#and most often as a response back to Mina first using names of such fashion on her

[alevolpe]

Okay but what if Mina intentionally lost to Mako.

You could say... she did it all for the noogie.

She would...

"I just let you win. As the leader is my duty to boost the team morale by raising individual self-confidence. You can thank me later girlie."

"Mhmh.. Sure thing blondie.

Now get over here."

[hereformcdonaldshonestly]

Mini Series!

Prompt: How the Class 1-A Students and Mack and Hannah Would Get Along

Paring: Mack x Class of 1-A (Platonic!)

Summary: How will Mack and Hannah get along with the members of Class 1-A? This is talk about what they like about each character, what they don’t, and how they get along together.

Genre: Fluff 💖

Notes: This is a mini-series I’ll be doing with @onlyherefordrpepper! She’ll be doing a version of her own with the MCYT members. This is how the characters react to our OCs(self-inserts so everything is pretty close to us in real life) Hannah and Mackenzie (or Mack)! There will be more information on the OC’s before the headcanon is started! This is Part 1A so that means we’ll be doing Mack first!

TW(?): This does have mentions of blood in it due to Mack's quirk!

Background info!: Mackenzie is probably more on the organized and focused side of things. She's a huge introvert, but she will talk to people! She tends to be competitive and reserved. She is academically and athletically focused, but she is very intelligent. Her best friend is Hannah, you'll get to read more about her soon, and they tend to act as if they were sisters. She has long blonde hair and green eyes. Her cheeks tend to stay red, so basically blushing! Now onto the fun part, her hero name is Redd! Mack's quirk is Blood Manipulation, its type is emitter. The quirk allows the user to control their own blood and harden, some drawbacks are that is too much blood loss can be fatal and the user can heal their own skin if cut by themselves but cannot if someone else cuts it. Her ultimate move is the Red Reaper! It can make a scythe out of her blood and harden it to make it a powerful weapon temporarily, can make wings and weapons out of blood, harden blood, can use blood as a shield against anything, user can have up to 5 cuts before it gets fatal. She usually wears a pair of skinny jeans or jean shorts with a cute shirt or crop top, but her hero suit is here! (I couldn't find the artist, I'm sorry!!)

Yuga Aoyama

Mack wouldn't mind being around Yuga! He would help her anytime she needed fashion advice and honestly, he would probably pick up on her bad days. While they may not be that close, they would consider each other friends! Since he is easily frightened, he would probably hide behind her if he got scared! She would try and help him be less insecure about his quirk by telling him "sparkle beams are awesome!"

Mina Ashido

Mack and Mina would be good friends! Since she is more on the goofy side, Mack can open up a bit to her and have a good time! Mina and her usually go shopping together and hang out with friends, or they'll have a small get-together. Now here's the fun part, Mina tried to teach her how to dance and it failed miserably! With Mack having two left feet at times, this caused her to almost fall many, many times.

Tsuyu Asui

In a way, Tsuyu and Mack are both very blunt. This can cause some problems but overall, they're still good friends! They rarely argue based on the fact they are both mature, but they do have a lot of great moments together! Anytime Mack does have bad days, Tsuyu always listens and if Tsu is ever having a rough day, she knows Mack is there for her! One of their favorite things to do together is hiking, with Mack liking nature anyways, it was a great combination!

Tenya Iida

She and Tenya are pretty close! She usually tries to talk to him every day, they study together and hang out together! With her being mature and him being very determined about academics, it works out! He is one of the few people that she'll open up to besides Hannah, Katsuki, and Momo. She would in a way consider him a best friend.

Ochaco Uraraka

Mack and Ochaco are okay with each other! While the two may not talk often, they don't mind hanging out. Whether it's at a social friend or hanging out with close friends. She wishes she would be able to talk to her more but still is content with the friendship she has with Uraraka.

Denki Kaminari

She and Denki would definitely be good friends! I feel like anytime he tries to "flirt" she would bug him about it and make fun of him slightly. He would laugh with it about it, never taking offense. They both would joke around and probably be chaotic together, but she would be more of the responsible one and making sure he was okay.

Eijirou Kirishima

Mack and Eijirou would definitely be good friends! He and her would probably get into all kinds of stuff together! The main thing would be training, and going against each other! They both agreed that he would probably be the hardest to go against based on her quirk, so they agreed to help each other improve.

Koji Koda

Koji and Mack would get along great! They both love animals and nature! She always talks about her two dogs at home and they'll take walks by the river to see how many animals they can find! Once Mack talks about wanting to learn sign language, he wants to help! He'll spend time with her, teaching her sign language, and will help her improve on it!

Rikido Sato

Rikido and Mack would be okay with each other! They don't talk often but when they do it's about different baking recipes. She expressed how she wants to learn how to bake better and he offered to help. They did make a cake one time for the entire Class 1A! He taught her different cupcake recipes!

Mezo Shoji

Mack and Mezo would get along great! While they may not be close, they still are good friends! He's very sweet and even was willing to take a hit during a mission. She always tells him that if he needs someone to talk to, she's there for him. She even told him that she would take a hit for him, while they may not talk a lot but they care about each other. She even admitted that she wasn't scared of him, he could feel his heart melt at that.

Kyoka Jirou

Kyoka and Mack get along pretty well! While they are not close friends, you will catch them both talking about different bands and music! One of the main things that got them talking was her love for music! Mack expressed how she used to play drums when she was younger and trying to work on guitar, that made Kyoka super excited and they even spent one evening teaching each other about the drums and guitar!

Hanta Sero

Hanta and Mack have a pretty good relationship! While he is loud and showy at times, she puts up with it, even if it gets on her nerves. But overall they have a pretty laid-back friendship, they hang out but they still do their own thing. Whenever they were on a mission, Mack ended up falling, shocking I know, one of the most clumsiest people fell, but he used his tape to patch up that tiny scratch. At the time he thought it was necessary while Mack just laughed and let him do it, not trying to crush his dreams.

Fumikage Tokyami

Mack and Fumikage are friends! They're not close, with Tokyami not talking to many people, but they can hold a conversation! They will talk about different horror series, books, movies, anything really! She wishes they could talk more but she knows he's pretty quiet and won't force it. He does talk about his quirk to her, expressing his insecurities and she's there to listen.

Shoto Todoroki

Shoto and Mack are pretty good friends! While they don't talk every day, they would still be considered as close. At first, she thought he was cold, but as he warmed up to her they started talking more. He would consider her as one of his close friends! She even got him something for his birthday, while it wasn't a lot, he does appreciate it very much. It was a book, something he was talking about for a while. So whenever her birthday rolled around, he got her one as well! Their relationship is simple yet meaningful.

Toru Hagakure

She and Mack talk sometimes! While yes they don't talk often, but they don't mind hanging out together! They usually find topics to talk about, like how Toru collects plushies and Mack talked about some of her older ones she's had since she was young. They have tried to plan more days for them to hang out to get to know each other!

Katsuki Bakugou

Oh boy here we go! Mack and Katsuki get along great, or as best as one could with Katsuki Bakugou. She's one of the only ones to challenge him and try to outdo him, but he cares about her greatly. Whether he likes to admit it or not, he is developing feelings for her while she is doing the same! They'll hang out and talk every day, or whenever they can, and she feels that she can always go to him. She's one of the only people he doesn't blow up on, well not too bad at least. It does make it interesting to see two hot-headed people going head to head in a competition!

Izuku Midoriya

She and Izuku talk sometimes! While sometimes he does get on her nerves, just a tiny bit, she still is nice and respectful to him. He always wishes they could hang out more so she helped him with training. Anytime they do hang out, he always tries to learn more about her quirk and how it works! She listens through his rambles of heroes and their quirks.

Minoru Mineta

Ew, god no. Mack HATES him, one of the only people she hates. He tries to make comments and tries to terribly flirt like Mineta does. She usually asks him how big his balls are, he says huge, she picks on him saying "not on your head!" he usually gets all red and storms off. She hates anytime he does try to "flirt" and honestly even trying to talk to her. She tries to avoid him as much as possible because if she doesn't, you might see a tiny grape man flying across the field.

Momo Yaoyorozu

She and Momo are really good friends! Since they are so much alike, with academics and her determination. They train together, study together, and just hanging out! She does help Mack with insecurities and honestly is there for her no matter what. While she doesn't approve of her crush on Katsuki, Momo is always there to support her. Whenever the final exams occurred, Mack helped encourage Momo, along with Todoroki's help, and let her know that she's badass and always will be!

Mack's POV

"....and I guess that's why I'm the mom of the group. No matter how weird or hotheaded they are, they're my friends and my family. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I hope they feel the same." I write, finally putting my pen down and closing my notebook. I smile as I look at the picture of me and my friends, standing up and stretching. "Come on Mack! We're going to be late, I want my boba! Bakugou and Kiri will drink it all!" I hear Hannah calling from outside my door. I laugh and grab my jacket. I'm so glad to have them in my life.

I hope you have a great day!

[kats-random-writing]

Just a silly Crush

6,048 words

Warnings:

Contains major character deaths.

This is written in Ochako’s POV so the reader is Uraraka.

——————————————————————————

Just a silly Crush

“Okay listen up, Next week UA is hosting a Halloween festival.”

Cheers erupt as Aizawa addresses the class, until his glare silenced everyone. “This is basically an excuse for students to blow off steam” he sighed “the school will be decorated and the Main Street will be the main attraction, but each class has a private gym for their own use. That being said, you are all expected to take this seriously. In today’s society new heroes especially need to know how to impress people to get better ratings. You’ll all be expected to act respectfully, and dress for the occasion.” –

“SO, WE GET TO SEE ALL THE GIRLS IN SKIMPY HALLOWEEN COSTU~” Mineta’ s outburst is cut short by Aizawa’s capture weapon wrapping all around him.

“As I was trying to say,” he sighed “the school might just be using this for students to have fun, I expect you all to act respectfully and appropriately. Now you all already voted, so for your free time you will get a dance, present mic will DJ for you for 2 hours then you are free to do as you please.”

You raise your hand “Mr. Aizawa? Are we sure this is safe? I mean after all we’ve been through in this year alone! How do we know villains won’t attack? Thinking back over your career at UA, supposedly the top hero school it didn’t make sense how your class had been attacked so often, it almost seemed like the villain’s had an inside look at how UA operates.

“Uraraka, the school thinks this is a good idea for all of you, obviously there will be enhanced security procedures.” He sighed again “But the life of a hero is never safe, you always have to be ready to jump into action. If you want an easy job, then obviously the hero isn’t the right one for you” he gives you a pointed look as he climbs into his obnoxiously bright sleeping bag.

“Anyways that’s all I have for you today, you're all dismissed” and somehow, he’s asleep before anyone can pack up.

“Man, that was harsh!” you blush “I just want everyone to have a good time! I know hero work is hard”

“At least we get to dance again! You were all getting so good!” Mina jumps and throws her arms around you and the other girls who had gathered around you.

“I must say, this does sound like an excellent opportunity for us to grow. My first internship was all about making good impressions in the media” Momo chimed in, gathering a collection of agreements from the class until a loud voice took over “THAT’S RIGHT” you immediately recognize Iida’s booming voice “EVERYONE, WE MUST DO OUR BEST TO SHOW OUR SCHOOL SPIRIT AND ADVANCE OUR CAREERS AS HEROS!!!”

As Iida continues his surprisingly well-rehearsed speech Mina leans down and whispers in your ear “hey Ochako, this might be the perfect chance for you!!”

“Perfect chance for what?” you respond confused,

“For you to confess of course!”

