#and sparky's voice is so good too because his voice is such an important part of his character and they just nailed it

[tibbythetiger]

Hello friendsssss! We have an official tag on AO3, we’ve all grown so much in just a few days. Amazing work all around! 

I’m just dishing out some general HCs today! Hopefully, I can actually get the time to turn my main DreamTheory meeting as coworkers at Sparky’s into a real fic soon! 

Both of them enjoy their height difference greatly. Mike usually hates feeling smaller or shorter than people, but he’s never met someone as genuine and nice as Ness so it doesn’t bother him, and makes him feel kinda safe. Ness just loves his pocket-sized boyfriend. 

I know someone else has already said this, but Ness with freckles!!!! Ness with freckles is so very important to me. I think they’re super light during most of the winter, but once it gets warmer and the sun comes out they’re fairly noticeable. Mike likes to kiss each one he can find, it always makes Ness laugh. 

I know we all agree that Ness is Conspiracy Boyfriend, and I agree! I think he particularly loves those paranormal ghost-hunting shows that were super popular back in 00’s, and he’s a HUGE Unsolved Mysteries fan. When he’s looking to get the same thrill but looking for more fictional media, he loves the Twilight Zone. 

Mike makes a mean grilled cheese and tomato soup, this is in part because it’s Abby’s favorite food and he decided if he had to make anything really well it would be this. Ness actually doesn’t like grilled cheese, but Abby talked it up so much he gave it a try and he ended up really liking it. It is one of Mike’s proudest moments. 

I think Ness is really good with kids, he seems to me the type that was the oldest cousin at parties. (This is just projection), so he’s used to having younger kids following him around and having to keep them entertained. While he’s used to it, he’s really genuine and loves doing it. He’s always overjoyed to hang out with Abby, and she adores him because of it. 

Ness and Mike cannot draw to save their lives! They are horrible at it, Abby likes to hold “drawing classes” where she tries to show them how she makes her masterpieces. Ness always tries hard, but it’s just not his strong suit. 

They are the couple that slow dances in the kitchen or living room. Mike is always reluctant about it, he’s fairly paranoid at romantic gestures, and he’s always scared someone will see them, but he always enjoys it when Ness convinces him it’s okay. Abby thinks it’s the most magical thing, so she draws the two of them as princes when they dance during a Disney movie night.  

Ness absolutely tells Mike and Abby stories to help them sleep. They both think he has the most soothing voice, Ness just loves being able to help them, sometimes he’ll even sing to them, but he’s still really shy about it. 

I think Ness really loves listening to musical soundtracks, but he’s also a pop girly through and through, like, he loves Kelly Clarkson, Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears. Meanwhile, Mike doesn’t listen to music super often, he usually lets Abby or Ness pick. Otherwise, I feel like he’s really into grunge or early rock. He listens to Nirvana sure, but also Radio Head. (I also think he’s a very big Weezer fan) 

I think Mike is a big writer, he started journaling to help him take note of his dreams/memories of Garrett, then really leaned into it once his parents were out of the picture since he didn’t really have anyone else to turn to to vent. Sometimes he can be a little poetic, and he’ll write lil notes to Ness and leave them in his apron or pockets for him to find later. 

Ness thinks this is simply the cutest thing he’s ever seen actually, and attempts to do the same thing. He’s a little cheesier, and are usually filled with lil hearts and things doodled around them, but he sticks them on the mirror or on Mike’s alarm clock. Mike saves everyone he finds and slowly they start to cover the walls in his bedroom. 

The three of them cannot have board game nights. They are all waaaay too competitive, and the last time they played Uno and Ness won, Mike pouted so much and Abby locked herself in her room. They settle for movie nights or puzzles when they’re doing things the three of them. 

When Abby first starts dabbling in painting her nails, she practices on Ness and Mike. Eventually Ness and Abby usually just have matching nails, Ness doesn’t let the looks he gets bother him any. 

Abby absolutely knows they’re dating, Mike tries not to keep secrets from her, especially after the debacle of Freddy’s, and what happened with the Aunt. She’s too young, so she doesn’t get why people are weird about it, but she understands enough that she can’t tell anyone that Mike and Ness are dating. When she does talk about them, most people assume Ness is a girl, just because of his name. Abby just stops correcting people, the only person outside of them who knows is Abby’s therapist(?), but she supports Mike so it’s not really an issue. 

Ness loves stealing Mike’s sweaters and coats, they’re so much bulkier than the ones that Ness buys himself, so they’re so comfortable. In the winter, he’ll steal them and wear them to work or around the house. Mike grumbles and pretends he cares, but he thinks Ness looks cute in them. 

Ness has the worst road rage, Mike is both horribly amused and terrified of this when it occurs. Ness always apologizes afterward usually followed up by an “If people could just learn how to drive, I swear to GOD”  

Mike and Abby will go into Sparky’s when Ness is working just to get desert and to see him. Most of the employees at Sparky’s know there’s something going on between Ness and Mike, but they all let it remain unspoken. It seems like everyone is taking good care of each other, so no one decides to interfere.  

Well, that’s all I have for now! I’m really loving seeing everything everyone is putting out, and getting to read everyone’s work and see their art is amazing!

[aizawasnumberonefan]

here have this garbage brain rot i wrote because i’m lonely

not proofread, not really thought through, just bakugo cuddle hours

.

.

“HEY!���

“What.” you reply, clearly annoyed. You sit up in bed and yawn, squinting at your phone to see who called you. “Denks, you know it’s like four in the morning and I have a midterm tomorrow right? What could possibly be so important that you’re risking my A in economics?”

Kaminari giggles over the line and you can practically see his flushed face, swaying and drunk at whatever party he’s at. “Well fuck you too.” He giggles and ends the call.

For a brief moment, you consider laying back down and going back to sleep before groaning and calling him back.

“Yeeeees?” Denki replies and you can hear the amused grin on his face as well as the booming music in the background.

“What, what do you need? A ride? Some food? Spit it out.” Normally you wouldn’t cop an attitude with him but considering the circumstances, you feel perfectly justified to as you slide out of bed to put on shoes.

“Kacchan got too drunk and Ei wanted me to call you cuz he said I’m a-“ you hear grappling before Kirishima’s voice speaks. “Sorry, he got away from me for a second. I was about to call you: Bakubro is drunk and needs a ride home. I would be able to give him one but I think Sparky is going to be a handful tonight.” He states, after which you hear an offended “heyyy!” from Denki in the back.

“Yeah of course, just send me the address and I’ll be there in five. But you owe me a coffee in the morning as a thank you before my midterm.”

You pull up in front of the house, hearing the music and the people from a block away. You spot Kirishima, Denki, and Bakugo standing on the lawn, the two latter using Kiri as support to stand. With Kirishima waving, Katsuki walks (stumbles) over to your car, leaning down to peer through the passenger side window.

“Hey princess.” He slurs with that signature smirk of his.

“Get in, dumbass.” You reach across the seat to push open the door and he stumbles before clumsily getting in.

The two of you had been in the same friend group for years, even before college, so you didn’t mind seeing him at his least inhibited and vice versa. The person you were a few years ago would be humiliated to be seen in pajamas with messy hair, literally fresh out of bed, but she had long since disappeared. The fact that you had a crush on Katsuki is old news. You’d told him your feelings and were rejected. It was rough for a while but you found your way back together as friends.

“Give me the aux.” Bakugo snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Absolutely not. Last time I let you pick music while you were drunk we listened to We Are The Champions by Queen on repeat for the rest of the night.”

“You suck.”

“You swallow.” You quip back with a smile.

Your friendship had become much closer than it had been before your confession, and part of you is grateful for that, but some deeply repressed part of your mind still dreams about life with him. All broad shoulders, tan skin, freckles along his pretty face and shoulders. If you didn’t know better, you’d say he was mistakenly sent to Earth instead of heaven. Fortunately, you know all the nuances that make him, him. How he gets smiley and cocky most while drunk, how he still gets the steps to the macarena mixed up, how he refuses to admit that he likes his hair messed with but gets goosebumps every time you play with it, and how he sprawls out while spending time with those he cares about so that he can be touching his friends as much as possible. His tall, muscular frame and semi-permanent scowl implies that he is a different person than who he is while with you and the group.

“Are we going home?” He asks, words slurring together.

“We aren’t going to the North Pole.”

“Can I stay at yours tonight? You always take good care of meee.” He says, playing with the air conditioning.

“You can if you don’t play with the AC.” You reply, smiling as you grab his hand to put it back in his lap.

After a battle to drag Katsuki up the stairs, he’s finally face down on your sofa. You grab your hangover kit for him for when he wakes up, but as you go to set it down on the coffee table, he grips your wrist.

“Wanna stay with you tonight. Pleeeeeeeease?” He asks, vermillion eyes peering up at you from under the mop of blond hair.

“With me?”

He rolls over onto his back, his cheeks still flushed and appearance still a little rumpled after the party. “Your bed is cozier.”

“Only if you promise not to puke.”

A drunken “mhm” is murmured as he gets up, swaying slightly as he makes his way to your bedroom.

You make sure he’s cleaned up and has taken the appropriate medicine to ease his pain in the morning before letting him climb into the other side of your bed.

“Comfy?” You ask from the bathroom, brushing your teeth in the mirror.

“Mmmmmm.” Katsuki utters, his face buried in your pillow. He moves his head to the side to see you as you make your way to the bed. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” You reply, sliding into bed, instinctually scooting into his arms as you had during shared naps so many times before.

“You’re pretty.” He mumbles into your hair.

You let out an abrupt laugh, caught off guard. “You’re drunk.” You know that you weren’t dolled up, that you’d rolled out of bed, literally, before seeing him.

“Nuh uh,” Katsuki insists, leaning up over you on one arm. “You’re pretty.”

“Kats, you’re drunk. Lay back down and let’s sleep off that hangover of yours, okay?”

Pouting, he lets himself back down and pulls you tight to him. He gets a flush to his cheeks when drunk, but thankfully that means that you can’t tell when he’s blushing from being around you as well.

[cazimagines]

Oblivious

Request from anon: Hi, I really enjoy your writing, particularly your Zemo fics! I had an idea for one that basically follows the while y/n joining Sam, Bucky, and Zemo through Madirpoor and Riga. Only despite Zemo’s flirting, y/n doesn’t really do anything about it or even notice until y/n along with Sam and Bucky witness Walker (New Captian America) murder a flag smasher in the street. They all go back to the safe house and y/n is like, in shock. “Captian America just killed someone” is all y/n can really say. And Zemo is able to calm them down. Maybe the romance can start then?

Word count: 3.4k

Author’s note: This one-shot can be multiple parts, if you would like to see a sequel please say! If I do decide to write a sequel though it will take me a while as I’ve had a lot of requests, please check out my master list to see what I have coming up next and if requests are currently open or not

Masterlist

(Please check out my master list to see what I will be writing next and if requests are open or closed)

Cross-posted to ao3 under the same username

Heels clicked along the pavement as you sashayed along the road, approaching the men before you, two of which you know fondly. The other one, however... not so much.

They all stood close together in a circle, obviously discussing something important but at hearing your voice call out their heads turn towards you, a smile appearing on Sam and Bucky’s faces as they see you. “Long time no see boys,” you say, stopping a few feet away from them to lean on a wall.

They both walk over to you, Bucky pulling you into and hug then followed by Sam hugging you tightly. “Thank you for agreeing to help us out y/n. I know things haven’t been easy for you,”

You fake a smile at Bucky, one you hoped he wouldn’t see past resting your arm around his shoulder. “Anything for my friends,”

He was right, though. These times haven’t been easy for you, especially after Steve Rodgers left. Captain America had always been your idol, ever since you were a little kid you aspired to be just like him. You collected all the Captain America merchandise along with your brother Phil, always arguing with him who owned which toy of his. Meeting Steve had been a dream come true for you. He was the person you were closest to. He helped you come to terms with your brother’s death and whenever you needed help; he was there. You two stuck together through the thick and thin. That’s was how you got to become good friends with Sam and Bucky. You and Steve have always had a complicated relationship, though. You two liked each other and tried to see if you could be something more, but it never seemed to work out. Then Thanos happened. You, along with half the universe, were dusted. For you it was as if you had simply blinked however for Steve it was five years without you. You barely got to see each other again before he went away for good. You couldn’t hate him for it, you understood why he did what he did. He was always telling you about the ’40s, about his childhood, about her. You just wished you weren’t so connected with him. Seeing him there, old, dying. It broke your heart. But times move on. You can’t live in the past as he did.

Your eyes focus on the man behind Sam and Bucky and you frown, pulling your arm away from Bucky. A man you never thought you would see again was staring right back at you.

He stood a few feet back, knowing he wasn’t welcomed in the warm reunion of friendship. He clasped his hands, unsure what exactly he should do right now, feeling awkward, but as he looked over at you his eyes twinkled with recognition. Now you had been interesting to him. You weren’t a super soldier like Steve and James. Yet you certainly could hold your own against them. He had seen when he had first activated James. No, your strength and fighting abilities were down to your own human powers and he admired that. You were one of the few avengers he might have had an inkling to like if the Sokovia attack never happened. Still, it wasn’t as if you were to blame for it. The people who were to blame had suffered for it. You were merely the pawn in the giant game of chess. Perhaps he could grow to like you, after all, he could admit you were certainly tempting to him, the way your body was shaped excited him, the way your neck was shaped made him want to brush his fingers along it and your piercing eyes felt like they could look into the darkest corners of his soul.

“Why is he out of prison?” you snap, bringing Zemo out of his trance

Sam turns to scowl at Bucky as you all turn to Zemo, who awkwardly smiles. “Bucky thinks we need him,” Sam mutters

“Why would we need him!” you exclaim, crossing your arms and shooting Bucky a glare.

“I am invaluable,” Zemo explains with his hands, his eyes unwavering from you as he answers for Bucky.

“He hates super-soldiers, therefore he will help us in getting to Karli,” Bucky says, stepping in front of your eyesight trying to explain himself.

“That also means he hates you, Buck,”

All of them freeze as you address the elephant in the room. Bucky grits his teeth and steps back, averting your gaze as you and Sam stare expectedly at him but he doesn’t respond so Zemo takes his opportunity to step closer to you, now only a few feet apart.

“I can assure you, getting rid of Karli and her super soldier friends is my priority. Not James,”

You clench your jaw in anger as you look at Zemo. He tilts his head, the side of his lip curling up slightly, hoping you’d take a chance on him. Sighing, you turn to shoot one more look at Bucky.

“Steve wouldn’t have liked this,”

Later you sat across from Zemo on his private jet. All of you sat in uncomfortable silence as you flew to Madripoor. Sam and Bucky did not seem as close as you were to both of them. They both just sat on their respective sides and looked out the window. Zemo had a book on him which he seemed very preoccupied reading, yet there were moments where you could feel his eyes settle upon you. Ignoring his inquisitive gaze, you choose to follow in Bucky and Sam’s lead of looking out the window and daydream the rest of the trip away.

Your mind trails back to Steve. You wondered just what Steve would have thought about you teaming up with Zemo. He would have understood, wouldn’t he? It was the best option you had. Ah, but he had always been such a stickler about the rules. Breaking a criminal out and helping him avoid the law wasn’t very patriotic of you. Yep, he would not have gone through with this plan, he would have found another way that worked. But none of the people here were him. He choose not to be here. You knew you had to let him go.

“Champagne?”

You pull your eyes away from the window, coming back to reality as you see a bottle of champagne in Zemo’s hand and an empty glass in his other hand. He already had another glass full beside him as he looked at you expectantly.

“No,”

“Sure?”

“What part of no do you not understand,” you snap harshly glaring at him then back out to the window

“My apologies,” he says, pursing his lips together as he looks down at the empty glass. He glances over to Sam and Bucky but they both shake their heads as well so he hands the glass and drinks back to his butler and sighs as he opens his book again.

The tension between all of you sticks around as you arrive at Madripoor. Zemo had provided you a tight-fitting dress to ‘appear the part’ of your allice, and it showed off a bit too much of your chest than you liked. It was too bright for you, golden and sparky, cutting off at your upper tight, and had a very low v cut. You try your best to pull it down to cover you some more but to no avail. Begrudgingly, you leave the plane to meet up with the rest of them.

“My my y/n, the dress suits you,” Zemo says, smirking as his eyes trail up and down your body as you walk past him taking a straight beeline towards Sam and Bucky.

“How long will this mission take?” you ask, already feeling the cold air nip at your skin.

“Few hours at the least. I’m sorry that you have to do this, y/n”

“Hey, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to help you two,” you mutter as you hear a car pulling up behind you

“Not exactly this though,” Bucky grumbles, glowering over at Zemo who motions to the car that had arrived. Zemo opens the door and waits for you to get in however you walk to the other side of the car and get in. Bucky chuckles at Zemo’s annoyed expression as he instead gets into the side, which Zemo held open.

During the mission, Zemo kept getting uncomfortably close to you. Occasionally his hand brushed against your back as he moved past you, or his hand would bump into yours slightly, lingering against yours longer than normal.

You knew why he was doing this. Because of Steve. He knew how close you and Steve were, everyone did. During the fight between Steve and Tony which Zemo had helped cause you stuck by Steve every second. Now that Steve was gone, Zemo was trying to rub that in. Trying to irritate you on purpose. You would not let him get to you.

During the meeting with Selby you stood off to the side with Sam and you were feeling pretty good about yourself that the mission was going well until Sam’s phone rang. You tried to keep cool while also giving Sam the wtf look as to why he didn’t put his phone on silent. You hung out hoping things would go okay, but today wasn’t your day.

Shelby got gunned down in front of you, and the mission was ruined. Running in heels wasn’t ideal, but you had to make do. You followed Sam and Bucky as Zemo split up from you, running off somewhere else. Eventually, you kicked off your heels, believing running barefoot would be better than dealing with the agony of heels.

Finally, meeting back up with Zemo, you were ready to have to fight your way out of this mess, but then someone you didn’t think you would ever see again appeared. Sharon Carter. You two weren’t exactly buddy buddies. You got along for Steve’s sake, but it always felt like a sort of rivalry between you two for his attention.

“Y/n,” she says, finally addressing you

“Sharon,” you say back, feeling the awkwardness seep back in. Sharon didn’t seem bothered however, she even kindly let you have some new clothes and shoes which were much more comfortable than the ones Zemo lent you and more your style.

Walking back into the main room you see Zemo sitting down, once again drinking, Bucky sitting down as far away from Zemo as he could get and Sam standing at the side. You choose to stand by Sam.

“Hey, y/n, you doing okay?” Sam asks as you walk over.

“Better than other days. What are we waiting around for?”

“For Sharon to lead us to a party where she can get the information we need,” Zemo answers for Sam, peeking over at you. You ignore him.

Sharon comes back in and tells all of you not to get in trouble while you are out at the party.

“Trouble,” Zemo jokes, and he once again glances over to you, raising a glass and winking at you as he downs it.

Following Sharon, you head into the party. It was to show off the art pieces she had got a hold of so you thought you might as well look at them as you were unlikely to see any of these genuine pieces again. You could see however Zemo following you. He tried to be sly by checking out the other artworks near you, never exactly where you were, but you could tell because every time you moved to a new place soon enough Zemo would suddenly appear there as well. He leaned into one of the artworks, pretending to study it closely, but the corner of his eyes would flick over to you.

Groaning in frustration at your new stalker, you decide you had to lose him in the crowds. Swaying your body, you enter the dancing crowd and jump along to the music, letting yourself go. You could feel your excitement growing with the crowd as you danced, but with one quick turn around there, you saw him.

Zemo had now entered the crowd and was dancing along to the music as well, pumping his hands in time to it. As you stared at him in disbelief, he notices and takes that as an innovation to dance over to you.

“Dancing is fun, right?” he asks as he claps his hand to the music

“Why are you doing this!” you exclaim glaring at him.

His eyebrows furrow as he looks at you, “I don’t understand what you mean?”

You huff in annoyance and storm away, going to find Sam and Bucky leaving Zemo alone on the dance floor. He watches you go and sighs, moving away from the dance floor. It had been a long time since he last got to socialize with anyone and he was trying with you; he wanted to know you more, but he didn’t want to push you too far either if you were uncomfortable with it.

The next few hours felt like a blur to everyone. Sharon found out where the doctor was and you found out a bit of information before Zemo choose to shoot him. Then the whole place exploded, and you had to fight for your life while Zemo hijacked and car to pick you up. Now you were standing outside the safe house.

Zemo opened up the doors, and with his arm motioned for you to go in first. You roll your eyes at his extravagance and storm in, looking around the place. It was simple, but you could still tell that it was all designer, expensive to Zemo’s tastes. You sit down on the sofa while Zemo instantly gravitates towards the liquor cupboard.

“If you drink so much you won’t have long left to live” you mutter as you watch him pour some whiskey. His head shoots up as he turns sidewards to look at you, raising an eyebrow.

“Concerned about my health now?”

“I’d rather have you not pass out during a mission, at least till you are no longer of use to us then you can drink yourself to death for all I care,”

“Ah concern for the mission, yes you avengers folks are all the same. The mission takes precedence before anything else,” Zemo says, grabbing his glass and walking over to take a seat on the sofa opposite you.

You give him a cold hard stare crossing your arms. “What do you mean by that” you hiss

He tilts his head, smirking as he sees how riled up you were getting. “I’m simply observing that you have to put your mission before human lives. I know from how much I studied Steve-”

“Don’t bring Steve into this!” you exclaim, leaning forward, baring your teeth at him.

Zemo pauses for a moment shocked, he pulls his head back to observe, his mouth slightly ajar as his eyebrows cast down but realization dawns across his face.

“Ah, you and Steve, you two were an item,”

“It wasn’t like that” you murmur, jumping up from the sofa and pacing around the room to try to alleviate the agitation you felt, your nails digging into your arms as you wrapped them around your body in comfort.

“But there was something,” Zemo replies, watching you pace around the room then looking into the glass bitterly, his grip on it tightening.

You turn your back to Zemo to stare at your reflection in the mirror, seeing the tears swell up in your eyes.

“Why are you bringing this up? Why do you keep trying to annoy me Zemo, what purpose are you getting from this apart from some sick sadistic pleasure?”

It was Zemo’s turn to jump up from the sofa, hurt you could ever think so lowly of him, his eyebrows furrowed as he speeds over to you. He stands beside you, getting a lot closer to you than you would like. You turned your head away so he couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall.

“Do you think that bad of me? Y/n we may not have had the best first impression but know that it is never my intention to irritate or upset you,” Zemo says, trying to move even closer to you, but he moves a step too far and you back away.

