#and like the day after it's the french team reunion

[oscar-piastri]

CHARLES O. IS INJURED............................................................................................................................................ WHAT HAVE I DONE TO GOD TO BE PUNISHED LIKE THAT

[howlingday]

OKAY, SO...

Hear me out... Jaune is PipSeras child.

He's got a French name, blond hair, blue eyes, is a lot stronger than he knows at first.

That's kinda all I got.

Toss in weird "Uncle" Alexander and Alucard too.

Everything happened so fast. What was supposed to be just another adventure for Jaune and his friends ended up getting him killed in the end. And not even in a cool, heroic way like a last stand protecting his friends from the Grimm... or Cinder, but he fell when the cliff he'd been standing on gave way and sent him and few Grimm hurtling towards their demise. It was a long drop. Just long enough for him to say.

"I'm coming, Pyrrha."

And then, everything was black. Memories began fading in and out of his mind. His first day at Beacon. His last night with Pyrrha. His childhood spent with his seven sisters. His broken body being lifted out of the dirt by and rubble by a woman with red eyes.

Huh... He didn't recognize her, but she started to fill his mind more and more, even more clearly than his previous memories had. She had short, blonde hair, tied back in a small ponytail, much like his wolf tail in his younger years. She was shorter than him, almost by a foot, maybe, but she carried him like he weighed nothing. She then placed herself into his neck and Jaune felt every part of his being was being drained from him. Like he was dying faster.

His mind blinked and she knelt over him, warmth filling his mouth. He could feel his body begin to shift and change. Then everything went dark again. The memories began fading in and out again, but the ones with the woman weren't as present this time.

Was this death? He'd heard stories of golden gates, a realm of clouds and a reunion with others who passed before he did. Maybe even a reunion with Pyrrha. Yet death now seemed to be, well, just sitting in the dark and thinking about what you've experienced. It was no different from living, was it? Was this why people were urged to live their life to the fullest? Because once you die, you're stuck in the dark thinking about how good you had it when you were alive?

Could he move? Jaune twitched his finger... And he could move! Feeling around, he was on the floor of a cave. An uncomfortable floor, at that. He decided to push himself up, and see what the room of death looked like.

The woman from his memories stood at the other side of the room, a menacing look in her eyes as she glared down the barrel of her rifle.

Jaune decided to lay back down.

"You're awake now," the armed woman said, "so you might as well get up."

"Are you going to shoot me?" Jaune asked.

"That depends on what you're going to do." She made a gesture with her rifle, moving it up swiftly. Jaune stood to his feet, hands in the air. She stepped closer. "No funny business."

"No funny business." Jaune gulped. "Got it."

'Better listen to mother, kid.' A voice said. 'Zat is no "popgun" she's holding.'

"I'm sorry, what?" Jaune looked at the woman after hearing the man's voice. "What did you say?"

"Wait, did you hear him, too?" She asked.

"Uh... Yeah?"

"Hm..." She lowered her weapon, narrowing her brow as she squinted at him. Suddenly, Jaune's hand flew out and squeezed her breast. She shrieked and punched Jaune into the wall. "You pervert!"

Jaune had fought his fair share of Grimm since attending Beacon Academy. Granted, it wasn't as much as Ruby or her team or his team, but he'd say it was his fair share. The hardest thing to ever hit him was that Ursa that was attacking Cardin. This woman's punch made that seem like the bat of a kitten.

"Agh... What the hell..."

"Pip, you asshole!" The woman growled. "You could have done something else!"

'Ah, but it wouldn't 'ave been as funny, mon cher~!'

"Who..." Jaune rose to his feet. "Who is that?"

"His name is Pip, and he's a pervert asshole." The woman grumbled.

"No kidding..." Jaune still felt sore in his jaw, but nothing felt broken. Either his aura was that good or something happened to his body. "And who are you?"

"My name is Seras."

"Nice to meet you, Seras. I'm Jaune." He extended his hand, making her flinch. When she noticed it made no attempt for her chest, she took his hand and shook it. Jaune then noticed that her hand was a writhing mass of black and red tendrils. He flinched, making the woman and the voice his head share a laugh. "What... What are you?"

"I'm a vampire." She said like it was the most normal response ever. "And so are you."

Jaune blinked. "What?"

A scream echoed from the mouth of the cave. He recognized it as Nora's. He ran for the entrance, only to be stopped by Seras, holding her arms out wide.

"Just wait a minute!" Seras shouted. "You need to wait until-"

"I can't wait!" Jaune slipped past her. "My friends are in trouble!"

Rushing headlong down the corridor, Jaune made it to a flight of stairs leading out of the darkness. However, as he looked to the peak of the steps where light slowly sank to the entrance, something deep inside him stopped him from going any further. From behind, Seras called out to him.

Another scream erupted from the fading light and Jaune threw his caution to the wind. Fear be damned, his friends needed him! Rushing up the stairs, he shut his eyes and barreled into the light.

And everything burned. Jaune screamed as his skin felt like it was boiling, and his hair singed. He fell to the ground, roaring in agony as his body felt like it was dying the most horribly gruesome death possible. A loud thunder echoed before a tree fell on top of him.

'Well done, mon cher,' Pip groaned, 'you've managed to crush ze boy before he could burn.'

'Is he dead?' Seras asked without speaking aloud.

'Non. But if he's smart, he won't do zat again.'

A hand slapped the dirt beneath the tree. Jaune pulled himself away from the extending shadow. Rolling her eyes, Seras walked over and pressed her boot to his head. He gave a whimper, still tender from the immolation.

"Oi," she barked, "you can't just run into sunlight like that anymore. I already told you. You're a vampire."

"Then why..." Jaune groaned, "why aren't you..."

"Because unlike you, I'm a real vampire." She removed her boot. "Fledglings like you aren't as tough until you start acting like a vampire."

"How... How do I..." Another scream echoed and Jaune pushed himself up. Seras smacked him into the ground. "AGH!"

"Would you just wait?!" She looked to the sunset. "Just a little longer now..."

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

"Are... Are they gone?" Ruby asked, panting.

Jaune's death had a greater impact on herself and her temporary team of Nora and Ren than she'd expected. She'd been through so much in the Fall of Beacon, as the local news called it, and with the mutilation of her sister, the abduction of her partner, and Blake running away, it seemed negativity would be a constant in her life. But at least her team was alive, which gave her hope. The remaining two of JNPR were a different story.

"Maybe." Ren replied quietly, just loud enough for the two girls near him to understand.

The Grimm they were being attacked by wasn't something Beacon had prepared them for. Among Professor Port's many tales, none of them mentioned a Geist-like Grimm who had bladed hands but could not possess objects. It moved fast and silently, striking when their backs were turned. The sunset seemed to act as both a blessing and a curse.

"I'm hungry." Nora gave a small whine.

With the sun setting, light became focused on the trio. The blessing of this was they could see the Grimm ambush from the shadows they cast close by. The curse, however, was that they couldn't attack while facing towards their attackers. It took a few nicks on their shoulders and arms before figuring out this strategy. If Jaune were still here-

"They're coming!" Run turned from the tree, keeping an arm ahead of his brow to block any the sunlight. Using his gun, he managed to veer an attacker off-course. However, this only gave another attacker the chance to charge in from his blind spot.

"Gotcha!" Nora shouted as she fired her grenade launcher into the threat. She fell back, her arm swinging wide from the recoil, making her yelp in pain. The Grimm coming for Ren didn't come out of the smoke-cloud Nora had turned it into.

"Nora!" Ruby ran out and grabbed her teammates, taking them with her deeper into the woods. Ruby weaved around trunks and over branches as the shadows lengthened on night's approach. She stopped just a few seconds later, dropping the two and panting as she tried to catch her breath. Carrying two people was different than carrying one, and carrying one was already more exhausting than using her semblance only on herself. Looking over, Nora was holding her elbow close to her body. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-" Nora tried to move her elbow, but winced in pain. "Nope. No, I'm not."

"Here." Ren pulled some fabric from his bag, then began tying it around Nora's wrist and over her shoulder. "How does that feel?"

"Better." Nora said, looking at Ren with a smile. He gave one in return, and for a time, they seemed to only see each other smiling.

Ruby smiled, too, at their smiling. But her throat suddenly became dry, and she gave a small cough to help clear it. The two partners looked away with blushes on their faces. Way to ruin a beautiful, little moment between best friends, Ruby.

Thinking on best friends, Ruby's mind drifted to Jaune. He was her first friend, fellow team leader, and when he died, she felt so... angry. With herself. Her life since it had now become this horrible, awful thing that was just non-stop pain and suffering. She'd heard it said that pain builds character, but all she was building now was a lump in her stomach. It wasn't healthy, and it only attracted Grimm.

"I'll keep an eye out for any Grimm." She said. "You two get some rest."

They stared at her in horror. No, they were looking past her. Turning slowly, she saw a Grimm unlike the others. And she let out her loudest scream.

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

The sun had nearly set, so Seras let Jaune go free. He could still feel a tingle over his body, like a slight warmth you'd get on a summer's day. Thankfully it wasn't enough to consider his life would be in danger. Not this time.

Following the direction of the screams, he found his way to not far where he fell. In fact, he found his weapon with all of Ruby and their team's stuff. However, none of the team was there to greet them. Picking up his sword, he heard the sounds of weapons clashing not far away. Hurrying over, he found Ren peppering now and then from a distance as Nora stayed behind him with her arm in a sling. The reason Ren wasn't unloading everything was because he didn't want to accidentally hit Ruby as she clashed with the Grimm.

It was a tall, imposing creature, almost looking like a cross between a spider and a horse. It spun its bladed arms around to either slice or deflect Ruby's scythe. Jaune was about to hurry over when he noticed something off about the creature. Through the dark shadows of the night, Jaune saw that part of its body split off to spin freely, as if gauging the best way to strike. That time then became now and circled wide and was coming for Nora from behind!

"Huh?" The grenadier of Team JNPR and JNRR looked behind her to see a dark figure with blood-red eyes slowly rising from black dust and white ash. She gasped as she recognized his mop of blond hair. "Jaune!"

As Ren turned to see, it was only for a blink as Jaune jumped past his teammates and charged at the Grimm. Like a hot knife through butter, maybe even better, Jaune tore through the massive Grimm. Detaching from their powdered comrade, the smaller Grimm from before began to split from each other. Before Ruby could twitch to move into action, Jaune had already smashed apart what little Grimm were around.

"Jaune..." Ruby blinked. She swayed a bit. This was almost like a dream. Sure, his eyes were a different color, but they held the same amount of kindness they had before. Maybe this all was a dream and she'd wake up soon? That's what her body thought, so she fell to the ground.

Or, at least, she fell into Jaune's arms as he caught her. She must have been exhausted, fighting to protect her friends by herself, with one injured and the other keeping close to the injured. She'd taken a few hits, too, since she was covered in bruises and cuts. Bloody cuts...

There was a burning desire inside Jaune. Hotter than the sunlight that burned him, yet not as painful. The scent of iron excited him and he licked his lips in anticipation. Ruby's neck was so slender, so vulnerable, and Jaune felt his mouth open as he leaned in to give it a kiss. Just one... little... taste...

WHAM!

Jaune smashed through a tree as a large, monstrous hand held Ruby off the ground. Ren and Nora stood in awe as the blond woman carefully lowered Ruby to the ground. She then stepped a few paces away from Ruby, her large rifle held in front of her. In a blink, Jaune appeared again, this time his face contorted into an inhuman snarl. The woman pointed in a direction and, in what felt like the longest half-second of their lives, Jaune disappeared from view.

She then turned around, giving a salute as she held a sweet smile on her face. "G'd evenin'!" She called. "The name's Seras Victoria and, well, I'm a vampire~!"

[cuecrynsleep]

Ranking Amangela moments based on how much I freaked out over them.

Disclaimer: This is a joke and is made for fun. This tier list isn't meant to say anything on Amanda and Angela's dynamic, nor their character, or who they are as people. It's just a tier list based on what I think of them as a pairing for certain moments. Please do not take this seriously. Amanda and Angela are real people at the end of the day.

Written Out Text Version if Photos Unclear

Tier 1: "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE I'M NOT OKAY"

-Seals in another life

-Angela making Amanda a ring + "I finally get married to the person I belong with"

-Amangela playing a married couple 3 times

-Livestream affections

Tier 2: WHAT THE FUCK AMANDA/ANGELA

-Fake kiss #1/#2: Love is Blind Edition

-"I just fell in love with you" - Angela after Amanda's TNTL bit

-"What if we kissed/made out and went missing" x4

-"Quick before we go live kiss me" | "Okay"

-"Security guard I'd like to fuck" - Angela

Tier 3: OH! Oh. I don't know man that's kinda fruity

-"Put us on top of each other" / "Dude both pants are off." - Board AF Legacy

-(Amanda talking about not talking about something bothering her for a whole shoot week) "Then again sometimes I just see Angela and I'm like 'hey' and I don't know what happens..."

-Competitive Amangela - Challenge Pit

-"We'll probably find our way back to each other" - Love is Blind 2

-New York x Toilet Girl Saga

-Tinky Winky and Detective Wheresmycoffee

-Physical affection Tapple video edition

-Reddit stories physical affection

Tier 4: They're so cute I might survive this.

-"She's a thankful person... I love that about her." - Angela

-"She knows me so well that she knows when I'm lying." - Amanda

-"You're killing it" - Amanda to Angela during her first Smosh video

-Amangela team duo during Incohearent games video

-"Angela tried to like watch the reunion with me." - Amanda

Tier 5: "Wait guys we swear it's just a bit."

-"But can you kiss me before you leave?" / "All I wanna do is go into hell and kiss your face." - Angela Board AF Legacy

-French Soldier x FBI Agent TNTL bit

-Physical affection blood clocktower games video edition

-Tinky Winky choking Detective Wheresmycoffee

Tier 6: This is just them at their normal.

-"Are you okay?" / "You have to trust yourself." - Angela

-"A soulmate can be a friend." - Agree to Disagree video

-"Aww Ange" - Amanda comforting Angela during Reddit Stories

[gguk-n]

The Sky Between Us (Charles Leclerc x Reader)

Summary- You can't keep two love birds away, especially not when fairy godmother Carlos has got any say in that.

google translated french

Series Masterlist

Chapter 3- Reunion of Hearts

Charles had magnets in his eyes, especially when it came to Y/N. He could tell if she was in close proximity. That's why he noticed her being sat a couple table away from them. Charles and Carlos were celebrating Carlos's win in Australia after beating appendicitis. He couldn't take his eyes off her, she looked beautiful as ever, laughing so brightly, it made his heart constrict. He wasn't the reason of that bright smile. He wondered had she moved away. He hadn't really tried reaching out to her. How could he? After all he was the one that wanted to end it all. The months after Y/N left were misery to say the least. He would always end up on a piano playing the most heartbreaking notes or moping around. Everyone was fed up with him. Arthur even told him to man up and just talk to her. At least during the season, his mind was preoccupied; the real test was after Abu Dhabi. He was stuck at home, barely left his room. All he could do was go through their old pictures and Y/N social media accounts. He felt some kind of solace knowing that she still followed him, maybe he still had a chance until Christmas when he saw that she had unfollowed him. Y/N had moved on and it was time for Charles to do so too.

The season started off strong, when he stepped on the podium in Saudi Arabia, he hoped that she was watching. Maybe she saw him, maybe just maybe she was still proud of him. 2 weeks later, he was in Australia, Carlos won the GP. All was well, until he saw her. His heart was ready to jump out of his chest. Carlos had noticed where his team mates eyes kept drifting off to. Much to Carlos's relief, it was Y/N. Carlos knew what had to be done. He know Charles still loved her, what he did in Austria was stupid but he needed closure or a second chance if Y/N would give him one. Carlos decided to talk to Y/N when they left their seats to exit the restaurant. Y/N was more than happy to be greeted by Carlos and kept the conversation short and polite. Carlos could only hope for Charles to step in and talk to her, but to his dismay Charles barely came or even spoke to her except for the couple pleasantries. He followed Carlos out of the restaurant as soon as possible. Carlos really wanted to smack his team mate right across his head for not talking to her when he missed her so much.

Carlos spent the next couple of weeks talking to Y/N, trying to gauge the situation. He wanted to know if she felt the same away about Charles before he decided to play cupid. To his delight, she still loved him and seeing him in Australia had brought her back to square one it seems. Carlos was about to make the boldest and scariest suggestion; he asked her to come to Monaco for the GP. She was back from her work trip in Australia and Carlos only asked for a day. He asked her to come to Monaco for the GP, just for the race; he begged her, she didn't even have to be there the whole weekend, just Sunday. Carlos lied that his girlfriend missed her wanted to hang out. Charles better play his cards right, Carlos thought.

Y/N couldn't say no because deep down she knew that she loved Charles and wanted nothing more than to go back to how things were but she knew that it would be fruitless if he truly felt like she didn't care. It was for closure she said, if she ran in Charles, which was a given, she could have a talk with him and finally end this chapter of her life. Amy wasn't really on board with the plan. If she could, she would've tied Y/N down and left her locked in her apartment but Y/N was a big girl now and had to handle her own problems.

Monaco grand prix rolled around quiet slowly for Y/N, she found her self dressing up for the race. She had reached Monaco the morning of the race and made her way to the paddock. The race was going to start in a while, in a turn of events, she didn't run into Charles even though she half hoped to; except, she found Carlos who took her to the Ferrari hospitality. Charles was too busy with their strategist. He only saw Y/N as he was getting ready to get in the car. Their eyes met and Charles bolted in her direction, "Y/N, you are here, you're real." he said while holding her hands. She pulled her hands away from him, "All the best Charles." she said while looking into his eyes. "Please, stay. I'll come see you after the race." Charles begged. "I'll think about it, maybe if you win the race." she suggested.

The race was off too a good start with Charles at pole position, there were a couple crashes and one safety car but Charles finished P1 in his home race, breaking the Monaco curse. The whole team ran to Charles, but his eyes were only on her. The first person he spotted in the crowd and the first person he hugged after winning was Y/N. It was like she was his lucky charm, he broke the curse because of her being there. "I have to meet the team and do the post race interview. Please just wait for me, I'll be back and we'll have a talk." he said earnestly while looking into her eyes. She nodded with tears in her eyes, "I'll be in your driver's room" she muttered feeling the honesty in his words.

Charles couldn't wait to finish all the post race celebrations and the interviews. All he could hope was for Y/N to actually be waiting for him. He ran to his driver's room and to his relief, there she was, sat on the leather couch. It wasn't a dream, she really saw him win his home race. He slowly walked towards her, "I can't believe you're here." Charles breathed out. He wanted to hold her but he held himself back. "Well, I wouldn't be, if not for Carlos." she said. "I'll have to thank him later." he muttered more to himself. "I'm so sorry mon amour, I was out of line in Austria. I haven't been able to forgive myself for hurting you or the words I said. I love you and I am so sorry for everything. I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me but knowing that you were watching me and knowing that you saw me win my home race meant everything. I love you so much and I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you, if you'll let me" he rambled on. Y/N had a smile on her face, she knew she loved him but she wasn't going to forgive him that easy. "Firstly, congratulations on the win. I'm happy I got to share such a special moment with you. I was and am still hurt by the things you said, but I still love you. So, I am willing to give us another chance." she said. Charles hugged her while resting his head in the crook of her neck, "I'll cherish this opportunity and make sure to never repeat this mistake ever again." he whispered. Y/N felt tears against her skin, she knew he was being honest. And he was an idiot, but she was willing to keep that idiot if he would have her. "Today is the best day of my life." Charles said while looking into Y/N's eyes. "Is it because you won Monaco?" she said. "Not only did I win Monaco, but I also won my girl back." he said. "I'm not a prize baby, you still have a lot of work to do before you 'win' me" she chided. Charles knew that and he was grateful for the opportunity.

They started dating again, Carlos was very happy with his brilliant work, going as far as asking them to name their first born after him; to which Charles was not opposed to. He really owed Carlos big time. Charles knew that these are once in a life time chances and he wasn't about to lose it. He knew whether he travelled around the world racing in an F1 car or not, his heart would always be where ever Y/N was. He was happy to leave his heart with his home forever.

THE END

hope you liked it!

[simonsrosebud]

ik I'm late to the party but omg.... abram boyd.... I'm sobbing that's so sweet 😭😭 pls tell me more about them

AHHH THANK YOU I LOVE HIM

Abram has certified protective big brother energy, but since he isn’t a big brother this goes to his girl friends at college instead. Palmetto is a safe campus, but he (and Elliot by association) still always end up getting their girl friends back to the dorms safely no matter what. I’m talking if two of their friends are fucked up before he even gets there he will leave the bar 10 minutes in just to get them home and then come BACK. (this is based on my sisters friend at lsu and it’s so wholesome)

Abram’s relationship with Neil is interesting bc he’s growing up as Neil is traveling in the pros in his late 20’s. However, Neil visits whenever it’s convenient and once he gets in the groove of this whole godfather thing he treats Abram like he’s his uncle bc he sees how Andrew is with Aaron’s girls. He keeps up with his schedule when he starts playing little leagues and makes Dan send pictures. She sends first day of school updates and a picture of a little Abram missing his two front teeth.

Abram gets a Josten Court jersey and wears it until it stinks. He gets new ones when he outgrows them. By his third one Matt gets him a huge one to grow into as a grown man. He does indeed grow into it.

Neil sends him post cards with a little letters written inside when he’s 4 and Abram loves it so much that Dan facetime’s Neil like 2 weeks after he got the first one but it’s just Abram’s face all up in the camera. “When will I get anover wetter, uncle Neil?” “Oh!” instant delight “It must still be in the mail, buddy, but just keep an eye on the mailbox, okay?” “Okay… do you wanna see your wetter?! I put it on my wall, uncle Neil!”

Neil is the first to start calling him B, firstly bc calling someone else Abram is something he has to get used to. Secondly because Abram acknowledges it as Neil’s nickname and stubbornly doesn’t let anyone else call him it.

Matt retires from exy at like 32 when Abram is 3. Matt’s exy team loyalties lie where his friends are at, so Matt, Jace, and Abram make it a thing to watch every game. Abram can’t keep track of Neil is and gets frustrated by it. Matt mentions it while laughing, two games later Neil has the butt of his stick wrapped in orange. After that Abram keeps saying, “Ope, there’s uncle Neil again …. There’s- I see orange, Daddy! …. There he goes again! …. Look! Uncle Neil!!”

Andrew may have been the one humanizing Neil, but Abram is the one who softens him.

Abram used to hold onto Addie or Annie’s hands and just follow them around at Fox reunions, which got more frequent throughout the years and is why/how the fox kids all got close.

Abram plays minecraft but just creative mode. He likes adventure or sports videogames while his brother likes Call of Duty and whatnot.

BIG lego kid until he’s like 14.

As a teenager, Abram and Neil text so much and talk on the phone a lot. About exy, about French help bc he’s learning it in school, about some fantasy show that Abram somehow got Neil into, about sports and college applications and when he can come visit again. And then about who these new kids in Neil’s house are and are they gonna stay a while? should we add them to the cousin gc? hey how’s elliot doing? and hey can you send me elliot’s number? and if i’m doing all this hard work to keep the strikers away the least our strikers could do is do something with the ball i keep getting to them, anyway, are you guys bringing blake and elliot to thanksgiving? i’m excited to meet them. and i know ur gonna be weird if i ask you about guys but im pretty sure i have a crush on one and im kinda freaking out and im scared to tell my parents and-

Matt is so loving when he comes out to him and Dan, hugging Abram really tight and just telling him he loves him and he’s so proud of him and Abram cries a little.

The first time he kisses a boy (bc crushes are only from afar) it’s freshman year of college and it’s because he starts looking at Elliot too often for too long and needs to get that shit out of his head bc that’s his best friend.

Abram has lunch with Dan like twice a month because she tries to stay out of his hair since she’s the exy coach at PSU.

When he and Elliot get together he finds he loves to wrap Elliot up in his clothes.

Elliot goes to all of his home games with their friends and cheers obnoxiously. Abram loves it. He also… fucks Elliot while he wears his soccer jersey.

He is definitely a gentle giant, but once he and Elliot get together he throws that boy AROUND in the bedroom.

there’s a lot more about him but i hope that’s good for tonight hehe

[todorokis-girl]

It's never too late for this - Tendo Satori x f!reader

Amidst the laughter and memories of a high school reunion, Y/N finds herself swept up in a whirlwind of emotions. A few glasses of wine blur the lines between friendship and unspoken desires, leading to an accidental confession to her long-time crush, Tendo Satori. Will this unexpected revelation bring them closer together or tear them apart? Follow their journey of love, friendship, and vulnerability in the charming backdrop of a French chocolatier's dreams

masterlist

The air was thick with nostalgia and the scent of blooming flowers as Y/N walked into the restaurant. It had been two years since she'd last seen Tendo Satori, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had spent those years supporting him from afar, as he followed his dreams of becoming a chocolatier in France. Now, as she walked into the reunion of their high school volleyball team, she felt a mixture of excitement and dread.

Y/N had always gone above and beyond for Satori when she was the team manager. She was there for every practice, every game, every celebration, and every heartbreak. She had supported his dreams after graduation, encouraging him to chase his passion. But she never told him how she truly felt, believing it was better to let him go without the burden of her unspoken feelings.

As she stepped inside, she saw him. Satori was surrounded by their former teammates, his distinctive red hair and infectious smile making him easy to spot. He looked different yet the same, more mature but with the same twinkle in his eyes. Y/N felt a pang of longing as she watched him laugh and joke with the others.

"Y/N!" A familiar voice broke through her reverie. It was Ushijima Wakatoshi, his deep voice as commanding as ever. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Ushijima," she replied with a smile. She greeted the rest of the team, exchanging hugs and catching up on their lives. But her eyes kept drifting back to Satori.

Finally, their eyes met. Tendo's face lit up with recognition, and he made his way over to her. "Y/N! It's been too long!"

"Hi, Ten," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "It really has."

They fell into an easy conversation, reminiscing about their high school days and sharing stories of their lives since then. Y/N felt a warmth in her chest, the same feeling she always had when she was with him. But there was also a sadness, knowing that she had never told him how she felt.

As the night wore on, the drinks flowed freely. Y/N found herself laughing more, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. The alcohol blurred the edges of her anxiety, and she let herself enjoy the moment.

At one point, she found herself sitting next to Tendo, a glass of wine in her hand. They were chatting about his life in France, the challenges and joys of being a chocolatier. Y/N listened intently, hanging on to his every word.

"I can't believe you did it," she said, her voice a little louder and looser than usual. "You really followed your dream."

Tendo smiled, his eyes twinkling. "It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. And I had a lot of support from friends like you."

Y/N's heart fluttered at his words. She took another sip of wine, feeling a warm flush spread through her. "I've always believed in you, Ten. Ever since high school."

He looked at her, his expression softening. "You were always there for me, Y/N. I don't think I ever thanked you properly for that."

She waved her hand dismissively, her movements exaggerated by the alcohol. "You don't have to thank me. I did it because I love you."

The words slipped out before she could stop them. She froze, realizing what she had just said. Tendo stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Y/N felt a surge of panic. She tried to backtrack, her cheeks burning. "I… I mean, I cared about you a lot," she stammered, avoiding his gaze. "You were important to me."

Satori's eyes never left her face. "Y/N, did you mean it? Do you love me?"

She looked down at her hands, her heart pounding in her chest. "I…" She hesitated, biting her lip. The alcohol had loosened her tongue, but now she felt exposed and vulnerable. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I was afraid to tell you because I didn't want to hold you back. You've always been so incredible, Satori, and I didn't want my feelings to be a burden."

There was a long silence. Y/N felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, afraid of what he might say next. She had imagined this moment so many times, but now that it was happening, she felt completely unprepared.

Tendo gently took her hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "Y/N," he said softly, "I had no idea. I wish you had told me sooner."

She looked up at him, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "I was so scared," she whispered. "Scared that you wouldn't feel the same, that it would ruin everything between us."

He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I never wanted you to feel like that. But I'm here now, and I want to be here for you."

She clung to him, feeling the warmth of his embrace. "What does this mean, Tendo? For us?"

He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. "It means we have a lot to talk about. But for now, just know that I care about you deeply. We’ll figure it out together."

As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, Y/N felt a sense of relief and hope. The road ahead was uncertain, but for the first time in two years, she felt a glimmer of happiness. She had finally told Satori the truth, even if it was by accident, and no matter what happened next, she knew she had taken the first step towards healing her heart.

[amberjazmyn]

home sweet home 🫶💔

pairing : pierre gasly x gasly!fem reader & f1 grid x platonic!fem reader

summary : delilah gasly had been stationed in america for the last seven years as a training paramedic. she is also pierre's younger sister and hasn't seen him during those seven years. the last time she had seen her brother was just after pierre had made his f1 debut. since then, it had been seven years since pierre had been in f1 and so many things that delilah had missed had happened. so, with the help of the rest of the f1 grid, she surprised her older brother. 

warnings : dodgy french to english translations, sweet reunions between siblings, swearing, happy crying

a/n : a couple of flashbacks will be in this and written in italics like always, even though it's happy, it'll be written in lowercase and i'm gonna apologise once again for the influx of depressing one-shots so i hope this makes you forgive me! 

present time | pierre's pov

chilling in the alpine garage before media day was always the thing that i did during each grand prix week when i first started in f1 and it was something i even did now, in my seventh year on the grid. except for the occasional run-in from one of the engineers, it was quite quiet which led me to find an old message between me and my younger sister. i tilted my head in confusion but, i sat in my chair properly, my feet off of the desk, and read the message from delilah.

delilah

hey, pierre. i know we haven't spoken in ages, since i left being the "ages" but, i just wanted to text you to let you know i love you, i miss and i am so proud of you.

it makes me so excited that you have finally made it into formula one and i only wish that i could be there to see you continue to smash it! i know you and the rest of the team will smash it out of the park! love you!

hey delilah, i miss you too and i love you too. and thank you, i'm also excited to have finally made it into formula one, only charles needs to enter next! see you soon, whenever that is! 

i really am sorry that i can't be there to see any of the races. and i'm sure charles will make his debut soon, pierre. and congrats again and biggest hugs to you! okay, i need to go but, we can talk later. i love you pierre and stay safe. bisous. 

read

i felt my eyes water as i reread these messages. especially when i noticed that these dates dated back to around, 2017ish when i had first made my debut into formula one and i remembered i'm no longer the rookie like i was back then. my heart broke as i realised i didn't even respond to delilah's last message she sent me back in 2017, i only read it and never responded. even though it was a very short conversation, it was still a nice conversation to have with my sister as i hadn't talked to her at that point in a couple of years. and that reason is that delilah, basically the day after i had signed the contract and got given the call i was making my debut into formula one, she was over in america as a training paramedic, travelling through all the states to teach families and young kids about the importance of first aid. and the day i got the call about my f1 debut was the last time me, the family and our friends had seen her before she jet-setted off. 

"you alright, pierre?" i suddenly look up to notice charles, had snuck his way into the alpine garage and joined me, resting himself against the table as i smiled at him, nodding my head

"yeah, i'm alright char, just...thinking..." i trailed off as i placed my phone down, forgetting to turn it off as charles catches a glimpse of what i was looking at

"...delilah te manque, n'est-ce pas?" charles softly responded, switching to french as we both caught eye contact as i nodded my head you miss delilah don't you?

