one which shall never come back at all,’ and he put his hand into his pocket, took out the bird, and threw it into the air. The bird, delighted with its liberty, rose, flew away and did not come back. ’How does that shot please you, comrade?’ asked the tailor. ’You can certainly throw,’ said the giant, ’but now we will see if you are able to carry anything properly.’ He took the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay there felled on the ground, and said: ’If you are strong enough, help me to carry the tree out of the forest.’ ’Readily,’ answered the little man; ’take you the trunk on your shoulders, and I will raise up the branches and twigs; after all, they are the heaviest.’ The giant took the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor seated himself on a branch, and the giant, who could not look round, had to carry away the whole tree, and the little tailor into the bargain: he behind, was quite merry and happy, and whistled the song: ’Three tailors rode forth from the gate,’ as if carrying the tree were child’s play. The giant, after he had dragged the heavy burden part of the way, could go no further, and cried: ’Hark you, I shall have to let the tree fall!’ The tailor sprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both arms as if he had been carrying it, and said to the giant: ’You are such a great fellow, and yet cannot even carry the tree!’

They went on together, and as they passed a cherry-tree, the giant laid hold of the top of the tree where the ripest fruit was hanging, bent it down, gave it into the tailor’s hand, and bade him eat. But the little tailor was much too weak to hold the tree, and when the giant let it go, it sprang back again, and the tailor was tossed into the air with it. When he had fallen down again without injury, the giant said: ’What is this? Have you not strength enough to hold the weak twig?’ ’There is no lack of strength,’ answered the little tailor. ’Do you think that could be anything to a man who has struck down seven at one blow? I leapt over the tree because the huntsmen are shooting down there in the thicket. Jump as I did, if you can do it.’ The giant made the attempt but he could not get over the tree, and remained hanging in the branches, so that in this also the tailor kept the upper hand.

The giant said: ’If you are such a valiant fellow, come with me into our cavern and spend the night with us.’ The little tailor was willing, and followed him. When they went into the cave, other giants were sitting there by the fire, and each of them had a roasted sheep in his hand and was eating it. The little tailor looked round and thought: ’It is much more spacious here than in my workshop.’ The giant showed him a bed, and said he was to lie down in it and sleep. The bed, however, was too big for the little tailor; he did not lie down in it, but crept into a corner. When it was midnight, and the giant thought that the little tailor was lying in a sound sleep, he got up, took a great iron bar, cut through the bed with one blow, and thought he had finished off the grasshopper for good. With the earliest dawn the giants went into the forest, and had quite forgotten the little tailor, when all at once he walked up to them quite merrily and boldly. The giants were terrified, they were afraid that he would strike them all dead, and ran away in a great hurry.

The little tailor went onwards, always following his own pointed nose. After he had walked for a long time, he came to the courtyard of a royal palace, and as he felt weary, he lay down on the grass and fell asleep. Whilst he lay there, the people came and inspected him on all sides, and read on his girdle: ’Seven at one stroke.’ ’Ah!’ said they, ’what does the great warrior want here in the midst of peace? He must be a mighty lord.’ They went and announced him to the king, and gave it as their opinion that if war should break out, this would be a weighty and useful man who ought on no account to be allowed to depart. The counsel pleased the king, and he sent one of his courtiers to the little tailor to offer him military service when he awoke. The ambassador remained standing by the sleeper, waited until he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes, and then conveyed to him this proposal. ’For this very reason have I come here,’ the tailor replied, ’I am ready to enter the king’s service.’ He was therefore honourably received, and a special dwelling was assigned him.

The soldiers, however, were set against the little tailor, and wished him a thousand miles away. ’What is to be the end of this?’ they said among themselves. ’If we quarrel with him, and he strikes about him, seven of us will fall at every blow; not one of us can stand against him.’ They came therefore to a decision, betook themselves in a body to the king, and begged for their dismissal. ’We are not prepared,’ said they, ’to stay with a man who kills seven at one stroke.’ The king was sorry that for the sake of one he should lose all his faithful servants, wished that he had never set eyes on the tailor, and would willingly have been rid of him again. But he did not venture to give him his dismissal, for he dreaded lest he should strike him and all his people dead, and place himself on the royal throne. He thought about it for a long time, and at last found good counsel. He sent to the little tailor and caused him to be informed that as he was a great warrior, he had one request to make to him. In a forest of his country lived two giants, who caused great mischief with their robbing, murdering, ravaging, and burning, and no one could approach them without putting himself in danger of death. If the tailor conquered and killed these two giants, he would give him his only daughter to wife, and half of his kingdom as a dowry, likewise one hundred horsemen should go with him to assist him. ’That would indeed be a fine thing for a man like me!’ thought the little tailor. ’One is not offered a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day of one’s life!’ ’Oh, yes,’ he replied, ’I will soon subdue the giants, and do not require the help of the hundred horsemen to do it; he who can hit seven with one blow has no need to be afraid of two.’