“Just leave me alone, Zemo” you whisper, then run out of the room to find a bathroom to let everything out.

Zemo watches your form leave, angrily clenching his jaw, knowing he pushed it too far. The vein in his neck twitches as he grabs an ornament by the side of the mirror. Holding it in his hand, he observes the glass figure, a dove, then chucks it into the ground in rage, feeling an inkling of satisfaction at seeing it smash into a thousand pieces. He grabs more ornaments, at that moment not caring how much they each cost, just enjoy the release of anger he felt every time he smashed one.

-

You could hear the blood in your brain roar through your ears, the feeling of your heart hitting your chest in shock as you stared down at Lemar’s dead body.

Your eyes flicker to John’s who knelt beside him, trying desperately to wake him up, but you knew it was hopeless. Lemar was gone. Your eyes flickered around the rest of the room, Karli and her friend realising how bad they have messed up were already running away from the room. Bucky and Sam looked at each other as if knowing what was to happen. Your eyes finally land on Zemo’s. John had tried to arrest him, but you were able to stop him. Zemo was still useful though you hated to admit it, it wasn’t long however till the Dora Milaje would find him.

You feel a hand brush against your shoulder and snap back into reality, “We need to leave, now,” Zemo whispered in your ear, pulling your arm to make you move.

Gathering your senses, you let Zemo lead you out of the building as you hear a crash from above. Running out into the road, you and Zemo catch up beside Sam and Bucky and watch the disaster unfold.

There was John, in Cap’s uniform, holding Cap’s shield above that man.

Steve.

Steve’s shield.

You feel a scream tear from your lips as you watch John Walker bring the shield down, penetrating the man’s chest, staining it in blood. Tears leak from your eyes as you attempt to rush forward, to try and stop it, but arms grasp onto you, pulling you back.

“NO” you repeatedly cried, trying to worm your way out of the grasp, but they gripped you, refusing to let go. Your knees gave out and you sink to the floor, collapsing in the arms of the person who held you, your head buried in the fur part of their coat as they held you to their chest.

You kept sobbing, shaking as the image replayed over and over in your mind.

“Captain America just killed someone,” you whispered, unable to say anything else. The arms which held you picked you up, quietly shushing you, and carried you down a road, back into the safe house.

They tried to put you on the sofa but you clung to their body, not believing you could survive without their support, so they settle on lying down beside you on the sofa.

They turned you to face their body as their arms draped around you, gently rubbing circles into your back. Burying your head into their chest again, you let the sobs wail out as your chest ached from breathing.

“Captain America just killed someone,” you whisper again to him.

“That wasn’t Steve, y/n, Steve would never do something like that,” he murmured, his accent soothing your nerves.

“But it was his shield Zemo. The very thing I had idolized for so long,”

“A shield which by now no longer belongs to him. He was never Captain America y/n, what we just saw proved that. They will give the shield to someone better,”

You sniff, trying to prevent the snot from coming out of your nose as your bloodshot eyes look up into his, “Really?”

He gently smiles at you, taking his hand off your back to push a strand of hair that was hanging over your eye away.

“Yes, they won’t make the same mistake twice,”

Zemo’s words brought more comfort than you could have ever imagined. His embrace brought you warmth and you could feel yourself slowly stop shaking as he held you. Looking away from Zemo in embarrassment, you instead choose to snuggle your head back into his chest, hearing the rapid beating of his heart which lulled you to sleep.

Tags: @sinister-sleep @cable-kenobi @faustlyaccused @chipster-21 @icarusinstatic @yallgotkik @montypythonsholysnail @bunniwritesx @checkurwindow @huntheimpossible @jayxkelsi @avgravy @prestigious-tea @aloyssiac @hannahbal-the-fannibal @alainabooks143 @jokerprettyprincess @plumsandkiwis @latenightartist-author @e-barba @flutterskies @wonderwoman292 @there-goes-thefighter @multiyfandomgirl40 @freyjasamael @ineffablebean

[jimakuchan]

And They Were Roommates...

Part Fifty

The village of Gaipan was a sleepy town, surrounded by a gorgeous landscape filled with some of the tallest redwood trees Zuko had ever seen. If it weren’t for the stressful situation he found himself in, he might have taken a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sun sinking into the horizon amongst the tree tops.. but unfortunately now was not the time to take in the wonders of nature around him. 

“Uncle would be so disappointed” Zuko thought to himself. Iroh always chastised him for not appreciating the little things in life, but everything happening right now was not a little thing. It was a very big thing. A possibly life changing thing was about to happen to Zuko, and despite the pep talk Aang and Sokka gave him, Zuko’s leg was shaking from nerves. He could feel his hands clamming up, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was clenching his fist, and his entire body was on edge... waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

The entrance to the camp sight was just around the corner, and Katara was taking her time with driving on the uneven dirt road. It took everything within Zuko’s power to not yell at her to speed up. His friends were here doing him a favor, he needed to be patient. He took a deep breath in, holding it in his lungs, relishing in the burn before he let the air escape out his mouth. Memories of the text conversations running rampant in his head, the fear that he was too late sitting comfortably in the forefront of his mind. 

“Just stay calm, everything will be alright” Zuko heard his mother’s voice in his head, but it felt like a lie. How long had he been lying to himself? About his feelings towards Y/N, his family, his friends, Spirits his life? Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. What was that exercise Aang taught him again? In for four out for four? Mindfulness? Zuko couldn’t remember and frankly didn’t really care to at the moment. 

“We’re here” Katara’s voice echoed throughout the SUV. Zuko felt it then, the drop. His stomach was swirling inside of him and he felt the bile rise up his throat. It was now or never. Zuko felt so sure of himself when he sprinted outside of the apartment earlier today, where did that energy go?

“Are you okay man?” Sokka placed his hand on Zuko’s shoulder, a reassuring touch that he so desperately needed. It grounded Zuko, and he started to believe the lie his thoughts told him moments ago.

“Yes” Zuko replied, Sokka furrowed his brows but didn’t comment on it any further.

“Okay then let’s go!” Sokka’s face broke out into a wide grin, how he managed to stay so calm and collected all the time was beyond him. 

“Yea go get your girl Sparky!” Toph shouted from the middle seat. Zuko looked around at the faces of his friends, hope filled all of their eyes. He wished he could have an ounce of their faith. With a deep sigh he exited the car, taking his first step in the dirt and looked at the campsite around him. The rest of the gaang followed suit soon after. 

“Do you know what cabin she’s in?” Suki asked as they were walking towards the small campsite. A litter of log cabins surrounded the large fire pit in the center. It was a pretty decent place for a corporate retreat, something Zuko might even consider doing in the future. That is, if this all ended well. He didn’t think he could handle visiting the place where he was painfully rejected within a business setting.

“Not sure I just know it’s the women’s cabin. I’m sure we could ask someone.” Katara answered. She sounded sure of herself, but the way she was fidgeting with her bag gave her away. She was nervous too, and that’s when it dawned on him. Jet. The bane of their existence was here, and Katara hadn’t seen him since he caught him cheating on her with Y/N. Zuko admired her bravery. He had talked this out with Y/N, how much what Jet did to them hurt her, but he didn’t dwell on it too much with Katara. The possibility of running into him must be bothering her. Aang must have picked up on Katara’s nerves too, because he went to go hold her hand and kissed her cheek. Katara smiled at the gesture, and Zuko hated the jealous feeling that crept into his gut. 

He wished he could be that way with Y/N, to hold her hand and kiss her cheek when she was feeling down. Did they know the gift they possessed? To be unapologetically affectionate with each other? They must know. Zuko could see it when they looked at each other. He just hoped that he could have that in his future with Y/N.

“Over there! That’s Y/N’s cooler on the porch!” Zuko looked to where Suki was pointing. The cabin to the far left of the fire pit must be hers. The bright red cooler filled to the brim with stickers sat neatly next to the front door of the cabin; he could see the bright yellow EI sticker she bought from Ember Island on the front. Before he even realized his feet were moving, Zuko sprinted towards the cabin. He nearly tripped on the rickety steps on his way in. With a bit too much of his strength, Zuko slammed open the cabin door.

“Y/N?” Zuko shouted inside. The cabin itself was decent, four beds lined the back wall with a wide window separating each pair of beds. The bed next to the window had Y/N’s duffel bag resting at the edge of it. A kitchenette was to the right, filled with the snacks Y/N bought for the trip. To the left was a small table with a few chairs, Y/N’s travel mug sat on top of it in the center. Yep, this was definitely hers.

“She’s not here” Zuko nearly jumped out of his skin from the voice that sounded too close to his liking. He turned around to see a short woman with a blunt bob haircut. Her bandana was slipping off her forehead nearly covering her eyes, where she wore an annoyed expression on her face. Smellerbee.

“Where is she?” Zuko asked mirroring the other woman’s annoyance. He didn’t have time for small talk.

“You think I’m going to tell a total stranger the location of my coworker? You must be dumber than you look.” Smellerbee responded with a huff. Zuko narrowed his eyes at the small woman in front of him. If this was any other circumstance he would have been grateful that she was protecting Y/N, but at the moment Zuko only felt rage.

“I’m Y/N’s roommate and I need to talk to her. It’s important.” Smellerbee looked at Zuko like she’d rather be anywhere else than where she was, and it was really testing his patience.

“She left to go to the lake with Jet awhile ago. You follow that path behind the cabin and it’s a straight shot.” 

“Thank you” Zuko brushed passed Smellerbee and ran towards the path, nearly knocking into his friends in the process. He could hear the shouts of his friends behind him, but Zuko didn’t pay any attention to them. It was like he had tunnel vision as he ran through the trees towards the lake. The wind whipped through his long dark hair, sweat forming at the tip of his brow. The trees blurred together as he raced down the path. If Zuko was paying better attention he might have noticed the rustle in the bushes to his right, but he wasn’t paying attention at all. So when he collided into the hard body in front of him, Zuko was knocked flat on his ass.

“Spirits watch where the hell you’re going!” Zuko could recognize that voice anywhere. That arrogant tone only belonged to one person, and it was the last person on Earth that he wanted to see.

“Jet” Zuko gritted out through his teeth.

“That’s my name don’t wear it out” He responded with a curt laugh. Jet stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants and extended a hand to the man on the forest floor. Zuko took it as Jet helped him to his feet. He might hate the guy, but he didn’t want to give Jet the satisfaction of knowing his mere presence bothered him to no end.

“Where’s Y/N?” Zuko asked, aggravation flooding his voice. Jet didn’t respond at first, and just stared at him. He eyed Zuko up and down, as if to size him up. Jet just laughed again, and Zuko was one step away from punching him in the nose. 

“Oh wouldn’t you like to know?” 

“I don’t have time for your bullshit Jet, just tell me where she is” Zuko took a step forward, towering over Jet’s figure. He took great satisfaction in the gulp Jet took when he did. “Good” Zuko thought to himself, “I hope you’re nervous you fucking prick.” 

“I’ll tell you where she is...” Jet paused, and Zuko’s patience meter dropped to a near zero. “Eventually...”

“You will tell me now. I’m not taking no for an answer” Zuko clenched his fists, ready to force his way past Jet if he was going to waste his time. 

“Let’s have a chat first, man to man. It’s been long overdue...” Zuko was about to walk past him when Jet grabbed onto his wrist. “Besides... I have some information you’d want to know concerning Y/N” 

Zuko could feel his heart sink at such a simple statement. Information. He knew that Jet couldn’t be trusted, but Zuko couldn’t resist his curiosity. He turned around to face the man he loathed, a smug look painted his face as he dropped Zuko’s arm.

“You have 2 minutes, don’t waste it” Zuko crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for the other man to speak. Jet tilted his head towards the fallen tree off the side of the path, beckoning Zuko to follow. The silence was thick as they both sat on the rotting tree, rays of remaining daylight peaking through the trees that surround them. It was eerie, how quiet it was. Just the whistling wind around them to break up the unforgiving silence. 

“I know you hate me, but I just want you to listen for a bit. Then you can be on your merry way” he began, Zuko just stared waiting for him to continue. Jet took a deep breath, fiddling with the toothpick between his teeth. Gross.

“I just wanted to apologize to you, for what I did. It was fucked up and I’m sorry” That... was not what Zuko was expecting, his eyes widening in surprise. So this was what he wanted to discuss? 

“I was.. an angry person back then. I felt like you’re family personally ruined mine. To be fair I was right, but it was just your dad. Not you. It wasn’t your fault that your dad and his company evicted my family. Hell he kicked out his own son, why would he care about kids from the projects?” 

Zuko remembered the day Jet found out who his father was. Before then they were friends, two boys pissed at the world and the cards they were dealt in life. They use to sneak out at night, and roam the streets; stealing booze from liquor stores, smoking pot in parking lots, and just relishing in the feeling of being young and angry. Zuko felt that Jet was the first thing that was his and his alone. Jet chose to befriend him, not out of obligation because of his sister, at least that’s what he felt at the time. They shared secrets in the dark, with only the neon lights of the city keeping them company. Yes, Zuko never told him who is father was, but he did tell him a lot of the abuse he faced. How he was afraid to come home and face his father’s wrath. How he used to wish for anything to stop the pain. He cried in front of Jet that day, and Jet held him and told him he felt the same. That all changed when Jet found out about Ozai. He called Zuko to come out like normal, but instead of the promise of cheap thrills he lead him to an alleyway and beat the shit out of him. Zuko held his own, and eventually got the best of him, but the price of winning the fight was losing his best friend. He told himself he’d never forgive him for what he had done that night, and now the same boy, now a man, is next to him once again with the sun setting around them asking for forgiveness. 

“Fuck man you were my best friend.. and I threw it all away for what? Something completely out of your control? Because of someone you hated as much as I did? Losing you is one of my biggest regrets.. close second is what I did to Katara and Y/N” Jet hung his head low, his shoulders tense as he hunched over. Zuko didn’t know what to say at that moment, stunned into silence. He understood what Jet was feeling, succumbing to anger is much easier than processing other emotions: sadness, guilt, pain. Over time the anger just becomes a part of you, and it lashes out. Jet didn’t have anyone to help him move on from that like Zuko did.. he was alone. 

“I’m so fucking sorry Zuko. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness.. like I don’t deserve Y/N’s.. but I want to try and be better. I know my apologies and promises in the past have been empty and hallow.. but I can’t keep doing that shit anymore it’s exhausting” Jet looked at Zuko then, his eyes shining from unshed tears. Jet was asking for forgiveness now, like Zuko had done many years ago. 

“I forgive you. For what you did to me..” Jet visibly deflated, finally releasing the breath he had been holding in, his body sagged in relief. 

“I don’t know if we could ever be as close as we were before... but if you’re willing to try I am. On a few conditions...”

“Name it” 

“Stop acting like a total ass to Y/N. That shit needs to end” Zuko requested.

“Done”

“You also need to apologize to Katara, she’s one of my closest friends and I can’t be friends with you if you haven’t done that. She won’t forgive you as easily as I did, and she may never do and that’s her right. You still need to though, it’s what she deserves.” Jet visibly shivered, an angry Katara was a terrifying sight, but he nodded in agreement nonetheless. 

“And finally you need to tell me where Y/N is” Jet laughed at this, but it wasn’t the smug laugh he used before. It was genuine this time.

“She’s sitting at the dock by the lake, at least that’s where she was when I left her.” He nodded and put a hand on Jet’s shoulder, the two men shared a moment of peace before Zuko went to stand up. Before he walked away Zuko turned to Jet and put out his hand, his way of extending an olive branch to the man he once called his best friend. Jet accepted it with a smile and they shook on it, what ‘it’ was neither of them knew.. but it was something. Change? Moving on? Something along those lines.

Zuko was the first to let go and turned to walk down the path, the sun light fading quickly. Before he got too far Zuko remembered he had one more thing to ask. 

“Hey Jet!” Zuko shouted, Jet turned around surprised.

“What?” he shouted back.

“You’re not dating Y/N again are you?” Zuko questioned, he needed to know before he made a complete fool of himself in front of the woman he loved. Jet let out a full belly laugh, nearly folding himself in half. Zuko quirked an eyebrow, unsure of what was so funny.

“Is that why you hauled your ass out in the middle of nowhere? You thought I made a move on her? Nah I wanted to apologize like I did with you. As if she’d ever take my ass back.” Zuko sighed with relief, but before he turned around Jet spoke again.

“The only bones she wants to jump are yours!” Zuko felt the heat rise to his cheeks, a smile growing on his face. He only hoped Jet was right as he ran further down the path towards the lake. 

As Zuko ran towards the lake the smile never left his face. He couldn’t ignore it anymore, Y/N definitely felt the same as he did. He could do this, he could finally tell her how he felt. With newly found confidence Zuko ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He could see the lake through the trees, he was close, so close to her. One more turn and he’d be there. 

When he finally made it to the small beach surrounding the lake Zuko whipped his head around desperately trying to find the dock. It was getting dark, both the sun and moon shared the same sky when he saw it. Saw her. 

Y/N was sitting at the edge of the dock, her feet dipped in the inky black water beneath her. The golden light of dusk shined on her hair as it swayed with the wind, her skin glowing as if she was made of stained glass. Zuko took a moment to admire her from afar as she sat blissfully unaware of his presence. He slowly walked towards her, gathering every ounce of courage he had.

“Y/N!” Zuko yelled out as he got closer to the dock. Y/N jumped, clearly surprised at his sudden outburst.

“Zuko? What are you doing here?” Y/N asked as she pulled her feet out of the water. She slowly stood up, trying not to put too much weight on her bad ankle. 

As Zuko got closer he thought about what he was going to say to her. He thought about how she took his breath away when he first laid eyes on her, how her smile lit up her face. He thought about all the little things he loved about her, how her nose scrunched up when she laughed and when she was annoyed. How she liked to dance around the apartment in her pajamas when she was stressed out. How she put way too much much sugar in her tea, and how she cried when she watched videos of baby ducks. He loved how much his Uncle loved her, his friends, and even though she would never admit it, his sister as well. He loved how she was patient, not only with others but with herself as well. He loved that she knew how to bring the best out of him, and how she was the reason he reconnected with the gaang. In such a short amount of time she became one of the most important people in his life. He wanted to tell her all of this and more.. but instead he said:

“I brought you the bracelet I made you” Zuko reached into his pocket and fished out the friendship bracelet he made with Kiyi. It was a pathetic little thing really, the pattern was inconsistent and the knots at the end were way too big, but he made it for her because he loved her. 

“You came all this way... to give me a bracelet?” Y/N asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion. Zuko wanted to smack himself, he barely even started and was already failing miserably.

“Um no that’s ugh, not the only reason” Y/N was looking at him waiting for him to continue. Zuko could feel himself drowning. “Why is this so hard? It’s simple. Three words. I. Love. You. Wait should I say I’m in love with you instead? Y/N says I love you to her friends all the time. What if she says I love you back but she means it in a friend way? I don’t mean it in a friend way. Shit I’ve been quiet too long. Say something you fucking idiot!!”  

“Zuko are you alright? Are you coming down with something you’re really red” Y/N raised her hand to feel his forehead but Zuko caught it. She furrowed her brows together, her eyes piercing right through him as he stood their awkwardly holding her wrist. The sky was turning dark, the only source of light was the moon that rose above them. It was late and he was wasting precious time. 

“Fuck it” Zuko said as he dropped her arm taking a step towards her, closing the insufferable distance between them. 

“What are you talking abou-” Y/N was interrupted with the feeling of Zuko’s lips on hers. It was chaste, but not without feeling. Instantly Zuko melted into it, her lips were as soft as he imagined so many times before. The skin on her cheeks felt warm under his hands where he gently held them, but before Y/N could even register what was happening Zuko pulled himself away, gracefully resting his forehead on hers. Zuko opened his eyes to see Y/N’s eyes blown wide in surprise,

“I’m in love with you. Spirits, I’m so in love with you Y/N” Zuko wished he had a camera then, because the look on Y/N’s face he wished he couple capture forever. He tried to memorize the details of her face, the way her eyes sparkled in the star light, the little gasp she let out that he could taste on his tongue, but most of all he wishes he could capture the smile she gave him. It fit her so beautifully in a way that only she could. She let out a little laugh, the one that made her nose scrunch up in the way he adored. 

“What took you so long?”  Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed all over his face, every inch she could. She kissed his lips, his cheeks, his nose, his eyes, his scar, his lips, his lips, his lips, over and over again until they were both gasping for air. Y/N’s heart was so full she felt as if it would burst at any moment. 

“In case you couldn’t tell, I love you too Zuko” Y/N giggled in between kisses. Zuko wrapped her arms around her waist pulling her closer to him. Even then he felt it wasn’t close enough. Zuko slowly felt his way up her back, trailing his fingers up her spine, touching her in the way he always wanted to. One arm remained tightly wound across her waist, while the other caressed the base of her head. Y/N gently moaned at the feeling and Zuko swallowed it. He wanted to take everything she was willing to give, nothing more and nothing less. Zuko wondered if she could feel his heart pounding in his chest, as Y/N wondered the same. 

They were in their own little world, completely oblivious to everything around them. Zuko and Y/N weren’t paying attention to the fact that they weren’t alone anymore. Neither of them heard the splash towards the other end of the dock, or cared to notice Sokka flailing in the water with Katara standing above him looking very pleased with herself.   

________________________________________________________________

A/N: FIFTY CHAPTERS AND THEY FINALLY KISS!!!!! CAN I GET A HELL YEA!!!!! This series is my baby and I'm so beyond thrilled that we made it!! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter 💕

Tag list:

@firelordtea​ @silverreading​ @inyourdreamshannahk​ @onesmokinbabe​ @cece-lives-here​ @coldlilheart​ @leel-lol​ @coconutsaiyan​ @justahockeylover​ @riespage​ @hariosborn​ @mochminnie​ @reallyimpossibleartisan​ @beifongsss​ @etoile-luna​ @iknowrocknroll567​ @akariblue​ @fandom-phaser​ @loganrwebb​ @gaysludge​ @royahllty​ @theblueslytherin​ @nerdynstoned​ @beautifulfound​ @astralsaf​ @titaniafire​ @thewintersoldierswaifu​ @baekstans​ @duh-dobrik​ @svveet-peas​ @obi-one-kbone-me​ @lucyrocks86​ @trashmouth-toziers-world​ @joy4joji​ @bands-r-my-heros​ @gothjuulpod​ @darkskin-buttercup​ @maybe-a-fangurl​ @394pitterpatterpotter394​ @rainbowombat​ @spookities @sara5208​ @savy-girl​ @welovediaaxx​ @roseart-crayons​ @theonlyprincessoftheworld​ @justaboringoldcannibal​ @yikesfandomtrash​ @extra-suga​ @fangeekkk​

[whisperlullaby]

Just Say It And I'm Yours Ch. 9

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: 1130

Warnings: Language, talk of infidelity, Steve being dumb.

