#ashida replies

[starhvney]

HelloI hope you’re having a good day! Can I request a one shot of a reader that has a crush on Gene and kawaii-chan sets them up on a date?

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃!

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: mystreet gene x fem!reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: accidentally telling your romance-crazed friend who your crush is sounds like a terrible mistake… but maybe it’s not so much of a mistake after all

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: pure fluff, kind of awkward conversation from the reader(real), ft. wingwoman nana ashida (and aph), reader is shy and exasperated

𝐂𝐖: none!

𝐀/𝐍: i took so long to write this for no reason but i actually really like how it turned out

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

you should’ve known she was up to something again.

“want to go to the cafe for some coffee and snacks this morning?” nana had asked you in the doorway of your room, holding a bundle of her clothes in her arms and rollers still in her hair.

“oh, yeah! like, now?”

“um, in an hour… i need to leave early and run some errands before and then i’ll meet you there,” she says with a small nervous giggle. “oh, and wear something cute! i have another friend coming!”

“oh…kay?” you barely agreed before she had darted back down the hall.

you should’ve known. it was too late, though, when you looked up from nana’s last-minute canceling text and your eyes met his. you repressed a groan when you saw realization dawn in his dark blue eyes.

recently, the two of you had reconnected after bumping into each other while running errands around town. your jaw had dropped at how much he had changed since you last saw him.

not only had he somehow gotten even taller after high school, he looked… better. naturally, he had matured further into his features, as did you. but you noticed a completely different change in him. it was something deeper than skin, you realized, when he had begun to apologize for how he had acted in high school as soon as you looked open to conversation. his expression was genuine and his eyes were full of regret. 

deciding to leave the past in the past, you both agreed to have a second chance at friendship. over the course of the past month you had bonded and grown closer, and you couldn’t help but admire him for how much he’s grown. then, slowly, that admiration snowballed into… affection.

sure, you always thought he was attractive, but the irregular beating of your heart against your rib cage was something new. suddenly you started paying more attention to his features. how one side of his mouth turned slightly down as he smiled. how his dark black hair was somehow always perfectly messy and attractive despite his clear lack of trying. or how his sleepy and bag-ridden eyes would squint and light up when you managed to say something funny. did he always have that little freckle near his jawline?

this is what you get, you internally scold yourself, for letting your feelings slip in conversation the other night. katelyn nearly passed out from high blood pressure, complaining about how you were way above his league and could do way better. but aphmau and nana couldn’t stop squealing and teasing you about it until you finally managed to retreat to your room for the night. you should’ve known it would be only sooner or later that one of them would pull something like this.

“…hey.” he greets, the deep rasp in his voice almost physically startling you out of your thoughts. “i thought nana wanted to meet me here to talk about a job at their new cafe, but…” he trails off, lifting up his phone with a shrug. 

you quietly clear your throat, trying to ignore the heart rising against your cheeks. “um, she asked me to come this morning to hang out, but she just canceled, too.”

gene’s eyebrows pinch together, before looking back at the cafe counter in thought. “well, wanna get something to drink since we’re here?”

“oh, yeah, sure,” you reply, trying to control the nervous warble in your voice.

after ordering, you two finally take your seats, sitting across from each other.

“you said nana was talking to you about a job?”

“yeah.. she said you highly recommended me, actually.” gene leans forward on the table, his head tilting as he rests on his laced hands.

“well, you said you were looking for a new job… so i mentioned you, is all…” you trail off, your eyes nervously darting away to land on… a very familiar-looking duo in poor disguises. 

your roommates’ light pink and black hair stuck out from tightened hoodies, paired with sunglasses that were completely conspicuous for a cafe in the morning. nana only gave you a cheeky smirk, while aphmau cheesed and held a thumbs up.

oh wow.

“…you good?” gene questions, his head beginning to turn in the direction you were looking.

“uh, yeah! no, i’m fine, aha! just thinking. um, if you would take a job at a maid cafe. it’s just a little funny for me to imagine, i guess.”

he smiles in amusement, shrugging his shoulders. “if it pays well, why not? besides, i’m open to trying something that might not be expected—“

“order for gene!” the barista calls out, setting your orders on the counter.

