#and bits of this costume r not working for me but we ball

[arsenicflame]

heading out to the con now! you can find me out there as maggie!

[sound-wav3]

Fictober 2024

Fairground

Prompt: 12 ("did you hear that?")

Fandom: Original Work

Rating: E

The fairground felt was alive with constant sights, sounds, and smells. It was a bit overwhelming. "Hey, you okay?" Adam asked. I nodded. He didn't seem convinced. "We can take a minute and sit down somewhere."

...I nodded again. Adam led me over to food stalls. It was oddly quieter over here. We found a bench way off to the side. "I'm gonna grab us some food." I nodded and watched him walk off. I then glanced around at the other people around.

So many humans. And most dressed up. Made sense. All Hallows' Eve was in a week. Human holidays are strange, but fun. Adam came back over. He was carrying two plates.

"These are corn dogs." He gestured to something on a stick. "Try it. You'll like it." I picked it up by the stick. Adam sat watching me. I opened my beak and took a bite. Adam laughed a bit watching me eat. I didn't care I was to busy eating the rest of the corn dog.

"Glad you like it." I smiled at him around a beak-ful of food. I had seen the plates also had french fries so I started eating those too. Adam was eating too now. Much slower than I was. I started to slow down.

"Are you having fun?" I nodded. "Good. I know you're not very comfortable with crowds, but I'm glad you decided to join me."

"Corn dog... good." Human words were still hard to say, but I was starting to get the hang of them.

Adam chuckled. "And how about the rest of the fair? Handling it all okay?"

I looked around again. People were all over the place. Playing games, eating food, and riding rides. "Loud. Bright. Crowd. Having good time."

Adam smiled at me. "I'm glad. We should hit up the games next." I nodded. We finished eating and moved onto the games. A lot of them involved throwing. I wanted to try all of them. Ring toss, Balloon pop, Bucket ball. Straight forward names.

Adam and I were bad at them. We didn't win any. Until the shooting range. Adam was oddly good at that one. He won a medium sized plush unicorn for me. I hugged it tightly.

We started walking away. I bumped into someone. "Sorry."

The person I bumped into was dressed up like a cat witch. "No, it's my fault. Oh my god! I love your costume! Your wings are so pretty!"

"T-thanks. They're r-real."

"Oh wow! You're a Harpy then? That's pretty cool! Nice meeting you!"

She walked off with her friends. I beamed. My wings started to flutter.

"Aw, did you hear that?" I Smiled at Adam. We continued on with the fair. I think i was starting to get more used to people.

[kabillieu]

We had a nice time last night! At the birthday ball last year, R was still tiny and I hadn’t been to a big crowded event since before I was pregnant with him. The planning committee had underestimated the number of people and we were crammed into a too-small ballroom. I pretty much left my body and hovered on the ceiling the whole time. This time we were in an appropriately sized ballroom, and I was able to successfully make small talk instead of, like, blankly disassociate. We also left relatively early and got cocktails downtown and came home and ate frozen Costco pizza. A very successful outing!

When we walked into the bar two women immediately told me they liked my dress, which I really appreciate because it’s a bit…much.

I bought this vintage blue cocktail ring and beaded purse from Etsy about 15 years ago. They’re both from the ‘50s/‘60s. I use the cocktail ring for pretty much every fancy event. I use the purse less because the beading is beginning to fall off, but I still use it because it’s so beautiful and I love it.

I’ve been working on acquiring some fine jewelry over the past few years, and it was fun to wear a mixture of fine and costume jewelry last night.

Overall, A+ outing.

[nerdyvocals]

hi

What are your thoughts on Cynthia's dress and where she got it from?

SO GLAD YOU ASKED

I'd had some initial thoughts based on my first impression of the dress when I watched the episode, which I expanded on with further research of 1950s fashion plus my own knowledge of storytelling via costumes and color theory. Please note before I get into this theory that it is just that: a theory, based on the analysis of a garment and the knowledge I have acquired via my specific education and discipline.

That said, I do know for a fact that at least some part of my line of thought was correct. A few days ago, I stumbled across an Instagram page, (pinkladiescostumes), which is run by Sam Hawkins, the costumer who designed episodes 4-10. Hawkins has made several posts with clearer images of certain costumes, original concept designs, the inspiration behind the looks, and detailed descriptions of the reasonings/ideas behind them and what they're meant to convey. Highly recommend you give the page a follow if you use insta and are interested in costumes!

Now let's get into it. As before, this is a long post, so analysis is under the cut.

First things first, what are we working with here?

(Images from @ pinkladiescostumes on instagram)

It's got a floor-length hem, with a tulle overskirt. It looks to me like the tulle is tiered (I think I'm counting eleven tiers??? God, making a three-tiered skirt in a class last semester nearly gave me a mental breakdown, I think eleven tiers of TULLE would have actually killed me), but the rest of the skirt layers are not. Spaghetti straps, with a detachable tulle shawl. And what looks like a nice lacy, flowery detailing on the bodice. Light, girly, and flowy. (Also fun fact from the costume page: This was an actual vintage dress that was altered to fit Ari! The shawl was added on for Cynthia, though.)

I know I've previously called this look a monstrosity, but that was mainly in jest. This dress is GORGEOUS, it's just not very Cynthia.

Of course, that is, in fact, the point. But I will circle back to that. I want to talk about why I think this is a new dress. Let's talk a bit about school dance history and fashion trends.

It was around the 1930s that school dances as we know them today began to arise. The debutante balls held by colleges began to gain a casual cousin in high schools by the names of soph hops and proms. By the 50's, tea-length dresses came into fashion, similar to what Jane is wearing. Speghetti straps and strapless were making their appearances as well, usually paired with shawls (even useless little ones like what Cynthia is wearing!). The rise of rock and roll and other such music that inspired fast, swinging dances meant that fuller skirts with lots of movement were a go-to. I was doing digging and found a few articles with some interesting pictures.

(Image from Elle article "Prom Dresses Through the Years: An Evolution" by Mary Grace Garis and Charlotte Chilton)

(Image from The Vintage Inn article "Prom in the 19040s and 1950s")

(Image from VintageDancer article, "1950s History of Prom, Party, Evening and Formal Dresses")

(Image from r/VintageFasion post by u/bonesbugsnferns, "took my great grandmothers 1954 prom dress out to see glenn miller orchestra with my boy:))

Do any of these look familiar?

Each of these dresses are from the very early 1950s; at most from '55. Why is that significant? Well, in 1954, when season one takes place, you probably wouldn't find these dresses second-hand.

Now, admittedly, this is where my theory becomes less physical-evidence based and is pulling more from my own lived experiences, but bear with me and hear me out.

Coming off of The Great Depression and World War II, people were hesitant to get rid of things, especially clothes, and especially women. A dress for a dance might only be worn once, but it would be saved in a chest or an attic for a future generation (see above, the reddit user who wore her grandmother's prom dress from 1954) rather than be taken to a charity shop.

Of course, the Fall Ball wasn't a prom, but I raise you this: my grandmother still has every school dress she ever wore, whether it be prom, homecoming, or a winter formal; as do most of my aunts, cousins, and female friends. I still have my eighth-grade Who's Who semi-formal dress in my closet at my mother's house, and my prom dress is still in its original bag (class of 2020! I did not get my prom).

I grew up very poor, and most of my dance dresses came from thrift stores. Rule of thumb: anything you find that's gonna be in budget is gonna be at least five years out of fashion.

So, this leads me to believe that Cynthia splurged and bought a new dress. It fits in with her story arch as well.

At this point in time, Cynthia's having a rough go of it. They've been pushed out of her comfort zone in the drama club, she bailed on the play quite literally at the last possible second, and they're having feelings for a girl that she's not ready to, and cannot safely, confront. Being queer in high school, especially when you are or believe yourself to be the only one in your friend group who is, is a very isolating experience. And remember your LGBT history kids: being gay was a criminal offense, even in California, for most of the 20th century (in fact, California wouldn't see a significant attempt to lessen the laws until the 1960s).

So keep in mind here: Cynthia's hesitation to act on their feelings (or rather, the total refusal to acknowledge them) isn't (just) coming from something as simple as a fear of rejection or social isolation: if she is found out, she is risking a criminal record, imprisonment, forced conversion, or death.

And how does that fear manifest? By trying to look as much like a girl as possible. And if that means buying a brand-new dress she'd only wear once? Then so be it.

And this dress is the antithesis of anything we see Cynthia wear in the entire series. Their wardrobe is full of dark colors and loose fits, sharp lines and relaxed appearances. Even her more feminine school clothes contain traces of these more masculine elements. So what is this dress trying to say?

Anyone here familiar with color theory?

A brief explanation: our brains associate colors with certain things, and a designer will utilize these associations when trying to elicit a certain thought or feeling about something. (An example of this going badly that I feel most are familiar with, see: A Children's Hospital.)

(Image from Colors Explained article, "Meaning of the Color Yellow: Symbolism, Common Uses, & More")

This graphic I found explains what yellow is associated with pretty well. Every color has its positive and negative connotations, and what is being done with Cynthia's dress is very clever.

As I stated previously, they are trying very hard to put up a front of being perfectly fine. She is not ready to confront her feelings for Lydia, let alone the fact that she's queer, and both of these things are burdens she has to carry alone. So she throws herself into a date with the one boy she can guarantee is interested in her. She dons a flowery, lacy, yellow dress, looking as much like the "pretty peppies" as she can make herself appear. And she tries so hard to seem happy with him; be the enthusiastic, bubbly, smiley girlfriend.

Lydia, of course, sees right through this. "You can't pull that off."

And we see the mask slip. Yellow means other things as well; caution, sickness, cowardice, betrayal.

Caution: this carefully crafted straight girl persona.

Sickness: anyone can see how uncomfortable, how ill they look in their own skin.

Cowardice: running, running, running; from the play, from Lydia, from the Pink Ladies, from what she's realizing about herself.

Betrayal: Lashing out at Lydia when she tries to make amends. Dragging Shy Guy into the kitchen, just to hurt her. Pushing him to do more, blaming him when he can't make her feel normal, turning her cruelty on him, damaging a life-long friendship in the process.

And in the end, a new dress didn't matter. It doesn't make her 'normal', doesn't make these terrifying notions go away. It was only a warning sign for what was to come.

If you stuck around this long, props to you! This went on longer than I intended, but y'know, I got a lot to say. I've got a few more costume analysis requests burning a hole in my ask box, plus my list of fic plans (which has gotten... longer), but I'm going to have to take a brief hiatus. On top of my summer stock work getting more intense in a few days, I also need to prepare a research proposal in association with my degree track so that I can graduate on time, and I have to start working on the first draft soon, so if I put myself on hiatus from what I want to be writing, I'm hoping I can force myself to get what I have to write done faster. Part of said research is going to involve looking into 1950s fashion, so I'm counting this as a knowledge refresher.

That said, I'm leaving my ask box open to more requests, questions, or anything else, and I'll get to them as I can. Bye for now!

[tutuandscoot]

Ok my beautiful people! I have a bit of a treat for you today (we’ll idk if it’s a ‘treat’ like a good thing/ like something y’all want but.. anyway).

Since I’ve been feeling incredibly guilty over not posting regularly lately (soz..life/mental health/my love of sleep) I’ve got a new kind of post for you today that I’ve kinda wanted to do for a while but didn’t really have the balls to/not sure if it’s what people want/turn out good.

So. I FINALLY found a working link to Prince at 2017 nationals! Its not on yt or vimeo or any other standard video site and i just randomly stumbled across it in this master post (i will be spending some time working my way through all of this). So THANK YOU OP.

So i thought it would be fun to do a little live commentary/first reaction video since i cant do this on any other comp skate bc i think ive seen them all! (Other than bby/junior vm comps).

I apologise for the voice reveal in advance and if the quality is trash.. its my first time doing this:

So here it is with my commentary below. And here is a link to the actual video with TSN commentary

https://vimeo.com/844170347

*writing this next part after recording it:

•I’m sorry I didn’t realised I said ‘like’ so much but I didn’t say ‘um’ as much as I thought. so I’ll work on that.

•apologies for the scratchy sound the whole way through I was playing with my earphone mic

•Things I didn’t say watching it that I’d wish I had:

-FUCK, Tessa just looks so damn good in that costume. Like her L E G S. the quality of her leg extensions and toe point- like she doesn’t have the longest legs in the world but in this they do look so long.

-Scootie is precious AF in this whole thing- esp the K+C when the score comes up he was so excited and happy bc he thought maybe it wasn’t good with the music being wrong/twizzles sloppy

-Hip hop isnt my thing (knowledge wise) so there wasn’t a lot of technical/dance analysis that I would maybe do in more balletic/contemporary programs

-I know WP and CP were still to skate so the gap would shrink but can we just take a moment for the 22 point gap between them and the next team!

- I say in it it’s great how R+T don’t talk through the program but I wish they’d shut up when VM are in the k+c so we can hear them.

SO, if y’all found that interesting/bearable I’d love to do more but won’t bombard you with them if it’s not what people want- I love writing detailed posts and still plan to do that bc I don’t speak anywhere near as eloquently/comprehensively as I write, but these are quicker (but more expensive) to make and I guess I naturally would say things out loud that I don’t think to write and vis versa, so it could be good for that reason (for myself as well seeing what I pick up on in the moment). So even though all the others won’t be ‘first reaction’ videos I think it still might be fun. I would also be SUPER KEEN to do a group commentary with some of you fine people, after I watched this one, getting others takes live I think would be really cool.. but we can get to that later/work it out if anyone is interested.

Let me know what y’all think of this please. Again, soz for the voice reveal, the ‘shits’ (yes, I swear). Hopefully I can do some more nuanced ones in the future with more practice.

[the-kr8tor]

One thing about me is that I rarely cry at movies/angsty writing. BUT KATY- YOU GOT ME TEARING UP. MEAN >:( Daily Hobie HC! Bit of a warning but hobie comforting r:) Hobie knew how sometimes you felt hopeless. Like you couldn't get out of a box you trapped yourself in, or sometimes how you'd get so numb. You can been doing so well for the year you've been with him. An entire year, all without any new scars added to your body. Hobie's been so proud of you. However, he's noticed how some serious drama-related issues in your friend group rose and was causing you a lot of distress and spiraling. Hobie knew he couldn't convince you to try and take a break from them all, especially when they've practically dragged you into the center like superglue to try and fix everything. So he just stays by your side. If you were going to have to be dragged in the middle of the chaos, Hobie will stay by your side to give you a sense of peace in the midst of everything. Upon coming home from band practice, his spidey senses were tingling immensely. He kept his footsteps light, as to not frighten you. Hobie has a gut feeling of what happened, and he's already prepared himself to help. Beforehand, he picks out a roll of gauze, wound spray, tissues, disinfectant, and of course, himself. Hobie slowly opens the door, to see you in tears with beads of blood pricking out from your lined injuries and flowing down, staining the pads of your fingers. You freeze up, panicking as you splutter out apologies in fear that Hobie would say something. Yet instead, he kneels down before you and gently wraps his arms around your middle, hugging you closely. Hobie says nothing apart from gently hugging you, not wanting to make your wounds worse. He kisses away your tears, softly prying your hands away from your arms and into his own, not caring about the blood at the moment. After some gentle hugs and kisses, his calloused hands wiping your tears away, he picks out a few tissues and wipes away the flowing blood, before dabbing some disinfectant with a cotton ball on the lines on your arms. Hobie gives you a few tissues and cotton balls as well, allowing you to do your other arm while he worked on one. Hobie continues to shower you in many honey-sweet kisses and words as he helps you clean yourself up, eventually wrapping the gauze around your arms, making sure they were tight yet non-restricting. He chuckled lightheartedly as you made a joke about being a mummy for halloween, following it up with how he should be a zombie to match. Hobie helped you up on the bed, pressing his lips against yours warmly, before quickly packing up and returning back to the bathroom to wash the blood off his hands, similarly to how you would whenever you patched him up. Upon returning, Hobie picked you up and turned you both around, so that you were sitting on his lap while he was on the bed. Hobie's large palms rested against your thighs, massaging slow circles as he continues on the subject of halloween costumes, distracting your mind from the chaos. -🐦‍⬛

Hehehehehe 😁 all in a day's work 🫡

Daily Hobie HC!!

BROOOO 😭😭😭 THIS IS REVENGE ISN'T IT??

Me when I write angst: muahahahha 😈

Me reading angst: HOW COULD U DO THIS TO ME? 😭

He's so sweet and considerate we all need someone like hobs 🥹

[nexility-sims]

𝐍𝐎. 𝟎𝟕: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥   /  THE BERMET-PERLA HOTEL, NAKAWE, 1935

❧  𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  /  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

The Bermet-Perla, a social center in the capital’s vibrant downtown, attracts a range of clientele. Only the most distinguished visitors book its sumptuous rooms, but it has always been more than a traveler’s stop. Its cavernous lobby, dining rooms, private parlors, elegant ballrooms, and other luxurious gathering spaces make it a hub for the city’s upper crust. Representatives of the Crown—whether princesses or bureaucrats—easily rub elbows with the fashionable, influential denizens of Nakawe. Rowena meets her favorite socialites here for productive luncheons such as today’s but also for her second favorite use of time: leisure. Years ago, Mafalda had introduced her to the core crowd in this very lobby. Rowena added other friends to this high society cadre as as time passed, all women just as colorful as herself. It was one way of making herself feel at home.