Summary: Steve and Bucky have a heart to heart about readers engagement

A/N: Alright everyone I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Special thanks to @river-soul for their beta work though any mistakes are my own. As always if you are a minor do not interact with my work.

It had been a month since Steve found out about your engagement. He left the next day with Bucky on what was supposed to be a week-long recon mission, but each new lead brought more information that prolonged their assignment. They were so close to uncovering one of Hydra’s covert operations and yet Steve couldn’t help but feel his time was being wasted.

He waited too long to tell you how he felt, that he loved you more than he would say out loud and now you were going to spend the rest of your life with someone who wasn’t right for you. After you kicked him out that night he tried to talk to you about Connor a cold fear wove its way through his veins. He realized if you were willing to kick him out just for voicing his concerns then he must not be as important to you as he thought. So he made a decision to support you through all of your endeavors. Even if that meant sucking up his gut feeling and burying it deep down so he could be happy for you and your engagement.

Steve knew he was driving Bucky crazy the entire mission. Constantly checking his phone for messages from you and calling you on Friday nights when you were supposed to be cuddled close on the couch watching movies together because Connor always worked late that day. After the dinner party Steve asked Natasha to follow Connor and make sure he was who you thought he was. That’s how he found out about Connors’ ‘extracurricular’ activities. Any time Connor told you he was working late, he'd go over to a high-end hotel and pick up women at the bar. Steve felt his blood boil thinking about it.

Being away from you for a month was pure torture for Steve, especially after the way he left things. After about the 90th heavy sigh, Bucky punched Steve’s arm in frustration.

“If I have to sit here for another second listening to you sigh because you didn’t tell Sparky how you felt, I am going to throw you from the quinjet without a parachute,” Bucky gruffed.

“Jokes on you. I’ve already done that.” Steve ran a hand over his face and stood up. “I just can’t believe she’s going to go through with the marriage. It’s not enough time to plan a wedding, this is not a good idea Buck.”

Bucky put the quinjet on autopilot and walked past Steve, hitting him with his shoulder. “No shit, but you didn’t say a single word to her when she told you about the engagement.” “What was I supposed to say, Buck? No don’t do it I love you and I will do anything to make sure you’re a million times happier with me than him? She would have laughed in my face.” Steve shook his head. “Besides, she was more than ready to defend him and kick me out the night before. I can’t lose her Bucky, she’s everything to me.”

Bucky’s features softened and he clasped a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I can tell you from what I’ve seen that she does love you. As more than a friend. I bet if you told her the night you went to the abandoned factory that you wanted to be with her she would be with you right now and not that complete asshat.”

“I know, but look at this life I’m living. I’m not there and when duty calls I’ll be pulled away from her again. At least without me, she stands a fighting chance at having a normal life. A good life.”

Bucky scoffed, “You think the life she’s living now is good? Do you want to know what Connor and I discussed the night of the dinner party when you were off comforting Sparky?”

Steve raised his eyebrow prompting Bucky to continue.

“He kept talking about how she would be a pretty enough wife. How she would look good on his arm and that he could definitely make her smile the way you do with a little persuasion.” Bucky’s jaw ticked before he continued. “That last part might have been said after I made a comment about how pretty she looks when she smiles when she was talking with you.”

Steve looked down as a soft smile spread across his face. He knew you lit up when you were with him, he just didn’t realize it was reserved only for him, and he sure as hell didn’t think other people noticed. He thought back to how you acted when Connor was around, your shine seemed to dull in a way it never did with Steve. Anytime Connor would touch you, your body seemed to tense just enough for Steve to take notice. Whenever you laughed it always seemed to quickly end when Connor was around. Steve worried that his fears about Connor hurting you were true, that he shouldn’t have left that night at your apartment. God, he was such an idiot. He left you with that man when you were scared and did nothing to protect you. Maybe he was just as bad as Connor.

“Hey,” Bucky started gently. “You can still say something. They aren’t married yet, and so far she’s kept her promise not to elope. Though, I am sure Connor has tried to convince her to more than once.”

Steve whipped his head towards Bucky, anger flashing across his face causing Bucky to raise his hands in defense.

“She talks to me too but she wants you there. She is insisting that you be there or she’s not getting married. And before you even think it Stevie, no, it doesn’t mean you can just refuse to go to the wedding. It means you need to tell her how you feel and that you want to be with her before you lose her forever.”

Steve sat heavily in the seat. He knew Bucky was right, that he needed to tell you how he felt. Each time he thought about it he felt like he was just waking up after being in the ice. Scared, and unsure of what would happen next. Then he thought about how it felt when he was with you. He felt like that guy who never backed down from a fight, like he could take anything on as long as he had you with him. Determination sparked in his gut and he turned to Bucky.

“You’re right. I have to tell her, and even if it goes sideways at least she’ll know how I feel,” Steve stated firmly. He felt anxiety prick his skin and Bucky placed his arm around his shoulder.

“I’m with you buddy, no matter what happens, till the end of the line.”

[urijihoons-blog]

MHA Headcanons!!

Because I started and finished this show during my winter break in 4 days and was/am obsessed with it, here are some of my favorites, my dating headcanons for them, and what I think their love languages would be :))))

Includes: tamaki, bakugo, izuku, and todoroki

Tamaki:

-when he knows you’re completely asleep in his arms, like you’re snoring or breathing very deeply, he sings to you softly

-I just have this feeling he has an incredible voice🥲

-this man is a words of affirmation fiend, dude

-in the best way possible!!!!

-please talk to him so he feels worth your time

-will try his hardest to keep eye contact with you, but only when no one else is around

-it’s because 1) he thinks you’re absolutely gorgeous

-rightfully so

-and 2) he thinks it’s important that you know he’s giving you all of his attention

-I think he gives love through quality time and maybe(🥰!!!!!!🥰) (when you’re alone of course) physical touch

-probably like 4-6 months into the relationship

-in peace 🙌🏻in peace🙌🏻 may you rest ☠️may you rest ☠️

-if he’s too nervous to bring up a topic around you, or just in general, he’ll play with your hands for comfort

-or twists a strand of your hair🤧

-has a sweet voicemail you left still in his phone that he listens to when he needs to calm down🥺

-he thinks your name is beautiful, and he gets too flustered to call you pet names, so he’ll try to compliment you to make up for the lack of that

-he’d say something like ‘you’re so captivating’ or ‘I cherish you’

-will immediately put his face in a wall because he made you blush

Bakugo:

-I have a sneaking suspicion that when he’s only around you he’s more calm and collected and a little more forth coming with affection, like I imagine his mom is with his dad🤭

-Like of course he is our sparky boom boy, angry at the world and cussing up a storm, but behind closed doors he’s a little more considerate with his words and not AS abrasive

-I put ‘as’ in there because we all know he is still very ‘sparky boom boom kerchow’ y’know??

-I also do not think this man would hold hands, I just don’t (at least not for a WHILE)

-you have to CONVINCE THIS MAN HE ISNT GOING TO HURT YOU ✊🏻😤

-sure he has his quirk pretty under control, but I feel as though he would be so terrified to accidentally hurt you that he wouldn’t want you to hold his hands

-please convince him that he’s not going to hurt you🥲💗

-I feel as though he would offer you his arm, like a gentleman, and that’s how you’d walk and be together

-this also forces you to lean in closer to him, which means he has a better view of your face and can smell your perfume/conditioner😉

-I’m thinking he receives love with words of affirmation&physical touch but gives love with acts of service!!!!!

-I also feel like once you’ve firmly established that you’re not fragile he would give love through physical touch, but it’d only be in private bc he a tsundere 🙂

-he doesn’t compliment you often, because our mans is PRIDEFUL, but calls you pet names like ‘angel’ and ‘doll’

Izuku:

-he likes that when you’re cuddling, you trace his scars on his arms🤧

-At first he was very skittish and afraid you’d think they were too much and gross, but you found them to be very powerful and meaningful🥲

-Of course he cries when you tell him this too duh lol

-he loves to trace the outline of your facial features with the soft, lingering touch of his finger✨✨✨

-I have a feeling he’s so sweet he’d give you cavities

-this man BRAGS about you to everyone he meets

-literally talks about you nonstop because he just loves you

-tells his mom about you 🥰💗✨

-always has to lightly touch you in public, but no serious pda

-low key possessive tho

-someone comes near you and wants to take up a chunk of your time, and this man will stare and creepily smile until that person leaves

-he just looks like this 👁〰️👁

- I truly believe he gives and receives love with all of the love languages: words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, quality time, and gift giving

-but his most prominent ones are acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch

-he doesn’t give you typical compliments

-cause he’s quirky

-he says things like ‘you are so masterful’ or ‘your beauty is so articulate’

-but the pet names he has for you are something classic like ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart’ or maybe even ‘buttercup’

-he a soft boi🥰

Todoroki:

-I been waiting for this one, TURN IT UP

-I feel like because he’s so quiet, and probably touch starved due to his childhood, he is just a physical touch and quality time person🥺

-of course after he’s comfortable with you

-for how he gives love, I’m getting acts of service and gift giving vibes

-daddy Endeavor’s got that 💲MONEY💲

-when he makes food for himself, he makes you food. When he goes to bed, he makes sure you’re also getting sleep. Checks on you, mentally and physically

-is basically the mom friend

-I feel as though you both stay up really late on weekends and just talk in depth about your feelings while you cuddle

-you both have learned to be very good at communication because of how blunt he is and he genuinely wants to know everything that makes you you

-you catch him staring all the time🥲

-he does this thing, when he knows you’re feeling down or when he “realizes”/more like feels he hasn’t checked up on you or let you know how much he loves you enough

-he’ll turn his room into, like, a giant pillow fort for you two, and he’ll put up a white sheet on the wall and use a projector to watch movies or binge shows

-of course, snacks included 🤗

-this mans thinks you’re ‘bewitching’ and ‘enthralling’ and that your beauty is ‘unparalleled’

-his pet names would include some older classics like ‘love’ and ‘darling’ but also something like ‘cherry blossom’

-I just KNOW this man has an extensive vocabulary 😎

///

I hope you all enjoyed this!! If you want, I can make a part 2, or you can send me some requests/suggestions that I’ll look into!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[dershloop]

Best Friend

“It’s kinda sad really,” Jay said quietly, sighing and looking down at his hands, picking at the dry skin that cursed his knuckles.

“It’s not, Jay. Don’t be so hard on yourself, everyone has a crush on someone,” Kai said, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Not everyone has a crush on their best friend though,” Jay retorted, his shoulders sagging further, dragging his posture down with it. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Just a moment. Imagining what it would be like to actually be held by him, to hold his hand, to smell his cologne, but not just from afar. To smell it right off of his skin. To see him put it on every morning. The cologne he’d bought him. It was weird and borderline creepy, but it was true. He was clear as day in love with Cole.

“You’d be surprised,” Kai muttered, thinking about similar conversations he’d had with Cole, both regarding Jay recently, and Zane in the past.

“You got Zane to go on a date with you though. At least then he liked you back. Me and Cole have been best friends for years now, there’s no way he’d want to be any more than that,” Jay sighed, “I may as well accept it; I am destined to die alone.”

“Ok that’s a bit extreme Sparky, take a breath,” Kai said, his eyes widening at the sudden escalation, “and you really would be surprised,” He said under his breath.

“What?” Jay said, creasing his brow and looking at Kai.

“What?”

“You said something.”

“Yeah to stop being so melodramatic.”

“No after that.”

“I didn’t.” Jay rolled his eyes and looked away, continuing to brood over unrequited love. Kai, however, had a plan.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take it, seeing 2 of his best friends moping about assumably unrequited love; so Kai was going to be their cupid. The cupid that was probably going to be kicked in the balls for doing what he was about to do, but a cupid all the same. They’d thank him later. Hopefully.

“It’s been fun and all listening to you cry about Cole for half an hour Jay,” Kai said, standing up and stretching, “But! I have a life outside of your love life or lack thereof so I gotta go. Remember, just before I do go though,” Kai said, just before he opened the door, “Stop assuming things,” He finished, before leaving Jay with a wink and an empty room.

Jay sighed and flopped back onto his bed, staring up at his ceiling. It was an obsession, but not with a movie franchise. If you’re obsessed with a movie franchise or a TV show, people call you a dork and move on. When you’re obsessed with a person, however, people’s attitudes change a little, to say the least. It was taking over his entire being; He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. In reality, he was coming down with something. A sickness that was deadlier than a gun. He had caught a big old case of love and he hated it. 

However, the detrimental thing about most illnesses; you catch them off of someone else.

Kai smiled to himself, walking to the living room where Cole was sat playing some new game he’d gotten himself. What he’d done to deserve a new video game? Truth be told, Kai didn’t know, but he figured it was probably something menial, such as not eating all the cake they had.

“What’re you smiling at?” Cole said, throwing his controller onto the couch next to him in frustration as some small enemy killed him.

“Oh nothing, my dear Coley,” Kai said, picking up the controller and moving it away from Cole, sitting down next to him with the smug grin still plastered on his face.

“Quit it.”

“No.”

“Short-ass i swear I’ll put your phone on top of the refrigerator again if you don’t tell me,” Cole said, reaching over him and snagging his controller back, continuing to play the game.

“Fine, fine I’ll tell you if you’re gonna be like that,” Kai said pouting, “It’s just that a little birdy was telling me all his earthly desires and guess who was on the list?”

“A little… what the hell are you talking about?” Cole said, sparing a quick glance over at his friend who was smirking exceptionally wide.

“You could say, a little blue Jay was telling me his earthly desires. More like pouring his heart out. Jeez, he really does wear his heart on his sleeve,” Kai said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. He was going to make Cole beg him for this answer or he was going to figure it out himself.

“Blue what? I- wait you were talking to Jay? Did he say anything about me?” Cole said, falling off the edge of the world in his game accidentally as all his concentration relating to it evaporated, throwing his controller on the floor and turning to face Kai.

“Not more than a lot.”

“In what way? Was it like ‘he’s a good bro’ or something else?”

“Ah well. You see Coley, I’m under a vow of silence. My lips are sealed,” He said, making the motion of zipping his lips with his hand, locking them and throwing away the key.

“Dude. Stop.”

“No, no Cole I can’t! He told me in confidence, I don’t want to betray his trust.”

“Kai Smith I swear to God I’ll throw you to the never realm if you don’t tell me and you know I could if I wanted to.”

“You wouldn’t and couldn’t.”

“I would and could, you’re a twink and weight like 120 pounds when wet. I could throw you into next week with enough will power so spill the beans.”

“Alright alright, I’ll spill,” Kai said, holding his hands up in mock defeat as if he wasn’t already going to tell him eventually, “He’s totally into you dude.”

“You aren’t fucking with me?” Cole said, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping as a small blush crept into his cheeks and tips of his ears.

“Nah man, I wouldn’t do that,” Kai said shrugging innocently.

“Knowing you, you totally would,” Cole said, creasing his brow suspiciously.

“Nah bro I’d never. That’s a low blow, even for me but I’m being totally serious.”

“Pinky promise?” Cole said, feeling the butterflies in his stomach begin to reemerge and take over his entire being.

“Pinky promise. Now go talk to him, he’s convinced himself he’s gonna die alone so I don’t know if he should be left alone for too long.” Cole just laughed and jumped up, tripping over his controller and stumbling a little as he dashed towards the stairs, practically running up them on all fours. He stood at Jay’s door and composed himself, taking a deep breath and raising his hand to knock.

“Come in!” Jay’s voice rang from the other side of the door. Cole took another breath, the butterflies in his stomach making their way into his bloodstream, causing every part of him to tingle and tense in anticipation.

“It’s now or never Cole,” He muttered, wrapping his hand around the doorknob and twisting it, walking into Jay’s room.

“Oh, hey Cole,” Jay said with a small smile as he sat up on his bed, “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing much new anyway. What’s up with you?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing important anyway,” Jay said with a chuckle, putting his phone down and swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and looking Cole up and down nervously, “Is there something you needed?”

“Huh? Oh! No no, it’s just- I just- Kai was telling me something and I kinda wanted to talk to you about it,” Cole said, his muscles further tensing as he fiddled with his hands, refusing to look Jay in the eyes. He knew if he looked up, Jay would see how red his face had gone. All the confidence he’ had downstiars with Kai was evaporated, he didn’t know what to say. How do you tell someone your friend told them their in love with you and you feel the same? Even further, how do you tell that to your best friend?

“What- What did Kai tell you?” Jay said nervously, his stomach doing a flip and nearly sending the contents of it back out onto his bedroom floor.

“I- well- here’s the thing he told me you- He said you… liked me,” Cole said, squeezing his eyes shut, afraid of what was coming next. He knew he needed to look up at Jay; if he didn’t, he knew he’d construe his actions negatively. Lifting his head up slowly, Jay was sat staring at him dumbfounded, his face a bright shade of pink. He looked like he was about to cry, throw up or both.

“I- well you know how Kai is, talks out his ass a lot so-” Jay said quickly, rubbing the stray tears out of his eyes. He couldn’t believe he’d told him. Kai had told Cole so now he was stood there, in his room, looking insanely uncomfortable and ready to tell him he didn’t want to be friends anymore. Jay could feel his lunch tossing around, threatening to make a reappearance. He couldn’t even feel mad, he just wanted to throw up and cry.

“That’s the thing, I uh- he promised me he was telling the truth,” Cole said, trying his best to smile, albeit nervously at Jay in an attempt to further tell him he wasn’t mad, though it didn’t seem to be working, so he quickly added, “and I- I won’t lie because we’re best friends and have been for years but like if it is true I- I wouldn’t be upset I’d actually be very- quite- pretty happy.” Cole looked down again and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to hide from his impending doom.

“Wait… Seriously?” Jay said, a fresh batch of tears, happy ones this time, swelled in his eyes.

“Yeah…” Cole said slowly, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and biting into it until it began to bleed.

“Well in that case… Kai wasn’t lying,” Jay said, standing up and walking towards Cole slowly. Cole looked up and saw Jay moving towards him. He took in a deep breath and smiled, his own eyes pricking with tears. Jay looked in Cole’s eyes and wrapped his hands around his waist, resting his head against his chest.

Cole’s breath hitched, he panicked and lifted his arms slightly, before taking a deep breath and placing his arms over his shoulders and wresting his head on top of Jay’s. He looked up at him. Their faces were very close.

“Jay walker would you like to be my boyfriend?” Cole whispered. His breath was cool and fresh, with an after scent of coffee and what he assumed was chocolate. 

“Cole Brookstone I’d be delighted to be your boyfriend,” Jay said with a smile.

“Would- would you mind if I kissed you?” Cole said, not wanting to overstep any boundaries already.

“Come here you softy,” Jay said, pushing his lips against Cole’s hard and fast. Cole jumped and his eyes shot open in surprise before he slowly sunk into the kiss and moved his hand up to Jay’s face and holding it gently as if it were some priceless artefact. Which it was. To him.

Kai sat smiling smugly to himself. He’d heard the majority of their conversation, he figured as cupid he deserved to know what happened, so not long after Cole had raced upstairs, he’d snuck after and positioned himself near the top step, low enough that no one could see him. Eventually, when he’d realised where the conversation was going and that they seemed to be handling it… decently at best, he made his way back downstairs and had positioned himself back on the couch, smugly grinning at the idea that he’d just made two love birds realise they were into each other. Nice.

“What’re you smiling about?” Zane said cautiously, sitting next to Kai on the couch and taking his hand subconsciously.

“I! Just got Cole and Jay to confess to each other!” Kai said proudly, smiling at Zane as if he’d just cured world hunger. Zane chuckled and rolled his eyes.

“Someone had to say something eventually. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people pinning so hard and so obviously but neither of them notice. It’s crazy to think it didn’t happen sooner.”

“You do realise I tried dropping so many hints to you that I liked you right? But you were too boneheaded to pick up on any of those hints,” Kai said, raising his eyebrows with a laugh.

“In my defense you are also incredibly boneheaded, and those ‘hints’ you’re talking about could have been construed in anyway so stop it,” Zane said, looking over at Kai.

“Good thing you’re moronsexal,” Kai said softly, moving his face closer to Zane’s.

“It’s a good thing I am, I don’t know how I’d deal with you otherwise,” Zane said softly back, lifting a hand to Kai’s cheek and cupping it softly, pressing their lips together, closing his eyes.

All is right in the world, Kai thought as he kissed Zane, their bodies getting closer, any kind of distance between them was too much. To make it even better, he knew full well Cole and Jay were probably doing the exact same thing in Jay’s room.

[phoenixyfriend]

The MILFnevka AU

Once again something that was brainstormed en masse on the GG fanworks server.

I was... very much spearheading this one, but I dragged in @professorsparklepants for a lot, because Anevka, as well as input from @fenerismoon, @purronronner, @gelpenss​, and @whirlibird. The original conversation took place mid-September of 2019.

AU where Tarvek's side of the family squeezed in an extra generation or so.

Aaronev was still Lu's generation, but he had Anevka young, and she was an only child who was already an adult by the time Lu disappeared. As a result, Aaronev let her married before she ended up in the machine (because he wasn’t desperate yet), and he couldn't risk drawing the attention by the time Agatha’s gen is being born.

So instead of being Tarvek's SISTER, she's his MOM.

Anevka formed her own faction, separate from the Aaronev and vaguely aligned with Terabithia’s.

She insisted Martellus and his branch hang out with Tarvek because being an only child is lonely, and also it keeps Tarvek out of his grandfather's sights and vague plans of body-hopping.

She is a Protective Momma who is a little TOO down with murdering anyone who threatens her child.

Agatha: you're just going to listen to your evil mom? Because no offense but that's worked out really bad for me so far. Tarvek: She's not EVIL, just... Valois... anyway the Baron knows what she's like and mostly he just rolls his eyes and tries to keep her away from Queen DuPree.

Anevka is definitely the mom that uses her position as mother of the king/heir to stockpile as much power as possible and control everything behind the scenes. Tarvek is currently trying to undermine this and wrestle back control as secretly as possible.

Wine mom with eighty hidden stabbing implements.

When Agatha is discovered, Anevka still kills her dad, but it's not like she can steal Agatha's voice in this AU, so she just settles for aggressively matchmaking her with Tarvek.