“i’ll get it.” gene announces with an almost inaudible click of his tongue, quickly leaving you to your fried thoughts.

you send a glare at your friends mouthing profanities and a baffled look in their direction. they merely twirl their hoodie strings, looking away innocently. you can only bury your face in your hands, lowly groaning.

“are you sure you’re okay?” gene’s voice approaches you, followed by the sound of your drink and pastry sliding onto the table.

“yeah… just annoyed that nana canceled at the last minute.”

“well geez, i didn’t think you’d be this upset at being alone with me, but—“

“that’s not what,” you start, head whipping up to see his teasing smirk. “ugh, i just mean it’s not professional. i’ll be sure she hires you.”

his smirk melts as he lets out a soft chuckle. “just as sweet as always, huh?”

you release a sigh, shoulders sinking as you take a sip of your drink to relieve you from your stressed rambling. "i guess..."

“hey… speaking of which…” gene starts, head tilted down as he looks up at you through his dark lashes. 

“order for… cupid?” the barista calls out with a questioning tone, causing gene to stop what he was about to say. you watch nana and aph out of the corner of your eye, giggling at each other as they go up to get their order.

…unbelievable.

“i’ll take that as a sign, i guess…” gene mutters, turning your attention back to him.

“what…?”

“listen, i,” he runs his fingers through his hair, eyes narrowing at you as if he was trying to read your mind. “do you like me?”

you’re sure your heart nearly bursts through your throat as your eyes widen and your jaw drops. you stutter out some sort of noise, but before you can form any coherent sentence or thought, gene continues.

“because i really like you,” he admits, his voice sounding almost unsure of himself for a moment. “and, i hope i’m not reading this wrong, but it kinda seems like you feel the same.”

a beat passes. and then another. if you didn’t feel like you had tunnel vision in this moment you might have noticed the poorly disguised duo shaking each other in excitement as they shuffle and lean closer to try and hear the conversation.

“…yes, i do.”

gene leans back, a look of relief passing over his face before his usual laidback and confident demeanor has returned. it’s like he never sipped up in the first place.

“yeah, you’ve never been good at hiding things. you may not say anything, but your face says everything i need to know.” he leans forward again, brushing a strand of loose hair behind your ear.

he leans even further, his lips dangerously close to the shell of your ear as he whispers, “your roommates aren’t very good at it either.”

he leans back with a grin, before turning to look at the two culprits behind this whole ordeal. they freeze in place, nana nearly dropping her phone from where she has clearly taken a few pictures of you two. they scramble to grab their drinks before sprinting out the door, whisper-shouting “abort mission, cupids have been spotted! go go go!”

“i guess i’ll thank them later.”

“… i’m gonna kill them.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

[burnersideblogjustincase-ies]

MY TIME HAS COME. IVE BEEN HERE TOO LONG AND SEEN TOO MUCH. Most of the hate I see Jess and Jason get publicly is for bad writing choices, but. Uh. THINGS RUN MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT! Here's a big compilation, of both serious and less serious things, that people have gripes with Jess and Jason for.

Disclaimer: A lot of this stuff is sourced from twitter, which I do not use. I am a MCD fan and have been here since MCD Season 1, I also am not a Mystreet/modern content fan. There could be stuff/context I'm missing for some things. I'm trying to keep this post to stuff I can provide links/sources for, in order to prevent that.

Tw for discussions of homophobia, racism, abusive workplace, uncomfortable IRL age-gaps, fatphobia, and depictions of abuse and incest. This post is long, be warned.

Homophobia:

Jessica is a fetishist of gay/mlm relationships. I feel this is pretty visible through her actions as a whole, but in case you don't believe me, here's her tweeting about being a Septiplier fan.

(Ship between Jacksepticeye and Markiplier. Yes. She really tweeted this. https://twitter.com/_Aphmau_/status/748004225305677828)

And this.

And the video she did where she publicly supported the "ship" of her IRL employees/coworkers (Mithzan and YourPalRoss), which she then publicly reblogged a clip of to her tumblr here: https://www.tumblr.com/aphmau/142601660059/mithross-ahaha-thank-you-so-much-for-this

AND back when they did fanfic readings/reenactments on the channel, one of these videos was devoted to Septiplier.

