#and like they still spar together they just don't do it with an audience right

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

The idea of people having so many theories about it amuses me to no end. Over the years the speculation could probably get really intense too- maybe people even write speculative fiction about it.

As for the mystery finally being solved like. One that’s hilarious. Two- would it be a whole event? Not just the fact there’s finally a building there and the whole process of it- but maybe Wanmin has the craziest opening ever with how much is going on in there Akskdkkfkf.

(And I love the idea of childe going from terrifying god warrior who beat down celestia to. Local mischievous cryptid. It reminds me of the bake danuki in Inazuma. He’s just a little guy your honor. Just a little fox.

foreigners: yeah they say liyue has this like- ultra-powerful god of destruction that put celestia in its place like thousands of years ago. how scary. i've heard that he also has an intelligence network of spies across the entirety of teyvat. i know it sounds so fake and tinfoil-hat conspiracty but i've heard it everywhere! and he's just there chilling? how do they not have a heart attack everytime he does anything...

liyue natives: yeah this is master childe. yeah he's a bit stupid. yeah he could kill us all if he wanted. yeah we love him. what do you mean he could cause armaggeddon? god forbid gingers do anything. how old is master childe-? too old for you AND he's married. stay away from our god, foreigners.

[buddieism]

tommy's character, bucktommy's inherent flaws, tommy & eddie as mirrors and buddie endgame; a (lengthy) meta analysis

honestly, what's really confirmed my feelings about tommy (and the imminent bucktommy bones -> buddie pipeline) is that there have now been multiple opportunities for the writers to actually make tommy a likeable/serious love interest for buck and they just…haven’t. because while fans are naturally going to overanalyse every little thing, the vast majority of the show's audience are regular viewers who consume the show at face value and don't think twice about it -- so if tommy was intended to be buck's endgame or anything remotely close to it, they'd absolutely want to make the most of his (very limited) screen time to present him in the best light they could. think about karen, the only non-main LI, and how she was introduced to us -- despite hen's cheating, we can see how dedicated karen and hen are to each other and how karen is a complex character in her own right who is immediately easy to root for and love.

comparatively, when we look at tommy's s7 appearances and specifically his interactions with buck, it becomes abundantly clear that there isn't really much depth to their relationship at all. which is fine! it's just... you know. fine. let's get into it.

following the cruise arc, we watch tommy through buck's eyes in 7x04 where he's basically wining and dining eddie -- flying him to vegas, getting them front row tickets to a fight, sparring with him in muay thai, playing pick up basketball with him -- tommy and eddie are so similar (which we'll come back to later), and we even get that line from eddie about how well they "click." as the audience, we are being subconsciously told to align tommy and eddie together -- and furthermore, we are told that tommy can easily make grand gestures when he wants to. now let's compare that to the bucktommy moments of the season.

bucktommy's first date: tommy makes a shady comment that would have outed buck if eddie or marisol caught onto it and then proceeds to abandon him on the sidewalk because he thinks buck isn't "ready" for a relationship with a man

i'll be objective here -- i understand in a show like 911 there's always going to be "unnecessary" relationship conflict for the sake of drama and i can also see how buck trying to play off their date as platonic to eddie might have put a bad taste in tommy's mouth. but we hear from tommy himself that he struggled with being open about his sexuality when he was at the 118 so he could have absolutely extended some sympathy towards buck for not wanting to come out on the spot to his best friend -- especially when tommy fully knows how important of a role eddie plays in buck's life. at the very least, he didn't have to leave buck alone on the curb. this isn't me trying to woobify buck because yeah, he's a grown man, he's fine -- but that doesn't mean it still isn't a bit of an asshole move.

the bachelor party: tommy doesn't dress up for the theme and dismisses buck when he's clearly disappointed about him doing so

tommy showing zero interest for the bachelor party buck planned is practically the writers waving a massive red flag in front of the camera -- him having to leave because he's on call is an understandable 'conflict' plot point but why not have him show up in an 80s themed outfit? it wouldn't have changed anything except that he and buck would have had a positive interaction; buck would have been happy that tommy cared enough to make that small gesture and it could have been a cute way to establish their relationship as one built on mutual effort. (btw, the bucktommy hospital kiss could be seen as a big gesture, sure -- but from a more practical viewpoint knowing how rushed this season had to be, it was also just an easy way for buck to "come out" to the rest of the 118 without having to spend too much episode airtime on it.)

the medal ceremony: tommy says 'enjoy it while it lasts' (which, LOL) and also is not shown reacting to buck receiving his medal. he also has a conversation with henren in a deleted scene.

again, i'm going to try to give tommy the benefit of the doubt -- i'm not saying he has to be sunshine and rainbows all the time and i have no issue with a character having a snarky/sarcastic side. but when his screentime is so minimal, every line of dialogue matters. and it's pretty damning that the writers aren't taking those few chances to give us something to appreciate about him. with buck, tommy makes a dismissive comment for literally zero reason, and with hen and karen, who are rightfully looking out for their friend, tommy refuses to take them seriously at all.

bucktommy's dinner in the finale: buck displays some vulnerability about losing bobby, and tommy... really doesn't seem to care.

honestly i refuse to rewatch this part of the ep because it really icks me out on another level but iirc: buck says he's glad bobby's okay because bobby is like the father he never had -> tommy says "your father's alive" -> something something joke about daddy issues. ignoring #that joke entirely, it's really insane to me that they have tommy even acknowledge the nuclear bomb that is buck's relationship with his parents. yes, we had a bit of a ham-fisted 'redemption arc' in s6 but that doesn't negate the buckley parents being absolutely heinous and the fact that buck verbalises how bobby played the role of the father figure because philip didn't -- all for tommy to basically deny that to his face -- is absurd. tommy has expressed on multiple occasions that he's jealous of the 118 family bond, so this line is just... very interesting to me.

now, let's recap all these events and bring eddie back into the mix!

post-bucktommy's first date, buck is more torn up about the fact that he lied to eddie than the actual date to the point that he has to vent to maddie about it. he then comes out to eddie, who is incredibly supportive (and oliver and ryan make some very curious acting choices indeed). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

pre-bachelor party, eddie is the one to suggest he and buck dress in matching (queer-coded) costumes. he then stays by buck's side at the party when everyone else leaves and although we'll never get to see it (tim minear i'm inside your walls👹), they sing an absurdly romantic karaoke song together. eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

during the medal ceremony, when the camera pans to each member of the 118's love interest/family, it is eddie we are shown smiling at buck, not tommy. this is especially interesting considering we get buck reacting to tommy. i honestly can't get over how a reciprocated tommy reaction would have been an easy yet significant moment to cement bucktommy as a relationship, but they gave us eddie's instead (with chris in the background and marisol conveniently obscured, mind you). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

in the final episode, when eddie is experiencing his personal worst nightmare, buck is the one at eddie's side every step of the way. buck talks to christopher, buck reassures eddie (without judgement), and it's made clear that buck will be there for eddie, whatever he needs.

at every possible opportunity, we the audience are being implicitly told that eddie is buck's person. he is his place of support (buck having his more vulnerable coming out scene with eddie rather than his sister); he has buck's back (the bachelor party); he is his family (medal ceremony reaction), and ultimately, this goes both ways (finale).

some other things worth noting: when buck has his coming out scene with maddie, she tells him he's confused about his feelings in a way that seems to indicate she's talking about his feelings towards eddie ("if you there's something you need to tell eddie, you will"). in bobby's conversation with buck in the firehouse, he's verbally supportive of tommy and even asks if buck is going to see him, but buck goes to eddie's house instead. these were deliberate choices made by the writers; eddie has been consistently intertwined in bucktommy's relationship both overtly and subtextually throughout the entirety of s7. and let's not even get into the whole 'evan' thing, because that could be a whole other post in itself.

from the first moment we start to learn about tommy's character (beyond his... coloured past), we find out that he and eddie are practically mirrors. why not make tommy and buck share similar interests? why not give them something to bond over? why present tommy and eddie as almost identical in every way? because tommy is a placeholder for eddie. buck's initial bisexuality journey can't happen with eddie when eddie still hasn't come to terms with his own feelings. so, in the meantime, tommy is the "safe" choice in buck's mind because buck has nothing to lose with tommy whereas he's got everything to lose with eddie. buck can't confront what he truly wants yet because the risk factor is far greater and it's been repeatedly asserted that buck has an issue with people in his life leaving -- he would never do anything to jeopardise his relationship with eddie.

but ultimately (and in my opinion, fairly soon), we are going to get that moment where it "clicks" for buck and he realises that it is eddie he has feelings for. and when that happens, there's basically only one way it can go. we know buck can't keep secrets from eddie; we know eddie is going into s8 feeling "isolated"; we know tim loves making his characters suffer before they can be happy. in my mind, the narrative is going to go something like this: buck feelings realisation -> pining buck era -> eddie healing journey and a reevaluation of what buck means to him -> some insane life-threatening situation that really doubles down on how buck and eddie care more about each other than anyone else because it is 9-1-1 at the end of the day -> love confession induced by their dramatic near-death experience -> #BUDDIE_CANON !

when we factor in how there was a possibility of eddie having the sexuality arc this season instead, how tim has said buddie is one of his favourite dynamics of the show, and how supportive both oliver and ryan are of the ship, i really can't see how everything isn't building to buddie endgame. every other main pairing of the show has had seasons of development, of conflict, of bonding moments. buck and eddie have gone through that with each other time and time over (tsunami/lawsuit/shooting arc etc), which is why every other random love interest that's introduced for either of them falls flat in comparison. they quite literally are exactly what the other person needs; buck wants the stability of a home, a family, and unconditional love; eddie wants someone he can trust, a caretaker for his son but also a partner. buddie is the ship the audience wants to root for, because we know they work! now that we have canonically bisexual buck and eddie finally having to face his complicated feelings about losing shannon, buddie isn't just the logical conclusion -- it's the inevitable one.

[tokyo-debunker-idk]

Crushed | 01

Summary: He's tried to convince Leo that you're a cool person, to which the former just scoffs and accuses Sho of having a crush. Honestly, the reaction is obnoxious – people of the opposite sex are perfectly able to have platonic friendships. Just because Sho's taken to bringing an extra lunch for you on training days so you can eat together after, and he enjoys spending time with you, and you're pretty and smell good even after an hour of sparring, doesn't mean he has a crush.

Pairing: Haizono Sho x Reader x Kurosagi Leo

Genre: Humor, romantic comedy, slowish burn, no real plot, Leo bullying

18+, minors DNI

~~~~~

"If you can't do it what's even the point of taking you on missions?"

Leo's condescending, disappointed tone cuts you like a knife. Your stigma-enhancing ability, one of the only reasons you're supposed to be useful at this academy, didn't work on Sho during the mission.

"You just expect us to protect you? You're dead weight. Right, Sho?"

You tune out the rest of their conversation as shame flares in your chest, hot and painful. As much as you want to fight Leo's cruel words, the inherent truth behind them clogs your throat. Because he's right. You can't fight, you don't know anything about anomalies, and you've had to be rescued in every mission even when your ability did work.

He doesn't have to be such a dick about it, though. Stupid finger-hearting TikTok asshole. Harsh truths are even harsher when they come from someone you dislike, and you've disliked the pretty, silver-haired influencer ever since you met him, when he unnecessarily antagonized your friends just for his amusement. The impression has only been further compounded by his attitude during the mission, and just how convincingly he was able to spin tales and fake emotions and tears to convince his audience. Leo is a manipulative bastard, and you don't trust him one bit.

Unfortunately, that doesn't make any of his current words less valid. At this rate, you're going to die sitting on your ass while the ghouls do all the work. You only have a year until your curse kills you, and you've already almost died more than once. So why are you being so timid and hesitant? Might as well risk earlier death by giving it your all than sit passively and hope everything works out.

Your resolve grows, and by the time you're back at your own chapel-dorm, you've made a decision.

~~~~~

Sho blinks as he arrives at the Vagastrom Pit at lunch, because for some reason the honor student is already there. Looking at you gives him a twinge of shame – sure, he'll scam rich assholes with Leo and follow his plots, but he's never almost caused an innocent person's death before. Especially one who has done nothing but try to help others, the entire time he's known you.

The look of panic on your face, the way you had tried to reach out – still trusting him to save you despite his failure – had plagued his dreams last night, and seeing you solid, safe, and alive in front of him now is more of a relief than he wants to admit.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, making you squeak and almost drop your phone, and he resolutely does not notice that it's quite cute. He doesn't really deserve to.

For some reason you're the one who looks guilty, despite having done nothing wrong. And then he notices you're wearing athletic gear rather than your usual uniform.

"Alan told you to come here at lunch for training, right?" you ask, standing up and tossing your phone carelessly into your bag to give him your full attention in a way Leo never does. "I want to join."

"Are you crazy?" asks Sho incredulously, wondering why on earth you would voluntarily sign up for what is most likely going to be a beatdown. Based on how the mission went, you've never even been anywhere near a fight before coming to Darkwick. So why this?

"No. Maybe." you reply, your face determined. "But I'd rather be crazy than useless."

Oh. So that's why.

Alan arrives right then, which is probably a good thing because Sho feels a nauseating mixture of shame and – admiration? The reminder of Leo's jibes makes guilt bubble in his stomach, but something about the staunch resolve on your face fills his chest with a warmth akin to the first time he held your hand on the mission. Or maybe it's an after effect of you enhancing his stigma.

Sho's not really sure, but he does decide then and there that he is going to do his best to make it up to you.

~~~~~

"Oh my god, this is so good," you practically moan as you take a huge bite of your sandwich. "Sho, you should charge for this." You're so invested in your meal that you miss the way the tips of his ears turn pink at your praise.

"It's just a sandwich," he replies, brushing off your comment and resisting the urge to twirl his silver hair like a schoolgirl. The two of you are eating in the courtyard after getting pummeled by Alan for the better half of the lunch hour, sitting in the grass because all the benches are already occupied.

He shouldn't feel this pleased by your approval, but as he's gotten to know you, he's come to respect and value your opinion. Sure, maybe at first he had begun spending time with you out of guilt, but you really are cool – fun and snarky in a way he hadn't noticed during the mission. Hanging out with you is comfortable, easy, and he doesn't have to worry about silly intrigues and gossip. You're honest and upfront in a way Leo has never been, and while he loves his best friend, being around you is refreshing.

And you're determined, never complaining during the training sessions no matter what Alan has you do despite the fact that you're clearly out of your element. Sho supposes Alan saw that in you long before he did, because the captain seems completely unsurprised by your conviction. It makes him feel a little ashamed in a different way than guilt – that he has nothing to strive for other than whatever Leo comes up with.

Sho kind of wishes the three of you could hang out together, but Leo's made it clear he has no interest in ever interacting with you, and you look distinctly uncomfortable any time Leo is in the vicinity. Which Sho can't exactly blame you for, considering his friend's behavior.

He's tried to convince Leo to give you a chance, to which the former merely scoffs and accuses Sho of having a crush. Honestly, the reaction is obnoxious – people of the opposite sex are perfectly able to have platonic friendships. Just because Sho's taken to bringing an extra lunch for you on training days so you can eat together after, and he enjoys spending time with you, and you're pretty and smell good even after an hour of sparring, doesn't mean he has a crush.

"No, I'm serious," you insist, jabbing the half-eaten sandwich at him for emphasis. "The fried egg is salted perfectly, and I never thought of including green onion with other veggies. It's really delicious."

The sweetly earnest expression on your face brings that familiar warmth to his chest, and Sho can't help but smile when he notices a dab of mayo on your nose.

"So you're saying I should start charging you for these lunches?" he teases, using his thumb to wipe the condiment off your face and absently noting how soft your skin feels.

"What? I don't get VIP privileges for being adorable?" you reply with a pout that is, indeed, adorable. Sho just snorts at your audacity as he wipes his hand on a napkin.

"No, you don't. But I suppose I can give you friend privileges since we're both being physically abused together."

Your eyes sparkle when you smile, and Sho feels that fluttery warmth again. They really do need to do more testing with your ability.

"Thanks Sho, you're the best," you announce happily, dropping your head on his shoulder affectionately. "I'm glad you're my friend. And not just for the food, either."

How do you still smell so nice after all that sweating?

~~~~~

TikTokBitch: Hey honor roll

You: What do you want

TikTokBitch: I know ur free

TikTokBitch: Come to the garage quick

Your brows crinkle as you scowl at your phone. Does he really think you're going to just rush over like an obedient little puppy? If his personality matched his good looks, you'd be happy to help him. It's truly a waste that such a gigantic turd has such a pretty exterior.

You pause, an idea sparking in your head.

You: I will if you owe me a favor

TikTokBitch: Whatever fine just hurry up

~~~~~

Leo rolls his eyes in annoyance as you stroll into the Pit, tape wrapped around your knuckles as if you're actually going to fight.

He'd been surprised when your "favor" had been to spar with him, of all things. Are you trying to impress him or something? Maybe you think close physical contact will make him like you. Sad, really.

Still, he had stupidly agreed to give you a favor in his impatience to hear more clandestine conversations, and now he's here wasting his precious time. He thought you'd learned your place after your mission together, but apparently he'll have to humble you again. Leo isn't exactly a fighter, but he is still a ghoul, and that means an NPC like you doesn't stand a chance.

Which is why it's laughable that you're stretching as if this is serious, like it's a real pit match rather than just the two of you here at night. Leo hasn't even told Sho, because he doesn't like the way his friend seems to be getting closer to you by the day.

Leo contemplates how Sho has been spending his lunch hours with you. Does he actually have a crush on you despite his denials? You're not even that interesting.

He narrows his eyes as he watches you finish warming up, trying to understand what Sho sees in you.

You are kind of brave, he supposes, considering you've been a normal person without any knowledge of this side of the world until recently. And you have a pretty face, when it's not twisted into a sour expression every time you see him. You also have a nice ass, he vaguely notes as you finish warming up. Then he realizes he's ogling and snaps out of it, irritated because you're definitely wearing those little shorts to show yourself off in a way your uniform skirt doesn't.

He really needs to get Sho off campus so he remembers other girls exist, because this is ridiculous. You aren't special, and Sho obviously needs to be reminded of that.

~~~~~

"I win," you sing out smugly, smirking down at the ghoul you've pinned beneath you. Leo's pretty face exudes irritation, if not a little bit of shock, which just serves to boost your ego even more. Not for the first time, you lament that such beautiful golden eyes and sharp cheekbones belong to an asshole like him.

"Don't get cocky," he hisses in frustration, too stunned to do anything but glare. "Just because you caught me off guard, doesn't mean you're any less use–"

– SLAP.

You are so sick of his shit. Perhaps he did underestimate you, but that doesn't make your victory any less valid. If you've learned anything from Alan and Sho (other than that it's possible to be sore in muscles you didn't even realizes existed), it's that there are no rules in a real fight. When you're trying to survive, any and all possibilities should be taken advantage of. The one time you managed to land a hit on Sho (not that it caused any actual damage), he hadn't been pissed and petulant. He'd been proud, approval for you shining from his handsome face.

Leo, on the other hand, can't seem to stand the idea of anyone being better than him. Or even having more attention than him. All he does is manipulate and pull down everyone around him, and you are done hearing the poison that drips from his lips. You open your own mouth to give him a piece of your mind when you feel it.

It being something stirring beneath you, and you're reminded that you are straddling the TikTok asshole in a rather compromising position. One glance at his face shows reddening skin from your slap and shock in his golden eyes.