❧ ft. characters from: @royalsimsinsider​​, @cassimopeia​​, @trentonsimblr​​​, @theroyalsofcorrilea​​, & @simming-in-the-rain​​

TRANSCRIPT:

[M] Even that ambassador from Alexandra is here this morning, huh?

[S] You're late, Princess. [R] Well, if I were too late, you all would be upstairs right now!

[C] If we want to materialize any of today’s plans, we will each need to do a bit of fundraising before the month’s end.

[C] Our remaining business will be tabled until next time.

[C] Aline, you and Lavinia can manage those efforts.

[C] Our remaining business will be tabled until next time.

{Overlapping chatter.}

[ME] We have seen so little of you, Mafalda. [MA] The Crown requires some of us work, unfortunately.

[H] We missed you at school this morning. [R] Well...

[H] you do not have to explain to me. I only pray for your wellbeing. [R] You are a sugarplum, Halima: sweet as can be.

[R] Alfonso called to tell me the drop-off went well, which was very happy news. You know how Beatriz is. She hardly needs parenting. [H] Perhaps some of her maturity will rub off on Ysabel.

[H] And, on the topic of happy news, I have a tidbit you may like. [R] Do you now?

[H] There is a gentleman in town—well, soon to arrive. Dimas has a cousin who has been hosting him for weeks. He is a writer from Eldwine. [R] Pfft. You know I don’t read. [H] This writer is famous! You must know of him, one Art Fletcher.

[R] Oh! His work is in all the good magazines from home. Famous is right. His pieces are thrilling, or so I hear. What an opportunity! [H] I suspected you would think so. [R] And I suspect a fellow like Mr. Fletcher may appreciate an invitation to my costume ball.

CHARACTERS, in order of appearance, left to right:

Countess Caileigh Bartram 

Marchioness Aline Mendoza 

HH Ayden Ishmael of Alexandra

Duchess Lavinia Ximenes 

HRH Nicola Dugant of Correlia

[satansaidmyturnintheh3llscape]

Everything Right/Wrong with Ninjago “Legacy of the Green Ninja” E2: Pirates Vs. Ninja

Disclaimers: Show owned by LEGO. This is not a professional review/critique - it’s mainly intended for comedy.

- Intro ✅

- Soto writes in his journal vertically ❌

- Actual dr*nk pirate in a kids show ❌

- “… the fabled Island of Darkness.” Foreshadowing ✅

- First 2 minutes of a kids show depicts a pirate crew dying violently at sea… maybe this is why they were allowed to show the dr*nk guy ❌

- “Woah, grasshopper!” Grasshopper ✅

- “How about some target practice? On Kai!” If Kai’s the target, then why is Cole wearing the bowl on his head? ❌

- Wait is someone actually allowing Ultra Dragon to perch on their roof, or is Nya sitting him here without the building owner’s consent? ❌

- “Like a magic portal?” Was that another voice swap?!? Godd*mmit, I thought we left these in season 1! ❌

- “Keep up with him you slithering idiots!” They don’t slither - they have legs! ❌

- I know why Garmadon can’t hurt Ultra, but give me one reason as to why Ultra can’t just turn around and blow the ship up ❌

- “This crew sounds like they knew how to fly a ship!” They gave the wheel to the dude with no eyes ❌

- “Welcome to Grand Sensei Dareth’s Mojo Dojo.” No. ❌

- Look, Dareth gets better in later seasons. I enjoy him in Crystalized and Prime Empire and stuff, but early Dareth? I wanna snap his spine like a KitKat.

- ^ How does Dareth untangled himself from those bead things that easily without them getting tangled into each other? Maybe Dareth is really the master of beads… or balls? ⬇️

- ^ yeah, that adds up

- “How many trophies do you have?” 30 something-year old man makes fun of an 8 year old for literally no reason ❌

- “… Lord Garmadon destroyed the Devourer.” I’m only gonna mention this briefly since I’ll go into more detail during season 8 but Garmadon never would’ve been able to do sh*t against the Devourer had it not been for the ninja trapping it. ❌

- ^ I’m living for the hand gestures Kai makes during this scene ✅

- “It only has the power to create!” Or it only works when you say “I wish.” You didn’t say that with Ultra, but you did say it with the pirates. Look, all I’m saying is Garmadon comes to this conclusion a bit too quickly ❌

- Taking a villain that’s bent on destruction and equipping him with a weapon that can’t destroy anything but can only create stuff is a genuinely interesting concept. Personally, I just wish it was done better than it was, because it had a lot of potential that I felt wasn’t really lived up to. ❌

- “But instead of 10 boards, how about 50?” End me now please ❌

- Also, Jeffy and Phil are literally just Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Usually, I’d win this like I do with most references but this is a sin because f*ck JK R*wling ❌

- “I don’t like the kid coming along.” The kid ✅

- “Please, please, please? I’ll be super good!” He’s just a little guy :( ✅

- The ninja think it’d be too dangerous to take Lloyd with them, so they decide to leave him alone on a public bus that could travel anywhere around the city? ❌

- “Pajama man!” PAJAMA MAN ✅

- “Dang it, Dareth!” A slightly more PG version of what I would say

- Did they actually have the money to pay for these costumes or did they legit steal them? ❌

- Jay literally looks Kai up and down and says “wow.” Bisexual Jay canon? ✅

- “We have to save him.” “We can’t get close enough without blowing our cover!” Kai thinks their cover is more important than Dareth. I mean, I agree, but still ❌

- “who here wants to see him go splat?” ME!

- “Who here wants to see him live!” *confused pirate noises* ✅

- Also, neither Jay nor Kai speak up when Jay says that. Again, I agree, but these guys are supposed to be the heroes! ❌

- Where are Zane and Cole throughout the entire plank scene? ❌

- “More pajama men?” “Where? I can’t see!” Are jokes about blind people forgetting they’re blind similar to when bilingual characters “forget to switch” which language they’re speaking in? ❌

- “Ninja vs pirates… who will win?” I still think that the fact that we didn’t get a definitive answer to this question is the soul reason for why Skybound was made. I’m gonna let you all decide if that’s a sin or win.

- Since when does Zane use smoke bombs? ❌

- Okay who put a gum ball machine on the Bounty and why???? ❌

- “Jay!” Okay, but I’m with Jay on this one. If y’all are gonna be dumb enough to actually fall a victim to this gum ball thing I think you deserve the face the consequences ❌

- Lloyd just completely took Zane out I’m- ✅

- Kai puts Lloyd upside down in a BARREL because surely that’s safe /s ❌

- “I just did Spinjitzu for the first time!” Why does this line delivery remind me of the dialogue from Dora the Explorer? ❌

- I know we established that Lloyd can harness all four elements of creation, but this energy ball/green power thing really did just come out of nowhere, didn’t it? ❌

- “Your powers are too uncontrollable!” Cole wants to warn Lloyd so bad that he astral projects his voice through Kai to do so ❌

- Annndddd Nya just tore the sail ❌

- “You’re getting stronger son, but you’ll never be strong enough to defeat me! Give up, before it’s too late!” Well this dynamic seems a little… different compared to the last time we saw it? ❌

- Also, shouldn’t Lloyd be getting punished for this? He was told not to come because it’s dangerous (and it is) and he ignored them and went anyway. He seriously could’ve gotten killed! I’m not saying he needs to be grounded for life or anything but the ninja should explain to him why he shouldn’t have come. ❌

- I’m sorry I love the way they’re all staring affectionately at Lloyd. Like, he’s their little brother and they love him and ahhhh ✅

Sentence: Dareth

[bunnyywritings]

unexpected

tenya iida x fem!reader

[a/n: he’s so cute hehehe 🥺 here’s my first Iida fic, it’s your basic summer trope but...I simp for this man on the daily, I was a little sad to see that there aren’t many Tenya fics out there so I took it into my own hands, this is slightly self-indulgent but other than that, he deserves some love so uh yeah, enjoy! -yours truly, bunnyy -`ღ´-]

Class 1-A just couldn’t take the heat anymore so they begged and begged and begged until Aizawa finally gave in and planned a class trip to the beach.

Today, the girls decided to head to the mall and buy some new swimsuits since wearing the very non-flattering school issued swimsuits would be absolutely terrible. You had gone along since you didn’t really have a swimsuit, you had one from back in middle school but it hadn’t fit you anymore. So far, they had all been able to find one they liked except you. You had been to countless stores but hadn’t really found one that caught your eye but the girls insisted on going to one more store so you could look around. As you looked around, you had started to doubt that you’d actually find one. That doubt was realized when all the ones you had tried on were the wrong size.

Once back in the dorms, Momo had offered to make you one. An offer that you gratefully accepted. You had searched online and showed her what type of bathing suit would be ideal. After thanking her 100 times or so, you had gone down to the kitchen.

“Oh (y/n), You’re back. How was the mall?” I don’t think Todoroki realized how loaded that question actually was. He and Midoriya seemed to have been just chatting, eating snacks. Iida had been making some tea.

“Uhh well it was great, the girls were able to find some bathing suits.” You sat down across from your two friends.

“Is someone wrong? It doesn’t sound like you had a good time?” The freckled boy asked carefully

“I had a good time. It was nice to hang out with the girls but I’m just a little tired.” He nodded understandingly, Shoto had grabbed the packet of pocky and held it out to you in a silent offering. You giggled and accepted the offering, he nodded in approval when you took two of the strawberry flavored biscuits. You had joined their conversation about which pro hero had the best costume, a cup of tea was placed in front of you. Looking up, Iida offered you a small smile before sitting besides you and contributing to the discussion about All Might’s costume. You blew at the surface of the drink before taking a sip. It was black tea sweetened with just the right amount of honey and a bit of milk. You blushed at the fact that he remembered how you liked your tea. Too distracted in your thoughts, you nearly jumped out of your seat when Midoriya called you out.

“You agree with me (y/n), right?” Your eyes widened before you cleared your throat. Iida’s heart started to pound when he could see the mischief in your eyes.

“Well why are we even bothering to discuss All Might’s costume when Endeavor’s is clearly the best. Todoroki. Thoughts?” He had been friends with you long enough to know that you were just pulling his leg.

“Well, as much as I see your point. Why don’t we talk about how Kamui Woods has the worst costume.” Your jaw dropped.

“Okay now wait a second.” He knew that he was your favorite pro. “That’s a little much when someone like...”

Iida gave his 2 cents here and there but he enjoyed seeing you giggle and smile while joking with the other two. He couldn’t really explain why but his heart would pound harder any time you asked for his opinion or the butterflies in his stomach would go wild when you smiled.

Finally, the beach day came. Everyone had woken up bright and early to make sure everything was ready and loading everything onto the bus when it had arrived.

“IF YOU AREN’T IN THE BUS BY 9AM, WE WILL LEAVE YOU HERE! OH YEAH!” Aizawa cringed from beside Present Mic as he made that announcement. That meant that there was half an hour before you guys would leave. You nodded, amazed at the fact that you could hear your teacher while he was still outside. You finished packing your bag before getting changed into your swimsuit, standing in front of your mirror and scrutinizing your reflection. It was nothing to do with the swimsuit itself, Momo had done an amazing job. You were just...insecure. It was a one-piece with an opening at the stomach. It looked cute when you had seen it on the model online but on you, it seemed wrong. It made your thighs look like they were bulging out of the material and the pudgyness of your stomach seemed to be accentuated. Sighing, you pulled on your shorts and tank top before making your way out to the bus. Aizawa crossed your name off the list before you boarded and took a seat beside Ochako. Midoriya and Iida in the seats behind the two of you and Shoto and Tokoyami in the row in front.

Thankfully, the ride to the beach was only about an hour and a half long. Everyone unloaded the bus, as instructed by Iida. The beach was relatively empty so it gave you guys the abilities to claim a huge spot for the entire class. 1/3 of the class had instantly stripped down to their swimsuits and ran to the water. While the rest had set up the tent, some chairs, the volleyball net, or their personal umbrellas. You had offered to share yours with Tokoyami since it was big enough and he didnt seem too keen for on being in the sun too much. Even then, he had still peeled off his shirt and was sat on his towel in nothing but swim trunks as Dark Shadow had made an appearance and started to play with the sand.

You had sat down criss cross on your towel, book in hand. You had put it down from time to time to watch your classmates laughing and having fun. Midoriya had approached the two of you and asked if you guys had wanted to join their volleyball game. You had accepted the invitation but Tokoyami had politely declined. You were on a team whith Shoji, Shoto, Denki, and Shinso. Ochako, Midoriya, Iida, and Sero were on the other team. Mina, Tsuyu, Aoyama, and Momo were watching on the sidelines, cheering for both teams of course.

Halfway through the game and you all took a hydration break but you were starting to feel the heat. Quirks were allowed so with that and the fact that your quirk had to do with fire meant that your body ran warm.

“Are you okay (y/n)?” Shoji asked as he handed you a bottle of water. His question caught the attention of the others as they noticed that your cheeks were a bit more flushed than normal.

“Yeah, why don’t you change into your swimsuit?” Ochako asked, head tilted to the side.

“I-I have it on but well...” you sighed, deciding to be honest. “I’m just a little s-self conscious.” You looked away, slightly embarrassed as the words left your lips.

“Aww (y/n), no!! You’re super cute! Come one, I bet you look great!” Mina grinned encouragingly. “Plus, the girls have seen you pretty much naked before so there’s no need to be shy.”

“Mina!” There were calls of embarrassment from both the boys and the girls.

“You do have a point...” you mumbled to yourself. You walked off to the side and started to unbutton your shorts. All the boys had looked away to give you your privacy. (because they drink their respect women juice every morning)

“O-okay. D-done.” You nervously announced as you handed your clothes to Mina.

“See! I was right!”

“W-whoah! (Y/n), no disrespect but you look hot!” Denki smirked, nodding appreciatively. As the others had started to compliment you, no matter how hard Iida tried to restrain himself, he couldn’t stop his eyes running over your body. More specifically, your thighs. The way they slightly strained against the material of your bottoms made him blush. He couldn’t help but glance at them once the game had started. The way they flexed when you had gone to bump the ball or the slight jiggle they had when you ran for the ball. Don’t get me wrong, Iida likes you for you. Your personality, your kindness, and your intellect were very attractive to him but your body was a definite plus.

Your team had won the game and while Mina, Momo, and Tsu were congratulating you, Mina caught a glance at Iida. He had looked at you, eyes softened, and a blush on his cheeks before looking away.

“Ooh it looks like you’ve caught the eye of mister class rep.” She teased.

“W-what? Mina stop m-messing around like that.” You stuttered, her previous statement was making your heart want to burst.

“It’s true though! Don’t you have a thing for him too?”

“Well yeah but-“ you were cut off by her calling him over.

“Hey Iida! What do you think of (y/n)’s swimsuit? It’s nice right?” Oh how you wished the earth would split open and swallow you whole.

“Y-yes, I do. It’s very flattering (y/n).” His answer made your heart do somersaults. “May I o-offer some advice?”

“Oh uh yeah, sure.” You were a bit confused but wanted to see what we had to say.

“As a young hero, you work hard every day to get stronger and make sure you can be the best hero possible. You should be proud of your body because it’s the fruit of that hard work and well...because you look r-really beautiful. Regardless of what other people may say.” His sudden confession made your eyes widen but before you could respond, he had run off while shouting at Bakugo about the dangers of grilling without proper supervision.

Throughout the day, the girls teased you about your crush on the class rep. Currently, you were drying yourself off after having been in the ocean for a bit. You had wanted to confess to Iida. You had been slowly gathering the courage to do so, the other also helping hype you up.

“Hey uhm Iida. Would you maybe want to get a smoothie with me? From that place up the cove?” You were fiddling with your fingers.

“I would be glad to accompany you (y/n).”

So the two of you had gone off to get some smoothies. Chatting about trivial things as you waited. He had opted for an orange and carrot smoothie while you went for the simple mango smoothie.

“So uhm, before we go back. I h-have something to tell you...” he motioned for you to continue as he sipped at his smoothie. “Right. Well I just-well I...” you sighed, taking a calming deep breath before continuing. “I like you Iida, like uhm r-romantically. I have for a while now and I just thought I’d let you know.” He was silent, still sipping at his drink while processing your words.

“Well that’s a relief. I’ve been figuring it out over the passed couple of days but I have romantic feelings for you as well, (y/n). And seeing as the both of us seem to do relatively well in our normal studies and our hero studies, I could see that balancing a relationship with schoolwork should be relatively doable.” His words stunned you.

“Wait so does that mean-“ You really we’re at a loss for words.

“Yes. It means that I would like to pursue a relationship with you. As boyfriend and girlfriend.” The turn of events made you very giddy with happiness.

“C-could I hold your hand, Iida?” You asked nervously as the two of you walked back. He chuckled and nodded, taking your hand in his.

“I can do you one better.” He had leaned down, noses inches away. “If you’ll allow me to?” You nodded, closing your eyes and leaning forward to close the distance. Lips moving together, it was inexperienced but sweet and soft nonetheless. Both of you a blushing mess as you pulled away. The rest of the class cheering from a distance as they watched the exchange.

