#also sorry if the banner will turn out misleading again

[tinderbox210]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Aquaman (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Orm Marius/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Characters, Orm Marius, Arthur Curry (DCU), Topo (DCU) Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Sort Of, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, No Beta Summary:

As a child, Elena Chase loved the sea.

Having been born in a desert town, she could still recall the moment she saw the ocean for the first time after her family moved to the coast of Maine. The endless expanse of various shades of blue that stretched all the way to the horizon and ignited her childish imagination with whispered stories of sunken treasures and legendary sea monsters. Every day, she went down to the beach and spent the summer snorkeling, surfing and sailing with her parents.

That was, until her parents died in a shipwreck and Elena's love for the sea faded into the black abyss of grievance...

[pillow-anime-talk]

older girlfriend. {pt.1}

synopsis: You as older Karasuno’s boys girlfriend.

# tags: headcanons; current relationships; older!y/n; romance; lil bit of comedy; fluff; some kisses and hugs; sometimes reader is smol or has a babyface and because of this she doesn’t seems to be on 3rd year or studies; sfw

includes: female reader ft. daichi sawamura, koushi sugawara, asahi azumane, yuu nishinoya, ryuunosuke tanaka & chikara ennoshita {hq!!}

part two {click}

— DAICHI

↘ You looked at Google Maps again on your phone and then entered Karasuno High School, looking around carefully.

↘ You literally never were here, so you felt lost, but you decided to go into the school and ask someone for directions to the gym if it will be necessary.

↘ Thank God, you noticed three first years who were just leaving the big building. You greeted them and asked where you should go to meet the Karasuno volleyball team. You even corrected your hair, smiling sweetly.

↘ Needless to say, one of the boys got a nosebleed when he saw you and the other two blushed, pointing only to the direction of the side exit. After moving away from the three high school teenagers, you only managed to hear the quiet ‘Wasn’t she a student or something?’, but you didn’t have time to react to that apt remark.

↘ You finally got to the large gym, so you decided to go inside. You noticed that the team was in training, so the black-haired girl noticed you as first. She was a bit taller than you, but she also looked super lovely, so you smiled at her and greeted her, asking if you could wait for Daichi. The team manager nodded at you, blushing furiously as she realized you were a bit older than she was. (Kiyoko immediately recognized the school coat of arms on your jacket from the Women’s College she wanted to go too.)

↘ “OOOOH. WELCOME, WELCOME.” A low voice echoed in the gymnasium and you glanced at the boy with a shaved head who was running towards you with another a bit small teen. “ARE YOU A KIYOKO-SAN’S FRIEND?!”

↘ You didn’t know what was going on right now, so you said ‘No’ and immediately started looking for your boyfriend. Thank God, Daichi was already walking towards you, blushing as much as Kiyoko before.

↘ “Y/N? What are you doing here?” He smiled, scratching his neck and you shrugged.

↘ “I wanted to see your training. Surprise? I think.” You laughed softly as you walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “After your training we can go get some food, my treat, Captain.”

↘ The rest of the team was shocked because a) Daichi had a girlfriend; b) An older girl; c) Super cute and tiny girlfriend who dominated him in two freaking seconds.

— KOUSHI

↘ Only the third years knew about Suga’s relationship with you, so the rest of the team didn’t know who you are when you approached to them during the Spring High National Tournament, asking they were are Karasuno High School team.

↘ Tanaka and Nishinoya had a nosebleed and fell in love with you at first sight, and the first years didn't know what to say. You literally couldn't get along with them. You were lost and you missed your lovely babyboy.

↘ “Umm, so... I guess I mistook the High Schools, I’m sorry.” You muttered awkwardly and was about to leave when the libero denied it and stopped you.

↘ “You’re not wrong, angel. How can we help you?” You laughed under your breath at his words, nodding.

↘ “So, thanks. I’m looking for Koushi. He’s on this team, right?”

↘ “Are you his little sister? Aww, you can call me Ryuu-senpai. I’ll be glad.” You literally saw little hearts flying above his head.

↘ “No. Not really.” You replied amused and suddenly felt a gentle tapping on your shoulder. You turned, look up and instantaneously smiled when you saw your two years younger boyfriend. You hug him tightly. “Koushi, baby.”

↘ “You didn’t have to come. After all, you have a lot of exams at the university.” He muttered, though his voice was so happy and he was so relieved that you are here with him.

↘ “U-university...” Tanaka began, feeling his cheeks turn redder and redder.

↘ “Hey, guys. She’s my girlfriend. Be nice to her! And show her some respect! She’s in the second year of studies.”

↘ The whole team (except for the whole third year) was impressed.

↘ On the other hand, you hugged the gray-haired boy even closely and informed him that he had to come to your house after the game because you wanted pizza and some kisses.

— ASAHI

↘ You’ve just escorted your boyfriend to his high school and you were going to say goodbye to him.

↘ Of course, you couldn’t leave him with the usual ‘bye-bye’, on the contrary. You gave him a full, literally public make-out session right outside the school gate. Your red-wine lipstick made a little mess on the tall volleyball player’s lips. Nothing new.

↘ “... I-I didn’t know that Azumane-san has a girlfriend.” Kageyama said softly and blushed hard, looking at orange-haired friend who looked at you closely.

↘ “She attend to our school? Hmm...” Hinata asked under his breath, but the lack of a Karasuno High School uniform was misleading. “I don’t think so...”

↘ “I didn’t think that senpai liked first years.” Tsukishima laughed as he walked past the two shorter boys with Yamaguchi. “It’s almost illegal, don’t y’all think? I don’t want to believe that any girl has likes someone who looks like a criminal.”

↘ “Hey, kids.” Daichi’s voice made the four juniors turn to him and Sugawara. “Y/N-san is older than all of us and actually is in her first year of college. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” He smiled heartily as he patted them on the back. “Now go to school and better prepare yourself for a solid warm-up after your lessons thanks to this gossips.”