Anevka's managed to rein her dad in, mostly, because she's a powerful spark with an Undefined Husband who nonetheless has enough good connections to cause a ruckus if he finds out about the Summoning Throne, and he's too sparky to wasp.

This did lead to his early death and no siblings for Tarvek, but not before Anevka managed to fight her dad down to ONLY trying to throne the girls who were legitimately likely to be Agatha.

And then Agatha's in Sturmhalten and Anevka's just like. Well. Time for plan A. And kills her dad.

Regarding Gil...  She kinda wants to pat him on the head and tell him to try harder.

I'm not wholly convinced Tarvek got kicked off of Castle Wulfenbach, depending on how Anevka married and decided to approach things. She might have warned Tarvek to AVOID stealing information, even, if she was worried about Aaronev trying to do something.

Less "do whatever you can to help us gain power" and more "do whatever you can to stay out of Sturmhalten."

Tarvek: My mom is a bitch and I love her so much

Klaus hates it when Anevka comes to CW because she acts like some unholy cross between Lucrezia, Terabithia, and Zantabraxus and she keeps hitting on his top enforcers but with knives and pretty dresses.

Unstoppable Divorce energies

Anevka: Do you like my new dress? Klaus: Your bodice is far too low cut, please stop visiting me dressed like my ex. I'm the same age as your father. Anevka: I know, it's really fun to watch you suffer as you fail to resist the urge to tell me to put on a sweater.

Tarvek: MOTHER YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME IN FRONT OF ALL MY FRIENDS PLEASE STOP HITTING ON THE BARON AURGH. Anevka: I'm not HITTING on him, I'm trying to make his face turn puce. Anevka: I am, however, hitting on Von Pinn. She looks like she knows how to have fun. Tarvek: MOTHER.

Tarvek, to Gil: the baron can't be your dad, he's old enough to be your grandfather. Gil: He’s at a solid age for both.

Anevka and Klaus have zero actual attraction to each other but there's definitely A Dynamic that's eerily reminiscent of his relationship with Bang, with slightly less "I did a violence, be proud of me" and slightly more "I did a sexy and/or politics, be proud of me."

Tarvek: I have a problem. Gil: What's up? Tarvek: All of our friends want to fuck my mom. Zulenna: I don't. Tarvek: That's because she used to put you in time-out when we were five.

Anevka is prime Dangerous Widow material. She didn't actually kill her husband but a hell of a lot of people think she did.

Seffie thinks her Auntie 'Nevka is the COOLEST

Anevka having an intermittent fling with that "darlingly stupid young hero, Tryggvassen" makes me laugh way too hard and also dips into my nonsense love of Otharnevka.

At one point we did sidle over into “what if Single Father KB tho”

Like they met at some point on vacation while the kids were still kids, which does lose us the “Anevka aggressively ships her kid with Agatha” thing, so I’m not sticking with this but there’s some hella fun tidbits.

Anevka: Guess what. Klaus, very tired: What. Anevka: I'm getting married. Klaus: Again? Good for you. I hope this one lives longer. Anevka: He has the same name as you. Klaus: Get out of my house.

KB isn't a widower, things are just complicated and everyone blames Lu. There's time travel involved, of course.

"So your daughter--" "Sister." "...how--" "Just... just blame my mother."

He's LEGALLY Agatha's dad, maybe? Their dynamic is parent-child. Just, you know, as far as blood goes...

Anevka wants KB to help her bag Othar again. KB thinks she means finally killing him. Anevka: I might. Haven't decided yet.

Overall, though, including KB is too complicated without undermining the entire premise I want. Which is mostly canon but Anevka is Tarvek's embarrassing, mysterious, prone-to-assassination mother.

Seriously though, the entire attraction here is Anevka having the Dangerous Widow Whom No Man Can Tie Down vibe

She's a solo act. Some flings, sure, but overall? Chaos. Refined, elegant chaos.

Anevka as Bang’s sugar mom was suggested. We were obviously all on board.

Bang doesn’t need a sugar mom, but it makes the vein in Klaus's forehead throb, and that's very important.

Bang absolutely tries to get Tarvek to call her “mom” while she’s ‘dating’ Anevka. One time he does call her that and it throws her for SUCH A LOOP because no wrong.

Anevka occasionally daydreams of a world where she could have both Othar and Bang at the same time without them IMMEDIATELY trying to kill each other. Only occasionally, though, she has evidence to plant and blood to spill.

BACK TO ANEVKA SHIPPING HER KID WITH HIS POLITICALLY-APPROPRIATE CRUSH.

Anevka: Oh look, my future daughter-in-law. Tarvek, tired: Mother, she doesn't like me. Anevka: Whyever not? You're clever, handsome, politically apt, charming, sensitive, heir to a throne, you are EVERYTHING a maiden could wish for. Tarvek: You just think that because you're my mom. Agatha: No, no, she's not wrong. You're just not someone I trust. At all. Especially since you say you've been a honeypot before. Anevka: See? A simple hurdle, dear, I'm sure you could whip him into shape in no time. I could even loan you the whip. And the harness, perh-- Tarvek: MOTHER.

Anevka sends Tarvek out with Othar for “field trips.”

It’s great!! Multi-purpose! Absolutely helps boost Tarvek’s image if he’s associated with Known Hero, gets Othar out of her hair for a little bit, sometimes he can be pointed in a direction that’s useful to her.

Othar refers to this outings as “stepfather-stepson bonding times.” Tarvek absolutely hates it. Detests it, really.

Somehow something goes wrong and like 50% of the time and he ends up getting accused of murder, probably.

It’s so unfair. Especially since of the two of them, Othar is more likely to murder than him. (It’s because everyone knows what those Valois types are like, and Othar is a hero.)

Gil: What's so embarrassing about your mom? Your mom's nice. (To me.)

She gives him head pats and lollipops. His own dad certainly never gives him head pats OR lollipops.

Anevka: Well I WAS going to push him towards dear little Seffie, but he seems to be quite enamored with YOU, darling. Tarvek: Mother, PLEASE stop getting invested in my love life.

Anevka’s job is to meddle, he’s lucky she isn’t drawing up contracts and going Full Arrangement.

I also love the idea of Anevka having one of those "sunshine embodied anime mom" smiles as she says "Oh Tarvek, dear, look at all your little friends!"

She's genuinely enthused but Klaus is heavily disturbed by Anevka smiling like that.

"Is she going to sacrifice them?" "Uh, no, it isn't Sunday."

Human sacrifice is actually garish and passe these days, haven’t you heard?

Just imagining one of those Stately Child and Parent portraits with Anevka and Tarvek here.

When Tarvek was born, Anevka has an "I've only had my son for an hour and a half" moment... and then just shrugged and rolled with it.

Anevka "Hot Mom" Sturmvoraus is one of the MANY banes of Klaus's existence, but she's definitely one of the friendliest on the list... as much as he may resent that, at times.

Anevka: Is the Baron in? Boris: Actually... [Crashing noise] Boris: He just left. Anevka, pulling on the rocket boots she stole from Othar and heading towards the broken window leading to the outside of the ship: That's alright, I'll catch up.

(I love how Anevka's name just lends itself so well to AU portmanteaus.)

Anevka definitely susses out Gil's identity but she doesn't actually DO anything about it other than angling for Useful Connections.

She's always telling Tarvek to bring his friend along, and Klaus doesn't want Gil anywhere near that family but he doesn't want it to look like he has any particular interest in Gil.

Imagine Klaus actually encouraging Gil to persue Agatha with the idea that it will put some distance between Gil and "that damn woman and her spawn." Anevka for her part is pushing Agatha towards Tarvek. Meanwhile the three of them are working it out between themselves.

She just has This Energy, folks:

Tarvek: Oh no. Theo: Whats the matter? That's your mom, right? Tarvek: Oh NO, she's wearing her 'NEWLY WIDOWED BUT OUT ON THE PROWL' OUTFIT Theo: ????? She hasn’t been widowed- Tarvek: SHES AFTER THE BARON AND I'M GOING TO DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT, THEO

The one thing here is that Anevka's not into Klaus and he's not into her but by GOD is she going to fuck with his head about it.

She’s just doing this for the Big Dick Energy of trying to Get Baron Wulfenbach.

Embarrassing mom of the deadliest degree.

Tarvek: YOU’RE GOING TO RUIN MY LIFE. Anevka: Don't be so dramatic, let your mother have a bit of fun. Besides, he's not expelling you anymore, is he? Tarvek: I almost wish he was-

Also Gil and Tarvek reconciling early on due to the immense power of being Embarrassed By Your Parents.

Anevka and Klaus getting increasingly bitchy at each other at dinner, and Tarvek and Gil are just. Bright red and glowering at them.

They’re DESTROYING their COOL TEEN CRED.

Tarvek doesn't ever wants to marry a woman who has been married before, not because of some weird distaste of so-called "sloppy seconds," but rather that he's just scared that they're going to be like his mom, and planning to kill him for his money.

Tarvek, waking up in the middle of the night: What if they really do get married and I have to have Gil as a stepbrother. Tarvek: (screams internally for a few hours)

Anevka is also that Sailor J contouring video

While Otharnevka is... this thing

Some more relevant Vibes: Divorce Court Half-Mourning Upper East Side Widow

Everyone always assumed she had murdered her husband. It was a natural assumption, but ultimately wrong. She had had plans in place to kill him if the need arose, but in the end she hadn’t needed them.

Most people grossly underestimated how complicated it was to arrange for someone to be t-boned by a semi carrying flammable chemicals.

Othar as Anevka's second trophy husband and Tarvek's annoying stepdad has a very specific energy.

That energy is at least 20% "the lovebirds take anniversary honeymoons every year" and 60% "Tarvek hates being in the room with them because they're gross and embarrassing."

This is partly fun because Othar being Tarvek’s stepdad is... a lot.

But honestly, I'm also just enjoying cougar Anevka with Trophy Husband Othar. They're actually in love!!! BUT. Cougar with a trophy husband.

Anevka makes sly comments about Othar and Klaus having sexual tension.

Also I have headcanons about NB Tarvek and like

I think she'd be supportive up until the point of "you want to be Storm King, don't you?"

Less "this isn't natural and you shouldn't be this way" and more "this is going to cause you trouble due to social norms."

"Keep it under wraps until your throne is secure, then you can come out in a blaze of glory." No dresses in public until you're king, then do whatever you want. After all, “Your Majesty” is gender neutral.

Anevka caught Tarvek playing dressup in her closet one time and just criticized the color relationships.

And you must try to avoid wearing that particular shade at all, my dear, it really doesn't look imperial.

[aerysian]

headcanons i have as i write 'not my type'

there are a few things in not my type (ffn / ao3) that i don't explicitly state or mention. i thought that i should share them somewhere so people can keep them in mind, too, as they read. so here they are:

- the powerpuff girls in order of age: blossom, buttercup, bubbles. buttercup milks it all the time. the rowdyruff boys in order of age: brick, butch, boomer. boomer hates being the baby.

- the powerpuff girls in order of height: blossom, bubbles, buttercup. the rowdyruff boys in order of height: boomer, butch, brick. i had to think about this one hard because i love butch as a short king, too. but in nmt!verse, brick is the shortest. boomer is hands down the tallest at 6ft-something. then it's butch at 6ft or so. brick is just shy of that, probably around 5'10. it gives him and blossom a really balanced look because she's around his height ― maybe 5'8? then it's bubbles, and buttercup is the shortest, though she loses to bubbles by like half an inch. it's a difference bubbles holds over her like how buttercup takes advantage of being a little older.

- blossom used to be immune to the cold, and brick used to be immune to the heat. it was part of the superpowers package. but then something malfunctioned, and suddenly they couldn't handle their internal power source anymore. probably part of a late adolescent phase? blossom started freezing while brick was burning up, so we get that trope of 'haha, now they needa hold onto each other to balance out their haywire elements >:)' and now they're sensitive to their respective elements. it's counterintuitive, but it's how it is for now. the professor thinks they can build up their immunity again with exposure training, but they don't have time for that right now.

- speaking of powers, they still have them, but they're not as OP as they were as kids. they all have laser eyes, flight, super strength, super hearing, etc. and there are limitations to each. i try to mention it in the story. i could expand a bit into how each character is affected / what their powers do if anyone is interested. one example in what i've posted so far is how brick can hear almost everything in the area. over time, he's learned to tune things out, but he can't use super hearing to, say, listen in on a conversation in crowded train unless he really focuses in on a person's voice.

- individual powers and abilities! only mentioning briefly, but they're pretty in line with canon and other fans' headcanons:

brick - fire breath (sometimes reactive to his anger or annoyance), split-second decision making (often butts heads with blossom because she thinks things through, but this is useful when blossom's stuck in her head. can't weigh pros/cons when the monster is seconds away from attacking. reminds me of miraculous ladybug in that he looks around and things just click)

butch - shield manipulation (the others can make some variance of shields for blocking, too, but butch is The Impenetrable Shield and is capable of expanding it beyond himself. the biggest shield he’s ever made covered an entire city block. he’s constantly testing his capabilities), super strength and athleticism (they all have this, but the greens specifically train this aspect a lot so they have a lot more brute force than their siblings. they also start with naturally more strength)

boomer - super speed (again, they're all fast, but boomer is sonic), electric manipulation (his element. sparky sparky boom man), charm (butch swears he's the one with the charm, but that's just failed flirting. the blues have higher emotional intelligence and empathy than their siblings, so they usually handle some of the trickier situations, like calming someone down. boomer isn't kind, though; he used to take advance of his charm to manipulate people)

blossom - ice breath (also reactive to heightened emotions), intelligence (considered the brains of the group, but god, does she get lost in her thoughts. she's careful to a fault, so she has backup upon backup plans, but curve balls throw her for a loop. she gets so stuck analyzing everything that she sometimes freezes. brick balances that out now, teaches her that sometimes the best plan is no plan), ruthlessly logical (she used to be idealistic and think they could save everyone, but after one particularly bad experience where spreading themselves too thin led to a greater loss than she expected, her thinking changed. now she has to consider every pro/con and will only briefly hesitate to make sacrifices. it’s not an easy decision to make, and her sisters hate how she acts — too logical, not very everything nice of her — but this is the burden of being a leader. brick is the opposite; he’s selfish. he will push his brothers to their absolute limits to save everyone, consequences be damned. can expand on this.)

buttercup - super strength and athleticism (stronk girl, throws hands like no one’s business), shadow stealth (for all her loudness, her shadow stealth is frighteningly silent. she hates using it but will for strategy and spying. it’s much more effective at night as she can slip in and out of the darkness. it’s possible for her to use during the day, though, if she stays within shadows. haven’t decided what exactly happens as she uses this. maybe melts into the shadows with only glowing eyes visible if she uses other powers like night vision. gets really tired afterwards if she’s been shadow stealthing for long distances because she’s literally changing her form)

bubbles - sound manipulation (idk what the difference is between hypersonic and supersonic, but screeching sound waves. also really, really good at voice impersonations. thinks it’s funny but can be used strategically. hard for them to control, though, because she breaks character often), super linguist (can pick up other languages really fast!! is their go-to for international correspondence. she can also speak to animals and monsters, which is helpful, but also she is so talkative. it helps with information gathering, though, so they’ll listen about how Dave the Squirrel’s day was if he’s an important crime witness. imagine robbing a store and getting caught cuz a damn rat identified you)

that’s it for now cuz tumblr’s bugging :(( will add more some time

[anyarally]

Logan Meets a Mer

Sanders Sides Fanfiction Virgil X Logan (Analogical) 3,133 Words   Ao3 Link

Logan was out on the sea yet again, dragged along with Roman and his self-proclaimed ‘merry crew’. He usually stuck to the lower decks, at his desk trying to study and write about any new findings he procured on these trips, but Roman called him and Remus, his co-captain and twin brother, up to the upper deck for a ‘bffs meeting’ as Remus called them. Or, you know, a top-secret meeting for the higher ranks, but tomato tomato. Little did he know he'd see something unbelievable that day.

Logan was out on the sea yet again, dragged along with Roman and his self-proclaimed ‘merry crew’. He usually stuck to the lower decks, at his desk trying to study and write about any new findings he procured on these trips, but Roman called him and Remus, his co-captain and twin brother, up to the upper deck for a ‘bffs meeting’ as Remus called them. Or, you know, a top-secret meeting for the higher ranks, but tomato tomato.

Logan sighed, putting a ribbon in his journal and his quill in his ink jar and going upstairs to where Roman and Remus were.

“Sir, this really isn’t a great time, I was about to-“

“Specs! How many times do I have to tell you now to call us sir! We think of you as an equal.”

“Yeah Logie-bear! Just because we’re captains and you’re not and we’re cool and you’re lame doesn’t mean we’re better than you!”

“Well, sirs,” Logan adjusted his glasses, “maybe if either of you simply called me my name, I wouldn’t be so inclined to not call you yours either.”

Roman loudly clapped his hands together, “Anyway! I have some very important and top-secret news for you all!”

“We have some top-secret news for you all! Jesus, Roman!”

Logan cleared his throat, “First of all, if both of you knew it shouldn’t be ‘you all’. Secondly, could you two please just tell me?”

“God, Logan, you’re no fun! Whatever,” Remus led the way to the back of the upper deck, pulling back a curtain to something Logan had never seen before. And that was saying something.

Logan looked up, mouth agape, at a merman. He always assumed they were just legend, he could barely believe his eyes. He slowly walked up to him, but when the merman started hissing he stopped advancing. The merman had short shoddily cut hair, giant pointy teeth, beautiful dark scales that shined purple in the light, left eye purple, right eye green, and scales on his face, specifically under his eyes.

“I, erm, you’re… magnificent.” Logan gaped, looking up at the mer.

The mer only hissed again, but if Logan hadn’t been so flustered himself he would’ve noticed the red forming on the fleshy parts of his face. Then, suddenly, the beautiful creature screamed .

A demonic double voice emanates from the beautiful beast, causing Logan, Roman, and Remus to hurriedly cover their ears. Eventually, it got high enough to break a glass mug, and then the mer took a break to breathe some.

Once he was done, Remus took down the net and looked at the two agape men, “Let’s get him downstairs. We don’t want the rest of the crew to see him.”

Logan and Roman nodded, finally broken from the trance, and helped Remus carry the now exhausted mer.

They laid him down in the tub for now, and Roman and Remus left, leaving Logan to watch him.

Logan scanned over the beautiful creature with his eyes, noticing his chest moving up and down. He has lungs. Good. He gently brushed his fingers against his tail, noticing the scales don’t feel… healthy. If he had been with the brothers when they caught the merman, he would’ve thrown him right back overboard. It’s dangerous and harmful to keep native sea life for too long, even though Logan wanted to study it far more than the crew presumably wanted to sell his scales.

Logan sighed, went to his room, got his journal and quill, and came into the bathroom to sit on the floor and write until the mer wakes up.

Sure enough, after about an hour and a half, the beautiful merman woke up. He slowly blinks his eyes open, but when he sees Logan, immediately starts hissing.

“Shh! You don’t want the boys to come!”

The mer turned his head in a questioning manner but ultimately quieted down.

Logan let out a relieved breath, “Thank you. Now, can you understand me?”

In response, he got a garbled mess of what sounded like dolphin noises? But then the mer coughed and replied, “Sorry, haven’t talked above water in awhile.”

“Fascinating! Do you have a name? Have you been above water before? Are your scales supposed to feel like that? Why do you have hair? Is heterochromia rare for merfolk too? Do baby mers nurse? How-”

“Hold up, you need to calm down like holy shit humans can talk. My name is Virgil. That’s all you really need to know right now.”

Logan sighs, “I suppose. Nice to meet you, Virgil, I’m Logan.” he held out his hand for Virgil to shake, and he just looked at it. “Very well, I understand your lack of trust towards me. If it means anything to you, if I were on the upper deck when you were caught, I wouldn’t have let them bring you on the ship.”

“Them?”

“Roman and Remus, the co-captains of this ship.”

“Co-captains?” Virgil said skeptically.

“I know, it’s idiotic, but their father only had one ship to give and they kept arguing about who could own it, eventually coming to the consensus that they could both be captain.”

They talked back and forth for about half an hour when Virgil started scratching at his scales. Logan grabbed his hand, and Virgil yanked it back aggressively, gently cradling it close to his chest.

“Apologies, I’m aware you’re not fond of… touch from me. I was simply trying to stop you from scratching, it can’t be good for you.”

“It gets this way when it hasn’t been in saltwater for too long.” Virgil snapped, anger clear in his tone.

Logan looked away, mumbling something.

“L? What was that?”

“Could I, erm, would you like me to let you go?”

“Dude that’s literally all I’ve wanted this whole time.”

“Oh. Ah, I see, you never said so.”

“I never thought you would say yes, and I thought my tone gave it away!”

“Apologies, again, I have trouble with emotions and tone and such,” there’s a long stretch of awkward silence, which Logan interrupts with, “anyway, escaping?”

“Oh, uh, yeah man I’d love that.”

“Very well. It’s almost sundown, after then the twins will go to the lower decks for supper and likely a party with the crew, then bed. It will not be suspicious for me to miss this, I rarely come anyway. If we stay quiet, they should not suspect a thing, and even if they hear my footsteps they will assume I’m coming out to look at and chart the stars like I do most nights. As long as we can hide the sound of your tail, we should be set.”

“That’s too many ‘should’s for me to be comfortable with. But, it’s the best plan we’ve got I guess.”

“Indeed.”

That night, everything surprisingly went off without a hitch. Logan managed to get Virgil off the side of the boat unharmed and undetected, but the next morning is where things get a little rough.

Logan looked out at the sea, sighed, and went back to his room. No going to sleep at this point, Logan decided to sit at his desk and write.

‘Sea Log #9.18 (CONT.)

Today, I met a rare creature I previously believed was simply a myth. I suppose the best name for him would be a merman.*

His scales were dark with a purple shine to him, and he thankfully was willing to answer some of my questions eventually,** but on this page, I have chosen to focus on this particular merman’s personality.

Once he trusted me enough to start speaking (English, surprisingly), he told me his name was Virgil. I learned that he doesn’t have many friends under the sea, just one best friend and a brother. His best friend’s name is Janus, he’s half eel as opposed to the more fish-like features Virgil has. His brother’s name is Patton, he’s very similar to Virgil, just with a blue shine to him and different scale placement on his face. He mentioned Patton’s vision is very bad, perhaps I could find a way to get a prescription and make waterproof glasses of some kind.

What am I saying, I likely will not see Virgil again, much less his family. I helped him escape, and I do not regret it.