"ouais, je le fais. i don't even know how i came past that conversation, i must have been absentmindedly scrolling through the messages...wow, seven years ago we had that conversation..." i trail off, looking back down at the date we had that small conversation, realising ultimately that it was almost eight years ago, not seven yeah, i do

"...eh bien, as-tu essayé de l'appeler?" charles sincerely questions as i sit up properly again as i tilt my head - have i? well, have you tried calling her?

"je... je ne pense pas avoir..." i space out for a second until i bring myself back into reality as charles places a soft touch on my shoulder i...i don't think i have

"...bien well, when was the last time you tried calling her?" charles asked, pulling himself back to his original position as i relax my shoulders down as i think properly

"i think the last time i tried calling her was a week after the f1 debut was announced when she had been gone for maybe a little close to a week at that point..." i was shocked at myself as those words came out my mouth, charles giving me a comforting smile

"...well, do you maybe want to try calling her then? i'm sure it won't hurt to try," charles whispered in english, giving me a small smile as he then climbed off the table leaving me to call her. however, it kind of scared me to call delilah

"i guess so..." i mumbled as charles gave me one last smile before it was just me left in my dressing room again

well, here i go. i decided that i'd try to call delilah for the first time in seven-ish years. it gave me anxiety hearing the phone call ring as for all i knew, maybe she forgot about me due to how much of a workaholic she was when it came to her job as a paramedic. maybe that's why she never came home when she had the chance to... because she was too focused on her job she forgot about me. i mean, it sounds plausible i guess.

"hé, c'est delilah..." hey, it's delilah

"...delilah me manque--" delilah i miss--

"--désolé that i couldn't be there to pick up the phone and talk to you. i'm most likely either in the office studying, out watching pierre race or i am purposefully ignoring you. please leave a message and i'll get to you as soon as i possibly can. love you so much to whoever has rung me and i'm sorry once again for not picking up. okay, au revoir!" sorry & bye-bye

my heart broke as i heard her voicemail. she still hadn't updated it from the day she first made it, at the airport before she was about to leave for america after my f1 debut call back in 2017. i remember holding in my giggles as she made it. as soon as the recording stopped, i burst out into laughter and caused the entire airport to stare at us. delilah also finding the funny in the situation. i was then interrupted by the sudden beep meant for my message.

*beep*

i jolted as i then spoke up, giving my message to delilah. my voice shaky and a little bit teary as i sniffled.

"...salut...delilah, it's been a while since we last spoke. around seven years to be exact but um, i...i just wanted to ring in to check on you considering it's been seven years or so since you've been in america and since we've talked. and...i was just wondering how you're going. i hope you're staying safe and, please come home soon, i love you and i miss  you loads. okay, umm, please call me back when you're able to listen to this, okay, au revoir." 

i gulped as i ended the call, placing my phone back down on the table that charles was sitting on earlier. i then moved out of my seat and rested against the wall, sliding down it as i felt as though i was going to start crying. thankful my door was closed and locked so no one, even the engineers, could come in.

five minutes later | charles' pov

since leaving pierre to attempt in ringing delilah, his younger sister who has been a training paramedic in america for the last seven or so years, i was slightly worried about leaving him alone. especially considering it's been those seven years since they last communicated and we were hours, if not minutes away from the media interviews in prep for the grand prix.

i was walking back down the way a little back to the ferrari garage when i heard what sounded like soft cries. it piqued my interest as the alpine garage and pierre's room was always on a diagonal from mine. i softly walked back in the direction of the apline garage and softly knocked on the door. before hearing a click, letting me know the door was just unlocked as i walked in, closing the door behind me straight away. 

he was resting against the wall, no longer sitting near his desk and my heart broke, "...pierre, qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?" i softly questioned, sliding down the wall next to mark as he slowly looked over towards me pierre, what's wrong?

"elle...elle n'a pas répondu, c'était juste sa messagerie vocale," pierre whispered as my heart shattered for him she...she didn't answer, it was just her voicemail

"oh, pierre, i am so sorry. did you try again?" i asked in english as i brought his fragile but taller frame into my smaller one as i felt his head shake against my shoulders

"no," he mumbled against my shoulder as i bit my lip, not knowing what else to do

"pourquoi pas?" i simply respond as pierre sniffles why not?

"hearing her voicemail from seven years ago makes me miss her even more...since that's the last time i heard her speak so i don't even know if she still sounds like that..." he trails off as i nod my head - yeah, i get the same feeling when i miss my own mum and i try to ring her and it goes to voicemail, making me not want to try again even though i know her voice wouldn't have changed that much

"that's fair. have you gotten in contact with her superintendent to make sure she's okay?" i questioned as i remembered that as a grid, we had talked about it, all wanting to stay in the loop about delilah

"yeah but, they...they haven't really been giving me any updates recently so i don't even know what's going on at their end right now," he mumbles as i nod my head

"that's not fun but i'm sure delilah isn't ignoring you on purpose. just, be as positive as you can and just know that one day, delilah will have to come home since she wasn't even meant to be in america and with this job for this long anyway," i smirk as pierre gives me a little smirk back which makes me happy, we all hated to see pierre upset

i then decided to give him a hug before leaving him on his own, knowing he needed it this time and now, i knew he'd be okay.

seven years ago | pierre's pov

i had never hated anything more than what was happening right now, and last night, i had just gotten the amazing news that i was making my formula 1 debut. right now, my younger sister delilah was getting ready for her new job as a training paramedic somewhere in america. i say "somewhere" because i completely zoned out as soon as it was mentioned that delilah was being sent away in the first place. i just had the impression that she'd be sent to england or somewhere else in europe. i didn't want to hear about the fact that she'd be across a whole damn ocean, six or so hours away. and i'd rather not be told that she's that far away from me if anything was to go wrong, i can't just be there in an hour or two. 

"...allez pierre, dis au revoir à ta sœur car elle sera partie pendant quelques années avant que tu puisses lui parler à nouveau. ne sois pas de mauvaise humeur, s'il te plaît," dad kindly spoke in french as i rolled my eyes, i sluggishly moved off the airport seat, uncrossed my arms and slowly walked over to delilah who was waiting with her arms open for a hug - to which she knew i could never say no to come on pierre, say goodbye to your sister as she'll be gone for a couple of years before you can speak to her again. don't be moody, please

"bien, mais ne me blâme pas quand je te crie dessus tous les deux jours de ne pas me permettre d'être à une heure de delilah juste au cas où elle se blesserait parce que ce ne serait pas de ma faute!" i growl out in french, half of it mumbled by delilah's tight squeeze as i rested in her hug, mum and dad shaking their heads at me in unapproving ways fine, but don't blame me when i yell at you every other day for not allowing me to be an hour away from delilah just in case she gets injured because it won't be my fault!

"oh please, pierre, that's never going to happen, buddy! i won't let it happen!" delilah whispers in english as dad, mum, our brothers and the f1 grid that had shown up had left the two of us alone

"and how in god's name are you so sure of that delilah celine-josephine gasly, huh?" i respond in english, with a full-on passive-aggressive attitude as she rolls her eyes, squeezing me tighter as she tries to prove her point

"i'm so sure of that pierre jean-jacques gasly because i was trained exceptionally well and there is no way in hell or god's name that i'm leaving you on your own! nah-uh, not until i surprise you at one of your f1 media days, whether that's when you change teams or what then i'm leaving you, even then, i'll always be here for you, okay?" delilah roughhoused me, in the airport yes, as she tried to convince me, leaving me to roll my eyes this time

"nah-uh, i'm still not letting you leave, nope! nope, nope, nope, NOPE!" i growl as i squeeze delilah even tighter than before as she softly chuckles, scuffing my hair up, to which i had no care about really

"i hate to burst your imaginative bubble pierre but, i'm still leaving. i have to otherwise i could be fined a lot of money for not going..." delilah trails off as she tries to remove herself from my grip, to which i refuse and hug her tighter

"...i.don't.care! i'd rather have to help pay for your fines for not leaving to work in america as a stupid paramedic than be told that you got injured or died in a fucking school shooting over the phone whilst i'm potentially in a different country at a grand prix or racing and then having to cry and grieve over you two months later when they finally bring your body home!"  i growl, still mad that mum and dad even allowed delilah to consider her choosing this weird training paramedic job in america, delilah sighs loudly as she brings her arms back around my torso, hugging me even tighter

"i'm sorry pierre but, i do care. and, whilst i also don't want you guys to get a call saying i died or got injured in america and wait two months for my fancy-schmancy funeral, i'm willing to do this job in america if it means i'm teaching life-saving skills. i don't want to argue with you, i know you don't either so, be reasonable and let me leave," delilah says in a matter-of-fact way as i roll my eyes again, a small whine leaving my mouth as if i was about to have a full-on tantrum, to which, i most likely was, in a public airport with my future f1 teammates behind me and the rest of my family

"why are you so proud of this job? i'd rather you be with me travelling for formula 1!" i whine, smacking my head on delilah's shoulder as she chuckles

"i'm proud because i've always been proud of everything i do and that includes my job as a training paramedic in america. and you know i'd love to go to all of the grand prixs with you but, i can't so, it looks as though you're just going to have to survive with me being away in a different country to you," delilah said with a smile as we both simultaneously squeezed each other, causing us to both squeal and giggle

"well, if i have to let you leave then, when will i talk to you next?" i question, pulling back out of the hug as delilah grabs ahold of my hand

"umm, i think i have a couple of days where i have off that i can ring and communicate with those i didn't get to farewell but, yeah, i think that's the next time i can talk to you," delilah smiles which makes me smile, making me feel slightly better

"okay, nice. when will i be able to see you again? like, when will you be able to come home?" i then ask as i entertain myself by fiddling around with delilah's fingers which were intertwined with mine

"it...it'll be soon i'm sure pierre," delilah smiles, pulling me into another quick hug before grabbing my hand again as i nod my head sadly

"how soon is soon?" i ask with a shake in my voice, looking up at the clock knowing her flight was about to be called to board soon

"pierre soon will be as soon as i am able to leave. i promise, now, i really need to leave, my plane's about to board!" delilah said as i pouted and my eyes grew sad as i huffed loudly

"ok, but promise me you'll come home safely, please?" i whimper my voice breaking as delilah smiles softly

"i promise pierre, but, i gotta go," she whispers as she gives me one last hug before giving her last hugs to everyone else

okay, maybe what i said before was mean, i am awfully proud of delilah that she chose this as her job. it was wrong of me to say that i'm mad at mum and dad for allowing her to consider and then choose it eventually. i then saw my soon to be f1 grid mates, daniel, lewis, sebastian, carlos as well as charles, who was not yet making his f1 debut, give their final hugs and farewells to delilah. watching that whilst it broke my heart, also made it feel warm that even though i'd be competing against these guys every grand prix, i could still trust them with my personal life since this was how they were treating me saying goodbye to my younger sister and i'd do the same for them. even though i was farewelling one major thing in my life and starting a new one, my younger sister and formula 1, i knew that i would eventually be okay again. 

we then watched on as delilah and her fellow training paramedics boarded the plane. we waved, cheered, and hollered, making the biggest scene of all time as she then vanished into the plane where it became silent again.

"...et bien, maintenant elle est partie pierre," dad came up from behind me, wrapping his arm around my back, i huffed and rolled my eyes well, now she's gone pierre

"merci de me l'avoir rappelé papa, ce n'est pas comme si je ne regardais pas cela se produire," i huff as dad pulls me down to sit on the airport floor with him - knowing something was wrong thanks for reminding me dad, it isn't like i wasn't watching it happen

"d'accord pierre, qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ? tu as été comme ça toute la journée, pourquoi ne peux-tu pas être fier de ta petite sœur comme elle est fière de toi pour avoir atteint la formule 1 ?" dad muttered kindly as my lips started to tremble okay pierre, what's wrong? you've been like this all day, why can't you be proud of your younger sister like she's proud of you for reaching formula one?

"je suis fier de son père, c'est juste--" i am proud of her dad it's just--

"--c'est difficile de la voir partir après avoir réalisé votre rêve de formule 1?" he interrupts as i nod my head, a small whimper coming out of my mouth, dad's face softens, noticing the tears welling in my eyes and pulls me into his lap, his knees bracing my head it's hard to see her go after you've just been given your formula one dream?

"mhm," i mumble as i feel the tears pool in my eyes as dad softly ruffles his fingers through my hair

"oh, pierre, ça va fils," dad whispers as i feel a tear stream down my cheek onto dad's knee as i attempt to wipe it away whilst laying awkwardly on the airport floor halfway on my dad's lap oh, pierre, it's okay son

"non ce n'est pas," i whimper, covering my mouth with my arm that rested across dad's lap so my whimpering would be quieter no, it's not

"bien, je vais reformuler ma réponse *pierre softly chuckles* it will be okay pierre, delilah will be okay. she's going to come home and she'll message and call us when she's able to, okay? you've got nothing else to worry about other than what you're going to do now that you are debuting with formula one, okay? i know you and delilah always envisioned on being with each other when you joined f1 but, now that's not possible, but use that grief of your sister being so far away as your fuel to have you push, okay? you'll be perfect pierre!" dad smiled as he continued combing his fingers through my hair which was starting to really calm me down fine, i'll rephrase my answer

"thanks, dad," i mumble with a small smile on my lips as i look up to see him also smiling

"no worries pierre, i get how you're feeling. trust me, i wasn't too rapt about delilah being a training paramedic in america either but, i made her promise me she would come home and, she promised. i'm holding on to that promise so if she breaks it, i'll never forget it and i would've wished i made her come home when i had the power to, but, right now, i've made peace with her decision and, i'm proud of her," dad was always so wise and inspirational and it made me giggle

"that's a fair deal. anyway, how are charles and arthur taking this? charles especially since he adores delilah," i ponder as i just realise, i've only really interacted with my immediate family, not with my soon-to-be teammates and the leclercs 

"that's a good question, pierre, last i saw of charles and arthur, arthur was trying to calm charles down as he wasn't taking the thought of delilah leaving well either," dad said, shrugging his shoulders as i awkwardly nodded my head that still rested on his lap

"aw, i hope they're both okay," i mumble softly, feeling the exact same way as charles and arthur

"i'm sure they are. but maybe they just need their best friend to comfort them and make them feel a little better," dad coaxes me to get up as i giggle softly

"okay, fine, i'll go find them!" i giggle as i lift my head up off dad's lap, giving him a hug as i then walk over to charles and arthur, noticing just how upset charles and arthur were 

present time | pierre's pov

after maybe about five minutes of just thinking and allowing myself to go back to that day seven odd years ago, i could smile again. after being so upset that i wasn't just losing one thing in my life, delilah, but gaining something new at the same time, it didn't make me so upset anymore because i was still with formula one but with a new team, alpine. even though delilah hadn't come home yet and i still miss her all the time, i remembered that she's just working hard all the time to give out life-saving first aid skills and at some stage, she'll come home.

"...pierre, we're next for the press conference," charles calls out, popping his head into my room in the alpine garage as i giggle

"thanks char, be there shortly," i giggle as charles also giggles, hesitating to move out of the way

giggling, i ask him to move, "oh mon dieu, bouge, charles ! je ne peux pas quitter mon garage avec toi là!" i chuckle as charles smiles, apologies and leaves quickly leaving me slightly confused oh my god, move, charles! i can't leave my garage with you standing right there!

twenty-ish minutes ago | delilah's pov

trying to hold in my laughter was the hardest thing ever, especially watching charles forget to leave after telling pierre that it was five minutes to stage for their press conference for media day. little did pierre know, after seven and a bit years, i was finally retiring from my job as a training paramedic and decided to relocate back home to france. with my transfer back to the french ambulance service, and some good-looking time off, i'd be able to go on the road with pierre during the rest of the season and be there right through to the world championship at the end of the season. 

i had snuck into the conference room in monaco pretty quickly, out of my uniform completely and just waiting for the right moment to surprise pierre. whether that's just before he goes on for the press conference or whilst he's in the middle of the press conference. 

charles, max, lando, daniel and esteban hugged me tightly. as the other drivers joining pierre for the press conference as we waited for the right time but had a quiet conversation as we all waited for pierre to leave the alpine garage to make it to the press conference.

after asking and catching up with the guys who me and pierre grew up with and watched form into the amazing formula one racers they were now and how they'd all been, inlcuding pierre, we then mentioned how we think he was going to react to me finally being home. 

"...honestly, i genuinely think pierre's going to freak when he sees you, delilah..." charles smiles, his arms crossed over as max rolls his eyes before jumping in

"...he's not just going to freak, charles, he's going to cry when he sees you, delilah!" max says dramatically as we all giggle, especially when charles' annoyed face makes an appearance

"and as i was going to say before max interrupted me, he is absolutely going to lose his head when he sees you, he is absolutely going to cry. i mean, seven years, like, no sir, i couldn't even do that, especially without contact, nah-uh, nope*giggles*," charles huffed as we all giggled as we all agreed

"yeah, i couldn't do this job again, especially in a different country for seven years without breaks," i mutter with a shake of my head as we all have another group hug

present day | charles' pov

max, lando, daniel, esteban, pierre and myself were now on the couch at the monaco grand prix for the press conference and getting ready to surprise the absolute crap out of pierre. delilah, his younger sister as we all know, just came back from a seven-year paramedic job in america. the first time she's been home and seen pierre since she left back in 2017 and, he has got no clue whatsoever and is absolutely clueless about it. 

we were laughing, answering questions and quite honestly, having a really fun press conference for once since they were usually so boring when i watched carefully for the moment that delilah would make her apperance for the surprise. i suddenly received the all-clear from the moderator of the press conference so i then gave the signal to delilah and, she ever-so sneakily just slid right on the couch next to pierre. 

pierre had just finished answering a question when he lowered his microphone to then mindlessly begin zoning out again until another person had a question for him. that was until he turned his head as though it was slow motion and his eyes widened as delilah giggled, her smile wide. 

watching the way pierre slowly realised what was going on was priceless as the grip on his microphone was gone. the microphone sent to the floor, "delilah? what the fuck are you doing here?" pierre was in so much shock that it was as though he was in a different universe completely 

"did you forget the promise we made to each other seven years ago?" delilah giggled as the crowd along with me and the others erupted into cheers as we watch the siblings pull each other in for a hug

"oh my god, you...you're home!" pierre whispers shakily, his body leaning into his sister as they didn't move from the couch as tears fill his eyes 

"home sweet home, pierre!" she whispered back as me, max, lando, esteban and daniel watched on as the siblings reunited after seven long years

"that promise was from seven fucking years ago!" pierre cried out as he smacked her which made everyone tearfully laugh now that almost everyone was in tears at this point

"still didn't break it, pierre! i'm here, am i not? now, get back to work, you and the guys have a press conference to finish!" delilah giggled as pierre rolled his eyes, reluctantly moving from the hug to let daniel, lando, max, esteban and me give her hugs again awkwardly on the couch even though we were the planners of the surprise

"so, for those who are not aware, this is delilah, pierre's younger sister and she has been away in america for the last seven years as a training paramedic. where in which she has been basically going around from state to state teaching and training underfunded and young kids very important and life-saving first aid skills. she left the day after pierre got the call that he would be making his formula one debut all the way back in 2017. she has now returned so, the guys on this couch decided that after some words on the grapevine that she was coming home that this surprise would be planned for pierre," i explained to the press conference, pierre smiling 

the crowd of interviwers and photographers cooed as pierre went to speak again, "awe, thanks for the surprise guys! very sweet of you, thank you!" pierre smiles, leaning into me to thank me as he then hugs his sister again

"no problem, if we could, we'd do it all over again," delilah called out making all of us laugh

delilah had then left the press conference so we could finish it even though pierre was very against it at first, we managed to convince him. then, at the end of the press conference, i watched as the brother and sister spent more time together, it was the sweetest thing and that wasn't me just saying that. i would genuinely do this surprise all over again just to see that shocked look on pierre's face when he realised it was delilah that had surprised him.

but, the best part of overhearing that conversation was pierre's reaction when delilah told him she'd be joining us for the rest of the season.

fin

this was loads of fun to rewrite and it's my first pierre gasly one-shot too! so, hopefully it was good enough lol. but, anyway, i've never been the biggest fan of this ending but it's fine, i won't like every ending to every one-shot i publish and that's okay. also, i'm back from my surgery and i'm finally starting to feel better and glad to live without pain again! turns out i had a cyst near my left ovary but not in which is not normal as it's usually in the ovary as well as the smallest bit of endometriosis on the right side so in three weeks i'll be getting the full results of the surgery so hopefully the medical mystery will finally be solved! 

©⠀amberjazmyn's original work. do not translate or steal any of my fics. 2024

[sanjoongie]

FFF~ Day One

♡Pairing: Park Seonghwa x Reader (f) ♡Genre: Smut with no plot :) ♡Au: childhood enemies to lovers ♡Word Count: 2,248 ♡Warnings: hate fucking, alcohol consumption, degradation kink, fem dom/ male sub dynamics, face riding, male and female orgasm ♡Rated: 18+ MDNI ♡Masterlist link~ | Next Day~ Somnophilia, JYH ♡Dedication~ @downtoamagicalland the unholy trinity beta team

“Soooo, do you remember our friends from elementary school?” Your best friend since childhood brought up oh so casually while eating dinner and catching up.

“Mmm,” You hummed non committedly, chewing on a french fry.

“Well, I promised we’d all meet up later for drinks,” Your friend grinned.

“Really?” You deadpanned, “And you didn’t think to ask me if I had any plans?”

“You never have any plans!” Your friend stated, “Besides, it’s a reunion of sorts. It won’t be proper unless all of us show up.”

You sighed heavily, “Fine, I’ll go. But I’m only staying until I’m pleasantly buzzed and once my stomach is full.”

It would have been a simple obligatory night out, cheering with your best friend, making polite conversation with people you only knew as a child… except for him.

Seonghwa and you had never had a good friendship, even as little children. Seonghwa had always been crying and a pain in your ass. And to Seonghwa, you were the one person who made fun of his sensitivity and he had grown to hate you. So the feeling was mutual… but as adults, it had a sharp edge to it. 

“Wait,” Someone from the group cackled, almost spilling their beer, “Didn’t you used to make fun of Seonghwa for being a cry baby all the time?”

“She did!” Your best friend hooted, “One time he cried about being afraid of the monkey bars after she challenged him to a race and we called him Cry Baby Hwa for a month.”

Seonghwa made a pained expression. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“It was annoying,” You commented, taking another drink of your cocktail.

“Annoying?” Seonghwa bristled like a hissy cat, “You made my life a living hell!”

“Yeah well I was always the one that the teacher made take care of you when you were crying most of the time and I missed out on all the fun!” You spit back.

Seonghwa’s eyes went wide, “What?”

“Oh yeah, didn’t you miss going on that wooden roller coaster because the teacher thought you had made him cry again so you had to hold his hand while the rest of us went on it?” Someone recalled.

Your best friend’s smile slipped. “Didn’t you cry because the roller coaster was closed down a few months later and you never got to ride it?”

You pressed your lips together. “I don’t remember that.”

“Liar!” Another laughed, “You’ve always been such a bad liar.”

The table continued to recall other memories but you and Seonghwa remained silent. Suddenly this wasn’t so much fun anymore. You stood up abruptly, “I’m gonna head out.”

Everyone protested but you waved them away. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow. It was nice seeing everyone.” You grabbed your purse and made your way out of the pub.

“Hey!” A delicate hand pressed into your shoulder and spun you around. Seonghwa’s uncertain face peered down at you, “Wait.”

You sent a scathing look up at him. “What?”

He chewed nervously on his lip. “I didn’t know that. About the roller coaster.”

“I was an asshole as a kid. I deserved it. Half of the time, you were crying because of me. It wasn’t too far-fetched that our teachers always thought it was me.”

“Did you really hold my hand the entire time we waited for the group to get off the roller coaster?” Seonghwa frowned.

You sighed, watching as your breath came out as mist from the cold. “As I recall, your damn hand was clammy and you kept using my hand to wipe your tears and snot.”

A red blush covered Seonghwa’s face. “Sorry. I was a scared kid.”

You scoffed. “No shit.”

Seonghwa took a deep breath. “Listen, do you want to help me win a bet?”

You stiffened at the statement. “A bet?”

Seonghwa began to sway. “So our friends bet that I couldn't get you to sleep with me because you hated me--”

“Still do,” You corrected him.

That made Seonghwa pause. “Wait, what?”

“Half of my childhood memories are of having to deal with your annoying ass.”

Seonghwa tilted his head in confusion and anger. “I was miserable because of you!”

“So we are in agreement then. We still hate each other’s guts,” You smiled coyly.

Seonghwa dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration. “This is stupid.”

Your phone chimed and you pulled  it out of your pocket out of habit. There was a text from your best friend saying ‘Enjoy!’ with a cheesy winky face. Wait, did she think… “Oh hell no,” You cursed under your breath. You shoved your phone screen in Seonghwa’s face. “Do you see this? Look what you’ve done!”

Seonghwa winced, “I can go back in there. Then they’ll know I’ve lost the bet.”

“Just so I can hear from my best friend that I let another handsome man escape my clutches yet again? Ugh, this is ridiculous.”

Seonghwa had a dopey smile on his face. “You think I’m handsome?”

You let out a frustrated noise and stomped your foot. “No! Those were her words not mine. God damn it all to hell and back.”

“You know, you’re kinda cute when you’re mad,” Seonghwa commented.

You breathed in sharply. Seonghwa’s eyes were twinkling at you. “No. I said no Seonghwa. I don’t know what you’re thinking but get the idea out of your head right now.”

Seonghwa took a step closer to you. “Actually, you didn’t say no.”

Your heart began to race. “Don’t, Seonghwa. Just don’t.” You were buzzed enough that the thought of sleeping with someone, anyone, was quite tantalizing. You weren’t drunk but you had drunk enough to feel your stomach spinning with excitement.

Seonghwa was close enough that his nose could brush yours if he wanted to. HIs eyes became hooded and his hot breath hit your cheek, clashing with the cool air. “Just say no then. I’m a gentleman.”

You swallowed. Your nerves were burning with anticipation. All you had to do was walk away, it was just that easy. But it was just as easy to say yes.

That’s how you found yourself in a cheap motel down the road, hand pressed palm down on Seonghwa’s stomach as you rode him. His hands clenched the sheets below in white-knuckled fists, mouth opened slightly to moan. 

“You’re fucking pathetic, you know that?” You said to him, “I used to be your bully and now you couldn't wait to to fuck me?”

Seonghwa whined below you, nose and cheeks still red from the alcohol he had consumed earlier. “But it’s so good!”

You smirked. “Of course it’s good. Because you enjoy being put down by me.”

His hands dared to move from the bed to your hips and you slapped his stomach in retaliation. “Did I say you could touch me?”

His eyebrows furrowed delicately. “Please.”

“No,” You said in a clipped tone. You took his hands in your own and leaned over so that you could pin them above his head, “You don’t get that privilege.”

Seonghwa’s hips bucked upwards, even more turned on by the notion that there were things he was not allowed to do. Your faces were closer now and your breasts brushed his chest. They swung with your movement and Seonghwa whimpered. “I need--”

“This is not about what you need, Seonghwa. This is about what I want.”

You let go of his wrists, with a stern eye to make sure his hands stayed there and then you propped yourself up on the balls of your feet so you could bounce more efficiently. Seonghwa was like a mewling, desperate thing below you, crying out at the change of pace. His teeth dug into his bottom lip. “Wanna cum!”

You scoffed at him. “I bet you can barely fill the condom with your shot, hmm, Hwa?”

His eyes shot open and for a brief, brief moment something changed. You had slipped and called him the short version of his name. You had told him once when you were children that Seonghwa sounded too dignified, so you had shortened it. In reality, your best friend had a lisp, so you were helping her out.

“I can!” He insisted. 

You rolled your eyes. “I’ll be lucky if I even get to climax from this. You gonna cum already, you big baby? Can’t handle my pussy, can you?”

Seonghwa’s face was in a pained expression again but you were starting to realize it was actually what he did when he was feeling good. He gasped arching his back and then he groaned loudly, slumping back to the bed again. 

You sighed heavily. “You’re useless.”

You lifted yourself off of him, pulling the condom off of his now-softening dick and threw it in the trash. “There. Now you can claim your prize and all our friends can assume that we have made up.”

“Wait, wait,” Seonghwa panted, “You didn’t…?”

“Please,” You belittled him, “Like I hadn't already prepared for that.”

Seonghwa’s eyes stayed glued to the ceiling as he said, “Then use me. Get off. Take your pleasure from me.”

You looked at him like he had grown another head. “Haven’t you had enough? You are a little degradation slut, aren’t you?”

Seonghwa shuddered lightly. “Si-sit on my face.”

“Really? You couldn't make me come with your pitiful cock and you think you can do better with your tongue?” You had already reached for your bra and shirt, preparing to leave.

Seonghwa found the energy to push himself up on elbows. Sweat pulled his hair down against his face and scalp. He looked like you had rode him well. “I can. I can do it.”

“Fine,” You agreed. “But you’re splitting the reward of the bet with me. I’m doing all the damn work here.”

Seonghwa gave you eager eyes as you settled your legs on either side of his head. He moved to wrap his arms around your legs but you tsked at him. “Did you not learn the first time?”

Seonghwa pouted, “But how am I--?”

“You don’t, Hwa. Cute to think that you’d get to be in charge here too.” You waited expectantly but Seonghwa looked up at you with a confused face. “Hwa, stick out your tongue, my god, are you sure you give good head?”

Seonghwa pouted, “Haven't had any complaints.” But still obeyed your orders and stuck his tongue out.

You rode Seonghwa’s face, moving your hips eagerly, searching out the high you had been denied earlier. After a bit, you focused on the pleasure that was blossoming from your lower half. You sat more firmly on Seonghwa, who let out a brief noise of worry before groaning into your cunt. Your thighs pressed against the side of his head, mound brushing his nose every once in a while as you moved your clit along his rough tongue. His groans made gorgeous vibrations against your sensitive nub and you gasped at the added pleasure. It wasn’t until Seonghwa wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked that you lost all control. Your hand descended into his hair, gripping it hard as you rode his face.

“Harder, Hwa, harder,” You encouraged him.

You tipped over the side of pleasure, crying out as your climax washed through you. And as you experienced your high, Seonghwa’s tongue moved to clean you of all your juices, careful of overstimulating you. 

You sighed, this time peacefully, appreciative that you got something from this at least. You heaved your body to the other side of the bed and smirked as Seonghwa breathed in deeply from his mouth. You casted a glance over at your bed partner, and his face was covered in your juices. He was currently using his tongue to capture it all from his face.

“Dirty boy,” You mused, “Can’t get enough of my cunt, can you?”

Seonghwa shook his head. “I can’t.”

You got up and cleaned yourself up in the bathroom. You were fully clothed by the time you came out. Seonghwa was midway putting his pants back on, hopping with one foot stuck in a leg. You rolled your eyes. He really wasn’t capable of anything. Except maybe giving head. 

“Well, I’ll just head out then,” You said a-matter-of-factly.

“Wait!” Seonghwa’s eyes were wide with worry, “Let me take you home.”