↘ “What? Captain, no!”

↘ At the same time, you informed your boyfriend that you would come to his training because your classes at the university that day were supposed to end sooner. (What an awkward situation for firsts years who apologized to you on knees for things who you literally don’t mind...)

— YUU

↘ It’s been a while since it became known that Nishinoya’s dating a girl. Of course, it was a shock to the whole Karasuno team, because no one suspected that... Noya would ever... have... a partner... 

↘ Anyway, yes. You’ve been with the boy for three months now, and the age difference between the two of you wasn’t a problem for you or him. Yuu thought that it’s was super hot and sexy, by the way. He also liked the fact that you are older than him and you can help him with his studies sometimes.

↘ But he loved even more the fact that you were three centimeters shorter than him anyway and your face was so sweet that he wanted to kiss you 24 hours per day. Through your babyface, the rest of the second years who first met you thought you were younger than all of them. What a surprise, you’re not.

↘ As I mentioned, you often helped Noya in math, contemporary literature and physic, especially when the sports competitions coincided with the exams. You wanted to prepare your boyfriend as much as possible so that he could continue playing with the team and be the best libero for them.

↘ Additionally, Yuu had the luxury of bringing him food or snacks often, and taking him to the roof to talk and cuddle with you.

↘ The boy literally lives his best life thanks to you.

— RYUUNOSUKE

↘ Literally your biggest and the most crazy fan.

↘ You thought he was a fanboy for Kiyoko? Girl... He could create a new religion for you, and I’m not kidding at this point.

↘ He didn’t have to hide you for a long time, because you two barely started dating, and he already told the whole team that he was date with a third year who makes the best bentos in whole school and who has the most beautiful smile in the world. #SIMP.

↘ Tanaka is by far the most protective boy you’ve ever met. The seventeen-year-old just feels the need to protect you all the time because he’s afraid of some third years will take you away from him. Spoiler: you’re not going anywhere.

↘ He loves to hold your hands and you always have to give him a ‘good luck kiss’ before training or a match.

↘ First years and Noya literally hate you two and are jealous like no one else.

↘ Nevertheless, Ryuunosuke isn’t going to calm down and he’s bragging about your photos and what you did on dates with him (leaving the spicy details to himself, of course).

— CHIKARA

↘ Your relationship with Ennoshita was very relaxed and full of love and support, especially when his tournament or your own college exams were coming.

↘ As a girl two years older, you often felt the need to spoil him and buy him various things; books, clothes, ties, new volleyball balls... Literally everything you associated with Chikara was bought and given to the boy shortly after.

↘ I don’t think I need to mention that you came to his every match, as long as it didn't interfere with your studies.

↘ The entire Karasuno team knew who you are and they literally called you the team mascot because of your pocket size, cute face and banners that you held on every game for your boyfriend.

↘ You’re a very hyped person who also feels like a seventeen-year-old’s biggest fangirl.

↘ Chikara is so beaming and thanks to you he smiles much more than normal.

↘ Anyway, brunet likes the fact that he has an older girlfriend who always attracts attention and is self-sufficient. On top of that, his biggest weak point is that he sees you in a jacket and high-heeled shoes.

[thejokersenigma]

Loki Laufeyson x Reader - Series Request - Cat’s Eyes - Part 1

So this was a request from the wonderfully lovely @leleleish:

Could it be between loki and the reader? If so could you have the reader to be Peppers nieces and have her slowly come into contact with the avengers. Or something like that. Idk use your amazing talent and imagination! Could you have a reader to be normalish and um maybe add a power to her later like bending an element or something. Or what ever you think would be best. Can the reader be shy when she meets someone but when they become comfortable with each other she never shuts up. Also kind and smart. Also could you make the relationship of loki and the reader not rushed?

So I hope that I at least did something remotely close to what you wanted! I honestly don’t really know where I am going with this, but it seemed like a start so I am open to any suggestions!

P.S - Sorry, I’ve just been told off for this - there isn’t actually any Loki in this first chapter, so Loki x reader is a bit misleading - I’ll try to make sure Loki is in the next part! Sorry! x

Let me know if you want to be tagged in anything!

REQUESTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN!

MAIN MASTERLIST

CAT’S EYES MASTERLIST

You stared out over the city that was spread out beneath you from this height, the view stretching far into the distance. It was beautiful, and you almost envied the birds that held this sort of a view no matter where they went.

Your felt your ears prick up at the sound of voices behind you, but you barely reacted, all your attention focusing on the people that moved like ants on the street below.

“Look, Cap, I’m not sure what the problem is here…” Tony confessed, clearly exasperated as he strode across the floor of the communal living room.

“The problem, Stark, is t –“ Steve Rogers stopped, frowning in confusion, when a movement over Stark’s shoulder caught his eye. “Is that a cat?”

Tony frowned at his colleague in bewilderment, then turned, following his eyeline to the balcony. “Yes, Cap, I believe it is…” Tony murmured in disbelief.

Both men stood there, bewildered, watching the dark coloured cat that sat on the railing of the balcony, its tailing twitching back and forth behind it.

“How on Earth did it get up this high?”

“Beat’s me, Cap, pests aren’t usually a problem at this height.” Stark muttered and he now slowly moved towards the glass balcony doors, Rogers following after him, both wary not to make any sudden moves that might spook the creature.

The cat still didn’t seem to notice them and they each took a side behind it, glancing at each other and then nodding in signal. There was a pause as they both readied themselves, then Rogers snatched a hand out, grabbing the scruff of the cat. It let out a sharp meow of protest and lashed a paw out, but Steve dodged it easily, keeping the feline at arm’s length. He evaded another wide-reaching paw - stretching the cat even further away from his body - and then exchanged a glance with Tony, suddenly realising they now had a cat, but weren’t entirely sure what to do with it.