“WHAT!” you shriek,

you swear you couldn’t blush any harder if you tried “Whatdoyoumeanwahtareyoutakingabout” you whisper again, panicked as you wait for what feels like forever for her response.

But it never comes.

“Uraraka?”

Instead, a new voice joins the conversation, “What’s going on are you okay?”

It’s only then that you see that all eyes are on you, thanks to your unexpected outburst.

You were wrong, you apparently could blush harder. Deku’s voice breaks through your shock, as he asks again, “are you okay?” you swear you could see a hint of pink dusting his freckled cheeks, as he stares into your eyes.

You’re never going to stop blushing at this point.

You stare intently back until you feel a sharp pain in your ribs, “Ouch” you cry rubbing the spot where Mina had elbowed you, bringing you back to reality. Oh yeah. The whole class was still staring at you. “I’M FINE, EVERYTHING'S FINE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE!” you say louder, and higher than you meant. Slowly everyone begins to go back to their conversations and leave the classroom. Snickering Mina links your arms together and leads the two of you to your next class, Hagakure joins you and links her arm around your free arm, ‘I agree with Mina, I think you should confess too,” she pauses before adding “Mina! Have you figured it out yet? Who do you think it is?”

Panic strikes again, “What are you talking about Toru? Figured who out?” You question as you fake a sense of nonchalance. “Who you have a crush on silly” Mina laughs back. “oh, ah that”

“I need to get a drink” you announce quickly, surprising both girls and wiggle your arms free despite their protests. You tell them you’ll see them in your next class and speed down the hallway, still hearing their speculations on who they think your “crush” is.

***

Mina’s words stuck with you for the rest of the day and it passed in a blur, it felt like no time had passed before you were sitting in the dorm common room with the rest of the girls doing your homework. Most of the boys had joined you too, the only ones missing were Bakugou, who never really hung out with anyone other than Kirishima, who was also missing. And Deku who you could see outside training in the fall air. You looked around at all the strong young heroes and thought about how each one inspired you towards your own goals, you thought hard about each of your supposed crushes;

Iida who was always confident in his decisions and sometimes good to a fault.

Bakugou, even though he appeared rough he had treated you like an equal during your fight at the sports festival and continued to stand up for you in your absence.

And Deku, Deku who had risked his life to save you before you even knew him, Deku who you secretly tried to help by giving your hero points after the UA entrance exam, Deku who had a heart of gold and worked harder than anyone to reach his goal of living up to the legacy of the number one hero, and you knew he could do it too, one day. And that scared you.

Leaning over to Mina who was sitting on the couch beside you, you whisper “You’re right. I’m going to do it. It’s time to confess”

***

Each passing day brought more excitement and anxiety, but you had made up your mind, you knew that you would last much longer, there was already suspicion and suspicion brought more eyes than you wanted on you. You had to solidify your plan, there was no room for error, with so many attempts behind you, you knew that this had to succeed.

You stared out the window as your mind raced, going over every aspect of the night ahead of you, and exactly what you wanted to say - “I’m sorry Uraraka, is this lesson boring you?” A deep voice asked.

Aizawa.

Oh yeah, you need to factor him in too. “NO! Of course not! I’m sorry! I… I was just…...thinking about tonight….” you confess to your teacher,

“Just pay attention please” Is all he responds to, as he turns back to the bored, and you finally clue into the lesson. It's on hero costumes??

You look up to see a crude drawing of Deku’s hero outfit with point’s to where he needs to improve aspects or where he succeeded. Did he go over everyones costumes and you just didn’t notice?

His voice interrupts your train of thought again, “I know everyone is excited about tonight, but remember that UA has a lot riding on this, there have been too many incidents this year and we don’t want UA’s name to look worse in the eye of the public” He sounds almost sarcastic, “Anywho~ that’s I have for you today. Your all dismissed.”

“Mr. Aizawa, we have a full half hour of scheduled class time left?!” Iida immediately questions. “Not to disrespect your authority sir, but should we not continue learning while in our scheduled homeroom class?” The rest of the class members agree and look up expectantly at Aizawa who is struggling to climb into his sleeping bag.

“I’m tired and have nothing else to teach today,” he pauses before adding “besides it seems like most of you are “too distracted” this afternoon.” Finally in his sleeping bag he curls up and closes his eyes. The class slowly begins to gather their things and leave, but apparently not fast enough as aizawa’s voice rings though the room again “ Go get ready for tonight, I’m sure you’ll look totally cu~…….” his voice raised an octave, before he paused to cleared his throat “I’m sure you all want to look your best.”

“And you’re all too loud…….. Leave…….now.”

You looked around at your class, and everyone was staring at your teacher with varied expressions of shock, confusion, and a few horror. “I’ve never known aizawa-sensei to stay awake so long after getting in his sleeping bag” Momo says to Jiro as they leave. Mineta, still horrified, looks up to Kamanari “Was it just me or did Aizawa…sorta sound like a girl!”

“You think EVERYTHING is a girl” Kamanari retorts, chuckling as he leaves the classroom.

The rest of the class leaves the room in a similar fashion. The rest of the school day passes like normal, except maybe for when Bakugou didn’t yell at Deku in the lunch line, but that probably was just Kirishima’s influence, the more time the two of them spent together, the better bakugou's attitude was, Kirishima’s grades seemed to keep rising too. Before you knew it you were sitting on Momo’s monster of a bed with the rest of the 1-A girls, the difference between your room and Momo’s room couldn’t be any more obvious. Jealousy stabbed thought you, you didn’t mean to really, but it’s hard when you see more money in Momo’s dorm bedroom then your family had in their bank accounts combined, and it stung. You didn’t blame Momo, she didn’t choose her rich life any more than you choose to be born to poor parents. All you could think about was the countless times you skipped meals, or “forgot” about school trips, and all the other things you did to save money for your parents. Of course when they found out they were shocked, but you just reassured them that there was nothing you wouldn’t do for your family.

“So have you decided what costume you want Ochako?” Your head snaps up as Momo’s voice interiors your train of thought, “OH! Um, I was thinking about…….well maybe going as a witch?” You admit shyly. “Adorable” croaked Sue, “Omg! You're going to look so cute” Mina chimes in, “Your mystery mans not going to know what hit him!” Hagakure ads.

You feel your face heat up, betraying you as you look over the girls, you know that after tonight everything will be out in the open and different, and you're thankful that they’ve been so supportive of you and your secrets. “Guys! Stop!” You squeak,

“Okay, one witch costume coming right up” Momo says as she begins forming a dark material from her abdomen, “Do you want a hat too?” She questions.

Before long you're all dressed in your costumes, you look around and see Momo as the bride of Frankenstein, she must have talked to Present Mic to get her hair to stay up like that, you think to yourself. Mina’s in the 1-A cheer outfit from the sports festival, Hagakure is going as a skeleton, at first she wanted to just have the bones attached directly to her to look more realistic and spooky, but we very quickly reminded her that Mineta would be around and that idea changed real fast. Now she wore a black bodysuit that you and the girls had painted to look like a skeleton. Sue is looking festive as a pumpkin and Jiro is rocking a suit and tie demon look! You looked down at the costume Momo had made for you, of course it was super stylish, the orange top highlighting the rest of the black dress, you had pulled your short hair back into a small bun, leaving you bangs loose and completing the look with black tights and the tradition witches hat.

***

As you walked the now decorated halls of UA, the festival was just beginning, and there were people everywhere. Not surprisingly everyone was in costume, making it a little difficult to tell who was who. As you continued to walk down to your designated gym you swear you recognized the purple scar-like...makeup? under someone’s mask leading down his neck, he stood almost a head taller than you, but was lost to the crowd as quickly as you spotted him in the first place. “People are really going all out aren’t they?” You say to no one in particular.

As the class enters the “gym”, if it could even be called a gym anymore, given the schools money and use of quirks to completely change its every aspect to fit its needs. The wide room was dimly lit and the floor was covered in a thick fog that wafted around your legs as you walked through it, the wall’s had spider webs, fairy lights, and some cheesy halloween decorations, and the whole space was surprisingly beautiful. The girls were the first in and Mina and Hagakure were already running around the whole room squealing loudly, drawing a few laughs from the rest of the girls. That is until Mina tripped and fell with a scream and was swallowed by the smoke! “Mina!” You cry out as you run across the hall to see what happened to your friend.

“Oh my god what happened” you say as you reach the disturbed smoke, you squint and see Mina still on the ground, she sits up on your approach, “That was super weird, something tripped me but I don’t see anything?”

Suddenly whatever Mina had tripped over was sitting up and right in your faces, next thing you know you're looking right into two dead eyes and a face wrapped in cloth.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH” YOU, MINA AND HAGAKURE ALL SCREAM IN UNISON!

As you’re still trying to catch your breath you hear laughing from behind you, while you were running to Mina’s aid, the rest of your class had come in just in time to see the three of you scream right in your teachers face. “Mr. Aizawa I didn’t know you were going to dress up too” Jiro chuckles, reaching down to help Mina up. You look back at the cause of your fright and now can clearly see your teacher, Mr. Aizawa sitting up staring expectantly at you, and dressed up in a halloween costume no less. “BAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ROUND CHEEKS YOU SHOULD’VE SEEN YOUR FACE” you can still hear Bakugou howling in the background. Your face feels a million degrees hotter than it did two seconds ago, you look up and see a hand reaching down to help you up. It’s Deku.

You slowly reach for his hand, and he easily pulls you to your feet, “That looked like you were really surprised, are you okay?” he asked you earnestly, A blush dusting across his own face as he still holds your hand.

“God you're all so loud” Aizawa groans as he begins to stand up “but you're all here now, your individual class time is starting in two minuets, then after that you are all free to explore the festival.”

“Nice mummy costume Mr.Aizawa!” Denki calls after the retreating man, “wait, if he’s dressed up like a mummy, but he’s our class dad, what do we call him tonight?” you're not sure if he meant to say that out loud, but given the confused look on his face, when the class laughs and groans, you think that was supposed to stay a personal thought, not a public comment. Jiro Punches his shoulder, and only then do you notice that their costumes are matching, you look around the gym to finally look at everyone else, you see iida as some sort of patch work frankenstein, Todoroki is in a classic vampire costume, and looking like he just woke up, Bakugou surprisingly in a partnered costume, is a wolf. Kirishima looks to be his own twist on a little red riding hood, so he’s little Red Riot hood! And you finally look at the boy still holding your hand, And see he’s dressed up as a ghost.

“YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! WHOS READY FOR SOME SPOOOOOKY FUN!!” a voice far too loud for the space invades your ears, and instinctively you scramble to cover them as your eyes search for the loud offender. You see Present Mic standing across the room from the group and an angry Aizawa behind him. “Sorry Listeners!” he sheepishly responds “ NOW FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS YOUR CLASS IS GONNA DANCE, GROOVE AND HAVE A SCARY GOOD TIME! AIZAWA AND I ARE GOING TO BE MONITORING THE DANCE FLOOR AND DOOR TO KEEP ALL YOU LISTENERS SAFE!” recovering quickly the blond continued to go though the rules of the night, and soon there is music flowing through the room.

Like all school dances at first people just milled around, But Mina and Mic very quickly got almost everyone up and moving around the dance floor and having a great time. You all learn some new dance moves, play a few games and generally enjoy the night, before you know it the two hours is almost over. You’re taking a break for a drink of water, you turn around and see all the girls surrounding you. “Uh, hi guys” you say awkwardly “what’s going on?”

“What’s going on is there’s about half an hour left and it’s time.” Hagakure is the first to speak.

“She's right, Ochako” Says Sue.