“Seonghwa, this is not that kind of thing. This was simply a transactional deal, nothing more,” You cautioned him.

“You’re still buzzed and you take public transportation. Let me take you home.” 

You pushed your mouth to the side. It was late and the sketchy folk did tend to pop out of the seams at this time. It’s not like it wasn’t a good idea. You just didn’t like the fact that Seonghwa could be trying to wiggle his way in for more; more what, of that you were unsure.

“Alright, I’ll let you escort me home,” You relented. Seonghwa’s eyes lit up as if you had just told him he could get candy at the store. “But!’ You said, raising a finger, “I’m not letting you inside.”

Seonghwa smiled happily, eyes searching for his jacket. “That’s fine, I live close anyways.”

The both of you froze, you in disbelief and Seonghwa for getting caught. “Excuse you?” You whispered faintly.

“Shit,” Seonghwa swore quietly.

“Park Seonghwa,” You said, drawing yourself up with every inch of righteous rage, “Was this a set up?”

Seonghwa smiled painfully, “No?”

“I’m going to throttle you,” You threatened.

“Please?”

♡Masterlist link~ | Next Day~ Somnophilia, JYH

[blue-lock-rocky]

SPOILER: A Tentative Timeline for Blue Lock (2.2)

Many thanks to the wonderful @echarie, who has supplied the dates of the NEL matches, the E-4 meet-up before BM vs. Ubers, and ✨Barou Hair Day✨

2.2 Patch Note: Now includes recent events like the E-4 meet-up and ✨Barou Hair Day✨

This timeline is NOT spoiler-free.

Please proceed with caution.

GREEN: confirmed; RED: real world events; BLUE: deduced; PURPLE: unknown

July 2, 2018: 2018 FIFA World Cup Belgium v. Japan. The opening line makes a direct reference to the match (Ch 1).

Japan's loss led to Anri proposing the Blue Lock Project (Ch 1).

Nov 18, 2018: Saitama Prefectural Finals, in the evening Isagi receives an invitation to join a special training program (Ch 1).

Nov 20, 2018: Move-in Day, a Tuesday. Ego says it’s six months from the U-20 World Cup. The date is confirmed on Twitter. (Ch 2)

Nov 23, 2018: Team X VS. Team Z; Team V Vs. Team Y. Isagi says that it has been three days since the last chapter (Ch 3). Ego proceeds to tell Team Z that their next match is in two hours (Ch 5). After the first match, he tells Team V that they will go against Team Y in "just a few moments" (Episode Nagi Ch 5).

Team V VS. Team Z marked the end of The First Selection. Our Team Z boys undergo brutal training.

The Second Selection begins on the "tenth day" of training. Early morning, Ego makes his grande announcement. Isagi gets past the Blue Lock man, and teams up with Bachira and Nagi. They go against the Top 3 Team. (Ch 39)

Jan 28, 2019: Blue Lock v. U-20 (Ch 112-149)

Jan 29, 2019: The day after the U-20 match, start of their two-week break. (Ch 150)

Feb 12, 2019: Isagi meets Bastard Munchen. It's the first day back from break, Ego says they have 100 days til the U-20 World Cup. (Ch 153-157)

Feb 22, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. FC Barcha; Paris X Gen VS. Ubers. Chapter 158 notes that the match takes place ten days after they met the team. (Ch 158-169)

March 4, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. Manshine City; FC Barcha VS. Ubers. Ego says that the match would take place ten days after the previous. (Ch 170-203)

March 9, 2019: The Egoist-4 Reunion; Bachira and Chigiri came over to train with Kunigami and Isagi (Ch 213)

March 13, 2019: ✨Barou Hair Day✨; Aiku said that they put in the highlights on the day before the match. (Ch 210)

March 14, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. Ubers (Ch 209-

May 23 - Jun 15, 2019: The 2019 U-20 World Cup

Note: Ch 3 of Episode Nagi makes a reference to Squid Game, but other scanlations (Chinese, French) don't mention Squid Game.

Appendix

The order of First Selection Matches:

Team X VS. Team Z

Team V VS. Team Y

Team W Vs. Team X

Team Y Vs. Team Z

Team V Vs. Team W

Team X Vs. Team Y

Team W Vs. Team Z

Team V Vs. Team X

Team W Vs. Team Y

Team V Vs. Team Z

We know matches 1 & 2 happened on the same day and matches 7 & 8 happened on the same day. We can safely assume that most of these matches probably came in pairs with the exception of matches 9 & 10. Apparently our boys got an entire day between these two matches (Ch 23-24) .

[tomorrowedblog]

Friday Releases for October 13

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for October 13 include And Then You Pray For Me, nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana, the rest, and more.

Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomy of a Fall, the new movie from Justine Triet, is out today.

For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel’s suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect. What follows is not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel’s death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel’s conflicted relationship.

What Happens Later

What Happens Later, the new movie from Meg Ryan, is out today.

Two ex lovers, Bill (David Duchovny) and Willa (Meg Ryan) get snowed in at a regional airport overnight. Indefinitely delayed, Willa, a magical thinker, and Bill, a catastrophic one, find themselves just as attracted to and annoyed by one another as they did decades earlier. But as they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is mere coincidence, or something more enchanted.

The Conference

The Conference, the new movie from Patrik Eklund, is out today.

What begins as team-building fun, descends into a nightmare as a mysterious masked killer begins stalking and picking off the participants one by one.

Goosebumps

Goosebumps, the new TV series from Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller, is out today.

Inspired by R.L. Stine’s worldwide bestselling book series, “Goosebumps” follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle – while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.

Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry, the new TV series from Lee Eisenberg, is out today.

Set in the early 1950s, Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott, whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold in a patriarchal society. When Elizabeth finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show, and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives — and the men who are suddenly listening — a lot more than recipes.

Suburban Screams

Suburban Screams, the new TV series from John Carpenter, Jordan Roberts, Michelle Latimer, and Jan Pavlacky, is out today.

John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is a genre-busting unscripted horror anthology series from the mind of legendary director, writer, and producer, John Carpenter. The series explores the dark secrets and unspeakable evil that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of the sun-drenched streets, manicured lawns and friendly neighbors of suburbia.

Frasier

Frasier, the new TV series from Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli, is out today.

Same Frasier. New skyline. The new series follows Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge, and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.

Shining Vale S2

The second season of Shining Vale, the TV series from Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan, is out today.

Pat and Terry Phelps move from a cramped Brooklyn apartment to an old mansion in Connecticut, in order to save their marriage after Pat’s affair. The teenage kids are pissed, and Terry’s attempts to rally the family fall flat. The house seemed like a steal at $250K below asking, but when the former owner of the house—who died there—appears to Pat, Pat wonders if she’s depressed… or possessed.

Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen, the new game from HEXWORKS and CI Games, is out today.

A vast world awaits in all-new, dark fantasy action-RPG, Lords of the Fallen. As one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, embark on an epic quest to overthrow Adyr, the demon God.

Transformers: Earthspark - Expeditions

Transformers: Earthspark - Expeditions, the new game from Tessera Studios and Outright Games, is out today.

Battle and explore as courageous Autobot, Bumblebee, in an exciting action adventure to stop his nemesis, Mandroid, from becoming the ultimate evil cyborg.

And Then You Pray For Me

And Then You Pray For Me, the new album from Westside Gunn, is out today.

SET IT OFF

SET IT OFF, the new album from Offset, is out today.

Burning Desire

Burning Desire, the new album from MIKE, is out today.

nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana

nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana, the new album from Bad Bunny, is out today.

the rest

the rest, the new EP from boygenius, is out today.

[stateofsport211]

📸 ATP Challenger Livestream (via website)

Starting the day in Bordeaux Challenger was the doubles semifinal between first seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara against Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Both pairs are prominent doubles teams, with the former broke out last year and the latter reunited after Herbert’s injury last year (and other setbacks). The reunion here started with two victories against fourth seeds Andre Goransson/Ben McLachlan and Argentinean pair Guido Andreozzi/Guillermo Duran up to the quarterfinals en route to the semifinals.

To start this likely close match, Glasspool/Heliovaara broke to 2-0 at the expense of Mahut/Herbert’s forehand error (and consolidated) until two games later, where the French pair came up with a smash to create 2 break points before it was converted at the expense of Glasspool’s forehand error. Both pairs then stayed solid in both their service games and rallies (with five consecutive holds) before the end of the first set.

However, this set ended with an erratic service game from Mahut/Herbert’s part. The set point was created by Glasspool’s swift backhand return prior to its conversion 2 points later at the expense of a double fault. As a result, Glasspool/Heliovaara took the first set 7-5, while Mahut/Herbert took a medical timeout before the start of the second set.

[gxtzeizm]

Ciao

Im so excited because of Christmas!! I really Want to tell you who I am! Follow you and reblog everything!

So argentina won! Was an Interesting game to be honest, France did it so well, anyways 🙃

Hope your having a good week! Can’t believe the year it’s almost over!! Are you planning something for new year???

-your secret Santa

heyyy there bestie <33

i'm so glad that you're excited to interact with my posts and so am i <33

well yeah, finally our 1 month of suffering is already ended. what i can say that it was an intense match during final minutes literally. yeah actually i was completing my lab exersices during the match so i was not really focusing on the match for about 70 minutes, then the 2 goals straight by france made me pay attention to it. actually, i'm not liking both of the teams but i'm really don't want to argentina to win tho istg. at some point during extra time i was really hoping that some french players did like mario götze did during 2014 especially who played for bundesliga lmaoooo (and it's funny that yesterday i was wearing his jersey during 2014 wc just to curse them but it not works tho how unlucky it was )): ). anyways, icl france did it so well yesterday especially for upamecano (oh my goddd he's really into his redemption arc this year i'm so glad he's part of bayern <33) and kolo muani as well (also proud of him as an eintracht frankfurt he'll have a long future coming on <33). but yeah anyways, everybody moved on but i'm mentally still here (stuck in the wc 2014).

it's so nice tho for me to take a little break from watching intense sports. well yesterday also i was excited that alex albon finally on his live stream after a while and yeah, i hope he make the twitch quartet reunion happen right now. i can't wait to see four of them being chaotic there <33.

that's true tho!!!! i can't believe we are about 11 days left to enter 2023...how time flies. hmmm i'm not yet planning anything for the new year actually, but maybe i'm just spending my day off with my friends or going back to my family's house i guess. what about yours? and do you have any specific goals for 2023?

have a nice day 💖

[redwineconversation]

Sarah Bouhaddi RMC Sports Interview

As I've said before, Bouhaddi and Lyon had a very complicated relationship even before Endler. She constantly made noises about wanting to leave so Lyon would look at other goalkeepers and so she would make noise about wanting to leave ... When she made the decision to go play in the US, Lyon finally broke free of the toxicity, and then when Bouhaddi came back she acted like Lyon was supposed to have put their ambitions on hold without her. Lyon is hardly a club without flaws but they do have enough self-respect to never cave to one player. Rules are rules.

Anyway, interview below.

BOUHADDI SPEAKS UP AFTER HER DEPARTURE FROM OL TO PSG: "I HAVE NOT DRAWN A LINE OVER THE FRENCH NATIONAL TEAM"

RMC SPORT Exclusive - After 13 years spent at Lyon (2009 - 2022) and eight Champions League trophies in hand, Sarah Bouhaddi left the Rhone for PSG. It's her first time speaking up since her arrival in Paris. The end of her Lyon story, her relations with Corinne Diacre with the French National Team (149 caps), the level of women's football in France ... No subject is off-limits.

It's your first time speaking up since you changed clubs. Let's go back to the start of your journey to PSG. Why did you choose PSG?

The Parisian sunshine! No, no I'm kidding. First of all, like everybody knows, I had gone to the United States to have a new challenge, which I found enormously satisfying. I was delighted. My return to Lyon did not happen like I could have imagined in terms of an elite athlete and competitor. Game time was reduced, even limited. The few times I could play, it was because of injuries. This didn't suit me at all as a competitor. I really felt that the door was closed in terms of the staff [changing their mind]. I wanted for the season to end with Lyon to see what I would do the following year, because I was still under contract with Olympique Lyonnais. Really quickly the coach called me to tell me the situation would say the same, knowing that I was sometimes the third choice goalkeeper, sometimes second choice. Knowing me that wasn't acceptable.

The discussions I had with my agent, it was to see if I was going to stay at Lyon and be okay with how others could be to be on bench and just receive a salary or look for another challenge which would fall in in life with what you want as an elite athlete. There was something very important in my decision: I had to stay in France for family reasons. There was the offer from PSG. It remains a high level club who always plays for the top places in the French league, who wants to win this Champions League. Those were in line with my expectations as an elite athlete, that's why I accepted. Finally, having seen Gérard Prêcheur sign with Paris Saint-Germain, who coached me when I was 14 [Gérard Prêcheur was head coach at the youth academy at Clairefontaine], that made things easier. Having a coach who knows me and is capable of giving me direction, that was an important criteria.

This end of the story with OL, did it make you sad?

Yes it's sad, but those are things that happen at the high level. I took a risk going to the US and leaving my place [as starter] to other goalkeepers. We were obviously going to replace me and that's normal. The saddest thing, it's that the departure happened a little bit, how to say this, like a thief in the night. Because I left from one day to the next from Lyon. I did not say goodbye to my teammates, to the fans, even to the president. When you have spent so many years at a club and have given so much, that was the hardest thing. But as I said, that's just sports at the top level. One day you are there, the next you are gone. I had the chance to play with really great players who thanked me and sent messages. It was really touching. After that, even for a small reunion, a little goodbye party to say goodbye to the directors and those who work around us [eg ground staff], that's very important.

It wasn't possible for you to finish your career under those conditions?

It wasn't even a question of being on the bench. It was to know whether there was the option to compete [for a starting spot]. As soon as June they called me to say that the next season there would be no competition and that option to compete [for a starting spot] was off the table. Why would I be hitting a wall month after month knowing I deserve something else and better? PSG is an elite club, it's not a default choice, it's also a choice I felt strongly about. I'm happy to be here.

Are you still after wins and titles?

Yes, I still want to win titles, that won't be easy. But I really want to go win titles be it in the league, the Coupe de France, or even the Champions League. The first match in the Champions League against Häcken, hearing the music did me a lot of good. To be back on the field, that makes me happy. I'm trying to find my footing little by little and settle in bit by bit. I try to bring to the maximum my experience, be it to the directors or to the players, because I have lived through a lot. That's what I was trying to bring to the team. Some, I go after because they're laughing, I try and bring rigor on a daily basis, that's how you go win titles.

Is this the last challenge of your carrier?

I have no idea. Today, I am 36 years old, I live it day by day. It's how I perform that will dictate my future. I'm not going to stay on the field just to be on the field, I want to perform well and bring something to the group, that's what will guide me bit by bit.

This season, can the PSG win all three competitions?

We can see in terms of the French league it's really close between the first three teams [Lyon - 25 points; PSG - 23 points; Paris FC - 18 points]. There are no easy games, all the teams are struggling to win more than 3-0 or 4-0. It's good for the league to have closer matches like that. The Champions League and Coupe de France, those are achievable if you get past the group stage. You can to believe, work for it. It's the collective which is our strength. We have a young team, some are discovering the top level and the collective strength which you need to have, and the staff, that's going to be very important.

What are your views on the level of the French league compared to other European leagues?

Other nations are investing a lot in the development of women's football, stadiums are filling up, there is a fair amount of publicity. We need to use that to develop our football here. I don't think we're falling behind. Now, there are some good questions that need to be asked so we are level with these other teams. You also have to look at the calendar, the game time. When you are playing at 7pm and you want to come with your family, it's not easy. It doesn't matter if it's during the week, or Sunday afternoon or Sunday night. There are people high up in the Federation, in the clubs, who have to have these conversations. But I don't think it's up to me, as an athlete, to have that conversation.

What stood out for you in your experience in the US?

Over there, the league consists of teams being equal from the first team to the bottom team. All the great players go there to have a homogenous league [news to Hegerberg I guess]. The year I was there, it was one of the most competitive years. We may need to consider how to introduce parity to our league. Today, it's like this: the big players are all at PSG and Olympique lyonnais. The small teams, as the saying goes, fight to stay up in the league. Something needs to be put in place to help the day-to-day of those teams. Be it that they become professional, that they can make a living in this discipline. They shouldn't have to get up in the morning and say to themselves: "this evening, I have training." I experience that myself at Juvisy and I know it's not easy [Bouhaddi played there before being offered a pro contract with Lyon]. Something needs to be put in place so things become progressively more professional. In the US, it's a culture, a desire to market these [sporting] events. There also needs to be the time and means to do that. We see it whether it's with the French National Team, Lyon or PSG: when there are big clashes, the public shows up.

March 4, 2020, that's the date of your last call-up with France. Do you miss the national team?

Obviously. Wearing the national French jersey, when you are French and a competitive athlete, it's what there is best. Now, I made a choice which matters to me and which was important for my personal and even physical integrity, because I had gotten to a sensitive point with the staff and the coach. As soon as I set foot on the pitch, I need to feel there is 100 percent confidence in me. That's what I have always said. This confidence didn't go both ways, and it fell apart after the World Cup. I'll say it again: with Corinne Diacre, there were no problems prior to the World Cup. During the months and years together, the relations were peaceful. It fell apart afterwards and that's a shame.

People parroted Amandine Henry's interview. Me, I don't regret it, but I would maybe have done some things differently. The manner was perhaps a bit controversial, but I think that when we did it, we were at the end of our rope. It's difficult psychologically and we felt we only had that option. It's a shame. It's been almost two years since I've been in the French National Team and I think it's a shame that, since then, we haven't even been able to talk to try and find middle ground. That I get a call-up or not, it's a choice. But I think it's a shame to leave it on a disagreement.

Have you given up on playing for the French National Team?

I have not given up on the French National Team. I'll repeat it: the day I get called up to the French National Team, it's because they have 100 percent trust in me and believe in me. If tomorrow Corinne Diacre calls me up with her staff and tells me "we want a fresh start, and we have faith in you", there will talks. And I will be ready to listen. But if there's no trust in me and they just want me for the results I will give them on the field, I will not bring anything to the team. Trust is so important to me and it's a very important principle.

Have you tried reaching out to Corinne Diacre?

To be honest, reach out on the phone, no. I sent a message to Corinne Diacre when I got back from the US in October 2021. I didn't receive a response. It's a choice she made. Maybe she felt it wasn't necessary to talk with me, I accept that. Today, I do my job at Paris Saint-Germain, I try to be productive. If one day she wants to talk with me and we'll go in the same direction, it'll happen. If she feels today that it is not necessary, I'll wait...

Can the French National Team be World Champions next summer?

From what I hear today from the French National Team, it's that Corinne [Diacre] has evolved, the staff has evolved. The atmosphere is completely different from what we knew during the World Cup. It's been two years now since I haven't been with the national team, so I can't speak about what is going on internally. I hope that the French National Team wins a title because that's what is missing for this country to go be competitive with other leagues. What is important is what is happening on that grass rectangle. What happens outside of it, that's not important.

[wardenparker]

You’re So Vain - Chapter 13

Dieter Bravo x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst​

Oscar winning star Dieter Bravo’s reputation is suffering after the debacle of “Cliff Beasts 6″ and “Beasts of the Bubble”, so his management team has signed him on to a publicity stunt to find his soulmate and show the world a softer side of the erratic and unpredictable star. The plan quickly go awry, though, when Dieter’s soulmate wants nothing to do with him.    

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 15.7k Warnings: *Blanket warning for chronic illness, cursing, and deceased family members. This is a Dieter fic, folks, so there absolutely will be discussions of drugs, drug use, and addiction.* Enemies to lovers, food/alcohol consumption, family reunion. Biting, fingering,  unprotected sex, vaginal sex, so much goddamn fluff and love you could just explode. Summary: On your last day in Switzerland before returning home, you have a very big surprise for Dieter. Notes: We’re approaching the end now (just two more chapters and the epilogue 💗✨) and this journey has just been absolutely amazing. Don’t worry though, there’s more drama to come before the end!

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~ Ch 12

If the two of you have been a touch mopier (and even touchier) for the last few days, it’s because the fast-approaching end of your time with him overseas has definitely cast a pall over things. This morning you lazed in bed drawing sighs and moans from each other until one of your stomachs rumbled for attention, then shared a shower and grabbed an espresso before getting in the car. The special request you had asked of him sounded very small, but the truth is that it is so much bigger than he could possibly know.

Last night you asked him if you could drive out to Satigny Village about a half hour from Geneva toward the French border because you had read about a place called Boulangerie Fabienne – a bakery with stellar reviews and a nearly cult-like following known for their growing patisserie. The place had recently added a few counter stools and started serving at tables inside and you gave him wide, pleading eye until he agreed. Though that didn’t take long.

What you hadn’t told him is that you have been in touch with the Merz family that owns the bakery. Three solid days of sitting in Dieter’s dressing room with your laptop had been spent with your head buried in his family tree until you finally found his mother’s family - so close that you could almost throw something and hit the side of their home. How many times had he been in Geneva and never known how near to his mother’s hometown he was? It would have been so easy to see them any time he had wanted, but now that chance would finally be had.

The car ride is easy, even if you’re fiddling with your phone a little, texting his cousin Arya who is your main point of contact for the family. His aunt and uncle aren’t very tech savvy, but Arya happily played messenger between all of you and had put a huge effort into planning out a family dinner for tonight in the home she lives in with her parents, husband, and two kids. The home Dieter’s aunt and mother grew up in. The home that has belonged to his family for more than a century.

The drive to the little town is beautiful, a windows-open kind of day and he is thankful that you don’t mind that. The radio plays in the background and it’s sappy, but he just doesn’t want to let go of your hand while the other is on the steering wheel of the little car that has zipped you to places all over Geneva over the past few weeks. “So what made you find this place? Reviews?” He asks, knowing you love trying new experiences but curious as to where you are finding this stuff.

“I found it on a list of hidden gems.” That much is true, although you found that particular list well after your first email to Arya. “Because they’re so close to the border, they do a lot of French specialties as well as Swiss. The place is family-owned. The original owner in 1876 named it after his young daughter. Hence, Boulanger Fabienne.”

Dieter nods, just thinking it’s the random facts that you love to learn about, and he glances over to give you a quick smile. “Admit it, you want to take a box home to Steph.” He teases lightly.

“Their website says they’ll ship internationally,” you grin, loving how well he’s learned you over the last few weeks. “If it’s as good as I hope it will be, I definitely want to ship a box of things home.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I’m starving.” Dieter grunts, squeezing your hand lightly. “You’ve worn me out, couldn’t get something to eat earlier since someone was needing to cum again.” Both of you have been insatiable since the day after admitting that you love each other, and he doesn’t know if he’s ever going to get enough. He thought he liked sex before, but now…

“You weren’t complaining at the time.” Sending him a wink when he glances over at you, the warmth in your cheeks is both teasing and excitement as he pulls onto the village’s main thoroughfare. “It’s supposed to be about halfway into the village.” Swiss addresses are still a little touch and go for you, but the picturesque little village is someplace you would willingly get lost forever. It looks like a fairy tale. “I think that’s it there. The blue building at the end of the block. On the right.”

“Okay.” Dieter pulls into an empty parking spot and puts the car into park. The hours are listed on the glass windows, and he winces. “We better hurry.” He tells you. “They are about to close.”

“That’s what we get for spending the morning and a little of the afternoon in bed.” In actuality, you had timed everything nearly perfectly. “Come on baby, I owe you a good lunch.” And hopefully so much more.

Dutifully, he’s climbing out of the car and walking around the hood to meet you, his fingers tangling with yours with practiced ease. “You know, it’s Tuesday and we aren’t having tacos.” He jokes. “I know you will eat some for me when you get home, right?”

“I promise.” Grinning, you press a kiss to his cheek and nudge him towards the door. “But first, I need to have one more laugen cheese roll before I leave the country.” Going home tomorrow morning is going to be heartbreaking, but you smile anyway. The joy of today will hopefully make it worth it.

“I’ll be bringing you some home.” He promises, dropping a kiss on your nose and laughing when it scrunches. “I’m gonna find a recipe for Rico. I can see cheese rolls split open and filled with Birria.”

“Fuck.” You groan happily, pulling the door open. “I’m so hungry.”

The smell hits him and he groans, his own stomach growling at the amazing scents. The tell-tale smells of a bakery are there, but there are also notes of spice and meat, and he wonders if they are cooking a family meal in the kitchen. It would make sense since it’s family owned. “Whatever they are making, I want it.” He moans, mouthwatering.

“Bienvenue!” A cheery, bright-eyed woman in a pair of neat jeans, a soft green blouse, and an apron embroidered with the bakery’s logo is out in front of the counter tidying up.

“Hello.” Arya Bachmann looks exactly like her photograph, and you have to stop yourself from jumping forward and giving her a giant hug for being so helpful and accepting of the idea of meeting her long-lost cousin. “I’m sorry, my French is terrible.”

“That is fine.” She answers in English, setting her cleaning cloth down on the other side of the counter and wiping her hands on her apron. “What can I do for you today?” She knows you. She is practically vibrating with it. The picture you sent of you and Dieter was only a few days old when you attached it to the email. But seeing you in person is more exciting than she imagined.

Dieter looks around and grins, knowing this place will be emptying a few of their pastries for you to take back to the hotel for midnight snacks. “My soulmate insisted we try this place.” He tells her. “So I’m sure a lot of boxes of one of everything at least. And whatever that amazing smell is.”

"I'll be happy to box whatever you wish." She smiles, rocking a little on the balls of her feet so as not to startle the man she knows is her family by wrapping him up in a hug immediately. "But I am afraid that some of what you smell is preparation for a family dinner tonight. We have a special guest joining us tonight. It is a very important occasion."

“Oh,” he nudges you with waggled eyebrows, slightly smug at his correct guess that they would be closing down soon. “We won’t keep you long then.” He promises, looking over at the counter to browse.

"Actually, Dee..." You squeeze his hand gently, glancing between him and Arya with a growing smile. "We're invited. Um..." For just a split second you're terrified that he's going to freak out, but you brush it off. Dieter's family is so excited to meet him that you can't possibly let him pass this up. "This is Arya. She's...she's your cousin, honey."

Dieter blinks, shocked silent for a moment and he looks back and forth between you and the woman behind the counter. “Cousin?” He shakes his head and wonders how that can be. “My mother was an only child.”

"She has a sister." Shaking your head reluctantly, you swallow a sigh of hurt on his part. "An older sister. I don't know why she never told you, but...all that time on my laptop in your dressing room over the last few days? I was trying to see if I could track down your family before I had to leave."

"Your soulmate sent an e-mail here, to the bakery, when she found us." Arya explains, gently wringing her hands with obvious nerves. "My mother is your Aunt Luisa. Your mother's older sister. They...they never knew where she went or what happened to her. Maman said her sister ran away when they were young and she never returned any of Mémé's letters." She shrugs sadly, not wanting to give Dieter the impression that his family does not care about him, for that is completely the opposite of the truth. "We are so grateful for the chance to meet you, if you would like to meet us."

“I—I didn’t know.” Dieter swallows, suddenly nervous – like he is auditioning for the role of a lifetime. Perhaps because he feels like he is. “I thought maybe I would find my grandparents’ grave or something.” He admits quietly, even though he had done nothing to actually look for them. “My sister was the one who—” he breaks off and gives a small shrug. “She wanted to find family years ago.”

"Mémé and Pépé are both very much alive." Arya chuckles softly and dares to take a step forward toward her cousin. "I think they are likely to outlive us all out of stubbornness."

His eyes widen dramatically and he looks at you, eyes watering. “I— they’re alive?” He asks softly, clinging to your hand and squeezing your fingers. “I— do they know? Did you, uh, know that I was— that I am—”

“I told them a little.” You admit, reaching to brush the tears from his eyes. Addiction is often a hereditary issue and you had wondered if there might be anyone else in the family tree that struggled, but it looks like that must have been his father’s side, if at all. “Arya’s soulmate is a fan, actually.”

“We’ve seen almost everything you’ve ever made,” she admits sheepishly. Her sons love his movies as well, and knowing the truth now gives her such a feeling of guilt somehow. Like she should have known, even though that is impossible. “But that is not why we are excited to know you, Dieter. You are family, and that is everything to us.”

He blows out a breath, overwhelmed and honestly nervous. He’s had no family for years and not suddenly he has cousins and grandparents? “Wow.” He gives a shy chuckle. “This is not what I was expecting.”

“If it’s too much, we’ll all understand.” That is something that you and Arya had discussed at length, and that his family understood. This is a surprise, and it might be overwhelming for him. “But if you’re up for it, how about we spend the rest of the day getting to know your family a little bit?”

“No, I want to.” Dieter promises, looking over at Arya and tries to see if he can see anything of his mother in his cousin. “I just— I wish Danica was here.”

"We wish she was, too." Arya nods. You had mentioned the loss of his sister and it grieved her to know that he had been alone through all of that. "But perhaps we can light a candle to remember her tonight? That is...that is something we do. When all of us get together, we light candles for those of us who are missing."

Feeling choked up again, all he can do is nod, squeezing your hand again. He can’t believe that this is happening, all because of you. “Yeah. That would work.” He sighs.

"Have a seat." Arya motions to the nearby set of small tables. "I will get us some coffees and some things to eat, and we can talk a little?" She has a feeling that he'll feel a little less uneasy if he knows even one more person going into supper tonight and she doesn't blame him.

“I can’t believe you did this.” Dieter murmurs as the two of you walk towards the table. “It’s— I can’t believe it. You are amazing, you know that?”

"I love you." Even though you've said it countless times since the first, it still makes your heart soar, and you hug him quickly before the two of you sit down. "And I want you to be happy. You've wanted to know them for years, baby. I just...I didn't know if you would ever do this on your own. And I didn't want you to miss out again."

“I don’t deserve you.” What you’ve done deserves a kiss and he doesn’t hesitate, pulling you into his arms and giving you a very appreciative kiss that might not be appropriate for public, but he doesn’t care.

The tray that Arya reappears with is laden with bowls of gorgeous looking soup sporting veggies, beef, and barley, and three of the delicious, cheesy rolls that you had named before – along with espressos, glasses of water, and a plate of the Linzer cookies that the bakery is so famous for. You have no idea how she's managing to balance it all so well, but she does it with the effortlessness of a prima ballerina. "So," she begins setting things out and fully empties the tray out in front of the three of you before sitting down with you and Dieter. "What can I tell you about our family, cousin?"

“I don’t know what to ask, honestly.” Dieter admits, biting his lip and giving a small shrug. “Who all is going to be there tonight?”

"There are four generations of us still living." Arya explains, passing out the rolls before digging into her apron pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "I—I made you a little family tree...I hope it will help, even a little." The handwritten chart includes Dieter and Danica, and their father. "Maman – my mother, your aunt – she knew your father's name, but nothing else about him," she admits.

Dieter bites his lip and frowns, trying to align what she is telling him with what he knows of his parents meeting. “They supposedly met while he was backpacking across Europe.” He tells her, pointing at his father’s name. “He died in 2002. I do know that.”

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry, honey." Gently squeezing his hand on the table, you pick up your water glass with your other hand and take a sip.