Later on that night, during the bonfire, the both of you sat next to each other. Having already changed into some sweats to protect yourself from the cold, he had let you wear his navy blue hoodie since you were still shivering. He hesitantly wrapped an arm around your waist, relaxing when you had moved closer and snuggled up to him. He watched with a soft gaze as you joked around with Shoto and the others and partaking in eating some s’mores. The way your cheeks puffed up as you gave him a tight lipped smile, mouth full of the concoction of gooey marshmallows and chopped made his chest feel fuzzy and warm.

Even as he held you close, as you nuzzled into his chest because the ghost story Tokoyami was telling was a little too scary for you, he still couldn’t believe that you had reciprocated his feelings. The girl that he had his heart set on since the second week of school was now his girlfriend. It was times like these that made him expect the unexpected.

gєиєяαℓ тαgℓιѕт (open): @ohbois-biggay-bnha​

[hedgefairy]

Okay, I know, I know, it's already old news, everybody and their uncle in the costuming community has already talked it over, but anyhoo, I made notes when I crawled my way through effing Bridgerton and I will be damned if I don't vomit them onto this site. I have 32 pages of this shit, I'm not gonna throw that away.

I'm also typing this on my phone because I'm stuck on a trainride that's just doubled in length because this is the 2021 Northern German snow storm. What, there's snowflakes on the rails? We cannot possibly keep up our schedule, say goodbye to 90% of the connections.

Okay, on to Bridgerton, Episode 1

We're in Britain (oh, London, okay), allegedly 1813. I see people who are clearly meant to be asympatico, but is this size incusivity I spot there? Daring! Gasp! Me li...

Oh wait, no. The character is promptly shamed for her figure (which is mostly caused by the horrible cut of her dress. Every size can look great in Regency garb, but never mind, we need to make the "fat one" look bad!).

Also, no shifts under the stays. Why. There was obviously enough budget, don't tell me you couldn't afford a few strappy tops - it's not like the rest is historically accurate, so it would have sufficed to send some poor underpaid intern to H&M and get some. Nvm, that wouldn't be sexay.

Wait, is the garishly dressed (always a sign of a character of bad character in a costume drama) woman Delphine from Selfridge? Does she always have to play bitches? That's not nice, and just because she has a recognisable face, which by modern (read: americanised) standards is not favourable enough. Ugh. But I like the actress, so I'll let it slide (for now).

Lol, buttocks.

Not sure about the girls' dresses. Also, the Queen is a WOC, cool!

Oh no, one of the Featherington sisters faints! But that's okay because the Featheringtons are just comic relief and foil anyway.

I get weird incest vibes from the Bridgertons.

So the court is clearly 18th century and the show is set in the 1810s. I've by now seen several explanations for this decision, I still think it robs the Queen of reproductions of her actual historical gowns which were heavily inspired by the 18th century but so. Magnificently. Weird. It would have been so neat, and more of a "hey, I'm kinda out of touch with things" vibe, but hey, I'm not the one getting paid for making those taffeta gowns here (her hair is glorious, tho).

I'm very into the intro.

That Regency gossip girl is a real b, not unlike the Dowager Countess of Downton (unpopular opinion, I think she's pretty overrated, yes, I like Maggie Smith).

Again, no shifts.

Where do I know the "pragmatic" Bridgerton sister from? Ah, it's The Paradise. And Jonathan Strange. (Wait, she's my age. And she's supposed to be a teenager. Man, do I love a good Dawson casting. I like the actress, though, she has a face ™!).

Aaaah. We get it. She's the spirited one. She also doesn't care about dresses because she's not like other girls™. I really like her voice (but she still doesn't sound like a teenager).

The heck is up with Lady F's dress and that of her friend? Oh, yeah. Antagonist fashion.

Of course the Featheringtons are Horrid Hags™ aside from Penny who's nice, but the pudgy one (at least we don't get a case of "she's not conventionally attractive so she's bad").

Oooh, the cousin! Supposed to suck, but ofc she's a stunner, and only Penny (who's the nice one, remember!) is delighted to have her around. She's also a POC, which is nice but apparently that means she does not follow fashion, hair-wise. I would have loved to see some Regency hair on her, it would have been so pretty *cries in Greek updo*

Ugh, we're still in Ep. 1, typing this on my phone was a bad idea.

Lady Danbury and the Duke guy are delightful with each other (more POC! So neat!).

The girl the oldest Bridgerbro screws is apparently a singer, which isn't up to status for his doucheship, and she doesn't wear a shift.

The music at the ball sounds like something from the Top 40s, but I'm woefully ignorant of contemporary music charts so I can't tell what it is. I like it when they do that in historical-ish works, making well-known pop or rock stuff work for the ambience (ugh, that dance scene to Golden Years in Knight's Tale. My heart. In a good way.)

I dig the Ducktail hair of Penny's crush. Oh, wait, that's a Bridgerbro. I don't quite get why the hair trends of the time don't apply to the POC characters or extras, but seeing how most white characters also show a shameful disregard for the weirdnes and gloriosity (that's not a word) that is early 1800s hair (the 1830s take the cake, tho) despite those hairdos being basically designed for white people hair, I don't think I care much (well, I do, but about all of them). Overall the hair is horrid and not very 1810s. Let's just leave it at that.

Like a good old romance novel (I've since been told that Bridgerton is supposed to be a pastiche of such novels, but I really couldn't tell from the series, not at all, and I'm not inclined to read the books) we have

a pretty, kind, superpure daughter of the main family

the mean matriarch (could have been an aunt, too, but here she's the mum) of the rivalling or antagonist family

a spirited daughter of the main family (in most romance novels this would be our heroine but so far she refreshingly lacks a love interest and pretty daughter seems to get the most screen time)

a Horrid Suitor™

a Hot Suitor™ who doesn't want attention

a really good and doting good parent

Lol, misheard Greece for Grease with Ducktail Bridgerbro, whose name is Colin, apparently. This is funny because of his Danny Zuko memorial hair.

Overall a bit too much bling for my taste, and too few pearls. It looks like an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen with a Regency theme.

Of course the romance is going to be the Pretty One aka. Daphne and the Duke and he's even bros with her eldest bro. Wait, are they exes? I can haz bi? No? Aww, shucks. Maybe in another episode (spoiler: no).

Okay, WHAT is it with Lady F's dresses and hair. Like, she reminds me of Mars Attacks. Which, as you might remember, was not set in the Regency period.

Lord B (Bridgerbro the Eldest) sucks, he's screwing Opera Girl without any intention of marrying her but he's bitchy about his sister being ogled by his Eton (or wherever) bestie?

Oh, I'm in Hamburg now. And my train back home got canceled, so back to Berlin it is because there's not a single option to get to Hanover tonight, at least that's what the lady from the train station is saying, "oh well, you'll have to go back and try again tomorrow", so that's awesome...

Honestly, if it weren't so late and I didn't have things to do at home I'd find this terribly exciting.

Back to Bridgerton!

Where were we? Ah.

I can't even read my own annotation. Something about George III. I think I was upset about how they totally ignored that it's called Regency because George IV acted as the regent king, and he doesn't even feature in the series, I guess because they wanted to play up the Queen? Not a fan, because thanks to Horrible Histories I'm quite fond of that guy.

Again, no shifts.

Oh, look, it's Horrid Suitor™, destined for leftovers.

The Featherington cousin gets all the attention but no fleshed-out character.

Penny Featherington's dog is named Lord Byron, which ❤️

I like the Duke! He's there, drinking in his club (even though they're a patriarchal remnant of the past I have a weird appreciation for stuffy Gentlemen's Clubs, I blame Bertie Wooster and the Drones), calling Lord B out for his general fuckery.

Oh no, Ducktail Colin is more into the Cousin than Penny, who obviously pines for him!

Thank you, Lord B, for enabling Horrid Suitor™. Nobody asked you to be such a fucktwit.

The Queen is, of course, a bit of a bitch, but patronage from cool Lady *scrolls up for name* Danbury ensues for Protagonist Girl™ Daphne.

"I wish they had found a better trend language", what the heck did I even mean by that? That's what you get for just scribbling down notes while watching and simultaneously sewing. 18th century pants, in case you wanted to know.

Cousin is angry, probably because Lady F behaves like Cinderella's evil stepmother, because Cousin is prettier than her daughters and gets, like, all the suitors because Lord B bitched away everyone who wanted to get into Daphne's dowry ifyouknowwhatImeanwinkwinknudgenudge, right across the street into Cousins parlour.

The Bridgertons are annoyingly perfect. Ugh.

Oh look, it's "banter" between Daphne and Dukey! It's so Pride & Prejudice! It's almost a tiny bit Shakespeare! I put banter in parentheses because wow, nope, I'm not getting any chemistry here.

Uh, Lady B calls out Lord B (aka. her son aka. Bridgerbro the Eldest) for his screwery with Opera Girl and his outpimpery of his sister to Horrid Suitor™, buuuurrrrrnnn. He promptly calls of his affair with Opera Girl.

No shifts!

Penny gets to dance with Ducktail Colin at the thing! Good for her, but it's a country dance with jumping and fun, because she's a) the pudgy character and b) a Featherington, so it can't be something romantic and pretty (I personally like country dances, but they aren't protagonist dances).

Oooh, Cousin had her period, oh no, oh snap, oh she didn't, because she's PREGNANT! Shit, that's problematic, and not because she's an unmarried woman in the 1810s, but because she gets close to no lines at all so far, and suddenly she's pregnant and telling Lady F that she sucks for being privileged, violence ensues, this is ugly. Man, I get what some critics mean by "the POC actors*actresses get all the problems" and that not exactly being great.

Horrid Suitor™ makes property claims about Daphne, eeewwwww, thanks to Lord B's general suckiness, ewww, r@pe attempt ensues, was that really necessary? It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the series and generally nope, yay, broken nose! (which was indeed totally necessary). Nice one, and probably the only scene so far (spoiler: overall) in which I actually like Daphne. Dukey thinks a mean left hook is attractive, and, generally speaking, he's not wrong.

Daphne and Dukey come up with a pseudo-shakespearean plot to pretend to be totally into each other so she can attract suitors by being not available and he gets not to have fangirls by being not available, and as someone who has read a few too many historical-ish bodice rippers I know exactly where this is going. I mean, come on.

I can't see enough of the following choreography to complain about it. Man, I miss historical dance classes.

And that concludes Ep. 1! Finally! Thank you for getting this far, sorry for all of it (especially typos, it's the bane of unwanted autocorrect), I guess?

Update on the train situation: I've been told by the ticket control person that I shouldn't get my hopes up until noon tomorrow.

To be continued,

because I didn't take these 32 pages of notes for nothing.

[novannna]

Perfect Imperfection’s Chapter 1

An Au where Nova never joined the Anarchists, instead she and Evie were adopted by Hugh and Simon.  Adrian blamed the Renegades for his mothers death, and he ran away to be raised by the Anarchists.  Nova and Adrian have switched places.  It starts at the beginning of Renegades.  

Let me know what you think!!!!(And if I should keep working on it)

Word count:2326

Ch.1 

Adrian watched the parade procession inch along, a sneer pasted on his face.  The streets were full of foolish people, idiots who put their fate in the hands of the Renegades.  The loud band marched along, and a chorus of boos and insults reached Adrians ears.  The villains' floats had arrived.  Grotesque imitations of fallen anarchists graced the floats.  Adrian felt offended as he watched the spectators hurl insults and rotten food at the actors upon the vehicles.  While he personally had not known those anarchists well, it still stung watching people hate them so violently.  They didn’t know anything.  

“And so it begins,” Ingrid's dry voice crackled through his earpiece.  

“Let them laugh.  They won’t be laughing for much longer.   Sketch, are you in position?” Phobia asked.  

“Yeah.  I just need to know which rooftop you want me on.”

“The council hasn’t left the warehouse yet.  I will alert you once they do.”  

Adrian glanced back at the parade.  His lip twitched.  “How do people put so much trust in the Renegades?  It's repulsive.”  His lip twitched.

Ingrid snickered.  “Easy.  They’re all idiots.  Just blend in.  Remember your training.”

“I know,” Adrian sighed.  “But much more of this, and I might puke!”  

“Remember the mission, Sketch.  We have too much to lose if this goes wrong,” Phobia said.  

“Is that…”  Oh my holy bomb squad, they have a Queen Bee this year.”  Adrian glanced up.  Sure enough, a woman dressed in a sleazy sequined dress and an enormous blonde wig stood on the float.  She clutched a large stuffed bumble bee to her chest and was wailing about something.  Wet mascara ran down her cheeks.  

“That isn’t far off,” Adrian snickered.  “It's a pretty damn good impression.”  

“I can’t wait to tell Honey,” said Ingrid.  “We should be recording this.”  

“Are you offended they don’t have a Detonator?” He asked.  

“Well, I am now,” she responded.  

Just then, a loud crashing sound came from the parade.  Adrian glanced up to see Ace Anarchy emerge from Merchant tower, cackling.  The actor wore the same costume as Ace, as well as the familiar helmet.  

Adrian felt rage rush through him, and he bit down a snarl.  

“Relax Sketch.  We’re doing this for him, remember?” Ingrid said.  

“Right.  For him.”  

A body crashed into Adrian, and he tripped forwards.  A number of heads glanced towards him, and he cringed down.  

“Watch where you're going,” he told the person.  A small girl wearing a Dread Warden mask looked up at him.  He righted her up, and she muttered sorry, then raced away.  Adrian turned back to the parade.   

“What was that, Sketch?”  Ingrid asked.  He didn’t respond.  In the corner of his eye, Adrian saw the girl crash into someone else.  Instead of correcting her, the girl tackled her and put her into a headlock.  She dragged her, kicking and screaming to Adrian.  

Give it back,” she said.  The girl had short black hair and electric blue eyes.  Her voice had a slight rasp to it.  

“Put me down!  Let me go!”  The little girl yelled.  

Adian looked around to see a number of people watching them, concerned.  That wasn’t good.  “What are you doing?   Put her down!”  He tried to quell the panic rising up.  The girl smiled at Adrian, and he felt his mouth go dry.  His heart thumped loudly in his chest.  

“All right, Evie.  You’ve got three seconds to hand it over before I report you.  And I know you don’t want that,” She said in a patronizing tone.  The girl scowled fiercely.  

“I hate you.”  She dropped something into the other girls palm.  

“I’ll see you later.”  She let the thief go.  “And if I hear from anyone that you’ve been stealing, you’ll be in so much trouble.”  The girl stuck out her tongue, then darted off.  

“Here you are,” the girl said to Adrian.  He warily extended his hand.  She dropped a small golden locket into his palm.  His hand went to the space on his neck where it usually hung.  

“What?  How did she get that?”  He asked, reaching around his neck.  

“Sketch, what's happening?”  Ingrid's voice asked in his ear.  He ignored it.  

“Do you want help with that?”  The girl asked.  “Here, let me.”  Before he could respond, she was already clipping it around his neck.  

“Uh, thanks,” Adrian said.  

“No problem.”  the girl winced.  “Shit!  The clasp is broken.  Evie, you’re in so much trouble!”

Adrian reached for it back, but the girl stopped him.  “It's okay, I can fix it.”

“No, you don’t understand, it's my moms.  You can’t..it's not-” He started, but the girl shushed him.  

“No, don’t worry.”  She slipped something out of her pocket.  She bent her head over the necklace, her bangs hiding her face.  She stood back up and presented Adrian the necklace, the clasp fully fixed.  It even looked the same.  

“How did you do that?” Adrian asked, impressed.  

“A new tool I designed.  It can scan an object and replicate whatever part is missing.”  She smiled proudly.  “It’s still a prototype, but it works pretty damned well.”  Before Adrian could stop her, she clasped the necklace around his neck.  The locket was a familiar weight against his neck, and he relaxed slightly.  

“Adrian, are you compromised?” Ingrid’s voice barked into his ear.  He winced.  

The girl was saying something, but Adrian didn’t hear her. A bout of cheers and clapping surged through the crowd.  

“Looks like the councils here.”

Adrian nodded.  “Looks like it.”  He tried his hardest to keep the distaste out of his voice.  

“Sketch, west station,” Phobias voice said in his ear.   

Adrian snapped to attention.  “On it.”  He turned around and started to jog away.  

“Your welcome,” the girl called out after him.  He ignored her.  Someone shoved a flyer into his hand and he crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket without bothering to look at it.  He ducked into an alleyway and grabbed his backpack from behind the dumpster.  

“Sketch, what is your status?”  Phobia asked.  

“Grabbing my stuff.  I’ll be up on the roof in a minute.”

“Hurry.  You have a superhero to kill.”  

---

Nova watched her dads wave at the cheering fans and smiled.  It felt good to be able to celebrate something for the first time in a while.  For the first time in what felt like forever, Nova was happy.  Most people had finally stopped treating her like some pariah, just because she was related to Ace Anarchy.  Her family was happy, so she was happy.  And she had a lot of new tech that was successful. 

Although, she was absolutely pissed at Evie.  Why the hell did her sister have to go around, stealing from everyone.  She didn’t need the money, she did it for the fun of it. Nova scowled thinking about it.  Oh she was going to have some serious words with her.  Her mind wandered back to the boy from earlier.  The one with the locket.  He had seemed so nervous and twitchy.  He reminded Nova of a dog a little.  Sweet, but hesitant.  Nova smiled thinking about him.