“Throwing it over the edge isn’t an option, is it?” Stark asked with a grimace.

“Not much of a cat person, are you?” Steve joked, dodging another swipe.

“Can you blame me?” Tony asked, flinching out of the way as another attack on Steve narrowly missed him instead.

“Get me – ah,” Steve cried, only just moving out of the way in time to avoid another claw, “get me a towel or something.” He suggested, the cat swing slightly in his grip, it’s body curled up into a protective ball, teeth bared as it hissed its disapproval at being man handled.

“Right.” Tony agreed, hurrying back inside, Steve following after him with the cat still a full arm’s length away.

“What in Odin’s name is that?” Thor asked, striding into the room as Tony hurried back to Steve with hand towel from the kitchen.

“What, you don’t have cats on Asgard?” Tony asked, jokingly as him and Steve now wrestled the protesting feline into the towel, trying to avoid the sharp claws whilst also making sure they were safely tucked away.

“’Cats’?” Thor repeated, then paused a moment to think about this, “No.” He mused, then tilted his head. “Is this a normal thing to do to a cat?” He asked, watching the odd dance Tony and Steve were doing as they fought against the small creature and dodged its reciprocating attacks.

“If it’s trying to scratch you – yeah.” Tony panted, quickly pulling his arm away as a paw came towards him. ���Try and hold it against your body or something.” He suggested to Steve.

“Oh, yeah, Stark, I’ll get right on that.” Steve muttered, if anything holding the cat further away as it now let out a loud howl and swung again.

“Ah, so this is for restraint?” Thor questioned, seemingly amused by the whole situation. “A piece of cloth?” Scoffed Thor. “Can’t be a very fearsome beast.”

“You wanna try?” Growled Tony, out of breath, but unable to shoot Thor a glare, fearing that if he took his eyes off the feline he’d miss a flying paw.

At this point, Rogers threw caution to the wind and pressed the cat and the towel firmly down on the closest surface – the end of the dining room table – and then, one hand pinning the creature down - and with the help of Tony - quickly swaddled the creature with the towel. The cat squirmed in its new burrito-like position – all feet within the wrap of the towel, only its head poking out - but Steve just pressed down more firmly onto its back until it gave up, now just settling with crouching there and yowling in protest.

Steve and Tony exchanged relieved glances, both a bit out of breath, whilst Thor watched on, thoroughly amused by their struggles. “Are these creatures a common pest problem?” He asked.

“Not at this height.” Tony muttered, straightening up. “Lord knows how it got up here…” He said glancing back towards the glass balcony doors.

“What’ll you do with it now, is there a control system for these creatures?” This seemed to stump Tony, who opened his mouth, but seemed to have no answer.

“Does it have a tag?” Rogers asked, ignoring half of Thor’s question.

Tony glanced at Steve, also opting not to try to explain things to the God, and turned back around going as though to check. He reached towards the cat’s neck, then quickly withdrew his hands when the cat turned its golden eyes on him, hissing angrily. “Not actually sure I wanna check, Cap.” Tony admitted, and Steve rolled his eyes as Stark now stepped back, putting distance between him and the creature. The cat’s ears, which had been flatten against its head, now pricked back up and Tony suddenly recognised the white markings on each tip. “Hang on, Cap - does that cat have a white stripe running down it’s back?”

Steve frowned at him, but checked, easing off the pressure slightly on the cat and checking under the towel. His brow knitted. “Yes.” He answered “– Why?”

Tony scowled. “Damn it, [Y/N]. This is her cat.” He said, gesturing at it.

“Who’s [Y/N]?” Thor asked.

“Pepper’s niece.” Tony explained. “She’s just moved here.”

“She’s living in the tower?” Rogers frowned.

“No. she’s staying at Pepper’s until she can afford her own place.”

“Then why is her cat here?”

Tony stared down at the cat, shrugging. “Beats me, Cap, I’ve no clue how it even got in the building.”

“Well can you call her or something, Stark? I don’t particularly want to stand here like this all day.” Rogers muttered, shifting his grip on the cat impatiently.

Tony shot Steve a look that said he didn’t appreciate the attitude. “JARVIS?” Tony, called to the room, his eyes still on Steve.

“Yes, sir?”

“Get a hold of [Y/N], I believe we have something of hers.” Tony said, breaking eye contact with Rogers and glancing around the room.

“Of course, sir.”

“And what am I supposed to do now?” Steve asked, annoyed to see Tony was already heading for the door.

Tony paused. “Uh – stand there and look pretty – as usual.” He shrugged, then continued towards the elevator, “JARVIS’ll let you know when she’s on her way.” He called back with a causal flick of his hand, stepping into the lift. He gave a farewell, sucks-to-be-you smile then the doors closed on him and he disappeared.

Steve let out a short, frustrated sigh, knowing there was nothing he could do now - he was stuck there with the cat until this [Y/N] showed up. Thor had now been to the kitchen and returned, finishing off a bite of something, he regard the cat with curiosity again, circling around it, but keeping his distance as the Midgardians seemed wary of it.

“You really don’t have cats?” Steve couldn’t help asking, watching Thor’s odd behaviour.

“I believe we have something similar,” Thor muttered, “but they are much larger, blood thirstier beasts.” He explained, studying the restrained creature, only its head visible.

“Right…” Steve nodded, “Well I’m not sure they would be blood thirstier…” He muttered, glancing warily down at the cat that had now resigned itself to its fate and was falling asleep where it crouched.

Thor straightened his head and raised an eyebrow at Rogers, clearly not buying the danger of the half-sleeping beast. “Aww, come on - it looks almost quite cute.” He said, stepping closer and gesturing at it with a hand. “Ah!” He suddenly cried, retracting his hand and nursing it close to his chest, “The bastard bit me!” He growled. Steve bit his lip, trying not to laugh, though he couldn’t hide his smirk and Thor rounded on him “You let it bite me!” He accused.