The little tailor went forth, and the hundred horsemen followed him. When he came to the outskirts of the forest, he said to his followers: ’Just stay waiting here, I alone will soon finish off the giants.’ Then he bounded into the forest and looked about right and left. After a while he perceived both giants. They lay sleeping under a tree, and snored so that the branches waved up and down. The little tailor, not idle, gathered two pocketsful of stones, and with these climbed up the tree. When he was halfway up, he slipped down by a branch, until he sat just above the sleepers, and then let one stone after another fall on the breast of one of the giants. For a long time the giant felt nothing, but at last he awoke, pushed his comrade, and said: ’Why are you knocking me?’ ’You must be dreaming,’ said the other, ’I am not knocking you.’ They laid themselves down to sleep again, and then the tailor threw a stone down on the second. ’What is the meaning of this?’ cried the other ’Why are you pelting me?’ ’I am not pelting you,’ answered the first, growling. They disputed about it for a time, but as they were weary they let the matter rest, and their eyes closed once more. The little tailor began his game again, picked out the biggest stone, and threw it with all his might on the breast of the first giant. ’That is too bad!’ cried he, and sprang up like a madman, and pushed his companion against the tree until it shook. The other paid him back in the same coin, and they got into such a rage that they tore up trees and belaboured each other so long, that at last they both fell down dead on the ground at the same time. Then the little tailor leapt down. ’It is a lucky thing,’ said he, ’that they did not tear up the tree on which I was sitting, or I should have had to sprint on to another like a squirrel; but we tailors are nimble.’ He drew out his sword and gave each of them a couple of thrusts in the breast, and then went out to the horsemen and said: ’The work is done; I have finished both of them off, but it was hard work! They tore up trees in their sore need, and defended themselves with them, but all that is to no purpose when a man like myself comes, who can kill seven at one blow.’ ’But are you not wounded?’ asked the horsemen. ’You need not concern yourself about that,’ answered the tailor, ’they have not bent one hair of mine.’ The horsemen would not believe him, and rode into the forest; there they found the giants swimming in their blood, and all round about lay the torn-up trees.

The little tailor demanded of the king the promised reward; he, however, repented of his promise, and again bethought himself how he could get rid of the hero. ’Before you receive my daughter, and the half of my kingdom,’ said he to him, ’you must perform one more heroic deed. In the forest roams a unicorn which does great harm, and you must catch it first.’ ’I fear one unicorn still less than two giants. Seven at one blow, is my kind of affair.’ He took a rope and an axe with him, went forth into the forest, and again bade those who were sent with him to wait outside. He had not long to seek. The unicorn soon came towards him, and rushed directly on the tailor, as if it would gore him with its horn without more ado. ’Softly, softly; it can’t be done as quickly as that,’ said he, and stood still and waited until the animal was quite close, and then sprang nimbly behind the tree. The unicorn ran against the tree with all its strength, and stuck its horn so fast in the trunk that it had not the strength enough to draw it out again, and thus it was caught. ’Now, I have got the bird,’ said the tailor, and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its neck, and then with his axe he hewed the horn out of the tree, and when all was ready he led the beast away and took it to the king.

The king still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third demand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that made great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their help. ’Willingly,’ said the tailor, ’that is child’s play!’ He did not take the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased that he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in such a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When the boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming mouth and whetted tusks, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the hero fled and sprang into a chapel which was near and up to the window at once, and in one bound out again. The boar ran after him, but the tailor ran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging beast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window, was caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however, went to the king, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his promise, and gave his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he known that it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing before him, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The wedding was held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a tailor a king was made.

After some time the young queen heard her husband say in his dreams at night: ’Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I will rap the yard-measure over your ears.’ Then she discovered in what state of life the young lord had been born, and next morning complained of her wrongs to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of her husband, who was nothing else but a tailor. The king comforted her and said: ’Leave your bedroom door open this night, and my servants shall stand outside, and when he has fallen asleep shall go in, bind him, and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide world.’ The woman was satisfied with this; but the king’s armour-bearer, who had heard all, was friendly with the young lord, and informed him of the whole plot. ’I’ll put a screw into that business,’ said the little tailor. At night he went to bed with his wife at the usual time, and when she thought that he had fallen asleep, she got up, opened the door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who was only pretending to be asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice: ’Boy, make me the doublet and patch me the pantaloons, or I will rap the yard-measure over your ears. I smote seven at one blow. I killed two giants, I brought away one unicorn, and caught a wild boar, and am I to fear those who are standing outside the room.’ When these men heard the tailor speaking thus, they were overcome by a great dread, and ran as if the wild huntsman were behind them, and none of them would venture anything further against him. So the little tailor was and remained a king to the end of his life.