Apologies, that was a falsehood. I do regret it, but not for the reasons I normally would. I feel something for this merman. I do not entirely know what, but it is something. I do know that I miss him. I miss him in a different way than I miss my work on land, closer to the way I miss my mother and Sparky, but still not quite.

I have made sure to leave space at the bottom of this page, so I will add more later. I believe Roman and Remus may be able to help me with this, but I will have to wait to ask. I didn’t bring any books on psychology along on this trip, and I suspect the twins will be less than pleased at me letting the merman go.

*double-check and correct if needed at a later date

**diagram and explanations on next two-page spread (pages 19-20)

Satisfied with his journal entry, Logan put his quill away and closed his journal, putting it away on the shelf above his desk.

He stretched his arms and glanced into his bathroom, seeing the light coming out and realizing he unintentionally pulled yet another all-nighter.

Sighing, he changes his clothes anyway to make it seem like he had slept, fixed his hair in the mirror, and started heading to the upper deck.

“Lo-lo! You’re finally up!”

“Sir, the sunrise just happened.”

“Ugh, you’re such a downer! Hey, where’d that mer get off to? I haven’t seen it since yesterday.” Roman asked whilst cleaning his sword.

“Sir, he is gone.”

“Gone?! Gone where?!” Remus screamed, Roman paused in his cleaning.

“I, ahem, I let him go.”

“You. WHAT.” Roman loudly stated in the most intimidating voice Logan had ever heard.

“Sir, it was inhumane to keep him here, you must know that.”

“It wasn’t human, Logan! Remus, throw him in a holding cell, we can’t trust him anymore.”

“Wait, sir-” muffled pleas continued to come from Logan as Remus muffled his mouth with his hand.

“Okie-dokie bro-bro!”

Remus quickly threw Logan into a cell, easily ignoring Logan’s cries as he did so. Logan wasn’t particularly known for his brawn, it wasn’t very hard to overpower him.

Remus waltzed on out, whistling as he went.

“Remus, didn’t Logan take the merman to his quarters?”

“Yeah, I think so, should we go check them out?”

Check them out, they did. In his quarters, the co-captains found his journal and Remus of course had no problem invading the sailing master’s privacy, so he opened it up immediately, flipping to the most recent page. On it, Remus saw a two-page spread of the merman, and when he went to the page before, his eyes widened.

“Roman, come here for a second.”

“What is it, Ree? You never use my whole name,” Roman looks over Remus’s shoulder, “holy shit. Remus, I think I’ve got a plan.”

They smirked at each other, taking the journal and going to the cell Logan was being held in.

“Hey, specs!” Roman yelled, causing Logan to quickly look up.

“Look what we found!” Remus holds the journal above his head mockingly.

Roman yanks the book out of Remus’s hand, “‘ I miss him in a different way than I miss my work on land, closer to the way I miss my mother and Sparky, but still not quite.’ You’re clearly in love with him, nerd! He must at least trust you, with all the personal info he gave you, so I think you’d make for perfect bait!”

“Wait, no! You can’t hurt him! It’s not our place, he belongs in the ocean!”

“Ooh, and maybe this Janus and Patton will come too, they sound pretty!”

“No! You can’t!”

The two twins just laughed. Remus opened the door to the cell and grabbed him, holding him while Roman put handcuffs on him, and then bringing him back to the upper decks. Once they get up there, Remus pushes Logan, making him stumble forwards, stepping on a net trap and effectively trapping him.

“Stop this at once! It’s not ethical! It’s not humane!”

“You can just say ‘right’ you know! Ugh, even when you’re dying you’re the biggest nerd in the seven seas,” Roman laughs while Remus just looks to the side.

Roman pulls a lever, pulling the net holding Logan up above their heads and putting him above the ocean.

“No!” Logan grunts, chained wrists grabbing the ropes.

“Yeah, keep that mouth talking, specs! The louder you yell, the faster that thing will come for you!”

Out of spite, the sailing master stays completely silent, not even moving enough to rustle the ropes.

He stays quiet for almost two hours, the co-captains trying everything they could think of without moving him from above the water to make the poor man yell, only making the ropes make some noise.

Eventually, Roman realizes he could look in Logan’s ship log for info on mers, and sees that they have an incredible sense of smell, especially when it comes to prey. They can apparently smell the blood of their prey and their friends, easily differentiating between them.

Roman smirked as he showed the line to Remus, but he just looked away again, “Ro, are you sure about this? I mean… I don’t wanna hurt him.”

“What are you talking about Ree, we need those scales!”

Remus raised his voice, alerting Logan of the argument, “No, you need those scales! I don’t care, Roman!”

“Oh fuck you, Remus. I’ll do it myself.”

Roman uses the lever to bring Logan close. He grabs his foot, yanking it through one of the squares in the net. Grabbing the boot and throwing it into the ocean, Roman uses his dagger and quickly slices the back of the struggling man’s ankle, hitting an artery before he levers him back over the water.

Logan tries to pull his foot back in the net but just ends up making the blood come out quicker.

Off in the distance, they hear a scream. Logan looks out to see a giant splash of water and what looks like but a black spec in the distance. He gulps.

The almost demonic screeching gets louder and louder until they see a giant splash right beside Logan’s net.

Virgil jumped up like a dolphin, doing a flip and diving back in, screeching the whole time. When he resurfaces to the right of Logan’s net, he hovers with the water just under his eyes for a second, and as he rises so his mouth is above water, two mers pop up behind him.

The one on the right of him has green and yellow scales covering the left half of his head, an eel eye on that side and a human eye on the other. The creature has long dark green hair growing out of the human half of his head which floats around him at the top of the water.

The other looks a lot like Virgil, with similar skin and hair tones, but instead of black scales with a purple shine, he has a grey tail with a blue shine to them. His scales also didn’t accumulate in certain spots like Virgil’s, they were speckled all over his face, like freckles.

“Virgil! You have to leave! It’s a trap!”

Virgil looked up towards the yell, eyes widening at the state Logan’s in. His bloody foot, broken glasses, his bruised cheek, and his reddened handcuffed wrists anger Virgil to the core. He sternly but lovingly says, “It’s okay Lo, we’ll get you out of there.” Virgil turns back to the co-captains, “Let him go, or we’ll sink your ship and take him ourselves!”

“Or,” Roman pulls out a pistol, mahogany with gold accents, and aims it at Logan, “We could shoot him now, and no one wins! Or I suppose you could give yourself and your little buddies over and he lives, whichever you prefer.” Roman smirks.

Remus gasped as he pulled out the gun and aimed it at Logan. “Ro, aren’t we taking this too far? We can’t kill Logan, right?”

“We’ll be fine without a sailing master for a couple days, Ree, we’ll kidnap a new one soon enough.”

“Roman, that’s not why and you know it!”

“Jesus Christ, Remus, we’re not gonna just give up mer scales for your stupid crush!”

“Why you-“ Remus growled, tackling Roman, making his finger slip and shoot the gun.

Time seemed to slow down for Logan as he did his best to get out of the way, the bullet hitting his shoulder. He yelled out, and Virgil screeched.

Virgil looked to the co-captains, eyes turning black, but was surprised to see Roman unconscious on the ground.

When everyone was shocked by the gunshot, Remus had hit Roman in the head with the butt of his dagger, effectively knocking him unconscious.

Remus and Virgil made eye contact, Remus sighing, “If I get the net into the water, can you help him? We don’t have a doctor.”

Virgil almost couldn’t hear Remus’s uncharacteristically quiet voice, but responded with a nod, “My brother knows healing magic.”

“Good.” Remus cut the rope to the net, making it fall into the water with a giant splash.

Virgil and the other mers immediately dove under, Virgil getting to the net first and cutting Logan free with his sharp teeth.

“Janus, cast the spell.”

“Got it,” the eel mer closed his eyes and brought his webbed hands to his temples, opening his now glowing eyes and saying, “KFIV VMVITB MLG HPRM ZMW YLMV IRHRMT ORPV GSV HSVKZIW GLMV.”

Logan opened his eyes and gasped, breathing water, and looked around confusedly. When he reached out for his glasses, he put more strain on his bullet wound, making more blood to float out of it and disappear into the water.

Virgil grabbed Logan’s glasses and handed them to him, continuing to scoop him up in his arms. “Shh, you’re okay now. I’ll explain everything as soon as we’re somewhere safe. Patton?” he held Logan out to the mer with a blue shine.

Patton nodded, gently touching Logan’s uninjured arm. Logan watched in amazement as the injuries on his arm and ankle went through an accelerated healing process, the bullet floating out of his arm and both wounds closing up until they were simply scars.

Virgil thanked the now panting Patton and closed his eyes as giant shadows enveloped the three merfolk and one human, transporting them away from Roman and Remus’s ship.

Don't freak out, there will be a sequel! It'll probably be in a bit though. I've already picked a prompt for it and a basic story outline though, so it's happening! Sorry this last chapter is so short, I just really felt that's where it ends. Oh and just an fyi Logan is (or was lol) Roman and Remus's sailing master, but he was not kidnapped! Pirates often kidnap sailing masters but Logan was there willingly. :) Everyone who read this story, you get a cookie! Anyone who solves the cipher gets a second cookie! Prompt: Trapped in a net

[sol-tinyrayofsun]

Zutara Week Day 6 - Affirm:  It Was Always You (Falling For Me)

This little story has been on my mind for quite some time now and I somehow made it work with the prompt. It’s really fluffy, ridiculous, and features a lot of Toph’s brilliance to mess with her friends yet always meaning well. I just had a good time writing it, it was honestly a fun ride.

I hope you enjoy it! As always, thank you for reading! Feedback and comments are always appreciated! <3 In case you prefer it, also on AO3! Title: It Was Always You (Falling For Me)

Rating: G

Summary: When Katara let Toph convince her of giving Zuko a love potion to make him fall in love with her, she knew the chances of the plan going sideways were extremely high. Still, the last thing she expected was for Zuko to act normal. Painfully normal. Operation “Sparky Falling For Sugar Queen” turns out to be a little too complicated. (Set after Ember Island Players but before Sozin’s Comet).

----- “Pst! Katara!”

The waterbender tilted her head. The kitchen appeared to be empty. Still, she could hear someone calling for her, loud and clear. She had been busy making sure they had everything ready for lunch around Zuko’s holiday house at Ember Island. 

“Katara!” There it was, that voice again. “Listen up, Sugar Queen!”

Wait for a second, that was Toph’s voice. Definitely. 

“Toph?” She asked, walking around the room. “Where on earth are you?”

“Inside the broomstick closet!” Toph chuckled. “Come here for a sec.”

Katara did as she said. Once she opened the door, she found Toph mischievously smirking, holding a little bottle in her hands. 

“So, what is it?” 

“This!” Toph replied, showing off the bottle with a grin on her face. “This is what I wanted to show you!”

“And you were hidden with all those broomsticks because…” 

“Dramatic effect, Sugar Queen, never underestimate it,” she said, stepping into the kitchen hall. “Now, aren’t you going to ask what this is for?”

“Sure, Toph,” Katara let out an amused sigh. “Why is it so important?

“How do you feel about having some fun at Sparky’s expenses?”

In all honesty, the idea sounded tempting. After the dreadful night Katara had endured with that stupid play just days ago, she could use more than a little fun. Although Toph’s idea of fun could sometimes be questionable, at the very least.

“Hold up. What do you have in mind?”

“This little thing,” Toph shook the bottle up in the air. “It’s a temporary love potion.”

Katara broke down in a scandalous laugh. “Yeah, and where did you get that from?”

Toph made a defensive frown. “Hey, it’s the real deal! I bought it from a weird old lady in town. She wasn’t lying, I swear.”

“Alright, I believe you. And what do you suggest we do with it?” 

“Yes, that’s the attitude!” she celebrated. “According to the weirdo, two drops of this stuff and you can make anyone fall at your feet. All you need is for the other person to consume it while looking at you. And I just thought, wouldn’t it be hilarious if Zuko just happened to suddenly be crazy in love with you? That play inspired me, that’s all I’m saying.”

Well, that sounded like a recipe for disaster. Especially considering the way that play had contributed to her latest confusion regarding her feelings for two very powerful - and very different - benders. Still, it was a tempting offer. 

“Toph, that’s insane!” Hesitation could be heard in her voice. “Trust me, pranking Zuko would be entertaining, but we cannot force him to be forever in love with me! I mean, what on earth would we do then? Seems a little cruel to me.”

“See? That’s the catch. It’s temporary. Two drops would only make him fall in love with you for a couple of days, tops. Come on! I thought you had been introduced to the concept of fun.”

Spirits, screw it. Two days of some harmless fun, how bad could it be? She could use a little distraction from the constant stress they were all under.

“Are you sure the effect will wear off?” 

“Absolutely. Say yes, please! You know I can always do it without you. Or to you.” A mischievous smile framed her face. “You know you want to torture Sparky a little bit.”

“Alright… Let’s do it. But if anything goes sideways it’s your responsibility.” 

“Heck yeah! That’s the spirit!” Toph gave her an affectionate punch in the shoulder. “Oh man, this is going to be too fun to watch!”

And so operation “Sparky falling for Sugar Queen” was put into motion. The two girls would prepare some tea - which would undoubtedly bribe Zuko in there - and make sure he was left alone with Katara when it came to drinking it. Toph would oversee everything from a cautious distance. It was the craziest, most random idea ever. But it sure sounded like fun.

 Once everything was ready, Katara waited for Zuko in the kitchen. Needless to say, she was feeling a tad nervous. Waiting by the countertop, staring at the two teacups in front of her, she felt her heart racing on her chest. 

It was just for two days. And it would certainly be nice to laugh with Toph about Zuko’s ridiculous lovey-dovey attitude. Most importantly, she wouldn’t even dream to risk Toph giving her the concoction. No, her feelings were already messy enough without the help of any love potion. 

“Katara, are you in here?” Zuko’s voice interrupted her overthinking. “Toph said you made tea for me…?”

Time for the show. She put on her brightest smile as Zuko sat down in front of her. 

“Yes! You seemed so tired this morning, figured you could use a little boost.” 

She handed him the cup with the two drops mixed in the tea. 

Zuko gifted her with a thankful smile. “Thank you, that’s very nice of you.”

Nice of me… Yeah, sure. Just drink the tea and look at me. 

He started drinking, only to stop after a few sips to have a little chat.

“So, Aang’s training is looking decent,” he started saying. “But I can tell he’s getting increasingly anxious. We might need to keep an eye on him, I wouldn’t want him to start avoiding our sessions.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Katara intervened. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t slack on his training. Drink your tea, it’ll get cold otherwise.”

“Alright, alright,” he complied, looking into her eyes. “Thanks again for making it.” 

Katara observed him as he drank the whole thing in one go. Her golden eyes staring at her with an amused shine to them. She wondered how Zuko being in love with her would be like. He didn’t exactly give off the cheesy type vibes, though she knew how much of a dork he actually was. If you fall in love because of a potion, you’re pretty much doomed to grandiloquent gestures and infatuated declarations, right? Well, she wasn’t an expert on the subject. But she did know a thing or two about having feelings for someone.

Toph sneaked into the kitchen, placing her hands on Zuko’s shoulders and giving them one tight squeeze. “Hello there, Sparky, how are you feeling on this lovely day?” 

“Hey Toph,” he greeted her. “Much better after that tea, actually.”

Despite the perfectly normal response, Toph continued with her attack.

“You know what? Sugar Queen over here confessed to me this morning that she felt she looked terrible. I’m clearly not the best judge when it comes to looks.” The vicious smile on her face was a little too obvious. “How is she looking today, Sparky? Isn’t she stunning as usual?”

Oh, no. Katara felt herself blushing. The whole operation had quickly turned into Toph having fun at the expenses of both her and Zuko. But in all honesty, how could she had ever expected otherwise?

“Um, well,” Zuko mumbled, his eyes glued to the countertop. “She looks just the same to me. Like you said, um, she’s got her usual look.”

Katara wished Toph could see the look of utter confusion in her eyes. That was not the response she had imagined. 

Zuko abruptly stood up. “Alright, I think I’ll get back to training. See you two later,” he greeted them. “Oh, and Katara. Thanks again for the tea.”

‘Thanks for the tea’? So much for romantic gestures. 

Toph grasped her arm as soon as Zuko was out the door. 

“What on earth? That was the least romantic interaction ever.” The earthbender exclaimed, looking frustrated. 

“Hey, let’s give it some time. Maybe the effect hasn’t kicked in yet.” 

“Okay, we’ll wait. Man, what a bummer. I was fully expecting him to start a rant about how beautiful you are.” Toph threw her hands up in the air, grunting.

“Patience, we’ll get there,” Katara reassured her.

But am I even sure I want to get there? 

Deep down, a part of her was hoping for it.

The rest of the day was spent with Toph trying her best to get Zuko to do anything remotely romantic regarding Katara, in an attempt to kick off the love potion effects. Much to her frustration, nothing seemed to do the trick. Katara wasn’t sure what to think of it. Did she feel relieved, disappointed, or maybe even bored? Truth be told, it was kind of a mix of all three. 

Katara witnessed as Toph did everything she could. From suggesting they paired up in training all the way up to making them meditate together. All she got from Zuko was radio silence. Well, at least in the sense they were expecting. 

“Are you sure you don’t feel a little weird, Sparky?” Toph asked him for the millionth time during dinner. 

“Um, no? Why?” Zuko had a look of complete confusion on his face. 

“You sure you don’t feel a little more sparky than usual? Don’t you sense some new emotions?” Toph continued. “Anything different?”

“Alright, that’s enough Toph,” Katara interrupted. “You’re scaring the poor boy.”

“Yeah, Toph, what’s all that nonsense about?” Sokka asked. 

“Why should Zuko feel different?” Aang’s voice showed a tad of concern. 

“Nothing, nothing,” Toph replied. “Calm down, you all. I was just wondering.”

Katara noticed the annoyed frown on her friend’s face. She seemed pissed off by the lack of results, the whole plan had been her idea after all. 

After the meal, Suki stayed with them doing the dishes. 

“Are you two going to tell me what’s going on already?” she asked them, with her hands on her hips and an inquisitive look in her eyes. 

“Going on with what?” Toph played the innocent. “We’re just scraping plates.”

“Oh, come on! You have been acting weird all day! Especially you, Toph, asking Zuko the most random questions.”

“What do you say, Sugar Queen, should we tell her?” Toph asked.

“Sure, maybe she’ll even know why it’s not working,” Katara replied. “But Suki, promise not to tell any of the guys, alright?”

Suki let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, just spill it.” 

“Okay, let me see. We made Sparky drink a love potion with his tea so he would fall in love with Katara. For two days. And before you ask, yes, it’s legit. Oh, but nothing’s happened yet.” Toph´s explanation was accompanied by a playful grin on her face. 

“You’re joking, right?” Suki asked with a sarcastic smirk. “Katara would never be on board with that.”

“Actually,” she said, blushing. “I thought it was kind of a fun idea.”

“Yeah, so much for fun since Sparky hasn’t shown any signs of love and it’s been hours! He should be acting all lovey-dovey already.”

Suki burst into laughter. “Spirits, that’s hilarious! You gave him a freaking love potion and he’s acting as usual?”

“I don’t get what you’re laughing about! Something’s seriously wrong with him! Or us!” Toph complained. “Katara, are you sure you didn’t drink the potion yourself?”

“Yes, Toph, I’m absolutely positive I gave him the cup with the two drops,” Katara replied. 

“Are you telling me you two don’t realize what’s going on?” Suki asked, an amused expression framing her face. “For being the ones to come up with this plan you seem rather clueless.”

A suspicion started to take shape into Katara’s mind. She couldn’t help but ask. “Suki, what are you talking about?” 

“Yeah, come on!” Toph urged her. “Do you know something that we don’t?”

Suki let out a soft giggle. “Well, let’s think about it. You gave Zuko a love potion to fall for Katara, right? Toph, you say it’s a legit one. But Zuko is acting painfully normal. Even though he is under the effects of the potion.”

“Your point is?” Toph was sitting down on the countertop with a desperate expression on her face. 

“If Zuko acts just as usual when he is supposed to be artificially in love with Katara… What do you think it’s the reason?”

“His heart is missing?” 

“The dose wasn’t strong enough?”

“No!” Suki exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “He was already in love with her!”

Wait. What? That doesn’t make any sense.

“Spirits, Spirits, Spirits!!!” Toph jumped down the countertop, hands on her head, and on the verge of screaming. “That’s it! Suki, you’re a genius.”

Katara hadn’t even blinked. She was not even entirely sure she was still breathing. Zuko in love with her? It couldn’t be. He had even looked embarrassed by the way the play paired them together. Although she had acted embarrassed as well. And a part of her knew very well why. 

“Sugar Queen, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner.” Toph poked her cheeks. “His heartbeat is all over the place whenever you’re around but again so is yours, and I thought it was just all that love/hate dynamic you’ve got going on. I had actually started to suspect he liked you, but Spirits, I didn´t realize he loves you.”

Love/hate, what? This can’t be happening.

Suki raised a brow. “Hold up, Toph, are you saying Katara’s heart beats faster when Zuko is around?”

“That’s a lie!” Katara exclaimed, snapping out. She couldn’t let her friends figure out the truth. “My heart is perfectly fine, thank you very much. And Zuko is not in love with me!”

“And I suppose you have unlimited access to his mind and that’s how you know that?” Toph deadpanned. 

“No… I - That’s unfair Toph,” she managed to mumble, feeling her heart starting to race on her chest.

“As unfair as the fact that you’re heart is betraying your words in this exact second,” Toph replied. 

Katara wished with all of her strength that the ground opened up and swallowed her. The entire operation had gone sideways. But not in the way she had originally expected. No, it was worse.

“Alright, alright,” Suki intervened. “Enough torturing with Katara, this was supposed to be about Zuko.”

“Thank you. Can we please go back to the point?” 

Toph let out an exasperated sigh. “The point is Zuko is in love with you, Sugar Queen. But not because of the love potion, it seems like he’s been head over heels for you way before drinking that tea.”

“I seriously can't believe you didn’t figure this out sooner,” Suki said. “The question is, what are you going to do about it, Kat?” 

That was a very good question indeed. One she had no answer for. 

“Why should I even do something about it?” Katara asked, a confused look in her eyes. 

“Because I think deep down you want to.” Suki’s tone got serious all of the sudden.

Toph placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sugar Queen, I’m sorry if my prank ended up bringing you a headache. But Suki’s right, you should confront him.”

“Confront him? We’re in the middle of a war! I don’t need any distractions.” Her head was spinning a little too fast.