“You’ve got this dude, nothing to be scared of”’ Jiro speaks next

“We’re here for you, and this is for your own good” it’s Momo’s turn to encourage you.

“Look, the next song is going to be a slow song! You are going to go out there grab that boy, dance, confess, kiss, and basically live happily ever after!” Mina says finally.

You stare at all of them for a second, then two. You know deep in your heart this is your last chance. In those few seconds you swear your whole life flashed before you. And you make your choice.

“Okay.”

“No need to sound so somber!” “no matter what we love you!” “don’t worry, it’s going to be okay” the girls all group in tight to all hug you, all while telling you things would be okay, and you hugged them all back like it was the last one you’d get. All while trying to believe the words they said.

Slowly they all make their way back to the dance floor as the current song seems to be slowing down. A knock at the door calls Aizawa to answer, seeing as him and Mic were keeping track of who could come in and out for student safety. You watch as Aizawa looks through the small window and waves an okay to Present Mic. So you turn your attention back to the task at hand.

Just as Mina had said, once the upbeat song ended, a much softer and slower song started. You scanned the room, paying no mind to the new people Aizawa had let in, and watched as your classmates coupled up. All the girls had assured you if they started dancing with who you needed to talk to they would understand and let you take their place. But that didn’t appear to be necessary. Momo was dancing with todoroki, Sue with Tokoyami, Mina was causing a scene by stealing Kirishima from Bakugou, saying it was a school dance tradition that they share a dance. Hagakure and Ojiro were dancing quietly, and Denki looked like he was trying to convince Jiro not to be embarrassed, and she looked about two seconds away from actually dancing with him.

Leaving you.

Your eyes wandered the croud one last time, finally locking on the green eyed, green haired boy who had been taking up space in your mind for so long. You crossed the dance floor feeling like all eyes where on you, cheeks as red as can be, “May I have this dance?’’ You barely manage to whisper. You watch as his face lights up and blushes beet red at the same time.

“What! Are you sure? Seriously! Of course” he still looks shocked as you reach out your hand, he takes it. You feel your confidence rising as the two of you begin to dance. It’s blissful and calm for a minute, your hearts both beating a mile a minute, you take a deep breath and lean your head against his shoulder, slowing the dance to barely swaying side to side. “Deku, there’s something I need to get off my chest.” you begin quietly.

And he can only nod his head in response, you can only assume this is his first dance with a girl before.

The song is starting to slow and you know the end is coming, it’s time and you know it.

“Deku…...I…~”

Before you can finish your thought, the walls erupt with bright blue fire! Screams erupt from all around you as your class all jump to the middle of the room, with their retreat the fire starts to follow and spread to the floor circling the class!

“Mr.Aizawa!” Someone screams for help “EVERYONE AWAY FROM THE WALLS” comes another. “IS THIS REAL! IS THIS REAL OR TRAINING?” you hear as you watch the fire getting closer and closer

“EVERYONE GRAB HOLD” you scream as you hold out your hands! Desperate to get your friends away from the flames as quickly as possible. You feel hands clasp your own and see that everyone has grabbed onto each other. “URARAKA NOW!!” it’s Deku’s voice that breaks through. You activate your quirk and groan with effort and soon your whole class is suspended in mid air, it’s not a great solution, but it’s the only one you have at the moment as the fire covers the ground you were on seconds before.

“AIZAWA WHAT’S GOING ON '' you hear screamed from behind you, and you look down to see your teacher standing on the ground, the fire leaving a bubble around him and Present Mic on the ground at his feet. Whether he’s alive or dead you can’t tell, you didn’t even hear him go down. As your classmates watch in horror, Aizawa begins to smile, then laugh. The laugh doesn't match him though. It’s too high, too light, and too crazy.

As he begins laughing harder his whole being begins to melt.

The harder he laughs the more of him drips away, until nothing is left of your teacher and a small, naked blonde girl stands in his place.

As soon as you could recognise her as Himiko Toga from the league of Villains, the rest of your class could too. And just as your actual teacher instructed you, anyone who could, jumped into action as the rest of the attack party took their places beside her.

Bakugou, Todoroki and Tokoyami had the lead, seeing as they could maneuver best in the air.

“Kurogiri,” a deep voice calls out lazily, and in an instant anyone acting on their own was surrounded by black and purple smoke. You watched as your classmates struggled against their captor.

“STOP!” you command.

The power in your voice doesn’t go unnoticed as your classmates pause and even the villains stop their approach.

“Well well, looks like someone’s got balls” Dabi dralls “Kurogiri! Bring her closer.”

Before you can even think the dark smoke is forming around you, and quickly you’re covered and once your vision is returned to you, you’re face to face with the villain. He looks you up and down, skeptical, “and why would we stop doll?” He asks feigning innocence.

“Where’s our teacher? What did you do to Mic! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!” your voice raises as you question the man. And he laughed, A deep low chuckle.

“Your teacher’s alive” the blonde, Toga replies still naked “ if that’s what you mean, he’ll probably be waking up any time now”

“God, cover up Crazy”

Dabi rolls his eyes, practically throwing his long coat at the girl.

“Too bad he won’t make it here in time” Dabi adds sinisterly. His eyes never leave yours, almost like he doesn't know what to make of you. “LET ME GO YOU SMOKY BASTARD” Bakugou screams, drawing your attention back to your class, he’s thrashing around and trying everything to escape and fight. You see the others, some struggling to move while weightless, other’s where still frozen.

“Let. Her. Go.”

It’s Deku. You meet his eyes, he’s managed to support himself midair and is aiming his hand ready to fire a powerful air blast directly at the villains. You quickly look at the rest of your class, no one else seems to be able to fight, they float aimlessly trying hard to just stay looking at you in the villain’s grasp.

“You want her?” Dabi laughs,

“Catch!” With that your still weightless body is thrown through the air directly at Deku, who barely has time to move to catch you. You land with a thud against his chest, immediately reaching your arms around his neck, “Are you okay?” he asks quickly, and you tighten your arms around him in response. “Why’d you throw her back?” whines Toga in the background, “She’s cute, I wanted to stab her” “Shut up Crazy, I wanna see something”

“Deku, Don’t fight back.” You whisper in his ear, Leaning away from him you look at the rest of the class all staring at you wide-eyed, “Everyone! Please don’t fight back!” you reach to cup the messy haired boy's cheeks, and he slowly starts to move lower to the ground under your touch…..

“There’s no use!” you continue, voice growing louder,

“You’ll never win.” You state plainly.

You turn your head to look back to Dabi, the flame villain, “Gimme some space.” you command. “Well I’ll be damned….” and just as requested the ground reappears beneath you, giving you just enough space on the singed ground for you to stand and Deku to lay, without being burned by the bright flames. You continue the motion, until Deku is flat on his stomach, letting him go, you stand straight and look over the people you once called your friends. “This is the only chance I can give you.” you begin, only to be quickly interrupted. “What are you talking about!” “Ochako what’s going on! What do you mean!” “NO!nonononononononono” and countless other things are all said at once by all your classmates. The other villains approach, until they are standing next to you. “Should I break the news to them?” Dabi asks sarcastically,

Ignoring the floating students you turn to face the taller man, “No it’s okay, besides I’m actually a little relieved they’re all so shocked”

“Hey, Ochako?” Toga piped in, turning your attention again, “What’s wrong with Izuku?”

She’s standing over the fallen hero-to-be. Poking him with her knife, not enough to actually stab him but beginning to draw blood from his exposed skin.

“He’s a threat if he can move, so I took care of it.” Silence. You realize, no one is talking, your classmates must finally understand the gravity of the situation.

“How Long?”

It’s Bakugou who breaks the silence, he must be thinking back to the training camp where he was kidnapped, it’s the only other time you’ve heard his voice so small. Ignoring them all you continue your well prepared speech. “As I was saying, This is the only chance I can give you.”

You state plainly, looking up at your stunned audience. “If you join us now and dedicate yourselves to Shigaraki, and bringing down our so-called hero society, I can spare you. Most of you have desirable quirks, and it would be a shame to lose them.”

“HOW FUCKING LONG”

You look up at Bakugou, pity in your eyes, the poor boy has been through so much, but you already knew he was one who would never give in, never submit to Shigaraki. “Since before I even enrolled in UA.” finally answering his question, you figure they deserve that much. “So yes I did know about the plan to kidnap you at our training camp, They tracked me, that's how they knew where we were. I even did my best to slow down your rescue party to make sure my team would succeed.” you see hatred in his eyes as you refer to the “villians” as your team.

“HOW COULD YOU!?” “THIS ISN’T REAL” “no…...it’s not true! IT CAN’T BE TRUE”

The whole class begins yelling their disbelief over each other. One voice in particular catches your attention, it’s only one word, barely more than a whisper. But it stabs through your heart nonetheless.

“Why?”

His eyes can only just reach yours, as Deku strains to move his head under the immense pressure holding him down, tears pouring as he repeats himself, “why?”

“I told you the first time you asked, don’t you remember Deku?” The rest of the class silences again to listen to every word you speak, still trying to wrap your heads around the fact that you are standing next the the “bad guys”

“Money, I need the money for my family. You’d think that in a world of Hero vs Villain, and with the abundance of collateral damage, a construction company would be able to afford a decent living. NO! My family had to suffer and struggle for years! no hero would help because we weren't being attacked, Banks wouldn’t do anything, NO ONE WOULD HELP US.” emotion filling your voice as you grow louder and louder. “No one. That is until I was contacted by someone who was willing to look under the surface of the “perfect” society and see what needed to change” sarcasm you’ve been hiding for so long finally breaches the surface, and as you press your hands together at your fingertips, all of your classmates begin to sink closer to the brilliant blue flames beneath them. “I actually have you to thank Deku. You see my employer kept a special eye on All Might, “the Number One Hero”, “The Symbol of Peace” Ugh” you groan in disgust, “We’ll my employer new All Might was getting older and weaker, so he would obviously be looking for a successor, and unlike my employer he didn’t start looking until the last minute, actually putting you in immense danger by the way.” laughing as you listen to the screams coming from your class as they get closer and closer to the flames.

“So when All Might started training a new successor for One for All, You all know about that right, Deku inherited All Might's power, that's why he was quirkless the rest of his life and why he kept breaking his bones. HE’S HAD A QUIRK FOR LESS THEN A YEAR AND HE’S ALREADY EITHER REACHED OR SUPPASSED MOST OF YOU! AND YOU’VE HAD YOUR QUIRKS FOR YOUR WHOLE LIVES!” letting your arms fall to your sides, as your classmates hover just over the fire.

“I’m getting off track, basically we knew we needed to shock this society to its core, and how better then to destroy its core. The prized hero school, the symbol of peace, the next generation.” you emphasize each word. “So I tried to make sure deku would get into UA, not that he needed my help, I also made sure he didn’t kill himself day one” you send a pointed look down at Deku and Bakugou. “I organized and planned from inside and made sure that my team had everything they needed to infiltrate UA. All while pushing my quirk and gaining control I couldn’t even imagine”

Coughing is all that comes from the students, the air too hot and filled with smoke. “Wanna wrap this up doll” Dabi points to the ceiling, the fire from the wall has almost completely covered the ceiling, the building is going to come down and you know it. “So how about it? Hero's” He sneers “Anyone going to take our generous offer?” Everyone is struggling now, no one wants this to be their end. But no one moves. Anyone who can just glares down, “Never.” “You’re not going to get away with this” “trator” they’ve all made their choices. Dabi turns to look at Shoto, who is still wrapped head to toe with Kurogiri’s smoke. “Really not even you, Baby brother?” Shoto’s eye’s widened in surprise. “You don’t want dear old dad to pay, pay for what he did to you,” he covers his left eye mimicking Shoto’s scar “ what he did to Touya?” gesturing to himself “What about what he did to our mother!” Shoto stays silent as ever, you turn to dabi “I think it's time to leave~” your cut off.