The happiness turned to chaos in seconds.  Nova watched a bullet whiz through the air, heading right toward her dad.  Nova held her breath as it snapped against his metal skin, a hair's breadth from his eye. The council snapped to attention, commanding the crowd to remain calm, telling them that everything was fine.  Nova could see a small dark form on the rooftop, a swarm of monarch butterflies hovering around it. Her wristband buzzed.  A message from Oscar to the team.  

Sketch spotted on top of buildings across from the parade.  Red Assassin, Monarch and I are engaging.  Back up may be needed.  

Nova grinned, despite the chaos surrounding.  A perfect opportunity to test her new tech.  A compact suit with several added benefits.  She ducked into a nearby ally.  She zipped her jacket up all the way and pulled the hood over her head.  It hissed and the fabric pulled back, revealing metal underneath.  The metal slid along her body on invisible hinges, moving until it completely enveloped her.  A visor covered her face, darkening the world around her slightly.  A bright red R was emblazoned on the chest.  

Nova bounced up and down gently.  She went almost five feet into the air, and came down without a sound.  

“Anti-gravity works,” she said to herself.  “What else does?”  She held out her fist and squeezed her hand tight.  Flames roared out, turning an old crate to ashe.  

“Fire works.”  She looked down at the metal covering her hand.  “And not even scorch marks.  Yay!”  Nova grinned behind her mask.  She bent down, then leapt upwards.  The suit carried her all the way to the rooftop where she rolled to a halt.  Nova backed up a tiny bit, then started to run.  She gathered enough momentum to jump across the gap between buildings.  

She let out a whoop.  

“Hell yeah!” she screamed.  It felt almost as if she was flying.  She jumped across rooftops to the building she could see her team fighting Sketch on.  Nova landed in front of him.  She looked around to see Ruby crumpled in a heap on the ground.  Danna stood not too far away with blood covering her leg.  

“You must be new around here,” Sketch said.  

She tilted her head.  “I’ve been around long enough to know who you are.. Sketch.”  

He smiled up at her behind his mask.  “Should I be flattered?”

A loud cackling blasted through the air and both Nova and Sketch turned to look for its source.  

“What is that idiot doing here?”  Sketch grimaced.  A hot air balloon floated through the streets, the bright green anarchist ‘A’ painted on it.  The Puppeteer stood in the basket, his head tilted back.  He let out another bout of manic laughter, his crazy orange hair tangling around his head.  

“Oh reeeenegades,” he sang.  “Doesn’t anyone want to play with me?”  Screams echoed from far below.  “Eeny, meeny,miny...mo!”  Golden strings cascaded down from his fingertips.  Nova knew that several innocent children had just been possessed by the Puppeteers' powers.

“Tag!  You’re it!”  He screamed.  “Friends of yours?” He asked Sketch.  

Sketch looked at Nova.  “Not really.”  He threw something at Nova and it expanded midair.  A net wrapped itself around her, pinning her limbs to her body.  “Nice to meet you,” he said, and started to jog away.  Nova snarled.  

“Not so fast.”  She wrapped her fist around the rope and it began to burn away, the acrid smell of smoke filling the air.  

“Another fire elemental.  How quaint.  Not exactly a rare breed, but it's hard to criticise a classic.”  

Nova snarled and launched herself at him.  Her suit carried her all the way to him.  He backed away, surprised.  “You can’t escape me, Sketch.  I’m taking you into custody and you will answer for your crimes.”  

“Lovely as that sounds, I actually had other plans for the afternoon.”  A shadow passed over them and Nova looked up to see butterflies converging into Monarch.  

“Who are you?” she asked Nova.  

“I am the Sentinel,” she responded, puffing her chest out a tiny bit.  

Sketch burst out laughing.  “Seriously?”  Nova felt slightly insulted by his reaction.   She had thought it sounded like a cool name.  

“Friends of yours?”  Danna asked.  

“I’m really not that friendly,” Sketch responded.  “Beside’s, she’s wearing your trademark.”  Danna glared suspiciously at Nova.  

Sketch lashed out at Danna with a red knife, one Ruby must have made.  Danna turned into butterflies before he could hurt her, only losing a single butterfly.  Nova lunged forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around Sketch.  He tried to get free, but Nova was too strong.  He shoved them both backwards and they tumbled off the roof and landed on another one.  Nova winced as she fell onto a small fountain, stone cracking beneath their weight.  

“Hey Sentinel,” Sketch said.  Nova turned towards him, and he drove Ruby’s knife into her shoulder.  She roared with pain and held out her fist, too mad to think before she blasted him with fire.  He ducked and the flames went right over him and struck, to Nova’s horror, a large cluster of orange and black butterflies.  She heard a scream of pain and watched the insects merge into Danna.  Her uniform was blackened from ribs to her hip. 

“Monarch?” A voice asked.  Nova looked over to see Oscar pull himself onto the roof.  

“Help her,” Nova screamed.  

“Who the hell are you?” he yelled back.  

Nova ignored him and turned back to Sketch.  He was running towards the edge of the roof, trying to get to the Puppeteers balloon.

“You have a tagalong,” the Puppeteer said to Sketch.  Nova reached him and wrapped her fingers around his throat.  

“You tried to assassinate Captain Chromium,” she growled. “Why?  Who put you up to it?  What else are they planning?”  She was completely filled up with rage.  

“You Renegades sure ask a lot of questions.” he said.  

“You better answer them,” Nova snarled.  

“You think I’m afraid of a pompous neophyte in a toy suit? He asked incredulously.  

“Neophyte?”  She asked.  

He sighed.  “It means amatuer.  You're obviously new to this game.”  Nova’s fingers loosened slightly. 

“I know what it-- argh!”  She stomped her foot. “Look, I don’t really care whether or not you’re afraid of me, but I’m willing to bet you're at least a little bit afraid of dying, like we all are.”  She tightened her fingers.  

He wheezed slightly.  “You know what they say… one cannot be brave who has no fear.”  Nova started, giving him enough time to wiggle free.  He brought his fist around and struck Nova in the head.  The impact knocked her down and her vision dimmed.  She blinked once.. Twice.. The third time though, her eyes stayed shut.  

[the-navistar-carol]

Daminette Songfic: ‘Summer of ‘69’ by Bryan Adams

From the Maribat AU of @ozmav

@maribat-archive I’m back at it again >:)

I got my first real six-string

Bought it at the five-and-dime

When he had first been taken in by Bruce Wayne, he had turned up his nose at the prospect of entertaining some kid superhero from France. She wasn’t going to be impressive.

She wasn’t even going to be good!

Man, Damian thought to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, was I wrong.

Played it 'til my fingers bled

Was the summer of '69

It had taken forever for them to even consider being on speaking terms, let alone friends. That alone had been a marvel in and of itself.

Not that he’d trade it for anything in the universe. If it came to it, he would probably let the world burn for another minute with her.

“Dude,” Dick had whistled. “You are whipped.”

Again, he’d turned up his nose at the prospect. He hadn’t even known what the former Robin had meant.

But yeah. I had been.

Me and some guys from school

Had a band and we tried real hard

She’d never given up, not even when she was flung into the floor. Not that she did now. Ladybug, Marinette, was and is the greatest girl he knew.

Top of her class, an aspiring designer, with the biggest heart he had ever seen. And not only that, but she was a superhero, saving cities on the daily and pulling the croissants out of the oven.

At least he had a family, people who were there as backup. And not to mention the budget of a billionaire.

She managed with a family who barely knew what she got herself into, a class who had turned against her, and the funds of a bakery. Plus public schooling.

Damn, he mused. If she was one of us, look out Joker.

Jimmy quit, Jody got married

I should've known we'd never get far

Dick had befriended her first. Well, second, after Alfred. But he had taken the first step.

His teasing had never failed to make her laugh, giggles scrunching up her nose and a beaming smile that lit up the room. Ladybug and Nightwing would have late-night philosophy talks, making each other think beyond their boundaries.

She’d taught him to bake, always there with patience when he’d fudged a recipe.

The eldest Robin had shown her more complicated gymnastics (not that she wasn’t already more flexible than most of them would ever be), and acrobatics that turned her every slip and fall into a tumble, and she’d roll right back up onto her feet.

Dick had taught her how to get back up.

Oh, when I look back now

That summer seemed to last forever

Jason had taken her under his wing after Dick.

Whenever she’d curled into a ball, shuddering after a hard practice, he would toss her into the air and take off like a shot, careening through the halls of Wayne Manor. It wasn’t long before her laughs rang off the walls, the Red Hood with a wild grin.

They had the sibling dynamic — there for each other, even at their faults.

Marinette had introduced Jason to color schemes and designs, at least how costumes worked. It was most definitely because of that awful helmet.

Jason, on the other hand, had taught her how to shoot. It was out of necessity, he claimed. If she didn’t know how to defend herself, and her yo-yo was out of reach, she may not have a choice.

Jason had given her the tactics nobody thought she would know.

And if I had the choice

Yeah, I'd always wanna be there

Tim had warmed up to her third, although he had been a bit worried about her age.

As her superhero duties became more needed back in Paris, the two of them started working together at night, on cases none of the rest could crack. The Insomnia Buddies, she’d dubbed them. Or, rather, as Tim called them, the Coffee Crew.

Whenever he became stressed to the point of a breakdown, she taught him meditation, she taught him calm.

The Red Robin showed her computers, and how to bypass firewalls with a tap of a key. Underhanded, but in case she needed the information.

Tim had taught her how to think.

Those were the best days of my life

He, Damian, had taken the longest. It had taken years to become as close to her as the other three were.

But they eventually bonded over common interest and curiosity about the other, growing closer every time they spent an hour in each other’s presence.

Marinette opened his mind to possibilities outside simply what had been placed in front of him. You never have only two choices, she told him firmly, eyes narrowed in determination. Never.

The newest Robin may not have been the first to pick her back up after a tough spar, but he would always be there in a real one, whether it was to take the hit or let her rest.

He, Damian, had given her a real partner.

Ain't no use in complaining

When you've got a job to do

The summers she spent at Gotham had become less of a chore and more like a long-lost family member returning to them. They gained inside jokes, and Skype chats between Gotham and France became more common, until it was almost an everyday thing.

They watched each other grow from bratty kids to mature teenagers, from gangly to sure of themselves.

And man, had her almost literal transformation had him whipped.

Watch out, Hawkmoth.

Spent my evenings down at the drive-in

And that's when I met you, yeah

He’d joined an exchange program to Paris, planning on not telling her, but of course the day he had Jason blurted it out on their nightly video call.

She’d gone absolutely red, and fallen off her desk chair with a loud thud. To this day, it brought a smile to his face.

“R-really?” Her voice had been hesitant, but excited nonetheless. “I can’t believe it! When are you coming?”

Dick, from his position out of the way of the camera, gave Damian a knowing look, a wry grin, and a small wiggle of his eyebrows.

Dumbass.

Standin' on your mama's porch

You told me that you'd wait forever

It wasn’t long after that announcement, when she was in her final year of lyceé, that her video chats had started to become more… tired. She’d change the subject whenever they talked about her classmates or, worse, her friends.

It wasn’t only him who had noticed it. Tim had been the first to pick it up, and immediately set off on finding information about the class. Without telling Marinette, of course.

What he found was no concrete proof, but more videos on the Ladyblog detailed a girl named Lila Rossi.

An awful liar if he ever saw one.

Oh, and when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

The detective work lasted a week and a half before it was outed. Marinette didn’t get mad about it, but simply hung her head and apologized for not telling them.

His heart had torn to see his angel beaten down like this.

She was across the ocean, president of a class he couldn’t defend her against.

He, Robin, a superhero, was useless.

The exchange program left in six months.

Too long.

Those were the best days of my life

He went to her over winter break, though. Thank whatever higher power he could.

As soon as he had stepped into her room with the door closed, she had broken down in his arms. His brothers were right behind him, and joined the hug with words of comfort and encouragement.

It had taken her half an hour to calm down, but when she had finished, they were tears of happiness. Happiness that they were there for her.

“We’re gonna make this the best two weeks of your year, little lady” Jason had promised her with a crooked grin, the white patch in his hair tousled.

Tim didn’t miss the way she looked away at the word lady. “Mari-bug, what’s going on?”

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and tugged Damian over to her bed, not wanting to let go of him. “It’s a long story.”

We aren’t going anywhere, angel.

Oh, yeah.

Back in the summer of '69

When she finished, she had had to take breaks three times—three times!—to calm herself down.

“And I’ve almost been akumatised because of this, a few times,” she admitted, her voice a quiet whisper. “I figured out how to not let my emotions get the best of me, though. My parents don’t really know.”

Jason’s expression clearly told Damian he was in need of a skinning knife. Or guns. Guns were faster.

A series of pops filled the room. Dick, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face, had popped his knuckles. “I think that it’s time some other people knew the harm Lila caused.”

“And if she gets akumatised,” Damian added, “she’s well deserved it.”

“She can’t keep going like this and not receive the consequences,” Tim put in. “It’s not right.”

Hell’s coming to Lila Rossi.

Man we were killin' time

We were young and restless

And the damned Lila situation didn’t even begin to cover Chat Noir. But Marinette insisted they get away from the topic.

She was on winter break, dammit, and Jason was hellbent on making good on his promise.

Tim had the best idea, oddly enough. An arcade.

While Damian had found the concept childish at best, the way Marinette’s eyes lit up at the prospect quickly stilled any protest.

To the flashy lights and cheap prizes we go.

We needed to unwind

I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no! yeah!

Once they got there, Dick was quick to pull out his credit card and get a near- unlimited token supply. He nudged Damian with a sly grin. “Get her a big prize, loverboy.”

Thankfully, he said it out of her hearing range. Then he pushed him over, and they toured the arcade together.

Naturally, Jason was a master at the shooting games. Tim was an unexpected genius at Guitar Hero. Dick, of course, managed to beat the highscore on DDR by a good hundred thousand points. Show-off.

You deserve all the joy, angel.

And now the times are changin'

Look at everything that's come and gone

The two weeks had come and gone like nothing. But the two months afterward were an absolute hell of a waiting game.

But Marinette was happier, knowing that her Gotham friends were there for her.

“He’s still whipped,” Dick cackled one night after a video call.

Tim grinned, and ruffled Damian’s hair. “I can see why.”

He’d only growled at them, but they persisted anyway, giving bad advice they knew full well was awful.

But what else were brothers for?

Sometimes when I play that old six-string

I think about you, wonder what went wrong

The exchange program left them in Mlle. Bustier’s class. Well, at least Damian and a few schoolmates.

He could see just how bad the class was for himself.

At his first step into the class, he had been mobbed by a tanned brunette (Lila) claiming to be his lost soulmate, which he quickly and sharply shut down, and proceeded to sit next to Marinette.

Damian could hear her fake sobs from all the way in the back.

“Can you believe it?! He doesn’t remember me!”

Oh, fuck off.

Standin' on your mama's porch

You told me that it'd last forever

He stood, furious, and proceeded to give a thorough explanation on why she was wrong, a liar, and an awful person.

“I’ve never met you, I’ve known Marinette since I was ten, and I don’t see how the daughter of a single French domestic diplomat would ever meet an American at a charity gala in Gotham!”

Silence.

Then explosion.

Not fiery, of course. Of apologies, launched directly at Marinette.

She simply raised a hand to quell them in their tracks. “Some of you I will be able to forgive. Some of you I will not be. Thank you for your apologies.” Her tone was nowhere near the broken girl who had sobbed in his arms two months ago. She was reforged, stronger than steel.

And with a head held high like that, nothing can bring you down.

Oh, and when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

Nathanaël, Alix, Ivan, Myléne. They were able to be forgiven easier than the rest.

Sabrina and Chloé, she was neutral to. They, if they wanted to gain her trust, had a neutral starting ground.

Max, Kim, Nino. They were forgiven less easily, and would take weeks to even be on friendly terms again.

Alya, Lila, and Adrien she probably never would.

And he was perfectly fine with that.

They don’t deserve her.

Those were the best days of my life

Near the end of the exchange program, he took her to the Eiffel Tower as the sun set, overlooking all of Paris. He wasn’t nervous, of course he wasn’t. Damian Wayne, nervous in front of the girl he had been absolutely whipped for for the better part of a year?

Oh, you better believe it.

At the top tier, he covered her eyes for the entirety of the ride.

“Damiaan.” She was struggling to hide giggles. “I’ve seen this before, y’know?”

“Nah,” he grinned. “You haven’t.”

The top deck was empty, devoid of any and all tourists.

And then the fireworks started, filling the sky with all the colors of the rainbow.

Worth it.

Oh, yeah

Back in the summer of '69, oh

She grabbed his hand, eyes widening in surprise as a dazzling smile swept any amusement off her face and replaced it with wonder. “Oh my God, Dami.”

“I told you, you haven’t seen this before.”

“Wait— you— for me?”

Don’t you dare freeze.

“For you,” he agreed. “I love you, Marinette.”

Those words had been like weights—saying them the first time was hard.

It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah

Me and my baby in '69, oh

She didn’t say anything, only turned her gaze away from the fireworks and to him, the colorful explosions mirrored in her silver eyes. She was close, he could quite distinctly smell the strawberry lip gloss.

“Dami, I…” Hesitation. Shit.

Then, she launched herself at him, arms going around his neck as she crushed him in a tight hug. His arms came up to pull her close.

“I love you too, you extra idiot!”

Oh.