“Says the girl who complied to give a love potion to Sparky,” Toph remarked.

“Katara, would you seriously prefer to have a lump on your throat until Aang has taken down Fire Lord Ozai?”

Truth be told, she would hate that. A part of her knew she had feelings for Zuko. For that poor firebender she had given a love potion to. Only to have the whole scheme backfire right on her face. Now, she had to stand up to it. 

“No.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t prefer that.” 

“Then hear me out because I have a plan!” Toph exclaimed, enthusiasm written all over her face. “I know how to get one last bit of fun out of this failure of an operation.”

——

The next day went out according to what the girls had planned. Still hoping for at least a bit of extra romance on Zuko’s behalf - which, unsurprisingly, never occurred - the three of them acted normal all the way until the afternoon. 

After training, Toph cornered the poor Zuko on his way to the beach. Katara and Suki stayed at the shore, discreetly listening. 

“Sparky, this is your last chance!” Toph exclaimed.

“My last chance for what?” The look of sheer confusion on his face was priceless to say the least. 

“Come on! Please tell me you are feeling extra lovey-dovey and maybe I’ll let you walk away without making you even more uncomfortable.”

“Toph, I swear I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“You’re telling me you don’t feel any special romantic feelings today?”

“Um, no?” His voice had a strain of nervousness to it.

“And what about regular feelings? Got them for anyone? Maybe for someone you drink a lot of tea with?”

“Uh - No? Um, Toph, can I please go now?” Zuko stuttered. 

“Ha! I knew it, you sneaky little bastard! That’s a lie.” Toph threw her hands up in the air. “I can tell you’re lying. I was right, heck yeah!”

Zuko anxiously tried to get past her. “Alright, sure, can I please go down to the beach now?” 

“Don’t you want to know why I’m asking you this?”

“Do I have to?”

“We gave you a love potion, Sparky! A love potion mixed with that tea you drank yesterday. And you were supposed to fall in love with Miss Sugar Queen!” Toph’s was grinning from ear to ear. 

Katara and Suki exchanged a concerned look. That was not part of the plan. Katara was supposed to be the one to tell Zuko about the love potion. After Toph had made sure whether he was lying or not. Then, and only maybe, she would mention the tricky subject of actual feelings. 

“What on earth, Toph?” Zuko’s face was pale as a ghost. “Why would you do that?” 

“Because I've been suspecting for forever that you liked her! And when I got that love potion it was just too tempting not to go for it. I thought it would be a fun experiment! Katara was also on board with it.” 

“But?”

“But it only made me reaffirm my theory! What I didn’t expect is that you don’t just like her, you’re full-blown in love with her!”

“Toph, can you please tone it down? I wouldn’t want anyone else to hear this conversation,” Zuko pleaded.”

Katara was cursing Toph, Suki, Zuko, the moon, the stars, the Spirits, and herself. Toph playing matchmaker as subtle as an elephant trying to fit into her sleeping tent.

“Sparky, don’t you see Katara and Suki over there in the corner? They’re already listening!” Toph waved at the two of them, she had the most amused look on her face.

“What? Toph!” Zuko’s face was now entirely red. “You’re insane.”

“Sh, let me get to the best part,” she shushed him. “I think our dear Sugar Queen has something very important to tell you.”

Toph grabbed him by the wrist and started marching up to them. 

Toph, you’ll pay for this, Katara thought as she found herself in front of Zuko. 

“Now, I think Suki and I have to go do literally anything else but being here,” Toph resolved. “Alright! Everyone’s happy? See you!

“Kat, I’m sorry,” Suki mumbled. “I had no clue about this but I’ll better go.”

The two girls sprinted back to the house, where Aang and Sokka were probably taking care of dinner. 

Her eyes met Zuko’s, and she felt her heart racing inside of her chest. The awkwardness of the situation was remarkable. 

“So… I’m taking it you heard everything Toph said?” Zuko asked, sitting down on the shore next to her. 

“Yeah,” she replied, nervously playing with the sand that surrounded them. “I’m sorry about the love potion thing. It was stupid of me.”

“I just didn’t understand the logic behind it. Were you going to let me be in love with you for all eternity?”

“The effect was supposed to wash out tomorrow…” She let out a sigh. “But I guess it’s the same now.”

“Because you realized that I acted normal around you even with the potion?”

“Exactly.” Katara took a deep breath. “Look, Zuko, I had no clue-”

“Katara,” he interrupted her. “It’s okay. I don’t mind you know.”

“So it’s true then? Are you…”

“Am I in love with you?” He rubbed the back of his neck, his whole body seemed anxious. “Yeah, I am. I guess even more than I knew.”

Silence. Just sheer silence. 

Zuko rushed to continue. “It’s perfectly okay if you don’t feel the same way.”

But she did feel the same way. 

“Look, I think I’m in love with you too,” she blurted out, feeling her cheeks turning bright red.

“You are?” His voice was tinted with astonishment. 

She nodded in agreement. Then, she proceeded to say something else. “The night of the play, Aang felt terrible about the possibility of us being together. He kissed me and… and I pulled apart. I was horribly confused. A part of me knew he has always expected to be with me. But it didn’t feel right.”

Katara made a pause. She couldn’t believe she was actually saying those words out loud. 

“Go on, I’m listening,” Zuko encouraged her.

“Well, I knew I felt something for you for a long time already. But with what happened the night of the play, and now this whole love potion thing… I realize I’m in love with you too.”

Zuko brushed his fingertips against the back of her hand. “Thank you, for being honest with me.”

She squeezed his hand. “Thank you for not wanting to kill me for giving you a love potion.”

“Now what?”

“I don’t know. We still have a war to win.”

A moment of quietness invaded the space between them. Their fingers were intertwined, both of their hearts racing. They were savoring the confirmation of their feelings - and embracing the uncertainty - together. 

“Do you want to wait?”

“Wait?”

“Yeah, until this whole mess is over,” he explained. “We can figure out things slowly, I don’t mind. It’s not like I’m suddenly going to stop having feelings for you.”

“So you would still be in love with me… And I would still be in love with you…” 

“But we focus on winning the war first.” 

Katara tilted her to look straight at him. “Can I occasionally do this, though?”

He made a slight frown. “Do what?”

She didn’t give him much time to wonder. In a split second, she leaned onto him and placed a kiss on his lips. It was sweet, quick, and a little timid. But it was still the first kiss they shared. 

“So?” Katara asked, a light smile framing her face. “Can I?”

Zuko placed his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to rest her head on the creek of his neck. 

He squeezed her hand, chuckling. “Yeah, I think you can.”

“You know  what? I’m really glad Toph convinced me to give you that stupid love potion.”

---- I hope you enjoyed this fluffy little thing I wrote! Feedback is always appreciated! <3 Thank you for reading! @zutaraweek

[bilgisticallykosher]

Prediction for this episode; REMUS TIME! That's it, that's my prediction. 

Okay, and Janus is going to be involved this time (see previous post). Not sure of the status of Virgil and Patton's relationship…Let's see, Roman was really confident and relaxed in the first Asides, so I'm placing the Distractions episode in like early season three, if not in between two and three, so I'm prepared for it to be more volatile. Okay! Thumbnail impressions. 

Oh my gosh I love everything about it. First of all, anxiety! That means Anxiety! And there's Virgil. And! The little, cartoony, uh, definitely Virgil and Roman, and I'm not sure who the middle boy is. Is that Logan? I don't see a tie, maybe it's Patton. Although, is that a beard?? But the subtitle!!!!! That's amazing. I feel like I know that style. Bed In The Morning artist? Gosh, I'm in love with this already. 

Oh, flirting, not like flirting with the idea of social anxiety, like, 'how do I flirt when I have social anxiety?' Okay okay. Roman's face in the thumbnail, oh my gosh. Also, can I just point out that last time the team was like "Haha, yeah, the Asides were only supposed to be ten minutes, they'll be shorter next time." 

ONWARD!

They call me Sanders, oh boy. Was. Was that his flirting? OH! It's essential to the overall story? Huh. Fascinating. Now I'm even more excited than I was! And hey, yeah, Ellen Kelley, I was right about the artist! And ABD, nice, Brei Grace, also very nice! Mazel tov, all three of you! Noooo, I totally want to see it in live action, too, but money...Hnrg. Oh well. I'm already screaming about the little promo just now. It's Roman versus Virgil again, looking to be like My Negative Thinkingish. SALT! YES! That got me way too happy...

Flirt or Fight, ahhhhhhhhhh. Haha, yeah. That's really not a big deal. Hey! As someone on the other side of the counter, we do that stuff, too. I ask "Anything else?" a lot, and then once customer responded, "No, that's it, thanks." So of course I said "You're welcome, may I get you anything else?" And it took me three seconds to realize.

This was not an isolated incident. I do it so often. Anyway. R+, senior, haha. PFFFT, Roman. Oh, the senior was an intentional thing, not just a joke. And look! They agree!! "He's in his 30s, he might as well be 60." I'm going to be quoting that so often. 

NEW SCENARIO! Thirty times a day again. HAHAHA, I love Roman. Omg, I love all this. "I'm not stinky." Oh, hm. A lot of liar accusations. I wonder where in the series this Asides takes place… Suddenly flirt mode activated. "We don't know that he's not gay." Point for Roman. OH that's the glasses and beard guy. Okay cool. Ooooooh, that last sticker. AND I got that Blink-182 reference. Nice! More introvert clues. Roman's old jokes are great. Sticker button system. Pintrovert, nice. Commentating! "Now I'm telling you you're being a freak!" Ha, Jack-y. I love their banter, IT'S THE MILLENNIUM PUZZLE AHH, oh cool, and there's gay. Their very different reactions to this is also fascinating. Boiled...mayo carrots? 96, because table 69 would've been too obvious a joke…………. But it would've been Remus-y. Roman. With an R. Gay eyes? Oh I'm so glad that Virgil asked, I wasn't sure if that was actually a thing. RIP the artists having to animate gay eyes. 

I just. He looks so much like Picani. Oh, no, he looked behind himself! The You Failed voice is excellent. Haha, nah, I was just panicking. I… call bs on that actually being a lie. Yeah that just means he likes basketball. Oh man. This. Oh. No. No, this is not ending well. Gerard Gay. HA, yes, Thomas apparently. Forget pulling his heartstrings, they're pulling his arms. 

THOMAS, NO, YOU DID NOT JUST WRITE ROMAN THE LINE "I'll add it to the list" oh my gosh, how could you???? Okay, I laughed way too hard at "I 'unno. Plant!" Oh this is definitely going to end in disaster. PFFTAHAHA what is that awkward Irish accent? But that ""buddy"" is totally Joan. Yeah, 100% that's them. "Search for treasure for good measure." Sigh, that's the only Remus content I'm getting this episode, isn't it. Sty??? Yes, hide in the garbage, perfect. 

You need a game plan for flirting? *shrugs in awkward* Bird puns, pretty tweet. Haha, cyber stalking in real life. Can't he just casually walk by, and casually notice a pin? I legit thought Roman was going to stop at "You're going to have to try… speaking." From the heart? "Hey, you're cute and I'm gay, plus your backpack says that you are, too?" I'm so concerned that the bathroom stall is gonna open now. 

Oh it's getting sad. And Roman's so sad, no. Oh this is real close to the end of POF. This might be a little much, tbh. OMFG. Who is that? Oh no, oh no, ohhhhhhhh nooooooooo. Omfg. I didn't wanna ruin the moment. "Yeah, I gotta stop wooing strangers in bathrooms." I MEAN, YEAH, RUDE, THOMAS! Oh boy they're going in strong on the lying thing. It's still so fresh, but Virgil's okay with Thomas, so? WOAH man. Was this before DWIT? Virgil said deceit, but did he say deceit or Deceit? That's some faux-concern there. Or should I say...foe concern. Oh boy that turned quickly. Maybe Patton's acceptance of Janus is why Virgil's all stiff with Patton in Distractions? I mean that's been theorized anyway, but

YO IT'S CUTE GUY HE HAS A VOICE! Screaming. Nevada. Anaconda. Oh my gosh, nooooooooooooo. Thomas. Repeat after me, "Sorry, you're cute and I'm very gay, could you repeat that?" And sad Roman. VIRGIL'S GONNA DO SOMETHING! Yes, good. "Do you want this food?" NO, bad. OH! Nice! Flirting maybe yes possibly? Mister. Nico! Feeling like a trash bin! Excellent! Pfffffffft, I like Nico. "Shut up." "Shut up." "Shut up!" SHUT UP! Virgil helped!!! And Roman's so sad and I'm teary and bravery!!!!! Ugh, I'm taking a moment. Oh there was that thing that Joan wrote that Thomas was really excited about. The soliloquy in the bathroom maybe? Nico's trash metaphor? 

Ahhhhhh, omfg I'm wheezing. Old. It's funny that he referred to Thomas in third person. Like. Interesting funny. What! It's Janus's theme!!!! Oh. WHAT.  What Janus's collection what. Corridor of stored rewards aauuuugh. Love that font, btw. And the J especially! EXCUSE YOU I JUST SAW MY BOY SMASH A PLATE OVER HIS HEAD but like in front of a blue screen so that's new content, shut up. Oh no commentary, I love commentary. Woah, that's crazy, writing contributions. JANUS SHADOW! Aw, Thomas. 💚💚💚💚💚 Oh, post-mall screaming. They're all the same, I love them. The little hand over mouth thing. WOAH DOES VIRGIL HAVE SPARKY EYESHADOW? I assume that's Talyn, truly a wonderful contribution, he's beautiful. Ha, delete immediately. Oh. "What if things are never the same again?" That was almost a happy inflection, mayhaps? Yeah, sparkly. Join me! No thinking! Oh hey, I was doing the hand flappy thing a lot, too? Are you sure you don't have to pee? Uh oh. Virgil's facial expressions… that's concerning. Demon! Thirty times a day joke! Hmmmmmmm.

Ahhhh, this was really cute, I can see the importance, I don't know where it is within the episodes, but yeah, it'd have been hard to do live action. Patreon. Maybe one day. But some very sad and concerning things! I am concerned. 

The animation was so good! I hope they told the artists to do it transparent if they needed it transparent. But! Really! So good! I know there were three different artists, and if I looked for it, I can kind of see some stylistic differences sometimes, but for the most part, I can't! They all managed to go into one style near flawlessly, it's amazing. They were incredible. 

The prinxiety is going to be flowing out of this fandom, man. Also, unrelated, but I demand more stupid idiot Thomas in fics! I get that we respect him and want the best for him, but we're missing a huge opportunity! Look at this disaster! Look at this awkward dumb dork, the boy can barely function at times! So much potential!

[chemartsblog]

Take My Breath Away

In which Zuko wears a corset and Sokka is a weak weak man.

PWP, Breathplay, Asphyxiation, Avatar Kink Meme Prompt

Ao3 Link

Take My Breath Away

 It’s the Celebration of Rebirth, an event that occurs once every five years to ask Agni to revitalize the Fire of Life in the land and in his people, so Sokka is not surprised that the Fire Nation would put all the stops for this. According to Toph it’s a celebration as well as a spiritual ritual, which makes the nobles go crazy. Even Zuko had to be up at dawn to get ready, and Sokka had yet to see the Firelord since.

The Water Tribesman sighs forlornly. He wished he could have more morning snuggles with his boyfriend before he left, but well…

Iroh comes out of the dressing room and gives Sokka a smile, “He’s just about done. But you may need to help him. The full regalia robes are not easy to walk in.”

True to his word, Zuko steps out wearing what looks like fifty pounds of clothes. The robes are a lighter color and devoid of the normal shoulder spikes. There’s still the high collar neck trimmed with gold and the Fire Nation symbol resting where the hollow of his throat would be. The topmost robes are a red-orange like a sunset and embroidered with gold dragons. There looks to be two robes just under it; one a dark red, the other a pale yellow. His inner robes are a lighter red with gold trimmings and on his waist are at least four fabrics tightly cinched around the already trim waist. Coming out from the belt are three wide long pieces of red fabric that hang and drop to the floor.

His hair is in its usual topknot with the fire-crown nestled on top, but there’s also a headdress attached which makes the it look like five dragons are coming out of the flames. The dragons at the ends look like they are spitting fire from the red beads that fall from their mouth. The rest of his long hair drapes on the back of his shoulders down to his tiny waist.

Zuko, who is usually so graceful when he walks, is waddling towards Sokka and his uncle. Being an amazing boyfriend, Sokka does his best not to laugh at his boyfriend who is walking like a penguin-otter. However, Zuko seems to feel Sokka’s amusement and glares at him.

“Not. A. Word.” he growls.

“Aw but you look so fetching my Fire Lily.” Sokka teases.

Iroh chuckles behind his hand. “Indeed nephew, you cut quite a striking figure.”

Zuko flushes and turns away. It’s so cute how even after five years on the throne, he’s still so shy.

“Thank you, Uncle.” Zuko mumbles. Then he turns to Sokka and holds his hand out. “Will you help me walk? I’m not used to these high getas.”

Sokka beams and eagerly lets Zuko clutch his arm. “Of course, my lovely Fire Lord.” He coos.

Again, Zuko turns red, and he swat’s Sokka’s arm in retaliation.

“Shut up before I make the servants help me.” He threatens.

“Ahaha sorry sorry. It’s just so easy.” Sokka glances at Zuko and smiles, “But you do look good. Even if I think it’s a little ridiculous for you to have to wear fifty pounds of clothing for this.”

Zuko pouts and goes on a spiel about traditional wear and the honor of wearing the traditional clothes, the spiritual meaning behind each layer and—wow Zuko looks surprisingly out of breath. His cheeks are flush, and there is a slight sheen of sweat on his brow.

Sokka stops and curls his arm around the Fire lord’s waist. “Zuko are you okay? Do we need to stop? Should I get Katara?” His stomach is doing flips into his heart as he watches Zuko try to take deep breaths.

“I’m okay Sokka, I’m just not used to wearing the corset.”

Ahh the corset…

Wait…

.

.

.

The corset?

Sokka tightens his hold on the Fire Lord’s waist and—yep yes that waist is definitely cinched really tight. By a corset. A corset.

“Ah Sokka. Don’t...”

Sokka’s shaken out of his mild arousal fog when he hears Zuko’s breathy whisper. He didn’t even notice how close he pulled them. Zuko’s body is flush against his own. The fabric is wrinkling, and he knows the servants would be so mad but he can’t give a damn right now because Zuko…oh Spirits Zuko.

His cheeks are a lovely pink, his pale skin gleams in the light, and his plush lips are parted as he’s trying to catch his breath. He looks obscene. He looks delectable. Sokka squeezes just a little tighter and—yes, there it is. The slight hitch in Zuko’s breath. The way his voice keens and his fingers tighten against his clothes. The way he draws out his name, “Sokka”. Like a prayer, like a plea. What would he look like if Sokka just squeezes and squeezes until he’s gasping and—

“Is something the matter?” Iroh asks turning back towards the pair.

Sokka immediately loosens his grasp, but Zuko almost falls to the floor like a puppet without strings. So Sokka keeps a hand around his waist and lets Zuko slump against his broad chest. He can see the Fire Lord’s eyes are half-lidded and glazed over, and he’s trying so hard to catch his breath.

The Water Tribesman smiles and waves a hand. “Sorry Zuko’s just not used to all the layers. It’s pretty hard to walk in. Right, Fire Lily?”

“Yes. Sorry, Uncle.” Zuko manages to gasp out. He’s still clutching Sokka’s tunic desperately, trying to get his shaky legs to support his weight again.

Iroh looks sympathetically at his dear nephew. “It’s no problem, Zuko. Should I get the servants to try and shed a few layers?”

“No, no that’s not necessary.” Zuko answers. “You should go on ahead, Uncle. Sokka and I will catch up.”

“Of course. Take your time. We don’t want you passing out before the celebration.”

Iroh nods and walks ahead. They watch until he’s nearly rounded the corner. Then Sokka looks at Zuko with a glint in his eye. He tightens his grip on Zuko’s waist just a little and whispers in his ear, “Catch your breath yet, darling?”

Zuko glares at him, but with the way his face is so flushed and panting it loses it’s power. “Don’t you dare, Sokka.”

“What? You look like you’re about to pass out. I’m just, griping you tight.” At this he gives another squeeze that makes Zuko’s eyelid flutter and bury his head in Sokka’s shoulder as he tries to muffle his obscene moan. “Seems to me, you’re the one enjoying this, Your Majesty.”

“Sookkaa.” He whines. “Don’t. I’m—I’m—”

“You’re what?”

Zuko flushes a dark red. “I’m soaking the robes.” He whispers quietly.

And oh does that make the blood fall down to his nether. He wishes he could strip Zuko down until only the corset remains but not yet. Patience.

So instead he leans to Zuko’s ear and whispers, “What’s making you soak them? Is it because of the way I squeeze you tight and make your breath catch? I never knew you liked it so much, but I can work with that, my love. When this is over, I’ll strip you down until only the corset remains. And then I’ll fuck you as you’re trying to catch your breath. I’ll fuck you until you’re just about to pass out and then I’ll release it. And I’ll make you cum so hard you’ll be screaming and gasping for air. Would you like that, darling?”

By this point, Zuko’s face is buried deep into Sokka’s shoulder. He can faintly hear the soft keening mewls and whispered pleas. The Fire Lord’s knuckles are clenched so tightly they turn white, and he’s trembling in Sokka’s arms.

If only they didn’t have a celebration to get to, but it is important to Zuko so he’ll be merciful for now. Sokka loosens his grip and helps Zuko walk towards the ritual platform. By the time they reach it, Zuko’s flush has died down, but he’s still panting for air.

Sokka goes and sits between Toph and Katara as they wait for the ritual to start.

Toph grins when Sokka sits, “Geez what the hell did they put on Sparky? It sounds like he’s carrying fifty pounds.”

“Haha as good as.” Sokka replies.

“Good thing he doesn’t need to do any big firebending. I don’t know how I would even move in that.” Katara says.

“He looks kinda out of breath. Is he okay?” Aang asks.

Sokka only grins, “Oh he’ll be fine.”

                                                        ----

The ritual itself is straightforward, Zuko merely gives thanks to Agni and places his flame in a bowl. Then the Fire Sages contribute their flames until it grows into a huge bonefire. They move the large fire in the center and Zuko declares that the celebration can commence. Throngs of people line up to the bonefire to give their prayers to Agni; fortunately, the guests of honor are allowed to place their prayers in first before it opens up to the common people.

Sokka smiles as he watches his prayer burn in the pyre, and then turns towards Zuko who is waiting for him.