“Okay”

“What” you and Dabi say in unison, “I said okay” Shoto repeats “I’ll follow you, your right. Hero society does need to change.”

“Kurogiri bring him to us, doll go do your thing, crush him if he tries anything funny.” you walk over to where Shoto was being let down from Kurogiri’s grasp, reaching out to touch his face “like he said, try anything funny and your on the ground like roadkill” he nods in agreement and just next thing Shoto’s body was released from the fog, and true to his word. Shoto didn’t move. “Okay, I mean it this time, time to go. Kurogiri take us home.” the whooshing of Kurogiri’s warp gate behind you signals it's now or never. Ears finally fulling tuning in to the cries and coughs of your class, “Last chance” you say hopefully. “THEY’LL KNOW IT WAS YOU!” Mina, tears streaming down her face “YOUR BODY WON’T BE HERE! THEY’LL COME FOR YOU”

Tears welling up in your own eyes, as you say a silent goodbye, before composing yourself. “How will they tell, when all that's left is ash.” you say somberly “I told you, I’ve been doing this for a while, I won’t be caught so easily.” you sigh, this is turning out to be harder than you thought. You did care about all of your classmates, spending so much time getting to know them, you had hoped some of them would’ve seen your side of things, but you were out of time, Dabi’s brilliant blue flames now began to peak through the roof.

“Thank you though Mina, for convincing me it was time to confess.” you say half heartedly “I did really wish some of you would’ve joined”

As you stepped back, halfway through the warpgate you look back down into Izuku’s eye’s one last time and whisper “I’m sorry” before pressing your fingers together one last time and forcing everyone one to the ground, the warpgate closes around you and you can still hear their screaming ringing in your ears.

***

As you look around the unfamiliar bar, you see Shoto talking to Dabi looking the most engaged you’ve ever seen him. Kurogiri behind the bar standing, waiting. A few others milled around, and Toga came bounding up to you as you reached up to your face, wiping tears you didn’t know were falling. “You okay Ochako? I can call you that right? Now that you're officially here?!” She says excitedly. “God it’s so nice to have another girl here since we lost big sis mag”

Quickly wiping your eyes “I’ll be okay, don’t worry, it’s just a silly crush”

[chxmpionofjustice]

STUDY  :  TSUKINO USAGI  ♡

♡   BASICS.

♡  IS YOUR MUSE TALL  /  SHORT  /  AVERAGE? Usagi is the shortest of all of her friends. She’s 4′11″ or 150 cm and yes, she’s fun-sized.

♡  ARE THEY OKAY WITH THEIR HEIGHT? Yes and no. Her lack of height can come in handy sometimes, but it really is a pain in the butt to buy pants. She compensates with shorts and skirts and she can’t really complain because she’s looks amazing in them. And her boyfriend’s face is too far away from hers for her own liking, but standing on tip toe for a kiss feels like something out of a romance, so she can deal.

♡  WHAT’S THEIR HAIR LIKE? Long, blonde, and shiny. She tries to keep it cut to around knee/calf length but ever since she awoke as the Moon Princess, her hair seems to want to grow much farther than than of its own accord and... well it seems to get a little lighter over time. She keeps her hair up in her signature odango-and-pig-tail style on either side of her head. The hair style is held to together painstakingly with hair bands and bobby pins, all of which come out when she goes to sleep. Sometimes she’ll wear her hair in two low pigtails when she sleeps but more often than not, she lets her hair loose.

♡  DO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR HAIR  /  GROOMING? Hahahahahahahhahaha. What do you think? YES. Usagi’s hair is one of the few things she puts real effort into. Her hairstyle itself takes a lot of time to do (She’s got the thing down to a science but it still takes her around 10 minutes and would take anyone else a LOT longer), not to mention what she does to keep her hair healthy. Usagi has a whole basket of hair products in her room, ranging from shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, and oils. Maintaining all that hair is hard, okay?

♡  DOES YOUR MUSE CARE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE  /  WHAT OTHERS THINK?  Yes and no. She definitely cares what she looks like. She loves fashion and putting together outfits so she looks kawaii wherever she’s going (this also counts work as an adult, she will be the girl in the office wearing the cutest blouse and skirt combo with a pair of adorable kitten heels and this will clearly fool everyone into thinking she can adult). But she doesn’t really do that because she cares what others think. She does that for herself, to make herself happy. And if people happen to think she looks good, well that’s a plus. She can be a little vain like that, but who isn’t?

♡   PREFERENCES.

INDOORS OR OUTDOORS? outdoors

RAIN OR SUNSHINE? sunshine

FOREST OR BEACH? beach

PRECIOUS METALS OR GEMS? gems

FLOWERS OR PERFUMES? flowers

PERSONALITY OR APPEARANCE? personality

BEING ALONE OR BEING IN A CROWD? being in a crowd

ORDER OR ANARCHY?  order

PAINFUL TRUTHS OR WHITE LIES? painful truths

SCIENCE OR MAGIC?  magic

PEACE OR CONFLICT? peace

NIGHT OR DAY? day

DUSK OR DAWN? dusk

WARMTH OR COLD? warmth

MANY ACQUAINTANCES OR A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS?  a few close friends

READING OR PLAYING A GAME? GIVE ME GAMES OR GIVE ME DEATH

♡   QUESTIONNAIRE.  

♡ WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSE’S BAD HABITS? HAHAHAHA. Okay do y’all even have TIME to read this? Seriously, there are a lot. To name the biggest bad habit of hers, it’s over-indulgence. Usagi shamelessly indulges in EVERYTHING she loves to the point of excess sometimes. She’s banned from a couple buffets because of her eating habits, the girl is a black hole for food, and will eat whatever she wants to eat. She wastes money on food, mostly junk food because she doesn’t cook. 

Despite the fact that she can’t cook, she will buy ANY cute appliance available for the kitchen that she can. Hello Kitty Toaster? Got it. Sailor Senshi chopsticks? GOT THE WHOLE SET (of course for when everyone comes over, they can eat with their designated chopsticks, duh). Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker? BOUGHT (Girl doesn’t know how to make waffle batter). Every single cup she owns has a character on if from some anime, movie, or manga. She even has commemorative Sailor Senshi cups too. Oh you thought it ended with the chopsticks? NOPE. She spends money on plushies, pillows, pens, bags, etc, of her and her friends and does it QUITE HAPPILY. Of course, the thing she buys the most of (besides herself)? Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask plushies. A Tuxedo Mask pillow case for a body pillow (listen don’t judge her), the rare Tuxedo Mask action figure and the Tuxedo Mask vibr-.... Well let’s just say that she doesn’t only buy every day items with his brand.

A lot of her indulgence has to do with money because she has no impulse control. If she sees a cute thing, she wants it, she buys it. Be it items or clothes. And whatever she buys usually ends up... Well, not put away. Usagi can be pretty messy (it’s a system that works for her, okay), to put it simply. And she’s messy because, to put it quite frankly, she’s kind of lazy. She’s a queen procrastinator who prefers to play games, read manga, doodle, and SLEEP rather than do homework or chores. Usagi would rather do anything under the sun except her responsibilities and everyone who knows her knows this. Boy, do they know this.

That being said, when she is facing her responsibilities as Sailor Moon, she does almost a complete 180. The Earth is her responsibility to protect and she will do anything she has to to keep it safe. Even if it means sacrificing herself. Despite how selfish she can act with certain things (food mostly, she’s like Joey, JOEY DOESN’T SHARE FOOD), Usagi will give herself to save a life in an instant. No hesitation. Because to her every life is precious. The world is precious. So if she has to use her crystal to the point where she has no life energy left to defeat someone evil or divert an asteroid, she will. If she has to throw herself into an abyss to defeat an enemy and save everyone else, she will. 

You may be asking yourself why I wrote that all out. “Altruism is a good thing!” I did it because the level of altruism she displays is destructive. To herself. She is so willing to save everyone that if she sees her own demise as the only way to keep everyone else from dying, she will let herself die. And that’s not giving up. Giving up would be going without a fight. Usagi is gonna fight until her very last breath and that’s gonna be what takes her. Unless someone can come up with a way to save everyone where she won’t have to do that, there’s no stopping her, either. 

♡ HAS YOUR MUSE LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THEM? Yes and no. Usagi and her friends have all died more than once. Losing them and Mamoru the first time it happened was absolutely devastating to her. She still has nightmares of seeing their bodies lifelessly laying in the snow. Of watching Mamoru, her prince, die in her arms and then be taken away from her only to become a pawn for the enemy. 

The first deaths are the hardest to get over.

And then watching one by one as her friends were taken by the Black Moon (she only BARELY saved Venus, if she didn’t have Mina-P with her, she doesn’t know if she would have been able to go on like she did), her future daughter was corrupted so heinously that she took her own father hostage for her own amusement, and then Sailor Pluto’s death.

I won’t even get into how Galaxia practically vaporized Mamoru in front of her and she was so traumatized that she wiped it from her own memory and was convinced he got on the plane to America. Or how Galaxia also did the same to her friends. There are nights Usagi wakes up in tears with the awful inability to breathe and the only thing that can calm her down is hearing their voices. 

She clings tight to Mamoru when anyone gives him an all too appreciative lingering look (seriously, the man is too pretty for his own good, he attracts so many bad guys) because god forbid they end up turning out to be something evil and try to take him away from her. 

The long and the short of it is that Usagi definitely has some form of PTSD. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

♡ WHAT ARE SOME FOND MEMORIES YOUR MUSE HAS? Usagi had a sunny life and continues to live wearing rose-tinted glasses even when she has to stop and save the world now and then. She has so many fond memories of growing up like playing dress up with her mom,  meeting Naru in primary school, playing in parks and going to the beach with her family. She has even fonder memories of meeting her best friends, her sisters in arms, in middle school.

And, despite how it ended, sometimes Usagi likes to think on some of the memories from her past life in the Silver Millennium. How she and the senshi would spend day after day with each other. Memories of her mother doting on her and of extravagant balls held in opulent ballrooms. Memories of meeting the beautiful prince of Earth and of the first time she felt his lips on hers.

She has an awful lot to sort through.

♡ IS IT EASY FOR YOUR MUSE TO KILL?  Hell no. She struggles with that idea. The only time she kills is when the enemy has shown their truest form and she has no choice. Otherwise, Usagi will do her damnedest to save everyone. The bad guy included. Because everyone deserves a second chance to do the right thing.

♡ WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOUR MUSE BREAKS DOWN?  Usagi is known for being a crybaby. We establish this early on when we meet her. So one would think her break downs are loud and dramatic because that’s how she is when she cries. That’s... Not strictly true though. When Usagi breaks down, really breaks down, its because she’s holding onto her pain quietly. Usagi breaks down with silent tears and full body sobs. She breaks down with trembling hands and their white knuckle grip on her pillow that she’s holding against her face to muffle when she can’t be quiet anymore.

She breaks down alone.

When someone finds her and tries to comfort her, it can go one of two ways, either she’ll just keep letting it out and allow herself to be comforted, or she’ll suck it all back in, put a stopper in it and assure whomever it is that she’s fine, really, she was just crying because Lawsons didn’t have any more red velvet cake, honestly. 

When Usagi breaks down, she’s at her lowest emotionally, usually feeling horrible about herself. That’s a point that you’d think would be particularly difficult for her to get to right? Right?