What the fuck.

"G-get off me," he mutters, staunchly looking anywhere but at you as a rosy flush creeps up his neck. Holy shit. Did slapping him… turn him on?

It's the first time you've ever seen him this flustered, and as disgusted as you are, a petty part of you is pleased to finally have the upper-hand. For this small period of time, you seem to be the one in control, and that feeling is… satisfying in a way you're not currently ready to acknowledge.

So you make a somewhat questionable decision. Instead of scrambling off him as you probably should, you grind against him just ever so slightly. Leo's gaze meets yours, wide in surprise as you feel him harden beneath you, and at the edge of your vision you see his fingers twitch as his hands inch toward your hips.

You slap his other cheek, and feel him twitch against your shorts despite the way his eyes burn with rage. You give him your sweetest smile, infinitely pleased to have confirmed your suspicions, the sting of your palms a satisfying proof of victory.

Then, you do what any other vindictive human would do. You flick his forehead and get up, very charitably resisting the urge to kick him before walking away.

Before he can do anything other than gawk and splutter, Alan and Sho enter the room. Perfect timing actually, because despite your bravado you actually have no idea what to do next other than run away as realization of what you had just done crashes into you.

"Oh hey guys!" you chirp happily, doing what you do best and shoving the event into a dusty corner of your brain to avoid thinking about it. You prance over to the two and tackle Sho in a hug, just to annoy your opponent even further. "I beat Leo!"

Alan's lips quirk into what, for Alan, counts as a smile, and he pats your head gently.

"Good work."

You still haven't really decided if you have the best luck, or the worst. Sure, you've been cursed by a creepy one-eyed flower to die within a year, and sure you're basically Darkwick's slave and periodically sent on dangerous missions with superhumans of questionable mental stability, but well.

At least they're hot.

And most of them treat you like a human being, other than perhaps Jin who sees you as a glorified chore-peasant, and Leo who perhaps after today will stop looking at you like gum stuck to his shoe.

"You've been training with them?"

You turn to see the man in question, looking pissed but otherwise back to normal as if nothing has happened. He's still looking at you like you're unworthy of his acknowledgement, and you can't help but antagonize him.

"Yeah, maybe you should too. It seemed like you were having a hard time out there."

His expression twists – a mixture of furious and mortified – and it's more than enough to have made all this training with it.