“Ready to go my dear?” Sokka says with a faux bow and flourishes his arms for Zuko to take.

Zuko rolls his eyes and takes his arm. “Yes, I need to sit down. These shoes are killing me.”

“How did they pile all those clothes on you, Zuko?” Aang asks with a hint of a laugh.

“Some of it was a tight squeeze, but they managed.” Zuko answers loftily. Sokka feels his mouth water at the thought, but he does his best reign in his perverted impulses.

Toph raises her brow, “You’re breathing feels off, Sparky. You sure you’re okay?”

Katara, ever the mom-friend, looks worriedly at the Fire-Lord, “Zuko, you’re not breathing right? Maybe you should…y’know ask if you can take some of it off.”

Zuko waves their worries away, “Don’t worry, Katara. It’s nothing bad. The corset is just a little tight.”

“Pft corest? They made you wear a corset? Thank the Badgermoles my parents thought I was too delicate for a corset.”

Katara raises her brow, “A corset? Whatever for?”

Zuko shrugs and gestures towards his waist. “Makes my waist smaller and makes it look like I have bigger hips.”

“Why do you need bigger hips?” Aang asks.

Zuko grins, “Well, the Celebration of Rebirth is, in essence, about giving life and fertility back to the nation. And let’s be honest a small waist and wide hips are quite the symbol of fertility and childbearing.”

The women laugh at Aang’s red face, but Sokka shifts uncomfortably as he stares at the numerous belts cinched on Zuko’s waist.

“Something the matter, Lord Sokka?” Zuko asks with wide innocent eyes. They could trick a man into committing murder, but Sokka knew him better.

The little minx. He thinks wryly. So in retaliation, he slings his arm around Zuko and presses him to his side. He can feel the Fire Lord’s stuttering breath and the way he leans into Sokka’s body, desperately chasing the feeling of his chest feeling too tight, too small.

Toph scrunches her nose, “You’re both disgusting animals.”

Well Sokka couldn’t deny that.

                                                     ----

 If Zuko thought the day was hard, the dinner is even harder. Sokka took every opportunity to press himself against Zuko and hug him. Tightly.

To the guests at the party, they see it as a sign of young love. Somewhat endearing if a bit excessive. But to Zuko it is nothing less than torture. He needs to remember to beg the royal launders and designers forgiveness when he returns these robes. He’s sure there are stains on his inner robe that won’t be coming off anytime soon. The only upside is that with so many layers, the people can’t see his heavy erection under them.

Zuko squirms in his seat as the corset and restrictive layers make his breath catch. It’s indecent. But so so good. He loves the tight feeling in his lungs. The way his vision dots with black spots, and the delightful way Sokka manhandles him and controls such an important part of him. He hardens at the thought of letting Sokka just take control and squeeze and squeeze until he’s a panting mess under the man’s calloused gentle hands and just at the cusp of unconsciousness.

“Thinking about something?” Sokka whispers hotly in his ear.

Zuko jolts and tries to keep a placid face amongst the leaders of the nations. His heart is thrumming in his chest, and his body trembles at the slight touch of Sokka’s hand around his middle. He shouldn’t be able to feel it so keenly under all the layers, but it feels like he leaves a burning trail all through his waist.

“N-nothing important.” Zuko answers.

Sokka merely smiles cheekily and hums, “If you say so~.”

Zuko tries to stay aware at the party, but it’s getting harder and harder as the night goes on. With each passing hour, he feels like he’s about to crawl out of his skin. It doesn’t help that Sokka keeps teasing him throughout the day and night. Just little kisses and murmured promises and of course the way he wraps his arms out his body and holds him so firmly.

“Nephew you look tired.” Iroh says.

Zuko sighs and drains the glass of wine. “A bit. It’s just a little…uncomfortable.”

Iroh nods, “Well if you’d be so kind, could you help an old man get back to his chambers? That is unless you have something else to do…?”

Zuko takes the offer and says, “No, no. I’m done for tonight. Let’s go Uncle.” Zuko says his goodbyes to the various nobles and friends strewn about. Strangely, Sokka is nowhere to be found. Zuko tries to keep the disappointed look off his face, but by the grin Iroh has he’s not doing a good job.

The walk to Iroh’s bedroom is filled with comfortable talk, and thankfully it gives Zuko time to let his raging erection go down. He bids his Uncle good-night at the door and turns to leave. He doesn’t go a few paces away when Sokka comes up to him with a big grin. He give him a tight hug and asks, “Need some help getting to our room, Zuko?”

Zuko swallows. His mouth tingles and his tongue feels heavy, but he manages to croak out a “Yes.” The flagging erection is now back in full force, and he feels his body heat up in anticipation.

They make it inside the room, and Sokka immediately descends onto him. His lips are molten hot against his and there’s the glorious feeling of Sokka wrapping him in his arms and holding him so strongly. The air feels heavy, but his head becomes light and stars dance in his vision. Would Sokka make him lose consciousness? If he did, would Sokka just use throw him on the bed and use his body however he liked?

The thought of Sokka using him, fucking him, senseless while he’s unconscious makes him moan into the hot mouth on him.

Sokka’s laugh reverberates through his body and he pulls away. There ‘s a dark flush on Sokka’s tan cheeks. His blue eyes are blazing and blown with need and his lips are a shiny pink.

Zuko leans forward for another taste, but Sokka stops him.

“Before we continue, I just wanna make sure you’re good if I play around with your breathing.”

“Y-yes. I’m—I like it when you…when you’re blocking my breathing.”

Sokka smiles, “Good. What’s the safeword, darling?”

“Turtleducks.”

It’s all the confirmation Sokka needs because he’s on Zuko’s mouth again, and Zuko can only cling onto Sokka’s robes as he’s pulled into the heat of the mouth on him. Electricity is firing through Zuko’s body as the tribesman sheds the cumbersome layers off of Zuko. Each press, each grip seems to sear into his skin, and he moans and whimpers into Sokka’s mouth. Only the inner layer and belts remain, and Sokka suddenly hefts Zuko up without breaking their connection.

His rough hands are digging into Zuko’s thighs as he lifts him into his arms, and Zuko can only wrap around Sokka’s neck. The display of strength goes right to his weeping erection, and Zuko grinds it into Sokka’s hard abs. The fingers tighten around his thigh, and Zuko hopes they leave a bruise. Sokka walks a few paces and then throws Zuko onto the bed.

He barely gets air back into his lungs when Sokka is tearing off the remaining clothes and shoes until only the red corset remains.

Sokka’s eyes glitter with hunger, and he reverently places his hand on the bottom of the corset, just below his hip, and slowly, so slowly, travels all the way up to the top of it, just touching the bottom of his pecs.

”Fuck Zuko.” He whispers. “I’m going to give so many offerings to your ancestors for this.”

Zuko blushes, but immediately throws his head back when Sokka’s mouth starts sucking on one of his pink perky nipple. He feels the hot electric pleasure travel all the way to his feet which curl at each suck of Sokka’s talented mouth. And then, and then, Sokka finds the laces of the corset and pulls.

All at once his vision tunnels and lights dance across his eyes. There’s an exhilarating feeling of putting his life, his very breath in Sokka’s hands. It should be terrifying, but he knows Sokka; he trusts him with ever fiber of his being and he knows that he’ll take such good care of him.

“Good darling?”

Zuko opens his mouth a few times before he can gasp out a hitched, “Yes.”

Sokka smirks and moves his hands down, down until it grips his soaking penis. Just a touch sends a fire through Zuko’s veins. He keens and arches, breathing heavily and clutching at the sheets. He’s never been so close to the edge so soon, but he wants this feeling to last. He doesn’t want release like this.

“N-no.” Zuko pleads. “D-don’t touch.”

Sokka grins, “Then how do you want to come, love?”

Zuko gazes up at Sokka. His blue eyes are burning into him, and it sends shivers down his spine. He wants this gorgeous man to take him apart and put him together.

“With you inside. Making me beg for air.” Zuko answers.

There’s a hunter’s grin on Sokka’s face. He grips Zuko’s hips and forcefully flips him onto his stomach. It takes everything for Zuko not to cum at that display of dominance and strength. Instead he gives a guttural moan and desperately presents his ass to Sokka.

“So demanding.” Sokka says, but he doesn’t deny the Fire Lord. The calloused hands knead and grasp his round plush ass, while hot lips trail feather-light kisses over them. They make the heat coils and turn in Zuko’s stomach, and he bucks his hips trying to chase the sensation. His dick is throbbing, and his head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton. He can barely breathe, but it’s so so good. Being on the cusp of release and consciousness, with Sokka controlling all of it.

“You’re so beautiful like this, Zuko. I don’t know if I’ll last long. I just want to get inside you and squeeze you so tight. Do you want that?”

“P-please. Please Sokka.”

“Okay Your Majesty.” There’s a pop and the smell of scented oil filling the room. Zuko feels his ass clench in anticipation. No matter how many times they’ve done this, the anticipation of Sokka’s fingers still make his head dizzy and body tremble.

It’s just a feather-like touch, a promise of what’s to come. Sokka let’s the slicked fingers rub his puckered entrance, and Zuko moans and whines for Sokka to “Please please put it in.” and “Stop teasing”. He tease for another moment before finally finally letting that fingers sink into his impossibly velvety, tight heat.

Zuko sighs at the familiar feeling, and he pushes back against Sokka’s fingers. They stroke and curl Zuko’s sensitive walls and each touch makes stars dance in his vision and sends him moaning in ecstasy. They grace his prostate and he’s burying his face into the pillows and driving his ass higher towards Sokka. The Tribesman chuckles deeply and pulls them out. Zuko can hear himself whining like a bitch at the lack of fullness, but they stop as soon as he feels the slick hot thick head grinding against his entrance. He knows his hole is twitching in anticipation and his body is trembling from the feeling.

Soon soon. He’ll be so full. He’ll take that thick hot cock right inside and he’ll feel so so full.

There are warm strong hands gripping his hip and then a burning heat from his entrance, but then immediately, just pure bliss. Sokka’s cock sinks so easily into his body. Like Zuko’s made to be a cock warmer just for Sokka, and it makes him feel so full, so wanted.

Sokka’s mouth is gracing his ear. He bits and licks the shell before asking, “Ready?” Zuko nods and he thinks he might have begged but he can’t tell. All he knows is that Sokka’s moving and just grazing the spot that makes him see sparks. He knows he’s moaning and keening like an animal in heat, but he can’t bring himself to care. His body feels like it’s on fire with every thrust and the sheets are being soaked in their sweat and pre-cum.  

And then he feels his corset tightening. With each thrust it tightens further and squeezes him so good. His vision is flickering, and his arms give out; he’s laying limp on the bed, ass up, gasping for air and moaning at each thrust, but Sokka keeps drilling into him, and keeps pulling and pulling.

There’s the pain of the corset cinching and digging into his sides. It’s going to leave a mark, Zuko knows. But he loves that. He loves the too tight feeling in his chest, the short breaths, the absolute control he’s put in Sokka’s able hands. And his mind feels like it’s flying up and up. There’s a hot coil boiling in his stomach and he feels himself tighten—

And just as his vision starts to darken, just as he’s about to be carried into oblivion, there’s release.

There’s the sound of tearing fabric and then—ecstasy and fire and sweet sweet air. Every single nerve is set alight as his body greedily takes in deep gulps of air. His senses are overwhelming him and he feels so full and there’s that amazing electricity shooting up from his prostate—

He’s screaming as he orgasms hard onto the bed, and it keeps going and going. His body is shuddering and twitching uncontrollably as he keeps spilling his seed onto the sheets. Sokka is still behind him thrusting into him like mad and then his hips stutter and he bites down on Zuko’s neck as he releases into him.

They both lay there as they let the powerful orgasm rush through them. Zuko doesn’t know how long he stays there, limp face-down on the bed with Sokka on top of him and inside him. But then Sokka rises and carefully takes his dick out. Zuko shivers as he feels the warm seed drip out of him.

He’s going in and out of consciousness, but he can still feel the warm gentle hands flip him over and carefully, so carefully, wipe him down and take care of him.

Sokka kisses his forehead and whispers, “Sorry I think I completely ruined the corset.”

“Hm s’kay. Juss ‘et ‘nother one.” Zuko mumbles. Sokka laughs peppers Zuko’s face with kisses.

“Oh don’t worry I plan to.”

“Hrmph pervert.”

“And you love it.” Sokka answers as he pulls the blanket over them and wraps his arms around Zuko.

Zuko can only smile and snuggle into the warms arms that embrace him. While he loves the controlling Sokka that recks him, he also loves the soft kind Sokka who takes such good care of him afterwards.

                                                       ----

 Zuko looks shamefaced as he shows the royal tailors the torn remains of the corset and the…stained robes. He goes in a deep bow and elbows Sokka to do the same.

“I am so so sorry.” He says.

The head tailor is an old sweet lady, who Zuko remembers from his childhood, and she huffs.

“Well you wouldn’t be the first, Fire Lord Zuko.” She answers.

Sokka chokes beside him, but Zuko can’t hear it over the blood rushing to his ears. There’s steam coming out of his skin.

The old tailor continues, “Well you take after your moth—”

“NOPE NOPE NOPE!” Sokka yells. “Let’s go we said sorry, that’s it. Did we tell you how sorry we are? We are very very sorry. Oh look at the time we gotta go. Let’s go Zuko.” Sokka drags a stunned Zuko away.

The tailor only nods and asks, “Do you want to order some more corsets Lord Sokka?”  

“YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU!” Sokka answers over his shoulder. “AND ORDER A BLUE ONE!”

[firemagicked]

Ardenweald: Remember to Forget

"Why did you do this to me?"

It was Darnath, whole and hearty again. Horns and dragon arm and all - his face twisted in a familiar murderous rage.

"I told you I didn't want this… I was going to let you go. But you thought you knew best."

A flash of Cul'tarin beside Darnath, staring with such abject disappointment Lyren wanted to get down and beg forgiveness.

"You dragged me through the Maw, broke me apart, then you forced me to be someone I didn't want to be. Never again."

Being pinned down beneath Darnath's bulk was familiar. The hand around his neck, fingers digging into his skin until it bruised, until things broke - that was unfortunately familiar too.

This time there was no magic to pull on. Shadowlands had made him too weak. He struggled and pulled and gasped out breaths until his vision faded and all the while Darnath loomed over him. His eyes weren't senseless like back then. He stared down at Lyren dying by his hand. And he smiled.

Lyren woke up. He woke up gasping, clawing for air. He reached for his throat, struggled to sit up.

There were arms around him, pulling him, surrounding him. Suffocating him. Hands on his, trying to hold them down.

"Sparky, it's okay, you're fine, it was just a nightmare." The voice was familiar. Soothing. A few weeks ago it would have been absolutely all he needed. He would have just known he was safe.

His efforts to get freed redoubled. The sensible part of him was too quiet to be heard. He was going to be crushed and maybe, maybe he deserved it but he didn't want to die. He was just wanted, "Off," he managed to rasp. Had he been screaming? "Get off!"

In moments, there was no longer a body wrapped around his. No hands holding his. No fingers at his throat.

No, no, that had been a dream. Hadn't it?

He hunched over, form shuddering as he panted for breath. It had been a dream. It hadn't happened.

Except all the parts that had.

"Lyren?" He jerked his head up at his name and he stared at Darnath wide eyed. Perfectly normal, worried looking Darnath. He was sitting down, body language so purposefully relaxed Lyren knew it was for his benefit. "You back Lovely?"

Lyren took a breath. Deep, slow. Another. Shoved as many of the emotions into the boxes they belonged in as he could forced his own posture to relax. "Yeah. Sorry. Did I - anything on fire?"

"Everything's fine," Darnath told him, which - was pretty much what he had told him when things were absolutely going to shit in his own body in Icecrown. "C'mere."

It was perfectly natural, after a nightmare, to offer cuddles. And perfectly natural Darnath would let him come to him after he had responded badly. There was absolutely nothing strange about Darnath reaching one hand out toward him, palm up for him to choose to grab on to.

Lyren flinched.

Darnath dropped his hand.

There was a moment of quiet, where Lyren could see Darnath's brow furrow. The questions that were about to be asked. It did not escape him exactly how hypocritical it would be to answer them with a lie.

"Water," he blurted out, because he was not half so good at Darnath as thinking up distractions on the fly. "I'm just - going to splash water on my face. At the stream. Five minutes."

He bolted out of there as swiftly as possible. A wasteful pull of arcane brought his sword to him but it was - it had been near Darnath.

He didn't lie either. They were camped out near one of the gentle, glittering, swirling streams of Ardenweald and Lyren used a gigantic curved leaf to dump the equivalent to a pitcher of water over his head.

Not lying. And now wet. And cold. With water made of death running down his skin.

What was new? The entire place was made of death. So different from necromancy, a magic of decay. He hadn't quite realized the full difference. Death magic could be wonderful. It could be amazing. It could even help renew. In Ardenweald the closest to Life existed.

But the entire place was still made of Death.

And he could still feel it in his bones. With every breath of air and step they took.

The water didn't help. The cold didn't help. But at least he wasn't lying.

It would be easier to ignore it all again, when they were traveling, searching. Then for the most part - it was Darnath. It was putting him back together whether he thought he needed it or not. Even him nuzzling at his neck was fine. Good. Hands? Hands sometimes he couldn't stop the flinching. Sudden movements. But he could brush it off. He could ignore his fear, and he could ignore how every step in Shadowlands something in him wanted to throw up.

Maybe Bolvar had more than one reason to look at Darnath like that when he showed up with a phoenix.

But his magic still worked, which was all that was important. Darnath was getting stronger, more of himself every new piece they found. He might end up hating him by the end if he was wrong about this all, but at least he would be whole.

Now of course he just had to manage to find a way around the conversation of something Darnath never needed to know about. It had been his body that had done it, but he hadn't really been there. ...That didn't mean Darnath wouldn't blame himself anyway if he knew.

Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe, some part of him whispered so reasonably, the fact Darnath upon losing control had immediately tried to snuff him out of existence was meaningful.

It was a terrible, disgusting thought. Darnath in his right mind would never.

But did he want to?

He scowled down at his reflection in the water, and slashed at it with the side of his hand, distorting the image for a few moments as he banished the thought from his mind. It wasn't true. Darnath was angry at him now, and he had every right to be. But their relationship was steady. The kids loved him. He was a part of their family and he loved the girls. There wasn't any reason to think otherwise.

Except of course Lyren had gotten himself into such stupid danger they were bound together. And being bonded in anyway was something Darnath had hated even the idea of, once upon a time.

Except how much time he'd had to spend babying Lyren back to health.

Except Lyren had been the one in Icecrown, watching him slowly lose himself and doing nothing about it.

Sure. No reasons at all.

And for a brief moment he could feel it all. Feel everything he was missing. Everyone.

Sunsoul-Star-Arenlia-Lis-Javinth. And… Darnath himself. He missed him. He missed his family. He missed the home he shared with Darnath and Sunsoul and the girls and yes Javinth who mysteriously never moved out.

There was an aching loneliness that wanted to eat him up inside. There was guilt, for leaving everyone behind for so long. ...There was anger, at himself and yes, at Darnath who could have said something.

And he missed him. He was right there but he wasn't. He was right there and Lyren could touch him and it wasn't really him. But it was.

It was useless to think any of this. His five minutes were up. Probably more than - though who could tell in this unchanging plane?

He breathed in. Breathed out.

They had to find Darnath's missing pieces. Anything else - everything else… would keep.

He was going to fix this. The consequences of his actions could wait a little longer to fall onto his head.

He just needed a little more time.

@darnath

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Forty-Four

Table of Content or Part Forty-Three

Read HERE on wattpad

Words: 3.2k

Warning(s): Explicit language, Drug abuse

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@fancywasmyname1 @teller258316 @ggorehorror

May 10, 1986, is hands down one of the most embarrassing days of my life...and Nikki's...and Tommy's, Heather's, Vince's, Mick's, Tansy's, etc.

I pluck the letter from our accountant off the door, not shocked with its content, but it still sends a streak of anger, sadness, and disappointment through me.

"What's that?" Izzy asks me, and I raise my brows and push it into his chest.

"A snapshot of your future if you don't slow down." I tell him with a sigh, taking my sunglasses off and putting my keys on the keyring as the guys file in behind me. "Nikki!" I call. "We gotta head to the hotel!"

I turn to face Slash, Izzy, Steven, Axl and Duff, digging in my jacket pocket to pluck five keys out.

"There's snacks in the pantry, beer in the fridge, and food in the freezer. Do not go in our bedroom, I will know, and I will kill you. Do whatever you want, but if you break it you buy it and I don't want random girls in here. If anything goes missing..." I start, turning to face them. "...I will make sure your career crashes and burns before you even get it off the ground." I promise, not an ounce of bullshit in my voice, seeing that my words get my point across to everyone except...

"You're bluffing." Axl scoffs out and I raise a brow.

"All I have to do is tell Nikki I have sex with Duff in my dreams." Is what I want to say, but I just brush it off and ignore him as Nikki stumbles in, pulling his jacket on, dragging his suit in the protective covering behind him by its hanger.

"Dude, you alright?" Steven asks him, a little concerned and Nikki pushes past them to go to outside to my car.

"I thought he was the best man." Izzy says and I exhale, grabbing my overnight bag and my dress for the wedding, from the couch.

"He is." I confirm, heading to the door. "Be good, stay out of trouble, I left the number for the hotel and our room number on the fridge." I inform them, opening the door, giving them one last glance. "Thank you for watching the house. I love you, guys."

"Love you!" Duff, Steven and Slash calls back before I shut the door and step to my car.

I put my stuff  carefully in the trunk, seeing Nikki lazily crumpled his suit up and tossed it in.

I roll my eyes and fix his mess, laying it as flat as I can with my wrapped up dress before shutting the trunk and getting into the driver's seat.

Tommy and Heather had the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara as their wedding venue, and everyone decided it would be easier to just stay the weekend instead of driving back home...Nikki had a grand plan to kick drugs over the weekend to avoid rehab.

But he did the exact opposite.

"...So Sparkie had to just give up on making it because his flight was delayed repeatedly and--Do I look okay?" Tansy asks me, looking down at her light pink dress that hugs just the right amount of her overly thin body.

"You look beautiful." I tell her, going over her tracks with more foundation as Tommy comes in.

"Nikki's fucked up." Tommy tells me, irritated and I look at him with dread filling me.

"What?"

"Nikki is fucked up on smack, Viv. That's what. And he's my fucking best man." He repeats. "My parents are here. Her family is here. They're pretty conservative and my best man is obviously tripping on something." He goes on.