Steve shifted his grip on the cat so he could hold it with one hand, lifting his free one up in surrender to Thor. “I’m only holding its body,” He explained in defence, “I have no control of its head,” He said, gesturing down to show how he was holding the cat and towel. “You shouldn’t have tried to touch it.”

Thor scowled at Rogers. “I didn’t!” He sulked, “It lunged at me!”

Steve sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with Thor. “Go and see Banner before it gets infected.” Steve muttered nodding at the door. “I’ll hold down the fort.” Thor hesitated, but did as he was told, still muttering to himself as he left.

It wasn’t too much longer did JARVIS’s voice rang through the room. “Miss [L/N] has arrived, Captain.” He announced. “Shall I send her up?”

“Please, JARVIS.” Rogers answered, trying not to sound too desperate. The cat was still asleep, but Steve didn’t trust how much longer that would last and whether the creature was simply biding its time – saving its energy to try to make an escape when Steve finally dropped his guard.

The elevator pinged as you arrived on the floor JARVIS had instructed you to, and you stepped out, glancing nervously around before you caught sight of the man on the opposite end of the room, his back to you. You had hoped that it would have been Tony who had your cat – after all, JARVIS had been the one to get in contact with you – as you would have much preferred a familiar face to have to apologise profusely to rather than a complete stranger, but the blonde haired man before you was definitely not Tony Stark. Your eyes moved down his muscular back, now noticing he was leant over something and, as you looked, you recognised your cat’s dark head sticking out of some sort of towel. “Kali?” You called in disbelief, quickly walking over. The man glanced over his shoulder at your call and the cat’s eyes shot to yours at her name. “Oh my god, sir, I am so, so sorry!” You apologised whole-heartedly. “My aunt just told me! I’m really sorry!”

“It’s fine.” Rogers smirked kindly at you, chuckling lightly at your frantic apologies.

It suddenly clicked in your, nervously slow, mind why your cat was wrapped up. “Oh – uh – she wasn’t being a lot of trouble… - was she?” You winced, already knowing the answer.

“Well, she basically managed to single handedly take down about half of the avengers, so I’d say she’s quite a force of nature.” Steve joked, glancing down at the cat who was still staring up at you as though waiting for something.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” You said, now glancing between the man and your cat, “really I –“ You stopped, something in your head suddenly clicking the familiar face into place, “Hang on! Are you – no – your Steve Rogers, aren’t you?!” You asked in amazement. Steve bowed his head with an embarrassed, bashful smile. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, but also, wow – hi - nice to meet you!” You blushed tripping over words in your excitement and nerves.

Steve laughed at you. “It’s – a – uh - pleasure to meet you too.” He said, freeing up a hand again to hold it out to you. You faltered for a moment in disbelief then numbly shook Captain America’s hand, your heart pounding erratically. When the two of you released, you dropped your head, staring down at Kali as you now absentmindedly stroked the top of her head. There was an awkward pause between the two of you and you found yourself unable to look the man in the eyes now.

“Uh – you can - uh – you can let her go – uh – if you want.” You muttered, gesturing at where his hand still held the cat. “She shouldn’t go anywhere – she’s - uh -  she’s usually attached to my hip.” You explained, “But I – uh – I guess she wanted to see New York.” You joked weakly.

“You’re sure?” Rogers asked, uncertainly, and you realised how tense he was about setting Kali free - it almost made you want to laugh. You nodded though, and Steve carefully eased his grip, releasing the towel. You could see how wary he was of getting too close, alert for any sudden paw that might swiped out at him, so you brushed him aside and took over, removing the towel off Kali’s back and then stroking a hand from her head to her tail. She purred under your touch and pressed herself up into your hand. When you removed your touch, Kali stood up fully, stretching her front legs out and sitting back on her haunches, flexing her claws. You smirked at the look on Steve’s face when he saw this.

Kali’s eyes then glanced around, completely ignoring Steve and finding you instead. She let out a meow and then lithely jumped up onto your shoulder, her claws momentarily digging into your skin for purchase, but you didn’t flinch. She stepped over your shoulders and then curled herself in her usual position around your neck, before settling back down to snooze again.

“Lazy thing.” You muttered and one of Kali’s ears twitched to show you she was listening.

Now Steve finally deemed any threat from the cat to have been neutralised, he visibly seemed to relax, and you glanced over at him with a smirk.

Captain America, frightened by a - relatively – harmless cat.

“So, you’re Pepper’s niece, right?” He asked you now.

“Uh - yeah.” You smiled back slightly surprised, “Tony been talking about me?”

“He may have cursed your names a few times when the cat took a swipe at him.” Steve smirked, and you laughed, feeling far more at ease now you had Kali back in her usual place. “I got to ask though,” Steve said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the dining table. “Tony as an uncle…. - What’s that like?”

You chuckled again. “Uh – ha – to be honest, I don’t really know.” You confessed, “I haven’t been around much…” You told him, glancing up at Kali and scratching her behind the ear, her purr loud in your ear and the vibrations resounding through your shoulders. “I’ve been abroad - studying, travelling – but I decided it was time I – uh - settled down and – uh - maybe got a decent job.” You explained with a weak smirk, eyes still on Kali. “I used to be really close to Pepper when I was little – before she even worked for Tony – my parents, not so much,” You explained with a face that said if you could shrug, you would, “So when it came to finding someone to help me, Pepper seemed like the most obvious answer and that’s why I’m here.” You glanced away from back at Steve, suddenly realising what you’d just done. “Oh - sorry.” You apologised quickly, feeling your cheeks redden, “You didn’t want to know my life story,” You chuckled weakly, “Ignore me.” You dismissed with a wave.

“No - no,” Rogers muttered, shaking his head at the floor, “it’s fine, I would have asked – if – uh – if you’d let me.” He smirked.

“Sorry.” You mumbled again, your cheeks becoming even hotter.