Sho chortling as he teases Leo for losing to you is just the icing on the cake.

~~~~~ Masterlist | Next

[partycatty]

So ive been obsesed with janet cage since she appeared in the end of mk1 and now shes finally being released with peacemaker and im desperate for something ANYTHING PLEASE 🙏 😭

YOURE SO ME FR I LOVE JANET SO MUCH GENUINELY i need her so bad she's my pfp and banner on discord rn HAHA thank you for sharing your thoughts bc i was so afraid i was alone HEHE

janet cage > this one's for you, baby!

janet's got a wittle crush on the reader, and will go to stupid lengths to show herself off

notes: you're in the genderbent universe :3 but because i'm stupid, the chosen ones' names are gonna remain the same because i couldn't think of a genderswapped name for them and wasn't about to do them dirty with new names LMAO

[ masterlist ]

it was only a couple months into training, and things were looking... decent? at least, you could consider yourself improving. sure, combat was something you trained in, but when it came to you versus whatever horrors outworld contained, you tugged at the collar of your shirt.

janet, however, seemed unfazed. actually, she seemed ecstatic! you'd seen a couple of her movies and knew she could kick ass if needed. her physique impressed you, as did her endless charm and effortless ability to piss the swordswoman off. her attitude was brushed off for your sake. you knew she had just gone through a messy divorce with her ex-wife, is in talks of selling her mega mansion, and new roles were coming up dry. you'd think she'd be bitter but it turned out to be quite the opposite. her typical swagger and flourished gestures tore you from your thoughts.

"there she is!" janet exclaims, swinging a toned arm around your shoulder and tugging you close to her side. "you miss me? i bet you did!" you recall the last time you interacted with her: lunch. twenty minutes ago. even still, her perky attitude flustered you quicker than you'd like to admit.

"suuure," you sarcastically reply, hoping to toy with her ego a bit. "as if i didn't see you at lunch."

"it's hard to not miss me when i'm not around," she sighs dramatically, as if she has the hard life. "no need to lie to me, babe. you love having me around." your insides twist at the name. as you eyes are downcast, janet's eyes light up more than usual with a slight blush to her cheeks.

"whatever you wanna believe, miss A-List," you swat her arm, and she removes it though her grin remains unfaltered. janet pauses for a moment, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes and settling them on top of her head. you're winded by her beauty. you had seen it on screen as mentioned before, but there was some alluring power of her eyes when they were only a couple feet from your face. janet could kick ass, but she was also a gorgeous actress.

"tell you what," she shoots a single finger gun at you, once again removing you from your daydreams full of her face... among other things. "you won't have to miss me tonight. raiden and i planned to spar after dinner. you'll watch me kick her ass, right?" there was a hint of pleading, almost nervousness in her gaze. as if she needed you to say yes. her brows knitted together for only a single twitch.

"don't sweat," you reassure her, taking her strong hands in yours with a soft smile. "i'll be your cheerleader." with your confirmation, you turn on your heel and head the other direction to tend to your own duties. what you don't notice, however, is janet whooping to herself as soon as your back is turned.

just as the sun hits golden hour, you and the girls are waiting by the sparring ring. raiden stands straight, hands behind her back as she waits for her opponent to arrive. and so she does. janet comes jogging into view, waving at the crowd of monks and earthrealmers. she waves and smiles, blowing kisses to an unamused audience. she acts like it's another one of her performances. liu kang rolls her eyes.

"i bet your chakram hat that janet gets her ass kicked," you mutter to kung lao, who stood beside you with a smirk. she nudges your shoulder.

"aren't you supposed to be on janet's side?" kung lao mumbles back with a knowing grin. when you return with a perplexed frown, she scoffs. "everyone and their mother could figure out you're into her."

your cheeks puff up out of frustration, ready to rip kung lao a new one for being so loud and direct, but you see a hand snap in your face. snapping your neck to the source, you meet your eyes with janet's, who was leaning down to catch your attention.

"hey hey, eyes on me, sweet thing," her voice feels like honey when it drops low, and you snap back to her attention with a dazed look in your eye. your heel drives into kung lao's foot when you hear her snicker. "atta girl, check this out." a part of you dies inside from embarrassment. damn her and her confidence.

the spar begins, and admittedly it's evenly matched. punches are matched with kicks, parries and dodges slightly rile the crowd up from how equal the combat is. while raiden is calculated, janet is quick, and it becomes apparent that janet actually has a good chance.

that is, until she successfully knocks raiden to the ground. she's doubled over in pain, trying to prop herself up enough to come back from the near-knockout. janet winds up a fist almost comically, winding it in circles with a grin. just before she lands the blow, she turns to you with a beaming, cocky grin.

"this one's for you, baby!" janet shouts out, pulling her sunglasses down with her other hand to wink. before you could even consider being flattered, raiden flips up and shifts her weight, readying a godlike kick.

WHAM!

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

janet sits awkwardly on the cot, fidgeting with the now broken pair of sunglasses in her hands. she can't seem to bring herself to focus on you, even as you're leaning into her to wipe her wounds.

"you should have been more careful," you gently scold her, holding her face up by her chin to wipe the dried blood on her nose. "i don't need the whole show to be impressed, janet."

she smiles lazily, eyelashes fluttering as she inspects your features. "did i at least look hot getting my nose broken?"

you want to sigh and scold her further, but you decided to indulge in her entertainment and smile back, and janet visibly tenses up at your warm stare.

"very."

her lazy smile turns into a lopsided grin as she realizes you're calling her hot. not that her ego needed it really, she knew she was hot. but you saying of it all people, dear lord she was reeling. although she was an actress, a damn good one, you could see she was visibly straining herself from losing it. so, considering you had the upper hand, you hold her face by her cheeks and squish gently with a teasing smile.

"you're blushing."

janet frowns dubiously. "am not."

"i can see it. you're blushing." your eyes flicker between hers, and then to her lips briefly. she sucks them in, focusing on your own lips with dazed eyes.

perhaps janet could use another lesson, you think. so, instead of indulging in what you both want, you let go of her face and place the bloodied rag in a discard bin, wiping your hands on your thighs. janet freezes with a pleading look, knowing exactly what you're doing. you're playing a sick game of cat and mouse.

"where are...?" janet's voice trails off sheepishly, the hardest indicator that you've caught her off guard. she wants to stand up and follow you out, but the monks told her to stay, and a pounding migraine from the blow made sudden movement difficult.

"gotta fight for what you want, janet," you coo innocently, waving with your fingers before you exit the tent. "just don't get your ass kicked. maybe then i'll reward you."

you're not around long enough to see the steam spilling from her ears and her beet-red cheeks.

[lamialamia]

Mota ep 2 rewatch thoughts

So, I know i'm late. Really want to do this last week but everything got super hectic >"<

But here i am doing it xD better late than never right? funny tidbit, I rewatched this episode on the place and ho boy. When the flak starts coming in my plan also went through turbulence and it was an... immersive experience alright.

This is actually a really really good episode. It actually has so many many good scenes. The iconic verbal and non-verbal sparring with the RAF guys. "Heavy petting over your end" damn brits why you gotta be homophobic like that?

Bucky not dealing well with grief. He's drinking, he want to feel hurt, he letting his emotion running rampant. Holding things in just isn't Bucky's style. Good or bad emotion he want to dive into them and his red flag is how unwilling Bucky is in controlling them. Of course, an absolute contrast to his boy bestfriend who never ever let control slip away.

Iconic scene of Crosby's puke in the helmet made him think he got hit lmaooo and then the friendship with Bubbles compels me so much. They were besties. They were meant to stay together forever being navigators power house of the 100th. Crosby saying Bubbles is a genius to the brass? 🥹🥹

The bike race scene? Still good. Then the scene of TwoBucks looking at the flak and Gale casually mentioning his father's vices... vices that are exactly Buckys as well? Crazy crazy crazy madness ahjdkahjkfds

Talking about Gale's father. I think it was actually a good idea to have him never mention this ever again. It actually emphasizes how closely he held this info to his heart. Not to mention, the way he talks about his father like the man is dead. On first watch, I really thought he was dead and gone... but he isn't? Gale's father is walking around out there but he's dead to his son? Who replaces him with Bucky?

Anyway I love that Gale has daddy problems.

However, I don't like the dialogue where Bucky says: "So that's why you don't like sport." It's a bad choice to have your character saying the core of the problem out loud. We can infer that stuff. This is like the writers think the audience can't catch the implication of Gale's story at all and have to spell it out to us. Another strike in the "tell instead of show" problem that haunt this show.

Me when Croz mentioned his wife: 😬🙄🙄😒😒😑

[useless-bi-otch]

Cookies'n Cream - Chapter 27

Last chapter / MasterList / art by @aneenasevla

Chapter 27 - Queens and Clowns

Note: This chapter contains scenes only suitable for 18+ audiences (A.K.A. smut). You’ve been warned

.

Now that he and Tomori were together and knew each other a lot better, Okubo wondered how he hadn't noticed the signs before.

They've always been there, right under his nose. She had warned him about them herself, and he had chosen to ignore it long enough to be vulnerable. And now, he was in that situation, trapped between a rock and a hard place because of a promise.

All because she, in addition to being cute and sweet, was calculating, slightly manipulative and fully aware of the effects she had on him. If he had noticed these signs sooner, he would have set boundaries from the start. But now it was too late, and he was...

"... Wrapped around her little finger."

"Being held by the balls."

“Lassoed and ridden like the bald bull you are."

"You're good at thinking of synonyms, but not at helping me think of a way out, aren't you, you bastards?!," Okubo grunts, taking an angry bite of his pizza slice while watching Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda being complete assholes to each other during the most violent Mario Kart competition he had ever watched in his entire life. "I'm serious , that girl put me behind the eight ball!"

"Sorry to say that, Okubo, but you're the one who got yourself into this," Kaneda comments, ignoring the curse Rihito shouted in his ear when he throw him off the track with a red shell. "You shouldn’t have agreed to go out with her when you had a bruise too obvious to go unnoticed."

"Or you should've lied and said that it was one of us who did that to you during a sparring session- Rihito, you son of a bitch!," Himuro yells when Rihito throws a banana peel in front of him on the track and makes him spin. Rihito laughs out loud.

"Suck on that banana, you man-whore! And yeah, man, you should've said that. It was a lie, but it was for the greater good, right?"

"I thought about doing that, but I couldn't!," He gestures frustrated. "I don't know what's with her eyes, but I'm totally incapable of lying when I look into them! It's a mix between Puss in Boots from Shrek and a human version of Hello Kitty with the softest, most good smelling boobs in the world! It was a lost battle from the start..."

"You couldn't even put your foot down? Like, saying you won't take her to see a Kengan match and that's it, no more whining?," Himuro asks, grinding his teeth while trying to pass by Rihito without being hit by the green shells that surrounded him. Okubo shakes his head, shoving the rest of the pizza into his mouth at once.

“I wanted to do that, but I just couldn't. She was naked at the time, just out of the shower, all wet and smelling good," He can't hold back, smiling when he remembers, still chewing. "With her asking like that, there's no grown man who can resist."

"Holy shit, dude… now I understand why you took so long to fuck her."

"What do you mean?"

"You knew that your brain cells were all stored in your balls and that she would empty them without thinking twice."

"Fuck you, Rihito!"

"Too late, I'm doing just fine! Yes!," Rihito raises the joy-con in the air in celebration as he manages to pass Kaneda on the last corner and cross the finish line first. Kaneda moans, throwing his head back, while Himuro throws a small tantrum and throws the other joy-con onto a cushion. Good thing, because Okubo would beat his ass if he broke even one piece of his Nintendo Switch. "Gentlemen, I'm fuckin' unbeatable!"

"No way, this is just the first championship you've won tonight," Himuro snorts with a frown. "You were ahead of Kaneda by a measly four points."

"Which I intend to keep in the future. Now, go eat a pizza slice with Egghead, I have a lil' fucker to beat," Rihito dismisses him with hand gestures, to which Himuro gives him the middle finger before leaving the joy-con aside and walking away, sulking.

"Asshole... get his ass for me, Kaneda."

"Haha, I'll do my best. Anyway, Okubo...," Kaneda turned to Okubo while Rihito adjusted the game's settings. "Now that you promised her, there's no going back. Breaking the promise could be worse for you."

"I know…," Okubo scratches the back of his head, tired. "I wouldn't do that to her anyway. She's been honest with me, the least I can do is reciprocate."

"Yeah, but at what cost?," Himuro says while grabbing a pizza slice inside the box on the kitchen counter. "We already talked about the risks, remember?"

"I do...

"And you're still going to go ahead with that idea?"

"It's not because I want to, Himuro," He retorts angrily. "Don't you guys understand? She didn't give me a choice. It almost looks like an ultimatum," He sighs. "If I keep more things from her, she'll think I'm not being honest enough and conclude that it's not worth investing in our relationship. It's that thing about giving too much and getting too little in return... and I want to give as much as I get."

"Holy shit, that came out so wrong, hahaha!"

"Shut up, Rihito, I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay, you want to be serious, right? So let's be serious," Rihito forces himself to stop laughing, looking seriously at him while Kaneda chooses a cup. "You don't want her to know about the Kengan Association because it might be risky for her or is there more to it?"

Okubo immediately gets uncomfortable. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, you're focusing too much on something that can be easily solved," Rihito shrugs. "If your concern is with her safety, that's fine. She'll have you and us, if you're the one fighting, to protect her."

"Wow... would y'all really do that?"

"Of course. We like her too," Kaneda guarantees with a nod. "Not just because she's your girlfriend who isn't quite your girlfriend."

"Yeah. She's just a nice girl," Himuro shrugs.

"Yep! She's crazy and a little sarcastic and judgemental, but still cute," Rihito agrees. Okubo sniffs a little.

“Gee, guys… you really-”

"Not to mention that if I play bodyguard, she'll owe me one! Then I can ask for her friend's number as a payment without feeling guilty about it."

"Holy shit, you're the most self-serving jerks I've ever met in my entire fucking life," Okubo runs a hand over his face, grunting. "Okay, I'm glad you guys want to do this for her too. But continue your reasoning, Rihito."

"Alright," Rihito and Kaneda turned their attention to the match again, but the former kept talking. "If that was your only concern, you'd already know that it is very easy to solve. But there's more to it, right? Because when you mix Miss Uta and you, there's always something more. I've got your number..."

"Unf. Aren't you an observant motherfucker..."

"You're just that obvious, bro."

"Indeed," Kaneda and Himuro nod together, and Okubo glares at them indignantly.

"And you still agree with him! Ugh... okay, it's not just that," He finally admits. "It also has to do with moral issues."

"Moral issues?"

"Yeah, like... you're aware of how she's an avid martial arts fan, right? She's always watching the fights in the major leagues, even the lesser known ones," He takes another pizza slice from the box, eating it with a frown. "Only all those leagues are public, safe and full of rules. I don't know what she'd think of an underground league, let alone one like the one the Kengan Association maintains..."

"Look, I think she already guessed that you're involved with underground fighting, considering how you kept hammering this 'backstage league' thing," Himuro forms quotation marks with his fingers, to which Okubo shakes his head.

“But she doesn't know the full extent of the whole thing. It's something much more serious than a bunch of alley jesters getting together to beat each other to a pulp without much safety involved," He finishes chewing and swallowing, burping afterwards and continuing, "Rock bottom always has a basement. And I... I don't know, I'm worried that she might think this is wrong."

"But that's the thing, man… from a legal point of view, it's wrong ," Himuro arches an eyebrow, to which he snorts.

"Wrong to the point that she thinks our relationship isn't worth the effort! That she doesn't want anything to do with a guy who gets involved with that stuff. And the whole thing is very violent, much more than what she's used to seeing on television..."

"Oh... you're thinking she's one of those purist fans then... Damn it!," Rihito curses when a blue shell hits him, allowing Kaneda to pass him. "There'll be payback, mark my words!"

"I'm going to leave my change purse ready, haha ," Kaneda jokes.

“Either that or she became more adept at the concepts of right and wrong after she got over her delinquent phase,” Okubo muses, and Himuro frowns at him.

"Delinquent phase? What, just because of that tattoo?"

"No, she was absolutely deranged during her teens, according to herself. She almost got expelled from school once," He says, eyes wide; the fact still amazed him a little. Rihito lets out a mocking laugh.

"Give me a break! The tattoo thing I can believe in, but this?"

"If you're doubting it, ask her the next time you see each other. Anyway...," Okubo shakes his head. "She doesn't deny her past, but today she tries to distance herself from it. And if she concludes that I'm not following the same path, that the Kengan Association goes against the kind of life she's been trying to maintain... ugh, I don't know," He scratches his whole face with his hands, eyes squeezed shut. "I just don't want her to give up on us because of this!"

"Does that make you rethink your participation in the Kengan matches as a whole?," Kaneda asks, and Okubo needs to think a bit before answering.

"No… I mean, I'm just like you guys, I enjoy fighting without all the rules of the public leagues. Ultimate Fight has hardly offered me more challenges, I'm already at a much higher level-"

"If your ego inflates more, it'll replace your car's airbags."

"And the Kengan Association provides me with that," He continues, ignoring Rihito's comment. "I don't care about the businessmen's shenanigans, as long as I can fight strong guys. It's the same with you. I'm just worried that she won't accept it..."

There is a brief moment of silence while Himuro thinks and Kaneda and Rihito slaughter each other on screen. Himuro then asks the question he honestly didn't want any of them to ask.

"If she doesn't accept it, will you consider this a thing that's doomed to fail? If neither you nor she are willing to compromise..."

Okubo sighs heavily.

"I don't know, man. I don't want it at all. But if things get to that point..."

"If it gets to that point and you see that you are at an impasse, it means that she's not the right girl for you. It's that simple," Kaneda says. "And there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes people just don't work together and it's no one's fault but circumstances'."

"I know. But it's been a while since I wanted something to work so much in my life," Okubo admits, a little embarrassed, but unable to contain himself. "You can say I sound like a sappy fagot and shit, but I don't think I'll find anyone like her anytime soon. And I don't want to. I just didn't want to have to give up one thing to have the other. It's so fucking unfair"!

"Maybe you don't have to!," Rihito says, leaning to the side when making a sharp turn. "If she really was that deranged like you're saying, maybe she won't think it's that wrong. Who knows, maybe she even likes it," He suddenly gives a mischievous laugh. "Maybe she'll get all excited with your performance in a match and wants to try some moves with you on the mattress, hehehe..."

"Rihito, what are you saying..."

“No, Iron Fingers might be right. This is an outright muscle eater we're talking about," Himuro says to Kaneda. "Like, I don't think she would like to see Okubo killing someone in the middle of a match-"

"I don't even intend to! I almost killed my first opponent in Ultimate Fight and I'm traumatized to this day...," Okubo shivers. Himuro nods.

"See? She wouldn't like it, but a fair, violent, bloody fight is something else. Some girls really get turned on with this stuff. If that's Miss Uta's case..."

Okubo blinks. And then he opens a huge stupid smile, even blushing a little.

"Jeez, gigolo, you really think so? Because man, if I win a Kengan match and it gets my Tomoh all horny for me, I'll be more than happy to crush other people's faces!"

"Fucking simp!"

"Fuck off, Rihito," He snorts while Himuro and Kaneda laugh. "The day you feel the softness of the right titties, I'm the one who's going to be laughing."

"Look, I don't know if they were the right ones, but I sure felt the softness of several titties a few days ago," Rihito opens the very same stupid smile. "There's no best way to celebrate Komada's first victory in months, dammit. .."

"Oh yeah, you went to celebrate at Ms. Rino's club on the same day as Okubo's Kengan match," Kaneda comments, and Rihito nods, his chest puffed out.

"We sure as hell did! The girls were so sweet with us. First time I went to celebrate with Komada and Ivan too, since my official brothel bro gave up on that life," He mutters in a sullen tone, to which Okubo smiles in the corner.

“Sorry for that, man. I liked the Golden Pleasure Club as much as you, but I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything."

"I know, bro. 'We're happy for you, you know that," Rihito nods. "And it's because we know how important this is to you that we're telling you not to expect the worst. Your chick is a martial arts lover. She's the type who knows that, sometimes, men only understand each other through violence," He laughs. "Just tell it like it is. If she knows you like she says she does, she won't be on your case."

Okubo smiles wider, his chest lightening considerably. He scratches the back of his head.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks..."

"Yeah, you're so right I'm almost wondering if you're really Rihito," Himuro arches an eyebrow, to which Kaneda chuckles.

"Don't they say that even a broken clock is right twice a day? Well…"

"Why don't you go screw yourselves? Fuckin' bastards," Rihito grumbles, ignoring the laughter of the others. "You shouldn't even be surprised, I've been on a winning streak like no other lately. It's one win after the other!"

"You say that, but you're still behind me on that last lap..."

"Not for long. Go boomerang!," He screams, and laughs loudly when said boomerang hits Yoshi right in front of him. Kaneda lets out an indignant exclamation.

"Aaah! I could accept it if it was a shell, but a boomerang? It's too humiliating!"

"People do what they can with what they have, man! Hell yeah!," He celebrates when he crosses the finish line in first place, even getting up from the mat to do a little victory dance. "Another glorious victory for me, dammit! The other pizza is all mine!"

"Shit…," Himuro grunts, rolling his eyes while Kaneda scratches his headr tiredly. ​​"Now we're going to have to put up with this bullshit… can I go smoke on your balcony, Okubo? I'll close the glass door so the smoke doesn't get in, I just need to put nicotine into my system to withstand this..."

“Sure, man, go kill your heartache with some cancerogenous smoke,” Okubo jokes as Rihito does a victory dance in the middle of the room. Kaneda sighs and puts down the joy-con as Himuro marches to the apartment's balcony, looking pissed, ignoring Rihito's mocking laughter as best he can.

"Who said Superman's winning streak would be short-lived, huh? I'm kicking some major ass!"

"Yeah, just be careful not to fuck it up to the point of fucking your business," Okubo hands him another pizza box, still unopened. "Yamashita is sending you messages about your employees’ licenses issues. Better get that outta the way before it comes back to bite you in the ass, man."

Rihito moans loudly, throwing his head back.

"Damn, I hate these bureaucracies."

"It's annoying, but necessary, since you're a CEO as well as a fighter," Kaneda comments while turning off the Switch. "The sooner you deal with this, the better."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop by his office on Friday and sort this thing out, I promise," Rihito nods before turning to Okubo. "And you! You better solve this mess with Miss Uta sooner than later too. We can't wait for this soap opera to end and for us to reap the fruits of it."

"Bro, I swear to God, if you talk about her friend's phone number one more time...!"

"Nah, this time I'll be quiet. Unless, of course, you mention to her that we were the ones who pushed you in the right direction, and if she wants to thank us by being generous..."

Kaneda ends up laughing, and even Himuro, from the balcony, lets out a low, husky chuckle. Okubo just rolls his eyes, but he does so while trying to hold a smile back.

He was already kind of indebted to his friends for everything they had done to help him sort things out with Tomori, Rihito in particular. If everything worked out between them and she accepted this unconventional aspect of his life, why not bring the subject up? At least Rihito would stop pestering them like that. And he would pay off his debt.

"I hope your friend likes inconvenient idiots as much as you do, Tomoh..."

* * *

"So, what do you think?," Okubo asks while closing the door behind him, his tone a bit playful to disguise his shyness. "Is it as you imagined or did the typical masculine carelessness exceed your expectations?"

"What exceeded my expectations was the size. Holy crap...," Tomori comments, sounding impressed, as she walks around the living room of his apartment, even walking backwards so she can contemplate the place as a whole. "So this is how the luxury apartments in Tokyo's upscale area are from the inside!

"Eh, there are much more luxurious buildings around here, to be honest. For a guy who lives alone, this is enough," He decrees, hands on hips, to which she smiles a little mockingly at him.

"A guy who lives alone and has lotta cash in the bank, right?"

"Hey, I'm no saudi prince, but I deserve to have some luxuries with the money I earn working, right?," He shrugs, taking it in stride. "You could also have some if you let me spend a little on you..."

"Nah-ah-ah! You can stop right there," She raises the palm of her right hand to him like a traffic cop. "I'm getting enough luxuries just to be able to spend one night here with you. You sure there's no problem?"

"None! I cleaned the whole place to be worthy of your presence," He jokes, going to her and hugging her around the waist. "I even went to the market and stocked the fridge, all with your teachings in mind. We'll be able to watch Seki's fight in style!"

"Really? Such consideration!," She returns the hug, smiling at him. "Unless, of course, this is a very well thought out scheme to make me cook."

"Would you rather eat food made by me then? The guy who couldn't even get the shape of rice balls right before you showed him how?"

"I would help you! It would be a nice thing for us to do together."

"I'm up for it, but right now I'm thinking of something else for us to do together...," He bends down to reach her, exchanging a peck with her before going to kiss and nibble her neck, to which she laughs and shivers with the tickling.

"Wow, I really spoiled you, didn't I? Leave it for tonight, after Mr. Seki's match," She murmurs against his mouth, after giving him a longer kiss. "Then the gratuitous violence on television will have put me in the perfect mood."

"You're such a weirdo, Tomoh."

"Pot, meet kettle. I've got your number, mr. 'I-Get-Sad-And-Pouty-When-The-Woman-I-Like-Doesn't-Let-Me-Spend-Stacks-Of-Money-On-Her'."

"That just makes you even weirder," He smiles more, lifting her off the ground and making her scream. "And it makes me like you more and more..."

He kisses her again, and even though she starts slapping his shoulders, she doesn't protest in the slightest. On the contrary, she manages to encircle his waist with her legs, and Okubo concludes that it would be very easy to take her to the bedroom (or to the sofa, in case they concluded that the distance between the bedroom and the living room was too great) and get busy with her. The could leave the tour on the whole apartment for after they've satisfied themselves. They would have all day, after all.

It was so good to have fallen in love with a woman who seemed to have the same sex drive as him, or at least enough that neither of them ended up frustrated. Another of the many things they had in common, and he couldn't get enough of discovering more and more of them every time they were together.

It was what made him not want to believe what Kaneda had said a few days ago. That speech about her not being the right girl for him, in case their opinions regarding his participation in an association that promoted underground fights were very discordant. Where else would he find someone as amazing as her? Someone he was so in tune with? Where else would he find that warmth, that joy, that feeling that everything in the world was in the right place when he was with her?