"Shhhit." I hiss, walking to the door and he's hot on my trail as I make my way to the groom's suite, seeing Nikki on a couch, nodding off with his sunglasses on.

I take them off and pat his face until he wakes up.

"What?!" He startles.

"Fuck, Nikki." I let out a breath, seeing his pupils are nearly gone, his eyes a dead giveaway to his problem. "Where is it?" I ask and he looks at me blankly.

"Where's what?"

"I'm not playing this game with you. Where is it?"

His pinpoint accented eyes burn into me.

"If it were in your pussy, you'd know where it was." He sarcastically states.

My hand is picking up his pant leg and reaching into his boot, pulling out a lump of tar wrapped in cling wrap.

He rolls his eyes as I go to the other boot and pull out a plethora of syringes.

"Stand up." I order and he rolls his eyes and stands up. "Arms out, legs spread."

He obeys, a tight smirk on his face when I finish patting down each of his arms, and start on his legs.

My hands reach into each of the pockets in his pants to make sure there's nothing in them before he's grabbing my hand and putting it on his crotch.

"You couldn't keep it up right now if you tried." I tell him and he let's out a chuckle.

I just push at his chest and he falls back onto the couch as I gather his supplies.

"You'll get this back later." I lie to him, turning step past Tommy to put the stuff in my bag.

It was a smart tactic, truthfully. He couldn't shoot up because he didn't have his supply. But someone else there did have a supply I didn't even think about until Nikki was borderline comatose by the time the ceremony was about to begin.

"You what?!" I shout at Tansy as panic settles into her blue eyes.

"He was starting to bug out so I just thought--"

"--No, you didn't think about anything! If you had, you would've actually had time to process the fact that he has obligations to Tommy that, thanks to you supplying him with his bullshit, he might not be able to do!" I bark back and tears swell in her eyes as she looks like she's about to cry.

"Viv, just calm down." Vince interjects and I glare at him before looking at Nikki's nearly knocked out form.

"We gotta get out there in, like, ten minutes, Viv." Tommy reminds me, just as frustrated as me.

I let out a weak breath, giving up, rubbing my forehead before looking at Tansy.

"Do you have any blow?" I ask her, and she looks confused for a moment. "He needs to be alert so we can try to hide the fact he's stoned. Key word: 'try'."

"Y-Yeah?" She tells me.

"Bring it here."

She doesn't argue, going to her purse and pulling out a bindle of blow.

I hand it to Tommy and he cuts a few lines of if up, patting at Nikki's face to wake him up.

"Yo, best man, wake the fuck up, snort some, and let's go. I don't wanna be late and I don't wanna embarrass Heather." He tells him as Nikki groggily comes to.

"I'm up, man, just..." He waves his hand at him, sitting up.

I hold out a straw from Tansy's drink, to Nikki, and he looks up at me.

"One minute you're telling me I'm going to rehab, the next you're encouraging me to snort coke?" He laughs humorlessly. "Jesus Christ, are you manipulative or what?"

"Hey, asshole, hush and get your shit together so you don't ruin the most important day of my fucking life." Tommy loses his patience and sternly tells Nikki and Nikki looks insulted.

"The most important day of your life was the day I let you join my band." Nikki fires back, and Tommy rolls his jaw.

"Viv, you're my best man." Tommy tells me suddenly.

"Tommy, just--"

"Am I gonna be standing up there by myself or...?" He interrupts me and I sigh.

"I'll do it, drummer." Mick says from where he's in the corner, minding his business.

"Thank you, Mick. Good to know someone in my band has my back."

"Look, I'm fine." Nikki insists, ignoring Tommy, rubbing his eyes and discarding the lines of white powder. "And I already got the rings, let's just get this done, man."

Nikki goes to get up, but trips and falls into the glass coffee table beside him.

"Babe--"

"I got it." He insists, cutting me short. "I'm good."

No, he wasn't. When we got outside, the afternoon sun just highlighted his sickly appearance.

A disgusting yellow tint to his skin that seemed to cling to his thin frame, although the bloat that only seemed to worsen in the warm weather, covered up his obvious weight loss.

He was dripping sweat, and not because it was that hot outside, and he even left four different times during the ceremony to go to the bathroom (we all know what he was really doing), and when he was present, he was nodding off non-stop.

By the time the reception hit, I was dreading his best man speech.

I eat another bite of my salmon as Tansy and Heather continue to talk about where she and Tommy are honeymooning, and Tommy looks disappointed as Nikki approaches the table from another trip to the bathroom.

"I'm sorry, Tommy." I mumble and he sighs out.

"Thanks, Viv." He kisses the top of my hand before looking over my head.

Arms wrap around my neck, and I'm startled a little before I look up and see Athena standing over me.

"Hey!" I greet her, standing up to hug her to me.

"Marry a rock guy and you're suddenly too good for me?" She asks, joking about how long it's been since we've seen each other. "Speaking of your rock guy, he didn't look too good up there." She says lowly through her teeth and I raise my brows.

"He's not." I reply quietly, feeling Nikki's hand squeezing at my shoulder and Athena looks at him over my shoulder and smiles.

"Hey." Nikki tells her the best he can as they hug for a second.

"Hey, dude." Athena says to him. "Um, I'll see you guys before I go, alright? There's hot guys everywhere and I'm gonna go see if I can hook a dick--I mean a date--for tonight."

"Be wise with your selection." I warn her.

"I will." She queezes my hand before stepping away and I exhale softly before sitting next to Nikki and as he drinks down his glass of wine Tommy stands up and clanks his spoon against his glass, silencing the five hundred guests.

"Alright, first of all, Heather and I would like to thank all of you for driving out here to celebrate this day with us. We really do appreciate it, and we love you guys more than you know. Right now, we're gonna take a moment to hear some words from the best man and maid of honor, and then really get the party going." He announces and Nikki squeezes his eyes closed for a moment before standing up, holding up his wine.

"To the bride and groom, may all your struggles be in bed." He let's out with a slight slur, obviously expecting people to laugh, but it falls flat.

"May all your ups and down be in bed." Is what he meant to say, but his brain was checked out, and by the looks on Heather's parents' faces, they were already second guessing the marriage after Nikki said that.

I struggle to keep my cringing on the down low as everyone awkwardly glances around and Nikki sits down, looking a little humiliated as he hides behind his hair while keeping his eyes on the table.

The awkwardness subsides as the maid of honor starts a tear jerking, elaborate speech about her relationship with Heather, but I don't pay much attention, too busy worrying over Nikki.

The way his eyes are shifting around the room, tells me he's anxiously trying to think up an escape plan to ditch this place all together.

My hand goes to his thigh, and he looks at me.

Despite being pissed at him for letting Tommy down, I still feel bad for him. I know he didn't plan to let him down, he just can't fucking help himself and I don't understand why he can't walk away from the drugs.

I give him a reassuring smile before kissing his cheek.

He puts his hand on the inside of my knee, scooting me closer to him, and I rest my head against his arm.

Once the girl's speech is done, Nikki's disappearing and the bride and groom dance is next.

I watch Tommy and Heather, their pure, annoying, over the top, but sweet, love.

I think Nikki and I had that at one point. We had to have had it in order to be so sure we wanted to spend the rest of ours lives together, even though I still second guess myself sometimes, and I'm sure he does, too.

I don't even think I was sure about it when we got married.

Tommy and Heather look so sure, though. They say, "I love you." If I said that, Nikki would probably run for the hills.

Someone's grabbing at my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts and I see Vince.

"C'mon, Miss Ballet." He tells me, and I furrow my brows.

"You're not big on dancing, Vince." I point out as we join other people slowly dancing around Heather and Tommy at this point.

"I'm not dancing, I'm spending time with my worst friend." He chuckles, and I take off my heels, holding them by their straps in one hand while my other hand rests in his, and his other hand holds at my waist.

Our one-inch height difference has me smirking arrogantly at him as we move together.

"What?" He asks.

"I'm taller." I pick at him a little.

"You're not ever gonna let that go, are you?"

"Nope." I giggle, shaking my head a little. "Sharise couldn't come?" I ask him and he shrugs.

"Skylar got sick." He explains and I nod as he glances around.

"Where'd he go?"

"Exactly where you're thinking he is." I respond and he stays quiet for a second, holding me a little closer to him.

"Have you two talked more about him...you know...?"

I shake my head.

"He doesn't think he needs rehab, just detox. As for therapy to save our marriage...that's up in the air." I admit, looking as Tommy and Heather laugh lightly amongst themselves as they dance, and Vince rubs his lips together and follows my line of sight.

"When I married Beth, I never thought we'd separate." He tells me and I raise my brows.

"Really?"

"No, I'm just trying to give you something to relate to, to help you not feel alone." He confesses and I laugh a little.

"I'm fine, Vince. I'll be okay."

"You and Nikki hate each other, Vivian. And if you don't yet, you will. Trust me. Beth and I were the same way and we put it off thinking it was gonna get better and it just never did."

"But Nikki and I are gonna work on it and get help." I state.

"Look, I'm not trying to freak you out, I'm just wondering how the hell you're gonna fix things because it's gonna take a lot. And if he isn't sober and on his A-game and giving it his all to mend shit, it's gonna wear you down more and more and it's gonna get uglier."

I know what he's saying is true, and I sniffle back a tear-induced running nose as water lines my eyes.

"Hey," he sees me about to cry, hugging me fully to him now and I wrap my arms around him, tears rolling down my face. "Shh shh shh." He soothes me.

"Vince, I'm scared." I say in a whisper.

"Viv, you guys are gonna be okay. I'm sure you'll find a way take fix things just to spite people saying you two won't last." He assures me, his hand rubbing comfortingly up and down my back. "Look at me." He says and I do, and he wipes at my tears. "It'll be fine, alright?" I nod. "Okay?"

"Okay." I reply, sniffling again.

He kisses my cheek and I hug him again.

"You got this." He promises me.

After our dance is over, Tommy is still in Heatherland and I decide to go find Nikki in the men's room.

"I was about to come find you." He tells me when he sees me come in as he's splashing water on his face in the sink.

"I was waiting for a dance with you but you never came back." I tell him, taking note that he's more aware than earlier.

He doesn't reply, he just starts to pull his bowtie and jacket.

"We can go up to our room and you can change." I suggest calmly.

He ignores me, getting the bowtie off, and sliding from his jacket.

I take them from him so he doesn't leave them, and he starts unbuttoning his shirt.

"You can't strip down and go to the room naked." I argue as he gets his belt loose before getting his pants undone. "Nikki--"

I'm cut off, his lips keeping me quiet out of absolutely nowhere, and as he backs me against the counter of sinks and pushes me up onto it, pushing my dress up my hips. I realize what he's doing. "We can't do this." I break away from him, taking deep breaths as his tongue runs up my neck.

"Why not?" He asks against my skin.

"Because you're not attractive to me right now." I want to say, but don't.

I don't have to.

"I just want you to get better." I say to him and he furrows his brows, giving me the opportunity to realize his pupils are big now, probably due to over correcting his heroin stupor with blow during his bathroom visit.

"So, what, you're just gonna keep your fucking legs closed until I get help?" He asks me as if I'm being ridiculous and I close my eyes and sigh out.

"Nikki, you're sick." I say as calmly and politely as I can, my stomach churning at his appearance. "I'm a shitty wife if I close my eyes and let you fuck me and just pretend you're healthy." I explain.

I think he's going to yell at me, or pitch a fit...but his tears roll down his face and collide with my hands that are still holding him, and he looks angry but tired of fighting.

"I'm trying to fix this. I don't want to go to anybody and have them tell me how to be married and how to live my life. You're not happy and I'm just trying to fix this." He tells me and I swallow back my own tears.

"Sex doesn't fix this, Nikki." I tell him. "I wish it would, I really do, but it just doesn't."

I see an obvious fight within himself as he thinks of what to tell me next.

"Fine." His voice cracks, a mixture of a sigh of relief and a stubborn surrender lacing his tone.

He and I called Bob Timmons and Doc that night.

[bnhainsert]

Sound Out

Here is part 3 of my story

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Chapter 3: Recitative

Jiro and Hado were both up pretty early, ready to get a start on this case. They both looked through the files given to Jiro before they left for the briefing. Seeing the photos of so many missing people made Hado’s blood boil. She only hoped that they were still alive to rescue.

The two arrived in their hero costumes ready to get started. Hado’s costume wasn’t too complex. Her top half bore a crop top with long sleeves. It was flowy so that She could get deep breaths to project her voice to manipulate those soundwaves. Her bottoms were comfortable black pants with the same blue wave patterns as on her crop top. They were supposed to be soundwaves, but she knew you couldn’t see soundwaves, so she went for a visual representation that most technology could produce. She had her signature black and white headphones to help both cancel out and amplify sound. Attached to the headphones was a very small mic that people could only see if they tried hard enough to find it. Around her waist was a belt with small grey devices that allowed her speak through. If for any reason she couldn’t get too close to a target, she would slap one of them down, get a decent distance away, and speak into her mic, causing the sound to come from the device. If she bent the soundwaves just right, she could sound like anything, or anyone, that she has heard before.

The two heroes sat at the conference table. Hado looked around at other heroes she may or may not have known. She clearly recognized Deku. He was studying the case notes very intently. Hado could understand. She looked just to Deku’s right and saw what looked like a knight in shining armor. Literally. Hado wracked her brain for who this hero was. “Oh yeah! That’s Ingenium! The hero with the built-in engines” She remembered. Ingenium was looking over Deku’s shoulder at the notes as well. The two seemed close.

Jiro leaned over to whisper to Hado. “Most of the heroes here were in class A together. It’s why we communicate so well and why we are so hellbent on catching these villains” She explained. Hado nodded in understanding. She continued to scan the table as more heroes arrived. She started to remember the hero names she had read about before. Uravity was here along with Froppy the frog hero. They were both probably good at reconnaissance for this particular mission. Hado remembered that they would team up quite often.

She was shocked to see Ground Zero here as well. She understood that they were probably in the same class but Ground Zero seemed a little scary and a little too loud for this mission. She kept scanning so as not to make eye contact with him. 

There was Tentacole, the hero who had dupliarms as a quirk. Creati was also present, which made a lot of sense to Hado. Chargebolt managed to take a seat to jiro’s left side. He started chatting her up. Hado decided to stay out of that conversation. “Who else is here....let’s see” .

Eraserhead was here! It had been awhile since she had seen that sleepy face. Jet-black hero Tsukuyomi was here. Tape hero Cellophane was also here. Before she could continue to look around at familiar faces, a detective cleared his throat and started the briefing.

“Thank you all for being here so early. We are trying to piece together this case in a way that makes sense, and helps us advance to some kind of rescue. Most of the upcoming missions will be reconnaissance just to give us any more possible information so that we can surprise the enemy” the detective stated. “I’ve worked closely with most of you now, but I would like to welcome Vocaller to our investigation. She is a hero from a small town but her quirk is incredibly useful”.

Hado stood up and bowed. “Thank you for this opportunity to serve. I hope I will be of use” She said and sat back down. 

“Wait wait but how does your quirk work? How is she going to be helpful?” Chargebolt interrupted, genuinely curious. The detective looked at Hado, seeing if she was comfortable enough to divulge that information to the large group of heroes in the room. Hado sighed and stood back up. “I can manipulate soundwaves. If there are soundwaves present, which unless you live in space are always going to be present, I can bend them to create different frequencies or amplitudes. By doing this I can mimic sounds of things or people I have heard before. I can also basically stop the sound waves in an area to deafen anyone there. Having a quirk based on sound also made me train my ear so I have an acute sense of hearing as well” she explained. “That enough for you sparky?” she jeered.

“Um yeah. That was a lot more than I expected” Chargebolt responded.

“Ahem...anyway Vocaller will be helping us get any kind of new information to help us really crack this case” The detective continued.

The detective turned on the projector, clicking through slides of information. Hado watched as faces from the case file flashed across the screen. They all were different ages and different genders. It was suspicious though that one of the first people ever kidnapped had a quirk that essentially keeps small groups of people hidden. “Were they using this quirk? And if so how? Did they voluntarily do it? Were they held at gunpoint?” Hado thought to herself.

Jiro bumped her with her elbow. “Yo are you okay? You look incredibly confused and upset” Jiro whispered. “I’m just.....I’m stuck on the first person they kidnapped” Hado responded a little louder than a whisper.

“What do you mean you’re stuck on them” snarled Ground Zero.

Hado momentarily jumped from the intense voice directed at her. “I mean....Look at that quirk. A quirk with the ability to keep a small group of people hidden...Don’t you think a villain would jump at the chance to use that quirk? And if they are using it, How are they using it? Is this person doing it voluntarily? Are they holding them at gunpoint?” She explained. “I was wondering the same thing” Deku spoke up. “There’s also someone with the quirk ‘Reset” which can reset an area back to the way it was 5-10 minutes before. It only effects inanimate objects so the people would still be there, but it would be pretty convenient for a villain” Deku continued.

“Those people that were kidnapped are probably being threatened into using their quirks for them” Ingenium interjected. Hado felt a pit in her stomach. “If that really is the case it is incredibly important that we get this job done without being detected. If they find out we are trying to track them they may hurt those that have been kidnapped more than they already have. Chances are they are not dead because their quirks would prove to be very useful. We have to do this right” the detective replied. Most everyone in the room nodded in agreement.Hado looked over to Deku who shared a knowing glance with her. 

“We are splitting you guys into smaller groups and spreading you out across the city to look for suspicious activity. We have several spots that we think may be of interest to them. That where we will station you guys. Vocaller! You will be in the area where we are most certain they will appear” the detective explained.

“Oh god oh god what if I fuck up oh no” Hado’s internal monologue had her sweating and shrinking into herself.

“I’ll go with her” Deku said confidently.

“Why should you get to go where the enemies are most likely to show up?” Ground Zero growled. “Look Ka-...Ground Zero, I think I would be able to work well enough with Vocally that if the need arose, we could use my quirk to fight undetected thanks to her” Deku elaborated. 

“Yeah I think it would be hard to control the soundwaves of a bunch of explosions. Plus I mean....you would see them so it would be a dead giveaway” Cellophane added.

“Tch”.

Everyone got their assignment and were told to start scouting at around 11p.m. that night. Everyone started moving to leave when Deku called out to Vocally. Hado looked at Jiro and Jiro gave her a knowing nod. “I’ll see you later so we can prepare for tonight okay?” Jiro reassured her. Hado nodded but the pit in her stomach had just grown bigger.

“Do you mind if we had another chat?” Deku asked Hado. She couldn’t really say no.

The two pro heroes stayed in the conference room, knowing that it would probably be one of the safest places to have a discussion about the case.

“I saw your face during the briefing. You think something is off too. You think something worse is happening don’t you” Deku pushed. “Woah hold on. Please give me some time to breathe. I’ve just been told that I would be put on the front lines here with the big time criminals. I’ve only ever fought your run of the mill thieves and crooks” Hado said frantically, sitting back down to try and catch her breath. Her chest started to tighten. “Oh god a panic attack? Right now? In front of this incredible pro hero...no please stop...”.

Deku’s face flashed with a realization. Hado was having a panic attack and he had probably caused it. He sat down next to her, took her hand and told her to breath in and out with him. They took a few deep breaths together. “I apologize. I may have pushed a little too hard there. I’m just....just so frustrated” Deki said clenching his fist around Hado’s hand. He looked like he was about to cry.

Hado felt the pressure he was putting on her hand and it helped her calm herself a little bit. “You’re probably the most frustrated one here. I can empathize with that. I know that if people were disappearing in my town and I couldn’t stop it myself, I would feel pretty awful” She told him trying to help with the anxiety plaguing them both.

She pulled her hand away and patted Deku on the back. “Look here’s what I know...”.

They discussed how weird the first few disappearances were. They talked about how it made them feel sick to their stomach, unsure of what was actually happening to these people. Objectively the combined powers of the quirks talked about would probably be why they were so hard to catch or follow. They tried to come up with strategies to get information without alarming the crime syndicate. Hado knew how to sneak around and gather information but this seemed a bit above her pay grade. She was relieved to have Deku there who seemed to know the ins and outs of everything involving heroes.

“So you can deafen people with your quirk, you can manipulate sound waves to make them sound like people or things you’ve heard before,You can amplify the sound waves to push yourself to increase your mobility....Is there anything else you could do that might be helpful in this situation?” Deku questioned her.

Hado went through her quirk in her mind. He had just about listed everything she could do. She was impressed by how observant he was. She tried to think hard about her power. “Creating different sounds at once has been a bit of a struggle for me considering I need to have an idea of both sounds at once happening in my head. The training that takes just to adjust your ears to be able to seperate sounds and analyze them is rough....but it can be done. I’ve done it maybe once before when the situation looked really bleak. I had to close my eyes and concentrate really hard, but it was doable” She revealed.

“Would you be able to make those two sounds happen in two different places?” Deku asked. “Oh....I might be able to do that. Hold on. Let me see if I can try in this small space”.

Hado closed her eyes and thought of 2 different sounds in her mind. She thought of the frequency and the amplitude they would need to be put in opposite corners of the room. Two things she was very familiar with. She had to think. Her voice would be one and her keyboard would be the other. She knew what they each sounded like and visualized the soundwaves and where they would happen. The sound of her voice saying “We will save these people” rang at one end of the room while the faint sound of a piano playing a simple melody barely made itself known on the other side.

Deku’s eyes widened with surprise. “That’s incredible Vocaller! You did it!” he praised. Hado let out a huge puff of air. It gave her a headache to do this much work. Focusing on one sound and manipulating waves in the same area was fine. Working in two different places with two different sounds was a whole new ballgame. “Yeah I did it.....but it took a lot of effort and the piano was no where near as loud as I was hoping I could make it” Hado said clearly disappointed. “But this is so useful! If we need a quick last resort distraction, you can make 2 sounds happen in different areas! It’s perfect!” Deku continued to gush.

Hado gave a small laugh. “You sound like a small kid discovering heroes for the first time” Hado jested. “Well I’m a pro hero and I don’t know everything there is to know about every pro hero. I learn something new every day and I hope that never stops” Deku smiled a bright genuine smile. It made Hado feel warm and safe. His attitude toward his heroing duties made her feel like she could do anything herself as a hero. “Is this what Jiro was talking about?” She thought.

The two sat and talked just a little bit longer before going their separate ways.”Oh hey! Deku!” Hado turned around and shouted to the green hero. “None of this is your fault. We’ll figure this out tonight”

Deku looked surprised again watching Hado as she left. He smiled and nodded to himself. They could do this.  

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6