(This video has since been privated, but you can see someone's... uh.... ""reaction video"" to it? Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jodpDmeqES0)

Yeah.

This fetishization does leak into the content Jessica creates. Jason himself has confirmed that the way Jess wrote Laurance and Garroth was intentionally written as queerbait.

The person he was replying to is no longer visible, but the tweets are still up here: (https://twitter.com/jasonbravura/status/802295131218984960)

Racism:

Yeah so remember how Jason said that they'd never have someone on the team make the skintones of characters to be lighter. Remember how he said that in those tweets above. Yeah well they did that they absolutely did that. They do it in the official poster merch, in the official music videos, thumbnails, and in the skins/ingame footage as well.

(Lots of the in-game whitewashing seems to be a side-effect of the shaders they are using, as they overexpose the footage and make everything lighter as a result. The difference in skintones is glaringly obvious, and definitely would've been tackled by the team by now if they cared about whitewashing as an issue.)

It took until Season 3 of MCD to have a single black character purposefully placed into the show. He had potential to be more than a side character, but the show was cancelled soon after his introduction. As far as I'm aware, Teony is still the only black character in all of Mystreet/Phoenix Drop High. She is a side character who is not included in the minigames or other modern content. Unless I'm misremembering, she doesn't appear in Mystreet in anything beyond Season 2.

Let's talk about Nana Ashida now. Or as she was known as up until late parts of Mystreet, "Kawaii-Chan." Good news! Jessica and crew realized that having an anime-obsessed neko-girl who works at a maid cafe and loves "shipping" and all things "Kawaii" was offensive, and changed her name as a result. Bad news! They confirmed this character to have Japanese heritage through changing her name, further enforcing every single stereotype she carried and more!

(Though it's not as if there was a very good out for this aside from acknowledging the stereotype, tearing out everything about her character, and rebuilding her from the ground up. Either you make your Japan stereotype Japanese, confirming she's a walking stereotype, or you make your Japan stereotype a white girl, and confirm that she the character is stereotyping Japanese people. Either way, they wrote an offensive stereotype and refuse to fix it, because the stereotype is intrinsically tied to her character, and all that is supposed to be appealing and likable about it.)

Fatphobia:

I don't even know what to say. Here is a roleplay video from 2018, where the sideplot is that Aphmau eats too many hamburgers, causing her to hiss at fruits and vegetables like a feral cat. She goes for a jog with aaron, where she fails miserably until being deceived that there is a... "wild hamburger" in the bushes. The video ends with her bursting into tears over turning down a cookie. Eating and food humor are common in this era of video from the Aphmau channel, and these topics are never handled well.

(https://youtu.be/PnOCMK1i-hQ)

Basically every character who is implied to like food (aside from Nana/Kawaii-Chan, because of course a Japanese stereotype Cutesy Icon™ can't be fat, because being fat is not appealing in the eyes of the writers) is implied to also be both unhealthy and overweight. Three out of Four of the trivia bullet-points for Betty (FCU character) are about her love of food, because she genuinely has no other memorable traits. If I have to tell you what is wrong with this, I can't help you.

(https://aphmau.fandom.com/wiki/Betty_(MyStreet))

Abusive Workplace Allegations:

Back while it was still known as BluJay, Catface Studios was reportedly not a good place to work. Here are some twitter testimonies from ex-employees, ranging from things such as PTSD, to possible legal threats for speaking out about working conditions/experiences. (Some of the text is very small, click through to read better.)

A lot of these tweets are, at this point, deleted. Especially the more negative/accusatory ones. Some of them can still be found online, search for them if you're curious.

(And context for people unaware, _Castr_ aka Castor is the same person as The Chicken Shaman in MCD. He used to work on/be a part of a lot of Jess' old content, and was a writer on various projects for her for a VERY long time. I believe he was involved in the writing of MCD since Season 1, but if anyone has a source on that so I know I'm not misremembering, feel free to let me know. His sudden release was VERY shocking to me personally, seeing as how long he's been a part of Jess and Jason's work.)