♡ IS YOUR MUSE CAPABLE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE WITH THEIR LIFE? She literally does this all the time. Usagi is an amazing judge of character. Not counting her senshi, Usagi has put her life in the hands of people that her allies considered untrustworthy multiple times. And she was right to trust every single one of them. The first one being Tuxedo Mask, then the Outer Senshi. After that, Hotaru. Helios. The Starlights. Usagi knows when she can trust someone with her life and yes, yes, YES, she is very capable of doing it. 

♡ WHAT’S YOUR MUSE LIKE WHEN THEY’RE IN LOVE? Haaaaaaaaaaaa, gosh. Usagi in love is... She loves with her whole self. Usagi is not good at hiding her emotions, even when she’s trying to hold them in. She’s the definition of ‘heart on your sleeve’ because she’s so very open with her emotions and she doesn’t know any other way to be. 

When Usagi is in love, you can take one look at her with the person she loves and it’s obvious. We’re talkin’ heart eyes muthafucka. She’s clingy, likes to touch and be affectionate a lot. And, this goes back to her indulgence thing, she has no problem letting her person know she wants them when she wants them and indulging in that. She’s not subtle in anything with her love. 

She is very physical in her love, but that’s because that’s how she is. But being in love is also tender. Kisses pressed into sleep warm skin, banter and giggles over breakfast (that the other person made because once again, ya girl cannot COOK), cuddling on the couch or in bed while having soft conversations or talking about their day, going out to spend the day at the park or where ever for a day date, romantic dinners in her favorite restaurants or, even better, at home. It’s secret smiles and softened eyes and soft brushes of skin. It’s being completely open and endlessly patient when the other person can’t be just yet. Usagi in love is both in-your-face and achingly tender.

And yes, I know that Usagi had heart eyes when she saw Rei. Listen. Usagi has a big heart. Like a humongous heart. She falls in love easily. She could say she’s in love with her ice cream and totally mean it, okay? Usagi loves with all of herself and that’s not just romantically. But the type of “in love” Usagi can be in, because of her heart, can seem fickle, even when it’s not to her. Just because she started loving one thing doesn’t mean she doesn’t love something else just as fiercely.

♡ TAGGED BY: @adversitybloomed​  ♡ TAGGING :  WHO EVER WANTS TO TBH

[nanyoky]

(oc questions - all - for the Mercys?)

You got it toots!

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

Maxine Elizabeth and Leopold. Old family names.

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?

For the residents of the house, The Mercys is very much a title that’s used more often than either of their given names. Even in school their classmates probably referred to them together a lot of the time.

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory? 

Not many good childhood memories outside of each other and Charlie. Both have mixed and complicated feelings about parents. ((spoilers!!! no one cares nell this isn’t a real movie)) Leo doesn’t remember much of his biological dad except things were Not Good. Max remembers her mother, but mostly remembers her being sick and being scared at hospitals and such. Their best memories are the two of them with Charlie. They could sometimes be alone with her for days at a time and it was the most peaceful time they ever had.

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents? 

Not Good ™. On all counts. The exact details of the family backgrounds would ultimately depend partially on casting, but the ones I’ve toyed with most have been: Dirk is the old fashioned sort to expect his wife to care for children and for him to pat them on the head occasionally and pay for their upkeep. That never worked out so well, since Max’s mother got sick when Max was very young, then after she was gone, he was alone, then Marlene and Max did NOT get along from day one. So his and Max’s relationship was always distant and begrudging and strained. Then Marlene I’ve sort of pictured as an immigrant from somewhere- coming to the US with her first husband, then leaving him and marrying Dirk. She saw this as a lateral move at the time, but had a rude awakening upon finding that everyone in her new country sees her as an “exotic” trophy wife (she bleaches her hair but still has a strong “foreign sounding” accent). With her first husband, she was distant due to a toxic relationship and Leo didn’t receive a lot of attention. Then Marlene starting taking barbiturates and nothing ever improved. Sometimes, she would occasionally try to strike up a closer relationship with Leo, but her efforts never lasted long so he learned not to get his hopes up.

5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?

Their relationship with Charlie is an odd mix of siblings and parents/child. The age gap wasn’t enough for them truly to act as parents, but the older they got, the more they felt responsible for her. Charlie always idolized and trusted them unlike anyone else and they had an enormous sense of responsibility to live up to this. So, naturally, they have always viewed her death as their own failure more than Dirk or Marlene’s.

6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?

Both of them were not exactly anti-social during school, but had only small circles of friends that shifted and changed gradually as they aged. They had kind of a reputation for being “stuck up” because everyone knew they had money, but they didn’t know much else about them. Were actually pretty normal, if a little reserved from a lot of social neglect early in life. They dropped out after Charlie died and Dirk and Marlene left and never finished high school. Both were average students. Max was that kid who had a different book with them every day. Leo didn’t pay enough attention to be a good student, but he was always a good writer and pretty logical, so he got by.

7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood? 

They always had a few friends, but none were lasting. After Charlie’s death, they deliberately cut ties with everyone they knew and moved around for a few years before returning to Duluth. None of their school friends would likely recognize them now.

8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? 

The Mercys have always had a cat or two. They’ve had Katherine for a couple of years now. It’s good for them to have something outside themselves to care about and look after.

9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals? 

Both of the Mercys are pretty good with animals as they are usually pretty calm and affectionate with them.

10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?

They are both very good with children, though they have actively avoided them since Charlie’s death. Their thoughts on the possibility of parenthood are…. complicated. When they were younger, the idea was terrifying- because of what it would mean for them. Teen pregnancy freaks a lot of people out, but they were next level paranoid. Then, after Charlie, they couldn’t bear to think about it for a long time. Gradually though, they both started to consider the idea. Part of them wants to, in a way, recreate the “family” they had with Charlie, but the idea would mean considering a child to be her replacement. Which they fully realize is fucked up. So… they sort of want a kid, but don’t want to open that emotional can of worms without some delayed grieving they really don’t have the energy for.

11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?

They have both cut out red meat since their teens.

12. What is their favourite food? 

Max loves wild rice soup and it’s the only thing she knows how to make from scratch. Leo loves going to late night diners for waffles.

13. What is their least favourite food?

The smell of ham makes Leo gag and Max hates potato salad

14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal?

They remember everything they ate the day Charlie disappeared. Max had the last of the cheerios for breakfast, so Leo had to make oatmeal. They had school lunch of chicken and gravy. Then they got takeout for dinner on the way home- eggrolls and lo mein from Taste of Saigon in Canal Park. They got an odd number of eggrolls and rock paper scissor-ed for the last one. Max won, but they ended up splitting it.

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

Nope. Thus plot and Autumn. They tried to cook between the hired chefs, but meals were absolutely heinous in those times because Anabelle used their bad cooking as just another excuse to criticize them. Mina tried as well but didn’t have any better results.

16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it? 

Since they were became homeless as teens, Leo’s become sort of a packrat. He’s that guy that saves everything “just in case” he might need it or make it into something useful later. Max has to regularly go through all their stuff and throw out the real garbage he saves.

Max has an extensive collection of boots- since shoes are the one article of clothing they really can’t share. She also has like- twenty different silk and satin fancy slips and negligees but if you tell anyone you’re dead.

17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos?

No on all counts. Aside from drivers licences (expired now), no pictures probably exist of them past age 14.

18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else

Max is an epic adventure reader. LOTR, Dumas, you name it. Leo likes more modern lit. Realistic fantasy/scifi- David Mitchell and the like. Max loves classic films- cinema icons from 60s or earlier (their cat Katherine is for Katherine Hepburn). Leo is a total weirdo who is obsessed with live action/animation mashups. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is his alltime fave. They don’t watch a ton of tv, but when they do, it’s something weird like Pushing Daisies or something tame like National Geographic.

19. What’s their least favourite genres?

They really can’t handle any of Charlie’s favorite movies anymore.

20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes?

Not much for musicals. They listen to music in the yardhouse or while they’re working out in the stables or garage. Both very much into the classics as far as rock and some old country (cash and williams and the like) but Leo also likes indie alternative rock.

21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?

Max has a quicker temper- or rather, gets angry more easily. Any little comment from Anabelle sets her seething and in a bad mood for hours. It takes a lot more to set Leo off, but he goes from 0 to FIGHT ME in no time at all. ((See: Mr. Thackary mentioning his mom))

22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?

Definitely “if i insult you to your face, it means we’re friends, but i can’t say it if I mean it because then it’s awkward” people. Will call each other and Autumn names all the time. Pretty generic and mild for the most part. “Dumbass” and “Bastard” and the like. Mina is a weird one because they know that’s not how she operates so they don’t want to upset her, but also she can tell they joke around with Autumn that way, so she feels a little left out. They try more gentle ribbing just to make her feel better.

23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?

Max has a terrible memory and Leo has a good one. Drives Max crazy if they ever have an argument about something that happened more than a few days ago.

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

Both of them are huge babies about having a soft mattress and lots of pillows. Even in their own bed, they both have trouble sleeping sometimes. Sadly enough, it’s the good dreams that keep them awake- dreams they have Charlie back and everything is fine again. 

Leo sleeps on his back and if he’s alone- STARFISH. But when Max is there more floppy easy cuddles. Max, on the other hand, is nothing but knees and elbows in her sleep and it is a Problem.

25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?

Both the Mercys have a pretty dark sense of humor at times. Leo can be markedly darker, but also sillier in his humor, whereas max is more dry.

26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions? 

Both usually get more comfortable and friendly with others when they’re in a good mood. If it’s just the two of them, they’re just stupid affectionate and playful. Lots of snuggles and movies and snacks and giggling like kids.

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?

They are sad most of the time. Max only cries when she wakes up from a dream about Charlie- Leo hasn’t cried since Charlie’s death. Max would probably fight anyone who saw her cry.

28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

Losing one another is definitely their biggest fear now. Max tends to sort of freeze up when afraid, while Leo usually takes action in the moment, then freezes up when he pauses to think to hard about his fears.

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective? 

It depends on who that person is. But they have very strong protective tendencies, so they would have to REALLY hate someone to mock or use someone else’s fear.

30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out?

They stay pretty active for work, but they would never “work out” for the sake of it. They’re both pretty strong, but don’t do much in the way of cardio.

31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing?

Ahhh yup. The drunk scene with Autumn is a regular occurrence if they can’t sleep or want to celebrate something. Max is more cheerful when drunk and definitely very snuggly. Huge affectionate drunk. Fun Fact: Leo getting overheated and taking off his jeans in that scene is 100% based on one of my roommates at university. When she drank, she would always complain about how hot it was and strip down to her underwear. Sometimes her head would get stuck in her shirt. So that’s drunk Leo. Max being an affectionate drunk and Leo taking his clothes off drunk means there is a lot of giggly clumsy drunk sex in the yardhouse and it is very stupidcute. They’re both pretty standard hung over- grumpy and slow. When Autumn or Mina drink without them, they go full on mom friend.

32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like?

The Mercys share the same wardrobe (aside from undies and shoes). They have picked up a collection of layers from thriftshops and such throughout the years. Max’s checkplaid coat is a prized possession. It’s the warmest thing they’ve got. When they left the house the first time, max bleached her hair a goldy-honey blond and kept dying it. But since Mina hired them, it’s been growing out ever since. She wears hats most of the time anyway, so the dark roots are barely visible, even tho it’s gotten past her earlobes. Leo has been thinking about cutting his hair again, but Max is trying to talk him out of it because she not so secretly likes it long. No makeup in years. Max misses it sometimes.

33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties?

From Autumn’s trips to the yardhouse we know this: Leo is a boxers and undershirts kinda guy, and Max is all about the lace and silk and satin. That makes it sound like this story is much sexier than it is.