It was the summer,

They had shared a first kiss then, beneath the fireworks and the stars and the moon.

Neither of them were particularly any good, and she kept giggling, but he wouldn’t have traded it for anybody else.

Nor anywhere else.

Never in the world.

the summer,

This time, after she had graduated université, started as a designer, and finally moved to Gotham, they didn’t have to wait for time zones.

This time, as he caught his breath when he saw her in dazzling white, they would never have to wait again.

And this time, they could face things together.

Was he still absolutely whipped for Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

Always.

the summer of '69, yeah

[mystic-kitten-writer]

Eden [M] ︳Prologue

Pairing: Dabi x Reader

Genre: Smut with plot; romance, angst and some fluff to unfold.

Rating: NSFW-ish

Warning: Mild dirty talking, mild dry humping, mild degradation, and inappropriate touching.

Words: 5300+

Notes: Happy valentine’s everyone~! I hope you had a fantastic day/evening, and here is a lil’ present for you all. It’s the prologue of ‘Eden’, and hopefully you guys get a taste of this new, upcoming, series.

Please note, updates are going to be slow. At the moment, ‘Limerence’ is my main series (Greek Mythology is my side project). But once Limerence is done, Eden will be my main focus! Tags aren’t working (why am I not surprised) - but hopefully that fixes itself soon and appears in people’s feed.

Thank you for reading, and please don’t be shy to leave a like or comment, take care~!

Masterlist ︳01

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

It seems he managed to wander into a garden, and he was starving for a taste of that forbidden fruit. And now that he got a taste, he was not going to let go. His fingertips were engraved with sin, burning her skin with every touch, chin dripping of her sweet juices. “Fuck.” He grunted under his breath because he knew – this was more than just a quick taste.

Savory

(flower); spice, interested.

           “Ah, you’re a lifesaver!” Izuku Midoriya declared, face flushed as his head bounced up and down. His dark green hair flew everywhere, a pretty contrast from his pink freckled cheeks. He was the living definition of ‘rookie’ – filled with an unreasonable amount of energy and enthusiasm. You’re surprised you didn’t see his face plastered beside the word in every dictionary around the world.

           But it was that same energy, desire to be a hero, that had your lips curving upwards, a kittenish smile painting your rose-coloured lips. How could you not shoot him one of your infamous smiles, brushing back your hair as you mused. He’s a ball of motivation and joy – a real hero in the works.

           “If Recovery Girl finds out I healed you despite her orders, she’ll have my head,” you advised with a click of your tongue, truth lingering in your statement. After showing up to work slightly hungover – courtesy of Midnight’s refusal to accept ‘no’ for an answer for bar-hopping – the last thing you wanted was to be caught healing Midoriya.

           As if he could read your mind, the green-haired boy moaned under his breath.

           You wiped the last bit of ointment onto his skin, wrapping his wounds, spotting the way his shoulders slumped for a moment – remorse painting his face. But just like that, he puffed out his chest, a sudden resolve overcoming him.

           “I’m sorry. But I can’t let All Might down – I need to push myself-”

           “Keep pushing yourself, and you won’t have any of ‘yourself’ left to be a hero.” You interjected, causing Midoriya’s mouth to shut close, taking in the weight of your words. He stared at you with those large eyes of his, watching your fingers ease their way off his bruised limbs, the bandages new and tightly wrapped.

           “Recovery Girl is going to whip All Might’s ass if she finds out you were hurt - again.” You spoke honestly, causing the pink tint of his cheeks to turn into a darker hue. His freckles almost blended in with the flush, nodding his head furiously at your in-direct warning.

           It was at times hard to believe that this naïve, well-natured boy was Katsuki Bakugo`s supposed ‘rival.’ It was like comparing apples and oranges – this year’s students were something else. Your hands fell over your lap, leaning into Midoriya, you gaze meeting his.

           One for all…

           “Come on, let’s get going before we get caught. I’ll wrap up a few herbs for your mom to smash up. Make sure you rub it into your skin after your bath. It should numb the pain and stop the bruising and swelling.” You spoke, shooting him another cheeky smile, a weak attempt to wipe that look off his face.

           With a tired sigh, you pushed yourself off your seat, the sound of your black heels clicking against the white tiles of your office, filling the quietness. It was as you strolled around, eyes scanning the dozens of tiny planters that hung along the walls, you realized how late it has gotten.

           The sun was setting; the campus eerily quiet as most of the students were already home. Shit – and you still have to make dinner. Your index finger fell over your pouting lips; eyes eagerly searching for that one particular pot-

           “Ah- there it is.” You hummed pleasantly, reaching forward. The tan planter fell over your desk with a soft thud, your fingers dancing over the dirt until you felt it.

           The roots were starting to stretch, the shoot wiggling its way from the soil, pushing and shoving the dirt painfully slow before breaking the surface. “Come on, baby.” You muttered softly, focusing on the energy of the plant. And you swore, because you could feel the annoyance of the plant, undoubtedly grumbling a faint ‘fuck you, you forgot to water me last night,’ before spouting into a perfectly formed leaf.

           “Hero alias; Eden. Real name; Y/N. Quirk; Bioterra – can take any seed or spore and manipulate them in movement or growth…” Midoriya muffled under his breath. You let out an airy laugh hearing Midoryia mumbling to himself, clipping the newly formed seed leaves carefully, before thanking the plant.

           You prefer not to piss off the seedling. Afterall – this little babe has saved your ass far too many times to count.

           Looking over your shoulder to Midoriya, you tossed the last of the herbs into a cute little baggy. “If you keep mumbling under your breath like that, you’ll end up just scaring all the villains away.” you teased, and Midoriya scratched his head.

           “I never saw your quirk before – it’s really pretty!” He gushed, and it was then you realized that the boy was no longer patiently sitting on the examination table, but eagerly hovering over your study with a pen and book in hand. Where and when did he even-

           “Word of caution, Midoriya, while I may be the sidekick of Recovery Girl – don’t think for a second that all I can do is heal. I can grow some pretty toxic things. Get too close, and you might cease to exist.” You warned wickedly, wiggling your brows at him. But rather than deterring the curious boy, it seemed to have done the opposite.

           His mouth widened, lips racing, “If that’s the case, does that mean you’re immune to all poisons or toxins created by plants? Does that mean no plants can cause an effect on you, whether its good or bad? Does that mean you can’t heal yourself with your medicine-”

           “Midoriya. Just because you’re my favourite doesn’t mean I won’t force-feed you some valerian root for some quiet.” Midoriya’s face stoned at your threat, instantly bowing up and down. “S-sorry-” Midoriya began to stutter before a sultry singing cut him off.

           “You sure you aren’t a sadist, a villain?”

           Both of you shifted your attention to the entrance, eager to find the owner of that vibrating tone.

           “Good evening, Midnight.” You spoke, smiling radiantly to your best friend, as your arms fell over the shy Midoriya. His green eyes widened, studying the pro-hero up and down in interest – no doubt he was thinking about the rated 18+ hero’s quirk. And given a chance, he would ask her thousands of questions like he has done to you since the start of the school year.

           The stunning deep hue of purple against her red mask brought out the teasing glimmer in her eyes. Midnight cocked her head to the side, arms crossing over her chest, emphasizing her ample bust as she stepped into the room.

           “You’re not doing some unauthorized healing, are you?” Midnight pestered, cocking an eyebrow as she eyed the fresh bandages decorating Midoriya’s fingers. In a flash, your hands squeezed Midoriya’s shoulders, shaking your head with a falsely sweet smile on your lips.

           “Of course, not – I’m just showing Midoriya here, my quirk! It’s getting late; we can talk more tomorrow.” Your grip loosened, shoving the boy forward. While Midoriya was undoubtedly naïve, he wasn’t dumb. He quickly got the hint, stepping forward before waving at the both of you, “Thank you for demonstrating your quirk, see you tomorrow!”

           He dashed away from the voluptuous dominatrix, the sound of his heavy feet running down the empty hallways of UA slowly fading the further he ran. The moment he was out of earshot, Midnight twirled her whip, purring.

           “Lying to a teacher, how naughty of you.” Midnight snickered, tapping her chin as she inched her way forward. Her skin-tight costume only seemed to accentuate her sex appeal, and you rolled your eyes.

           “What are you going to do, spank me?” you challenged with your tongue sticking out. Your hands made haste with sweeping up the dirt that littered your counter, giving your seedling a lil’ treat for working so hard today.

           Midnight laughed obnoxiously loud, “You’ll enjoy that too much, you kinky bitch.”

           “And that, I won’t deny.” You giggled back, already knowing Midnight was snooping around your office, sniffing all the flowers that were blooming. She, in particular, loved the darker hued flowers, saying it matched her aesthetic.

           Placing the planter back into its spot, you turned on your heel, reaching for your purse that you left on the floor. “What are you doing here so late, anywho?” You pondered, swinging the strap over your shoulder, checking for your house keys and wallet.

           Midnight sighed dramatically, taking another whiff of the roses, “Meetings. I could use a drink, girl.”

           “Well, count me out, I’m starving, and it’s late.” You stated, shutting the window of your office, and locking it. It was officially dark outside, the streetlights looking like twinkling stars. Time moves faster when you’re having fun.

           “Oh, come on! You’re young and sexy, go out. Get drunk – better yet, find yourself a hot daddy.” Midnight argued, waltzing over to your side in a flash, tone rising with passion. “Just because you work for UA doesn’t mean you can’t live a little. You’re starting to turn into your grandmother – work, work, work.”

           You pouted, “Please don’t compare me to my grandmother.”

           Don’t get it wrong; you loved and respected your grandmother – Recovery Girl.

           She was the first hero of the family, the family pride. Hell – she was the reason why you even wanted to become a hero. She used to take you to her workplace when you a mere toddler, showing you off to all her co-workers, bragging how you’re going to be the next big thing. She was the definition of a proud grandmother.

           That’s why you worked your ass off, becoming the second hero in the family – and next-in-line to become UA’s healer once the old lady decides to retire.

           “Come on, one drink? Maybe I can hook you up with some of my friends. They know how to treat a woman. Want a submissive, a dom, ou- maybe a switch?” Midnight insisted and at that point, you huffed loudly. You saw the stars in her eyes the more she talked about the possibility of hooking you up with one of her friends. This woman-

           Linking arms with the sex addict of a friend you had, you shut your office door behind the both of you, walking through the deserted hallways. The hallways of UA was dead, all the classroom doors locked, blinds lowered so only the poorly functioning lights of the school could guide you out of this prison.

           “Don’t ignore me! I have yet to see you with someone. What do you want? What are you looking for, girl?” Midnight groused under her breath.

           What do you want…?

           Your mouth opened, a sly smirk on your face. “You know what I want? I want a fuck buddy, no feelings. Just good, hot, rough sex.”

           “And I know a friend who can do just that!” Midnight blurted, but you merely shook your head.

           “I already have someone.”

           Midnight’s eyes widen, stopping abruptly in the dimly light hallway. “You have someone? Excuse me, who is this person and since when? You haven’t gotten laid in god knows how long, and it shows.”

           You grinned mischievously, leaning into her. Midnight was on her tippy-toes, eyes and ears eagerly waiting for the spicy gossip. Her hands clasped together, leather whip firmly caught in between her tight grasp. If only she knew.

           “They’re the best. Their name is ‘dildo,’ and they’re always ready to get down whenever I need them.” You whispered.

           The moment Midnight realized what you were saying, the look of utter annoyance was clear as day.

           “You’re fucking ridiculous, Eden.” Midnight fumed, throwing her arms up in defeat as she stormed forward. You laughed from behind her, watching the way she cursed under her breath, her whip swinging back and forth. To be fair, you’re surprised she didn’t use it on you.

           “You love me, Midnight!” You screamed from behind her, and she merely shot you a glare over her shoulder, lips pressed together, trying to hold back a grin. “If you were my toy, I would’ve beaten your ass till it’s purple and blue.”

           You shoot her a kiss, playfully slapping your own ass as she raged. “I can’t wait till you find someone. And I hope they put you in your damn place. Fuck you till you can’t walk.”

           “That’s the goal!” You chirped, earning another hiss from the queen of lust, herself.

           The cold breeze that funnelled its way through the mutedly lit alleyway in which you walked was borderline painful. Your dress suddenly seemed far too short for the summer weather, your arms wrapping around yourself as you grumbled. The temperature seemed to drop in a matter of minutes – the twenty-minute walk from the school to home seemed like a journey.

           It was unreasonably dark, and the brisk air added an uncomfortable feeling in your gut. Not even the flicking neon signs that littered the city seemed to lift the mood – the atmosphere dark and grungy. The faster you get home, the better.

           Your fingers dug into your purse strap, tugging it closer to your body as your UA lanyard bounced off your chest. The bobbing of your identification card matched your heartbeat at this point, your stomach screaming to get some food inside of it.

           Pace hast, you turned the corner abruptly -“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

           Four men, of medium build, laughing obnoxiously loud and recking of alcohol crowded the already narrow alleyway. Their words were heavily slurred, arms wrapped around each other as they struggled to walk forward. Their clothing was old and dirty, and your nose scrunched up – god even the smell of shitty alcohol smelt better than whatever odour they were emitting.

           Your footsteps eased, cautiously walking behind them.

           They were moving forward, slowly, but they were moving. The smart thing to do would be to walk back and take a long way home  - but that means it’ll take longer for you to cook dinner, take a hot bath, and have a steamy session with your lovely date called ‘dildo.’

           You have the patience for neither.

           With a frustrated huff, you brushed your hair back, letting your gaze fall back onto the ground. Come on, it was a Monday night, and you just wanted to get home. Was that too much to ask?

           Trying to lessen the sound of your heels against the broken concrete, your steps were sluggish. If someone were to be watching behind you, they would’ve thought you didn’t know how to walk in heels. So fucking stupid, these dumb, drunk, idiots-

           “Heeeey maaaan, come over hereeee. We just wanna taaaalk.” A man shouted, and you felt your blood freeze. Your head snapped upwards, hearing the men starting to speak brasher, the slurring of their speech clear.

           Was he talking to you?

           No, they couldn’t be.

           Their backs were still facing you, staggering back and forth as the men seemed to puff in demeanour. Your eyes narrowed, observing one of the men walking hastily, his hands reaching for his back pocket. If he wasn’t talking to you, then that can only mean – he was trying to catch up to someone.

           “Don’t ignore meee, you skinny shit. Come hereee before I add more scaars.”

           Not caring anymore if you made noise, your pace quicken, swaying side to side to catch a glimpse of who this man could be chasing. They can’t honestly be planning on mugging someone; they can barely walk, let alone mug someone. A tired sigh escaped your lips – time to play the hero.

           Your fingers trailed into your purse, grabbing rose seeds, feeling the vines starting to rise over your fingers-

           Heat.

           The sound of your plants whimpering, retreating into your purse as blue flames flooded your vision had your eyes widening, a hostile shiver running up your spine.

           Ashes floated into the clear night sky, the smell of burnt flesh taking over the stench of alcohol as you instinctively pressed your body against the brick walls, seeking any form of coolness. You could feel the hot air rush past your ears, hair flipping for a split moment. Sweat beaded down your forehead – these flames…

           They were explosive.

           Uncontrolled.

           Pure rage.

           But most importantly - absolutely stunning.

           Your long nails dug into the brick wall, shamelessly staring at the light show in front of you rather than saving the other three men. The diverse hues of blue, clashing and mixing like a wild dance. Did that dirty, drunk man unleash this power, such a beauty?

           You quickly realized how wrong you were.

           The ash that was floating in the sky, the smell of rotting flesh – that was him.

           “You’re fucking nuts, man! You killed him – you burnt him alive!” The men screamed, their speech no longer slurred, bringing you back to the reality of the situation. And as the realization of the sight in front of you unfolded, you found yourself swallowing.

           The low-slung chuckle that caught your attention, a snicker that carried in the cold breeze, had your skin rising and lips parting.

           “Well, aren’t you an observant one. It seems I did…wanna be next?” a man spoke, voice raspy, contemptuous in tone.

           You pressed yourself off the brick wall, desperate to seek the man who caused the flips in your stomach. His voice alone was eargasmic, and when you stumbled back, heels clicking loudly, you realized you not only caught the attention of the three drunk men but the man with blue flames, as well.

           The azure embers that lingered in the cold air reflected the streetlights, highlighting a tall, lean man at the end of the shady alleyway. The way his thin lips curved upwards, a sinister smirk emerging as he licked his lips in delight.

           His light skin contrasted against the seared scars that littered his face and neck, staples piercing his flesh in a sadistic fashion. But yet, in some messed up way – the look suited him. The darkness of night adding an air of mystic and dangerous enchantment around him.

           “Well…hello there, doll.” He mused, tilting his head to the side, black hair falling over his eyes. You could feel it, the way his gaze trailed up and down your body, a wild look flashing – appreciating what his eyes were settling upon. You swallowed, a needy flush overcoming your skin, because fuck.

           He was sexy – the type of man, your parents, warned you about. The type of guy, your friends, told you not to associate with because all he was going to do was fuck and dip. You couldn’t strip your gaze away from the man, and he seemed to notice. He let out a small snicker, raising a brow as you gawked shamelessly.

           “Y-you’re a hero from UA! Save us, stop him, arrest him. He killed our friend-” The three men shouted, running towards you with desperation in their eyes. It was their loud and unwanted voices that snapped you out of it.