Jess and Jason have also pretty iconically had beef with Sebastian Todd, the voice of Laurance. This beef is why Laurance rarely appears in videos, and was written out of Mystreet. I personally don't really care for either of the involved parties, but here's what Mithzan has to say about Sebastian:

Child Labor (???):

I literally don't know how else to describe it. This tweet (and linked google doc) from 2015 is the source of this one:

(This tweet is still up and available at this link by the way: https://twitter.com/_Aphmau_/status/661051379234922497) The bit.ly link (http://bit.ly/1Q10LEA) leads to a google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPd1dsY99sOwIl_fITmUryfH4s00zVgiSuwodfcNiK8/edit) describing what a body actor is and where to apply to work as one for Jess. In case you don't feel like clicking links, here's just the "terms and conditions" and all listed requirements:

Yep, that's right, kids as young as 13 were encouraged to apply for this! Or even 12, if your birthday was close enough to the application date. Though it mentions "promotion", there is no payment mentioned or listed anywhere on the document. Presumably promotion is referring to asking for more important jobs, such as writers or voice actors, though I don't know for certain. Despite the mention of "credit given to you as the body actor" I do not remember seeing body actors ever credited on Aphmau videos of this era. (If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, but I checked a couple MCD S2 episodes that came out a couple months after this, and could only ever find VAs credited.)

I don't know how young anyone who applied or was accepted was, and I don't know what their working conditions were like. I personally doubt anyone accepted was paid for their time at all, though I have nothing to back that up.

(Also, I don't know if that email is still active. And don't plan on testing it. I'd encourage not sending anything, just in case.)

Aggression towards fans:

This is more a point towards Jason specifically, but multiple times he has spoken out very... I don't even know how to phrase it. Agitatedly? Blame-y? Against fans on twitter for seemingly minimal or nonissues.

These are some of my "favorites," and by favorites I mean "I cannot believe a grown man actually said these things to young fans on twitter, for the crime of... wanting to see more non-Aarmau ships with Aphmau ???"

(These tweets are ALSO still up: https://twitter.com/JasonBravura/status/866345911571562496)

I'm sorry, but "whoring Aphmau's character out" is an INSANE thing to say about your literal actual IRL wife.

(Also he went real jokercore this one time I still cannot believe this is real.)

This is less of a serious accusation in comparison to some of the others, but looking at it with the following in mind makes an interesting picture:

Jess and Jason's Relationship:

Hate that I have to make this a bullet point given how fetishistic and weird people online are about celebrities/internet personalities' IRL relationships, but unfortunately this is necessary. The summary is, Aphmau and Aaron's 4 year age gap (Freshman and Senior in highschool) displayed in Phoenix Drop High is based on Jessica and Jason's real life relationship. Here's a better post breaking this down: https://www.tumblr.com/dantes-gf/648264700307668992/jess-and-jason-a-disturbing-dating-history

As of making this post, I believe Jessica's IRL age is 33 and Jason's IRL age is 37. They met before Jessica was 18, seeing as she moved in with him when she turned 18, as stated by Jessica herself in her Draw My Life video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekOog6xKDMQ)

TLDR: Assuming the timeframe displayed in PDH is correct, their IRL ages suggest that Jessica was 14 and Jason was 18 when they started dating. This age gap is disturbing for obvious reasons.

Some fans have also found Jason controlling for things like this:

(I don't feel right commenting on this given the whole "This Is An IRL Relationship I Am Not A Part Of, And Thus Will Never Have As Much Insight Into As The People Who Are In It" thing, but here it is regardless. You can make your own judgements on it if you wish.)

Irresponsible Depictions of Abuse/Incest:

Ein is a character. He's certainly a character. If you don't know who he is, he appeared in Mystreet and Phoenix Drop High as a villain who wanted to romantically abuse and manipulate Aphmau. In some cases he succeeded. Towards the end of Mystreet Season 6, he was revealed to be Aphmau's sister. In contrast to his villainous persona in the main-story content, he appeared as friendly, teasing and even flirtatious in the mini-game and non-canon content. Many fans were upset to see him treated as a friendly member of the cast, instead of as the incestual abuser he is in canon.