“Stop apologising.” He smirked.

“I would if I stopped doing things wrong.” You joked with a small laugh. He smirked back at you and the two of you fell into a slightly less awkward silence. “Right,” You said, fiddling with your hands, “uh – well – we’d,” you gestured between you and Kali, “- we’d better be getting home.”

“Right.” Steve nodded, straightening up from where he had been leaning as you now headed for the elevator again.

“Oh,” You paused by the door, turning back to Steve, “You – uh - you say she took down half the avengers?” Steve smirked and nodded. “Then – uh – who - who else do I need to over-apologise to?” You asked with a small smirk.

“Well – uh - Tony’ll have a few choice words for you, I imagine,” Steve smirked back at you, and you felt yourself blush, imagining the scene, “but he didn’t actually get hurt – so don’t let him make you think he did.” Steve warned you, humour in his eyes. You nodded with quiet snicker, already knowing Tony well enough that he might try to pull that. “Thor, however,” Steve continued, “did get himself bitten.”

“Thor?! You mean the ‘God of Thunder’, Thor?” You asked, wide-eyed. Steve nodded. “Shit.” You muttered to yourself.

Rogers chuckled at you. “He -uh – he actually said he’d never seen a cat before,” He told you, “I guess that meant he didn’t know not to get near one when it’s not particular pleased.” Steve smirked, “I told him to get it checked out before it got infected.”

“Good idea.” You murmured, still trying to take in that the kitten wrapped around your neck had somehow done damage to an actual God. “I – uh – I’d better pay him a visit at some point…” You mused to yourself “To – uh –  say sorry personally.”

“I hear he likes waffles.” Rogers suggested with a twinkle in his eyes and you laughed.

“Thank you, I’ll bear that in mind.” You sniggered. “Ok, well,” You said, glancing at the lift, “I guess l’ll – uh – see you around.” You said, taking a few steps backwards towards the exit. “Probably on the news when you next – uh – ‘save the world’ and all that.” You smiled, raising a hand in farewell.

“Right. Sure, yeah.” Steve mumbled, copying your action with a smile and then watching as you turned around and headed back into the elevator - the cat still happily curled, asleep, around your shoulders.

tags everything: @thatwriterizzy @sheldonsherlocktony @jemjem-chan @white-chocolate-mocha-fan

tags for loki: @hakuoyuki @vanyali07 @frostymoon11

[irlpinkiepie]

a house built on sand, chapter 5

a bnha fic

Dreams are fickle creatures.

Sometimes the most certain can fall apart at a moment’s notice, and sometimes, the most fantastic dreams have a chance of coming true.

Of course, that all depends on the dreamer.

[ao3]

Quick rundown. Breakfast, shower, get dressed. She had timed the train ride a few days before, and the earliest she could afford to leave for a 9:00 start was at 8:10, 8:12 if she ran. Look down. 6:28. That’s plenty of time.

As the dye soaked into her hair, Izuku sunk into her favorite habit. What is the exam going to be like? She knew there was some kind of practical component, so it probably had something to do with talent towards being a hero, but beyond that she was totally lost. Fighting villains was the most obvious choice, but villains didn't exactly operate on a schedule, and that would also technically be illegal since neither she nor any of her compatriots would be licensed heroes. Maybe some kind of quirk test? She sincerely hoped not, but she trusted All Might not to deliberately mislead her into false hopes. Unless he had as much of an idea as she did? She didn't want to think about that possibility.

7:31; hopefully that wouldn't hurt too much. Izuku closed her eyes as she rinsed out her hair in the sink, then opened them to look into the mirror. It wasn't perfect, to be sure; there were some waves of hue, and a couple of places where the roots still shone the same light brown as before, but she figured that would come with practice.

She stared into the bright green eyes of her reflection, and then smiled. She looked just like her mother.

Now, get everything else ready to leave. A jacket would probably be a good idea; Izuku grabbed one out of her closet and slid it on over her tank top. Shoes? A pair of white sneakers lay in a rack by the front door before she grabbed them and jumped into them. ID, railcard, and applicant forms were all set; she was practically bouncing at this point, desperate to hop on the train and not spend a single second more waiting.

So, not seeing any reason to stay, she called out a quick goodbye and dashed out the front door.

The train ride was a blur of expectation. The moment Izuku got on, she rushed straight to the back of the car and sat down in the corner, struggling to stay calm as the suburban scenery faded into cityscape. Unable to keep her mind wholly distracted, she took to scanning the car’s passengers, looking for other kids about her age who might be joining her for the entrance exam. A young girl with long, pointed ears poking out of her blue hair, sitting on the other side of the car; Izuku almost moved to say hi, but before she got the chance, the girl picked up her bag and got off a couple stops into the journey. Probably not, then.

A boy with golden blond hair, sitting by himself, but in a tuxedo and holding a briefcase? Doubtful.

Izuku was both relieved and disappointed to not see Katsuki anywhere on the train. There was something a little nerve-wracking about having to navigate such an important day on her own, but she had heard quite enough of his opinions regarding UA High, and she preferred her current uncertainty and nervousness to the contempt which that familiarity had bred.

That being said, she hoped to have a chance to talk to him after the exam; maybe once the pressure of school had been alleviated, he’d be in less of a sour mood.

When her stop was finally called, Izuku was the first one out of the door. School’s right around the corner. No sense in waiting after coming this far.

The sight that she beheld upon rounding the block and turning to her left was so much glorious than pictures could ever have done justice. Towers of glass rising high above the earth, the morning sun reflecting off the building bright enough she had to shade her eyes. A sparkling concrete wall encircling the premises, trees bursting up from behind its border whose leaves were just beginning to bud. And in the midst of it all, hanging gently over what Izuku could only assume was the front gate, was a plain white banner which read simply, “Exam day!”

A few minutes later, she managed to collect herself and walk through the entrance.