He didn't want to give that up if he could help it. He wanted to get those doubts out of the way so he could commit to her, and not hide anything else. The opportunity had arisen when Sekibayashi Jun's next performance had been announced to be broadcast on a pay-per-view channel, and Okubo had offered his own television, with the combat channels already included in its premium subscription package, to Tomori, so that she herself would not have to pay.

"Is everything all right for you, Naoh?," She had asked, surprised and a little hesitant, after he had made the offer during their date a few days before. He had nodded with a laidback smile. "It won't be any trouble?"

"Of course not! Why would having you at my place would be trouble?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that... now I know that you get a little jealous of seeing me kissing up to other fighters, so I don't want to push your goodwill..."

She had looked embarrassed, and Okubo had felt bad for making her think he was the kind of possessive idiot who was jealous of even the celebrities his girlfriend admired. He reached across the table where they were both eating, in a small pub.

"You won't, I promise. I'd never ask you to put aside your love for martial arts because of my insecurities, Tomori. It's that dedication that makes you who you are, and I'll never want to change that."

She had smiled when he had touched her face, lifting her fingers to touch his hand as well.

"Great. Thank you..."

"And there's no reason for me to be jealous of that old man Sekibayashi, who's more like a grandpa on a national scale than anything else, haha!"

"He's not even ten years older than you, so your national grandpa status shouldn't be more than a decade away either."

"Hey, hey, how long are you going to make fun of my age? That says more about you than me, you old man lover!"

She had laughed out loud, holding his hand up to her face and turning her head to the side to plant a kiss in the palm.

"I'm not an old man lover! I only like one in particular..."

He would have kissed her right there if the place had been more suitable. And now that they were there, in his apartment, away from judgmental eyes and safe behind all those walls, he just couldn't and didn't want to stop.

If being completely honest with her had been easier and potentially less painful, he already would have been. He would have taken her to watch a Kengan match live, even. But the fear of losing all that was still too much, so he preferred to test the waters before being more open. A good start would be to give her a fun day, back at his apartment, which she's been wanting to visit for a while. Combining business with pleasure, that's what they called it.

“And if I can tame the beast with some sexy times, even better!”

The thought makes him deepen the kiss, whereupon she moans softly against his mouth and grips his shoulders through the top of his shirt.

"Hnnn... man, you really don't waste time..."

"I'm no broken clock to waste time. I like to get straight to the point, you know..."

"I know that well now. But I still want to see the rest of your apartment, you know."

"Oh, we can take a tour right now," He suggests, pulling his lips away from hers just enough to be able to speak. "Starting with my room…"

"Oooh, that's right. Your room," Her eyes suddenly narrow. "It's the place I'm most curious to see, to be honest."

He smiles, all mischievous. "Heh, I can imagine why. I assure you, my bed is almost as big as the one in that love hotel's room-"

“I still haven't got even for that day."

Okubo's smile dies a little, giving way to bewilderment.

"Even...?"

"Yup. Put me down, please," She asks, and he, even more confused, obliges. She marches into the hallway, as Okubo follows. What the hell was she...?

His question is answered when she reaches a door at the end of the hall. She turns to him, arching an eyebrow.

"Is this your room?"

"Uh… yes, it is," He nods, his brow furrowed. "Why? What are you...?"

And instead of answering, she simply reaches out and grabs the  doorknob, turning it and opening the door. Okubo can only stare, speechless, as she looks over her shoulder at him, gives him a petulant look as if daring him to protest, and enters the room without even asking permission.

Shit, he didn't know whether to be indignant or have a fit of laughter. He opts for a middle ground, chuckling softly as he rolls his eyes.

"Okay, I deserved that."

And he enters the room right behind her.

He watches her, from the doorway, walk around the room while inspecting everything with interest. He chuckles again when she places a hand over her chin, frowning.

"Disappointed?"

"Not at all. Your bed is really big, wow...," She comments, sitting on the huge mattress, and he smiles more.

"Now you can see why I want to get you there so badly. Just imagine how comfortable it is...," He pats one of the pillows, very pleased to demonstrate its softness. In general, his room was a bit plain, with the king size bed custom-made for him, the dressers flanking it, the closet and the bathroom with a huge bathtub that completed the suite. More personal things that denoted more of his personality and tastes were in his game and reading rooms, but banging her in those places wouldn't be nearly as comfortable as here. "And there's even a view of the city lights at night!"

He indicates the large window in the wall beside the bed, which gave them a view of the surrounding apartment complexes. Tomori smiles, lying on her side on the bed.

"Yeah, it must be very romantic..."

"That's because you haven't seen my lighting system yet! Check it out..."

He rushes to draw the curtains around the window, plunging the room into a soft gloom. And then he claps his hands twice, while throwing a mysterious smile at her.

"Open Sesame!"

Tomori lets out a sound that was a mix of laughter and excited gasp as soft lights come on behind the headboard and at strategic points on the ceiling, around the main source of light, giving the room a cozy atmosphere. She claps her hands as well as she sits back on the mattress.

"Beautiful! I'm going to love sleeping here tonight."

"Thank you, thank you very much," He gives a playful bow. "But you sure won't love it as much as I will!"

"We'll see about that... but look, Naoh, the correct phrase would be 'let there be light', right? ‘Open Sesame’ is for opening things, not turning on lights, haha.

"… If I say that what I wanted was to 'open your legs', will I be able to get away with being made fun of without sounding like a complete asshole?"

She laughs out loud, opening her arms to him.

"No, you won't. Now come here and kiss me before I change my mind and hit you."

And he goes, flushed but still as happy as he can be, climbing onto the bed and holding her close as he complies with her request with an excitement that has her giggling against his mouth. Soon they were lying on the bed, he propping himself up on his elbows so he wouldn't put too much weight on her, her hands touching his back over his shirt as her legs lifted, her feet brushing the sides of his hips.

“Hnnn… I kinda made a miscalculation,” she murmurs after they've both pulled back just enough to catch their breath. Okubo blinks.

"Miscalculation...?"

"Yeah. I should've explored the other rooms in your apartment before I decided to be petty and go into your room. I can see that we won't be able to get out of here anytime soon, haha..."

"And you think you won't have another opportunity to see everything?," He looks at her with a malicious smile. "Or to spend the night here more often?"

She smiles back, practically melting under him at those words.

"Now that I've heard it, I don't think so anymore."

And she then brings him for another kiss, already starting to try to take his shirt off by the hem. She loved to joke about how he was in a hurry, but he sure as hell wasn't the only one there who wasted no time...

He loved it when she didn't stall and showed ho much she wanted him. Promptly, Okubo removed the shirt she held by the hem, letting her help him, and promptly letting her caress his ego with her eyes. And her brown eyes, practically devouring him, made him feel like he was on fire.

"I really don't know how you can think you're ugly," She purrs, those avid eyes seeming to burn. "I think you're really hot, I always have…"

"I don't think men are hot, that must be why," he jokes back. "But you…," he kisses her neck, lifting her blouse.

She raises her arms to make his job easier, and soon, her breasts supported by her pale blue bra are visible to him in all their glory.

"I never get tired of hearing that, you know?," She murmurs, her tone desirous. "I used to get frustrated, thinking that you only thought I was cute. But now that I know you think I'm hot too... wow, that drives me crazy...," And she lifts her hips a little to rub herself between his legs, through the fabric of her skirt.

“Always and always,"” He pulls her bra over it this time, so as not to confuse where the clasp is, and he immediately buries his face between her breasts, purring contentedly with her softness, warmth, and scent. She giggled as she shivered at his breath on her skin.

"Your favorite pillow, right? Oooh...," She gasps softly with his kisses there in the middle. "Naoh..."

"More than that…," he laughs softly. "It’s closer to the heart of the one I love…"

The smile fades as her mouth opens in an O of astonishment, her brown eyes widening. He could see a very distinctive glow forming at the bottom of them, her cheeks staining with that shade of pink he loved.

"... Huh? Naoya, you...," She swallows hard, and when she speaks again; her voice seems almost choked. "It's- It's the first time you say that..."

He looks at her, big gray eyes peeking out between her breasts. "Hmm? Say what?"

"... You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?," She closes her mouth when her lower lip trembles a little. "It's the first time that you say you love me."

... Oh, fuck. Loudmouth was the perfect nickname for him, wasn't it?

He feels his face burning, his eyes widening, his stomach doing somersaults worthy of an acrobat. Holy shit, he had planned so much, rehearsed so many times in front of the mirror, had fantasized so much about the best ways to confess to her! But he had to blurt it out like that, on the spur of the moment!

“Well, there's nothing you can do about that now, dumbass! Just go with the flow and clear your doubts while you’re at it!"

"Oh..." he babbles, his face red. "Yeah… I said that. Do you like it?"

"… I do," She nods after hesitating, looking at him with an affection so intense it takes his breath away. "Because I feel the same way. I... I love you too, mountain. Uugh, you…!," She hides her face in her hands, as red as he is. "Making me act all sappy when I want to be naughty…!"

He blinks in astonishment, suddenly feeling all warm inside, smiling like an idiot, but not in a perverted way. It was almost as if his eyes had doubled in size, his breath hitching for a minute.

“Damn it, she loves me too!,” was all that ran through his head, like a wonderful movie that he would never get tired of replaying, over and over, until the idea sank in. He looks deep into her eyes, and in her flushed face, he sees no reason to doubt her words.

“She loves me too...”

Then his smile turns into something naughty. "And can't we be both? Here, I'll show you," he kisses her on the neck. "My beautiful, gorgeous, delicious brunette who fills me with hunger…!," and grunts against her skin between kisses. "Raaaawn!"

She squeals and laughs out loud, bucking all over beneath him, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. He couldn't tell if they were from laughter, from happiness or both. All he knew was that she looked even more beautiful that way, damn it!

"Hahahaha! That's a low blohohohow...! My god...," She goes completely limp, throwing her head back, the smile seeming about to tear her face. "I'm so happy, I want you so much..."

"I want you too...," He lifts her skirt, kissing down to arouse her, and massaging her legs in the process, even kissing the inside of one of them to make her shiver with the proximity. And he succeeds, making her shudder all over as she bites her bottom lip.

"Hnnn… you really like kissing me there, don't you? Ever since that time at the love hotel..."

"A fruit like that is something I'll always want to eat," he surprises her by going straight to the middle of her legs, over her panties, biting the fabric. She arches her back into the bed, letting out a loud sound of astonishment and pleasure as she wraps her legs around his head automatically, making his face practically rub against it. Holy shit, that was a leg lock capable of knocking any motherfucker down, no matter how big he was!

"Aaaah...! Yeah, right there...," She support her hands on his head, her nails passing through his scalp, scratching lightly. He only gets a little space to run a finger and push aside her panties and kiss her, right there in the middle. And he opens her lips with his tongue to reach a very important part.

Her moan echoes in the room, her legs opening wider and letting him breathe as well as giving him more room to work. He sees her lift her head, staring at him from between her breasts rising and falling with her breath, her eyes almost black.

"Yes, I love your tongue, I love you, I- oooh, yes, yes...!," She closes her teary eyes tightly with his licks. If he wanted romance amongst the naughtiness, that's what he was going to get. He smiles and kisses her more languidly, loving the sounds she was making, squeezing her buttocks in his hands, lifting her a little higher to explore new areas.

Her toes twitch as she bites her mouth, hands cupping her breasts, her fingers playing with her own nipples. She thanked every deity that might exist that he learned so quickly, that tongue was devilish in every sense of the word. But the damn panties getting in the way were so annoying... she reaches out to cup his face, making him stop.

"Naoh, I wanna try something…"

He stops, looking at her and licking his lips. "What?"

She pulls away just enough so that she can take off her panties, dropping them on the bedroom floor. And then she pats the mattress with her hand, right beside her.

"Lie down for me, please…"

Okubo complies, smirking, curious as to what she's going to do. She notices that he was already quite excited under his pants. If he was like this with just tasting her… She really hoped he was only going to get even more excited about what she was going to do from then on. She smiles, climbing on top of him and kissing him, tasting herself on his tongue before stopping. And then she climbs higher, lifting her hips, until she's right on top of his face, her legs straddled and braced on either side of his head, her breathing faster with the urge.

“Wow, I've always wanted to try this… wanna try it too?"

He smiles. "Wow, if you always wanted to, then it's my dream," he pulls her to literally sit on his face, and sighs. "Nnnnh, thanks, ahahhah," and he laughs before kissing her again.

She can barely laugh along, already moaning with satisfaction and bracing her hands on the headboard for support, moving her hips back and forth slowly, following the path of his tongue.

"Hnnnn, you're- you're welcome... ooh, yeah, you're doing so great... I taught you well, didn't I? Hnnnn...!"

"Being hot is your natural talent…," he says while savoring, supporting her buttocks with his arms so that she can move more comfortably. And she gladly does, squirming in his face and loving it, shivering and throwing her head back every time his tongue goes over her clit, moaning loudly because she knew how much he loved to hear it.

"Oooh...! Naoh, this feels so good... I-I'm almost there, don't stop...!"

And he wouldn't be crazy to do that. He even sucked at her noisily, massaging her legs even more, taking a lick to catch her honey, and punishing her clit with his tongue.

The "punishment" proves too much for her, and soon he's tasting her, pure and concentrated, on his tongue, accompanied by those familiar pulsations and her moan that was almost a scream, filling his ears like erotic music.

"AaaAAAAH! Naoooh...," She bends forward, her legs shaking on either side of his head. "My- My god, you're too good for me, hnnnn..."

This softened his ego so much that if someone made a roast beef out of him right now, it would be the juiciest of dishes. He gave her one last kiss before making her come down and sit on his lap so he could appreciate her face, her messy hair, her rosy cheeks, her shuddering breath. She finds his semi-smug face.

"I'm just what you deserve me to be, Tomoh..."

She even shudders at the husky tone of his voice, as well as the place where she was sitting. The bulge brushing between her sensitive parts…she shivers all over as she bends down to kiss him, not caring that his mouth was all sticky.

"Hnnn... oh yeah? So you deserve me to be very good to you too..."

And she bends down to kiss and lick his broad chest, as he had done to her. He laughs a little, feeling a little ticklish, but still lets her kiss him, holding onto her waist, biting his lip as he feels her sway on top of him. He wanted to remove the rest of her clothes, but he let her play with him a little more. Things shouldn't be rushed, not when he wanted to enjoy every second.

Soon her hands were on the waistband of his pants, and apparently she didn't have much patience for teasing that day, because she was soon opening the button and unzipping his pants, licking her lips as she did so.

“Hnnn… you got that way just from licking me?," She asks hoarsely, getting rid of his pants and holding his cock by the base.

"And seeing you, smelling you… I have to control myself, you know? Hnm," he sighs when she holds him and starts massaging him. "And now, with you touching me, there's no other way I can be…"

"I can see that... what if I do this?," She looks at him as she licks the tip, circling it with her tongue before closing her lips around it and sucking. "Hnnn…"

He trembles, biting his lip and hissing. "I think… oh… I don’t think I need to answer, right…? Ooh…," he holds her hair, in a ponytail on top of her head, so as not to disturb either her job or the view. She responds by lowering her mouth further, circling it with her tongue and then moving up while applying pressure. And from there she said nothing more, letting her actions speak for herself, eyes closed as she moved her head up and down, her mouth making smacking sounds. Her enjoying doing it so much was something he was never going to get tired of, holy shit.

"Tomori... hmmmm…," he murmurs. "Ooh… and you still talk about me… oohh… I'm loving this… hmmm… yeah, babe, just like that, oohm…"

She looks at him, not stopping what she was doing, but changing tactics a little by releasing him and closing her mouth around his cock, goingo up and down while holding him with one hand, the other resting on his thigh. That mischievous face, those eyes staring shamelessly into his... how could he ever think she was the epitome of innocence?

He had never been so happy to be wrong. Wolf in sheep's clothing, indeed. And what a wolf!

"Hnnn… I really do," She murmurs after releasing him to breathe. "Because I know you're as naughty as I am," And she keeps going back and forth with her tongue, from base to tip. He doesn't deny it, because it was the purest truth, and because that hot pressure rising prevented him from being very coherent.

"Uuhh… hnmmm… Tomoh… oh," he trembles. "I'm… hmm… I'm almost…"

She retraces all the way to the tip at that, closing her mouth around him again and sucking hard, massaging what she couldn't quite swallow with her fingers, her tongue punishing the slit, as he had done to her. He loved it when she got vindictive like that, damn it!

"Hmmm! Oohh… Tomo-ohhh!," he arches his back at his climax, trembling at the base, and upon feeling that he's locked, she quickly feels him spurt into her mouth, hot and plentiful. She sucked some more to clean it all up, enjoying his dazed face. She then lets go of him, taking a deep breath and licking her lips before going up, kissing his body all the way until she reaches his mouth, which she kisses even harder.

"Hnnn, I love the way you taste..."

He doesn't respond right away this time, just reciprocating, hugging her tightly, massaging her back, hips and buttocks happily, and then letting go of her mouth.

"Hnn... I can't find anything I don't love about you, Tomori."

She smiles, and this time, it was a tender, cheerful, adorable smile like only the ones she knew how to give. She gives him a peck and hugs him back, her head snuggled into his shoulder.

"If you think about it a little bit, you should find something, but I won't ask you to do that. Right now I can't think of anything I don't love about you too..."

He smiles, stroking her hair. It was so soft… he even closed his eyes in satisfaction, stretching out on the bed. He could feel himself light-headed, carefree…

"Naoh...," She calls out suddenly, her voice low, hesitant. "Did you… did you mean it when you said that earlier? It... wasn't it on the spur of the moment?"

"Hm?," he looks at her. "I decided to be honest with you, didn't I? So, yeah, I'm serious...," He didn't want to say how much he wasn't willing to let go of her at any moment; he still feared that it could be used against him, somehow. He loved her and that was undeniable, but holy shit, if that story about true love not making you blind wasn't true. She curls up in his arms, sighing.

“It's just that sometimes it feels too good to be true, you know. I don't know if you feel the same or if it's just me..."

"I have no idea how to compare it, Tomoh…," he sighs. "But I just know that I really care and I'm willing to prove it."

"… Then say it again," She asks, swallowing a little. "Please. Now that our heads are a little clearer..."

She sounded fragile, for some reason. As if she was afraid of something and wanted to be reassured, comforted…he didn't know what had caused it, or if for some reason she had trouble believing it. But if that was a trap...

“Is that what you expect from the woman you swear you love? Maybe you don't love her that much then. And you keeps accusing her of always jumping to the worst conclusions.”

Guilt makes him cringe too. And it's the desire to prove to his conscience how wrong it was that impels him to say what she wanted to hear, and honestly, what he's wanted to say for so long.

"I love you, Tomori," he smiles, and speaks a little louder. "I love you, Shortie."

She lets out a loud, pig-like snort and quickly covers her mouth to stifle her ridiculous laughter. He, on the other hand, laughs out loud without trying to hide it.

"What the fuck was that noise?!

"Shut- Shut up, leave me alone! You're the one who started with this 'shortie' thing..."

"Which is what you are!"

“Anyone is short next to you, you freakin' Ent..."

"If you knew half of my social circle, you wouldn't say that. Now it's your turn!"

"Me? Oooh, now I don't want to..."

"No, now I want to hear it from you too, Piglet!"

She slaps his chest, trying to look angry and failing. There's a brief moment of silence before she looks up at him, her cheeks flushed, a smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"I love you too, Naoya."

He kisses her, as if to reward her, but also tickles her just as a joke, trapping her. It works, considering how she giggles against his lips and squirms, trying to escape his arms but soon giving up.

"Uugh, you take advantage of me just because I'm a 'shortie'…," She whimpers after returning the kiss. "I'm glad I found ways to knock you down, haha."

"I want you to knock me down, that's why I tease you," He smiles mischievously. "How are you going to do it now?"

Her lids droop, her brown eyes darkening again. She lifts her head enough to brush her lips against his neck, tracing his Adam's apple with her tongue and slowly sucking the skin there as she wraps her legs around his waist.

"I'll do it with words," She murmurs in a hoarse tone. "Let me ride you like a bull, c'mon."

"Ooohh," he smiles at her, after shivering with her words. "So you want me to be your bull… hehe, I like that…," he holds her breasts. "But only if you let me move like one and give you trouble."

"Even better. I'm going to love to tame this bull," She bites her lower lip with his hands on her breasts, giving him a quick peck "Do you have a condom? I brought one in my purse, but it's in the living room and I'm too lazy to get out of bed and go get it, hahaha."

"Yeah, I do," he reaches out to get his pants, and from there he removes his wallet, handing it to her. "Right here!"

"Thank you very much. Now if you excuse me...," She kisses him, and with her hands on his shoulders, she encourages him to lie down again. She goes back to holding his cock by the base, stroking it with her hand in that up and down movement that made him a little dizzy. She even went back to licking and kissing the tip to make it easier, dammit... he couldn't stay put in bed after that. Or, just that specific part. The rest lay flat, while another grew larger.

"Ohh… I really can't get enough of this, Tomoh."

"I know, that's why I can't either," She gives him a wink before covering him up and getting up, positioning herself on top of him and biting her bottom lip as she made him brush against her, threatening to fit and not doing so, just to tease him. "Are you enjoying the view?"

"Yeah... it's the best view," he smiles, keeping his hands away from her, but placing them under the torso, his eyes narrowing with the near-contact. "I love when you tease me, I can't get enough…"

She lifts her hips just enough to position herself, and then she moans softly as she sits back down, shuddering at the warm, luscious feel of him slowly entering her. "Ooh, I can't get enough of that either…!"

He hisses low at the contact, but doesn't hold her legs this time. He starts to move his hips with her on top of him. "Now… hmm… it's your turn to ride the bull, he's moving..."

She gasps when he thrusts deeper into her like that, hitting a spot that made her nearly lose her balance. She leans her hands on the headboard again, moaning and trying to keep up with the movements of his hips as she lowers and raises hers, squeezing herself in the process so it feels even better for him.

"Oooh... Let's- Let's see about that... hnnn, Naoh...!"

"Hnmmm… Tomoo ohh…," he groans, moving his hips with her. "Hmm… I can feel you taking me all the way in, oohhh…," He looked at her, his eyes seeming to devour her, while he hissed and gasped with her grips and thrusts.

“And you're going so deep, I love it so much…” She gasps, her expression a little dazed, and he watches her breasts bounce as she rides him hard, sweat trickling down her skin, her full and wavy hair disheveled, wild. Hell, what had he done to deserve such a wonderful view? He didn't know but he was loving it and he wanted her wild like that whenever she wanted to ride him.

"Ohhh… Tomori…," he bites his lip, moving his hips harder. "Hnmmmm… that's so fuckin' good… but… I want to see you…," and he takes a hand to the middle of her legs, rubbing her clit with his thumb. "I wanna see you coming for me…"

"Aaaah! I- I will, I'm almost there, almost...! Na- NaooOOH!," And she collapses on top of him, shivering all over as she squeezed him hard in those rhythmic pulses, and it was so good that she was so much smaller than him, because it felt even better that way, holy shit...!

"Ooohhh… me- me too- hhnnNNNn!," he trembles as he collapses onto the mattress with her on top of him, instinctively holding her hips as he reaches his climax, panting heavily, even rolling his eyes back in delight. He hears, from somewhere in the distance, her breathless giggle. He feels her soft, warm, sweaty body lie over his, and soon, her lips are attacking his in a hungry kiss, her chest rising and falling quickly with his.

"Hnnn... there- there we go... a duly tamed bull..."

"Moooow!," he bellows playfully, laughing out loud along with her afterwards. She gives him one more kiss before lifting her hips, pulling him out of her, and pulling out the condom for him. And she even gives one more lick and a suck on the tip to emphasize, that miniature devil. He shudders and gasps, and she smirks at him.

"You clown... lucky for you that was so good..."

"You're invited to do it more often with me," he smiles, rolling over on the bed to face down. "Come on, let's see the bathroom and then we'll take a shower so we can watch Seki's match."

“If we fit in your bathtub together, I'm up for it. Carry me?," She asks, reaching her arms to him. "My legs are still wobbly, riding you demands a lot from me."

"Don't even ask twice," he picks her up and carries her, taking her to the bathroom. "hohoho, I'm carrying you like a princess! I love it."

"I'm the King of Combat's princess then?" I love it too," She giggles, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes, smiling satisfied. "I accept the title with all the honors that come with it. Being carried is one of them."

"No, no, princesses are too cute for what you really are," He laughs. "If I'm the King, then you have to be the Queen."

She flushed with happiness, even swinging her legs as she hugged him back.

“Okay, a Queen, then. Your queen…”

He had to stop himself from bouncing with happiness as he carried her into the bathroom. He still wanted to retain a shred of goddamn dignity!

* * *

"Damn, Naoh… your bathtub is a dream come true!," Tomori sighs while she and Okubo leave the bathroom, steam following them through the door left open. He smiles as he closes it behind him.

"Did you like it?"

"I loved it! It was like walking into a private bath house where no one makes a fuss about my tattoo,” She smiles at him over her shoulder, finishing wrapping herself in the fluffy towel. His expression becomes insinuating.

"And where we won't be kicked out if we decide to play in there a little. All pros and no cons," He approaches and bends down, moving her wet hair away to smell the nape of her neck, making her shiver. "You can bathe in it whenever you want."

"Hnnn… and what is the fee?"

"Your cookies, your kisses... and whatever else you want to give me," And he takes a bite on her warm and fragrant skin, making her shudder and laugh, moving away from him by slapping his hand.

"You're very easy to please, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's how lucky you are! Almost as much as I am..."

"Stop it, you...," She laughs and gasps when he grabs her by the hips, pulling her to smell and kiss her neck. "That way we'll end up in an endless sex-bath cycle, again and again..".

“You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It's not, but I really don't want to lose Mr. Seki's match. C'mon, don't make that face," She asks when he frowns. "I already told you that you have no reason to be jealous..."

"What? ... Oh no, that's not it," He shakes his head after a few seconds of confusion. "I was just remembering something and I got thoughtful..."

"Can I know what it is or is this another one of your secrets?"

"No…," He scratches the back of his head, looking to the side in sudden embarrassment. "​​I can talk about it, but it's just… it's kinda ridiculous, to be honest."