34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body?

Fairly fit from all the physical work, but in an average sort of way. They are about the same height-pretty average. They both have moments of vanity in between not really thinking about their own body much at all.

35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure? 

Max and her silky intimates. Leo sometimes watches the same movie over and over again just because he doesn’t want to get up to change it. THeir relationship with one another is…  complicated. They both feel guilty and decidedly unguilty about it.

36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing?

They both have gotten pretty good at auto repair throughout the years. Max is stupid good at climbing. Trees, rocks, buildings. She sits out on the roof of the yardhouse when she’s annoyed with Leo and it is very frustrating. She’s also an amazing speed reader with high retention. If they ever need to look up how to do something, Max will read an article or book- paraphrasing outloud to instruct Leo as he tries it. Secret time: way back when he was very little, Marlene made Leo take dance and piano lessons. He hated it and found ways to skip out on the lessons pretty early on, but he still retained quite a bit. Now he just likes dicking around with weird little diy projects- fixing things and improving things around the yardhouse- making new candles out of the drippings and blunt ends of old ones.

37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?

Max reads constantly- and fast. She’ll read anything, but has a soft spot for epic adventures. Tolkein, Dumas, that kind of thing. Leo likes to read, but he’s slower and prefers quick, fun genre pieces.

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

I think they admire people who have found their place and are comfortable in their lives. They realize what a rare thing that is and are struggling so much to find some sort of homeostasis, they really appreciate those who are self aware and self assured at the same time.

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging? 

Definitely phonecall or text people. If communication other than face-to-face is necessary at all.

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

Coffee drinkers. But there’s a case of redbull in the yardhouse basement for emergency situations.

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

Max is definitely bisexual because she and Autumn will not stop with the ust no matter what I do. These bisexuals. I can’t take them anywhere. I assume Leo is straight, but he doesn’t interact with any men other than the accountant, so this could very well be a case of my characters keeping secrets from me.

Well, the two of them are in the rare situation of finding their soulmate at a very early age, so really, the venn diagram of “qualities I find attractive” and “qualities of my partner” for both of them is pretty much a circle.

I think they get a lot of what they need from one another, but they could stand to work on their relationship and their lives outside of one another. Even when it’s fairly stable, codependency is pretty damn unhealthy.

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

Goals are really just to keep one another safe and hopefully work back towards something resembling the people that Charlie loved so much.

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

I always thought Marlene came from a very traditional Catholic family. She only seemed to go to church when things were going well and she was feeling stable tho, so Leo has mostly good memories attached to religion. After Charlie disappeared, he leaned hard into Saint Philomena icons and such because it felt better to pray than do nothing.

Dirk, and Max’s mom, were never religious so she doesn’t have many feelings on the subject either way. She might have some bitter thoughts towards it from time to time, but won’t badmouth anything she knows is comforting to Leo.

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most? 

Definitely winter people. *Stefano from SNL voice* Hot food. Stiff drinks. SNUGGLES.

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves? 

That’s a hard one. Obviously people find them a bit off putting and weird most of the time. But Mina and Autumn at least also trust them and believe them to be capable, and in that, sort of develop fondness for their weirdness. I think for both of them, their sense of self is wrapped up in their sense of one another, so they aren’t very objective about themselves as individuals. That is a very wishywashy answer but here we are.

46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?

They have never been very good with the first impressions, but they are pretty accurate to their typical behavior. Whether others warm up to them after getting used to it or not is up to that other person.

47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event?

In my constantly running mental “Charlie lives!au,” the mercys are expected to attend all kinds of high end social gatherings. They hate them on principal more than actual dislike of being at them. But they find ways to make them fun for themselves. Embarrassing Dirk and Marlene in any way they can mostly. subtly needling people they don’t like. Etc.

Leo doesn’t like dressing up, and Marlene is always trying to tell Max how to dress so it’s a point of tension. Max will always do the exact opposite with her clothes that Marlene wants, so if she gets the “show some leg and pop some cleave- we need these people in a good mood” order, she shows up in high necks and full skirts; if it’s “keep it classy, we need to be a wholesome all american family here,” she’s nothing but slink, open backs and thigh slits.

Once Charlie gets older and starts to attend these gatherings as well, they are on constant alert, making sure she doesn’t interact too much with the wrong people.

48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend? 

Well, as the story stands they don’t attend any parties. The closest they get is drinking with Autumn in the one scene in the screenplay. They like that just fine. 

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

Leo still has a picture of Charlie and a Saint Philomena charm in his truck that he’d freak if he lost. Max has a beaded bracelet from her mother that only Leo has ever seen. She never wears it, but keeps it in a go bag just in case they have to make a quick run for it.

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials? 

They definitely have a go bag. Big wad of cash, basic survival materials in case they have to keep off the grid. fake ids. They’ve got it covered.

[cityofnumbersix]

Electric Moment Chapter 3

READ ON AO3

MOTHER POST

--

Momo Yaoyorozu often felt as if her world could only be best described as a frozen pond. A chilling abyss, beneath a thick layer on impenetrable ice that which only hurt to touch with the tips of her bare fingers. If she placed her palm flat open it, pushing in an attempt of escape, her skin would merely stick to its surface.

That is the price she bared. For this life, for this name. She was stuck in an eternal purgatory with no means of crossing over into the other world. This lifestyle was her shackles, her name the chains that bound her to the floor, and sometime there felt as if there were no means of escape. She would cry out, beg, plead, but only in the sanctuary of her own mind.

On the outside she was the tall and recluse daughter of the Yaoyorozu household. Her hair was always neat, nails always manicured, clothes always ironed and pressed, modest and delicate. She was the picturesque definition of elegance and refinement, and it drove her insane with grief. She didn't want this, she'd never wanted this. To play this part, to be this person. She had lost her freedom far before she was even born, and it was hell on earth.

The bathroom overflowed with the sounds of running water, the quiet sir of the near empty lavatory drowning in waves of water as they hit the porcaline basin, bouncing off its surface, striking its edges, before twirling down the drain with ease. A wealthy person privilege, water wastage, what a hypocrite she was, but Momo felt as if it were all she could do in order to conceal the shaking exhales escape her lips, the wheezing of her chest as she tried to swallow down the overwhelming emotions that threatened to explode fourth from within her.

Momo Yaoyorozu's world was a frozen pond, and she was drowning from beneath its surface.

Staring back at herself through the mirror, droplets of water slipping along the contours of her jaw, slipping from her brow and down her cheeks. She blinked, her own reflection distant like the look in her eyes. Her face seemed far less red now, which was an improvement. God forbid that she walk into that hall and people could see her for what she truly was, human, filled with emotions far from those of the rest of them.

"I have to go out there...I have to...they're waiting..." she whispered to only herself, moving to stand straight, adjusting the way her dress sat upon her hips. It was a navy blue, silken and elegant. Perfect for the occasion. She may have even liked it otherwise, if not for the occasion.

Momo took a washcloth from her bag, patting her face dry gently, before replacing it back. Now she would go.

"Okay?" Came the simple question as she made her way out, it's asker moving themselves from their place against the wall by the women's bathroom door.

There he stood, handsome as ever, Shouto Todoroki, her best friend, and her fiancé. Though the later was merely a formality in their eyes. They'd grown up connected at the hip, always finding their own forms of entertaining around various office buildings and meeting halls. When Shouto had come out, she was the first and only one to know. When Momo cried, Shouto was the one to wipe her tears, but not today. She couldn't present herself as weak. She had to be strong, they both did. For each other.

"Mm." She simply hummed in response, reaching to take his hand in hers, twisting their fingers together in a familiar and comfortable fashion. His hair was slicked back, the eyelashes long and endearing. Sometimes she felt like if she could fall for him, even if only in a superficial manor, mixed with her platonic adoration. Maybe she could marry him, but she knew she surely couldn't, "Just wanted to make sure I look my best for my husband-to-be."

Shouto let a small smile appear upon his face, a soft chuckle escaping between his lips, an action so intimate it was only ever really reserved for Momo. God how she paid for the day he would share it with someone far more worthy.

"You don't have to pretend you're happy Mo, we both know this isn't the ideal situation for either of us."

"I..." Momo began, gently crossing the space between them so that she could lie her forehead upon his, "This is fucking awful. What is this really going to do for our future? How are you so calm?"

Shouto hummed softly against her nose, running his hand along a stray hair that fell loosely from Momo's up do, "I don't really mind the idea of spending my life married to you Momo, I wouldn't want it to be anyone else."

"Liar." Momo teased lightly, tears still threatening to fall down her cheeks, "What do you think that boy you're talking to would say to that? What are you going to tell him? 'Hey, I actually am a flaming homosexual and I think you're amazing, but I'd like you tom meet my mess of a wife Momo, how about we have some tea?"

Shouto laughed a little louder this time, hand reaching up to pinch at Momo's cheek, "You're not a mess. Well...your massacre is bu-"

"What?!" Momo panicked instantly, pulling herself back from Shouto's arms, hand hovering over her face in sheer horror. She couldn't walk into their engagement party in such a state. Her parents would never let her hear the end of it.

"Kidding." Shouto teased, a product even more rare, even more hidden from plain view. Momo huffed out a sigh, reaching to slap him hard upon his shoulder.

"God, why do you have to do that?" She groaned out, holding her fist against his chest in a threatening manner, yet after a moment, she simply let it fall, rolling her eyes as she smiled at Shouto lovingly.

"Now c'mon future Mrs Todoroki, we can't keep people waiting."

And just like that, Momo was back to envisioned the pond, but at least for now, she wasn't hitting at it's icy surface alone.

--

When Katsuki awoke that morning, it was to the relentless ringing of his pre-set alarm, which only worked to make him irritated, regardless of it's reasoning. He wasn't sure how he felt really, about joining Electric Moment, about playing his music in front of crowds of people, but he'd made his decision, and today would solidify it. His first practice.

Katsuki pushed himself up from his pillow, lulling his head forward, covers falling from his bare chest to pool around his waist. He held him weight upon the palms of his hands, groaning in response to the morning sun as it trickled in from between his hooded eye lines, slipping between the gaps of his lashes.

"Katsu-chaaaaannnnn, you have to be at the studio by ten, remember?!" Mina's voice pierced through the heavy wood of his bedroom door, her fists colliding with it's surface in rhythm with her words.

"Shut your hole you alien fucker! I'm awake!" He screamed back, head only pounding for a moment longer, before he was pushing himself to his feet, pyjama pants sitting low upon his waist.

Katsuki reached for his phone, pulling it from its charger and staring down at the screen. A bunch of useless notifications, messages from Ochako -begging for his forgiveness most probably, she'd been receiving the silent treatment for days since the Snapchat incident. Katsuki was a private person, she knew that.

Speaking of which, his phone was once again bombarded with a series of Snapchat notifications from none other than the infamous Red Riot, who of which Katsuki had discovered, was one of the members of the band. Supposedly he'd meet him the night they'd rocked up to his performance in Roppongi, but Katsuki hadn't paid much attention to the group, other than the fact that they looked like a bunch of losers.

The guy hadn't given his room to breath since. He wasn't sure exactly why Mina had bothered to ask for it on his behalf, especially seeing the UFO bitch hadn't even bothered to add him herself, but that he really cared. He didn't wanna see anymore of her face than he already had to. Yet, this Red Riot dude was constantly bombarding him with what Katsuki considered to be pointless bullshit. Pointless bullshit that he hadn't bothered to reply to out of a hope that he might get bored and actually fuck off.