Cars are expensive, sure, and a big responsibility, but was being dropped off by Mom and Dad really necessary? It didn't seem dignified.

He was made for greatness, after all.

The school was bigger than his last, but that didn't hugely concern him. He knew there would be more students than in a local junior high, and besides, the school looked rich enough that some amount of this was just extravagance for the sake of it.

Take a look around, survey the competition. Almost everyone already went to the lobby already, he should probably join them, but who was this girl with green hair, wearing shorts in winter and just staring at everything? She seemed a little familiar …

Probably not important; he probably wouldn't see her again. Time to head inside.

Izuku was thrown from her taking in the scenery by the passing of a face she couldn't help but recognize. Katsuki.

She was glad he was okay, at least, but he didn't even say hi? Was the exam stress getting to him that much? She definitely still had a few more minutes before she had to go inside, so he couldn't have been in a rush…

Wait. The hair, the outfit - maybe he just didn't recognize her. She beamed thinking about that possibility.

Still, the inside of the campus was just as phenomenal as it looked from the outside. Despite the building’s apparently bureaucratic appearance, it was actually put together rather artistically; the glass blocks, when viewed separately, seemed almost as towers of a radiant castle. And the height! She could count up almost a dozen floors standing far away, but from this close all that Izuku could sense was just the sheer scale of the place, dominating everything else around it. Hopefully, at some point, she'd get used to this. If she got in. When she got in.

The pathways, too, seemed remarkably well-kept; Izuku knew this school had been around for half a century, but every single brick looked positively brand-new. Maybe there was someone on staff whose quirk related to repairs? That'd definitely make for a pretty useful hero in an emergency situation although the applicability of that sort of power would probably vary wildly so maybe that's why they would move towards an educational career so that they can more effectively benefit wait that pathway is getting closer really fast uh oh close your eyes--

But despite her panic, Izuku never hit the ground.

After a moment of stunned realization, she opened her eyes, and found her face inches away from the pavement - and staying there. She was flying, or, at least, she was floating. But why?

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry!” came a voice from behind her. “I didn't mean to scare you like that, I just saw you about to trip, and it felt like bad luck incoming! I had to do something. Here, spin around and grab my hand.”

Izuku reached out her left arm and gently pushed against the ground in an attempt to get herself at least a little bit further up. Face no longer pressed towards the path, she found herself being stood over by a girl with warm brown hair, holding out her arm and looking at her expectantly. Reaching out her own hand and grabbing on, Izuku felt herself being pulled weightlessly into a more or less upright position, before suddenly feeling the pull of gravity again as she fell the last couple of inches.

“My quirk is making things weightless,” the girl said, pulling a pink scarf down from her face and tucking it into the collar of her coat. “I know you’re not supposed to use them on people, but I hope you don’t mind too much.”

“O-oh, not at all!” Izuku stuttered in reply, not entirely sure how to react. “Thanks for the help.”

“Of course!” responded the brunette with a smile. “It’s like I said, I’d hate it if someone lost out ‘cause of feeling unlucky. I know it’s a bit silly,” she continued, stretching an arm behind her head, “but it can’t hurt. I’m Ochako, by the way.”

“Izuku.” There was something reassuring about Ochako’s presence, even if she couldn’t figure out what exactly.

“Should we get going? As beautiful as it is outside, it can probably wait until after the exam, don’t you think?” Ochako walked a couple of steps towards the door as she spoke, and then turned back to Izuku, motioning to follow.

She was still unsure of herself, but she didn’t have any doubts about this. Smiling back as best she could, Izuku followed her new friend through the school’s front doors.

“No, it’s actually rarer than you’d think,” Ochako said as the two of them found their way into the auditorium at the end of the hallways and arrow-labeled signs. “I was the only one from my school who applied. It’s like, self-selecting? Most of the people who wouldn’t get in don’t even bother going through the exam. Middle section alright?”

“Sure thing,” responded Izuku, as the two of them moved into the rows and set their sights on a pair of still-empty seats. They weren’t scheduled to start for a few minutes, but the seats were already filling close to the brim. “There seem to be a lot more people here than that, though,” she said gesturing to the room around her.

“Hm? There are a lot of junior high schools in Japan, you know.”

“Oh. Right.” For some reason, the idea that there were kids like her who had traveled across the country to chase the same dream had never occurred to her, but now that it had, her nervousness suddenly escalated far above what it had been all day. She had probably had more training, sure, but she wasn’t even the best in her class, let alone the entire country.

“Are you feeling okay?” Ochako said, and then her voice became static and swirled around her.

There wasn’t a single thing she had done to prepare herself for several hundred students who were all the best in their school, and now she was stuck and there was no way out and the walls and the students pushed closer and closer and a hand gently fell into her lap and she grabbed it as tight as she could and held on until the panic faded and the lights and sounds outside her returned to their sources and she followed the hand she held tight to its origin and looked up at her and smiled and said, simply, “Thank you.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright in the exam?” Gone was her previously cheery demeanor, replaced by an expression of worry.

“Yeah, I-I’m sorry.” Stay calm, don’t fret, just focus on what’s best possible. “I don’t really do well with uncertainty, and I was kind of thrown…”

Ochako nodded, a faint smile returning to her face. “Well, if it helps at all, orientation’s just about to start; should be any minute now.” Sure enough, Izuku looked down at her watch and saw the faint glow of an 8:59 screen, which she stared at expectantly waiting for the next change in time.

Just before it had the chance, though, it was interrupted by a hum of speaker static coming from the front of the auditorium, followed by an almost ear-splitting amplified voice echoing through the room which said only the words “EVERYBODY READY?” And with that, the lights dimmed, a projector shone onto the back wall, and a young man dressed in all black leather sauntered on stage, blond hair gelled back to a point.

Present Mic.