"Look, I think we've already reached the intimacy stage where ridiculous situations are part of the package," She argues. "We've moved on from there. I promise I won't make fun of it... too much."

He rolls his eyes, trying not to smile too much when she laughs.

"I would be worried about you if you didn't make fun of it. Anyway...," He shakes his head. "Remember that time when I was trying to win you back after my fuck-up? With the gifts and everything..."

She raises her eyebrows a little, nodding slowly.

"Kinda hard to forget. First the chocolate box, then half a flower shop's stock..."

"And you liked it, you can stop with the exasperated tone," He snorts. "But anyway, the chocolate and the flowers… they weren't the first gifts I bought for you. There's another one... and you can use one of them if you like. They're comfortable..."

"Huh?," She blinks, momentarily confused. And then her eyes widen a little when she understands. "Wait, you – you bought me clothes?"

“Uh… yes?," It was supposed to come out as a statement, but it came out more like a question, given the slight nervousness.

"In plural?"

"Yeaaaah...?"

"Aah… oh, Naoh…," She blushes a bit, scratching an arm. "I… oh, damn, I don't want to sound ungrateful, I swear I'm happy about it, but… how much did they cost?"

He frowns, a little sullen.

“Hey, hey, you don't ask the price of a gift given from the heart."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I...," She ends up sighing. "Anyway, why didn't you give them to me before, in that case?"

"Well… I was going to, but the guys warned me that it might be… inappropriate," He gestures uncertainly. "Under the circumstances, at least."

She blinks again. And then her eyes widened even more, her checks blushing even harder, and this time it wasn't hard for Okubo to read her expression.

"It's not lingerie or anything like that!," he exclaims, alarmed, and she immediately relaxes, taking a deep breath in relief.

"Oooh, good… but what else would be considered inappropriate, in that case?," She asks, and it's his turn to blush. He wets his lips and turns to his closet.

"Yeah, I think you'd better see for yourself..."

He opens the door, allowing her a brief glimpse of the various shelves drawers, the hangers and the items of clothing they hold, the shoes, the baseball caps and various boxes containing sporting equipment before he closes the door behind him. He leaves about half a minute later, carrying a pile of T-shirts, looking a little mortified.

"Okay... first of all, promise you won't get mad at me?"

“I… I don't know if I can promise something like that, so I'll just promise I'll try,” She says after hesitating, to which he sighs.

"Fair enough... here, they're all the same size, so if they don't fit... oh no, the refund deadline has already expired, so it doesn't even matter," He sighs again, more dramatically, and Tomori just can't contain herself.

"Damn, now I'm more curious than worried! Let me see this..."

She picks up the top T-shirt from the pile and unfolds it. She is expressionless for about a second. Then her jaw drops.

"Oh, God..."

"Yeah…," he pouted. "I bought some shirts printed with my face from the store, because well, you're my fan, and I thought if I gave you some… but the guys said…," and he stopped, looking at her. "What's with that face, Tomoh?"

“… It's- It's just that I…,” She starts to say, not seeming to know how to continue. She turns the T-shirt over, checking the back of it and showing him his own face, in profile and smiling, stamped there in a scale of white and gray. She clenches her mouth, holding back a farting sound. "I… I kinda already have one of these, hahaha!"

"... Oh," he sighs. "Okay, I didn't see that coming. So does that mean you like it?"

"Of course!," She exclaims, clearly more relaxed, and that was a tremendous relief. "I mean, if you'd given me that back then, I would've found you very audacious," She admits, but without stopping smiling. "But now… damn, why I wouldn't like it? You gave me the entire collection!," She leaves the shirt aside and goes to inspect the others, excited. "Do you want me to wear one of them, then?"

"Well, they are kind of tailored for you, I think," he says, without much idea in his head. "I hope I got the size right and it's not too tight."

"Let me see…," She removes the towel, allowing him to have his favorite view for a few seconds before putting on one of the shirts. She opens her arms, smiling, showing his own face on her chest. "Yeah, it fits! How do I look?"

"Just like Donald Duck," he laughs. "Wearing a shirt and nothing else."

“Uh… aaah, you jerk!," She hides the middle of her legs with her hands, turning red again, while he bursts out laughing. "If I knew how to make a Donald Duck impression, I'd tell you everything you deserve to hear in his voice!"

"Hahahah, and who said I didn't like it?," Okubo smiles. "You look great in it. If it was up to me, you'd watch the match like this. It would make my job easier later..."

She puffs out her cheeks, still flushed.

"Pervert... I'll wear at least one pair of pajama shorts. Can you imagine me jumping up and down and screaming while my lady bits are ventilated? No, thanks!," She lets him have one more fit of laughter before continuing, smiling knowingly. "But you sure don't play around, huh. Wanting me to watch another one of my idols fight while wearing your face on my chest... they call it 'marking territory', right?"

"Oh, come on," he laughs again. "It's not like you're making a fool of yourself for wearing my face on your clothes… except if it was in front of an audience."

"I know I'm not. But I'd only wear it in front of an audience if you were also wearing something like that, so we can even it out," She jokes.

"Hmmm…," He has an idea. "I think I know exactly what I can do! Wait a minute," he walks into the closet and closes the door. About a minute later, he speaks from inside. "Ready, Tomoh?"

 “I have no idea what for, but sure,” She nods, looking curiously at the door.

"Okay, there you go!," he walks out the door, and there he is, dressed from head to toe as a clown. "Ta-daaaa," he waves his gloved hands, smiling, joking around.

"Uh- Ooooh, my God!," She scratches like a crow, laughing and then pointing. "It's a Kuidaore Taro costume! I can't believe you have something like this, hahahaha!"

"Well, this is a new version, but yes, I do," he scratches the back of his neck. "I wore it in the last tournament I participated in, the guys even encouraged me… but nobody recognized me and that sucked," He sighs. "But it's fine, at least my number one fan recognized it and that's enough for me."

"How could I not recognize it? I baked a whole batch of cookies with his face the second time you visited the bakery, remember? Oh, my Gohohohod...," She bends over herself, still laughing. "All that's missing is the little drum and the drumsticks! Oooh man, I have to take a picture, wait!," And she runs out of the room, with her ass still out.

"Okay, now I'm feeling kinda weird watching you run with your ass out like a nutcase. I want to see more, but I'm dressed as a clown and it's distracting me from my cosplay! My God, that's so fucking perverted, ahahhahaha," He stifles a laugh.

"Dude, control yourself, you have to maintain the character! Come here, the lighting in the living room is better," She calls, and when he goes, she's wearing tiny silk shorts, her phone already in her hand. "Okay, can you concentrate better now?"

"Awwww…," he pouted, and in that costume, it looked like someone had hurt the clown's feelings. "Now I'm bummed, I wanted to keep this mental image of you being cute and sexy in my living room…"

"Naoya, look at the size of these pajama shorts! Only the complete set can be sexier than that," She slaps her own ass, laughing. "You'll see for yourself later. Come on, you don't want to appear in the photo with your 'circus tarp' all set up, do you? Hehehahaha!"

"Damn, that'd be one hell of a weird porn… but I'm not going to do that. Okay, if you're taking a pic, what pose should I do?"

"The classic 'playing drums' pose would be perfect, but I don't think you have the drum or the sticks... Oooh, I know, do a super sentai pose, it'll look funny!," She puts the phone horizontally. And relax, I won't" show it to anyone, it'll just be for me to keep as a souvenir. You look so cute, my God...!," she coos, and it didn't sound mocking. Hell, what had he done to deserve that woman?

He smiles. "Okay then, how about Ultraman's pose, like this?," he raises one arm and flexes the other, leaving his legs apart. "Then I'll open my best Kuidaore smile, just like this…," he smiles.

She laughs out loud and snaps the photo. And then another one hits. And other. And yet another, all of it non stop laughing, varying angles, herself seeming to strike poses in her excitement.

"That's perfect! Now flex your muscles... yes, just like that!," She was approving, and then she runs to him, hugging him from the side. "Wow, I can even see 'em through the costume! Lookin' gooood..."

"And it's all yours," He smiles. "Well, how about if I do this…?," He flexes his arms downwards, making them appear under the costume, and still looking smiling like an idiot, to Tomori's delight. "Yeah, now how about a-," He cuts himself off when he hears the doorbell ring "Oh".

She stops laughing, looking a little startled at the door.

"Oh, are- are you expecting someone? Who is that-"

"HEEEY, IS ANYBODY HOME?!," A thundering voice is heard from the other side of the door. "Is this where someone ordered a half margherita, half Florentine pizza, to match the owner's egg head?"

Tomori's eyes widen. "Rihito?"

"What the…!," he blinks. "I didn't invite him over…," He goes to the door and answers it. "Hey, Rihito, you could've told me you were coming, man!," He stops halfway to open the door when he sees Himuro and Kaneda. "Oh, you guys came too…," and he opens his mouth in astonishment when he notices the seven feet tall man right behind them. "Agito?!"

"Huh?," Tomori frowns, approaching to try to see behind Okubo's body. She could see Rihito, Himuro, Kaneda and... holy crap, who was that giant man right behind them?!

"Can you believe it, dude? Rihito ran into him when he was leaving Yamashita's office and…," Himuro was about to say, but he was interrupted as he looked him up and down, making a slightly perplexed expression. "What's with the costume?"

"And… Miss Uta? You're here?!," Kaneda widens his eyes when he notices Tomori, right behind Okubo. Rihito widens his eyes too, looking from her to the bald man, stopping to analyze the situation... and then making a face that was a mixture of horror and disgust.

"Holy shit, what the hell were you two doing in here?!"

The couple turns extremely red. An awkward silence falls over the group for a few moments. And that's when the huge man right behind the other three idiots, with slicked back dark hair, sunken eyes without eyebrows and wearing biker attire, finally speaks.

"Hnnn… is this what Narushima Koga calls 'bad timing'?"

NEXT CHAPTER

[jinxcdd]

🕯️

@lunaferrous x

Send me 🕯️to hear my character’s inner thoughts about your character. || Accepting.

"Luna..." she sighed, rolling her head back as she tried to figure out where to start. She stood in front of the sofa, looking at her audience of Claggor and Mylo that she had created. Her thoughts about Luna were tangled, a mix of suspicion, resentment, and confusing. Every time she saw here, Jinx's body tensed, unable to fully relax and it bothered her.

At first, Luna seemed harmless, a distraction for Silco, some harmless flirting but it has become more. He hid their relationship from her and it still hurt. Jinx still held onto that, a sense of betrayal from her father because of her.

"Luna's not as bad as I thought. She's not some stuck-up, prissy thing who can't hold her own. She's actually… kinda cool. I mean, she’s got guns—good guns—and those hounds? Damn, those hounds are vicious. Gotta respect that. She knows what she’s doing. But that doesn’t mean I have to like her. Right?" she paced in front of her audience, hands animated as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

It was only because she was dating Silco that Jinx had her walls up, maybe if they weren't together they might have actually gotten along from the start. But there was always that voice in her head. Luna was poised, calm, everything Jinx wasn’t. And it felt like Luna had a way of making Silco act differently, like he was more distant with Jinx now, more restrained.

Jinx didn’t trust her. Luna was too perfect, too polished. What was she hiding? Did she think she could just stroll into Silco’s life and understand him the way Jinx did, after all they’d been through together?

But what bothered her most, though she would never admit it to anyone, was the creeping fear that maybe Luna did understand Silco better. Maybe Luna had a piece of him that Jinx didn’t. And that it was infuriating.

"I should hate her. I want to hate her. But I don’t… not really. It’s just—she’s in my space. Our space. But she’s also good with weapons, and I can't pretend that’s not cool. She gets the job done. Hell, she'd probably be fun to blow stuff up with if I gave her the chance. But… I can’t let my guard down"

She had been prepared to hate her, to see Luna as some kind of threat to her bond with Silco. But then Luna would say something sharp, or laugh in that unbothered way, and suddenly Jinx found herself warming up to her, despite everything. She liked that Luna could hold her own, that she wasn’t some fragile figure in Silco’s shadow.

Still, it felt wrong somehow—liking her. It made things harder. Jinx hated feeling conflicted, torn between wanting to push Luna away and wanting to see what else Luna could do with a gun in hand, maybe even spar with her one day. There was a tension in her chest, pulling her in both directions, and the more she thought about it, the more it messed with her head.

"Except… what if I could actually… I don't know, trust her? No, no, that's stupid. She's with Silco. What if she takes him away? What if she makes him see me differently? Or worse… what if he likes her more than me? No, that’s not happening. I can’t let that happen."

What if she wasn’t the only one Silco relied on anymore?

"But… maybe I could give her a shot. Just one shot. See what she’s really made of. Maybe—no! What am I even saying? This is all so messed up. I can't like her. I shouldn’t like her… but I do. And it’s driving me crazy"

[hinatastinygiant]

Chapter Seven

The Arrangement

Pairing: Todoroki x Fem!Reader

previous | next | sent to the hot seat

For the next few days, you're able to go without speaking to Todoroki on your own. However, it is now the day of your practical exam- and your match against him- and you're walking down to the arena with Jirou and Bakugou on either of your sides.

"Just do your best and whatever happens, happens," Jirou says as she does her best to comfort you.

"Yeah. Your parents might kill you afterwards but I'd still like to see you pummel Icyhot into next week," Bakugou adds, helpful as ever. You and Jirou look at each other and roll your eyes at his comment. The three of you then enter the waiting room where the rest of your class is with Aizawa.

"Good luck to you all," he says as he places a piece of paper down on a table in the center of the room. "You can watch the matches from the television in the room and the lineup is on the table."

With that he quietly takes his leave, avoiding any stupid questions your classmates have to ask and leaving you all to figure out anything else on your own. However, not many waste much time before scrambling over to the table to take a look at the list. And when you get a hold of it, you see that you've got the last spot. You suppose the school wanted to save 'the best for last' as Principal Nezu would probably say.

As the matches begin, you spend the entire time worrying over what you're going to do. You really want to fight and it would be super cool to be recognized by an agency. You're already becoming a hero by attending the best university in the country and have had publicity already. However, you don't know what your parents will do with you if you decide to go through with this, but what else can you do? Forfeit? No way!

With just a few matches left before your own, you leave the room and walk outside to get a bit of fresh air. You sit down against the arena wall and squeeze your legs up to your chest. About a minute later you hear rustling beside you. You look up from your spot of staring a hole into your kneecaps and look over to see Todoroki sitting beside you.

"We shouldn't be alone together right now," you whisper, not really wanting to say what you think needs to be said.

"Y/N, I've had feelings for you since the first week of school," he begins to admit despite what you've just said to push him away. 

"Todoroki..."

"You're so strong, Y/N. You're incredibly smart and you're beautiful. You deserve to be with someone who acknowledges that," he continues.

"We already talked about this. I have an arrangement with Rai's parents," you sigh.

"You shouldn't have to worry about that. If you want to be here you should be here because you want to, not because they want you to be. You should do what makes you happy."

You smile sadly at him, not really knowing just what to say. However, you do know now that you do want to be at school here and you do want to go through with the fight. All of your friends are right and you finally have made up your mind. Besides, you can't deny how your heart skipped when Todoroki subtly mentioned his intentions of being with you.

"Just think about it and let me know what you think once you've made up your mind," he tells you as he stands up to leave.

He then holds out his hand to you, offering to help you up. With a smile painted across your lips, you accept it. "I've definitely made up my mind now," you admit. "Besides, Bakugou's expecting me to beat you into next week."

"I guess you're ready then," he grins ever so slightly.

"As I'll ever be."

It's then in a blink of an eye that you're standing across from Todoroki in the corner of the arena. This time you don't let him have the first move as you instead shoot a bolt of lightning straight toward him. However, he's quick to destroy it with ice. You then smile as you charge towards him, ready to have fun finally sparring with him once again.

Your fight lasts for a while but it's filled with cheers and screaming from the audience the entire time. They were kept on their toes throughout the match and you're pretty sure some of them lost their minds.

In the end, with a bolt to the front of his neck just close enough that the crackling electricity tickles his skin, Todoroki drops to his knees and gives in. The crowd goes absolutely insane at your victory and even more so when your opponent stands up, grabs your hand, and proudly lifts it high in the air.

"That was fun," you beam as you look out across the roaring audience.

"It was and I still plan on beating you one of these days," he smiles back.

Afterwards, as the crowd heads down from their seats, you shake plenty of heroes' hands that you never even thought would ever have an interest in you of all people. But it is when you find Endeavor's humongous frame heading in your direction that you fear you might genuinely lose your bladder.

"You've got the makings of a top pro hero when you grow up," he remarks with a slight grin tugging on his lips.

"Thank you, sir, but Todoroki didn't need need to ask you to say-"

"My son hasn't said anything to me about your match yet. I'm still on my way to see him. However, there is something I'd like to ask you, Y/N," he admits.

"Anything," you reply, holding in how scared pissless you're becoming.

"I'd like you to work at my agency during your internship. That is, when it begins. Do you think you could do me that honor?" he proudly asks.

Your jaw drops straight to the ground and you find yourself stunned, having absolutely no idea what to say to him. However, just then, someone behind you clears their throat. You turn around to see your angered mother standing right behind you.

"My apologies, Mr. Endeavor. However, Y/N will not be joining anything because as of right now she is no longer a student at UA," she snaps quite rudely to the pro hero.

"Oh?" Aizawa hums, coming from out of absolutely nowhere. "Is that true, Y/N?"

"Umm," you reply, not really knowing what stance to take. If your mother is removing you from school how could you possibly afford it yourself?

"Do you want to drop out?" he continues to press.

"No, not really," you answer truthfully.

"Then since it is your intention to stay, you may do so. Ma'am, I'm not really seeing what the problem is here," he then adds, turning his attention to your mother.

"She's got no funds to stay. I won't endorse her being here and since she came under certain circumstances I'm afraid without paying there's just no room for her to continue," she proudly huffs.

"I don't have a problem keeping her in my classes," Aizawa continues. "She may stay on her own merits as far as I'm concerned."

"And I'd be happy to pay for anything that needs to be taken care of. She has already promised herself to be part of my future staff and I'd like her to be trained as best as she possibly can," Endeavor adds.

You're so beyond grateful for the two of them, especially as your mother stomps away in a huff. Finally, now you can live your life in the way you want, not what your parents want for you, and man does it feel so good!

previous | next | sent to the hot seat

Taglist: @thisbicc @vollkornpraline @starryeyedkoko

[zalrb]

Hi zal hope your well 😊,

I’ve just started watching the series daredevil and at first was interested in the ship with Matt and Karen till Claire came along but then I was showed that she’s with luke cage (only just started the show so I’m not sure if they’re actually still together)

But anyways notices the audience reaction I agree that that I loved watching Matt and Electra what do you think of them i noticed you didn’t speak of them.

honestly, i remember all of the hype around matt and elektra and was like

like i get what they were supposed to be but i didn't think they had the chemistry for it and found them very boring and didn't believe their dynamic at ALL, i remember anons were really hype about their sparring scene and my reaction was, i mean, ok? when he slaps her ass i was like, ok i rate that, that's cheeky, but the rest of it felt very sterile, very staged and it's not that i don't care for staged sexy fight scenes because one i really like is very choreographed but still feels like there's some spontaneity there

and then on top of finding them boring and therefore aggravating i also found them forgettable so even when i got this ask i was like, OH RIGHT. elektra and matt.

[godwithwethands]

lmao i don't know all your shipping preferences but can i say, i much prefer sam with ba'al than with jack (this might be because i'm a high jack/daniel shipper but also, i just prefer the sam/ba'al vibe over the sam/jack vibe)

I'm a multishipper so I ship pretty much everything simultaneously: I love JackDaniel too 🥰🥰🥰 They are so cute and so good for eachother 🥺

Honestly yeah I prefer the vibe of BaalSam to JackSam as well 👁️👅👁️ But that's personal taste and interpretation of course 🥴

Oh no now I feel like explaining in depth why I love Baalsam and why I ship it... oh no... someone stop me 😩... LET'S FREAKING GO I'M GONNA EXPLAIN WHY!!!!

Mino’s “Here’s why I love BaalSam so much” aka just me gathering up the few baalsam crumbs the show writers, Amanda Tapping and Cliff Simon left in their wake....and baking a cake with those crumbs.

Before I start, PSA: English is not my first language, so please bear with me if there are any mistakes 😭

Okay so I feel like at first I can't explain it without mentioning the differences with jacksam, and to all jacksam shippers: I love jacksam to bits too and they're so good, as the show has showed us multiple times, but I miss a little spice here 😩🌶️

I will also briefly talk about things I have found in Baalsam fics that I adore in (Fic points)!! And link back to fics I love with (x)!!!!

(Mid-writing note: I realize I say a lot about Baal and less about Sam, and that is because I just think about Baal way much than I think about Sam, mainly because we have so little Baal screentime compared to Sam’s screentime. I often wonder how/what he feels and try to analyze his behavior closely. 🥺 I don’t do it as much with Sam, sadly 😭

1. The ship dynamic scale (totally made up by yours truly, me 😎)

I often describe the ships I prefer as "A is obnoxious and B is struggling to stay sane" (maybe because it is a description of my own relationship??? 🤔) (this is exagerrated for fun and giggles don't worry i am fine and happy). They are all a variation of this, in different levels. I'd say jacksam fits level 1, Jack being obnoxious sometimes but in an endearing, jokingly, "aww you're such a goof 😍😂" way, and Sam's not really struggling, she just laughs and shakes her head, her heart full of love for her man.

Baalsam on the other hand. Oh boy. They are on level 5 out of 5. What the hell. Baal is obnoxious, in the villain way. And that means, a VERY extra way. He's mean obnoxious. Putting salt in the wound obnoxious. "if you don't shut up I will punch your teeth in/shoot you" obnoxious. Sam is struggling every minute to stay sane with this crazy motherfucker. He's SO MUCH. ALL THE TIME. But joke's on her, she also thinks it's funny. 🤡 That's her sanity flying out the window.

Seriously, Sam has to put her foot down. She has to play Baal’s game and sometimes be mean too. I feel like Baalsam allows Sam to unveil her true potential. A strong woman who takes no shit from men and 2000 years old overlords. She can be 200% true, smug, mean. Maybe JackSam respect each other too much they wouldn’t dare saying/doing some things like Baalsam would  🤔 Maybe Sam is restrained by everything she lived with Jack, the respect she has for him, the 10 or so years spent having him as her superior officer.

A lot think that Sam got her smug from Jack, but I don’t agree: she was smug from the get-go in COFG. She just can’t be too smug with him around or it’d sound like insubordination. Aint she tired of being nice? Doesn’t she wanna go apeshit? That’s what baalsam is. Sam going apeshit and quitting being the perfect nice girl.

Baalsam is an explosive volcano and it ravaged me 😩💖💖💖

2. Baal is a Villain

Send him to horny villain jail!!! BONK!!! 💥🔨

Baal being a villain is VERY important. Villains are so extreme. Everything he does, he does way too hard and too much. His evil plans? As layered as an ogre. Onion. I meant onion. His wardrobe? Nothing but the finest. His love? He'd give his Queen the Universe.

I love that. Everything he does, it's too much. But it's so amazing. Urghhj I love it SO MUCH. Sam is overwhelmed 😩💖 All of that for HER?? Damn, boi either really wants to get laid with her especially or.. 🙊‼️ I love the concept of a Villain’s Love because it knows no boundaries. A villain won’t be held back by things like morals, the love they feel is disproportionate......AND I DONT KNOW Sam being able to provoke this kind of feeling in Baal’s little snake heart makes me lose my absolute fucking mind!!!!! 

Very important too: even if he becomes a SGC ally in one way or another in whatever AU, Baal will still keep his good ol' villain habits. Sam would try to tone them down, but they will always be there. You don't erase 2000 years of bad habits 😭. His first solution will be murder, and she will go "we talked about this." Classical Enemies to Lovers shit  🥴💖 (x)

(Fic point: When Baal does something so extreme yet so so soooo damn sweet for her and Sam can’t believe it??? 10/10 Or when he acts on his villain plans for distasteful jokes and that puts Sam on a tight spot and he immediately feels bad at the unfair treatment she gets because of him (x))

3. The endless verbal jousting

I love watching them being mean to each other. If Baal goes too far, she /would/ hit him, and he would turn his other cheek saying "Do it again, loved it". What a freak 🥴🌶️ (x)

Honestly I just love their little sparring matches, even more so when they do it in front of an audience. Like lmao guys..... y'all flirting in front of everyone what the hell!!! BONK !! 💥🔨 horny jail for both of you. At least Teal’c seems to enjoy their jousting  😂 He even teases them holy shit, Teal’c is the true multishipper in that show!!!!

(Fic point: When they argue and come to a fistfight (mostly Sam hitting and Baal taking or blocking the hits)? HELL YEAH!!!!)

4. Admitting the other’s qualities

I’ll start with Baal:

Baal seems to appreciate the courage Sam shows in front of him. You could explain her confidence in The Quest by saying that at this very moment Baal doesn’t have an advantage on Sam since she’s the one holding the gun. There is something else, and I will bring it up later.

Let’s talk about Reckoning!!!! The situation is different, Baal actually called for help whereas he was supposed to kill everyone on Dakara. And here goes the little sparring match in front of Jacob  🤡 Sam ordering Baal around??? Being smug as hell??? 10/10 love it

It’s the first time he sees her and he’s taken aback. He should look mad, having a woman addressing him like that. But he looks rather surprised and curious of what’s going to happen next. I can literally hear the little “Hm. Interesting.” in his head. Baal enjoys that smug look on her face. Tau’ri female who??? Who IS she!!! Quick gotta be a jerk so she won’t suspect I’m crushing super hard right now!!!! Cliff Simon decided Baal will be the horny one among the System Lords and holy shit he did just that 😂😂😂 i’m sorry i’m just incohenrently babbling at this point I CANT BELIEVE THIS, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!!! you thought that huge ass post was going to be me thoughtfully bringing points and evidence? nope it’s just me losing my shit.

I believe that, despite what Baal says, he recognizes Sam’s intelligence to some extent. He’s just too proud to say it clearly and is too busy testing Sam’s limits. The more I think about it, the more I feel like he really looked for that punch in The Quest. Some kind of... I don’t know... “What makes you so special, as a female Tau’ri, to be on your kind’s elite scout team? How much can you take before you retaliate, if you retaliate at all? Show me what you’re made of.” kind of thing? Baal has shown some kind of interest in Earthlings in the past. He has studied them while living among them and he seems to like how different they are from other humans, Now he knows she’s as fierce as she needs to be to survive in this galaxy.

Have you sEEN his smile and his laugh after she punched him in The Quest? AFTER SHE TURNED HER BACK TO HIM TOO, OH, MY GOD. He really wanted a drastic reaction from her and he got it.

That is a “I love me a woman who can kick my ass” kinda smile if you ask me  👁️w👁️...