Alas, on the daily he seemed to receive snap after snap of random horse shit. A picture of the sky, a picture of the kids goofy face and messy red locks amongst a tussle of pillows and bedding, pictures of random neighbourhood cats, gym shots of what was actually a pretty attractive body, but Katsuki would rather die than ever admit that those thoughts had passed through his mind.

Today it was a couple snaps from the night prior. Short videos of Red Riot and two other people playing video games on a small tv, plus a picture of a messed table of beer cans and debris. Then there was a single snap from this morning. It was a picture of a can of coffee, sat neatly upon a base guitar. So Red Riot was the bassist, huh?

The snap didn't move. Katsuki hadn't met someone that used infinite snaps as much as this guy. However this time it gave him the opportunity to read the caption connected to the picture. The words, "First day back cant wait to work with our gorgeous new guitarist ;) ;)" only managed to process an odd feeling in the based of Katsuki's abdomen that he'd rather not acknowledge.

"Katsuki! C'mon!" Mina's voice broke him from his screen, causing the boy to throw his phone towards his bed, scowling in the direction of the door.

"One more time you extraterrestrial moron and I'll come out and kick your fucking ass!" Katsuki growled back, stalking towards the door.

"Fight me you overgrown valcro strip! I'm not scared!"

Katsuki hisses under his breath, glaring in the direction of the door. Sometimes he scorned himself for ever agreeing to room with Mina Ashido. At the time it had been his only convenience. She was looking at a place with cheap enough rent, close to book stores and cafes so it would be easy enough for him to escape and study nearby if need be. It was two floors about a Family Mart, and reasonably large for something so cheap. They later found out that it so happened to have something to do with a recent tenants death, a large stain hidden under a devilishly large rug being all that now hid the evidence. She was a girl, which was a plus, and she seemed more invested in building a friendship rather than anything else so he wouldn't have to worry about awkward one-sided romance. It worked, even if she was incredibly irritating at times.

He glanced over at his phone, the image of Red Riot's most recent snap, still turning in the back of his eyes as he attempted to process what he was suppose to do with that particular piece of information. He'd sent it to Katsuki directly, and with further inspection, it was a part of his story as well. Why had he felt the need to say something so fucking stupid? Why did he want Katsuki to see it?

Katsuki dragged his bottom lip through his teeth, reaching to grip his phone in his hand, glaring at it fort a short while. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had said something nice about the way he looks. Fuck, he got it all the time. Of course he did, Katsuki knew he was attractive and people would be fucking stupid not to see it.

Yet, it was hardly ever someone he was going to have to interact with on a regular basis. It was always people in bars, sometimes people on campus. It's not like it should bother him, except it did. Except this guy was kind of cute from his pictures and something about this situation left his body warming in an odd fashion.

Well fuck this. If this guy thought he was gorgeous, two could play at this game.

--

Eijiro let a reserved sigh escape his lips, pressing his head back against the wall of the studio, his base sitting neatly in his lap as his eyes wandering over the screen of his phone.

"Hey Eji, wanna stop talking to your boyfriend and actually get some practice in? Midnight's gonna be here any minute." Denki exclaimed from his place upon a small platform, head hanging low off it's edge as he lay on his back.

"Says you bro" the redhead retorted, sticking his tongue out from between his sharpened teeth, "Plus, I'm not talking to him anyways."

"Not opening your snapchats?" Kyoka quarried, stepping towards him, looming over her friend with a teasing smirk, a series of chains and crosses from around her neck, dangling towards his face.

"He is..." Eijiro huffed, peaking up at her from beneath his eyelashes, "He's just not replying to them..."

Kyoka let out a minute, pitied sound, kneeling before Eijiro, blinking her heavily coated eyelashes at him, a long section of studs from the back the back of her boots digging into her tight-clad thighs, "Don't worry Ejirou..." she spoke, placing her hand upon his shoulder, "I still love you. You can have my attention."

Eijiro moaned, throwing his phone to the side, "Why are you lesbians always so mean?"

"Awful generalisation my man." She responded, moving to push herself back into a stance, "Now put your phone away. He's gonna be here soon regardless."

Eijiro only grumbled to himself, his eyes glossing over his base as his fingers moved gracefully along the strings, not quite flicking hard enough to play a note, merely testing the waters. A small notification tone from the direction of his misplaced phone, draws him from his daydream. He slips the device back in hand, eyes widening as he stairs down at it's screen. Surely this couldn't be right. An app glitch, or his over active imagination.

(Snapchat) Katsuki Bakugou 9:56am

Eijiro felt he might choke from the sheer excitement he felt in that very moment. He knew in retrospect it probably wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a snapchat from someone who was now a member of his band, but it was a snapchat he felt as if he had earned from an extending amount of effort.

Letting his fingers slide across the glass of his phone screen, he stared down at the loading snap with a profound intensity. Then it was there, loaded and ready for him to see with his own two eyes, and my god it was beautiful when he did.

It was a simple picture of the other male, the plastic lid of a hot drink pressed against his lips. His eyes were intense, rested behind a large pair of eyeglasses, hair ashy and messed upon his head, but he still appeared put together, which was something that Eijiro could admire. His joy was fleeting however, as the picture only lasted around four seconds before it disappeared forever, leaving Eijiro groaning in disappointment. He despised short snaps. It never gave his brain enough time to process what he was looking at before it was gone completely.

Maybe Bakugou was just shy? That would be kind of cute actually. He did kind of have that air about him. When they'd all met, he never really made eye contact at all, and his over-aggressive responses might have been the result of a complex? He could picture that. Though it would make things difficult for Eijiro himself, who in contrast never shied away from anything or anyone. He'd never been good at understanding how to interact with people that weren't open the way he was. It's part of the reason he and Mina had become lifelong friend's straight from middle school. It had taken him a few months to even get use to Kyoka's quiet demeanour, though now that they were friend's it was hard to get the girl not to interact with him, maybe if he was lucky it would be the same for Bakugou?

--

It was only about another twenty minutes before Bakugou arrived, and by arrived, Eijirou meant shoved. They'd all been sitting around Kyoka, listening to her practice the vocals to one of their songs, Hanta strumming away in time, when a bundle of blond hair and pale blue sweater landed on the floor, directly in front of the door. His loud cries poured throughout the room as he screamed up a storm of profanities, pushing himself to his feet almost as soon as he'd landed.

Normally, for any other group of people, this would have been quite intimidating, but for one, his anger was not directed in their direction, and two, the person who appeared through the doorway next was the person that they all truly feared.

Slipping in after Bakugou came the group's self assigned manager and the scariest person they knew, Nemuri Kayama, otherwise known as Midnight. She managed many of the more popular bands signed to their label, so at the time when they'd been informed that they'd be working under her, they'd been ecstatic. However, then they actually had to start working with her.

Next to someone as seemingly placid as the bands handler, Shouta Aizawa, who's anger only reached it's peak very rarely, though that was a rather terrifying concept in itself, Midnight seemed to live in a perpetual rage. Maybe it had something to do with the stress of the job, or the fact that her outfits always seemed to be far too tight -a lack of blood to the brain can do some pretty intense shit to people. None of them ever really seemed to question it however, instead choosing to just attempt to stay of far on her good side at all times as they good, which Katsuki, having only been introduced into the band a few days ago, arriving at his very first practice, seemed to have not gotten to memo.

"I believe this belongs to you Kyoka-chan?" Midnight stated simply, motioning her hand towards Katsuki as he continued to yell in her direction, but phasing his tantrum out completely.

Kyoka chuckled slightly, moving to step away from her mic stand, slipping herself from the small platform with a little more effort than the other' side usually did, simply because of her short stature.

"Actually ma'am, he belongs to Mina." She explained, pressing her fingers through her bangs.

"Ah." Midnight agreed, side eyeing the angry boy, a smirk pulling upon her lips, "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Bakugou hissed audibly, stripping forward towards Midnight without hesitation, which had ever other person in the room stepping in the opposite direction, faces scrunched up. You never stood against Midnight, they all knew that. Denki knew from experience actually. Kyoka spent about half an hour just attempting to will his knows to stop bleeding while her friend clung to her, crying in her arms.

They all watched in horror as Midnight drew her knee up, the tip over her knee-length boots flying to hit Bakugou directly in the abdomen, sending him flying back, clenching his stomach tightly as his body toppled to the floor.

"Now what did I tell you in the hallway about speaking to me in such a manor?" She growled, stepping towards his crumbled form, "Just because these hooligans chose you, doesn't mean I will keep you around if you don't behave yourself."

Eijiro flinched from beside Hanta as the sole of Midnight's boot ghosted over Bakugou's face, his body instinctively stepping forward, Hanta's hand pressed against his chest stopping him in his tracks.

"Fucking bitch..." Bakugou groaned, pushing himself onto his knees, eyes glaring into the woman as she loomed over him, "Not my fucking fault you! You bumped into me!"

"You spilt cheap coffee over my new dress." She retorted nonchalantly, her finger's digging into her own hips.

"You kicked me in the fucking face!"

"Now we're even." Midnight stated, stepping back from Bakugou, causing Eijirou to go lax against Hanta's palm, "Now go grab your shit from the hallway. I want to hear you play."

--

Watching Bakugou step upon the platform near the instruments, brushing past Eijiro's base with the confidence of someone who knew they already had this in the bag, was one of the most attractive thing's that Eijiro had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. His dusty-blue sweater was cosmetically torn in a few places, sneaking a peak at the skin beneath, his ageing converse almost matching in colour from years of use. He'd removed his glasses, something that Eijiro hadn't minded either way. Her was gorgeous, and Eijirou had to hold himself back just enough that he wouldn't visibly swoon.

Then he began to play, paying no attention to the group before him, not even Midnight who sat higher than the rest upon a stack of cases, watching him with a questioning glare.

The sound of the music thumbed through the small room. No fear of radiating outside the soundproofing that's lined the walls. He played well, holding his guitar loosely as his fingers moved with intent, so naturally that Eijiro began to question if the boy had been playing since his childhood, something that the rest of them hadn't had the pleasure of saying for themselves.

Eijirou couldn't hold back the smile the began to form upon his face, eyes eyes cleaning in adoration. How was a guy this cute, also this good? He continued to smile as Bakugou's eyes drew up for just a moment, meeting Eijiro's, glossing over his face and body, a small smirk pulling onto the blonds lips, before he was looking down again. Eijirou was fucking destroyed. What was that look for? Had it actually been at him?

Kyoka however, appeared even more mesmerised than himself. Her lips were moving silently, cheeks a dusted rose, but not for the same reason that Eijiro's were. He didn't think she was even blinking, too caught up in watching Bakugou play. Then she began to sing, starting off softly, before singing loyd enough for the rest to hear. They turned their heads toward her, but Bakugou didn't stop playing, only continued, eyes pressed shut.

"We gazed into the telescope, hoping to know things we didn't know..." she sang, projecting her voice, her eyes still stuck on Bakugou as she did, "We gazed into the telescope, hoping to know things we didn't know. We looked for those faint glimmers of light that seem to illuminate the darkness and the pain we discovered through this, I still remember to this day, and this comet we call "the present", I'm still chasing alone to this day..."

Midnight's eyes glossed between the pair. From Katsuki who stood sharp upon the stage, playing with the ferocity of a lion in heat, dominating the stage in a way that even alone sent shivers through her body. The she gleamed towards Kyoka, who's voice rang through the room like a choir all her own, lips moving with words she obviously knew. It was outstanding, watching cooperation so natural between a pair that had never worked together before. It was a sound that Midnight never wanted to hear end. Her lips forward yet another smirk as the song rang out, Kyoka's voice going quiet and the playing stopping not long after her singing. Katsuki looked up, meeting his eyes with the younger girls, their intensity fleeting.