"Hopefully the idea of gaining some family outweighs the hurt." Arya offers. She knows that nothing can truly repair the hurt of losing someone you love, but she knows that her family has always been there for her just like they will be there for him.

Dieter shrugs slightly, unwilling to be hurt by someone who he had limited contact with for most of his life. "Honestly, I didn't know him. Although I don't know now if it was because he wanted nothing to do with us, or if my mother made sure that we didn't want anything to do with him." He's hurt, very hurt to know he had family that he never got a chance to know because of her lies.

"We are here now." His cousin promises, reaching across the table to take his other hand. "If we had known how to find you, we might have done this many more times by now."

He's grateful that she is so nice, smiling at her in appreciation. "Our - our grandparents...." He ventures softly. "What are they like?"

“They’re kind.” Arya returns the smile as easily as breathing but chuckles a little. “Well, they are now. They were much stricter when I was young, but time has softened them.” As everyone begins to eat, she hums a little and tries to pick out what tidbits of information to offer. “Mémere likes to paint. She has painted everyone in the family several times over, I think. And my boys - I have two teenagers - are teaching Pépere to play video games. Usually he just sits and watches but he knows all the characters and the plots from games they like.”

He chuckles slightly, nodding. "I would do the same." He admits. "Can't play video games for anything, unless it's the original Atari." He doesn't know anything about a family dynamic, he's been alone for a long time.

“Does anyone else in the family paint or do other kinds of art?” You had wondered plenty about his family after you had started talking to his cousin, hoping that there would be plenty for him to latch on to and have in common with them.

“Oh, yes.” She nods eagerly. Mémere, my mother, and my boys. Ever since they were small. Our home is like their private art gallery.”

Dieter snorts, shaking his head. "Well, I always wondered where I got it from." He muses, reaching over and taking your hand. "She paints as well. Is an art teacher and a damn fine one." He tells his cousin, nodding at you.

“Our niece,” Arya says our to him like it’s some kind of magic spell and it makes her smile even more. “Noemi is only five, but she likes plays very much. She dresses up and acts out her favourite stories. Perhaps she will follow in her uncle’s footsteps one day?”

Dieter grins and feels proud that he can contribute to a family. "Only if she wants to, but don't let her get into it too early." He advises. "Let her be a child for now."

Arya’s chuckle is full of life as she pauses with a piece of bread halfway to her mouth. “You try to tell her that. I think she has already chosen her first red carpet dress.” She shakes her head again, glad to see Dieter smiling. “She is an angel, my brother’s daughter, and your soulmate says you are wonderful with children. You will love her.”

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure if I would say that I'm wonderful with kids, but I like them." He tells her with a shrug. "They are curious and accepting."

“You’re amazing with Nora.” You protest, always knowing he was going to sell himself short. “The hospital trip? Come on – not everybody could have handled that and you made her feel so safe.”

"Who wouldn't in that situation?" He asks, raising a brow at you, knowing that none of you would have turned their back on a little girl needing comfort. Not even as selfish as he is.

“He doesn’t always take compliments well,�� you tell Arya with a smirk. Sometimes, of course, he’s a complete shit about it. But never when it comes to Nora. And definitely not right now.

He rolls his eyes and huffs, feeling slightly defensive about that observation. He hates that you seem to see the way into his soul sometimes, even if he appreciates it. "Yeah, yeah." He blows a very mature raspberry at you.

“I see what you mean.” His cousin laughs, nodding as though you had described that reaction from him specifically. Which you probably could have if you had predicted this conversation.

Dieter rolls his eyes again and takes another bite of his soup although he ends up laughing along with her. It was true that sometimes he could be a vain S.O.B. but then he also would get shy at a genuine compliment.

“Love you.” You grin, still giggling slightly as you lean over to kiss his cheek.

“You are good together.” Arya laughs, letting her spoon rest in her now empty bowl. “How long have you known each other?”

Biting his lip, he looks over at you. He wants to tease you about the first time you had told him to go fuck himself, but he doesn't want to embarrass you with his family. If you want to tell that tale, he would let you do it. "Nearly three months, right?"

“It’s actually three months on Saturday.” You can just feel the way your cheeks burn that you know it down to the day, but you’re proud of him and of how far you’ve come together.

"Three adventurous months." He tells his cousin with a chuckle and tosses you a smirk.

“This is the biggest adventure I’ve ever been on,” you explain to Arya, shrugging your shoulders. “I had never left the country before, and all of a sudden I’m in one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen in my life for three whole weeks. It’s been amazing.” And really, that’s all down to Dieter – something which you’re incredibly grateful for.

He grins, proud that he could give you that, his hand sliding up and around your shoulder. "Plus, she just got her first tattoo." He tells Arya proudly. "Branded me." He tosses you a wink and smirks. "Like I branded her."

“My soulmate is afraid of needles.” Arya laughs at that, as though it’s something she has teased him about many times before. “He is covered in all of my cuts and burns from growing up in this bakery, but there is not one single tattoo between us.”

Dieter smirks. "You could always get one, when it transfers over to your soulmate, it's just a sharp pain and then the beautiful artwork."

“I wouldn’t know what to get.” She doesn’t hate the idea, though, always having liked the way that real art looks on skin. “Can I ask what inspired you to get yours?”

"Show her." Dieter encourages you. "She actually designed it herself."

"Actually, what inspired me was him." You explain, unbuttoning your shirt just enough to loosen the neck so you can drop it off one shoulder to show Arya your tattoo. "They are the favourite flowers of all of the most important people in my life. Dee, my niece Nora, my sister-in-law Stephanie, and...and my brother, Shawn. We lost him to Covid, unfortunately. I've been helping raise his daughter since he got sick."

"I am so sorry for your loss." Arya murmurs, even as she admires the watercolor of flowers that are inked into your skin. "It is a gorgeous tribute to those that you love." She shifts in her seat to look more closely, not quite touching the colours inscribed in your skin with her fingertips but tracing the lines. "Would you..." she almost laughs at herself, but shrugs. Not that you can see it. Dieter can, and she glances at him before looking back at your shoulder. "Would you design one like this for me, if I asked? I'm not sure what of, but the style is so beautiful."

"Oh!" You fluster, head popping up to look at Dieter in shock that his cousin would ask something that is such a huge compliment. "I—I mean, of course. If you wanted that, I would draw whatever you wanted." You can't imagine that she would have any kind of outlandish request, or something you would feel uncomfortable painting for her. "That's so kind of you."

Beaming with pride, Dieter winks at you. "I told you that you could design some wonderful tattoos." He reminds you softly.

"Maybe that's what I should do from now on." It's so unrealistic that it practically makes you giggle as you readjust and rebutton your shirt. "I'll become a tattoo artist for the irony."

He snickers and shakes his head. “Still think you need to do traveling art classes.” He reminds you. “That way you can go any and everywhere you want.”

"Are you thinking of changing careers?" As much as Arya appreciates art, she has never been very good at producing it and never really had the patience for studying it. If she could ever claim to be an artist at all, it is with pastry.

"More like changing what kind of teacher I am," you tell her, reaching to squeeze Dieter's hand gently. "Becoming a private teacher would let me choose what I want to teach, and when, and where. So I could travel and see the world like I always wanted to, but keep teaching and making art, which I love."

“She would be fantastic at it,” Dieter brags. “She’s painting the portraits that are being used in my latest movie. The one we are here shooting now.” He loves that he gets to say that. “And plenty of people on set have asked her to teach them.”

"You could just travel to wherever he is filming." It's such a glamorous idea – and outlandish because of it – that it makes Arya smile at the two of you. "Hold classes for anyone working on his films as well as anyone local. I know I would certainly come if you ever taught a class here someday." Just because she doesn't have a natural talent for art doesn't mean that she wouldn't like to try to learn. Especially from someone so talented.

Dieter sends you a look that screams ‘I told you so’ and grins. “Isn’t it a great idea? I told her that she could always find local coffee shops or say…bakeries, to hold her classes in. Give them some business and let them advertise as a special afternoon.” He turns to his cousin. “What would you say as a business owner if someone proposed that?”

"I think most business owners would say that their first concern is cost." Arya admits, though she hates having to say it. She has the luxury of managing a long-lasting, well-loved, ever-growing family business and tries to never take it for granted. "Some will want a portion of your profits. Like the way concert halls keep a portion of ticket sales. But to have someone teach art here? That would only help my business. I cannot see a reason to say no, and I know that many would find it exciting."

“It’s honestly questions that would need to be worked through.” Dieter acknowledges. “But I could see how having that information and a plan would be a good idea.”

"Art is disappearing from American schools, is it not?" She asks you, and the way her brows furrow with concern is somehow almost identical to the way Dieter's does also.

"It's difficult. We try to do our best with the students given what the schools allow, but there is no budget for supplies. Most of it comes out of my own pocket. Not to mention the strain put on our time by requiring all of us to do things like chaperone school functions and run after school activities." You sigh, hating the guilt that twists in your gut whenever you think about leaving teaching. It can be so rewarding, but it can also be such a suffocating source of stress. "If I didn't love my students, I think I would have already left for something else."

Dieter reaches for your hand, knowing that it would be a loss for the education world for you to leave, feeling slightly selfish for wanting it. Maybe he needs to back off pushing. “Her students are very loyal.” He tells his cousin. “We met a few out in the wild and it was obvious how much they admire her.”

“She cares very much.” Arya can attest to that, having spent three days exchanging constant emails with you. “If she cares for her work half as much as she cares for you, they are very lucky children.”

He huffs, flushing under the meaning of those words and gives a small shrug. “She cares for them more, most likely. I couldn’t blame her for that.”

“She,” you grin a little at the silliness of referring to yourself by pronouns. “Loves her kids very much. But…not as much as she loves her soulmate.”

His own grin is just as sappy, and he preens just a little. “Good to know.” He chirps and rocks proudly in his chair.

“It is hard to believe it has only been three months.” When Arya sits back in her seat, she smiles softly and rolls her water glass in her hand like an unconscious movement. “But then, some soulmates bond after three hours. It can never be predicted.”

“Our relationship was rocky at the beginning.” He tells her, lacing his fingers through yours. “My fault.” He’ll claim the blame for that. Apparently, the American celebrity news doesn’t reach over here and he doesn’t want them to think badly of you.

“I wasn’t exactly an angel.” That’s about the understatement of the year, but you don’t want his family to hate you. Today works the best if you both come out of it smiling. “But we’re glad to be where we are now. Even if we are both a little stubborn.”

Arya grins, lifting a brow at how the two of you are protecting each other. “I think that the more alike people are, the more they clash.” She tilts her head and snickers. “Although ‘Fuck you, Bravo!’ was an amazing first meeting.”

“Oh god…” You groan, leaning into Dieter’s side and burying your face in his arm. “I was so hoping you hadn’t seen it!”

Arya laughs and reaches out to touch your arm. “Don’t be embarrassed.” She urges you. “Our family is not the type to hold it against you. I swore I would never marry my soulmate if he was the last man on earth.”

“No?” Feeling a step past mortified, you still keep close to Dieter when you look back at her. “On principle?”

Arya laughs and gives a small shrug. “Yes and no.” She tells you. “He infuriated me. Had all these ideas on how soulmate were ‘supposed to be’.” She rolls her eye and grins. “He changed his mind, obviously.”

“I think infuriating and stubborn is how we both would have described each other, early on.” You admit with a rueful grin. “Thankfully, we’re also both a bit more malleable than we thought when it comes to each other.”

“That’s what happens when love creeps up on you.” She smiles again and looks back and forth between you. “You wouldn’t have found his family if you didn’t love him.”

“That’s true.” And thankfully you’re past the point of even attempting to deny your feelings. It would be impossible to do by now anyway, with the way you feel your heart just spilling over at all hours of the day and night. You would have slipped by now. “And I’m so grateful to all of you for being so welcoming.”

“Everyone is looking forward to meeting you.” Arya tells you, standing up and starting to clear the now finished meals. “They have all missed your mother and wondered about her life for years. And to meet her son? It will bring happy tears.”

“Arya!” An older woman’s voice rings from the direction of the bakery’s kitchen. “Où es-tu? Sont-ils ici?” Where are you? Are they here?

“That’s Maman.” Arya smiles, biting back a laugh. “She must have gotten impatient waiting. One minute.” She pats Dieter’s arm gently before disappearing behind the counter and back through another archway. “Arrête de crier! Je suis là.” Stop shouting! I’m here.

Chewing his bottom lip, Dieter clings to your hand a little desperately. “I— do I look okay? I should have worn something nicer.” He frets, suddenly terrified that they won’t accept him. Feeling jittery and honestly craving something medicinal or chemical to calm him down.

“Baby, you look amazing.” You promise him, leaning in to kiss his lips softly. That small act of reassurance being so important. “I know you’re nervous, but they’re so excited to meet you. I promise. I wouldn’t have brought us here if I had any doubts.”

“I didn’t know they existed.” Dieter murmurs. “She never talked about her family. Acted like she was alone.”

“And they didn’t know you existed.” The first emails had been full of the necessary requests for proof, and you had related as much as you could of Dieter’s mother’s story to Arya and her mother, Luisa. “I mean, they knew you existed, they just didn’t know who you were. Are. To them.”

“Jesus.” Both of his hands are cupping yours and he rubs them, trying to soothe himself. Touching you seems to be an important part of that now. “I—why? Were they that bad?” He asks quietly, glancing at the door to make sure Arya doesn’t overhear. “Why else would you deny family?”

“From what Arya could tell me, it sounds like your mom didn’t want to be forced into the family business.” That raises another sigh, since you can’t see how it was worth cutting off her entire family over. “And they…I guess your grandparents objected to her running off with your dad because they weren’t soulmates. But like Arya said…they’ve gotten less strict over the years. After a while all they wanted was for her to come home, but since they didn’t know your dad’s last name, they couldn’t find them.”

Dieter snorts and shakes his head. “Stubborn.” He tosses you a wry look. “And you wonder where I get it from. Apparently it’s a family trait.” He frowns. “I would never be upset. If you— if you wanted to be with someone other than me.” He rolls his eyes. “I mean I would but not because of anything more than I love you now.”

“Don’t be dumb.” Rolling your eyes at him is the best self-defense you have over getting misty-eyed, and after only a few weeks of getting along you’re not really feeling like this (especially right now) is the time or place to push. “I’m not going anywhere. Who else is going to sass me as well as you do?”

“I am really good at it.” He teases, sticking his tongue out of you.

“Very mature.” You snicker, stealing a kiss before more of a ruckus can be heard from the kitchen. “I love you, Dee. You brought me my family by surprise, so I brought you yours.”

“Thank you.” He rushes out before anyone can come out from the back. “No matter how this turns out, thank you.”

“You are…my goodness…” Luisa Müller is a strong, lean woman with all of her softness contained in her round face. Bright eyes and chubby cheeks add animation to a bright smile and wild, white hair. “Welcome home, mon caneton.” The tears in Luisa’s eyes are the truest kind of happy, born of such exhaustive relief that she looks like she could break right down and sob as easily as breathe. But that’s not the kind of woman she is. She’s far too exuberant for that, so it is open arms and the offer of tight hugs instead. The welcome she would give to any member of her family.

Standing when they walked into the room helped him not be smothered in the woman’s, his aunt’s, arms. “Hi.” He swallows down the urge to shed some tears, trying to keep it together and act like a grown ass man instead of the little boy who wondered why he had no family when doing a family tree project in school.

“Look at you.” She cups both of his cheeks in her hands and smiles, absolutely lit up from the inside to be able to have her nephew in front of her after not knowing that he even existed for so many decades. “Grown up and a man already. I wonder if you have any idea how glad we are that your girlfriend found us.”

“I don’t.” He admits, although he’s starting to get an idea. Grinning at the way she is pinching his cheeks as if he were a small boy. “Mon caneton?” He asks, raising a brow since he is taller than she is.

“My duckling.” Arya chuckles, coming back into the room with several pastry boxes in her arms. “Maman used to call us little ducklings in a row when we were growing up. I suppose there are three of us now.”

Luisa nods, tears spilling over in her eyes. “My daughter, my son, and my nephew,” she confirms, pulling Dieter into another tight hug.

“There—there were four.” Dieter clears his throat and pulls back. “You would have loved my twin sister. She was the good one.” He jokes weakly, pulling his phone out of his pocket and opening it to the pictures he kept of her there. They went from phone to phone, always. He turns it around to show his aunt. “Danica.”

“Mm.” Luisa nods solemnly, examining the photo on his phone with a soft expression. “It was a car accident, yes?” She clucks her tongue and rubs Dieter’s arm gently. “I am so sorry, mon caneton. If it does not hurt too much to talk about her, we would love to hear your stories tonight.”

He nods. “It’s hard, but that’s just a testimony to how wonderful she was, right?” He asks, looking over at you. “Besides, my soulmate hasn’t even heard the stories. It will be good to talk.”

“Good then.” With one more squeeze, Luisa lets him go and transfers all of her hugging power to you instead for a quick but tight embrace. “Let us go home then. You can see the house where your mother and I grew up, and meet the rest of the family?”

“Sure.” He nods and wipes his hands on his pants before reaching for you again. “Whatever is best.”

Deciding it’s best if you follow them to the house, you and Dieter head back out to the rental car while Arya locks up the bakery and her mother packs up the pastry boxes in her own little Citron. “How are you feeling, love?” You give his hand a squeeze once you’re both in the car.

“I don’t know.” Dieter tells you honestly. “It— I mean I talked about it— but I’m shocked.” He lets out a loud breath of air. “I have family here.”

“And not just a little one.” Sitting back in the passenger seat, you offer him a slightly lopsided but encouraging smile. “There’s no rule that says you have to spend every single holiday with them now, or anything like that. But you deserved to know they exist. And that they love you.”

“Seriously,” Dieter looks over at you again. “Thank you. I don’t know if I ever would have had the courage to look up my mother’s family and I would have missed out.”

“I—” Shrugging slightly, you can feel the way your cheeks burn as the admission. “I’d do anything for you.” As quickly as you fell, this seems to be where you heart belonged all along. Whether or not it’s because you’re soulmates, you don’t know. But you know you would go through hell or high water for this man without batting an eyelash. “That’s all there is to it.”

“I love you.” It’s so much more than just love, but he can’t articulate it better than that.

******

The drive to the home where his mother had grown up didn’t take long, just a few blocks from the business that was the preverbal straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of her cutting them off and denying Dieter any knowledge of them growing up. He wonders how different life would have been if he had known them, summers in Switzerland when he and Dani were out of school. When the car stops, he bites his lip, looking at you and not the house. “Here we go.”

“I’m with you.” The promise is made as seriously as possible, and you lean over the console to kiss him before getting out of the car. “If you get overwhelmed and need to go back to the hotel, just say the word. Okay?”

“I appreciate that.” He murmurs softly before the two of you climb out of the car. Again, his fingers lace with yours when you come around the side and he feels better, nervous and excited all at once.

There are two men a little older than you in the front yard when you get out of the car, one who looks remarkably like Arya and one who embraces her in the gravel driveway up to the large stone farmhouse. The village is beautiful now, but it must have been stunning when it was all farmland as far as the eye could see. Beautiful orchards and fields of ripe crops and well-cared for animals instead of streets and cars between houses. It’s easy to visualize, even when the reality of the modern village is right in front of you.

“Dieter!” Arya waves the two of you over as she stands between the two men – one giant with curly brown hair that she introduces as her husband Leo, and the other with lighter hair and her very same eyes, that she introduces as her brother Theo.

“How’s it going?” Dieter introduces you, lifting your hand up where they are joined. “Thank you for having us.”

Theo apparently lives very much in the same vein as his mother, because when he steps forward to greet both of you, you and Dieter find yourselves fully enveloped in a bone crushing bear hug. “You’re here!” He hiccups, obviously overjoyed at the fact. “Cousin, you are all we’ve talked about for days. Come inside! Even the boys are excited and they are teenagers…what is the word?” He laughs jovially. “Sullen. That is it. But not today.”

From the time that his abuela died until he found the fame that he craved, Dieter can’t remember a time when people were overjoyed to see him. His hand drops from yours and he squeezes the larger man back. “I’m— it’s good to be here.” He chokes out.

“Mémere has guilt,” he admits softly, like it’s something that he was warned against mentioning, but he feels Dieter has the right to know. “If she had known how to find you, you should have been sick of us by now.” Theo tells him with a conspiratorial grin.

“She doesn’t need to be guilty.” Dieter knows that for certain. “My mother didn’t even let us know we were half Swiss until we discovered her passport.”

“She will always feel a little guilty.” Arya waves it off like it’s nothing to worry about and reaches for his hand to whisk him inside. “Today is not to be sad, cousin. This is a joyful occasion. It is love.” She laughs, inhaling the deep scents of long-cooked secret recipes creeping through the walls of her home. “And we say love with food.”

Dieter snorts and shakes his head. “That’s not a trait carried down.” He jokes. “I can burn water.” His cooking is bad and he owns up to it. Hell, he never really remembered his mom cooking anything that didn’t come from a can or a box.

“Some things skip a generation.” Luisa offers, smiling as Dieter is pulled into the house with you trailing behind, admiring the stonework.

His eyes are darting everywhere, trying to take in the sight. Generations live here, history that is a part of him, makes him up even if he hadn't been aware of it. He wipes his hands again, wondering if he is going to be hugged again by his grandparents. He wouldn't mind it, but he doesn't know if that guilt Theo mentioned will prevent it.

“Sont-ils ici?” Are they here? An older woman’s voice comes from deeper in the house, and you reach to squeeze Dieter’s hand gently. Checking in with him as you walk deeper into the house, it’s clear that everyone has turned out to meet their long lost cousin. “Mémé!” Arya flashes a grin in his direction and beckons for you to follow, eventually ending up in the dining room of the old house. “Mémé, we’re home.”

Dieter takes a deep breath, confronted by the biggest case of pre-performance jitters he’s had in a long time. This matters, more than any roles he’s played.

The woman sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and a deck of cards in front of her is the obvious older version of Dieter’s mother. It’s like Irene Bravo was simply a clone of her mother – running twenty-five years behind – and there is the woman herself standing up to embrace him with tears in her eyes. “You are here,” she breathes, as though the air pushing out of her tall frame with the exclamation is all the breeze that has ever existed in the world. It’s a rush, but at the same time so very comforting. “And you—you look just like your father.” With both of his cheeks in her hands, Dieter’s grandmother pinches them in unison and smiles. “Welcome home, Dieter.”

“I— I don’t know what to call you.” Dieter blurts out and looks horrified for a moment. That was the first thing that came to his mind? “I mean— I— it’s amazing to meet you.”

She chuckles at first, then it becomes an all-out laugh as she pats his shoulder gently. “Begin with Valentina, until you are comfortable with Mémé,” she tells him. “Do you prefer I call you something else?”

“Dieter’s fine, or Dee.” He feels better since he made her laugh and searches her face, seeing so much of his mother in the statuesque woman. “You look like my mother, but you don’t. If that makes sense?”

“I will show you pictures of myself and Irene as young women.” She leans in conspiratorially, barely shorter than him and certainly not lacking for energy. “Your mother was nearly my twin. But age changes us all in different ways.”

Dieter nods. “It does.” He is certainly different than he was when he was younger. “I would like to see that. She— she didn’t share much with us.” He says tactfully. His mother shared nothing, leaving Danica and Dieter to feel as if they were alone in the world after their abuela died and their father left.

“Is she—” Valentina looks slightly sad, her eyes moving between you and Dieter for a moment. “Has she passed?” Having had no word from her daughter in more than forty years, she had had to teach herself to think of her that way. It was how she learned to let go of her anger.

“No.” Dieter shakes his head. “She’s still alive. At least, the last I heard; she was still alive.” Sighing softly, he decides honestly it the best option. “We are not close.”

“I see.” If it surprises the elderly woman at all, she doesn’t let on. “More is the pity for her, then. We are going to have a good time tonight. Eat, drink, tell stories, tease each other.” The last is directed at you with a wink. “Your soulmate was clever to find us, and now you both have more home.”

“That…sounds perfect.” Dieter chokes out, feeling like he’s actually got a family for the first time since he lost Danica. It feels perfect. His hand reaches behind him and finds yours, squeezing gently. It’s all because of you and he’s so fucking grateful.

******

The kids have all slunk away by the time the photo boxes come out after dinner, off to play video games or watch movies until they fall asleep like some of the other adults have done – saying their good nights with kisses on cheeks and tight hugs with excuses about early work times. Valentina, Luisa, and Arya sit with you and Dieter at the big dining table with the last remnants of pastries and seemingly endless glasses of wine alongside a shoebox of family photographs and memories. “This one should be yours, if you want it.” Valentina murmurs, pulling out a crisp photograph many decades old. The street corner is easily recognizable as being right outside the family bakery, but the two people in the picture look like distant memories. Irene et Carlos reads the back, in Valentina’s looping cursive. 16 Mai 1979

“Wow.” Dieter can’t believe how young she looks. He frowns slightly. “Did she— why did she leave?” He asks softly. “I don’t understand.”

“She was in love.” Valentina sighs in that way only mothers can have when speaking off their daughters. “And we did not think that she was old enough to decide the rest of her life yet. But Irene was stubborn…” She touches the image of her daughter’s face gently. “Your grandfather and I did not approve. They were not soulmates, and they were too young to know what kind of world they would be facing. And she…she took our disapproval as a challenge, I think.”

Dieter snorts and rolls his eyes. “That sounds familiar.” He comments sarcastically. “Always knew where I got it from.”

“Unfortunately, in those days it was much harder to find people who had been lost.” Valentina takes another photo from the box: Irene and Carlos again, marked as taken a few days later. In this one they are sitting on a stone wall with a bottle of wine and two glasses beside them, curled into each other’s arms. “They did love each other very much. No one could deny it. But we…we tried too hard to protect them, and it ended up making problems worse.” She looks at Dieter with absolute softness, offering him this photo as well. “And for that, I am sorry.”

“You couldn’t have done anything.” Dieter gives a small shrug. “I don’t know what happened, but by the time we were younger, three or four, it was burned out.”

“Young love burns brighter, but faster.” His grandmother murmurs, looking between the two of you. “Be glad you found each other after you had already grown the heads on your shoulders.”

“I don’t think that I’ve done that yet.” Dieter jokes, although he understands what his grandmother is trying to say. “I can show you some picture of her. If you want.” He doesn’t have many of his mother, but he does keep a few in his phone.

“You have some?” That brings Valentina’s features to life all over again, and she shifts closer to the table in her chair to peer across the way.

“Yeah.” Dieter fumbles with his password and brings up his photo albums. One assistant had been tasked with digitizing all his old photos one year. He had been wanting photos of Danica, but had done them all. When the depression of having no one would kick in, he organized them. He pulls up the one for his mother. It even includes the rare photos she would text him. She is his mother – even if he doesn’t like the way she treats him.

“Will you…” Fingers carefully brushing the sides of his phone so as not to touch the photo on screen, Valentin glances back up at Dieter carefully. “Will you tell her you saw us? I cannot blame you if you wished not to say anything.”

“I am going to tell her.” He had decided that around the time that dessert was served. Despite whatever her feud with her family was, he had no part of that, and he wouldn’t be ashamed of getting to know people he had wanted to know his entire life. “I can…pass along a number. If you want.”

“Would you mind if I sent a letter with you?” She asks instead, obviously having thought it over far before now. “If she chooses not to answer me, that is up to her.”

Dieter nods. “My birthday is coming up soon.” He tells her. “I always hear from her then.” He doesn’t tell his grandmother that it’s to beg or harass him for money. Or like the one disastrous year she had gotten plastered and told him that she wished he had died instead of Danica – after he had told her he wasn’t sending her money.

“It must be hard,” she observes. “Missing your sister? I—I lost my twin some twenty years ago. It weighs on the heart.”

“You had a twin!?” Dieter practically gasps it out in surprise. He had never known anything other than what his abuela said about cousins being twins but nothing else that she knew of. He had always assumed it came from his dad’s side.

“Mm.” The way she smiles is full of nostalgia and fondness. A happy light inside something that could easily be only sadness. “My sister and I were identical. Ten minutes apart, and I never let her forget that she was the old lady.” Everyone at the table laughs. “Josephine and myself, you and your Danica, and Arya’s two boys. You have lots of twins in your family.”

“Apparently.” He can’t help but look at you and smirk. “You’re warned.” Children are nowhere near anything that’s been discussed but he can’t help but tease.

“Oh god.” You cringe at him, but it’s playful and for show. Family planning isn’t exactly a conversation you’ve had and you’re not going to have it for the first time in front of his extended family. “You’re going to be sooooo nice to me if that happens, I swear.”

He scoffs, but can’t help but grin. Old Dieter would have panicked and offered to pay for an abortion for a non-existent baby, but he’s surprisingly not worried. Maybe because of that little word again. The one he loves getting to say to you.

The joke, however, has opened the floodgates, and his aunt Luisa nearly squeals. “Oh, you would have beautiful children!”

“The world is not ready for more Bravos.” Dieter jokes. “Need to be sober a little while longer for that.”

“One day.” Luisa grins unrepentantly. “A beautiful wedding and beautiful babies.”

“Maman, leave them alone,” Arya chides, shooting you both an apologetic expression. “She is obsessed with babies, ignore her.”

Dieter chuckles slightly and gives a small shrug. “Most older people are, I’ve found.”

“Older.” Luisa huffs, but it’s good-natured and she has enough self-awareness to laugh at herself. “It won’t be long before you are older too.”

“Oh, he’s already there.” You can’t help but join in the teasing, knowing that the age gap between you and Dieter is just large enough to be make him pout. And you’re one hundred percent willing to admit that he’s cute when he pouts. “I mean, I’m the youngest at the table, so he’s already an old man to me.”

His pout is immediate, and if it weren’t for the fact that his grandmother was sitting at the table, he would remind you how you hadn’t minded him being older when you were screaming his name earlier. Instead he just huffs, blowing a raspberry at you. “Old man.” He grumps.

“My old man.” Under the table, your hand finds his leg to brush your thumb over his thigh to make sure he knows you’re only teasing. You couldn’t give less of a shit about the age gap except to be glad that you had met when you were both adults – like Valentina said.

Slightly mollified, Dieter captures your hand and winks at you. “I mean, I guess.” He huffs. “Only because you wore me down. Chased me, this one did.” He jokes, grinning at you playfully.

“Oh yeah.” You can’t even nod with a straight face, and Arya cracks a wide grin on your other side. She knows the entire story, of course, having seen it unfold in the press. You were glad to be able to tell her the real development and give her a glimpse of the real man her cousin is. “An absolute groupie. That’s me,” you droll sarcastically.

He snickers and nods. “Yep. Total fan. Nearly passed out when she met me.” He finally can’t hold back the laugh and shakes his head, leaning in to kiss your cheek. “No, but I did manage to clip your claws.”

“Sometimes love wears masks.” Valentina offers, rather enigmatically. “We just have to know when to lift them.”

“Very true.” Dieter acknowledges. Leaning back, he smiles at the older woman. “How did you meet your soulmate?”