UA graduate of ‘38, top 10 in popularity polls for the first five years of his career, billions of yen earned lifetime, and now, it seemed, high school teacher. Honestly, as far as career paths went, Izuku didn’t think that one was so bad. She wasn’t sure how much he really needed a microphone given his quirk, though.

Still, as much time as she had spent with All Might, there was still something amazing about seeing a professional hero standing right in front of her and talking directly to her, especially one whose radio show she still listened to on a nightly basis.

“Welcome, everyone, to the first day of what will hopefully be a long and happy three years of study at UA High School! That is, of course, if you can pass the entrance exam! LET’S GET THINGS STARTED!” The projector, which previously displayed a blank white screen, now had additional lettering: plain black type which read ‘Entrance Exam Details’, and below that, in a smaller font, the words ‘By Hizashi Yamada’.

“So!” Present Mic continued, still excitedly shouting every word. “There is a written exam too, and that’ll be in a few days or so, but there’s nothing EXCITING about that! You kids signed up here ‘cause you wanted to be heroes! So let’s see if you can!”

He threw his arms out and yelled, “CURTAINS PLEASE!” At that, the title card behind him faded, replacing itself with what looked like a… video game screen? Complete with tinny music playing through the speakers.

Well, he seemed excited, even if the rest of the room was silent.

“Your test is gonna be fighting villains! Robot villains! Lots of them!” Pixelated figures materialized on the board, and were those Mario enemies? On second thought, this was clearly going to be weird; Izuku figured it would be better to just accept it. Each of the figures was labeled with a different number, and a similarly-styled Present Mic appeared and started wandering around the virtual city.

“Three types of robots! Each one’s worth a different number of points - try to get as many as you can in ten minutes! Don’t get killed!” Wait, how dangerous was this going to be? No, that was probably just a joke. Maybe. His shouting every word didn’t exactly make the tone of his words clear, as much as it was still a delight to listen to.

“Excuse me, sir!” Another voice rang out from the audience; Izuku was amazed that anyone managed to find room to get a word in edgewise. She looked to find the source of the interruption, and traced it to a boy sitting near the front, standing perfectly straight in his school uniform and raising his hand high in the air. Astonishingly, Present Mic noticed him too, and stopped his speech to respond, “Yes? What’s the matter?”

“You mentioned there being only three types of opponent,” the boy said bluntly, pushing his glasses to his face, “and yet the diagram you provided shows four plus yourself. Is this a problem with your speech, or with the presentation?”

“Worry not!” Present Mic responded before spinning back behind the podium and dramatically stretching out his arms again. “That’s just what I was about to mention! The mid-round game changer! Zero point robot! Just don’t get in its way!”

All in all, this ‘test’ seemed bizarre at best. They were just going to be set loose on a bunch of fake villains? But presumably still dangerous villains, otherwise the test wouldn’t be very useful, but also not too dangerous villains, since she hadn’t heard about any previous children killed by an entrance exam. She turned to Ochako making a confused face, and received only a shrug in response.

“Check your forms for your exam center! Buses leave outside in 20 minutes, so get ready! Break a leg! PLUS ULTRA!” Shouting his final words loud enough to put Izuku’s hair on end, he stood back and bowed as the screen faded to black. Izuku, for her own part, managed a couple enthusiastic claps before realizing that the rest of the room failed to share her sentiment.

The two of them both perused their sheets before finding a small, capital letter ‘B’ in the bottom right corner.

“Well… good luck, I guess,” Izuku said hesitantly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about having people she knew watching her during the exam, even if only indirectly, but she gave a thumbs up regardless.

“Thanks! You too.” Ochako blinked a couple of times before nodding and offering a faint smile alongside her words.

As the two of them filed out of the auditorium along with the rest of the students, neither said another word.

The bus ride was surprisingly short, and Katsuki was nowhere to be seen. Cherish blessings as they come.

This current situation, though, was nothing short of confounding. Izuku really wasn’t expecting to be blown away by architecture twice in one day, but it seemed like the school really had built enclosed cityscapes out in the middle of the countryside, and she could see the peak of a skyscraper rising out above the sheer metal wall in front of her. Seven buses outside before she left probably meant that there were seven of these, and if there was any damage to the interiors, they would have to be rebuilt every single year. Everything she had learned that day shocked her.

Looking around, she saw Ochako again - no longer dressed in winter gear, but instead sporting a light blue jacket and tracksuit. She must have gotten changed before getting on the buses, then - that would explain why she had left and Izuku hadn’t spotted her again until now. It felt wrong to leave the situation between the two of them unresolved, though, and she wanted to make sure her words had been taken sincerely. She only managed a single step in her direction, though, before her path was blocked by the straightened arm of another student.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” the boy stopping her said sternly. Izuku was surprised to see the same boy who had interrupted Present Mic’s speech standing in front of her. At this rate, it was more surprising that Katsuki wasn’t there with her.

“That girl over there is clearly trying to concentrate. It would be extremely inappropriate for you to interfere with your competitors in such a manner, and I ask that you please refrain.”

“I-- uh… okay.” No point in arguing; even in what was presumably a school P.E. uniform, he was still somewhat of a presence. Izuku gently backed up and walked off in a different direction as quickly as she could.

Wanting to avoid thinking about that awkwardness, Izuku decided to take a moment to strategize. While she hadn’t technically done it before, there was nothing about fighting robotic opponents that seemed noticeably different from human opponents with quirks, and she had been taught by the best how to do that. It was just a matter of being resourceful and thinking quickly, and with only three types of robots to contend with, it shouldn’t be tricky to get a feeling of how to defeat them all.

How would points be assigned for collaborative efforts, though? She didn’t really want to take any risks, so she should probably head out on her own and hope not to run into anyone. That being said, she wasn’t on the best of terms with the two students she had actually spoken to already, and not really being sure how much time there was before the exam actually started, trying to collaborate at this point seemed like a fool’s errand. Seeing the other students all standing apart silently in front of the open gate, she doubted anyone would even wait the gate was open.