           What were you doing?

           Here you are, blatantly checking out some stranger – a stranger with an overpowered quirk who just murdered a man. But the enigmatic stranger continued to stare with a look of amusement, even daring to take a step closer.

           “A hero? Oh, this is becoming a lot more work than I wanted.” he snuffled under his breath, eyes half-lidded. The men ignored the man’s commentary, staring at you with annoyance.

           “Do something, you useless women! We don’t pay our taxes for you to look pretty.” One of them shouted, their spit striking your face. Oh - hell no.

           “As if you guys even pay your fucking taxes. Maybe if you didn’t get piss drunk and try to mug the man, your friend would be alive.” You shouted heatedly, stepping forward and shoving the man back. He was getting far too close for comfort – he needs to learn something about personal space.

           The man’s eyes widen, stumbling back a few steps before narrowing his gaze. “This damn psycho killed someone!”

           “He was defending himself against you morons.” You fumed, hands balling into fists. You may be a hero, but you weren’t forgiving. That was the problem nowadays; people could not take responsibility for their damn actions. Starting fights, getting their asses kicked, and then crying wolf. And of course, you had all these ‘heroes,’ eagerly picking up the pieces of their messes to fuel their damn ego.

           “If you’re smart, you’ll leave before I report this whole incident. And I can guarantee it’ll be you three going to jail.”

           “You can’t report shit if you’re dead.” The man sneered before raising his hand. There in his grasp was a small dagger, the moonlight bouncing off the thin blade. So enraged by this man’s ignorance, you failed to notice the way his hand lingered into his jacket pocket.

           You could feel the blood drain from your face, impulsively cowering away from the blade. He caught you out, and you were surely going to pay now, shit-

           That was when you spotted it, the dash of black, a pretty hand reaching for the idiotic drunk. The manic smile that painted the blue flamed stranger’s face, a lust-filled look as his hand outstretched over the man.

           His long boney fingers wrapped around the side of his head, clawing into the skin of his face. You saw the terror etched into the drunken man – eyes shifting to look at your unexpected hero — the last thing he would ever see.

           “Burn.” The stranger whistled, and that was when you felt the overwhelming heat once again.

           An explosion of blue fumes flared before you, and the man who held the knife didn’t get a chance even to scream – incinerated in seconds. There wasn’t an ounce of control or restraint in this man’s flames, just pure and utter chaos. Smoke fluttered from the man’s skin, eyes crazed as he grinned, the flames ceased in intensity.

           Ashes and embers erupted into the air, the sound of the blade hitting the ground echoing between the brick walls. The stranger let his hand drop to his side, before tilting his head to your direction. That was when you spotted it — one of the untouched men was reaching for the burnt knife that laid on the ground.

           “Oh no, you don’t-” You hissed, the tipsy man staring up at you in surprise. But his resolve was set in stone, eager to get revenge for his now two dead buddies. The hot blade twisted in his hand, holding it tight as he swung down.

           He wasn’t aiming for you at all – he was trying to injury your anti-hero.

           You lunged forward, chest clashing with your newly developed crush, arms reaching around his neck. The inebriated man swung, and right before the blade could come in contact with your dark hero, your hands tightly gripped the man’s wrist, nails digging into his skin.

           “Let. Go.” You threatened, teeth clenching as you tried to hold him back.

           “Dude, the fuck are you doing? They’re heroes – they’ll kill us with their damn quirks. Run.” The only reasonable man of the two shouted, and that was all it took. The weapon slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor, and your grasp loosened.

           He whipped his hands from your touch, spitting on the ground where you stood as he ran down the alleyway with his only remaining friend. “Let’s get out of here.” They slurred, the sound of their shoes drumming against the concrete – turning the corner and out of sight.

           A drained gasp escaped you, arms going limp as your forehead rested against the man who saved your ass. Holy fuck – talk about a giant cluster fuck. The air around you smelt like death and fire, sparks spreading across the block, courtesy of the night breeze.

           How are you going to explain this? All the paperwork and details – you really outdid yourself tonight, didn’t you?

           “Hmm…he wasn’t lying; you’re a ‘hero’ from UA.” A dark voice droned into your ear. His hot breath tickled your neck, skin tingling in bliss, and your head shot upwards. That’s when you took in how utterly striking the man; you currently had your arms wrapped around, was.

           His eyes were magnetic, a turquoise so damn vibrant and clear your mouth dropped.

           Being as up close as you were, you could appreciate the silver piercings that decorated his nose and ears — an unpredicted attractive mix with his purple and red coloured scars. Overall, his features were soft, despite his attitude and whisky-like voice, although his jaw could probably cut diamonds with how damn sharp it was.

           Damn, he was attractive, and you couldn’t help but feel your breath getting heavy the further you gawked. Midnight was right – you were sex-starved, and the way you studied this man up and down like a damn snack, was the proof.

           His lips curved upwards to a smile that even the devil himself would swoon, noticing how your eyes scanned him with longing. Your fingers brushed his long black locks by accident, and you could feel your heartbeat pounding in your ears.

           “Do all UA heroes dress like this? Short dresses, low necklines?” The man chuckled, his fingers playing with the lanyard that was perfectly nestled between your breasts. Your cheeks flared, feeling his calloused fingers against your cleavage. His touch was far from tender, purposely letting the ID roll between his fingers, conveniently pulling your neckline further down your torso.

           And the worst part was you weren’t mad at his erotic touch as much as the comment, nipples hardening at the thought of this going further.

           “I beg your pardon?” You retorted, and the stranger merely laughed, licking his lips as he leaned closer to your face.

           “Oh, you can beg all you want, doll.”

           Fuck, this man knows what he’s doing. You snickered under your breath, untangling your arms away from his shoulders, pulling the lanyard that he played with away. “Thank you for saving my ass back there.”

           He smirked, running his hands messily through his hair before stepping forward. Your bottom lip rolled between your teeth, eyes fluttering as you watched the way the man before you dominated. He was rolling his shoulders back, each step of his lazy in demeanour, eyeing you like how a predator stalks its prey.

           “You come here often? Walk down these sketchy alleyways for fun.”

           “I’m kind of a hero, and unfortunately, walking in creepy alleyways is in the job description.”

           “Is eye-fucking people also included in that job description?”

           “Nope, that’s something I do on my own time.” You grinned, earning a handsome one back. He licked his lips, hands falling into his pants pockets as he stepped closer. You didn’t even realize the little dance that was happening.

           Both of you, stepping closer and father between words, walking in circles as you bantered pointlessly. The fact that this man killed two people was lost to the wind (literally) – you were a hero, sure, but you never said that you were good at it.

           “Personal time…that means you’re on your way home. Good to know.”

           “Plan on stalking?”

           He merely shrugged his shoulders, eyes falling back to your breasts without a care in the world. “Mm…maybe. Y/N – pro hero, Eden.” He muttered under his breath. This time you didn’t bother stopping him, the way he outstretched his hand, jerking on the ID card and drawing you closer to his body.

           Both of your eyes were glossed over, a heat building between your damn legs as he studied every curve in the dress you wore. It wasn’t even skimpy or short, but the way his eyes lingered – you would’ve thought you were wearing nothing but lingerie if you didn’t know better.

           “Next time, wear something shorter.”

           “Excuse me?” you blurted, and he merely laughed, letting go of the makeshift leash. But now that you were close, he seemed to take advantage. His hands fell over your hips, drawing you up against his body, his scared skin brushing against your jaw.

           “You see, doll, boobs are great and all, but that ass you got? I much rather have my hands on that.” He growled into your ear, and you couldn’t stop your small moan. Your hands fell over his shoulders, and you couldn’t even wrap your head around the fact that his hands were running up and down your thighs, shoving you backwards.

           Your back hit the wall roughly, him growling into your ear as he licked down your neck with a low grunt. “F-Fuck, what’s your name?” You blurted, and you could hear him chuckle breathlessly, listening to your gasping sighs.

           “Dabi – that’s the name that you’re going to be screaming.” He grunted, his hips thrusting into yours. You could feel his arousal, hard and heavy, rubbing perfectly against your parted legs. Your head tossed back, another mewl escaping your lips as his fingers dug into your thighs, rubbing his hardening cock against your wet heat.

           “Fuck, you’re nasty, a perfect lil’ slut for me, right doll?”

           His words had you purring.

           “Dabi-” you gasped, and the flashing lights of blue and red caught your attention. The sounds of sirens were clear in the dead of night, and they were rapidly approaching. A pout formed on your lips, eyes shutting close for a moment as you swore because the wet mess between your legs was far more concerning.

           You blew frustratingly; you’ve got to be fucking kidding-

           “Told you I’d have you begging.” Dabi chuckled, thrusting his dick perfectly against your sopping panties one last time, before pulling back. He licked his lips, and you couldn’t help but whine under your breath, seeing that bulge in between his legs – something you so desperately wanted your mouth over.

           “See you soon, Y/N, my delicious lil’ fruit.” He teased, before stuffing his hands back into his pants and running off.

           Your face was flushed, your breasts practically falling out of your dress, your thighs and ass on full display. You watched as Dabi managed to mix into the darkness as if he wasn’t even here a minute ago, dry humping you against the wall.

           “Over here- that’s where people reported the noise.” A few voices bellowed, and in a flash, you pulled down your dress, running back down the same alleyway you came from. Here you were, speedily walking down the very route you should’ve taken to begin with.

           If you had taken this path from the start, you would’ve been already home, dinner cooked, and probably in bed.

           But you couldn’t stop the cheeky smirk on your face, your hands falling over your neck, where his lips practically ravished. You were sure there were going to be some marks, although faint, and that thought made you wetter.

           It seems like Mr. Dildo found himself a new name for tonight – Dabi.

Copyright © 2020 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

[crackimagines]

FE3H - Beer and Romance

Byleth-Sama: Love is War (Part 3)

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Part Listings Here!

All AU’s involved listed here!

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Having no skills in the art of wooing people, Sara must improvise and find a way to get Byleth with her for the ball.

Even if that means getting help from...Less than desirable people.

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The Evening of Part 2...  

[Evening Moments - Trails of Cold Steel]

Sara chugged the last of the ale in her mug and slammed it onto the counter, burping loudly.

(Sara) “Aaaah! Now that hit the spot!”

She laid back against the chair as her mind was barely scrambling together her thoughts.

(Aqua) “You seriously know how to find the good stuff, Instructor!”

(Manuela) “Agreed! Though, what are you doing with us tonight, Sara?”

(Sara) “Hm? Whatcha mean?”

(Manuela) “You’re currently trying to get Byleth as your partner for the dance, right?”

Sara sat back up in her chair and furrowed her brows.

(Sara) “The hell, who told you all that?!”

(Aqua) burp! “Our classes did. Well, technically Sothis did first but ya know!” hic!

(Manuela) “Sothis? Wow, you really ARE out of it. But yes, I heard it from the students. Trying to win that handsome man’s heart isn’t going to be easy with Megumi.”

(Sara) “Hmph.”

(Manuela) “After all, she’s a lot more polite and well liked around the students, doesn’t smell like booze-”

(Sara) “Gee, thanks for your support.”

(Aqua) HIC! “Come on, show some support for our girl! Sara’s got her womanly charms down! She’s SMOKIN! Let’s...ask Kazuma and the other students who’s got your back!”

Sara looked into her mug and nodded.

(Sara) “Not a bad idea from someone so wasted...Let’s do it!”

FWOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire building shook violently, snapping everyone out of their drinking.

(Manuela) “What in the hell was that?!”

(Sara) “Was...that a guitar?”

(Aqua) “I think it came from the training hall!”

The three looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to drinking. 

Day 3...

[Suburban Town of Trista - Trails of Cold Steel]

Rean sat at the pier fishing when he heard footsteps.

(Sara) “Hey Rean bean!”

(Rean) “Hello, Instructor. Do you need something?”

(Sara) “As a matter of fact, I do! Scooch over will ya?”

Rean shrugged and moved over for Sara to sit down.

(Sara) “Soooo, you have a lot of the girls attention from our class, yes?”

(Rean) “I guess? I don’t know I never got that vibe bef-...Is this about Byleth?”

(Sara) “Right on the money! So, I know I haven’t exactly been the...well...definition of ladylike-”

(Rean) “That’s an understatement-”

(Sara) “H-Hey!”

(Rean) “What? I’m being honest.”

(Sara) “Such words wound my heart! My own student not swooning over his tragically attractive teac-”

(Rean) “It’s Byleth’s attention you’re trying to get right? Class VII is rooting for you all the way, Instructor. Buuuut, I’m not exactly the guy to go to. Why not go to Sharon or any of the girls in House Isekai?”

(Sara) “As if that maid knows anything about being a proper lady!”

(Sharon) “I know more than you do, Miss Sara!”

Sharon smiled as both Rean and Sara jumped.

(Sara) “ACK! Quit doing that! And besides I’m asking you because you seem to help everyone in our class without a hitch. Help your poor teacher too!”

(Rean) “Instructor, you realize I had to do that because you pretty much forced everyone onto me, right?”

(Sharon) “But it’s something you don’t regret doing, Master Rean!”

(Rean) “...Ugh, fair enough. Well I guess if I can recommend anything, what about a better dress? Something you can wear to wow Byleth the day of the ball.”

(Sara) “Hm...That’s a start. Well, thanks Rean!”

(Rean) “Good luck, Instructor.”

Sara walked off to the markets, leaving Rean and Sharon.

(Rean) “...Sharon can you shadow her and Megumi to make sure they don’t end up hurting themselves with this crazy little fight?”

(Sharon) “Already taken care of, Master Rean! I have asked several of our students to keep watch when I am not around!”

(Rean) “Really? Like who?”

...

(Kazuma) “Yo, Sara!”

Sara turned around and saw Kazuma, Megumin, and Edelgard in the market.

(Megumin) “Hi, Instructor!”

(Edelgard) “Good afternoon.”

(Sara) “Hey kids, whatcha need?”

(Kazuma) “We heard you were trying to get an edge over Megunee, and we’re here to help.”

(Megumin) “Yeah, we’ll get you that dance!”

(Edelgard) “You have our word!”

(Sara) “...I can see you two helping me out for none other than pride, but what about you Kazuma?”

(Kazuma) “Meh, it’s just something I believe in.”

“...”

(Kazuma) “...And Sharon paid me.”

(Sara) “There we go, that’s more like it. Anyways, I need some help getting a dress. You lot seem to be more in tune with what’s pretty than me.”

(Megumin) “Uh...All I wear is what you see.”

(Edelgard) “I’m afraid...things like that is beyond my knowledge.”

(Kazuma) “Well if it’s just pretty dresses you need, I think I know just the gal...”

[Open for Business! - Fire Emblem: Awakening]

(Anna) “Welcome to the LARP-Shop!”

(Kazuma) “Sara, this is our dealer for...pretty much every supply we got in House Isekai. Anna, this is that alcoholic teacher.”

(Anna) “A pleasure, Miss Sara!”

(Sara) “Same here. now what’s the LARP part of your shop’s name mean?”

(Anna) “Iunno, sounds kinda fancy ya know?”

(Kazuma) snrk!

(Megumin) “Look at all these costumes! They look like my stuff but...a bit...more banged up.”

(Edelgard) “Oh, what about this knight costume? This is sure to get Byleth’s attention!”

(Kazuma) “Uh, we’re here to get a dress, not make Sara look like us.”

(Anna) “Ooooh, you need a dress? Who’s the lucky man?”

(Sara) “Lucky man? What makes you assume it’s for a guy?”

(Anna) “Well, the ball is coming soon, and every lady I know in Garreg Mach is scrambling to get something pretty, though that’s where the bad news comes in...”

(Kazuma) “Ah shit, don’t tell me?”

(Edelgard) “You’re out of dresses, aren’t you?”

(Anna) “Afraid I am...’

(Sara) “Psh, no problem! I don’t need a dress anyway, I’m sure I can look more stunning with whatever special stuff is here! Hey, Megumin, you’re with me! Edelgard and Kazuma, find me some jewelry!”

(Megumin) “Instructor, who’s money are we using?”

(Sara) “The Monastery’s of course! I ain’t payin a thing myself!”

(Kazuma) “...I respect her so much.”

(Edelgard) “For that?!”

...

(Megumin) “Presenting, the Instructor!”

(Anna) “Oh, she’s done!”

(Kazuma) “Well, let’s see what she di-WOAH.”

“So, how’s this?”

(Megumin) “Pretty!”

(Edelgard) “O-Oh...”

(Kazuma) “HOLY SHIT SHE’S HOT.”

(Anna) “Hah, perfect! To hell with dresses and tradition, am I right?”

(Sara) “Damn straight! Now uh...where exactly did you get this type of clothing? This is more akin to my world’s than anything I’ve seen in Fodlan.”

(Kazuma) “Now that you mention it, yeah that looks more like Earth’s clothing. What’s up with that?”

(Anna) “Don’t question my stock, it’s...an answer you don’t wanna know. Now, let’s get that payment done!”

Once they finished paying for Sara’s new clothes for the ball, she turned to the three.

(Sara) “So, dress acquired! How do I be more ladylike?”

“...”

(Sara) “...I’m asking the wrong people, aren’t I?”

(Megumin, Edelgard & Kazuma) “Yup.”

(Sharon) “If I may?”