“Walking into his bakery.” The elderly woman blushes slightly and reaches for her glass of wine as she shuffles through the box of photos. Dieter’s grandfather had gone to bed an hour ago after a lengthy good night. “Everyone struggled after the war, and I had saved my coins to buy just a little tart for Josephine and myself. It was our birthday the next day.” When she laughs it shakes right through her, and she grins at the photo of two identical teenage girls in simple dresses with immaculate makeup and hair so blonde that it looks white in the old photo. “Yves was a snobby little boy, and he didn’t want to serve me because I didn’t look rich, but his mother boxed his ears and gave me the tart for half the price to apologize.” Laughter erupts around the table, Luisa and Arya nodding along with the story they’ve heard countless times before. “He was so rude! I was very annoyed to find out we were soulmates. But he—how did you say it? Clipped my claws. And I clipped his.”

“So it’s a family legacy to have difficult soulmates.” Dieter grins at the joke and looks over at you with affection. “Did it make the clipping even sweeter?” He asks. “I swear when she opened up and I stopped being stubborn, it was just…magic.”

“It became a thing to tease about.” Valentina chuckles, reaching over to pat your hand affectionately when she sees the sheepish expression on your face. “He has his snobbish moments still and I am still sometimes too much — what is the term in English? Advocate for the Devil? But it is just who we are, and to love a person with flaws is far more honest than to pretend they are perfect.”

“She’s a saint for putting up with me.” Dieter is teasing you, but he doesn’t want them to think that you are a bad person. You are fantastic. “Honestly…the only reason I’ve stayed sober as long as I have is because of her.” He admits softly.

Your fingers lace through his, holding his hand tightly in your own and trying not to look too choked up. As far as you understood, his sobriety was entirely down to Libby and this film. It was a thing he had been forced into and even though he had been clear about wanting to continue it on his own, you had no idea that he attributed any of his success with the struggle to you. The ketamine incident has given you some uncomfortable ptsd issues, but he had never let a nightmare pass without making sure you were calm and safe back in his arms when you went back to sleep. “I just want to support you,” you murmur quietly, knowing the whole table is listening. But that’s really what it comes down to for you. Love and support go hand in hand.

“Thank you.” He whispers and Valentina looks on with pride. “You communicate very well.” She compliments, beaming at both of you. “You will do well.”

The impulse to snort at that has to be smothered immediately, because it was simply not the case not so long ago. “We try very hard,” you tell his grandmother instead, because that is the absolute truth. “But he’s worth the work.”

Dieter flushes deeply, always amazed when you say things like that out loud and to other people. The pride in being his soulmate is such a dizzying pleasure that he can’t help but get flustered.

“Still not used to her saying such things?” Arya guesses, her expression as soft as it is teasing.

“No.” He easily admits. “It’s been a very long time since someone actually cared enough to do more than kiss my ass or flatter me to get what they wanted from me.”

“Good you have her, mon caneton.” Luisa nods with absolute authority. “To temper all the bullshit in the world.”

“Maman!” Arya seems shocked to hear a little bit of colorful language from her mother, but it only makes Valentina laugh.

“Ass kissing is not going to change the world, mon coeur,” she says to her granddaughter. “But love might.”

Dieter can’t help but laugh, thinking that he might be more like his grandmother and aunt than he realizes. “It’s okay cousin.” He grins. “I tend to make people curse around me.”

“It’s true,” you smother your own laughter but have to admit it’s a fact. “But it’s a little less these days. He’s behaving himself at work.”

“It’s difficult.” He pouts.

“You say that.” A gentle poke in his side comes with a grin. “But your hair and makeup artists love you.”

“They make me look good.” He rolls his eyes like it’s the obvious answer. “Of course I’m nice to them.”

“Priorities.” Luisa agrees, pointing one finger in the air but with a bit of that soft pride known almost exclusively to aunts. “Not that they have much work to do with you, mon caneton.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dieter huffs, unable to take a compliment from family too, apparently.

“I have embarrassed you.” Apparently that only amuses Luisa more. “It is my job. Privilege of the aunt. And I have much time to make up for now that you are here.”

“Great.” Dieter chuckles and shakes his head. “Family.” The tone is accepting and amused.

******

It’s a few more hours before you stand from the table to say good night, and another half hour after that that you’re actually getting into the rental car with a parcel of pastries, a small collection of photographs, and a letter from Dieter’s grandmother to his mother. It’s late but the drive back to the hotel won’t be long, and every second that you stayed in Satigny Village today has been immensely worthwhile.

Dieter is quiet on the way back to the hotel. Contemplating everything he learned and absorbing the information and savoring the fact that he has family. You've come to understand his silence a little bit better in the last few weeks. It isn't disdainful or arrogant - it's contemplative. Or else it's a blank space for him to exist in while he processes the things going on around him. Tonight he has an exceptional amount to process, and you don't want him to feel poked or prodded. So you hold his hand while he drives, eventually pulling the car into its space at the hotel and cutting the engine. "You okay in there, love?" You ask quietly, not wanting to presume one way or the other.

Shaking himself out of his wandering mind, he looks over at you. “Yeah.” He nods, meaning it. “I am. It’s – it’s strange because I thought I would be upset that they didn���t know about us. Or that it was a fear that they didn’t care to. But I just felt like I was home.”

"Do you think you might go back for one more dinner before you come back to LA?" His grandmother had offered, telling him to consider the bakery and the house to be open to him any time he wanted to visit and never feel odd about arriving unannounced, but you didn't know if he would take her up on it. It's what you hope for him, obviously, but you would also understand if it was overwhelming somehow.

“I – I think I might invite them to the hotel for dinner.” Dieter chuckles and shakes his head. “The dining room might actually see a dinner party.”

"It would be good to use it for more people than just us." Nudging him slightly, you climb out of the car and retrieve the things his family sent home with him from the backseat. More than anything, you're just glad to see him smiling about the whole thing. His family loved meeting him. It would have been a shame if they hadn't gotten along, but the whole day was wonderful.

“Have to make sure that they wipe down the table though.” He smirks and waggles his eyebrows at you. “Since we did defile it.”

"We've defiled every inch of that suite." You can't deny that, only laugh a little as the two of you wander toward the elevator that will take you up into the hotel. "Honestly they should just sterilize the whole thing after you check out."

“I’m sure they do.” He chuckles and gives you a shrug. “Although it’s normally for other reasons than sex.”

"Well, it should definitely be because of sex this time." Pushing the button for your floor, you readjust the boxes under your arm and stretch up to kiss his cheek. "I, um...I'm glad you liked your surprise, love."

“I did.” Dieter turns and presses his lips to yours. “It’s amazing. You must have been searching forever.”

"It took a little digging, but considering the business they were easy to contact once I had actually found them." It's starting to really set in that you're leaving in the morning, and you grasp at more kisses like they're a lifeline. "It was worth every second of searching."

“It’s amazing and I don’t know if I can ever give you something as meaningful.” Dieter knows you don’t want anything in return. He’s just overwhelmed that you went to such trouble for him.

"Well try as I might, I'm never going to be able to top the birthday you gave me when yours rolls around in two months, so I thought hey, why not find his long-lost family instead." Grinning, you know he can tell that you're teasing, but it actually is where the thought had begun. And once the thought was in your head, it completely consumed you. "Really, I...I know it's not really the kind of thing people say out loud but...but I just want you to be happy."

“I fucking love you.” He laughs, shaking his head and kissing you again.

Never able to let things be serious for too long, you shoot him a wink as the elevator doors open. "And I love fucking you."

He trails after you, watching your ass as you walk down the hall towards the hotel suite. His heart flips and hammers in his chest despite the cheeky comment. “You’re going to be fucking me as soon as we get in the room.” He promises.

“There he is.” No matter how emotional or serious the moment, Dieter’s sexual appetite is always just below the surface, and tonight you’re actually a little grateful for it. You’re going to miss him like hell for the next week and don’t want to waste a second of the time you have left together. Pushing into the suite, you deposit the things from his family on the nearest side table and drop your purse beside them. “Got something particular in mind, babe?”

His attitude changes in a heartbeat, moving over to you and wrapping his hand around your waist to tug you closer. “I want to strip you down.” He murmurs huskily. “Take my time.” It’s rare that it’s not fast and frantic and he doesn’t want that right now. He wants to see how long he can make you wait to cum while giving you as much pleasure as possible.

Even having said the words, you wouldn’t characterize well - any - of the sex you’ve had as lovemaking thus far. And you’re not going to presume that it’s what he has in mind now, either. But slow is definitely out of the ordinary for the two of you and you aren’t going to deny him. If you could safely sleep with him inside you tonight you absolutely would. Fuck you really need to get on birth control… “Where?” Your voice is a little breathless, but you don’t particularly care. He’s heard every version of pleasure and anticipation from you at this point, there’s no shame or embarrassment in it.

He would say right here, but it doesn’t seem right. “The bedroom.” He takes your hand and tangles his fingers through yours and tugs you closer as he turns and starts to walk to the room that the two of you have shared for the last three weeks.

"Seems positively romantic." Just because the mood has changed a little doesn't mean you don't still have a teasing streak a mile wide that you know for a fact he enjoys.

“Cheeky little shit.” Dieter chuckles and when you are in the bedroom, he turns suddenly and backs you up against the wall next to the door. “We’ll see how long that lasts baby.” He murmurs against your lips.

"Me being cheeky, or you being romantic?" You know he's talking about your teasing, but it's too much fun to play with him. The twist of a grin against his lips makes him nip at you and you shiver a little in anticipation.

His hands and sure and steady, slower than they’ve ever been as he starts to strip you down. Lovingly caressing every inch of your skin while he kisses your lips. It’s as close to worship as he has ever come.

Normally your shirt and bra would be tossed aside in a matter of seconds and your pants peeled away with greedy enthusiasm. Normally, the two of you waste no time at all. Tonight it's like he's trying to memorize you instead of consume you, making the memories you're going to hold onto for the next week while you mope over how big and empty your bed is without him beside you. The trail of sucking kisses and bites down your neck will be gone by the time school starts but with the way he's pressing them into your skin, you know you'll remember exactly where he placed them every time your skin tingles as you think of him. If this is what people call that magical, mystical soulmate connection? You're borderline furious with yourself for denying it for so long. You could have had so many more years of this.

Slowly he pulls you away from the wall, guiding you back toward the bed. Drunk on you, hell – he’s high off the taste of you. The soft sigh of your pleasure when he kisses those little spots on your skin that make you shiver. “I love you.” The words are breathed into you, both a praise and a promise. One that he’s eager to repeat over and over again as he lays you out on the bed.

"I love you." It seems like the words took forever to happen and yet it really was only a few weeks. Compared to other soulmates, though, that is a snail's pace. But that doesn't stop you from gasping his name softly into the dark night, or discourage you from digging your fingers into his thick hair as he explores your body for was seems like the millionth time.

His lips want to map your body. To memorize it and make you feel the most pleasure that he can. With you, he can do anything. More in control than he’s probably ever been with a partner, and yet, it’s submissive. He’s serving you. Treating you like the goddess you are.

"Dee..." Squirming under him and arching your back to keep him as closes as possible, the way you gasp when he sucks one nipple into his mouth and laves it with his tongue is absolutely wanton. "Oh my--fuck, baby." He hums against your skin, slowly sliding his hands over your hip and thighs. Not pulling away even though he smirks at you.

"Oh, that's how it's going to be tonight?" Even though his eyes are dark with lust, they're sparkling at you with mischief as well. You twist slightly under him to grasp at the tented front of his jeans, squeezing his cock just right to make him moan.

Dieter groans, throbbing in your hand and rolling his hips up. Now his fingers move to your folds, sliding through them and up into you, curling when they are buried to the knuckle.

There's no hope of being coordinated enough to undress him while he's fingering you, but your fingers run along the outline of his hard on eagerly, squeezing every so often as your hips grind down on his hand and you sigh out in pleasure. Everything always gets fuzzy around the edges with his fingers pressing against your G-spot and it's the kind of pleasure that can make the whole rest of the world temporarily disappear. He keeps his fingers working, pumping in and out of you while he sucks and bites on your tits. Wanting you to fall over the edge in bliss.

It doesn’t take long. Of course it doesn’t. Dieter learned your body like he learns his scripts – the important parts committed to memory promptly and the rest as sort of an interpretive symphony that he plays however he likes. He learned what you like and don’t like nearly instantly and has turned finessing your orgasms into his own private concert – where his name, curses, and praises are the only lyrics.

His lips are on yours when you bear down around his fingers. A sob of his name breathed into his mouth like a quenching drink. Absorbed and swallowed down while he hums his happiness, fingers drenched in your essence.

“Jesus—” When you can breathe again it’s like the first breath taken after drowning, and you cling to him much tighter than you would normally. “Pants, Dee. Fuck. Get rid of em, baby, please.”

He chuckles and nods, happy that you are so needy. You sound drunk and he loves it. “Yes ma’am.” Pulling away from you is hard, but it will be worth it when you are under him again.

The fact that you both pout when he pulls away is proof of how you’re so distinctly on the same page right now, but when he lowers himself back over you, you nearly whimper. There’s a softness here that you never even knew you wanted, but it’s absolutely perfect.

Normally, Dieter is frantic to get inside you. Not now. Right now he’s too busy kissing you. Slowly rubbing his body against yours as if he’s making love to you but the condom still isn’t on, and he’s not slipped inside you. His cock leaks against your soft skin, but he doesn’t try to speed things up.

“Love you.” Panting into his kiss, there are about a hundred things you find yourself wanting to say right now but none of them are staying long enough in the front of your mind to make it out of your mouth. How you’re going to miss him, how you wish you didn’t have to leave, how you want to just say fuck everything and stay until you can come home together. How you wish he could keep coming home to you every night like he has here. How you would do nearly anything to stay at his side. But that’s the impending loneliness setting in and you can’t trust yourself to say anything but murmured “I love you”s in the dark. Anything else might be disastrous.

Dieter is completely blissed out. Every nerve on fire as he slowly grinds against you. “I love you.” He purrs into your ear. “So fucking much.”

“So fucking much.” The natural echo between you is half breath, and you almost wonder how he can even hear you except that the only sound in the room at all is your labored breathing and needy promises punctuated by the occasional creak of the mattress. Your legs wrap around his waist, keeping him close and making it easier to rolls your hips against his, half wishing he would stop torturing you with teasing and half hoping it never ends.

“You think you can cum like this for me, beautiful?” He breathes into your ear, loving the way you feel against the underside of his cock.

“Fuck.” Basically humping like horny teenagers isn’t want you expected from him tonight but it’s just like he’s got a list of ways he wants to make you cum in his head and is checking them off one by one – and who the fuck are you to deny him that? “Anything for you, baby.”

He keeps his hips steadily moving, rubbing against your clit and teasing your soaking wet entrance with his cock. Kissing you all the while. “Feel so good.” He whispers.

It feels unbelievable. For something so simple, it's so much better than any other time you've rubbed your own clit with your fingers or even when the pads of Dieter's fingers are slick with your cum and he's trying to drag one more orgasm out of you before you both collapse. The velvety feeling of his hard cock slipping rhythmically over your oversensitive clit is a slow build but a powerful one, until your heavy panting and whimpering become swallowed gasps and cries of pleasure as your legs tighten around his waist and begin to shake with the surprising force of cumming a second time.

“God.” Dieter groans and braces his shaky arms over you. Trying not to cum before he fucking slides inside you. But it’s so tempting, especially when you are clinging to him and crying out his name. Instead, he focuses on you. Kissing along your jaw and slowing his hips down so you can ride out your orgasm before he starts making love to you.

"I know." You half-laugh, letting your labored breathing slowly come back to normal as you drown yourself in even more kisses. Truly you'll never be able to get enough from him – he's become your own addiction, one that seems to be insatiable and elating in equal measure. "And you're not even inside me yet."

“Gotta get a condom on.” He kisses you again and curses himself for not getting one out, hating to move away from you. “We shoulda bought stock in the condom company.” He jokes as he leans over and grabs the package off the nightstand.

"I'm gonna call my doc and get an IUD when I get back." It had been something you decided on maybe a week ago but had just stored the thought away for later, eventually forgetting to mention it to him.

“Only if you want to.” Dieter doesn’t mind condoms. “Those IUD things, can’t they mess with your - you know? Woman parts?” He gestures to his own stomach where a uterus would be if he had one.

"Any kind of birth control has side effects." He's sweet to worry, and you rub your thumb across his thigh in a soft gesture of affection. "My doc might suggest the pill or the shot instead, and that's fine. I just..." you shrug a little, almost feeling embarrassed about it. "I want to be able to feel you, not the barrier."

“I’m never going to say no to that.” Dieter grins. “I just don’t want you to think I’m pushing you to get on something you don’t want to be on.”

"It's my decision." And one you've made happily. The last three weeks have given you a glimpse into something wonderful and this is a step you want to take to make it that much more intimate for the two of you. Without having had any discussions about the future, you don't want to risk a fuck up that will put a strain on your relationship. "But I didn't think you would mind."

For now, he rips open yet another foil packet and quickly rolls down the protection over his cock. It’s stupid but he wants to blurt out that you don’t have to go on birth control. That it would be perfectly fine to just see what happened. But he can’t do that, you are not ready to even consider something like that.

"How do you want me, love?" It's a legitimate question, considering you've tried every position you can possibly think of, but you're fairly certain you know where his head is at tonight. It's just all about intimacy, and you're happy to be able to breathe his name against his lips all night long.

“Just like we were.” He tells you as he pumps his cock. “Is that okay with you?” He wants to make love to you, but he also knows that you should be involved in the decision.

"Of course." You'd give him almost anything he wanted tonight – being able to pour all of your love and pleasure into kissing him while you fuck? That's an easy arrangement. You lay back, spreading your legs wide for him to have a beautiful view of your swollen lips and dripping hole from the two times you've already cum. "I'm all yours."

“Yes you are.” He’s so goddamn proud of that fact. You are his and he just can’t get over that fact. He lowers himself down onto his elbows and settles between your thighs. “Position me.”

"Ooo, are we giving orders tonight?" He rarely does, and it's always playful, but tonight you really didn't expect it. Tonight has been nothing but praise for the both of you. Instead of prodding him, though, you reach down between you and pump his achingly hard cock a few times before notching his head at your entrance with a needy sigh.

He bites his lip, rolling his hips forward a few inches to start breaking you open. Moaning your name loudly and shuddering at how good you feel. If you could commit that sound to permanent, exact memory, you absolutely would. It's one of the best things you've ever heard in your life and you swear you could live on that sound alone if it came down to it. "Feels so fucking good, baby," you gasp out, back arching a little further off the bed with every push of his hips.

Normally right now is the time that Dieter is starting to lose his mind. Forgetting everything but the way he feels when his cock is burying itself just as frantically as he can manage. Right now though, he reaches for your hands, lacing his fingers with yours and pinning them up by your head while he rocks into you purposefully.

With the different tempo comes a different feeling altogether, the slow and steady rhythm of shallow thrusts being more about keeping you connected than your normal game of seeing who can make the other scream louder in pleasure. This is still about pleasure, but the two of you are climbing to that peak together one inch at a time instead of sprinting toward the top. It’s borderline worshipful but you’re not quite sure which one of you is doing the worshipping – the way he cradles and kisses and caresses your body certainly makes you think it’s him, but then you drag your lips and teeth and tongue across every inch of his skin that you can reach with your hands pinned down and your legs hitched high on his waist and know that these moments are as purely adoring as any you’ve spent with him. It’s love, pure and simple, and for the first time you’re willing to admit that you would give up everything to stay like this with him.

“I love you.” Dieter gasps, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against yours. It’s overwhelming and wonderful and he’s never felt so exposed as he does right now. Except you are looking up at him like he hangs the moon.

"S—so much, baby." Having him buried so deep inside you that the coarse hair at the base of his cock grinds against your swollen clit feels so perfect it almost makes your eyes cross, and you squeeze his hands in yours as your head drops back on the pillow on a moan.

“Want you to give me one more.” He begs, wanting to feel you squeeze him again. Needing that pressure of you cumming around his cock again. You’re leaving soon and he wants to have as many memories as he can for the days that he will be alone.

"Anything." You wrap your legs around his waist, creating a new angle and a new pressure that will hold him tighter inside your body. As deep as he is now, you know neither of you will last too much longer and you whine his name when he bottoms out again. “Fuck — everything. I—I’m so close, baby.”

“Yesssssss.” Dieter hisses, biting your jaw and rocking his hips a little harder, a little faster than before. “Do it.” He demands. “Cum baby. Cum on my cock.”

As if he ever really needs to ask. Your body seems to respond to him more and more as the days go on anyway, seemingly responding to the soulmate bond between you with natural enthusiasm. His pace picks up, pushing you over that last hurtle that has you sobbing his name until you run out of breath. Your entire body bears down on him, pushing the air out of your chest and making you squeeze his hands harder than you think you ever have before.

Nothing beats this moment. Not his first bump of coke, not the moment he realized he was wealthy. Hell, not even winning his Oscar beats the way he feels right now. Your pleasure triggers his own and with a push of his hips, your name tumbles from his lips with a cry and he fills condom as he collapses into you.

“I love you.” You can never say it enough, and this time it’s whispered softly in the quiet night as you wrap your arms around him and wait for your breath to come back.

“I love you too.” Every time he says it, it gets easier and he loves that. He shifts to his slide and brings you with him. Gazing into your eyes with a smile on his face. “Although, I still fully expect to hear ‘fuck you, Bravo!’ when I piss you off.” He teases.

“Well sure.” Brushing sweat damp hair from his forehead, you practically beam at him. “But I find you much more endearing than annoying since I fell in love with you.”

Dieter winks at you. “It’s my charm.” He decides smugly.

“Must be.” You roll your eyes at him but it’s all for show, and the way you’ve snuggled against him in bed is clear evidence of it. With your face buried against his chest, you sigh. “I’m going to miss you…”

Sighing softly, his hands stroke your back. He will have to throw away the condom soon, but he’s not worried about it now. “I’m going to miss you too. But you have to take back all our gifts for Steph and Nora.” He reasons, wanting to give you good things to look forward to.

“It’s gonna be a week of constantly asking when Uncle Deedee is coming home.” Not that you can blame Nora for missing him. You’re basically going to be staring at the calendar for a few days on your own. “I think we might need to have you come over for dinner pretty soon after you get home just so she can see you.”

“I think we can arrange that. Or…” Dieter gives a nonchalant shrug, like it’s just a passing idea. “We could do it at the house. Arrange a sleepover for all of you.”

“Yeah?” When you look up at him he shrugs again, playing it off like it’s a random fancy. “They’ve been visiting a lot. Nora loves the pool. And I…I wouldn’t mind actually waking up in that bed with you.”

“I have plenty of bedrooms.” He hums. “Maybe I can show you the room I use to paint.”

“I’d like that.” The chance to see more of him — the things that really make him, him — sounds like a kind of intimacy completely different from lying in his arms with his softening cock still inside you.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Dieter decides, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Maybe I should get one of those play set things. For Nora to play on.”

“Don’t feel like you have to.” Even though she absolutely adores him, and he likes Nora a lot, too, you don’t want him to feel obligated to do any of these things. After all – she’s the only little kid in his life currently. It would be a lot of money to spend on something that would eventually sit in his yard unused just because one little girl liked it at one time.

“It’ll be good.” Dieter doesn’t mention that idea that has been swirling around in his mind. It’s too early. “She’ll love it and it’ll be good to have more than just the pool.”

“She will love it. Every second.” Tipping your head back, you dust a few kisses on his jaw before smothering a yawn.

“We should go to bed.” Dieter is very in tuned with you and he knows you will try to stay awake when you are exhausted because he’s not tired. “Let me.” His hand wedges down between you to hold the condom so you can pull off of him.

“One more night.” It’s more heartbreaking than you want to admit, but if like were kind or logical, you wouldn’t have wasted a decade hating your soulmate for something beyond his control. “I’m acting like it’s a whole-ass military deployment or something and it’s only going to be a week.” Sighing at yourself, you snuggle back into his arms after he’s tossed the condom. “You’ll be back in no time.”

“Since the lawsuit, the studios are trying to kick us off set.” He chuckles. “Apparently holding actors hostage isn’t a good thing.”

“If you do need to stay a little longer, don’t worry about it.” The last thing you want is him pushing himself to get done fast and ending up with an accident on set or being less than proud of his performance. “I’ll still be there waiting for you with open arms when you get back.”

“Nah, this – this project has been a cake walk.” He doesn’t want to say why he thinks that. He honestly thinks that it’s because you’ve been here. But he doesn’t want to push you like that. “The producers are already talking about Best Picture and Best Actor noms.”

“Your second Oscar.” You hum, fully impressed with the idea as the two of you settle in with your head on his chest and his arms around you. “That would be fancy.”

“They could be book ends.” He jokes, wondering where he put his Oscar. He doesn’t exactly remember the last time he held it.

“It’s your house,” you remind him, shrugging slightly in his arms. “Put it whenever you want.”

Humming, he shrugs, close to say that it could be your house too. But it’s too soon. Instead, he kisses your head and sighs. “I better get cleaned up.” He murmurs softly. “Tomorrow will come early.” He has to be back on set before the sun rises.

“I’m going to leave for the airport when you leave for set.” It will put you there hours before your flight, but you don’t really care. You would rather stare at an airport coffeeshop for a little while than sit in the hotel suite without him. You’ve already had your last day on set – a few flowers and a cake from some of the set crew marked the occasion – and you’re already fully packed except for what you’ll wear to fly home in. The most amazing and important vacation of your life is at its end, and you’re going to miss it so much you could cry.

“I can still tell them to fuck off and wait if you want me to go with you?” Dieter is very annoyed that the director scheduled an early call time when he knew you are going home in the morning. Thinking about it being revenge for not spending a few hours on set on your birthday.

“No, it’s okay.” When he gets back in bed the two of you cuddle together again like two halves of a whole. “Shooting will distract you and that’s a good thing. And I promise to text when I board so you know I’m on my way.”

“Okay.” He pouts, but he won’t argue. Instead he’s figuring out ways to get even closer to you without being in your skin, wanting to savor every inch of your body against his. “It won’t be long, and you have school, your life, to get back to.” He doesn’t voice his concerns, that this is just some interlude of life, quickly forgotten.

“You say that like you’re not part of my life now.” Have you explicitly talked about it? Definitely not. But you had hoped that the little plans you are making had made it clear to him that you wanted him with you regardless of what continent you’re on.

“Yeah, I know.” Except…there was only one more official date left on the contract. Then you would be completely free to block him and never see him again. He tells himself that you would never do that, but years of being used for money or publicity makes one doubt that people actually like him for him. He doesn’t voice any of this, instead just clinging to you tighter and burying his face in your neck.

“Get some sleep, baby.” Even with your arm around his waist and your head on his chest – the most comfortable way you’ve ever lain in any bed – you doubt you’ll sleep much tonight. You can sleep on the flight to try to ignore missing him instead of passing up any moment in his arms.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat​ @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @hardc0rehaylz @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri    

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My Masterlist!

[eskelbigbang]

Eskel Big Bang 2021 Masterpost

Here are all the fics and art made this year for the Eskel Big Bang. Congratulations on the hard work, everyone!