What makes me think that it was a test is: after the punch and Sam’s threat to kill him, he stops being so annoying and they can finally work together. But why? Why did he care about being killed? He was a clone, there’s no way he was still hoping to steal the Sangraal from SG-1, so his mission as this one Baal clone couldn’t be fulfilled anyway. That makes me think that he was just testing Sam’s limits, and maybe having a little fun with her.

(Fic point: I LOVE IT when Baal gets access to the SGC and everyone gets on his nerves because he thinks they are all dumb as shit. But when he talks with Sam, he’s not so annoyed. She can keep up with him. Well, sometimes she needs a little help but- Maybe she’s okay to be with sometimes...(x))

Sam’s turn: 

It’s no problem for Sam to admit Baal’s intelligence. However the idea of working with him just makes her go [grimacing emoji]  😭 😭 😭 She just knows he’s gonna be obnoxious pfahahaha But!! She trusts and values his knowledge nonetheless! She knows that teamed up with Baal, they can solve anything. I believe that’s why she asks him for help so easily despite...Well, Baal being Baal.

I feel like, when you put the "it’s a matter of life and death” thing aside, Sam’s desire to learn could push her towards Baal. She knows there is a lot she could learn from him, and they can work together once he stops insulting her every 5 seconds. She can learn from him in those moments.

(Fic point: I love fics where Sam learns things from Baal... It’s usually very sweet, because Sam is absolutely adorable when she’s excited about science and Baal can’t help but melt a little bit when she smiles so bright at him. Thankful.) 

5. Sam’s kindness 

I said earlier that, as we all know, Baal is a villain. But what’s important here is that he is a Goa’uld System Lord. 

No trust, no kindness and love allowed between those guys. Those would leave the door open for treason and low blows. (See Qetesh in Continuum)

(I believe the only Goa’ulds truly in love we saw were Apophis and Amaun’et)

Now what I tell myself is: that must be pretty freaking lonely. In any shape or form. You can’t have friends, because you can only befriend your fellow godlings who will try to kill you at any given opportunity. Same for mates. 🤔 Baal is just alone at the top of his army and that’s all. What if this isn’t enough? He is different from other Goa’ulds.

What if Sam’s genuine worry and thankfulness towards him in Reckoning were the first time he had someone feel those towards him for like, hundreds, or even thousands of years? Not something distorted and stained by any slave-to-god adoration?

He is soooo surprised. He even stutters a little? At a loss for words when faced with kindness, you, galactic overlord? And she looks actually worried about him and his ship about to go down, when before saying thank you, she asks him what’s going on. I like to think that this first interaction shaped what Baal will think and feel for Sam forever....And that it made him a bit soft for her  🥺 Maybe he sees in Sam (and in the rest of SG-1, see: how much fun he’s having with them during The Quest) a possibility for friendship and maybe more, something he hasn’t considered for A WHILE. He seems to be thinking “did she really say that...wait what do I answer to this...uh....Good luck.......ok i said it. damn that was weird.” 

Also can I briefly talk about this??

Why does Sam look so embarrassed in a “Oh god right Dad is right there and saw all of that hUM.” way 😂 I don’t think she felt like it was creepy, since Baal was just responding to her kindness, and she definetely doesn’t want to talk about her being nice to a System Lord with Jacob bjfdjgbfdg

(Fic point: All I can think of is this fic where Sam gets thrown in a prison cell with a badly beaten up Baal (his symbiote is not able to heal his wounds because of a collar he wears), and she refuses to leave him there to die. They escape together 😭💖💖💖 (x))

6. Sam knows Baal will never hurt her

Maybe this is a result of Sam’s kindness in Reckoning, but Baal made it clear to Sam that he would never hurt her directly. And this is what I was referring to when I said “there’s something else” in Sam’s confidence in confronting Baal. This line below activates all of my monkey braincells because what the hell!!!!

That’s “I kinda like you” in Villain language is it not????? Out of all the things Baal could have answered to “You can kill me if you want”, he decides to say “I would never dream of killing you.” with a voice so soft... oh my god. Talking about soft....

Is it me or Baal’s touch on Sam is kind of gentle....like he doesn’t hold her wrist too tight or anything,,,,  🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭💖💖💖 Because honestly, another Goa’uld would have yanked on her arm so hard to put their hands on that hard drive but no no no he just closes his hand on her wrist and lets her go gently when she pulls out of his grip and AM I OVERANALYZING THIS?????? IM SORRY I GOT THAT TRAIT FROM MY DAD!!!!!!! we just have that tendency to watch things over and over again to notice all the small detailsssss

I like to think that afterwards, once the heat of the moment gone, she noticed that, hey. He /could/ have hurt her very badly, she was at his mercy after all. But he decided against it. Maybe because she’s the only one who’s been nice to him for literal cenTURIES????? HHHNHNHNHNHN I CANT!!!!!!!!!!! I HOPE SHE NOTICED IT!!!! And that it’s why she’s so confident addressing him like she does in The Quest.

I think I’ve addressed pretty much everything here and I’m going to talk about more things I like about BaalSam but more on the headcanon side  🤔

Miscellaneous: 

About Baal’s host:

I have said multiple times that Baal is different from other Goa’ulds, and I really don’t think it is just an act. 

He is willing to break the god act, change strategies when he realizes there are better ways to proceed, searching for new allies in drastic situations, etc etc... Baal is way more human than other Goa’ulds.

What if that was because Baal let his host’s thoughts influence his own?

Why wouldn’t there be asshole humans wanting to be hosts to asshole Goa’uld symbiotes? Just like the Tok’ra, but on the villain side? (even if Tok’ras are assholes lol) (except Jacob. I love Jacob) (And Martouf) (I don’t like Martouf but he’s the only one with Jacob that I consider a Real Tok’ra) (The other ones are hypocrites) (ANYWAY!)

I love to think that when Baal doesn’t have the flanged voice, it is his host who speaks, as Tok’ras do. I know symbiotes don’t have to talk with the flanged voice but. Having Baal and his host thinking so alike that it doesn’t matter if it’s the host or the symbiote talking makes so much sense to me. It really could explain his different way of thinking. Baal has shown curiosity for humans and how they think, how to better manipulate them...What if it was because of the good experience he has with his host? It could also explain why he’s the horny one amongst the System Lords 😂 He is just very human in a lot of ways.

Now you’re like “ok but what does that have to do with Baalsam” AND YEAH I HEAR YOU !!!! I just think it may be easier to imagine Baalsam for a non-shipper if you see Baal in that light?  🤔 🤔 🤔 it sure helps Sam seeing herself with him in fics 🥴 I don’t know!!! We know so little about Baal, and there are so many possibilites. I’m going way out of the Baalsam remit but at the same time, I strongly believe those who don’t understand the ship are those who stop their analysis of Baal at Abyss. He is so much more than just “that one Goa’uld who tortured and killed Jack in that one episode”. Baal has so much potential that makes this ship work!! Sam seeing that potential makes this ship work!

Sam hosting Baal (yes, the symbiote):

OKAY OKAY OKAY SO!!! This is something I LOVE to bits!!

That’s a thing that is great if as I said, Baal and his host are on the same wavelength. But it can work without it nonetheless.

Sam hosting Baal, consensual or not, is always ALWAYS such an amazing trope. (x) It’s really something that makes me hyperventilate because it makes them so close...so blended...it’s infinitely intimate... When Baal is in love with Sam, it’s even better. (x) I almost can’t describe it because it is so wonderful. Being able to feel each other’s feelings. Baal healing Sam from inside when she’s injured. Sam deciphering his emotions and most importantly the affection he has for her, especially when he still haven’t confessed it? holy shit it’s SO DAMN GOOD!!!!! The silent conversations they can have within Sam’s head, Baal pouring Goa’uld knowledge into Sam’s mind. It’s just the two of them and I can’t express how comforting that is to read.

i don’t know, random stuff I like i guess, I’m almost done: 

He just really craves her attention huh. Look at that smile, so cute...”I’m smart! Did you know I’m smart as hell? Of course you did. But I Would Like You To Acknowledge It.” He’s even bouncing on his heels, i love when he does that!!!! He is turning towards Sam especially too  😭💖 and she’s just ê____ê LMFAO

(Maybe this is just another “it is my speciality and not yours” moment but hey i like to give him the benefit of the doubt 💖)

Baal being “I’m tired of being a villain, I want to be loved now”...Aren’t you tired of going apeshit? Don’t you want to be nice? just a little bit?

Baal using so much petnames so easily... i’m usually not a fan of those but having him saying “my love, my sweet” etc etc oh fuck!!!!! i don’t know wHY it gets me!!! 

A lot of Baalsam fics are smutty, and while I enjoy that, I still think they have so much potential on the spiritual level. They’re both nerds and they both have so many things to learn from the other. (x)

Baal taking Sam on his ship to show her some neat space stuff.

Baal loving motorcycles just like Sam and modifying engines with naqadah.

Guess i’m just gonna link to fics I love now nvkjfdg and that I haven’t linked to already--

In the Lap of the Gods - Rating: M - Sam gets stuck in a sarcophagus with Baal. Really well thought fic, I love it!!!

The Mating game - Rating: M - Ten dates. Can I call this slow burn? It’s slow but not too slow. Please read this, it’s hilarious and so well written like- this fic makes me lose my absolute shit!

The Mating Game: Endgame - Rating: E - Read after The Mating Game. Honestly yEAH!!! Amazing sequel to an already amazing prequel, what else can I say 😩💖 you got some Host!Sam action in this too!!

Enemy Amongst Us - Rating: E - Hmmmm Sam falling for Baal is always yummy 🥴 It has more than that, it’s pretty wild!!!!!!

Those are not all but they are the ones i prefer 🥺💖💖💖 (along the ones I linked during the essay) 

I think I’m done? Congratulations for reading all of this lmao  😭💖 I hope you can see why I love Baalsam so much now!! They are just SO MUCH FUN!!! 

feel free to send me asks and stuff about this TvT/

[loveart248]

KIRIBAKU SHIP DEVELOPMENT

I love many BNHA ships but Kiribaku holds a special place in my heart since it has so much positive canon material and I am always a sucker for the "Best friends who fall in love" trope since I enjoy slow burn with character growth. However, even taking the romantic possibility out of the equation, I just love that their relationship is so well developed in the story with subtle changes in their behavior all throughout as they go from 1. strangers who don't think much of each other to 2. reluctant allies who need to work together to complete certain tasks to 3. sort of friends with Kirishima pushing for a friendship to 4. best friends with an equal balance of respect and appreciation for each other. Below I tried to break down their relationship as it develops throughout the manga so...

WARNING: This is a long post and MAY contain spoilers for non-manga readers and anyone who has not seen the BNHA movie (not by much though).

Back at the beginning of the series, Kirishima used to think that Bakugou was a terrible person just like the rest of class 1-a, especially due to how he would treat Izuku. He was all like "That Bakugou is crazy and fights dirty" while Bakugou didn't even care about his existence yet. The only thing on Bakugou's mind at the time was beating Izuku and proving his superiority over everyone else. Thus, Bakugou was definitely not looking for friends as the only people he was used to having around him were "followers" as shown during his middle school times.

Then during the USJ arc, they automatically started working together to fight the villains as they were right next to each other during the initial attack. This right away showed how synchronized they were as a team due to their personalities and compatible quirks. So from the get go, they just seemed to flow well together.

Afterwards, they were sent off in the portal together giving them more time to fight villains side by side alone to get a feel of each others' personalities. During that time, you can slowly see Kirishima change his perspective of Bakugou from "This guy is crazy" to "Huh. This guy may not be that bad. He seems pretty cool right now".

This scene may seem minute but it is the moment that ignites Kirishima's interest in getting to know more about Bakugou. Kirishima basically starts to become more interested in Bakugou as a person as he starts to recognize his positive qualities despite his original assessment of Bakugou's personality.

Kirishima can't help but start to find Bakugou "manly" even after he tells off the other classes at the beginning of the Sports Festival arc. Even despite Kaminari's warning of "Don't let him play you" lol And this is just great because it shows that Kirishima was still somewhat hesitant about liking Bakugou as a person but was willing to give him a chance.

Kirishima begins to want to hang out with Bakugou and get on his good side as shown by the interactions above and some of the interactions at the beginning of the Sports Festival. Bakugou still doesn't think much of him but he let's him be for the most part. You also start to see Kirishima more impressed with Bakugou than before.

As the Sports Festival progresses, Kirishima finally gets his opportunity to prove his skill in Bakugou's eyes while also appealing to Bakugou's desire to win against Izuku. This moment shows an understanding of Bakugou's personality as he knows how to get Bakugou to agree with him despite Bakugou not thinking too much of him yet. It also shows a shift in Kirishima's preference of Izuku since now he would much prefer to be in Bakugou's team as he didn't even try to get in Izuku's team and barely tried to get into Todoroki's team based on his commentary.

THAT moment is when their friendship is truly born as Bakugou starts to acknowledge him and call him "Kirishima" afterwards as a sign of respect. During the match, you can see their dynamics in action with Kirishima trying to calm down Bakugou as Bakugou starts to lose his cool with opposing teams lol So basically the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The two are eventually paired off against each other and Bakugou wins but he STILL respects him as an opponent. He even comments on how difficult it is to get past Kirishima's defenses which is why he basically lets him reach his quirk limit to win. The fight is short but pretty funny because you can see them kind of teasing each other all throughout like good friends.

After the Sports Festival, the two are often seen around each other hanging out with Kirishima definitely feeling more comfortable around Bakugou to the point that he easily jokes around him and teases him. Slowly, through Kirishima's influence as he basically gets along with everyone in class 1-a, you can see more of the other students also feel more comfortable around Bakugou, especially the ones who were on his team at the Sports Festival.

Characters like Kaminari, Sero, Mina, etc. Sero is one that automatically attaches himself to Bakugou's group soon after the Sports Festival as he is shown comfortably teasing Bakugou for his haircut with Kirishima.

By the time the Summer Training Camp Arc happens, the audience already has some understanding of their friendship but it's still not in full display yet. It's more subtle and in the background than anything. During the summer camp though, you can finally see how much Bakugou means to Kirishima as a friend and as a fellow student after the villain attack that results in his kidnapping.

He feels guilty that he couldn't help his friend so he tries to convince the others to help him save Bakugou despite that being illegal. He only manages to convince a select few, two of which were already there when Bakugou was kidnapped and felt responsible too (Todoroki and Izuku) but the fact that he felt that much about it shows how much he cares.

In part, knowing Kirishima's character and motivations, you can tell that he wants to save Bakugou to prove to himself that he can be a true hero but you can also tell that saving Bakugou means more to him than that since Bakugou is not just "some guy" but his close friend.

During the entire rescue arc, Kirishima is all about doing his best to save Bakugou alongside the others to the point that he buys expensive night camera lenses to spy on the warehouse and chooses the disguises for the others (which were pretty funny disguises that make you wonder why Kirishima has such terrible fashion sense but can choose decent outfits for others XD).

Later on, Bakugou pays him back the money for the camera as a form of thanks for saving him. If BNHA Smash is anything to go by, Bakugou apparently did ALL kinds of odd jobs to get that money as quickly as possible (i.e. Nude modeling, dress like a bumble bee, bake cakes, etc.) 🤣

During the rescue arc, the most Kiribaku moment ever occurs in which Izuku comes up with the "Rescue Bakugou Without Confronting Villains" plan that ends up working ONLY because of how Bakugou views Kirishima as a friend and equal by that point. This is an important moment of development from Bakugou's side as it shows that he holds Kirishima in high regard and does not feel like Kirishima saving him is him looking down on Bakugou's own skill. This is significant since THIS specific detail is one of the factors that causes Bakugou to react in anger towards characters like Izuku and Todoroki most of the time: his belief that they are looking down on him and consider him inferior. So him accepting Kirishima's hand basically confirmed that their relationship is mutual as they both consider the other a friend without fear of judgment.

After this arc, there are countless other subtle moments throughout the series that show how close they are such as:

1. Bakugou tutoring him and going on study dates (a lot of that in the light novels). Also, the fact that Kirishima clearly wanted Bakugou to tutor him from the beginning since he never seeked out Momo like the others when he saw his grade.

2. The BNHA movie moments (assuming they are canon) which happened before the summer arc and add MORE development and insight into their relationship (i.e. Bakugou inviting Kirishima to i-Expo, sharing a room, Kirishima buying them suits, etc.)

3. Kirishima constantly complimenting Bakugou but also making sure he's not too rude to others (Literally them every panel in the manga nowadays lol)

4. Kirishima apparently helping Bakugou move all his stuff to his dorm and then...

5. Kirishima knowing that Bakugou went to sleep at 8 pm when showing off rooms hinting that they were hanging out prior to that

6. Bakugou's motivational speech to Kirishima that motivated him to push himself harder to create the "unbreakable" form/also basically a compliment from Bakugou to Kirishima.

7. Kirishima implying that he and Bakugou spar together sometimes (i.e. Bakugou asking to test his technique on him and Kirishima being fine with that while the others are scared lol)

And don't get me started on all the BNHA SMASH moments! Seriously, those are not canon at all but there are many. And Kirishima is extra affectionate in those 🤣 He has the power to make Bakugou do pretty much anything there.

To conclude this long post, whether as brotp or otp, the Kiribaku relationship development is undeniable. Just like the character growth they both experienced due to each other. Now, just because they help each other grow does not mean they are the only ones there for each other. Kirishima is not the ONLY one that understands Bakugou in the story nor is he his only friend or person he respects since Bakugou has many other people he respects and calls by name (i.e. All Might, Aizawa, Uraraka, etc.). Likewise, Bakugou is not the ONLY person Kirishima admires or considers a close friend (i.e. He has Kaminari, TetsuTetsu, etc.).

However, they clearly mean a lot to each other and help each other develop where they need to. Kirishima helps Bakugou open up to others more and Bakugou helps Kirishima believe in himself and his ability to be a hero. And that is enough for them. 😁

[renee-writer]

From a Knight to a Laird Chapter 24 Christmas Pudding

NSFW

Claire Jamie Tianna Raymond

Claire

I am almost asleep when I feel Jamie's arms come around me. "Up for a bit of baby making?" He asks. I can feel he is, hard against my thigh.

"We must be quiet." I say with a sigh. This is when we hear a laugh and a squeal come from Tianna and Paul's room. He raises his eyes at me. "Still."

"That would be up to ye Claire. Ye are the one who makes all the wee noises."

"You are the one who causes them." I retort as his hand works under my gown, finding my knickers. I let out a sigh of another kind as he strokes over the clothe. The sigh turns into a squeak as his hand works under and into the heat he is generating.

"I see." He says with a smile I can hear in his voice. My eyes are closed as I drift towards the climax he is leading me too. He lowers his head, taken my lips and then pulling on the nipple that is coming up through the thin material of my nightgown. His name is ripped from my throat as I cum, hard.

"Be quiet Sassanech." He says with a grin.

"Hush and come fill me."

"Aye." He slips into me like he was born to be there. My breath leaves me in a whoosh. It is amazing every time. Like we were truly created to come together this. To become one flesh.

Jamie wakes me before the sun the next morning. "Hey, ye ken what day it is?" I groan and attempt to cover my eyes. "Come wake up. It is Christmas Eve." He is as excited as a child. I am having trouble finding the same level of enthusiasm.

"Jamie, the sun isn't even up yet. I am going back to sleep." He leaves with a grumble of disappointment. I smile and curl back over and drift back off.

When I wake again, the sun is coming through the window. Okay then. I raise with a groan and stretch, grab a robe and head downstairs. I find everyone else already awake and eating. Raymond is giving Jamie exasperated looks. He is still buzzing with excitement. I grab a cup of coffee and pull Tianna aside.

Tianna

"May I speak to you about something?" She asks me. I nod, curious. "You needn't practice baby making every night."

"Why?"

"Well, you can get sore down there even get an infection." She replies.

"Thank you but, until I know I carry our child, I will be trying." She sighs as I give her a smile. I know she means well, but.. I rejoin my husband. We are soon lost in a conversation about the previous night.

Jamie

I am trying not to listen but, I canna help overhearing their conversation and, mentally translating it. I look across to Raymond, who also ken's what his daughter and son-in-law are saying. He is trying to ingore them but, his face is verra red. Finally Claire speaks up.

"Tianna, you do recall my husband and your father speak Latin, don't you?" The poor lass quickly translates for Paul, her face redder than Raymond's.

Tianna

I had forgotten, lost in my husband. My father had heard! I am curled onto myself with embarrassment.

"I beg your pardon father and Jamie. I should have never..'" I stumble out. Paul offers the same in Latin.

"It is okay Tiamna and Paul. Just try to recall your audience next time." My father replies. Jamie just waves it off with a smile.

"Jennifer is coming by to show you and Claire how to make Christmas pudding." He continues. "She will be here soon."

"Ohh I would love to learn how." Claire says. Come with me for a moment Tianna."

Claire

She is so embarrassed, poor girl. I need to try to reassure her. I draw her into the living room and my arms. She clings to me. "How could I have done that?" She asks.

"You are human, in love, still newly married, and experiencing a bit of culture shock. It is okay Tianna."

"But my father.."

"Knows you are married and is a man of the world. You want to talk to him alone." She looks scared so I hug her again. "You should. He will understand, I promise." I go to fetch Raymond. There is a knock on the door and Merlin lets Jennifer in. We head to the kitchen.

"Tianna will join us after talking to Raymond." I tell her.

"Something amiss, then?"

"I misunderstanding. Tianna and Paul forgot Raymond understands latin."

"Ohhh!" She gets it right away. "The poor dear." She gets bowls down to measure out the ingredients as we wait. "Have you ever made Christmas pudding, Claire?"

"No, I have always wanted too. My mum was gone before I was old enough for her to teach me and Uncle Lamb and I moved around to much."

"Then I am honored to teach you." Tianna walks back in and Jennifer envelopes her in her arms. "It is going to be fine." She assures her." Tianna nods but doesn't look convinced. Maybe cooking will help. We are soon measuring, pouring, and mixing. In the middle of the controlled chaos, Jamie pokes his head in.

"Hey Jennifer. Christmas is tomorrow!" She grins at me and then him.

"Yes, it is why we are making Christmas pudding." He steps in and goes to sample some of what we are making.

"James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Frasee, out of the kitchen. Go fetch Paul for a sparring session. Get Merlin to supervise. Get!" I point to the door with the dripping spoon I hold. "Just no broken bones or major bleeding. We don't have the time for it." He walks sheepishly away. Tianna is grinning and Jennifer is laughing, outright.

"I am sorry. It is just the idea of getting him out of your hair by sending him to fight." She says through her laughter.

"Well, he is a Highlander." I say with a shrug.

"And Paul a Gladiator." Tianna adds.

We are soon taken the finished pudding( or cake) out of the oven. Jennifer declares it perfect.

"I wil be going now. I will be back early with the presents." She promises.

"Early as you can. Jamie is as anxious as a child." I say with a chuckle.

"I saw that." She hugs us both, whispering something into Tianna's ear.

Jamie

God Almighty does it hurt! I walk into the kitchen with my head down, shoveling with my hand holding my throbbing bollocks. Paul makes his way in in the same condition.

"What is this, then?" Claire asks turning to look as we come in. She diagnosis us right away. She sighs. "Okay, who started it?" Neither of us answer her. Another sigh. "What happened Merlin?"

Claire

"Well, Paul went to hit Jamie there. He anticipated and struck out at the same time. They were both felled together." He reports.

"Paul," Tianna yells followed by a stream of Latin that leaves Jamie looking alarmed.

"Tianna, you can chastise them later. To bed the both of you. We will be up soon to chexk you." Merlin helps them out of the room. Tianna looks a bit pale. I sit her down. "Don't worry. It isn't fatal. They will be fine by tomorrow and, you and your dad will be also."

"Promise."

"Now lets go treat our husbands. They need ice for their privates and the scraps in their hands cleaned out." She nods and we gather up supplies and head upstairs.

[catty-words]

Cheek + Clexa (Don't watch the 100, and given what I've heard in spoilers, probably won't, but I know the pain of wanting prompts with certain pairings and never getting them)

cheek - i want to tell you i love you

can’t be alone tonight; special thanks to my lovely beta, @ravenrxyes, who keeps me writing in active voice and is generally a doll of a human. this is nsfw, btw. (ao3)

Lexa’s sneaking in a quick lunch between her meetings with the head of the Green Party senate candidate and one of the Virginian House members when her phone vibrates.

Taking a too-big bite of her sandwich, she slides her phone out of her pocket and checks the text.

Clarke G: got official business tonight?

Lexa can’t fight the way the corners of her lips tug upward. She takes another bite of food and then wipes her fingers on a napkin.

Nothing official, but I’ll probably work on some proposals, try to get the wording just right. Anyway, I thought you had the night shift for the rest of the week.

She reads the text over and cringes. She’s always saying too much—giving away more than she needs to—when it comes to Clarke.

With a sigh, she sends it off anyway.

“Woods, is that you?”

Lexa’s head whips up from her phone in time to see Ontari Pelletier—her career-long nemesis and annoyingly successful lobbyist for the Azgeda Industries oil company—settling across from her. She plasters a big, disingenuous smile on her face.

“Pelletier,” she greets tightly.

“Please, don’t strain yourself trying to look happy to see me.” Ontari bares her teeth in what she probably thinks passes for a grin and drums her blood-red nails against the picnic table.

Lexa ignores the comment. “I was under the impression you’d be out of town for another week. What was it this time, by the way? Covering up another oil spill for your company?”

“Azgeda Industries cares deeply about the environment and practices sustainability. We’ve never been responsible for environmental harm,” Ontari recites, cocking her head innocently.

It’s such a controlled response, Lexa’s not sure how she can manage delivering it without screaming.

“It’s almost as if you have no idea how oil extraction works,” Lexa says.

“Down girl.” Ontari matches her condescending tone. “I’m not here to talk shop.”

Lexa’s phone vibrates on the table and she resists both the urge to look at the screen and to cover it up with her arm so Ontari can’t read the incoming text.

With a steadying breath, she asks, “Then why are you here?”

“I just wanted to congratulate you on finally getting an audience with Mayor Sessoms about your org’s beach cleaning initiative.”

Ontari shouldn’t know that she’d been trying to contact the mayor, let alone why. The corners of Lexa’s mouth twist down in a confused, infinitesimal frown, but she otherwise tries not to rise to the bait.

“Oh, wait, that’s right,” Ontari says, a sickeningly smug smile on her face. “You haven’t been able to get in touch with the honorable mayor’s office. That was me. Looks like he’s much more interested in what Azgeda has to offer than Ecotrust.”

Lexa feels her nostrils flare and she racks her brain for a comeback. But before anything intelligible strikes her, Ontari’s pushing up off the bench and waggling her fingers.

“Toodles,” she says as she prances away, clearly pleased to have won this round of verbal sparring.

As Lexa stews in impotent rage, clenching and unclenching her jaw, her phone vibrates against her arm—another incoming text.

Clarke G: they over scheduled for tonight and i was more than willing to let Jackson take the shift.

Clarke G: so what would you say to sharing a bottle of wine? 8ish??

Eagerness floods through Lexa’s body, pushing out some of the anger.

That sounds like exactly what I need right now.