Did that mean the test had started? No one else seemed to have noticed, and the worst that could happen is that she would be pulled out and have to start with everyone else. Besides, a head start was a tempting offer.

Just as she was about to cross the threshold into the artificial city, she heard the crackle of a loudspeaker, and nearly panicked before she heard its message: the voice of Present Mic angrily shouting, “Well, what are you waiting for? No countdowns in battle!” At that, the people behind her perked up and started running, so Izuku took that as a sign to do the same. Pulling off at the first corner and making sure no one had followed her, she wandered into the city looking for enemies, and it wasn’t long until she found one.

Never had Izuku been more glad to have accidentally left a screwdriver in her pocket. With as many electrical appliances as she had dismantled over the course of her beach training, there was often a temptation to hate its presence, but right now she couldn’t be more grateful.

The android standing in front of her had large shields over its arms, each emblazoned with the numeral “1”. Mutator-type quirk, she thought. Tackle the weak points, manipulate the mutation. Seeing the arms about to come down at her, she dodged out of the way, and then ran behind her opponent and held on tight to its back. A loose plate became looser, and a couple of wires were knocked from their slots, and the robot she was grabbing lost power and fell to the floor.

Izuku sat down for a moment to catch her breath. The moment she had stepped through the gate to the city, she had felt slightly uneasy, and that encounter had amplified that feeling to distress. Not panic, fortunately, but enough to start making her feel sick.

As soon as she could, though, she picked herself back up and kept moving. She wasn’t sure what a winning score was, but something told her that a single point would not suffice.

Walking through the cityscape was an oddly surreal experience. So many of the side alleys and narrow roads reminded her of her own home city - was that deliberate? - but for every familiar doorstep and street corner, there was a pristine concrete wall or row of darkened windows that reminded her that her surroundings were artificial. Given more time to ponder, Izuku would have wandered for days; as it was, though, her observations were minor distractions as she ran by on a quest to defeat more enemies.

When the loudspeaker rang out with a five-minute warning before she had increased her score any further, though, she realized that she was going to have to adopt a different strategy.

Concentrate. The simulation is likely to be accurate. Real villains don’t attack randomly, they attack population centers. Going right to the most open areas would probably mean competition from other students, but the access routes would probably be effective targets, as well as blocking off the other students. Plus, this was just a simulation, but there was something that seemed wrong about attacking villains in places where others could be endangered.

She listened out for the sound of commotion and followed it as best she could, but when another one-point robot crossed her path, panic suffused through her body and overrode her previous ability to fight back. When the metallic arm swung down towards her, she tried desperately to run away, but her legs were frozen in place, and she could only squeeze her eyelids shut and fret.

She wasn ’t entirely happy with how this whole situation played out, but at the halfway things seemed to be looking up. Her quirk was starting to wear her out, though; thankfully, this wasn’t an extended fight, so she could go home and rest afterward. For now, though? All out; there was something so oddly satisfying about the process of tagging the robots, pushing them into the air, and letting them fall to the ground, and she couldn’t help but smile every time she heard a crash behind her. The latest set had brought her up to a clean thirty.

While she had seen other students around, none of them ever tried to mess with her, though she couldn ’t count on that staying true as the number of robots dwindled. She was going to have to act.

A loud whirring noise sounded a couple of streets down; with any luck, she ’d be the first one to it.

Izuku opened her eyes to see the robot still in front of her, swinging wild strokes with its shield arms, not a single one in danger of hitting her. Curious, she stepped forward into their path, and the robot in its turn rolled back so that its attacks were still out of range.

The robots were never going to hurt them. This test was completely safe.

That realization now under her belt, she took to disabling the second robot in the same manner as the first, and it quickly fell down to the ground with a clatter. Not having to worry about staying safe, this test would become a cinch. Izuku rushed off towards the city center, the few remaining enemies in her path tumbling harmlessly as she passed them and deactivated them.

People talk all the time about missing the forest for the trees, but no one ever mentions missing the collapsing building for the giant robot knocking it down. Funny, that.

While she had managed to avoid most of the debris, the impact from what remained was enough to knock the wind out of her, and she doubted she ’d be able to clear all of it with her quirk right away. Still, she felt like she had a decent lead, and once the exam was over they’d come and rescue her.

As much as she wanted to focus on silver linings, she was still drowning in steel.

Izuku’s forward progress was halted by a sudden, loud whirring off in the distance. She hadn’t actually seen any three-point robots still intact, and the idea of a burst of extra points was too appealing to pass up on, even if it was some distance away. She made a dash for the sound’s origin, then stopped cold when a couple of blocks later, she found it.

Stay calm. Focus. Don’t worry. This was probably the zero point robot. If it was anything like the other robots, it wasn’t allowed to actually hurt any of the students.

Mixed in with the sea of debris in front of her was a familiar light blue.

It wouldn’t hurt them unless it didn’t know that they were there.

Her view to the outside was limited, but there was nothing comforting about seeing a sea of people running from the place where she was fixed. Baffling, though, was seeing this and noticing a single person heading towards her.

Only one thing to do. Dig as fast as you can. Her life depends on it.

The roaring motors grew louder by the second, but it felt as though the weight on her shoulders was lifting.

Reaching out a hand to Ochako’s now excavated body, she saw the hand in front of her and grabbed on, but no matter how hard she pulled, the rest of the debris still weighed down on her body, and she felt her body lighten as her control over her power began to waver and Izuku was floating.

“I’ll save you,” she whispered, and then pressed off the ground and flew into the air.

A rising, followed by a crashing.

The joint at the robot’s neck was crucially weak. A single, impulsive punch sent it flying backwards, as she did the same from the now lifeless robot.

She smiled, and then closed her eyes.

In the rush of the moment, she failed to notice that the pull of gravity had returned to her body.

A falling, followed by a landing.

Izuku and Ochako were both barely, luckily, alive.