AO3 collection || #ebb works tag || #ebb art tag || #ebb fic tag

Below the cut is a full list of all EBB works:

Uprooted (T, No Pairing, 12k) by @rachofspades, art by @drachedraws

When a nondescript notice begging for a witcher's aid catches Eskel's attention on his way back to Kaer Morhen for the winter, he finds himself drawn in by his own curiosity despite his initial reservations. Once he arrives, it quickly becomes apparent that there's something more sinister going on than typical monster attacks, and he's determined to figure out what it is. Fic || Art (1) (2)

These Clay Hands (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.7k) by @aalizazareth, art by @hobbart-art

Eskel is a shy pottery instructor who meets Jaskier during one of his lessons. The two hit it off. Fic || Art

The Empty Safe Job (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 18k) by @iboughtaplant, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here

A team of thieves with complicated pasts take down the rich and powerful to help those that get left out from justice. Their latest job should be simple, but an unexpected adversary has Eskel confronting his past. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. Fic || Art

the broken vines are an open door (M, Eskel & Geralt & Yennefer, 5.2k) by @trissmarrygoals, art by @flyingyarn

Traveling through Aedirn with his newly acquired child surprise, Eskel stumbles upon a dead body - and with it, a mystery. Fic || Art

With you I'll never be alone (T, Eskel/Geralt, 5.8k) by @dat-carovieh, art by @mondfuchs

From their first meeting, through their whole long life Geralt and Eskel have always been there to comfort each other when one of them got hurt. --- Or five times Geralt and Eskel comfort each other through some kind of hurt and one time they're just comfortable. Fic || Art

Eskel Has A Good Day (G, Eskel & Wolf Witchers, 9.3k) by @gods-no-longer-tread-here, art by @phoenixandjacob

The Wolves (and bard) of Kaer Morhen go on a vacation to the coast, and have a good day. Fic || Art (1) (2)

Tu Me Manques. (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 8k) by @etcorsolus, art by @cvbeebop

In which, Eskel meets a bard who calms him. Body, mind, and soul. Story title is how the French say 'I miss you.' The more literal translation is 'You are missing from me.' Fic || Art

Little Red (M, Eskel/Lambert, 6.1k) by @miahclone, art by @llwynbleidd

Eskel helps Lambert while he's recovering from a serious injury. To distract him from the pain, Eskel tells stories of past hunts. Fic || Art

Constellations (M, Eskel/Geralt, 7.2k) by @dredshirtroberts, art by @dat-carovieh

Eskel loves Geralt but their soulmarks don't match - he'd know. They're witchers, and scars are their business. As he joins Geralt in retirement, Eskel figures whatever he can get with the other witcher will be enough. He might get a little bit more than he thought he was bargaining for, but Eskel's never passed up a good deal. Fic || Art (1) (2)

Trial By Fire (Eskel and Aza's Wild Ride) (E, Eskel/OFC, 11k) by @janzoo, art by @liaonyxrayne

When Eskel rescues his succubus acquaintance from witch hunters, their reunion becomes something more as they're drawn into the hunters' plot. What can they do against a twisted idealist and the danger he presents to witchers and non-humans? Fic || Art

Pardon Me While I Burst Into Flames (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 29k) by @ghostinthelibrarywrites, art by @wolfgeralt

When Eskel is hired to kill an incubus who ruined a noble wedding, he finds that his target is far from a bloodthirsty beast, a too-pretty court bard. Eskel spares Jaskier and they go their separate ways, with Eskel expecting never to see the incubus again. But Jaskier has other ideas. Fic || Art

I Could Eat the World Raw (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 7k) by @buttercupsanddandelions, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here

“This is Eskel.” He pushes him slightly forward, “And he just had his conduit moment.” After becoming a mage, Eskel finds that he's been soul-bound to a little lordling. Fic || Art

Something we bury (M, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @heartoferebor, art by @craftgamerzz

“Where’s Eskel?” Ciri asks Geralt, frowning a little. “He went out to do more hunting and gather some potion ingredients. Should be back any moment,” Geralt reassures her. “Ah. Good.” She hesitates a little before deciding to forge right ahead with her next question. She’s asked everyone else in the keep, of course she’ll have to ask Geralt, too. “About his scars…” * Ciri wants to know where Eskel's scars came from, so she decides to ask everyone at the keep about them. Except, they all seem to have different stories... Fic || Art

Lord What Fools These Witchers Be (T, Aiden/Eskel, 21k) by @jayofolympus and @frenchkey, art by aviixrc

When Lambert brings Aiden to winter with him in Kaer Morhen, Eskel is catapulted straight into his own personal hell. It would be easier if he didn’t like the Cat. Instead, he finds himself falling head over heels for his brother’s boyfriend and trying to hide it from a pack of nosy Witchers. If only Aiden would stop flirting with him... Fic || Art (1) (2)

A Moment of Comfort (M, Eskel/OC) by @merpancake

An attack at a brothel begins with blood and carnage, but Eskel finds an unexpected peace in the arms of Cenna. As their paths continue to cross, Eskel carries that same peace within him on his journey through monsters and men. Art

Toussaint's Finest (M, Eskel/Geralt, 9.1k) by @kate-river, art by @justhereforeskel

Eskel is still roaming the Continent. But in recent years the Path has become harder and harder. Eskel has made it a habit to come by Corvo Bianco around vintage and this year's events might change a few things in his life forever. Fic || Art

Beneath the Shadow and the Soul (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 32k) by @vix-spes, art by @buffskierights

Eskel had the strange feeling that everything was going to change when he passed through Dol Blathanna one year on his way back to Kaer Morhen for winter. He had been passing through a town and, instead of running away from him, someone had exclaimed “You’re a Witcher,” and proceeded to sing at him. He just hadn't realised how much of an impact it would have on him. Fic || Art

Daughter of Fire (T, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 4.9k) by @kittynannygaming, art by @zmezagain

Witchers are sterile, that's a fact. No female human can bear their child. Well, the keyword here is 'human' and a succubus is very not human. And Eskel now has a sweet 7 years old daughter. Fic || Art

Break It Recklessly (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 22k) by @anonymousblueberry, art by @nol-nol

From teenage tearaways to successful adults, Geralt and Eskel have always been inseparable. To the extent that when Geralt accepts a wedding invite with Eskel as his plus one, there’s the assumption that they have finally sorted their shit out and got together, forcing them to keep up the facade or cause chaos for the happy couple. What follows is a crash course in emotions, dating, and working out that love can burn long and slow for a very long time. Fic || Art

The Question (M, Eskel/Istredd, 40k) by @eskelchopchop, art by @stars-in-my-damn-eyes

Eskel's in Ohio when Yennefer calls. He’s reluctant to pick up; he’s still not over Geralt, and he's got zero desire to chat with Geralt's new lover. Turns out Yen isn’t his lover anymore, and this isn’t about Geralt. It’s about witcher’s work. Yennefer owns Portal, one of New York City's most popular gay clubs. A Post-Conjunction Entity (PCE) is hunting her clientele, leaving a string of withered corpses in its wake. The police are doing jackshit. Will Eskel come back to a city full of bad memories and take a job off the books to stop it? He'll sure as hell try. Along the way, he’ll cross paths with Istredd, a man with sorcerer’s eyes and a painful past of his own. If Eskel doesn't work fast enough, they both might become the PCE's next victims. Fic || Art

Is It Cold In The Water? (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 12k) by @jennyloggins, art by @jerry-of-rivia

His horse is tied to a branch a few trees out, and that’s where Eskel heads to grab his water skein, taking a deep drink and soothe his dry throat. Patting his horse’s backside affectionately on his way past her, Eskel feigns a stern voice to say, “Zuzanna, keep watch for me.” Her tail twitches as if to swat him away. Fic || Art

Everything I Want (I Can Find in You) by @eyesofshinigami, art by @phoenixandjacob

Eskel didn't think he'd ever see Jaskier again, sure the Cat witcher was only looking for a night of fun. But then he keeps showing up, taking Eskel to bed and leaving him little presents. It takes Eskel a bit, but eventually he realizes that maybe, just maybe, Jaskier means it when he says he wants to keep him. Or Eskel doesn't think he deserves nice things and Jaskier is determined to show him otherwise. Fic || Art

One Stop Shop; Tattoo's Piercings, And Love (M, Eskel/Jaskier/Lambert, 7.4k) by @jesheckah, art by @moondrunkart

When Eskel fumbles an invitation at a party to come into his tattoo shop, Jaskier and he move towards an explosive love. How many tattoo sessions does it take for the heart to know what it wants? Fic || Art

Entanglement (and other words for a mess) (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 31k) by @violaceum-vitellina-viridis, art by @merpancake

Eskel has a hundred marks on his body, but a soulmark isn't one of them. Fic || Art

Beneath Each Other's Bones (E, Eskel/Geralt, 7.6k) by @pressedinthepages, art by @drachedraws

Winter at Kaer Morhen can be brutal. But Eskel and Geralt find warmth in each other in an effort to stave off the cold. Fic || Art (1) (2)

#9fe2bf on the Shore (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.5k) by @buffskierights, art by @phoenixandjacob

The sea roars with a vengeance, something angering the waves even as the stars shine brightly overhead in the clear night sky. If Eskel were a poet he’d say it almost sounded like a wail of mourning, the way the whitewater crashes upon the night black sand and the gathering foam, the sea frothing furiously. But Eskel’s always hated his poetry lessons so being a poet is firmly off the table. Fic || Art

lion in the wolf's den (T, Coen/Eskel, 5k) by @patchwork-doublet, art by @justhereforeskel

eskel is nervous being around ciri, afraid things will go south like they did last time. Fic || Art

Sugar Baby Blues (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 24k) by adevinecomedy, art by @pastelrune

Jaskier’s mind slipped back to a night several months ago when he was all worked up but had nowhere to go and a mountain of school work to get through. How it was just so much easier to log onto a camming website and watch someone perform seemingly just for him. The gorgeous, confident man on the other side of the screen had been so accommodating, even though Jaskier had been shy and hadn’t typed much into the chat. Modern au where Eskel is a Cam boy and runs into a bit of a financial bind. Enter Jaskier who just might be the answer to all his woes. Fic || Art

Winter Comfort (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 10k) by @myidlehand, art by @liaonyxrayne

Jaskier comes to Kaer Morhen to spend some time with Eskel, after briefly meeting him in the fall. And while both of them seem delighted to see each other again, Eskel starts to shy away from Jaskier's comments and flirting. It doesn't take a genius to see Eskel is having body image issue. Jaskier aims to help him through it. Fic || Art

The Subtle Knife (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 26k) by @major-trouble, art by @cylin-aka-ankamo

There's an assassin haunting the Continent. No one knows their name, everyone - that is, everyone in the know - calls them The Specter. If you want a rival out of the way, a political opponent disposed of, or a strategic target taken out, contacting The Specter gets the job done. For a price, of course. There's an art to subtlety, after all, and it wouldn't do to risk the attention of law enforcement. So there's no obvious cause, no knife to the back, and the deaths aren't usually remarked upon. The Kaer Morhen Agency, however, has noticed. One of their agents has been hired to protect potential victims, people scared that they've been targeted. And they have reason to worry. When Eskel's first assignment winds up dead of no discernible cause, it starts him on a search for the elusive Specter, hoping against hope to track down the assassin before they're hired again. Setting a trap for a ghost is something Witchers are used to. Setting one for a trained killer may prove beyond them. Fic || Art

No Funny Business (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 11k) by goldendaydreams, art by @nanero11

Eskel had long given up on finding his soulmate, his soulmark nothing but scar tissue from a house fire he’d survived as a child. Knowing that most people wait for their perfect someone, their destiny, didn’t stop him from falling in love with Jaskier, the nurse he met after a hunt gone wrong. Fic || Art

Stronger Than My Storm (E, Eskel/Geralt) by @rawrkinjd, art by @nol-nol

Eskel and Geralt were friends from the very beginning. They added the benefits later. It was another way to offer comfort and companionship when the rest of the world closed in around them, and Eskel was content with it for years. Until he wakes up one day and realises it’s become something more. He touches Geralt’s silver hair, wreathed in a halo of yellow sunlight, and allows himself to feel the cracks spreading through his heart. Witchers can’t love each other. It would only lead to suffering. Eskel realises he must weather the storm inside or let Geralt go forever. Fic || Art

Full of Life (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 6.3k) by @sternenstaub28, art by @llwynbleidd

When Eskel gets hired to solve the case of people disappearing in town, she didn’t know she’d find a friend and maybe even something more. or Beauty and strength don't necessarily make your life easier, a companion and love however do. Fic || Art

choices are the hinges of destiny (T, Eskel/Geralt, 7.5k) by @lutes-and-dandelions, art by @cassandrasartworld

After rescuing a fae from the clutches of death, they repay Eskel by helping him make a choice. -oOo- A story about what would have happened if Eskel had claimed his child of surprise. Fic || Art

Eskel Vs The Continent (And His Feelings) (M, No Pairing, 47k) by @chibitabathasloves, art by @zmezagain

Eskel decides he needs to leave Kaer Morhen after the fight with the Hunt. Where will it take him? And will he be able to face his feelings he desperately tries to ignore. Fic || Art

lookin' to the sky to save me (T, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @torynickles, art by @trissmarrygoals

Geralt slides his hand from Eskel’s shoulder to his back. And then. Then he keeps moving it, outwards, away from Eskel’s torso, where there should be nothing but air, but— “What the fuck?” he chokes, because he can still feel Geralt’s hand, sensation where there should be none. He shakes his head wildly, twisting his arm to reach for his own back. His fingers connect to something, but—it’s not his body, it can’t be his body, even though he can feel himself touching it. Because he’s made up of skin and flesh, bone and muscle, and this thing has all of those, but— It’s covered in sticky, damp feathers. Fic || Art

A Fine Night at the Faire (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 12k) by Elensule, art by @liaonyxrayne

Eskel has been hurt by the world and hides for refuge in his little goat farm. He's found no reason to look for love, or much of anything else. But encouragement from his brother sends him to an unfamiliar locale; the renfaire! Maybe stepping out of his comfort zone was just what he needed. Fic || Art

[notchesandbullets]

A Soft Confession Draped in Ivory and Silk (Pro-Hero!Bakugou x Pro-Hero!Reader)

Warnings: cursing, sort of domestic fluff in the snippet of the future Bakugou sees with you, mentions of alcohol, Aged-Up!AU, suggestive themes, implied smut, mutual pining, there's a lot of fluff in this one.

Synopsis: It’s been a few years since you’ve graduated UA. This was supposed to be a trouble-free reunion, except your reservations got screwed up and now you have to room with someone else while you're staying for the entirety of the trip. The weird thing is, everyone seems to have some kind of excuse as to why they can't let you sleepover in their room for the night. So, you decide on Bakugou's, the only person who can't say no because he hasn't arrived yet. But your actions have consequences and now you need to deal with all the feelings that you've been frantically suppressing as they resurface.

Words: 19.2k

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" Bakugou seethed hotly, vastly annoyed with the sight that greeted him.

He had kicked open the door to his allocated hotel room, exhausted from the long drive and wanted nothing more than to flop on the comfy bed and just fall asleep but that couldn't happen if you were here.

Of course it had to be you. Of all the shitty extras, it had to be you.

Fuck.

Rolling your eyes at his angry exasperation, you continued stirring the pot on the stove without paying him any attention, which you knew irritated him greatly. Free hand planted idly on your hips, your brow scrunched up as you caught a whiff of burning potatoes and quickly turned off the fire.

Alright, so you weren't the best at cooking, but that wasn't going to stop you. A girl's gotta eat.

In hindsight, you could've just picked up some food on the way or been smart and packed a lunch before you left but in your defense, you were running late. You blamed being completely unprepared on Mina, who failed to inform you in time so you would have enough time to appropriately pack and not panic about seeing all your old classmates from your UA days.

By the time she told you of this little trip, you had exactly seven hours to get everything in order and head up north to the high-end hotel Iida and Yaoyorozu, the old class representative and executive officer, reserved for the group of 22.

They had decided to hold a reunion of some sorts since it had been a number of years since you guys all graduated. Really, you suspected it just to be an excuse for all of you to get drunk but you weren't complaining.

Hero work was taxing.

Even Aizawa, Present Mic, All Might and Midnight had come along for the weekend getaway. Though they were stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it until the next morning.

"The reservations got mixed up when Midoriya called in." You said over your shoulder to the grumpy man pouting in the corner, scooping out the soup in the pot into bowls and you ignored how Bakugou growled when the name of his rival passed through your lips. "It was either share a room with you or Mineta, so..."

Bakugou glowered at you from the other side of the room but he didn't argue. That little pervert might've grown up a bit since he actually transformed into a decent hero who was a feminist and advocated for women all the time instead of trying to touch them constantly without consent, but that didn't mean he wanted you to sleep in the same bed as the fucking grape head.

Weirdly enough, everyone you asked seemed to have an excuse as to why they couldn't let you sleep over with them for a night until the mistake was sorted out. The guys you could understand but the girls?

Something was kind of off there.

So then it was just down to Mineta, who was an absolute no in your book, and Bakugou, who was the only one who hadn't arrived yet.

Knowing that you'd be completely screwed over if he said no too, you made a choice, figuring he could kick you out if it really was too much of a bother.

At least the accommodations were nice.

The room was a luxurious suite, more than big enough to hold you both without getting in each other's way.

Rich, velvet curtains hung from the valances and a small crystal chandelier hung above the mahogany table. The kitchen was fully equipped with the latest line of appliances in Japan and stocked with utensils and stainless steel cookware. The room even came with French doors that separated the bedroom from the cozy living area and kitchen parts of the suite, giving it a secluded but romantic feel.

You ignored the latter portion of that vibe.

The two of you were friends at best and you were still wondering if you could even call him a close friend when most of your interactions happened on the job in joint operations that required both of your quirks.

It was hard to ever find to get out and see your friends, let alone even consider dating. You had given up that dream after some sleazebag tried to get into your pants after one date. When your team figured out he was after your fame, that put the nail in the coffin and you hadn't tried to see anyone else since then.

For a time there, you had thought you had some potential for a relationship with Shindou since the two of you held mutual attraction for each other but that was over when he started seeing one of his old classmates.

You were happy for the both of them but it didn't dull the ache in your heart for someone who understood the life that you lived.

And not in a platonic way.

Shindou being in a relationship honestly didn't come as a surprise to you, he had feelings for her since the provisional licensing exam and besides, your heart was set on someone else.

Someone you could never hope that they would return your feelings.

Breezing out of the kitchen with two portions in hand, you passed one to the grumpy ash-blond's way.

Bakugou scoffed haughtily as he left his luggage by the door and threw himself down into the sofa positioned behind the TV, completely ignoring your peace offering. "What the fuck makes you think I want to eat your shitty cooking?"

"Suit yourself."

You shrugged your shoulders and set it down on the coffee table, undeterred by his crude yet muffled language. Something things never changed, you could still read him like a book. His temper was all a front.

Had been since high school. Now you both were pros, constantly out on the streets and saving the day. It was rewarding work but it was also exhausting.

You couldn't put into words how much you were looking forward to this getaway trip, where you didn't have to worry about appearances or the media catching you off guard.

You don't know exactly how, but somehow Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Iida managed to pay them off or something to get them to leave you alone for the blessed three days this reunion was going to span.

And you have to say, you had never been more grateful to have rich people as friends.

Leaving to go change so that you were ready for the dinner tonight with all of your old classmates while simultaneously chowing down on your delicious (somewhat burnt) food, the corner of your mouth quirked up in a smile as you heard the bowl scrap against the table as the grumpy hero begrudgingly pulled it toward him.

Unable to resist, you tossed a lighthearted jab over your shoulder without looking at him. "Aw, you do have a heart~"

"Fuck off, dumbass." Bakugou spat from around a mouthful of potato, yet making no move to set down the food you had spent so much time making before he arrived.

Even though it was a little overcooked, it tasted better than any of the shit he had been forcing himself to eat recently.

Being a pro was no fucking joke, not that he ever treated it like one before, but it sure as shit seemed a lot easier when they were students and had fucking adults to rely on.

It was still fucking weird to him to think of his old homeroom teacher as a colleague.

Bakugou lazed around for a couple hours after he finished eating your food. He wasn't ever going to admit it, but your home cooking hit the spot. His own cooking was still better but yours wasn't shit. At least, not compared to that fucking Dunce Face's.

He still remembered when you and Sato would make dinner back when they all lived in Heights Alliance. Of course, Emergency Exit had a fire extinguisher handy anytime you were in the kitchen because you had a habit of lighting things on fire.

A lot.

Flipping through the channels on the TV boredly, Bakugou blankly stared at the screen with moving pictures that he couldn't care less about as his mind wandered back to you.

When Kirishima first told him about the trip, he flat out declined coming with.

There was no fucking way he was going. Why the hell would he want to see all their annoying faces and shit?

At least, that was all that was running through his mind until the idiot slyly mentioned how you were going to be coming along.

Bakugou honestly didn't think you would be one for all this shit. According to his agent, you had been so swamped with work in your district that you hadn't been taking proper care of yourself. Not that he cared or anything.

But it was going to be a fucking inconvenience for him if you suddenly fainted on the job and was rushed to the hospital, leaving him to pick up all your damn slack.

Because your agencies were sort of near each other, he thought he couldn't take the time off if you were going, but his PR team had insisted, practically shoving him out the door so he could pack seven days early.

He had a sinking suspicion that his absence would allow them to curb the damage done after that stunt he pulled last month at the middle school they made him talk at.

It wasn't his fault!! Those damn kids had too many fucking questions!!

Alright, so that wasn't really it. He had overheard one of the teachers spewing shit about heroes and how useless they were so of course he was fucking angry. To have the fucking nerve to not even lower their voice in front of him was a trip but the last straw was when they carelessly brought up your name in the conversation, haughtily claiming that you didn't know how to do your job properly.

And he fucking lost it.

The entire security team had to pry him off of the wailing teacher when they arrived and once the facts were cleared up, no one could say that they really blamed him for reacting the way that he did but still, the press was going to have a field day when this got out.

Bakugou had clicked his tongue angrily and stormed the other way while the police got the situation sorted out.

He would own up to what he had done, he wasn't fucking afraid. He would kill them any day of the week.

But he halted in his tracks down the dreary and empty hallway when he saw a little boy sitting alone outside the classroom. He recognized him. He was inside during the meet-and-greet but the teacher that he had just got into a verbal battle with had sent him outside for some reason.

The child whimpered and curled into a tighter ball when he came closer and Bakugou cursed himself for not having the same calming effects on kids like Deku had.

"Oi, brat. What the hell are you doing sitting out here?" He asked abrasively, crouching down a little ways away to give him some space.

The kid sniffled loudly and raised his head, his eyes swollen and bloodshot from how hard he had been crying and Bakugou's heart twisted painfully.

"M-Mister?" He stammered out in a small voice. "Wha...?"

"You're crying."

Since no one else was around, Bakugou's guard dropped a fraction and his eyes softened slightly.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?"

After six minutes of the kid stuttering to find his voice in front of his idol, he managed to tell him a little bit.

And if Bakugou was mad before, he sure as hell was livid now.

Because this kid was being punished by his teacher and his peers for something he had no control over. His quirk.

His teacher hated him and would often send him outside because it would go off at random times and distract his classmates. And while everyone pointed fingers at him and laughed, he was left all alone to deal with a power that was too big for him to control.

Labeled a villain, he was cast out and even though the pro-hero could clearly see how kind his heart was just in the few minutes he'd interacted with him, no one else seemed to care enough to give him the time of day.

Bakugou offered out his hand and demanded that he get up. Timidly, the little kid did so, exclaiming out in surprise when he dragged him towards the direction of the classroom.

The hero could sense his rising fear and anxiety so he stopped just outside of the door where the police had been filing out of a minute ago and turned to him, squatting down to his level.

"Listen, brat." Bakugou barked out, but not unkindly. "Those extras don't mean a damn thing. You're fucking strong and you're going to be a great hero when you grow up."

He rapidly blinked his eyes and they sparkled. "Really?!"

Bakugou snorted. "Yup. Now, come on. It's storytime."

When he entered, he was disgusted to see how the teacher and the kids recoiled back from the boy hiding behind his legs. And while he couldn't necessarily fault the kids as much as their teacher because they were being taught that this little guy was a monster, to see a grown-adult grooming them to judge people like this was fucking wrong.

He would know.

Sitting down, he patted his thigh once to invite the little boy to take a seat on his lap. When the boy finally scrambled on and got comfortable, even though he was still clearly nervous about being in front of his class like this, Bakugou started his tale.

The few security officers who were standing by the teacher for safety should he launch at them again and his own agent were wary of his intentions, but all that diminished when he opened his mouth.

The calm hero told the wide-eyed kids how he was a bully to someone who had the true heart of what it took to be a hero and how he was able to grow by recognizing his mistakes and taking action. He told them that it was hard to change but that it was a good thing even though it felt weird and felt like the world was against him at times.

He told them that it didn't matter whether they had a strong quirk, a weak quirk or no quirk at all, at the end of the day, they were all the same: imperfect humans just trying to live and find happiness. And that everyone was deserving of respect.

Even the little boy they had casted out from their social circle.

Bakugou could see some things start to click in their minds and while he knew that most of this would fly over their heads for now since they weren't at an age where they had to think about all these things on the daily, he hoped that it would stick with them and come back to them when they needed it most.

The teacher's jaw had gone slack in shock and Bakugou glared at them, sending them one last pointed remark about how it was important to ensure the future generation had the tools they needed to thrive in this world and they gulped, averting their eyes as they were thoroughly intimidated by the way his burning eyes scorched into them.

Throwing his head back with a heavy sigh, Bakugou closed his eyes.

He needed this weekend to get the fuck away with everything that was wrong in this world and accept that he could only change the things he could control one at a time.

But patience was never his strong suit.

Growling, he pushed himself off of the too-comfortable couch and stormed his way to the front door to grab his luggage he had discarded to the side earlier before heading to the bedroom. He paused at the closed door for a second, briefly debating if he should knock or not but shook his head.

Fuck it. It's my fucking room.

He kicked open the door despite it being made of glass and he froze in place as his eyes landed on your form standing in front of the full-length mirror with your bare back to him.

Your eyes shining in the reflection of the polished mirror snapped to where his figure was still frozen in the doorway and you rolled your eyes, not even bothering to cover yourself up or anything.

It honestly wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, your hero costume had your back exposed all the time but you were damn annoyed that he had burst in when he did because he startled you and dropped the thing you had been playing with for a good half an hour now.

You were halfway to getting that tricky zipper to cooperate with you when he interrupted you. His timing literally could not be worse.

Sighing, you motioned him in, a bit confused why he cleared his throat and looked away from you as he set down his suitcase and strutted over without a fight.

"Make yourself useful and help me." You demanded with a slight pout. It was his fault the stupid thing was now all the way down again. Who made these things?!

You didn't have enough hands for this task.

In order to zip up the complicated dress, you needed to simultaneously hold together all the lace that crisscrossed near the neck while your other hand tried to wiggle up the zipper.

All while defying gravity and attempting not to twist your arms off.

Bakugou came to stand behind you and he exhaled frustratingly at the mess you made. The whole thing was tangled in the back, there were too many pieces for him to know what was supposed to go where.

"What the fuck did you even do, dumbass?" He muttered, more to himself than to you as he crossed over and pulled through the complicated design to get it to lay flat, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

You giggled, gathering your hair in one hand and sweeping it to one side so that it was off the nape of your neck and wouldn't get in the way.

You swallowed when his fingers brushed over your skin as he undid the damage you dealt to this fancy article of clothing and tried to ignore how your heart skipped a beat.

Honestly, you hated parties and fancy gatherings like the one tonight was going to be, but Mina and Ochako had begged you to wear something nice for at least one of the days, hence why you were now in this predicament.

Because you had absolutely no idea how to put on a dress this fancy.

Yaoyorozu had bought it for you last year when all of the girls from the former Class A and B went on a shopping spree, claiming it brought out your eyes and was such a perfect fit for you that you had to have it, regardless of how many zeros there were on the tag at the time of purchase.

You thought your eyes were going to fall out of your head the second she swiped her platinum credit card without so much as batting an eye.

You haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet. It really was a special occasions gown since it was floor-length and wouldn't be appropriate for any modern day clubs or work parties. So when the girls told you the dress code for this weekend, you were secretly a little excited, the inner child in you skipping around in circles at the notion of getting to play dress up.

According to Mina and Tsuyu, the ballroom that dinner was going to be served in tonight was supposed to be extravagant and you couldn't wait to see what it looked like.

The Solaria Hotel was one of Japan's finest and most exclusive establishments and had a five star rating from over hundreds of thousands of pro-heroes.

And you could certainly see why.

Just the size of the bedroom itself was already twice as big than your apartment that you rented out.

The king-sized bed was ridiculously huge and you were pretty sure the comforter was lined with genuine velvet. Silk sheets for the mattress and the pillow had your heart jumping for joy at how soft and silky it felt against your skin.

Aside from the bed, which also had a sheer white canopy draping down, the ceiling was ten feet high and rose petals were scattered around the huge room.

If you didn't know any better, you would think that this was a love hotel instead of one that they geared towards a resting spot for heroes. But you supposed you could understand why they had set it up the way they did.

Even heroes needed that kind of relief.

But luckily, the hotel business was slow this time of month and you didn't see many other guests when you came in, so the lack of bustle was a nice change of pace from your everyday hectic schedule.

Twisting around to see what was taking Bakugou so long to figure out the lace back, you yelped when he harshly pushed you back so that you were facing forwards.

"Hey!!" You protested indignantly and you swayed on your feet. It was a good thing you weren't wearing your heels yet.

He scoffed, deft fingers continuing to work at the knots as he repeated his earlier words. "What the fuck did you even do?"

"I didn't do anything!!"

This time, he snorted in disbelief. "Yeah right. This shit looks worse than Deku's hair."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" You shrieked.

After arguing back and forth for a few minutes, you began to grow anxious as the time started to tick by. You had to be down there for dinner in less than an hour and you even though you had already done your hair and makeup, mostly, you still weren't really prepared for this.

Crowds weren't your thing, which made being a pro hard sometimes, but the work you did was worth that particular downside.

Your eyes widened and you hopped in place when Bakugou finally zipped you up. Spinning around and being careful not to trip, you beamed at him as you threw your arms around his neck.

"Thank you!!!" You squealed gratefully.

He clicked his tongue and huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Get off me now, dumbass."

You clambered off of him albeit ungracefully since this gown was pretty heavy thanks to the many layers of fabric and you flailed your arms like a baby bird as you lost your balance.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch you before you fell but before you could thank him, he was already turning away and going to his side of the room.

But tried as he might, he couldn't stop staring at you even as you turned away.

As soon as he collected his luggage once more and dragged it over to his side of the bed that wasn't claimed by you, his thoughts drifted back to you once again as you twirled in the mirror, giggling to yourself as you remained completely oblivious to the vermilion gaze burning into your back.

He swore in his head. It was much harder to stop them from going rampant with that intoxicating scent of banana and citrus that came from a specific kind of lotion he knew you always put on ever since he got it for you.

It was a gift for the last Christmas your class shared in your third year in high school. And the only reason he bought you that was because fucking Raccoon-Eyes thought it would be a good idea to put a limit on the gift giving since Iida had gone all out last year and nearly flooded Heights Alliance with an obscene amount of presents.

Shinsou might've had a hand in helping deliver them.

But of fucking course you would be wearing it right now. He could smell it so clearly, it was so fragrant it was making his head go foggy.

Bakugou tried to concentrate on something, anything really that would get his mind off of you but to no avail.

Everywhere he looked, there was evidence of you and your light.

Your clothes folded neatly in the walnut dresser on the top drawer, your books on the nightstand, even all those bottles on the vanity in the joined bathroom that was connected to the bedroom that he didn't really think was necessary unless you were trying to scrape off your skin.

In the small walk-in closet, if it could even be classified as such, was filled only with your empty luggage and the hanger in which probably hung up the dress to prevent it from wrinkling before you put it on.

And now that he wasn't fucking fighting a battle with your stubborn zipper, Bakugou really got a chance to take you in.

The layers of pale green chiffon flowed around your ankles when you moved. Paired with billowy sleeves made from that same sheer material, it made you look ethereal. The bodice flattered your figure and the sweetheart neckline skimmed just below your collar bones, making you appear soft and pure, like a fairy who could bend nature to her will with just a kiss.

The lace back was beautifully intricate and the golden zipper was barely noticeable when you let go of your hair.

It cascaded down, the soft curls brushing against your shoulders and a glass butterfly clip was nestled in your hair to keep most of it away from your face, save for a few curled strands that framed your face.

You were breathtaking.

You raised an eyebrow curiously when Bakugou suddenly started to cough violently and worried that he had somehow managed to choke on his own spit, you gathered up your skirts and rushed over to him.

You weren't insulted when he brushed you off, shouting at you that he was fucking fine, but you didn't push the issue.

He grabbed his things from his suitcase and stomped off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and you were left wondering what all of that was about.

Shrugging to yourself, you figured that he would either deal with it himself or go to Kirishima if and when he needed help.

Now, you were faced with a completely different dilemma.

There was about fifteen minutes before the scheduled time to report downstairs and you still needed to put on your shoes. But it was nearly impossible to see over the poofy skirts of this dress.

Groaning in frustration, you threw your hands down exasperatedly from trying to get it on for the fourth time. This was getting old.

Then, your whole face lit up when you got an idea.

Practically throwing yourself face-down on the bed, you squirmed and wiggled around on the king-sized bed until your back was flat against the cushiony mattress and you huffed, blowing the hair out of your face as you stuck your legs up in the air, grabbing for the shoes to put on as you bent your knees.

It was an awkward position as your skirt obeyed gravity but it worked.

Two minutes later you had both of the heels on the right way and did up the laces properly.

Inwardly, you were wondering why you were even bothering to teeter on these stilts for the entirety of the party but they completely the look. Besides, you were almost sure that you guys were going to take pictures later, even if Bakugou would only join you guys for one.

You hummed to yourself, standing up and smoothing out your skirt. You were in the middle of fixing your hair when the lock to the bathroom clicked and out stepped Bakugou.

Your eyebrows shot up to your forehead. Damn that man can clean up nice when he wasn't busy murdering villains.

A pressed suit adorned his broad frame and you had to swallow to stop yourself from drooling at how good he looked.

The suit was a classic black, with a crisp white shirt on the inside and his pants were clearly ironed before coming here. A red handkerchief peeked out from where it was tucked into his breast pocket and you swooned.

He had gotten everything right, right down to the shiny black dress shoes. You didn't know how it was possible to not have any wrinkles or a hair out of place as he slid up his embroidered tie with an irritated scowl, making the lapels lay flat with an aggressive swipe at the offending material.

You barely noticed his rising aggravation as they kept popping back up and he adjusted the cufflinks before jerking at the collar again.

"Here," You giggled. "Let me help."

Bakugou grumbled but lowered his hands and let you do as you pleased as you tucked it in further to get it to straighten out without popping back out.

"Thanks." He said gruffly and you flashed him a bright smile.

"Anytime!!"

Bakugou groaned quietly as you flounced out of the room. "You're too fucking cheerful."

You threw a charismatic smile his way as you skipped to the front door, making sure to grab your clutch on the way out. You didn't necessarily need your wallet tonight as you weren't planning on getting drunk but you weren't exactly comfortable leaving it in the hotel room.