~~~

Lexa’s last meeting of the day runs long, so she’s just setting her briefcase down on the dining room table and hanging her keys on the hook by the door when Clarke arrives at her apartment.

“Long day?” Clarke guesses when Lexa pauses just long enough to let her in and then goes back to her after-work ritual.

“You have no idea,” Lexa says, heaving a weary sigh as she shrugs out of her blazer, steps out of her heels, and unbuttons a couple buttons on her forest green Oxford.

Clarke takes off her leather jacket and drapes it over a chair as Lexa moves about the living room, lighting candles.

“Sounds like you need a glass of this, STAT.” Clarke holds up a bottle of red wine.

Lexa lights the last candle and shakes out the match, finally slowing down long enough to appreciate the fact that Clarke’s there.

She’s wearing snug-yet-worn jeans and a thin, v-neck t-shirt that really complements her skin tone. Her hair is twisted up into a sloppy bun, but long strands still fall down to her shoulders. She’s radiant, and Lexa finds herself staring a bit too long.

She shakes her head slowly, trying to banish the haze from her brain, and tucks her hair behind her ears. “Is that, uh, is that your professional opinion?”

Clarke snorts at Lexa’s feeble banter and pushes the bottle into her hands. “It is.”

She nods, accepting the gift, and moves toward the kitchen.

“Hey.” Clarke catches her by the arm.

Lexa raises an eyebrow in question.

“You never said hello,” she says, her voice low and husky.

Lexa’s breath catches in her throat, her lips parting. She doesn’t manage to form words before Clarke’s wrapping her arms around Lexa’s neck and pulling her in for a hug.

She squeezes Clarke back around the waist, tucking her face into Clarke’s shoulder and sucking in a deep breath.

Clarke lets go too soon, a smirk on her face, and moves for the couch.

“Hi,” Lexa breathes, several moments too late. Blood pools in her cheeks and she curses herself under her breath as she walks into the kitchen, wine bottle clutched tightly to her chest.

After stacking some dirty plates to clear space on the counter, she retrieves two wine glasses from the cupboard and pours them both a generous amount. Before joining Clarke in the living room, though, Lexa takes a moment to compose herself. The smell of Clarke’s lotion lingers in her lungs, the warmth of her hug still very much present in the pit of her stomach.

Lexa’s pulse pounds under her skin in a distinctly un-platonic way.

Clarke’s already made herself at home by the time Lexa recovers enough to show her face, looking totally at ease sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Ignoring the wistful tug in her heart, Lexa settles on the armchair. She sets both the wine glasses on the coffee table.

Clarke reaches for hers and takes a sip before smiling brightly right at her. “So,” she says. “What’s got that crinkle between your eyebrows all worked up?”

“Huh?”

“You get all squinty and pensive when you’re upset,” Clarke says, pointing at Lexa’s face. “So spill.”

“Oh, um, work’s just been rough lately.” It’s not exactly a lie, but the face-off with Ontari isn’t what’s got her brooding and thoughtful in this particular moment.

“You wanna talk about it?” Clarke asks.

“No.” Lexa pauses and takes a gulp of wine. “It’s just that I’ve been trying to get a hold of someone in the mayor’s office for months.”

“To talk about your clean city initiative,” Clarke says, nodding.

Lexa feels a wide smile overtake her. “Yeah.”

“Still no luck?”

“Not anything even remotely resembling luck. Still, I wouldn’t be too upset if it weren’t for the fact that Ontari—” Clarke makes a disgusted face in solidarity. “—did get in touch with Mayor Sessoms.”

“That bitch,” Clarke says, shaking her head.

Lexa frowns into her glass. “She’s merely doing her job.”

“And being a total bitch about it.”

With a short laugh, Lexa knocks back some more wine. “I suppose. Though all’s fair in love and war, as they say. Politics is pretty much synonymous with the latter.”

“You’ll bounce back from this,” Clarke says confidently. “You’re good at what you do and dogged as hell.”

Lexa raises her eyebrows. “Is that just your roundabout way of calling me stubborn?”

Clarke ignores her and takes a sip of wine before hitting Lexa with a bright, disarming smile. “Besides, who could say no to that pretty face?”

Heat rises in her cheeks, and Lexa ducks her head. After gulping down more of her drink just for something to do, Lexa checks to see if Clarke noticed her reaction.

She’s watching Lexa closely and smirking, clearly pleased with herself.

“H-how’s work been for you?” Lexa asks, trying to divert Clarke’s attention.

She rolls her eyes and flops sideways onto the couch. “The usual. It’s all tiring, long shifts that make me smell funny.”

Lexa stamps down the impulse to tell Clarke she always smells amazing.

“Still,” Clarke continues, swirling her wine around in her glass before taking a drink. “It’s fulfilling. Usually.”

An admiring smile tugs at the corners of Lexa’s lips. “I can imagine. Being a nurse, you’re pretty much on par with superheros in my book.”

“Stop it,” Clarke says, shaking her head dismissively. “I’m not doing anything heroic.”

Feeling giddier and lighter by the second, Lexa sticks her tongue out. “Believe what you want to believe.”

Clarke quirks an eyebrow. Feeling her timidity over doing or saying the wrong thing retreat to the back of her mind, Lexa stares steadily back, tilting her chin up and swallowing hard.

Her eyes darkening, Clarke sets her glass on the coffee table. “C’mere.”

Lexa’s mouth goes dry, but she manages to sound flirty when she asks, “What for?”

“I thought we could help each other unwind,” Clarke says, licking her lower lip and making Lexa’s heart jump in her chest.

After a second of hesitation, she stands from the armchair and then slides down the length of the coffee table, stopping to move Clarke’s wine glass out of the way so she can sit right in front of her. “Are you particularly stressed?”

With a soft laugh, Clarke starts tracing tiny circles along Lexa’s knee.

Lexa’s pulse spikes.

“Not particularly,” she says. “I didn’t come here to talk about work, is all.”

Lexa presses her lips together and nods once before letting her chin fall into her chest. Despite the fact that she knows exactly why Clarke had wanted to come over, a moment of stomach-clenching disappointment washes over her. She hates that her heart keeps trying to blur the lines Clarke’s carefully set for them.

“We can watch TV or something if you’re not up for sex,” Clarke says, though her near-pouting tone makes it clear which direction she’d prefer to take the evening.

Lexa bites down on the inside of her cheek, hard, and then relaxes, letting the wine do its job of soothing her overeager heart. When she lifts her head to meet Clarke’s gaze, she’s smiling.

“I didn’t say that,” she reassures.

With a coy smirk, Clarke gives Lexa’s knee a squeeze and sits up. “Okay then. Get over here.”

With the feeling of her heart thudding under every inch of her skin, Lexa tips off the coffee table and straddles Clarke’s lap. As soon as her knees sink into the couch on either side of Clarke’s hips, Clarke’s hands find her back, palms splayed wide and urging Lexa closer. Sharp warmth seeps into the crisp cotton of her shirt.

Lexa shivers and lets out a low, rumbling hum of approval.

“You know, I’ve always been kind of jealous of your job,” Clarke says, her breath fanning over Lexa’s nose and cheeks as their foreheads fall together.

“Why’s that?”

“It’s very hard to make scrubs look sexy,” Clarke says, and Lexa can hear the smile in her voice. “But you always look so hot in your work clothes.”

As she talks, her left hand slides down into Lexa’s slacks, her fingertips dancing up under the hem of Lexa’s shirt.