(Sara) “GAHGEUDNMDAMN IT!”

(Kazuma) “FUCK! God- how do you?!-”

(Sharon) “I have an idea since the other more womanly types appear to be entirely neutral on this fight or with Megumi though...It’s an idea you may oppose at first.”

(Sara) “Well, I ain’t got anything to lose, hit me.”

Seteth’s Office Room...

[Dapper Cadaver - Team Fortress 2]

Seteth quietly sat in his chair reading a book when he heard a knock at the door.

(Seteth) “Come in.”

Sara awkwardly poked her head around the door.

(Sara) “Uh...h-hey there. Got a second?”

(Seteth) “Oh, Valestein. Please,

GO TO HELL.”

(Sara) “Hah uh...r-real funny. Anyways I-”

SLAM!

Seteth slammed the door, hitting her face in the process and squishing her.

(Sara) “A-AGH! N-NONO WAIT! I’M NOT HERE TO SCREW WITH YOU! I-I NEED YOUR HELP!”

Seteth’s eyes went wide, then he rolled, letting her tumble through the door.

(Seteth) “Make it quick.”

(Sara) “Ack...So...well...You see the thing is, I um...want to take Byleth out...during the...ball.”

(Seteth) “You? You’re terrible with boys!”

(Sara) “Wha? Psh, no! You see this?”

Sara pointed at her face, then body, then the rest of her.

(Sara) “Look at all of this! No, I’m GREAT with the boys! It’s the men, the classy ones. The ones that smell good and...can read.”

(Seteth) “If I recall Byleth couldn’t read when he first started tea-”

(Sara) “Bah, besides the point! And seeing as you’re an actual man who married...I need your help in making me into a woman that he could consider taking into the ball.”

(Seteth) “Hm, and why is it that you are unapproachable to men?”

(Sara) “...C-Come on, Seteth. I don’t know.”

(Seteth) “Well,  a mystery that you will take when you return to your world, goodbye!”

(Sara) “Wait wait wait...Ugh, this NEVER leaves this room...You...are better than me. I need your help.”

Seteth sighed but then turned to her.

(Seteth) “Then let’s get to work. We only have a few more days.”

[blackevermore]

x Wade In The Water

{ Chapter 3: He Who Came }

Summary: Estar Scott was once in love. She thought the days of her shortcomings were over and that the man she found was her one and only. But all that was taken away when the demons she had became too accustomed to finally took the one thing she had left. Louisiana was her home but the devil down below was calling her name. She only has herself to blame when it came to the hands dragging her under.

Notes: It’s Hazbin Hotel, be ready for everything. Also I apologize for all my mistakes in advance!

Word Count: 4,848

We might ask for forgiveness for those above but it's those that lie below that hears our words first. The dead are right at our feet, snickering at how foolish we are talking to the sky. God has a waiting room even for the beaten, the broken, and the damned. I would know for I was the one that told people to take a seat.

-Ester R. Scott

Mama used to take me to the parades downtown every year when it was time to see the new queens. I remember we would always wear these beautiful white dresses that had so many ruffles and lace ribbons tied into the fabric. Mama said these dresses were special and should only be worn on special days. Back then, I didn't care why we got to wear the dress; I just wanted to spin around in circles and see how the fabric danced in the wind. Mama also used to braid my hair back into cornrows and wrap my head in a white scarf decorated with hanging beads. Mama used to tell me to pick any colour beaded necklace I wanted and to make sure when I chose one, I blessed it. I always preferred the blue ones, it was my favourite colour, and they were the shiniest ones mama owned. When we got downtown to New Orleans, the whole city and blocks were lit up with colourful lights and decorations. People of all kinds were dressed up in their best or costumes. The music was loud and the food was good and mama would let me run off with the other black kids while she talked to her friends. By the time the parade started I would be back by mama's side holding her hand. On the other side of the street were all the white folk who looked just as happy to be here as we did. I didn't understand then why we couldn't stand on the same side of the street as I do now. The one time I asked mama she just kissed my forehead and told me it was the way of things. But no matter what the way things were, when the parade started, everyone had a grand time.

Mama kneeled beside me and pointed up towards the king and queen, "One day the queen will be black and we will be her people."

"Could I be queen one day?" I remember how optimistic I was, eager to wear any form of royal crown and have the people cheer for me. My mama would smile, close her eyes and clap her hands four times around my head.

"You are already a queen, your people are waiting for you to grow up so they can give you your crown."

I remembered how happy I was to hear that, that the whole ride back home I waved at people the same way the queen in the parade waved at us. I used to shout out random noble titles to people as we passed them and promised them I, their queen, would be on top of the float one day.

}~~{

"You'll come to the grand Mardi Gras ball won't you Miss Ester?" Chemintine pouted from across the table while I tried to pull the fabric I needed for the suit. I wanted to start on it as fast as possible, but that was hard to do when a little white girl was crawling at my arms for attention. "The Luxsher family invited the whole shop and it's only right you get to go. You did make the Madam's dress after all." Chemintine didn't have a mind to think of the few reasons I couldn't go. She was native and wanted to have a grand time with anyone she considered a friend. Maybe she got it from how backwards she was compared to the rest of her family. Maybe forms of ignorance was different for everyone in her family, that's why her name was Chemintine and not Clementine.

"I don't believe I'd be welcomed with all those people. Not my place to go." I tried my best to sound as uninterested as possible so that Chemintine would get the hint. But like most things, it went right over her beautiful pretty head. She shook her head and hurried from around the counter and grabbed my hand that didn't have much to carry. 

"The Madam knows you're black, so does her husband, if they didn't take kindly to you, they wouldn't have handwritten you an invitation to come tomorrow." Maybe not everything went over her head as it should. I wish this did, so I could come up with another excuse on why I couldn't go. Or why it was best I stayed at the shop in case of customers. I then found the perfect excuse tucked between my arms.

"I have a suit that requires my attention and I would prefer it if I focused on it rather than be distracted." I nervously smiled at Chemintine and pulled away to walk back towards my bench. I rolled out the yards of red fabric on the table and the pattern I needed to cut out. Chemintine wasted no time in following hot on my heels and stomping her foot like a child.

"We all know you could get that suit done before it's time for the ball. Why are you so scared?"

"Because even if two people stand with you, that doesn't mean everyone else has a change in heart. Do you know what happened in Bogalusa eleven years ago? They killed a black union worker trying to get to a meeting being escorted by two white men with guns. They killed the white men too for trying to protect that 'damn nergo.'" It felt nice barking at the girl, it didn't help my image, but it felt downright blissful. She really had no idea and though I didn't expect her to but I did expect her to understand and read the room. The girl didn't seem to mind it one bit. She took my snapping and dusted it off her dress as she stood as tall as she could against me.

"Times are changing Ester."

"Your daddy would slap you if he heard you say that. He would ring you up and tell you off. The world may be changing but it's not fast enough for people like me." I took Chemintine's hand and whispered my apology and she accepted it as she said her own. In the short time we've known each other we grew to understand our tempers tended to get the best of us. Just in time a huff came from in front of us as the sound of the curtain swooshed open. 

"Maybe times shouldn't change at all, I think you and your kind are doing just fine." Monique, one of the older girls, came walking in with bags in her hands for her commission. I said nothing and took a deep breath and squeezed Chemintine's hand before letting go and getting back to work. Chemintine gave me a quick smile and hurried back to her station to finish on a pair of earrings she was working on.

"I still can't believe they invite you. It's not like you really do anything around here." Why Monique continued to open her dirty mouth was beyond me.

"She made the Madam's dress," Chemintine answered for me and Monique shot up her hand to silence the girl.

"That was the worse dress I've ever seen, Mrs Birdy must be a blind old bat to think you were able to make a stunning dress. Surely she gave it to you to make a fool out of you, you ain't worth nothin but a good laugh. Damn nigger ruining everything it does."

Chemintine threw down her tools and spun on her feet and marched up to Monique like a bat out of hell. "Shut your whore mouth! The only reason you're working here and even have clients is because Mrs Birdy took pity on you when your mother threw you out after you slept with your stepfather. We all know that man didn't seduce you like you tell everyone. You climbed in bed while your mother was out and opened your legs wide like a loose dog in heat!" I didn't know what to say or what to do. Chemintine had never blown up like that towards anyone in the shop. A loud smack sounded across the room as Monique's hand met with Chemintine's cheek.

"You don't get to talk to me like that, you bitch!" Monique's face was bewildered with anger and embarrassment.  It was true, after all. Monique had come from the high north of Louisiana from a well off family. Her father had died years before and her mother remarried a dying man. Monique was mad at her mother and wanted her step father's money all to herself, so the best thing she could think of was to take the man when he couldn't tell left from right. The mother was a cruel woman for marrying a sick man that needed care and her daughter was even worse with fucking him when he couldn't even use his legs. Mrs Birdy caught word of what happened when she delivered a dress to one of the maids the day Monique was being thrown out. Monique sobbed a great story of being raped by her stepfather and Mrs Birdy believed it for only three seconds. Either way, the older woman needed people at the shop and offered Monique work and a place to stay and the whore took it.

"What is going on back here? I can hear you in the front while I dress the windows." Mrs Birdy came through the curtain hands on hip. Everyone was quiet for a while, "Well?"

"I got too excited over the ball tomorrow but Ester said she doesn't want to go." Chemintine, still covering her red cheek, skipped over to her station with a fake smile. I could tell Mrs Birdy wasn't buying it but she wasn't going to push it either. She knew Monique was rude and had no respect for me, just looking for a reason to get rid of the girl. But sadly she needed the hands in the shop so she had to turn a blind eye to the bullshit. Kindly, at the end of the night, Mrs Birdy would always give me something extra for my troubles. 

"Ester you don't want to go?" 

"No ma'am, I have work to do and so much to get done that I don't have time."

"Ester you have to go."

"Ma'am I can't I-"

"Ester you will go, company orders, I'm closing the shop tomorrow and I expect everyone to attend this very honourable event." Mrs Birdy's tone was stoic and unbreakable as she told me what I was going to do. I didn't wish to argue, nor did I wish to try my luck at not showing up.

"Yes ma'am, but there is a problem, I don't have a dress to wear nor anything to make me look presentable." I tried my chances anyway with playing this card. But Mrs Birdy shook her head and pointed towards a stack of boxes.

"All of those dresses I had you stand for hours over there got sent back because Henriette Jacobs died of a heart attack on the boat, and you don't have a dress. Miss Scott I want you to pick a dress and have Chemintine fit it to ya if need be. I have shoes you can borrow and I know you still have your mama's jewellery. I would like for all my girl's to be ready to go." Mrs Birdy said nothing more as she turned on her heels and walked back to the front right as the doorbell rang.

"Yes!" Chemintine clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

"What?!" Monique blurted out in anger, not caring if Mrs Birdy could see her true feelings on her face.

"Oh Ester this is going to be fun! Come on now, let's pick you something good." Chemintine wasted no time running over to me and pulling me back towards the front to fiddle with the boxes. The suit I had to finish laid out, bare and cold, I told myself as soon as this was over I would hurry to start it and get some of it done. 

I would hate to know what would happen if I didn't.

}~~{

I hadn't been to a formal event in years, never been to a Mardi Gras ball ever in my life, the nervousness I felt poking at my stomach made me want to puke. Mrs Birdy offered to have me walk in with her and her husband and I happily accepted. I didn't want to be alone, not tonight when I felt like a fish out of the bayou, I would stay as close as possible to the old woman if it is my dying wish.

"That dress looks good on you, though Chemintine's stitching could use some work, but none the less you bring it to life." Mr Birdy pulled at the shoulder fabric a bit to bring it up from falling. The dress I chose was an empire waist royal blue silk gown that had an open back and cape sleeves that fell to the floor. At the knee of the dress were extra fabric to give the dress more flare. The problem Chemintin ran into when it came to refitting the dress to my body was how different my figure was from the owner before. I wasn't chest heavy nor was my thigh as big, but I wasn't skinny like most. All my life I was told I was my mama's corn fed baby. Despite the fact I wasn't sporty like the other women I wasn't unpleasant nor was I ugly. I took great pride in my looks with full lips and chubby cheeks. I looked like my mother and my mother was a beautiful woman. 

"She tried her best; most of her clients are no bigger than a pole. I had to help her around the waist." I pulled on the white gloves and did my best to put in my earrings. Lucky for me this ball gave the opinion for the attending to wear a mask, I didn't feel like putting on heavy makeup, so I jumped at the chance to cover my face. 

"Come on child, the doors will close if you keep fussing with yourself." Mrs Birdy patted my arm and I nodded as I picked up the ends of my dress to follow her in. The young black man at the door looked surprised to see me with an invitation. When I handed him my invitation for him to check it, he didn't look at it and just bowed his head to gesture me in. It was a bit unnerving for me but I thanked him and went inside the venue. This year's ball was held at the brand new ballroom that was built to replace the grand french opera house that burnt down years ago. All around me felt like I stepped into a fairytale book with the high pilers and hanging plants. Decorations with french writing paint in greens, purples, and golds circled pillars, tables, and chairs. All the men wore black and white except for a few who seemed to be in a costume of sorts. Some wore crazy hats that matched their mask while others chose to go without either. The women were like the colour jungle I've seen in postcards in the store. So many colours and so many different types of gowns. Some women who weren't guests but rather performers wore Josephine Baker type outfits that showed more skin then it did performance. Ever since she took off in the lands beyond the water the shift in black folk became shift I wasn’t so sure would be a good thing.

It wasn't long into the venue when a group of people came rushing towards us. Chemintine and the Luxsher's were waiting for us at a giant table.

"Ester! Mrs Birdy! Over here!" Chemintine's voice barely peaked over the music as she waved us over. She wore pinks of all shades from her wild blonde hair down to his toes that peaked under her dress. She was more dressed up than the queen herself. It wasn't time for the crowning yet, so the Luxsher's wore more simple attire of purples.

"Afternoon Chemintine, Mr and Mrs Luxsher, thank you for inviting us." I grab the end of my dress and I bow as best I could. The fabric around my legs was tight so it wasn't much of a bow as it was leaning over a bit. 

"Ester you are always welcome," Mrs Luxsher pulled me in close and kissed the side of my face. "I wish only for the finest seamstress to be at my gathering." I smiled politely though wishing she hadn't done that. Her perfume reeked of layering and it made my eyes water. We take our seats at the table and I sit in silence as I watch everyone else engage in a conversation. I didn't know how to talk to people very well, never have, if me and someone was meant to be friends it just happened over time and of being in the same place for so long. God bless Chemintine who had seemed to notice and turned her attention towards me. 

"Ya still thinking about that suit?" She rested her face in his palm on the table and leaned as close as she could get so I could hear her.

"I'm thinking about how I wanna be home." I shook my head and looked around at how lovely everything was. It was all a bit too much.

"Oh hush now, you can't stay at home all the time."

"Easy for you to say, you sunk out of yours to be here."

"Sure did! And won't be home until daddy comes marching out of bed to get me." There were only two years between us, me being 21 and Chemintine being 19, yet compared to her I felt like I was so old. That's what happens when you come from two different skin tones. One gets to live free of worry while the other is scared all the time. Maturity handpicked it's lucky few. Eventually, a conversation of the expansion of radio sparked between us as Chemintine told me of what she heard from New York. She kept asking me when I plan on going to New York and I always shook my head and told her I had no idea. 

"I wanna go to the Cotton Club!" Chemintine yelled with excitement as she spoke of the nightlife my people could be having right now. It was ironic how eager she was willing to explore something that didn't belong to her.

"Maybe one day when I go up to visit my aunt, I'll take you with me."

"Really?" I shouldn't make promises I couldn't keep.

"Really."

"Oh Ester! Make it soon. I have no idea when daddy will finally have enough of me and send me back to Texas." Chemintine dramatically fanned herself and giggled.

"I'll try darling," I reached for my water in a wine glass and took a sip. Just then the big band started playing a jive that got everyone up on their feet. The first to leave the table was the Luxshers' then went the Birdys, leaving Chemintine and me all to ourselves swaying back and forth in our chairs.

"Excuse me, miss,  may I have this dance?" We both turned to our left and saw an awkward young man who looked no more than twenty, held out his hand for Chemintine. The girl looked at me and I nodded and she whispered a 'thank you' before running off.  For once, I now felt a bit better being all to myself. I could enjoy my drink, my peace, and be entertained by how sloppy everyone was becoming on the dance floor. However, I did feel left out by how many couples there seemed to be in the room. Everyone had a date or a friend to keep them company and yet I sat at the table alone, my friend being swooshed away by a knight and black armour for the night.

I had always dreamed of having a date, or a night of fun with someone who I could secretly call a date. Before my papa died when I was young he loved my mama more than he loved himself. Every night when they put me to bed he would dance with her in the living room to no music. They didn't need music, they could hear the songs in their heads, and I wanted to hear it too. I wanted to have someone that could hear it and ask me for a dance. But I never had the confidence to talk to anyone I thought was charming. If I tried I would get choked up and coward to myself. Mama tried to pair me off with neighbourhood boys, but it never worked out when all they wanted was a piece of my skirt. Every time I had a 'date', I'd come home angry and tears on my face ready to yell at anyone that crossed me wrong. Mama told me not every boy would be like that and that one day, the man of my dreams would come asking to hold my hand rather than the hem of my dress. I believed her and I wished for it, but I also knew I had other things to worry about, such as making a living for myself and staying alive.