Years of training had taught you that there were flaws in even the most advanced security systems.

"I didn't think you were going to dress up tonight." You commented casually as you waited for Bakugou to finish grabbing his wallet and phone before locking the door behind you two.

You were leaning against the glass barrier that surrounded the halls.

The Solaria Hotel was more than 100 floors, reminding you of the tower at I-Island that time you guys had to beat those villains to save the professor and restore order to the island. Bakugou's room was on the 80th floor, so you could see everything.

The layout of the circular building had basically ensured that it was hollowed out, rooms circled each floor and had an elevator on the north and south points of the building. In the empty space that you could see below as far as the eye could see, they had crystals suspended in the air that changed color periodically.

He scowled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he fell in step beside you and you tore away from your admiration of the ingenuity of the architecture.

"Shitty Hair made me fucking wear this shit." Bakugou said through clenched teeth as he recalled Kirishima begging him to wear it so they could match tonight. He wasn't going to cave but then fucking Raccoon-Eyes threatened not to feed him.

That wouldn't bother him except for the fact that he wouldn't be able to see you and all the shitty extras would be free to hit on you.

Not on his fucking watch.

Of course, this was decided before he knew you were going to be crashing in his room. He could cook for himself just fine, he didn't need to eat that overpriced shit that Ponytail Girl and Emergency Exit fucking paid for but now he was going anyways because there was no way in hell you were attending alone.

Covering your smile behind your hand, you teased that no matter what he said, he would do anything for Kirishima if he asked and Bakugou exploded at you, right there, in the middle of the hallway.

You shrieked as he launched himself at you and you ran for your life, panting hard as you reached the vacant elevators in the nick of time, frantically pushing the button to get it to close before Bakugou caught up.

Hope swelled in your chest when the doors started to close but it plummeted when a hand stopped it just before it shut completely.

Bakugou licked his lips as he pushed them back open and you backed into the corner to get as far away from him as possible as he advanced.

You gasped when his hands slammed on either side of your head, the soft ding of the elevator doors closing lost on both of you as his eyes bore into yours.

"Time to fucking pay, dumbass." He smirked, leaning in close.

You glanced over his shoulder, quickly concluding that you wouldn't reach the first floor for a good minute and decided you needed to come up with a distraction to ensure you would live to eat at least a morsel of the heavenly food that awaited you.

Bakugou's eyes flew open as you boldly took a step forward, pressing yourself against him and he swallowed hard when your finger teasingly trailed down from his shoulder to his chest. He swore that even though he was wearing two layers, he could feel your touch as though there were no clothes between you two.

The glass of the elevator was transparent and if anyone were looking closely enough, they would be able to see how he was pinning you to the wall with no space between the two of you.

"Aw~" You cooed, batting your lashes at him prettily. "That's such a shame... I was really looking forward to tonight."

He fucking knew you were toying with him, making it sound like a implication that you wanted him to take you back to his room but he fucking knew that you loved food more than any other shit so you had to be messing with him.

But it was pretty hard to believe when you looked up at him so innocently.

Bakugou's mouth pulled back in a heated snarl and it took everything in him not to close the distance and crash his lips onto yours, claiming you for himself tonight, tomorrow, and every other night that was to come.

Your expression cleared as the elevator came to a halt and Bakugou, who had been bracing himself over you, was thrown off balance.

"We're here!!" You announced excitedly, skipping past him for the second time that night.

He slapped a hand to his forehead and rushed out of the elevator into the lobby to catch up with you.

Fuck, what was wrong with him tonight?

The layout of the first five floors were a bit different than the residence area since those were designated for recreational activities and an extensive training gym.

The lobby was beautiful, even though you had skimmed by it earlier just to figure out where you were going to stay since the reservations had been messed up but now you got a good look at it.

A huge crystal chandelier sparkled from the ceiling and your heels clicked as you walked across the polished marble tile.

Everything was gold and white, clean and shining so bright that you could see your reflection in all the surfaces that you looked in. The golden edging along the wainscot and the Victorian details in the carvings along the panels of the ceiling were incredibly well done.

It branched off into several sections, the ambiguity of the lobby enabling them to have several private rooms covered with a heavy velvet curtain to maintain complete privacy.

The only thing that distinguished this floor from looking like a private establishment altogether was the very noticeable front desk in which the staff were stationed.

You were told that there was minimal staff to ensure the utmost respect and privacy but you were glad to see human faces as opposed to all the high-tech the hotel had ingrained into it to make the stay as pleasant as possible.

You didn't know why but it was nice to have a human touch in a world advancing so fast that artificial intelligence and robots were becoming more and more prevalent.

At least you could soak in that hot tub later to forget about anything and everything, relaxing in a blissful state until they kicked you out.

You could sort of recall Mina telling you about it over the phone but you were busy packing so you couldn't pay too much attention to her. But you were pretty sure she said something about a state-of-the-art pool and made another mental note to check it out later once you got out of this ridiculous getup.

Your confidence and schoolgirl excitement that came from dressing up dwindled bit by bit until you were left standing outside of the ballroom in a nervous wreck.

Judging by the music you could hear inside and all the lively chatter, most if not all were already there, and now you were having second thoughts as you anxiously played with your sleeves.

It wasn't that you didn't think you looked good, you really loved how you looked, it was just... you were feeling a bit self-conscious now that you were about to go in.

It was the same feeling that you had right before you had to try out for the hero agency of your dreams right after graduation. You were a bundle of nerves that day but at least then you could prove yourself by using your quirk to fight and take out bad guys.

You highly doubted that Yaoyorozu or Mina would be amused if you took on that same attitude and ripped the dress to shreds.

Regardless of the fact that it was expensive, you really wanted to follow through with this despite the anxiety you were feeling right now.

Bakugou hung back once he caught up to you, chest heaving slightly. You were faster than he remembered. But as he noticed that you were fighting with something internally, he arched an eyebrow and argued with himself about whether or not it was a good idea to ask what shit was stopping you from going in.

By the time he told himself to fuck off and just do it, you had straightened your shoulders and opened the doors yourself.

A wide grin split across his face and he shook his head, in a mixture of begrudging admiration and a hell of a lot of disbelief.

You were fucking strong. No doubt about that.

He knew how much shit you had been through in high school. Your social anxiety was no fucking joke, you had real reactions to situations that stressed you out, but you were dealing with it time and time again just to push through and do what you loved.

That wasn't to say that you didn't fail at times but he was so fucking proud of you for asking the shitheads for help when you needed it.

Because you deserved it.

None of them judged you for it. Hell, Shoji had anxiety just like you, Ponytail Girl still had issues with her self-esteem frequently when her ability as a hero was being called into question by the press who often brought up her revealing hero costume as though that was the only thing that defined her, Icyhot was still dealing with the aftermath of his own trauma when something triggered him and Deku wasn't perfect either.

Your class had been through everything together. You guys were each other's family and were there for each other. Always.

You guys trusted each other with your lives and it was safe to say that you would go to bat for any of the others should they ever be in danger.

Bakugou was broken out of his thoughts as an all-too-cheerful voice shattered his trance.

"Bakugou, lookin' sharp!!" Kirishima called out, cupping his hands over his mouth so that his voice carried further.

Unfortunately, it caused a lot of other people to look his way and Bakugou's face twisted into a scowl.

"Fuck off, Shitty Hair."

Kirishma laughed, the bright sound relaying just how much his language never bothered him and he skipped over to loop his arm through the grumpy ash-blond's.

"Aw, what's got you so angry?" Kirishima teased with a grin, coming around on his other side to sling his arm around his shoulders when Bakugou threw him off.

Bakugou scowled, refusing to reply and his best friend's grin grew.

"So..." He drew out smugly. "I see you arrived with Y/N. Does that mean you finally manned up and told her how you feel?"

You whipped your head around in shock, breaking off your conversation with Jirou when you heard the explosion, and fell into a fit of giggles as the smoke from Bakugou's quirk cleared. Iida and Midoriya were doing damage control to a pent-up Bakugou and Todoroki was standing off to the side for moral support.

As for Kirishima and Kaminari, who had happened to be on his way to greet the pomeranian when the explosion occurred, were slapping their thighs and howling obnoxiously, tears leaking out of their eyes from laughing so hard.

Yaoyorozu shook her head. It was too early in the night to deal with all of this.

She sighed, gracefully putting a hand over her heart. "It seems like Bakugou-san's temper has not changed."

You snickered along with Jirou, who was covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop the fit of uncontrollable laughter that had taken over her body when she saw Kaminari's hair sticking straight up due to the fire.

"Oh no, that definitely hasn't changed." You giggled, biting your lip to curb your smile when Bakugou glared at you as if he had heard you even though you were too far away to be within his earshot.

His vermilion eyes narrowed accusingly and you held up your hands in surrender, an innocent expression painted on your features.

Your giggle came out muffled when your teeth clamped down on your bottom lip and you ducked to hide behind Yaoyorozu when Bakugou started stomping over in your direction.

"Hide me!!" You yelped and Jirou rolled her eyes.

"He's already seen you." She pointed out, forgetting her earlier uncomfortability when you first sought her out upon your arrival.

The two of you tended to stick together for these kinds of things, since you both were equally out of your element when it came to formal wear and all things classified as girly.

And the dress code for tonight was a strict one. Girls had to wear dresses and guys a suit. The only exception was Shoji and that was only because no company could ever tailor a suit right to accommodate his dupi-arms.

You hunched down further, trying to make yourself smaller but it didn't do any good as a firm grip encircled your wrist and yanked you out from your terrible hiding place.

"I can still fucking see you." Bakugou seethed, sparks popping in the palms of his hands and you smiled nervously.

"Uh... Ah!! Wait—" Your objections were cut short when he dragged you away from the others. "Where are we going?!"

Yaoyorozu and Jirou exchanged a sympathetic look with each other.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked softly, her eyes worried.

Todoroki appeared beside her and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "They will be fine but perhaps we should give them a minute so Bakugou can collect himself."

"Iida-kun, is dinner ready?" Midoriya asked to take the attention off the two of you as the prospect of food was brought up and the former class rep vigorously nodded.

"Affirmative!!" He shouted, thrusting his hand high in the air to gather everyone as his old classmates started to drift towards him. "Let us sit in groups of four to make it easy for the staff to clean up, Class A!!"

Kaminari elbowed Shinsou in the ribs, interrupting his conversation with Tsuyu. "Do we still have to do what he says even though he's not the boss of us anymore?"

Shinsou sighed, running his hands through his hair and Tsuyu had a suspicion that it wasn't the first time he had asked this. "Yes, Kaminari. Because if you don't, you probably won't get to eat."

Kaminari's jaw dropped all the way to the floor but he recovered in a second, racing to his seat.

Tsuyu tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully as she and Shinsou began to follow the overzealous blond to the tables that Iida was seating everyone at. "Do you really think Iida-chan would stop him?"

Shinsou chuckled, giving her one of his rare smiles as he pulled out the seat for her before sitting down himself at the table that held a fidgeting Kaminari and nervous-looking Kirishima.

Crooking a finger, he motioned her to come closer so he could whisper it without him hearing. "Nah, but it's fun to mess with him."

Tsuyu giggled, waving at Ochako and Mina from the other table since the six round tables were set up relatively close to each other in the huge ballroom, forming a circle.

They were currently towards the front where all the appetizers on tables lined with white cloth were served before the main course. Then, there was some kind of game set up on the adjacent side that looked like beer pong and the empty space at the back took up the majority of the ballroom was left alone as a dance floor for the upbeat music that would resume later on.

With a flick of her earphone jack, Jirou changed the playlist to classical and lowered the volume just as the food was coming out.

Mineta complained that the music was too slow and boring for his taste but he didn't argue anymore when Jirou silently threatened to electrocute him. Shoji coughed into his hand and grinned at the girl's spunk while Yaoyorozu just smiled.

Koda was signing to Aoyama. Even though he had gotten more comfortable talking with all of them, everyone's chatter was making it hard to hear, so as he relayed details about his latest mission, Ojiro was engaged in a discussion with Sato about whether or not food coloring was necessary in modern day society when more and more ingredients were being revealed to be unhealthy in nature.

Sero was trying to teach Hagakure how to fold a napkin into a swam while Todoroki and Tokoyami talked about the latest hero news after exchanging pleasantries.

And Midoriya, Ochako, Mina and Iida filled up table five. Which left just the one for the two who had yet to sit in their seats.

Iida shook with restraint before abruptly standing up to shout for you and Bakugou who were still talking in the far corner about something he couldn't hear but Midoriya caught his arm and eased him back down.

The food had just come out and it was hot. He had helped Iida order food for tonight so he knew it was going to be good.

Each table got five different kinds of entrées to share, hence why they could only fit four people at each table instead of five like Iida had initially planned since the piping hot food coming out from the kitchen was monstrous and would take up a ton of space.

Wagyu beef, fugu, kujira, basashi, otoro, fresh-steamed vegetables and even yubari melon for a refreshing taste was set down on gold-rimmed platters and left to be ravished by the hungry people eyeing it like some sort of animal.

Everyone was hungry, and Midoriya knew you wouldn't mind if you guys started ahead so he opened it up to his fellow heroes, and even though he knew Kacchan might say something about it later, he still clapped his hands together and dug in.

Some of them, like Kaminari, Aoyama and surprisingly Tsuyu followed his lead and tore in right away, while others like Tokoyami, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were too busy with their own conversations to be bothered with the food at the moment.

Kaminari stopped stuffing his mouth long enough to glance at Kirishima out of the corner of his eye.

"What's the matter?" He asked and with his cheeks stuffed full it was a little hard to hear him but Kirishima got his point.

His brow drew together worriedly. "They kind of look like they're arguing."

It was true. You did look like you were engaged in a heated spat with Bakugou, but Kirishima was way off.

Ten feet away, you planted your hands firmly on your hips and glared at him as your voice rose an octave. "Excuse me?!"

Bakugou barely stopped in time from snapping his teeth at you. At this point, he was going to rip out his hair if you didn't concede and admit that he was right. "You fucking heard me."

Your mouth pressed in a hard line. "I can't believe you would say that."

A beat of tense silence passed and then you exploded.

You threw up your hands in frustration. "Aizawa's would clearly beat All Might in a battle, he can erase his quirk for crying out loud!!"

"All Might was the Number 1 Hero." Bakugou ground out angrily through gritted teeth. "And he's as strong as shit even without his quirk."

"Not everything is about strength!!" You fired back but he wasn't done.

He continued to go on a rant just to prove to you that All Might would be the one to fucking beat your old homeroom teacher if they ever versed each other in a one on one battle.

How you got here, you had no idea.

It started with him dragging you away and before he spun you around and backed you into a corner, demanding to know just what was being said about him.

After dangling tease after tease at him, the stiffness in his shoulders wasn't lost on you and you told him flat out that you three had just been commenting on his temper when he looked your way, making the timing seem like he had heard you and you found it hilarious.

Bakugou's expression crumpled as he realized he had gotten it wrong and let insecurity get the best of him, to which his eyes shot open when he realized he had said that last part out loud.

You were faster than him though, as you reassured that it was okay to be feeling that way and apologized for teasing him before he could even say a word to amend his mistake.

It had then transitioned to him quietly asking why you stopped outside of the door before you went inside and you paused before hesitantly revealing that it was because you had a fleeting thought that you didn't actually look as good as you thought you did and he frowned.

Your eyes rounded as wide as saucers as he went off on you, fucking you over for thinking that and telling you straight up that you were fucking stunning.

It was doing bad things to your heart as it flopped pathetically in your rib cage and your hands automatically went up to cover your cheeks which you were sure were bright red.

Bakugou didn't touch you but his eyes scorched into you with such conviction that you eventually lowered them yourself and thanked him softly for saying that to you.

To which he scoffed and said it was obvious and that he'd have to be fucking blind not to see you.

Cue more blood rushing to your face.

From there, the conversation went from insecurities to a short story you brought up when Aizawa had helped you boost your self-confidence and Bakugou retorted with his own story of All Might when he stopped him from annihilating Deku in Ground Beta in your first year of high school.

Things only got more competitive as you shot back that Aizawa had helped him too on countless occasions, the hothead countering by bringing up the time All Might saved you single-handedly when you had gotten captured in a fight.

Knowing your hands were tied for that particular instance, you shifted it back to Aizawa's strengths and Bakugou retorted with All Might's own.

And that's where you ended up. Having a staring contest while the rest of your old classmates watched raptly from the sidelines and wondered just what had got you both so worked up.

"Admit your defeat, dumbass." Bakugou grinned cockily, sticking his face in yours. "And then you can fucking get your shit."

Your eyes flickered up to his since even though you were wearing heels, you were still shorter than him. A hint of mischief glimmered in your eyes as a smile played upon your lips.

"Actually, I think you lost this round, Boom Boy."

Before he got a chance to open his mouth and object to that ridiculous nickname you had given him from your youth, you ducked under his arm and made a break for it towards the tables.

"Fucking— GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!!" He yelled after you, breaking into a sprint but you were too far ahead of him.

You ducked behind Iida for protection and he stood up tall, unwavering as Bakugou skidded to a halt.

"Bakugou!! That's enough!!" Iida shouted, holding his hand out for him to stop as he tried to get around him.

The whole class watched and waited to see what he would do, slurping on food obnoxiously while they all waited.

"Tch." Bakugou smirked, grounding his fist into the palm of his hand as it lit up. "Is that a fucking challenge?!"

"NO!!!" Iida thundered, clearing his throat and repositioning his glasses as he collected himself. "Now, the two of you need to sit down and eat. We are behind schedule."

"There's a schedule?" You whispered to Bakugou as you crept out from behind the safety of Iida's back. "Did you know about this?"

He snorted, putting out his explosion with a huff. "Damn right."

You tilted your head but followed him obediently to the only available table piled high with food that had luckily not gone cold.

Bakugou hid a smile as he saw you wiggle in your seat out of the corner of his eye, clicking his tongue in annoyance when you happened to look his way.

Of fucking course you would still look so damn cute when you were excited.

Since he was fucking starving, he ate with gusto, but only after he made sure you were actually going to eat.

Due to the side effects of using your quirk, it sometimes made you nauseous and you have had trouble keeping food down ever since you threw up on the first day of school.

He knew that most heavily seasoned dishes you had more of a difficulty keeping down so he wasn't surprised when he saw you go for the soup out of all the things you could've picked from.

Lively conversation filled the air, gossip and talk about the latest modifications to your hero costumes all the rage as topics blended into everyone's tables since they were all in close proximity to one another.

At least, most of them.

Since you had come late to dinner, you had a gut feeling that your classmates all ganged up on you and Bakugou, shoving the two of you here together.

The girls knew of your crush on him. It came out one night when you guys were playing truth or dare, like everyone did back in the day, and Hagakure and Mina hadn't let you forget it since then.

But what you didn't know was that the same could be said for Bakugou.

Fucking Shitty Hair did this on purpose. Bakugou raged inwardly while you remained blissfully unaware of the rampage going on beneath the surface. I fucking knew it was a bad idea to tell him about it.

He had asked his best friend for advice on what to get you for your birthday when you were in your second year and to say the very least, it wasn't hard for Kirishima to piece it together.

Fucking hell. The shit he gave him for it made him instantly regret it and he stormed out with pink cheeks, determined to find you the perfect gift on his own, thinking that this year would finally be the year that you noticed him and saw him in the same light that he saw you in.

Nope.

You had gotten sick on your birthday and by the time you healed, your birthday had come and gone and nobody said anything about it so he never gave it to you, throwing it away after another week passed and it was clear he didn't have the courage to give it to you.

You looked up at him, mouth resembling a chipmunk's as you chewed on the food you had been looking forward to all day. "Whasthematferwifyu?"

Bakugou choked. "What the fuck?!"

When you opened your mouth to speak again, he snapped at you, "Fucking finish chewing or you'll choke, dumbass!!"

"You mean like you just did?" You asked cheekily as you swallowed and he glared at you.

"Shut the fuck up."

"M'kay~" You sang.

Banter between you two was few and far in between since you two had bickered already for a good portion of the evening. The fight was called a draw for the time being as it was put on pause to fill your bellies with good food and you had to say, you were glad you came.

Dinner wrapped up after another hour and one by one, everyone started to trickle onto the dance floor.

Everyone except for Bakugou, who was at the drinks table and glaring at each bottle of alcohol that he picked through, and you and Kirishima, who had halted you when you moved to join Ochako and Tsuyu, was breaking it down to Jirou's EDM music she put together for tonight.

Kaminari was already drunk. You didn't know how that was possible but based off of the way he was playing with Ojiro's tail, refusing to detach from it even after he politely asked him to let go, you could conclude as such pretty confidently.

You followed Kirishima curiously as he led you away from everyone else, interest piqued when he brought you to where the appetizers that were previously were being replaced with desserts and your confusion grew when he inched as far to the wall as he possibly could.

"Kiri?" You questioned. "Why are we—"

"Shh!!!" He shushed quickly, waving his hands frantically, his eyes darting everywhere as though he was about to tell you something that could land him in jail.

Or worse.

He motioned you to come closer so that nobody else would hear and you scooted towards him, until his mouth was right by your ear.

And then, your jaw dropped in shock.

"WHATTTTT?!?!" You shrieked and Kirishima hushed you hurriedly, smiling apologetically at a skeptical Bakugou who looked your way due to your volume.

You took a hint but your outrage didn't fade. "What the fuck, Kiri?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"

Red Riot had just oh so kindly informed you that it was in fact, Bakugou's birthday.

Today.

If what he told you was the truth, which at this point you really didn't know, Mina, Sero and Kaminari were the only other ones who knew. You wouldn't put it past Midoriya to also be included in that group, seeing as how they were childhood friends who moved past their intense rivalry stage and developed a decent amount of healthy competition as pros.

But that still didn't explain why he was telling you this now.

Oh wait.

Shit.

If that was true, then you had barged into his room uninvited because you didn't want to sleep in the same room as Mineta, on his birthday.

You cursed yourself under your breath and without another word, you tore past Kirishima with a hurried apology and a half-assed excuse to pardon your abrupt exit and sprinted towards the elevators, your heart pounding. You didn't stop running until you reached the room, grabbing all your things and throwing them in your suitcase, thoughts running wild at how stupid you could be.

You hadn't even bothered to take off your dress before gathering your things hastily, you were that distracted.

As you stuffed the last of your things in your bag, you circled the room, realizing you now didn't know the next step to this plan of yours.

You really should've thought this through before you came upstairs and talked to one of the receptionists downstairs to see if another arrangement can be made. Or maybe you could persuade one of the girls to let you crash for one night until you could figure things out for the next day.

You were sure Yaoyorozu would concede if you begged hard enough.

But you didn't want to take a chance of Bakugou seeing you so you didn't linger in the lobby, which was in clear view of where the party was being held.

This was bad, you didn't have anywhere to go. You would need to go talk to someone for another room which means you have to go back downstairs.

Well, maybe not. Maybe you could call downstairs and have them—

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

You froze at the temperamental voice seething with fury and dropped the hotel phone you had grabbed in the heat of the moment, squeaking when you saw how livid Bakugou looked and tripped over your feet, falling backwards onto the bed.

Your body bounced as it hit the mattress and you covered your face as he strode toward you, and you bolted back up to your feet, mumbling through your fingers.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was your birthday today!!!" You squeaked, mortified you had been acting so casually on such an important day. You didn't even have a present for him and you gave him overcooked food after trampling on his privacy!!

Leaning against the doorway, Bakugou raised an eyebrow and scoffed irritably as he put the pieces together for himself. "Shitty Hair should've fucking kept his mouth shut."

"I didn't know!!" You cried out, mistaking his rage geared towards his best friend for barging in on his personal space even after he so clearly told you off when he first saw you. Like an idiot, you had thought that he really didn't mind.

Maybe you couldn't read him as well as you thought you could.

"I don't care." Bakugou snarled, annoyed that you didn't seem to get it after all this time as he stomped forward, closing the door behind him and clicking the lock with finality as you tried to scramble past him. "Where do you think you're going, shithead? I didn't say you could fucking leave."

You did a double take and blinked slowly, unsure you really heard him right. It was true you hadn't considered that a possibility, this was Bakugou you were talking about. He hated everybody.

Well, not really, but close enough to make it so that you were sure that he wanted his privacy.

Especially on his birthday.

"I-I—"

Bakugou rolled his eyes irritably. You didn't get it. Fucking fine.

Your eyes shot open as he smashed his lips onto yours but before you even had a chance to do anything about it, shove him off or pull him closer, though it was more likely the latter, he was gone.

Standing with an indifferent expression on his face, he loomed over you and your heart leapt in your throat.

"Holy— Is this real?" You asked breathlessly, fingers tentatively reaching out to run over his tie and make sure you weren't dreaming.

Bakugou smirked at the awe in your voice and it only grew bigger when he noticed how glassy your eyes looked. So he did have the same fucking effect on you that you did on him.

Good.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He declared, crowding you closer as he stepped forward, hot breath puffing out against your lips and you shivered.

You blinked slowly, looking up at him from under your lashes. "... And if I don't want you to?"

"Fuck—" Was all Bakugou got out before he was surging forward, grabbing your shoulders so you couldn't escape.

A muffled squeak tumbled from your lips before it was smothered and you gasped into his mouth as your knees hit the edge of the bed.

As you fell, Bakugou climbed onto the bed and pinned you to the mattress, never once breaking the kiss as he cushioned your fall. His hands fell to your waist as the other entwined in your hair and he let out a groan as you playfully nipped his bottom lip.

"Shit," He breathed when you broke away first, lungs burning with the need for oxygen but you had barely taken a breath when he tilted your jaw back towards him and connected your lips again, harder this time.

It was hot, too hot and he moved languidly in a way that contrasted so starkly with his short-tempered personality that it made your head spin.

"W-What?!" You exclaimed in shock as soon as he drew back to let you breathe, your hands covering your flushed cheeks despite the fact that he could still see you due to the proximity. "Where did that even come from?!"

You were all flustered now and your dress had slipped down a bit further, giving him a peek of what was to come if he didn't stop soon.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. If you didn't get it now, you were even more of an idiot than he thought.

"You can stay." He mumbled gruffly, dropping his gaze from yours.

It took a minute to understand what he was saying.

Coming to your senses, you grinned as you processed his words. He didn't say no outright to what you asked directly so you would take it. The hesitance had all been reduced to a trickle as it caused a hiccup in your thoughts but you tried to see it in a different light.

Maybe he really didn't mind, he wasn't one to lie, especially for no reason. Maybe he was feeling lonely and wanted company for tonight.

Maybe... he liked you too? Was that too far-fetched to believe?

"Really?" You smirked as you waggled your eyebrows at him. "You want someone to keep you warm tonight?

Bakugou flipped you off and you burst out laughing. Wiping tears from your eyes as you calmed down after a few moments, you grinned.

"I had no idea you could be so soft, Bakugou." You teased lightly.

He scowled angrily and sat up, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at you. "Shut up, you don't make it fucking easy."

You were being such a fucking nuisance. He regretted saying anything in the first place. Who had so many questions after somebody kissed them?

Your eyes glinted mischievous. "Oh yeah?"

He did something you didn't expect.

"Yeah..." Bakugou trailed off quietly, something resembling fondness flickering in the depths of his vermilion eyes.

Your heart started to beat faster and you swallowed. His face was a millimeter away from yours and it was getting harder to breath. His body temperature was so high that you could feel the heat emitting from his form and engulfing you like a warm hug.

"When did it start?" You asked softly, curiosity winning out against the flutter of embarrassment you felt in your chest.

He didn't say it out loud but he didn't have to. You could see it in his eyes that same love that you held for him. How you went all this time without seeing it, you didn't know.

Bakugou's throat bobbed as he dodged your inquisitive gaze, his eyes only darting back to you when you sat upright and smoothed your dress as best as you possibly could to prevent it from wrinkling.

"I dunno." He mumbled quietly. "Since high school or some shit."

"High school?!" You shrieked in disbelief, nearly falling over as you realized it had started around the same time your feelings for him developed. You expected him to say within the last few months when you’ve been working together more frequently, not that he started liking you back at UA!!

He groaned at your grating volume against his ears. Too loud.

"Well hell if I know, shitty woman." He growled loudly. "I can't fucking remember everything."

You grin widened. "That sounds like denial~"

His mouth twisted back in an irritated frown. You were crazy. But somehow, that didn't put him off as much as he claimed to believe.

"It was after the training camp."

You bolted upright at that. You were not expecting him to say that.

After you two were stolen by the League right out from underneath your classmates' noses, you two were put in separate rooms until it was clear you refused to listen to what you had to say until you saw that Bakugou was okay.

He knew, the second they brought you in all chained to the chair and shit just like he was, that he was going to raise hell and murder every single last one of them.

He couldn't go ballistic yet, because as your tired but alert eyes met his from across the room, he knew that this setup increased your chances.

All you needed was an opening.

Shigaraki and Dabi had turned their attention on your first, trying to recruit you and you had tricked them, pretending to sympathize with their cause and got them to trust you by feeding Shigaraki's dark nature and Dabi's sadistic side.

You took their attention off of him and damn it, if it wasn't the bravest and baddest fucking move he'd ever seen.

The both of you had your own nightmares from that terrifying experience.

You couldn't stand to be restrained after that, even if it was only for a second, and Bakugou hated having anything touch his neck.

After he finished telling you all of that, you tackled him in a hug.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch himself as the two of you toppled over before you crashed to the ground and he muttered a curse into your hair when you nuzzled into his chest.

"Dumbass." He remarked under his breath, hoping you couldn't hear how fast his heart was pounding. "What about you?"

"Hmmm?" You hummed, momentarily forgetting what it was that you were talking about since all you could think about now was how his eyes shone with unshed tears as he relieved that terrible memory. But the fact that you were able to give him some small sense of comfort even though you were truthfully freaking out on the inside at the time, was the best thing he could've ever told you.

Well, right next to the depth of his feelings for you.

Bakugou scoffed and scooted forward so that the two of you were teetering on the edge of the mattress. A concussion was not how he wanted tonight to end.

"Tell me when all of your shitty feelings started." He demanded with a blush present on his cheeks and you bit your lip to contain a giggle.

Laying your head on his chest, you idly traced patterns on his shirt since he had shed it outer jacket. "I don't know exactly when it turned from a crush into actual love, but when you got hospitalized, I supposed I realized it then."

Bakugou jerked, stiffening as you mentioned the incident no one ever brought up.

Taking note of his reaction, you affirmed quietly. "We don't have to talk about it, but that's when it started. When I saw how close I could've been to losing you."

Bakugou's heavy breath eased up bit by bit as those words fell from your lips and he closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to talk about it now, but he thought that he would like to one day. If you were still by his side.

The next twenty minutes were spent entangled in each other's embrace as you two made up for lost time, talking about anything and everything came to mind.

Your old infatuation with Shindou that was short-lived because of your feelings for him and Bakugou couldn't help gloating that you were his even then.

How much he longed that he had confessed sooner. Maybe then you would've had those years together.

But he didn't dwell on it, he knew that it would become one of his demons if he lived in the past instead of the present and instead focused on combing his fingers through your hair, reveling in your closeness.

He hummed lowly as he caught a whiff of your fragrance. "Banana and citrus, huh?"