Lexa squirms, licking her lips before saying, “You don’t have to work to seduce me, you know. We have an arrangement.”

Clarke laughs and Lexa cups her neck with both her hands. “Where’s the fun in seductionless sex?”

Lexa’s shirt slowly comes untucked as Clarke’s palm inches up the skin of her back. Her breath catches in her throat and she nudges Clarke’s nose with her own.

Clarke continues her musing, a single fingernail dragging lightly along Lexa’s spine. “Where’s the fun if I can’t tease you?”

“Clarke,” Lexa whines softly, her fingers flexing around Clarke’s neck.

“If I can’t get you shaking and begging.”

Clarke’s lips feel too far away—miles away—and Lexa’s anxious to bridge the distance. She tilts her chin forward ever so slightly, her lips parting…

At the feeling of something vibrating against her right thigh, Lexa jerks her head back.

“Damn it,” Clarke groans. “I thought I’d turned that off.” She pulls her cell out of her pocket, glances at it, and then tosses it onto the coffee table, where it lands with a clatter.

“Anything important,” Lexa checks.

“Nothing important enough to delay this,” Clarke says, waggling her eyebrows.

Lexa can’t help it: she laughs.

“So long as we’ve been interrupted, though, we should take this opportunity to move to your bed,” Clarke suggests.

With a nod, Lexa slides off her legs and steps aside. While Clarke’s stretching, she tugs the tails of her shirt out of her pants and then quickly swallows down the rest of her wine.

Clarke pauses to do the same before clasping onto Lexa’s hand and leading her toward the short hall.

Once they reach the bedroom, Clarke spins around so she’s facing Lexa, her hands landing on her hips.

“What are you doing?” Lexa asks, breathless—Clarke’s thumbs are rubbing wide arcs along her pelvis, distracting and sexy and leaving Lexa wanting more.

Clarke’s cheeks are rosy and she gives Lexa a toothy grin before dragging them closer together so their bodies are flush.

Lexa gasps, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Making you shake and beg,” Clarke answers in a husky whisper. Before Lexa has the time to react, Clarke’s backing her toward her unmade bed.

When she falls down onto the edge, Clarke steps between her knees. Moonlight curls into the room through the gaps between Lexa’s curtains, making her hair glow white and her eyes shine gray-blue.

She’s so beautiful, it makes Lexa’s heart ache.

“Clarke,” Lexa mouths, voice caught fluttering in her throat.

Moving with deliberate slowness, Clarke nods in acknowledgement and then leans forward. Lexa’s nerves are left thrumming with anticipation, and when their lips finally lock together, she feels a blaze of heat unfurl low in her stomach.

Clarke presses into her, unyielding, and Lexa has to grip onto her thighs to anchor herself upright. As their noses bump and their teeth catch skin, Clarke’s fingers make deft work of the buttons on Lexa’s top. Soon enough, she’s pushing the thin fabric down the slope of Lexa’s shoulders.

When Lexa breaks their kiss to shrug the shirt completely off, Clarke takes the opportunity to tip her back, the overheated skin of Lexa’s back meeting the coolness of the bedspread. She arches away from the shock of it as Clarke drapes herself over Lexa, her lips locking onto Lexa’s neck.

In a mess of limbs and frenzied sucking, they shift a little closer to the center of the bed. Clarke marks up the column of Lexa’s throat, palms firmly planted on the mattress to keep herself hovering so that Lexa can only feel the tantalizing brush of Clarke’s t-shirt against the bare skin of her stomach.

After letting herself get lost in the teasing of Clarke’s rough tongue for a moment, Lexa dances her fingers along the sweep of Clarke’s sides till her shirt’s bunched up around her shoulder blades. She follows the lacy curve of Clarke’s bra from her spine to her chest, knuckles sliding over the soft expanse of Clarke’s tummy.

When she finds the clasp, she unhooks it.

Taking the hint, Clarke sits up and pulls her shirt over her head before tossing the bra onto the floor. Lexa drinks in the sight greedily, smoothing her palms up Clarke’s abs and letting her nails graze the undersides of Clarke’s breasts.

When she’s rewarded with a breathy moan of approval, Lexa cups Clarke more fully, thumbs brushing over stiffening nipples.

“No need to be gentle,” Clarke urges, pushing herself into Lexa’s grip.

“Where’s the fun if I can’t tease you?” Lexa says, smirking.

“No fair,” Clarke says, pouting when Lexa scrapes a fingernail lightly against the dusky skin surrounding her nipple.

“Suddenly I’m the only one who gets reduced to shaking and begging?” Lexa asks and trails her hands back down Clarke’s stomach until she reaches the waistline of her jeans. She pops open the button but then stops to toy with the zipper.

“Please,” Clarke whimpers.

“Please what?” Lexa asks, reveling in her power over Clarke. After all, keeping ever-stronger feelings for her locked in the depths of her heart often makes Lexa feel like the powerless in their relationship.

“Touch me,” Clarke says, her voice wobbling. She thrusts her hips forward, telling Lexa where.

Raising a pointed brow, Lexa drags the zipper down and then pushes the jeans off Clarke’s hips. When she then skims her pointer finger across the elastic of Clarke’s panties, Clarke let’s out an impatient whine.

“Lexa.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you waiting for?”

Lexa chuckles and she sees Clarke’s brow furrow.

“For the shaking, of course.”

Clarke draws in a shuddering breath.

“You evil orgasm withholder,” she says, but the insult lacks bite thanks to the quaver in her voice.

Lexa continues to drag her finger back and forth, dipping just far enough under the fabric to make goosebumps pimple Clarke’s skin.

“There’s a very simple way to get what you want,” Lexa points out.

A growl rumbles in the depths of Clarke’s chest. “You’re right. There is.”

The shift in her tone is striking, and before Lexa can ask Clarke what she means, Clarke’s hand is covering her own and guiding it further into Clarke’s panties.

Lexa readily gives into this new game, gasping when her fingers slide over the slick heat of Clarke. As she guides the pace of Lexa’s stroking, Clarke’s lips part and she starts to pant softly.

Lexa is mesmerized. Gazing, heavy-lidded, up at a heaving-chested Clarke whose skin looks like glistening pearl in the moonlight makes the blaze in the pit of her stomach flare.

Once Clarke is satisfied Lexa won’t go back to teasing, she releases her hand in favor of palming at her own breasts. At the sight, a heady moan rushes out of Lexa and she rewards Clarke by flicking her clit, quick and forceful just the way she likes.

Clarke’s thighs quiver and her eyes find Lexa’s.

“Come down here,” Lexa whispers.

With a grin, Clarke drops forward, catching herself just in time to leave a few inches of space between her and Lexa’s lips.

Tired of drawing things out, Lexa tilts her chin up, searching, and pushes two fingers inside Clarke. Her pleasured gasp fills Lexa’s mouth.

As they kiss, sloppy and erratic, Clarke slides herself along Lexa’s body in time with her pumping. “More,” Clarke pants after a moment. “Please, Lexa. I need more.”

Lexa tries to murmur some kind of affirmation, but she’s only able to grunt with effort—trying to keep up with Clarke once she’s on her way to orgasm is like trying to catch a derailed train simply by running after it—and adds a third finger to her ministrations.

Clarke’s moans get louder and more consistent as Lexa thrusts deeper, and soon kissing is no longer a viable option. After sucking on Clarke’s lip for a moment longer, Lexa moves her mouth elsewhere. She takes a second to nip at the dimple in Clarke’s chin and then cups Clarke’s breast in her free hand, cranes her neck, and guides one hardened nipple into her mouth.

“Fuck,” Clarke says, jolting when Lexa sucks hard, her teeth grazing the sensitive flesh.

A warm rush of wetness coats her fingers and then Clarke’s arms go slack. The full weight of her body settles pleasantly over Lexa, and she hums as she releases Clarke’s nipple with a pop.

“I jus’ need one second,” Clarke says, her voice dripping slow and sweet as honey into Lexa’s ear, “and then it’s your turn.”

“Take all the time you need,” Lexa says as calmly as she can manage while blazing with want. She eases her fingers out of Clarke, who whimpers at the loss, and then shifts so she can rub at herself over her slacks.

“Hey,” Clarke says, shaking her head. “No fair starting without me.” She rolls off Lexa and catches her by the wrist.

“Clarke, I’m-” Lexa starts to protest, but Clarke silences her with a kiss before sliding off the bed.

“Take off your pants and lay back on the pillows,” she demands, stepping out of her jeans.

Lexa does as she’s told and kicks off her pants. Then she slides up toward the head of the bed and looks expectantly to Clarke, who’s already crawling back over to her. She wastes no time straddling Lexa’s hips and leaning in for another kiss. Lexa loses herself in the sensation of Clarke’s lips commanding her own, and a disappointed whine escapes when she moves her mouth away to kiss down Lexa’s body. Her disappointment quickly turns to a thrill of excitement, though, because Clarke settles between her parted thighs.

“I would tease you like you teased me,” Clarke says, her husky voice coaxing a flood of arousal out of Lexa, “but you’re already shaking.”

“Clarke.”

“So eager,” Clarke purrs, ghosting her fingers over the damp fabric of Lexa’s thong.

Lexa cants into her hand. “Please don’t keep me waiting.”

Grinning, Clarke hooks her fingers under the waistband of Lexa’s panties and tugs them down her legs. Once they’re out of her way, she drags her tongue over Lexa’s folds, which makes both of them moan.

Hooking her arms under Lexa’s thighs and holding her hips in place, Clarke inches closer so she can work her tongue more firmly against Lexa.

The fire inside her burns brighter than ever and consumes all coherent thought as Clarke licks deeper and deeper. Lexa’s first orgasm builds quickly and her entire body shudders as she clenches around Clarke’s tongue.

Clarke doesn’t stop, though. She continues sucking and lapping and nudging Lexa’s sensitive clit with her nose until a second orgasm makes Lexa arch off the bed with a delighted yelp.

“Slow down, slow down,” Lexa says, shaking her head as Clarke continues to eat her out with exuberance. “Too sensitive.”

“Spoilsport.” Clarke’s voice is muffled, but Lexa can still hear. “Taking advantage of you in your sensitive state is the best part.”

 Lexa laughs and her hips jerk up involuntarily at the potential for more pleasure. She’s firm, though, when she says, “Not tonight.”

Clarke nods, and the loose strands of her hair tickle Lexa’s inner thigh. The she gives Lexa one last, lingering lick before releasing her.

It takes a second for the endorphin fog to dissipate even a little, but once Lexa can form full sentences in her head again, she notices that Clarke’s scrambling to collect her clothes.

“Are you leaving?” Lexa asks. She sits up and draws her legs in close to her chest, hating everything about how she sounds small and pitiful.

“I probably should,” Clarke says, wrestling with her bra. “I promised my mom I’d meet her early for breakfast and errands, and after a week of working nights, I’m seriously exhausted.”

“You’re sure you’re good to drive?”

Clarke cocks her head at Lexa, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. “You and I both know it takes more than a single glass of wine to fuck me up.”

“Yeah,” Lexa says, nodding once.

“Are you okay?” Clarke squints down at her. “You seem kinda down.”

Lexa sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and turns away, not wanting Clarke to be able to see her face when she asks, “Could you stay?”

Silence hangs heavy in the room for just a second too long.

“Lexa,” Clarke starts.

“I know,” she says, jumping in quickly. “We have a rule.”

“Cuddling after sex is too-”

“Couple-y.” Lexa finishes.

“Yeah.” Clarke shifts her weight and fiddles with her bra.

Lexa swallows hard and fixes a smile to her face. “No, you’re right. This is better.”

“Less complicated,” Clarke agrees.

“Of course.”

That should conclude all discussion on the matter, but Clarke remains frozen in place, watching Lexa with a pensive frown.

“Well…what’s one exception, honestly?”

Lexa tries to keep hope from flaring bright in her chest, but fighting it is fruitless. “A-are you sure?” she checks.

“Yeah!” Clarke says, tossing her bra back on the ground. “I’m a total rebel. Rule breaking is in my nature.”

Lexa rolls her eyes at that, but her strained smile grows fond and relaxed. “Let’s not get carried away now.”

“Who? Me?” Clarke asks as she slips under the covers.

Lexa scoots over to give her more room, then sinks down next to Clarke. She hesitates to be the first one to bridge the distance between them, though.

Sensing this, Clarke reaches out and drapes her arm over Lexa’s hip, fingertips grazing her lower back. Lexa snuggles in closer, wrapping her arm around Clarke’s waist.

Clarke hums. “You’re warm.”

Lexa’s eyes drift closed and she tips forward till her forehead rests against Clarke’s. “You’re soft.”

Clarke doesn’t answer, and, after a while, Lexa hears her breathing become deep and even. She pulls back and opens her eyes—yup, Clarke’s definitely asleep.

For what feels like the hundredth time that night, Lexa drinks in Clarke’s beauty, her heart working desperately to memorize every feature. The wispy, baby-soft hair that crowns her forehead. The freckle above her eyebrow and the one near her lips. The delicate curve of her cheeks.

All of a sudden, Clarke heaves out a contented sigh and unconsciously tightens her grip on Lexa’s hip. The resulting tug of her heart is so forceful, Lexa’s left breathless.

Slowly, cautiously she moves her hand from Clarke’s waist and skims the pads of her fingers back and forth along Clarke’s cheekbone. When she doesn’t wake up, Lexa cups her cheek fully in her palm.

Maybe one day she’ll succumb completely to her weakness and tell Clarke how she really feels. Until then, Lexa’s more than happy to hide behind silent I love you’s, easily ignored or misinterpreted.

With an anguished sigh, she squeezes her eyes shut.

She can still see Clarke’s face perfectly.

[loveart248]

I love many BNHA ships but Kiribaku holds a special place in my heart since it has so much positive canon material and I am always a sucker for the "Best friends who fall in love" trope since I enjoy slow burn with character growth. And I like that their relationship is so well developed in the story with subtle changes in their behavior all throughout as they go from 1. strangers who don't think much of each other to 2. reluctant allies who need to work together to complete certain tasks to 3. sort of friends with Kirishima pushing for a friendship to 4. best friends with an equal balance of respect and appreciation for each other.

Like, think about how Kirishima used to think that Bakugou was a terrible person at first. He was all like "That Bakugou is crazy and fights dirty" while Bakugou didn't even care about his existence yet. The only thing on Bakugou's mind at the time was beating Izuku and proving his superiority over everyone else. At the beginning, Bakugou was definitely not looking for friends as the only people he was used to having around him were "followers" as shown during his middle school times. In regard to Kirishima, he was more impressed with Izuku than anyone else just like the rest of class 1-a.

Then during the USJ arc, they automatically started working together to fight the villains that popped out of nowhere as they were right next to each other during the initial attack. This right away showed how synchronized they were as a team due to their personalities and quirks.

Afterwards, they were sent off in the portal together giving them more time to fight villains side by side alone to get a feel of each others' personalities. During that time, you can slowly see Kirishima change his perspective of Bakugou from "This guy is crazy" to "Huh. This guy may not be that bad. He seems pretty cool under these circumstances".

After that arc, you can tell Kirishima starts to become more interested in Bakugou as a person as he starts to recognize his positive qualities despite his original assessment of Bakugou's personality. Even Kaminari is like "Don't let him play you" after Bakugou tells off the other classes Lol but Kirishima can't help but start to find Bakugou "manly" XD

He begins to want to hang out with Bakugou and get on his good side. Bakugou still doesn't think much of him but he let's him be for the most part. You start to see Kirishima more impressed with Bakugou than before.

During the actual Sports Festival, Kirishima finally gets his opportunity to prove his skill in Bakugou's eyes while also appealing to Bakugou's desire to win against Izuku. This moment shows an understanding of Bakugou's personality as he knows how to get Bakugou to agree with him despite Bakugou not thinking too much of him yet. It also shows a shift in Kirishima's preference of Izuku since now he would much prefer to be in Bakugou's team as he didn't even attempt to join Izuku's team or even Todoroki's team.

THAT moment is when their friendship is truly born as Bakugou starts to acknowledge him and call him "Kirishima". Then the two are eventually paired off against each other and Bakugou wins but he STILL respects him as an opponent. He even comments on how difficult it is to get past Kirishima's defenses which is why he basically lets him reach his quirk limit to win. The fight is short but pretty funny because you can see them kind of teasing each other all throughout.

After the Sports Festival, the two are often seen around each other hanging out with Kirishima definitely feeling more comfortable around Bakugou to the point that he easily jokes around him and teases him. Slowly, through Kirishima's influence as he basically gets along with everyone in class 1-a, you can see more of the other students also feel more comfortable around Bakugou, especially the ones who were on his team at the Sports Festival. Characters like Kaminari, Sero, Mina, etc. Sero is one that automatically attaches himself to Bakugou's group soon after the Sports Festival lol

By the time the summer camp villain attack happens, the audience already has some understanding of their friendship but it's still not in full display yet. It's more subtle and in the background than anything. During the summer camp though, you can finally see how much Bakugou means to Kirishima as a friend and as a fellow student. He feels guilty that he couldn't help his friend so he tries to convince the others to help him save Bakugou despite that being illegal. He only manages to convince a select few, two of which were already there when Bakugou was kidnapped and felt responsible too (Todoroki and Izuku) but the fact that he felt that much about it shows how much he cares.

In part, knowing Kirishima's character and motivations, you can tell that he wants to save Bakugou to prove to himself that he can be a true hero but you can also tell that saving Bakugou means more to him than that since Bakugou is not just "some guy" but his close friend.

During the entire rescue arc, Kirishima is all about doing his best to save Bakugou alongside the others to the point that he buys expensive night camera lenses to spy on the warehouse and chooses the disguises for the others. And then, the most Kiribaku moment ever in which Izuku comes up with the "Rescue Bakugou Without Confronting Villains" plan that ends up working ONLY because of how Bakugou views Kirishima as a friend and equal. This is an important moment of development from Bakugou's side as it shows that he holds Kirishima in high regard and does not feel like Kirishima saving him is him looking down on Bakugou's own skill. It basically proves that their relationship is mutual as they both consider the other a friend.

Then all the subtle moments throughout the series after this arc that show how close they are such as Bakugou tutoring him and going on study dates (a lot of that in the light novels), the BNHA movie moments (assuming they are canon) which technically happened before the summer arc, Kirishima constantly complimenting Bakugou but also making sure he's not too rude to others, Kirishima apparently helping Bakugou move all his stuff to his dorm, Kirishima knowing that Bakugou went to sleep at 8 pm when showing off rooms hinting that they were hanging out prior to that, Bakugou's motivational speech to Kirishima that motivated him to push himself harder to create the "unbreakable" form/also basically a compliment from Bakugou to Kirishima, Kirishima implying that he and Bakugou spar together sometimes, etc. And don't get me started on all the BNHA SMASH moments lol

Whether as brotp or otp, the great relationship development is undeniable. Just like the character growth they both experienced due to each other. Kirishima is not the ONLY one that understands Bakugou in the story nor is he his only friend or person he respects since Bakugou has many other people he respects and calls by name (i.e. All Might, Uraraka, etc.). Likewise, Bakugou is not the ONLY person Kirishima admires or considers a close friend (i.e. He has Kaminari, Mina, etc.). However, they clearly mean a lot to each other and help each other develop where they need to. Kirishima helps Bakugou open up to others more and Bakugou helps Kirishima believe in himself and his ability to be a hero. And that is enough 😁