"Bump of Chicken..." Kyoka muttered, her cheeks growing warm as she suddenly noticed the gaze of those around her, "They're my favourite..."

"They're alright..." Bakugou replied, rolling his eyes slightly as he pulled the guitar from around his form, "Masukawa, the guitarist...I like his sound..." he said, quieter this time, as if he was embarrassed to even say it.

"And I like yours." Midnight suddenly chimed in, jumping from her place to land smoothly upon her feet, her eyes watching Bakugou like a hawk after it's prey.

"You're in you little idiot. Now you better get your ass working. You shit's have a come back performance planned for two weeks time."

--

Previous Chapter

--

NEXT CHAPTER

Notes

Their studio is in Shibuya, which again is a district in Tokyo. It's one of their bigger ones, and I'm probably going to mention it a bit, because these guys like to spend time there. Especially Kacchan.

Family Mart is a chain of convienience stores, and tbh they're probably my favourite. Waking up in the morning and entering a Family Mart to get a piece of chicken when you're having a bad day will always 110% make it better.

Also Bump of Chicken are a japanese rock band. Their music is some of my favourite stuff ever, so you should definitely check them out if you have the time! The song I used was Tentai Kansoku, from their 2002 album Jupiter.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG ON YOUTUBE

[cliftonsteen]

Catuai & Yellow Bourbon: Exploring Brazil’s Coffee Varieties

Brazil dominates the coffee industry. It’s responsible for roughly a third of the coffee we drink. One single state in Brazil, Minas Gerais, produces more coffee than any other country in the world. It’s also the world’s biggest consumer of coffee.

And this coffee giant is also strongly associated with certain coffee varieties, some of which are rarely found in other origins. Its genetic research has also influenced the development of varieties in other countries. 

From the high-yielding Mundo Novo to the sweet and delicious Pacamara, Brazil has played a pivotal role in the development of several cultivars. Let’s explore how this happened and some of the country’s most important varieties.

You might also like: 5 Things You Should Know About Brazilian Specialty Coffee

Natural processed coffee drying at a farm in the South of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Credit: Ivan Laranjeira Petrich

Why Are Coffee Varieties Important?

There is now a vast array of coffee varieties to choose from. But, what are they? Why are they important?

Coffee is a food, and as with all foods, there are different varieties. For example, when you go to the supermarket to pick up some apples, you might find Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or maybe Golden Delicious. They’re all apples, but each variety differs from taste to texture and will grow in different ways.

Coffee varieties are important for a number of different reasons. As a consumer, varieties will produce different cup profiles. If a roastery is after a high-quality, floral coffee, they may opt for a Geisha. If they’re after a coffee with high acidity, they may choose a Catuai. Years of development in coffee varieties mean that there are now a lot of options to choose from, and therefore a lot of different cup profiles too.

For coffee producers, picking coffee varieties is integral to farm management and can determine the success of a harvest. Firstly, varieties will produce different quality coffee in varying levels of yield, which can directly affect the income of a farmer. Secondly, varieties will flourish in certain environments, so it’s important to coffee production that producers select the best crop for their farm. Varieties also have different susceptibility to pests and diseases, which will play an important role in selecting a coffee variety, especially as these issues can devastate harvests.

The development of these varieties has provided a wider range of options for both producers and consumers, which for both parties, has very helpful benefits.

Overview of Fazenda Pedra Preta in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Credit: Fazenda Pedra Preta.

Origins of The First Brazilian Coffee Varieties

Coffee is not a native plant to Brazil. The first recorded history of Arabica in Brazil dates back to 1727 when Francisco M. Palheta was believed to have brought plants and seeds to the north of Brazil from neighboring French Guiana. 

This was the Typica variety, now known for its low productivity and susceptibility to pests and diseases. Despite this, the genetics of this variety is the basis of most Arabica coffee cultivars around the world today. Typica is also still widely cultivated in countries such as Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.

The coffee landed in 1727, and there would be a long wait until any kind of genetic improvement could be made to the Typica variety in Brazil. 

The creation of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in 1874 was the first step in the development of Brazilian coffee varieties, founded to support the research of coffee crops. In 1928, following significant development in genetics research in the late 19th and early 20th Century, the genetics department was created at the IAC. This team included pioneers of coffee plant study, Carlos A. Krug and Alcides de Carvalho, who were responsible for many new coffee variety cultivations in Brazil and worldwide.

You might also like: Geisha, Bourbon, & More: How to Identify 6 Coffee Varieties

A cupping table at a farm in the Mountains of Espirito Santo, Brazil. Credit: Ivan Laranjeira Petrich

Formation of The Brazilian Genetic Bank

The next step in coffee variety development came in 1932. Professor C. A Krug from the IAC was sent to Cornell University in the USA to specialize in genetics, cytogenetics, and improvements of plants. That same year, he returned to the IAC and set up the genetic bank, with a focus on the preservation, genetics, and breeding of different plants and species, including coffee.

The first collections at the genetic bank were variations or mutations of Arabica found in Brazilian territory. Over the coming decades, the bank received more coffee type samples. These included plants and species collected by the agronomist Edmundo N. de Andrade during his trip to Indonesia and a coffee collection from the 1964‒65 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expedition to Ethiopia. 

The genetic bank is an incredibly valuable resource and its wide range of plants and species is a fundamental resource for the development of new coffee varieties which are more adapted to future conditions and consumption trends.

View from a coffee farm in the South of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Credit: Ivan Laranjeira Petrich

Different Arabica Varieties Developed in Brazil

Brazil has led the development of a long list of coffee varieties. We’ll focus on some of the most iconic varieties that you might have seen around. 

Maragogipe

The Maragogipe variety was discovered in the city of Maragogipe, Bahia, in 1870, and developed as a result of a natural mutation of the Typica variety. 

It’s distinguishable by its large fruits, as well as its high quality. This attracted the attention of coffee buyers in Rio de Janeiro and Europe. And in 1883, the Ministry of Agriculture purchased 500 kg of seeds and donated them and farming materials to Brazilian farmers. Despite this, its popularity didn’t last due to its low productivity, which proved a problem on commodity farms.

Although the variety is no longer as relevant in Brazil as it used to be, it played an important role in the development of the Pacamara variety in 1958 by the Salvadoran Institute of Coffee Research (ISIC). 

Coffee trees at a farm in Brazil. Credit: Quintas de Guimarães

Yellow Bourbon

Sweet, delicate-bodied, and complex, Yellow Bourbon has a lot to offer. This variety can be traced back to Pederneiras, São Paulo in 1930. There are two theories behind the origin of Yellow Bourbon. The first is that the variety had come from the natural breeding of Botucatu’s Yellow and Red Bourbon, and the second that the plant could be a natural mutation of Red Bourbon. 

It was one of the first to be recognized for its outstanding cup, in addition to having significantly higher production than other varieties. It quickly became popular in Brazil, with production tripling from 1949 to 1951. However, there was a decline in Yellow Bourbon in the years that followed. This was due to more productive and less susceptible coffee varieties being released at that time. 

In recent years, the demand for specialty coffee has brought complex, high-quality coffee into fashion. In 2005, the IAC picked up studies of Yellow Bourbon again, with research into strains with higher yields. In the 2017 Cup of Excellence Brazil, samples of Yellow Bourbon were cupped at 92.33 and sold for US $126.00/lb at auction, 100 times the C price on that date.

Ripe yellow cherries and unripe cherries at a farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Credit: Nicholas Yamada

Caturra

This variety has bright acidity and is commonly grown throughout Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. It’s believed to have been discovered on a plantation in Lessa, a village in Minas Gerais between 1915 and 1918. Research suggests that Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. 

The IAC started making selections of Caturra in 1937. What made Caturra an interesting variety and caught the attention of researchers was its small size, which is called dwarfism. This explains the name Caturra, which means “small” in the indigenous language Guarani. 

Small plants are often seen as an advantage; they allow farmers to increase the number of plants in the same space, compared to larger plants. Because of this, it has been used in the development of other coffee varieties as well as playing a role in the high-density coffee cultivation.

Mundo Novo

A sweet cup with low acidity, this coffee variety is still widely grown in Brazil. The name Mundo Novo translates to “New World” in Portuguese.

The history of Mundo Novo can be traced back to 1896 when Typica seeds from Indonesia were planted in Jaú, São Paulo. It is a result of natural breeding between the Typica variety and Bourbon variety found in Jaú, and is characterized by its large plant size. It wasn’t until 1943 when the IAC was informed of a plantation near Mundo Novo, present-day Urupês, that had both good yields with low susceptibility to pests and diseases. They discovered that the plants had grown from seeds that were collected from a single tree on the edge of a narrow road in the city of Mineiros do Tietê. 

After years of studying and breeding, Mundo Novo was released in 1952. Even today, it is still recognized for its high yields and good cup quality. Although not resistant to pests and diseases, this variety is still widely cultivated in Brazil due to its high production.

Catuai

This hybrid variety makes a sweet cup with bright acidity. Its name comes from the indigenous language of Guarani translating to “very good.” 

Its origins can be traced back to 1948 when the IAC began developing a high-yield variety. The Catuai group is a result of artificial breeding of Caturra, for its short qualities, and Mundo Novo, for its high yields. It benefits from a smaller size, meaning more plants can be sown in the same space, and high productivity.

After years of research, the Red and Yellow Catuai group varieties were released in 1972. Due to their productivity and good cup quality, they became extremely popular. Catuai remains popular in Brazil, as well as being grown in countries such as Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Hawaii, Cuba, and many others.

Researching Rust-Resistant Varieties

Coffee leaf rust is a parasitic fungus that infects coffee plants, capable of destroying entire harvests. In the late 19th Century, it wiped out coffee plants in Sri Lanka, putting an end to its coffee industry. More recently, between 2012 and 2014, it caused over US $1billion of damage in Central America.

Before leaf rust reached Brazil in the 1970s, Alcides de Carvalho had already begun studies into coffee leaf rust resistance. Using hybridization techniques, he performed one of the first examples of artificial breeding of Robusta, known for its resistance, and Arabica. Although Carvalho was working on the development of this variety in the late 1960s, it wasn’t officially released until 1992, when it was named Icatu.

Icatu is now known to be highly productive and to have low susceptibility to pests and diseases, leading it to be commonly cultivated in Brazil. The name comes from the indigenous Tupi-Guarani language, which translates to “bonanza.” 

The Timor Hybrid variety was discovered in the 1920s on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. It was the result of the natural breeding between a Robusta plant and an Arabica plant, resulting in a natural resistance to coffee leaf rust, which is not found in other naturally occurring Arabicas.

Since then, many Brazilian research institutions have used the Timor Hybrid variety to develop more pest and disease-resistant varieties. This includes IAC 125 RN which has a resistance to coffee rust and roundworms, and Siriema AS1, a variety resistant to leaf rust and mining leaf bug.

Coffee leaves infected with coffee leaf rust at a farm in Brazil. Credit: Nossa Familia Coffee

Brazil has a substantial influence on the coffee industry. This is not solely due to its vast production of coffee but as a prominent figure in the development of coffee varieties which are much loved by consumers and valuable to farmers.

Its dedication to genetics and the development of coffee varieties is admirable. Without it, we wouldn’t have the high-scoring Yellow Bourbon, the highly productive Caturra, and many more. 

Enjoyed this? Check out The Arara Variety: What Is It & Why Is It Popular in Brazil?

Written by Jonas Leme Ferraresso. Featured photo caption: Coffee plantation in the South of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Featured photo credit: Ivan Laranjeira Petrich

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