You beamed up at him, twisting around to look at him properly. "You gave it to me!!"

Bakugou smirked, hooking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Damn right I did."

After realizing that the two of you couldn't cuddle forever in your formal wear, you reluctantly untangled from him and started to take off your dress, only to find out that you couldn't do that without his help.

Your breath caught in your throat when he came to stand right behind you, just like before, only this time he was much closer to you, fingertips ghosting over your bare skin in the zipper's wake as he trailed light kisses down your back until he reached the curve of the small of your back.

You whined when he stopped and a smirk curved against the juncture where your shoulder met your neck and you swatted at him playfully.

Bakugou made you sit down so he could take your shoes off before you fell and broke something.

You pouted but did as you were told, quite liking how his calloused hands skimmed over your shins and ankles, and you gasped when he pressed a chaste kiss to your knee.

"Stop teasing me." You whined and he flashed you a grin, tossing your shoes somewhere else.

Bakugou relished in your flustered state, loving how he could make you like this with barely any effort. "It's your fucking turn now, shithead."

"Hey!!"

It was only until after Bakugou had gotten dressed in comfy clothes of his choice, a pair of sweatpants and a tight-fitted long sleeve that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, did you realize it was getting colder and colder by the minute.

The heater was broken and after multiple attempts of tinkering with the settings to get it to start, Bakugou was about to set the thing on fire, but you stopped him just in time.

"Shitty heater." He muttered frustratingly, his palms still popping with sparks. "Fucking five stars my ass."

He threw a tantrum for another minute before giving up, not even bothering to call downstairs to get them to fix it because he didn't want anyone in his 'personal space'. Oddly enough, you felt kind of happy that he was letting you in his personal space without any a fight.

You giggled and he raised an eyebrow at you after throwing you his hoodie, begrudgingly, but he still did it so you weren't complaining about the temperature. "It's just, I never imagined you'd be the one to confess."

He turned to you, a mix of irritation and poorly suppressed puzzlement on his face. "Hah?"

You bit back a smile at his tamed reaction. How cute.

"It's just in all the scenarios in my head," You drew your knees up to your chest and rested your chin on top. "I was always the one confessing to you and then getting rejected."

Bakugou scoffed, stomping over to you with a slight pout that would've been unnoticeable if the light was any dimmer. The curtains had been drawn, basking the room in a warm glow that came from the fairy lights strung around the room that had you failed to notice earlier.

"Yeah, well, now fucking look what happened." He grumbled, flicking a piece of lint off your head. "You invaded my room like a cockroach or some shit."

You were sitting upright against the headboard on top of the velvet comforter without a care in the world as your sweater paws flapped playfully. In such a high-end hotel room, the two of you in casual attire looked sorely out of place but it didn't matter.

You were happier than ever before.

"Uh, excuse me, I take offense to that analogy." You teased back with a cheeky grin, shoving his shoulder when he crawled on the bed with you, abandoning his quest to fix the heater. "And I do recall mentioning how it was either this or Mineta's room, so it's not my fault."

Bakugou's mouth twisted into a scowl as you said the pervert's name and he huffed before looping his arms around your waist and laying flat on your legs. His head buried into your stomach, your eyes softened and you brushed the hair back from his eyes, his eyelids closing at the soothing sensation of you carding your fingers through his hair.

You hummed to yourself as he started drifting off. "Soft..."

"Fuck off." He mumbled into your waist but there was none of the usual venom to it.

Your chest shook with laughter at his unusual response but when you moved to stop just like he had ordered, he caught your wrist. You raised an eyebrow as he looked away from you, the red tint adorning his cheeks giving away what he wanted you to do and without a word, you obliged without so much as a hidden smile.

Bakugou sank into you, his broad shoulders going lax as all the tension melted from his body and he sighed peacefully. He hated socializing. The only good part of that reunion Raccoon-Eyes had coordinated was seeing you all dressed up.

He didn't tell you at the time, he honestly couldn't say it. He was fucking speechless the second you stepped out of the room.

But you looked like a vision underneath those flashy lights that hurt his eyes in the ballroom. You were absolutely stunning and put all of those other extras to shame. He didn't even spew an insult he was going to when he overheard Raccoon-Eyes squeal and proclaim how gorgeous you looked because she wasn't wrong.

You were beautiful. And way out of his league.

It was all he could think about all the way down the elevator and into the party, even after you broke off from him. At least, it was all he could think about until Dunce Face decided to make a move on you, being all suave and slick.

At the time, he was ready to storm over there and break it up until you laughed at something Kaminari said and he was painfully reminded of how you weren't his.

He then proceeded to drown all of his sorrows at the bar but cursed his inability to get shit-faced due to his high tolerance.

Exploding in a fit of rage over the culmination of how dazzling you were, how some guy was probably going to get lucky tonight and it wasn't going to be him, and how fucked up the situation was that you were going to be staying with him while he had a raging boner for you 24/7, he stalked upstairs to go pout in the corner only to find you stammering out apologies and packing your suitcase.

He vaguely remembered something about you saying something about his birthday and that's when he snapped.

To put it bluntly, he had never been a fan of celebrating useless holidays. People ate food and used it as an excuse to all gather in one place and socialize with all their fake friends, he hated scenes like that.

Which is why he was against this reunion at first but something in the back of his mind convinced him to come. Something that said that if he showed up, there was a good chance that you would be here too and it would make all of this worth it.

And that was only confirmed when Kirishima slipped that little tidbit of information in his invitation via text.

Bakugou couldn't believe his luck when he walked into his hotel room and you were standing right there. There was something so soft, so domestic about it that had him dropping his bag instantaneously and he fought to rein in his instincts to stride over to you and hug you from behind. He would rest his chin on your shoulder and ask what you were cooking, his fingers toying with the hem of your shirt as he hinted at what he wanted to do before the kids came home.

That was the type of future he had always envisioned with you. The one he always thought would be unobtainable. The one that he constantly dreamed about anytime he got a break from the nightmares and darkness that plagued his thoughts constantly.

And now you were all his. All of that was suddenly possible. He had a chance with the best thing that ever walked into his life and he wasn't going to screw it up.

Realistically, and he was a very realistic person despite being short-tempered, he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Take it slow, he had to tell himself to take it slow.

You hummed, bringing him back down to reality. "Where's that head of yours at?"

"Fuck off and die."

But his threat came out muffled as his face was currently nuzzled into your stomach and you couldn't stop the fit of laughter that burst out as you giggled uncontrollably, laughing even harder when he looked up to glare at you, only for his eyes to be so glazed over from how relaxed he was that you would've mistaken it for subspace if not for his mouth twitching irritably.

"Aw, is baby maybe a little comfy?"

He hissed and untangled himself from you, pouting like a little kid as he created some distance between you two. "I'm not a fucking baby."

You cooed and pinched his cheeks, pulling them apart slightly and giggled at how squishy he looked in that moment. "Dummy."

Bakugou snorted arrogantly but didn't shove you off despite his hard glare. "The only dumbass here is you."

"I didn't say dumbass, I said dummy." You corrected matter-of-factly. "And besides, it's a term of endearment, Katsuki."

He rolled his eyes but his heart trembled dangerously as he heard his given name fall from your lips so sweetly for the first time. He would never get tired of hearing that.

Bakugou cleared his throat and removed your hands from his face, your forlorn pout not passing by unnoticed.

"Fucking idiot." He mumbled under his breath, bringing a hand up to rest it on your head briefly as he leaned his forehead against yours for a second.

You grinned, a full-blown smile that caused his heart to skip a beat at how radiant you were. And then, he got an idea.

But you were surprised when he suddenly got up and tilted your head curiously when he exited the room.

Unlike before when you were so quick to jump to a conclusion, you assumed he had a reason for leaving so abruptly without explanation.

The gears turned in your head as you followed him out, bringing the blanket with for good measure because you were freezing. Until the maintenance could get here, you would have to deal with the chill. Apparently this was an issue that didn't just pertain to you.

Todoroki had texted you and said he was having issues with his too, along with some others who had filed out from the ballroom to crash in their own rooms for the night.

But waiting wasn't too hard. Perhaps you could persuade your new boyfriend to cuddle you.

You poked your head around the corner, growing even more puzzled as Bakugou stomped around, grabbing his keys first before hunting for something else.

"What are you doing?" You asked, unable to quell your curiosity and bewilderment.

He threw an embellished pillow back down on the couch as soon as he checked under it. "I don't know where I put my fucking wallet."

You laughed at his grumble and patted his chest with a wink. "Wait here."

Bakugou eyed you suspiciously as burrito-you darted off back towards the bedroom but his expression cleared up when you came racing back with the slim wallet in your hand, thankfully leaving behind the blanket as you caught onto what he was doing. He took it silently, frustrated with himself for not checking his coat pocket first to save him of this embarrassment.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he turned away. He felt like he was ten again, that's how damn shy he was when it came to you.

A broad grin spread from ear to ear on your face.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked cheekily and he scowled.

"I didn't fucking say anything!!" He exploded, grabbing your wrist and stomping towards the door. "Hurry up, we're leaving."

"Eh?!" You protested but didn't fight him. "Where are we going?"

You were only wearing shorts and his hoodie over your thickest thermal. Since it was warm outside, you hadn't bothered to pack any extra layer and you shivered as a chill ran down your spine. Yup, definitely couldn't wait to go back outside.

"None of your damn business." Bakugou spat as he dragged you out of the room and locked the door.

You continued to pepper him with questions, increasing your pitch when you saw how his nose twitched every single time you annoyed him.

Adorable.

By the time you got back down to the first floor, you were clinging to his arm, teeth chattering from the air conditioning, and he was facing away from you in a manner that clearly stated he regretted bringing you along.

"You love me~" You teased.

"Shut the fuck up. Like hell anyone would like a dumbass like you." He seethed but still didn't pry you off despite him claiming all those things.

You giggled, skipping on ahead. Once you got outside, you spun around on your heel, jutting out your hip. The warmth of the night air was refreshing and you took in a deep breath, smiling widely.

"Where are we going?!" You asked excitedly, trailing behind him as he started walking away, catching up and almost tripping in the process.

Bakugou caught your arm in a flash as you tipped forward, an angry frown etched on his face but you merely beamed at him and thanked him for catching you.

He turned away with a scoff but grabbed your hand to make sure it didn't happen again. "You're fucking clumsy."

Your smile widened as you detected the tiniest bit of worry underlying his sharp tone and you squeezed his hand, heart skipping a beat when he tucked you underneath his arm.

For safety purposes, you assumed.

You snuggled into his side with a blissful sigh. He was so much warmer than you were, it felt so good.

Bakugou spared you a glance out of the corner of his eye and his chest swelled with pride at the eyes that turned, undoubtedly seeing how unashamed you were to be with him. Holy All Might, you were perfect.

The Solaria Hotel was only a five minute walk away from Lunchrush's Grocery Store, a rather huge chain store that had establishments all over Japan, owned by the hero himself. The same hero whose delicious cooking you guys had lived off of for a blessed three years.

"What are we doing here?" You quipped as your eyes widened the moment you strolled in and took in the vibrant colors of all the produce and many packages that lined the shelves.

"I'm not paying shit for that overpriced room service." Bakugou stated flatly as he tossed you a bundle of carrots he just selected.

Your eyes widened as you quickly caught on. "We're going to be cooking?!"

He snorted, sifting through the produce section to find what he was looking for, weeding out the ones that were no good. "No shit, dumbass."

"Hey!!" You protested but carried on without complaint.

The kitchen in your room was fully equipped with all the amenities. Top of the grade appliances and sterling silverware made you feel like you were going to break something initially but that faded pretty fast as your excitement won over. The only thing it was missing was the food.

You had bought ingredients to make a simple stew on the way to the hotel and stored the leftovers in the large fridge.

The Solaria Hotel did offer pre-organized food boxes that came with various delicious ingredients to make it easy on whoever bought it but they were outrageously priced. Hence why you were now browsing the aisles with a disgruntled Bakugou instead of just purchasing one of those.

But you were definitely not going to complain. One of those boxes could drain your entire month's rent in one go and you were told that the portion sizes weren't very big either.

Definitely not worth it.

You would think that since he was the one to bring you here, he would be more enthusiastic, but no. He was more interested in having a staring contest with the brat at the end of the aisle who was making faces at him as soon as he grabbed the last of the things he needed.

You tugged on his arms, trying and failing to get him to break eye contact with the little boy he was glaring to death.

"Katsuki, c'mon," You begged, losing a battle against that ridiculously fit physique of his. You guys were attracting all kinds of unwanted attention from other shoppers and the mom of the little boy was getting a little curious as to the silent competition going on. "Let's just go."

"No way." He gritted out, never once looking away. "This damn brat needs to learn his f—"

He didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence as you forcibly dragged him away to the cash registers. You shook your head as he scowled and crossed his arms stubbornly. He was such a child sometimes.

Bakugou was so busy pouting that you had dragged him away and made him lose by default that he didn't notice you were already paying for the groceries.

"Oi." He barked at you as you hustled outside with the sky painted dark as night. Only the street lamps and lights hitched up outside the strip mall illuminated the area. "Oi!!"

You flashed him a grin. "Yes, Katsuki?"

He rolled his eyes at the innocent lilt in your voice, acting as if you didn't know exactly what you did. You weren't supposed to pay for anything, he was supposed to be treating you.

"But it's your birthday~" You sang. "And I wanted to!!"

"Tch." He whipped his head around, dodging you as you followed him around playfully.

You were like a dog and he was the bone. He wasn't sure he liked that analogy as much as what it implied.

As soon as you pushed through the grand doors of the lavish hotel, you bumped into someone and sent them crashing to the ground.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry— Wait," You gawked in astonishment at the wasted man before you. "Kirishima?!"

He groaned and rubbed his head. He was sent sprawling after you bumped into him, catching the attention of Mina who was strolling by with a half-conscious Sero on her arm.

"Kirishima, what are you doing?!" Mina exclaimed as she bounded over just as you were helping him up after setting Sero down and making sure that he wasn't going to move. She looked the most awake out of all of them. "Don't run off ahead like that!!"

Bakugou didn't do a thing, choosing to only tap his foot impatiently while he waited for you to be done attending to his shitty best friend.

"L/N!!" He slurred and it was then that you realized he was more than a bit tipsy. "I'm soooooo sorry for not telling you about Bakugou's birthday earlier, it was totally my bad."

You raised an eyebrow at hearing him speak in such an unusual way. Alcohol certainly did things to the brain.

Kirishima clapped his hand on your shoulder, ignoring Sero's whining for him to come back as he peeled Mina away from you three, telling her that he was fine.

Lowering his voice, Kirishima wiggled his eyebrows at you comically and caused you to giggle.

"So... how did Bakugou react when ya told him?" He asked in a whisper that was a lot louder than his drunken mind probably intended.

You flushed as Bakugou's inquisitive gaze fixated on you.

"I'm right here, Shitty Hair." He droned, completely uninterested in the way that this conversation was going.

Kirishima's head snapped up at hearing his voice for the first time and though his dilated pupils had a hard time focusing, he eventually managed to do it and a wide, toothy grin spread from ear to ear.

"Bakubro!!" He drunkenly cheered, throwing his arms out and running towards him.

Bakugou scowled, shoving him away as he went to hug him. "Don't fucking call me that."

Kirishima pouted and whined sadly.

"Awwww but you call me Weird Hair all the time." He complained.

Bakugou grinned. "That's because your hair is a shitty color."

"Hey!!" Kirishima's eyes watered and his lower lip trembled. He burst into tears, clinging to you as you drifted back to Bakugou's side.

Mina's golden irises glinted. "Sooooo, does this mean you guys are together?"

You blushed at the brazen implication and sheepishly nodded, unsure of what else to do.

Bakugou stepped in. He slung his arm around your shoulder, uncaring that he now had a much larger audience now that Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, Tsuyu, Shinsou and Shoji decided to venture outside, others coming out in a steady trickle as the night wrapped up.

You huddled closer to his side, hiding your face in his shoulder, growing nervous at all your friends gathering for reasons you'd rather not voice. You weren't sure how Bakugou would take this, if he would deny you in front of all of them.

He didn't seem like the type but a previous ex had been ashamed of you before so now you were wary. Rightfully so, the guy was a complete prick.

You hadn't dated for very long but it was impactful. The guy hadn't gotten close to your heart but the fact that he wasn't big on physical affection and never wanted to hold your hand in public sent the message that he didn't want to be seen with you.

That had never really sat well with you.

You didn't mind at first. After all, you understood that people had different love languages but he put in absolutely no effort to understand yours. But after a while, it was tiring contributing to a relationship that wasn't reciprocated.

You glanced up at Bakugou as he pulled you in tighter to his side.

"Listen up." He stated roughly, making sure everyone was paying attention. "She's my girl now, so don't you extras try any shit."

Bakugou practically smirked proudly as he stared pointedly at a sheepish-looking Kaminari hiding behind an indifferent Jirou. He was rubbing it in his face for the balls he had to flirt with you earlier.

But that didn't make his declaration any less true or genuine. He was proud to have you by his side, even now more than ever as the two of you explored this new part of your life together.

Hagakure and Ochako squealed at his declaration of love and if it was possible, you reddened even further. But you couldn't kid anyone. You felt like you were flying.

Hiding your face in your hands, your embarrassment came out muffled. "Katsuki..."

He snorted at your shyness, then steered you towards the elevators with you tucked under his arm without so much as a wave of farewell to your friends. He saw your knees knocking together, he knew you were fucking cold, so time to go.

You wiggled, shooting the girls an apologetic smile and laughed loudly as Sero and Kaminari obnoxiously whooped and hollered after you two.

Bakugou flipped them the bird, hiding a proud smile when their drunken cheers only grew louder as Kirishima and Shinsou joined in.

"Oi." He poked you cheek as you didn't lift your face away from your new hiding spot to spare you of any more mortification. "Wake the fuck up, shithead."

A cheeky mumble emerged from where your cheek was ordered up against his shirt. "Is that any way to treat your girlfriend?"

"It is when you're being a dumbass." He retorted flatly.

"Hey!!" You cried out indignantly.

You rode the elevator up, squabbling incessantly the entire way there, drawing odd looks from a few of the other guests that you passed but that paled in comparison to your wide smiles and the satisfied smirk permanently plastered on Bakugou's face.

You were having way too much fun to care about anything else.

Once you made it back to your room successfully, you got to work right away.

Giddy over the fact that he had shown you off and high on the endorphins him claiming you in front of all your friends and fellow colleagues brought you had made you extremely hungry. Keeping up with all of Bakugou's newfound love that he was expressing had zapped your energy far more than you were willing to admit.

"Oi, you're shit at cooking." Bakugou said after a minute of watching you wreck everything in the kitchen.

"Don't yell at me!! I already know I suck at it!!" You whined childishly, throwing up the spatula in frustration.

Bakugou chuckled, plucking the wretched thing from your fingers and took over. You had managed to make soup earlier and not burn down the place in the process so he wasn't sure why stirring the pot was now such a big deal.

But he shook his head as he caught the glint of mischief in your eye. He knew that look. You knew exactly what you were doing to him.

Fuck, he was screwed. He never should've told you how long he had pined after you. But it was no use, he was too weak for you.

You balked at the soft expression on his face. He had never looked at you like that before.

Before you knew what you were doing, you were blurting out how him declaring that in front of all of your friends had made you so happy and at the downward curve of displeasure on Bakugou's face, you elaborated that you had someone who didn't make you feel very loved in the past.

You weren't sure why you were telling him this. It wasn't like it was exactly easy to say all of this out loud but after years of knowing him, you knew he was the last person who would judge you for feeling the way you were feeling.

So you spilled it all.

You squeaked in surprise as he caught you off guard once you finished, crushing you to his chest. Your hands lifted up and automatically looped around his neck, stumbling a bit as he backed you up against the counter.

"Katsuki?!" You exclaimed in astonishment at the sudden display of affection from the normally so standoffish guy.

"I will never be ashamed of you. You're stuck with me for fucking forever and I'll kill you if you say any other shit." Bakugou muttered into the crook of your neck.

You were moved at his expression of the feelings he had for you and clutched onto the back of his shirt, hugging him tight.

He stayed there, in the same position, pinning you to the counter of the kitchen in the hotel room you had come to share and embraced you until you peeled away.

Bakugou's eyes softened when you looked away from him and sniffled. It could be classified as very unladylike, the way you wiped your nose with the back of your hand, but he didn't give a damn.

You were his.

After all these years of pining after you, thinking that he would never be enough to have you, thinking that he would never amount to someone who deserved you, you were finally his.

His heart was going to explode but if he let that happen, he would have to deal with Shitty Hair, Dunce Face, Raccoon-Eyes and Flat Face for the rest of his fucking life and like hell he would put up with those irritating extras.

Even if they did kind of manage to bring you two together.

The table for two at dinner, your messed up reservation that left you without a place to crash and that dress Ponytail Girl had bought for you, it all added up. They had been planning this for years since they knew of the feelings you both held for each other.

All you needed was a push.

Whatever. There was no way he was going to give them credit for this. They would probably use it as blackmail at some point and he was not going to tolerate that.

He quickly finished up the home cooked meal, flipping open the cap to the soy sauce you bought and drizzled it on top, adding a few drops of sesame oil to complete it and shoved a plate in your direction to bring into the bedroom while he quickly did the dishes.

The midnight moon's light spilled into the room as you danced around Bakugou, carrying two plates full of warm food to the bed after you were done goofing around and pretending to drop them. Sheer silk curtains hanging from the canopy of the bed swished in your wake as you breezed by to open the french doors, setting the plates down on his nightstand before gliding across the balcony that you had missed upon your initial exploration of the room.

This place was so big, you wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of secret passageway in the closet that led to the other rooms.

The night air was pleasant and a welcome change of temperature as it soothed your chilly skin.

You smiled to yourself as Bakugou came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck and inhaled deeply. His heat encompassed you as he hugged you from behind and lightly kissed the spot just below your ear.

You giggled at the ticklish sensation and gasped when he pinched your side in retaliation.

"Katsuki~"

His given name still felt foreign on your tongue but you'd be damned if you didn't get used to it with the flustered reaction he never failed to give you.

"Don't fucking start with me, dumbass." He smirked, growling lowly. "I don't have a fucking problem with putting you in your place."

You cocked your head to the side, playing dumb, pretending you didn't know what that insinuation meant. "Oh?"

Bakugou groaned as the mood suddenly vanished. "Piss off."

Bakugou cracked a smile though when your easy laughter rang out. Yeah, it wasn't fair that he was left in a now uncomfortable situation but it was worth it to endure if he could hear that sound again.

Fuck, you were so precious.

The late night room service dished out by yours truly was served on the bed while you giggled underneath the covers, hiding from him and shrieking when he found you.

It was warm and fuzzy, the atmosphere easy and relaxed as you cuddled up to him and ate the food he made for you specifically so that it wouldn't make your stomach hurt.

Initially, he had declared that eating on the bed was going to be fucking dirty and messy if you spilled anything, which he was almost 100% sure you would, but gave into you when you transfixed your wide eyes on him, pleading for this one thing.

The two of you didn't look at each other while you ate, you didn't need to. The stolen glances between bites of food were enough as you shared idly and informal conversation to get to know each other better now that your feelings had been aired and returned by the other.

The quiet confession that rang out from you both was almost tear-jerking as he confessed he never thought he would get a chance to be with someone like you and you pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, telling him that he deserved the world and more, and if one day you could give it to him, you would.

The heater had yet to be fixed but that didn't bother him anymore as he used the opportunity to gather you in his arms and hug you tight.

Yeah, you two needed to make up for lost time but for now, he was more than content to just let it be. Tangled with you, under the moon and the stars as he kissed you, he swore that he would never stop fighting for you, to protect you always and cherish you with all that he fucking had.

Because Bakugou Katsuki, the man who didn't need anything or anyone to go up against the toughest villains to date, fell to pieces when it came to you.

Bonus:

"I still can't believe you told me that so late. I could've gotten him a gift!!" You complained to Kirishima on the second day when he was hungover and groaning, throwing pillows at you to get you out of his room.

You managed to dodge every last one.

"I mean, I don't get it." You tapped a finger to your chin coyly as you smoothly sidestepped and twirled around two more he launched in your direction. He was going to run out of ammo at this point. "Why tell me so late? And if you guys already knew, then I'm surprised you didn't get anything for him or throw a party or something."

Sero groaned painfully in the corner, his head felt like it was going to split in two and he was quite certain it would if you didn't stop talking soon. "Y/N, it's so early."

"It's noon." You deadpanned, only for Sero to slap a pillow over his face and promptly fall back asleep.

"Y/N!!" Mina called out as she bustled back into the bedroom with a tray of tea. "Where did that boyfriend of yours run off to?"

You blushed as she said it so bluntly and coughed to hide it. "He's trying to get the heater thing sorted out."

Last night, you had been shivering so much that he had taken to warming you up other ways just to get your teeth to stop chattering. And let's just say it was a little harder to walk today because of it.

This morning when you woke up, he had been yelling into the phone that they needed to bring more blankets up right fucking now or else he would explode off their arms since they couldn't do the most fucking simple of tasks and you swiped the phone from him, rapidly and profusely apologizing for his brash language on behalf of the angry pomeranian simmering beside you.

You threw in that you would be grateful if they could spare more but if others needed it more than you told them you two would be fine and could make do before thanking them for their time and hanging up.

And since Bakugou insisted that the heater needed to be fixed today or else you were going to get sick, he allocated you to Kirishima's room, one of the only ones not having any problems while he demanded some answers from the hotel staff and got someone to fucking fix the shitty thing.

So now, here you were. And you had a score to settle with Kirishima anyways, so you weren't bothered.

Mina had already told you everything. Everyone had been in on it.

You weren't shocked by Kaminari and Shinsou and most of the others' involvement in this little scheme but you were surprised to hear it had been Iida's idea to make both of you sit at the same table with no other company.

You'd have to thank them all later.

An hour and several more pillows thrown later, you and Mina had managed to drag down the two sleepy boys just in time to greet your old teachers alongside the rest of your peers as they stepped through the door.

"Aizawa-sensei!!" You cheered, launching yourself forward so that he'd have to catch you.

He did so without much difficulty, his tired eyes brightening up a little bit as you hugged him tight. Out of all his students, he had the closest bond with you.

"Hey, kid." He greeted tiredly, tugging along his sleeping bag and you lifted an eyebrow when you realized that while Midnight and Mic rolled in their luggage, he only brought his trademark yellow sleeping bag. All Might was parking the car and would be come inside within the next few minutes.

"Where's the rest of your things?" You asked just as Yaoyorozu and Iida greeted Midnight and Mic was tackled in a hug by Jirou.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before yawning. "You really think I'm going to do anything else besides sleep this weekend, kid? Nah."

You frowned at him. "You can't just sleep the whole day away."

"Uh uh," He tutted, wagging a finger in your face for a second before yawning again. "Not day. Days."

You pouted at the correction and he rolled his eyes, resting a hand on top of your head to let you know that he was just kidding and you smiled brightly.

"Here, at least let me help bring it upstairs." You bargained, taking it off his hands.

A smug voice stopped you dead in your tracks.

"Hey, Y/N, why you walking funny?" Kaminari said with a shit-eating grin and it took every fiber of self-control not to freak out.

"Uh, I'm not?"

But your high pitch due to your embarrassment and mortification at being called out won over and Shinsou sniggered in the background.

"Classy." He teased, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't peg you for the type to do it on the first date."

"Oh hush, show some respect!!" Yaoyorozu chastised but your dignity was long gone.

Your face broke out in relief though when the elevator in the lobby dinged and a disgruntled Bakugou stepped out, his vermilion eyes widening a fraction when you sped over to him.

"Whoa— What the, why the hell are your eyes red?!" He rushed out, gripping your shoulders and pulling your close to make sure he saw that right. His eyes narrowed angrily when you sniffled. "Tell me who the fuck made you cry."

"Oh shit." Kaminari and Shinsou swore under their breath as your enraged, extremely protective boyfriend stormed over to them with a deadly aura rolling off him in tsunami sized waves.

Midnight held up her hand, stopping him dead in his tracks at the authority his former teacher held. "Hold on please, just a second."

Everyone waited with bated breath to see what she would do. Would she defend you? Tell off Kaminari who had embarrassed you? Or would she let the hothead hell bent on vengeance regain your honor?

She didn't do any of those things.

Instead, Midnight smirked and held out her hand with the palm upturned to Aizawa with a sly smile. "Pay up. I called it."

Your mouth dropped, along with everyone else's as Aizawa forked over 10,000 yen. Even Koda, Sato and Tokoyami looked shocked, which was so rare, it scared you.

Todoroki was the only one who looked confused but Midoriya was right there to explain what was happening and why the sum of money so significant as you shrieked, shrill and high, thoroughly put off.

"What?!" Your embarrassment long forgotten, thankfully, by everyone else as this new revelation hit them like a truck. "You bet on us?!"

"Just you." Aizawa yawned nonchalantly, blinking his eyes wearily. "C'mon L/N, I thought you would turn him down."

"What?!" You screeched as Bakugou narrowed his eyes at his former homeroom teacher, taking that as a challenge.

Aizawa rolled his eyes as Bakugou got all up in his face, demanding to know just what he meant as Mic threw his head back and announced for all to hear.

"Y/NNNNNNN'S GOT A BOYYYYFRIENDDDD!!!!!!"

Clapping your hands over your ears as every single glass thing within the vicinity shattered, you grinned as the tremors passed by within a few seconds. One perk of having time as a teacher who used his quirk so often on accident, all of you learned how to mitigate the most damage he dealt to your surroundings and deflect it.

Jirou shook her head at you in amusement as Bakugou, who was the closest to Mic aside from Kaminari who had taken up refuge from behind Midnight, flatly stated that he could no longer hear.

To which, Mic screamed even louder.

"I CALLED IT FROM DAY ONEEEEEE!!!!"

"That's enough, Mic." Aizawa said, rubbing his temples to ease the headache that had just come on and offered up a slightly reassuring smile to Tsuyu who hopped over to check on him.

Mic pouted dramatically. "But Shouta—"

"Stop it, you're embarrassing them." He sighed, reining in the energetic blond. "And you embarrassing them is embarrassing me."

Midnight cooed. "Awww, he's happy for them."

"Shut up, Nemuri."

You giggled as the three of them began to bicker amongst themselves, who called it first, who saw the chemistry you two had, who was the first one to realize that it was more than just a school crush, all of it.

After beating up Kaminari and Shinsou behind their backs, Bakugou made his way over to you, wiping his hands on his pants and he smiled at you cockily.

"Heater's fixed."

You raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He hummed. "Mmhm, so wanna get out of here?"

You laughed lightly, being careful not to draw too much attention to yourselves as you slipped away when Mic let out a particularly piercing shriek that he should've gotten the money because he paired the two of you for a project when you were in his English class.

Classic Mic.

"What about breakfast?" You asked as you two took the emergency stairs, at least, just for the first couple of floors until you were clear. You weren't sure your legs would survive the 80 flights just to reach your room.

Bakugou smirked and his mouth ghosted the shell of your ear. "Don't need that shit, I got something better."

Something told you that you weren't going to be leaving the bed for the rest of this trip.

Oh well.

You supposed this was one way to exercise.