I took the mask off as it started to become hot against my skin. When the big feather and plastic was away, I took a deep breath and sighed against my chair. I was ready to go home. The sooner I could get home the sooner I could get out of this dress and bathe. I could also try and start a few stitching on the suit before I headed to bed.

"N'ont-ils pas l'air merveilleux? Ivre et stupide, profitant du temps de leur vie sans égard pour personne d'autre." I jumped at the sound of someone's voice so close to my ear. I pushed away from the table and spun towards the sound—a very tall fair-skinned man dressed in black and shades of reds seated himself beside me. He was dressed like one of the theatre performers, but without the big hat, instead, he wore a black half-mask that covered his eyes and had large antlers coming from the sides. He didn't look at me while he spoke, keeping his gaze on the people and laughing every so often.

"You shouldn't call people stupid," I said back, turning to watch the crowd as well.

"So you do know French."

"As much as my mama could teach a stubborn child." He snickered.

"Your mama would have loved to speak with mine. Stubborn children are worse to teach." It was my turn to chuckle a bit and I agreed with him.

"Do I know you sir?" I didn't want to be rude sitting with a stranger in the corner of the room.

"You may, you may not. Do you?" He finally turned his face towards me and I knew as soon as I saw those eyes it was my customer. He smiled slyly and chuckled at my expression.

"Alastor?" I whispered and his smile blinded me.

"Had I known you would be coming to the ball tonight I would have ordered my suit at a later date." His accents sounded like they were mixing. As if he was forcing himself to be cultured while here but also somewhere else. I didn't say anything and kept it to myself. I became bashful at his comment, feeling embarrassed that I wasn't at the shop hard at work, making him the suit he needed.

"I'm sorry, sir, my boss told me I had to come." I hung my head slightly and away from him.

"And you should be here, it's a grand party, everyone is enjoying themselves. I'm sure the working kind enjoys a few luxuries. I know I sure do." His voice dropped from his chipper tone to a slightly annoyed.

"Sometimes but not like this. Parties weigh me down, too much is going on, I like the peace of being at home with the radio."

"Do you?" He seemed a lot more intoned with me when I said that. His eyes grew wide behind his mask with curiosity.

"When I can," I replied, I had no idea what this man was thinking about nor what he could say next. But I did know that now that he was sitting next to me something felt off about him. For a while, he kept his eyes on me looking me up and down then snapped his gaze away.

"How about a dance?" He finally broke the awkward silence that lingered between us. "They're about to play a song I'd requested and I seem to be lacking a partner."

"I wouldn't want to make you look like a fool."

"Can you dance?"

"Yes I can but nothing too hip."

"Good enough for me," I was off my chair and being whisked away to the middle of the floor. As he bowed in front of me and I did the same another fast moving song started to roar. Eyes were on me, I could feel them, I could sense them, they were on me with the bewildered curiosity of why a black girl was mingling with a white man. Or what they taught to be. Alastor threw me around like I was the lightest thing he ever touched and I followed his every move. Our dance had started steady and paced but as the band noticed us, the music got louder and crazy. I hitched up my dress as best as I could to free my legs and soon we were dancing on a table. With every lift and spin Alastor held me up like I was flying. I was laughing and screaming the whole time. I, for the first time since mama died, was having the time of my life doing the swing. By the end of the song Alastor dropped me into a dip, the audience around us roar with cheer and delight. When he pulled me back up I was in shock that only a few seemed to be bothered by our dancing. The others were too drunk and too high on life to care about anything else but the party.

"Ester! Ester! That was amazing! I didn't know you could dance like that, girl!" Chemintine pushed through the people and pulled me into a hug. She had stars in her eyes as she looked at me.

"I-I didn't either," I said, trying to catch my breath as my newfound high started to come down a bit.

"My god that was amazing, you had the whole party watching you, you were like a star. Who was that man with you?"

"He," I turned to my side where Alastor should have been but wasn't. I tried to find him in the crowd but he was gone, the sight of his red costume was nowhere to be found—the hornes from his mask were gone in the wave of people. "I don't know."

"Well that's a downer, you two looked like yall was the king and queen of the ball." Chemintine didn't know what she was saying; there was no such thing, me and Alastor danced, it was all just fun. 

Then by the door of the venue, I saw him. Alastor was removing his mask and tossing it to the ground. Next to him was the devil who was chatting away about something. At first, I didn't think it was anything wrong, the devil tried to talk to many people, but they all ignored him, but then when Alastor turned and replied, I gasped. I wiggled my hand away from Chemintine and started towards the door. I excused myself through people as best I could and nearly tripped as I stumbled towards the entrance. When I pushed through the door to outside, I shivered in the spring night chill and looked both ways. Alastor and the devil were both out of sight. How in the world could a man dressed in all white and another dressed in all red vanish into air?

"Miss?" I turned around in haste and the boy at the door jumped. "Were you looking for the two men that just left?"

"Y-yes." I said breathlessly. I walked closer to him and he took off his hat and held it against his chest. His eyes seemed nervous and weary to look at me. "Did you see where they went?"

He shook his head, "You shouldn't follow the devil when he has company."

[oumiyuki]

Kotori ends up gaining weight after being taken on far too many dinner dates with Honoka, and feeling super ashamed of herself, she tries and hide from Honoka for a bit while exercising in private. But when Honoka gets too lonely after a while, she asks Kotori about it, and tells her that she loves her no matter what!

KOTORI'S SECRETIVE DIET PLANS

Summary: Happy dating life means big smiles and laughs and lots of dates…and sometimes also gaining a little weight from all those dates. Kotori doesn’t like the number on the weighing machine or the excess squishiness on her belly. So she executes Kotori’s Secretive Diet Plans! 

Genre: Romance, Fluff

Words: 1.9k

Read me at fanfiction.net or AO3 too~

Author Notes

I LOVE KOTOHONO!!!!

*O* aahh, sometimes we just gotta shout out that love! Hehe~

I hope you like it, you who gave the prompt! ^w^

May you enjoy! XD

 "Uu..." Kotori worries at her bottom lip. Her golden eyes shimmering with sadness at the numbers displayed on the weighing scale.

A deeper frown as she places a hand on her belly to squeeze it.

"Honoka-chan...I think I'm gaining too much weight from all our dates..." The ash-brunette mumbles to herself since her Honoka was back in the gingerhead's own house, sure to be carefree and carelessly munching more snacks.

Kotori stares herself down in the mirror - worry morphing to determination as she slaps her cheeks twice. "I'm going to execute a secret plan to get back in shape so I can go on more dates with Honoka-chan!!"

The fluffy costume designer raises her balled fist to show her passion before she goes to her desk to pen down the schedule and diet plans.

Once done, she decides to add one more line on the top, with an asterisk and boxed up with cute orange ink, "[*A secret from Honoka-chan!]"

~~~

Week 1 Day 1

"Ko~to~ri~chan!!" The bubbly gingerhead hops by Kotori's table, smiles wide and absolutely endearing to the ash-brunette keeping away her study instruments.

"Yes, Honoka-chan?"

"Let's go on a date!" Honoka announces and Kotori's heart flutters.

"Ah, that..." Kotori was always quick to say yes to her girlfriend. But this time, she remembers that their dates tend to bring them to cafes, restaurants, picnics and snack shops and bakeries..!!

"Kotori-chan? Your hand froze." Honoka tilts her head to the side quizzically.

"Um! Honoka-chan...I just remembered I got something on so I can't go on a date with you today..." Kotori smiles sheepishly as she glanced at the clock; she should be carrying out her exercise regimen.

"Oh..." Honoka couldn't hide the disappointment as her smile fell from her face. It didn't take more than ten seconds for her to grin again though. "We can at least go home together?"

Kotori returns the smile and a nod. "Yes."

~~~

Week 1 Day 3

“Kotori-chan~” Honoka swings both Kotori and her hands up and down, spirits jolly and mind hopeful.

“Yes~?” Kotori responds with equal glee.

“Want to take a detour today? There’s this store-”

“Ah! I’m sorry, Honoka-chan…I promised my mum that I’ll help in the house…And I don’t want to get back late so…” Kotori wished she didn’t have to cut the gingerhead off. The sad puppy eyes Honoka gave her made her heart ache.

But this is all so she can keep up the diet plan! No additional calories just yet.

Honoka nods with a solemn smile. “Alright…I’ll try to ask you out another time then!”

Honoka pumps their joined hands up with determination and laughs. Kotori couldn’t help but join in before she was walked home.

 ~~~

Week 2 Day 2

“Aaahh!! I can’t take it anymore!!” Honoka whines and pouts at the mirror…and to her reflection as she was getting ready for school. “Kotori-chan…Why are you constantly too busy to go on dates with me!”

The gingerhead shakes her head, her hair fluttering about before it rests on her shoulders again and she adjusts her school ribbon.

“Did I do something wrong..?” Honoka hums thoughtfully before her lightbulb moment occurs – she’s going to sneakily follow Kotori to find out what her girlfriend has been up to!

.

.

.

After school rolls by and Honoka approaches her girlfriend’s table with what she thinks is a not-obviously-up-to-something-smile. “Kotori-chan~”

The ash-brunette smiles right back, always happy to see Honoka. “Yes?”

“Are you…free for a date or…shall we be on our usual?” Honoka straightens her back and positions her arm in a ninety degree angle meant for her partner to link arms with. “Knight Honoka escorting you home!”

Kotori giggles into her hand and slips her hand into Honoka’s waiting arms as she stands. “Mmm…~ Escort me home, dear Knight Honoka-chan.”

Honoka nods excitedly but as they were leaving the classroom – it hit her.

!! AAah!!! I should be following Kotori-chan not bringing her home!!

Kotori thankfully was looking straight ahead so she does not witness Honoka’s expressions changing all over the place.

Ah, but…if she immediately said escort her home, means Kotori-chan is just busy with household chores..?

Honoka tilts her head up in thought.

Even though she just did a big cleaning yesterday?

Honoka closes her eyes for deeper thoughts as they rounded the bend and exited school grounds. Thinking long enough with the help of fresh air and still blue skies, Honoka decides.

Alright! I’ll hang around on the outside and pop by inside after to surprise Kotori-chan!!

The ash-brunette’s soft giggles bring Honoka back down to Earth. “Kotori-chan..?”

Kotori smiles right at her girlfriend. “It’s nothing~ Just your lost in thoughts look is so charming too~”

Honoka’s cheeks flush. “Ah…T-thank you…” Sudden compliments from Kotori and that smile just gets the gingerhead’s heart to beat erratically and blushes to form.

Kotori was all smiles all the way home.

~~

Honoka is easily distracted.

“Aww, kitty~ cute kitty~” Honoka coos as she played with a neighbourhood cat not noticing how much time has passed after she brought Kotori home.

The cat meows happily from the friendly ginger’s pats and messing around with them. However, as how cats are, they sing their own tune and decided to let out a single meow like, “I’m done playing.” And walked off.

“Aww~ No more playing?” Honoka waves goodbye.

Surprisingly, the white-and-black cat turned to give one more meow before it jumped onto the wall and disappeared on the other side.

“Nya~” Honoka mimics and stands up to stretch. “Mm… Now what was I going to do- AH. Kotori-chan!”

The ditzy leader of Muse finally remembers her agenda but it was already so late. Right on cue, her phone rang and she panicky says she’s on the way home for dinner.

Ahhh, guess I should do a better job at following Kotori-chan tomorrow!!

 ~~~

Week 2 Day 3

Honoka sleeps in. Snuggled under her blankets until Yukiho’s voice boomed loud and clear, her little sister’s head poked into her room. “Onee-chan, you’re gonna be late for school!”

“Uwaaa!!” Honoka wakes with a start and clumsily falls out of bed, kicks off the blankets still hugging her legs and hurried to get ready. “Thanks, Yukihoooo!!”

The younger redhead shakes her head with a smile. “When Kotori-san doesn’t wake you, this is what happens.”

 ~~

Honoka got to school alright and she went through the school day as per normal, smiling when the end of school arrives.

I’ll pretend to be the busy one today!

“Honoka-chan.” Kotori approaches first with a sheepish smile. “I have somewhere else to be, so you don’t have to escort me home today…”

“Ah! That isn’t a problem. I’ve…got something on too!” Honoka averts her gaze with a chuckle and scratched the back of head.

“That’s good.” Kotori was relieved to hear that Honoka had plans else she’d feel bad for leaving Honoka alone again. “See you tomorrow, Honoka-chan.”

“See you~” Honoka waves Kotori goodbye before following her.

~~~

“Eh?” Honoka blinks twice as she looked around and up the long flight of stairs.

Kanda Shrine?

Honoka walks along the wall and hides as she watched Kotori appear in gym clothes and begun stretching.

Kotori-chan…is this extra training? You could’ve called me along…

Honoka pouts as she continued observing the ash-brunette finish up her stretches and begun runs up and down the long stairway of Kanda Shrine. Honoka wasn’t counting but she’s quite sure an hour has passed before Kotori finishes up.

She’s working so hard…and here I am-

Honoka stops when she hears her girlfriend’s voice.

“Haa…Somehow it doesn’t seem like it’s working out yet…” Kotori touched her tummy as she mumbled softly to herself.

Honoka could hear because she was channelling all of her focus to listen.

What’s not working out..? The workout-

Honoka gets cut off another time when she hears her girlfriend speak once more.

“It’s just the beginning. Kotori, no giving up! This is so we can go on more dates with Honoka-chan!” The fluffy costume designer kept her pumped fist and went to pick up her bag.

For more dates with me…

Before Honoka could try to comprehend Kotori’s intentions of all the running and avoiding hanging out with her, the gingerhead hurried to follow Kotori again.

~~

Now standing before Kotori’s house, Honoka got a feeling she should confront Kotori today.

It’s now or never!

The Leader of Muse nods to herself and opened the doors with the spare keys Kotori gave her, saying she feels safe knowing Honoka can come find her anytime she likes.

“…One! …Two! …Three!”

Honoka could hear Kotori’s voice and she peeked into the ash-brunette’s room to find Kotori doing push-ups. And after a good twenty, the ash-brunette started other reps. Honoka’s jaw fell agape.

Is Kotori-chan trying to muscle build!?

The gingerhead wondered how to react to a muscular Kotori instead of her sweet, gentle looking one. Honoka shook her head and the image off.

R-Regardless…Kotori-chan should know I’ll support her decision.

Honoka doesn’t think twice and opens Kotori’s door just as the girl was taking a drink of her sports drink, seeing Honoka, she chokes on the liquid.

“Ahh, Kotori-chan!!” Honoka panics and rushes over to pat Kotori’s back. “Are you okay..? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Hawawa, what do I do? What do I do?

Kotori shakes her head. “It’s okay…Honoka-chan. Why are you here though?”

Honoka looks into Kotori’s soft golden eyes, missing those long gazes. “Why I’m… OH!! Kotori-chan!! Please stop avoiding me!! I’ll die if I don’t get to spend more time with you, Kotori-chaaan!!”

I don’t want to only get to see you home. I need to get to spend hours on end with you!!

Kotori was surprised by the sudden outburst and cute, teary puppy dog eyes from her dear Honoka. Kotori smiles patiently. “Honoka-chan…”

Ah, and-

“You’ve got my full support to becoming buff and muscular!” Honoka takes her girlfriend’s hands into her own to squeeze. Her determined and supportive look on her face.

“B-Buff? Muscular..?” Kotori tilted her head to the side confused.

Honoka pursed her lips. “Isn’t that why you’re secretly training?”

“Ah, no! That’s not…” Kotori lowers her gaze to stare at the yoga mat. “It’s because…I gained weight from all the dates we’ve been on… And…”

Honoka gives Kotori’s hand another squeeze of encouragement.

“And I don’t want to be too dat that you won’t like-”

Honoka gently lets go and puts her hands on Kotori’s shoulder, her expression serious. “I’ll love you even if you’re fat. I know you’ll do the same for me…”

Honoka smiles softly, earnest ocean-blue eyes searches her favourite golden eyes for that assured gleam.

“Honoka-chan…”

“Plus, I still rather you’d tell me.” Honoka puts on an indignant pout. “I’ll do my best to help! Our dates don’t always have to be food and snuggles!” The gingerhead’s expression switches to a big dorky smile, shoulders relaxed.

It was infectious. Kotori smiled her sweet and gentle smile, the tense in her shoulders lost too. “Honoka-chan…~ (heart)”

Kotori wraps her arms around Honoka’s waist and Honoka does the same, leaning over, their foreheads touching. “I love you, Kotori-chan.”

“I love you too, Honoka-chan… (heart)”

They stayed close in each other’s arms for a long time, glad to be in each other’s warm love until Kotori decides they can indulge a little on dinner before they switch up from a solo diet plan to a Girlfriends Diet Plan.

 Author Notes

HonoKotoooooooo~~ *O*

I’m remembering more and more just how much I love this two lovebirds. TwT Not to say I forgot but I certainly was feeling worried about being unable to write! Be it due to some sort of magical force or because of the lack of time @v@

A-Anyways!! I hope y’all enjoyed this~ :D

Leave me a comment if you like!! :D That would help me BIG time~ hehe~

And catch you next chappie of Honoka and Kotori’s laifu (life)~ ^w^