Around mid-late 2018, many fans on tumblr were vocal about how they found Ein's story and character handled to be upsetting and uncomfortable. A voice actor for the channel (condescendingly) responded that depictions of bad things do not necessarily mean the writer is bad. This post was then reblogged by Aphmau's official tumblr account, without any commentary.(https://www.tumblr.com/aphmau/179882946599/hey-so)

Obviously writing about problematic things does not make you a bad person. You cannot have a story without conflict. What is concerning is writing about this content irresponsibly. Many fans around this time failed to understand that Ein should not be shipped romantically with Aphmau. This behavior was most alarmingly seen by (younger) fans who looked to the out-of-character minigame content of Ein for how he should be treated, and began shipping Aphmau and Ein without understanding the full force of their actions.

(Tumblr) Fans were then concerned about the responsibility involved in displaying this kind of content uncritically to younger audiences, especially since this time was when the mini-game videos became very clearly more aimed towards younger kids. This was Jessica's response, posted on tumblr: (https://www.tumblr.com/aphmau/179945128104/the-audience-of-my-channel)

It touches on the topic, but falsely identifies the main concern of fan backlash of mini-game and overall channel content becoming kid-friendly, instead of the real concern of irresponsibly exposing children to """friendly""" depictions of incest and abuse.

Making funny, silly content of abusers does not successfully condemn an abuser's actions. Making funny, silly content of an incestual relationship does not convey to the audience that the writer sees these actions as wrong. Without knowing that these text posts exist, the average fan would likely never even know they supposedly saw these things as an issue.

Not only has Catface never apologized for this, they later tried to retcon it out of existence:

This post sums it up pretty well. (https://www.tumblr.com/dantedeservedbetter/655931596641353728/oops-this-rant-was-longer-than-i-expected-but)

TLDR: Jessica/Catface has acknowledged that Ein was written to be Aphmau's sister multiple times, including a mini-game video in 2019 that directly referred to them as siblings in the title and thumbnail.

At some point after this comment was made, they changed the video title to be consistent with the "red herring" statement.

To spell it out, after defending their irresponsible portrayal of this abusive and incestual character for years, Catface quietly pretended like it was never an issue and erased all references to his sibling status, so that they did not have to keep trying to explain themselves or apologize.

If you need more proof, check out this tumblr post below where Jessica does not contest Ein's sibling status, which is directly mentioned and discussed in the ask prior! If it really was a red herring, then go on Jessica! Why not correct it here, when the sibling discussion is causing issues all the way back in 2018? That you yourself took credit for writing IN THIS POST! https://www.tumblr.com/aphmau/179877266199/i-think-jasons-a-really-good-guy-but-im-never

I think it's very clear why nothing about this was ever corrected earlier, and it's because they saw it as nothing needing correction. There is no red herring. Just a poorly-handled retcon.

Many characters are given this treatment in canon, where their poor writing was later friendly-ified or excused for little to no reason:

The treatment and attempted "redemption" of Derek, Aaron's abusive father in Phoenix Drop High/Mystreet, is another clear example of this poorly thought-out behavior.

As well as Travis and Katelyn's abusive relationship, which is initially handled seriously, then comically, then swept aside altogether.

As well as Ghost, the undead form of Emmalyn from Minecraft Diaries, who repeatedly forces herself upon Mystreet Zane, because she has confused Mystreet Zane and Minecraft Diaries Zane, and for some reason has also confused Minecraft Diaries Zane, the man who killed her husband... With her husband. Makes sense /s.

As well as.... whatever the hell is going on with Aphmau and Aaron's relationship in Mystreet altogether. Remember that time in Season 4 when Aphmau threw a rock at Aaron after he just got done freezing to death or whatever, because the person that helped him not die... was a girl...... ?????? and she was...... jealous ??????????? so she tried to hit him with a rock??????????????????? was this supposed to be cute??????????????????????????????????

Okay now here's the less serious stuff. Reasons people dont like Jessica and Jason beyond the horrible stuff.

Because the original asker was just asking why people are mad at Jess and Jason, and despite all of the above being very prevalent I mainly see people angry at them for the following:

Bad writing. It comes from both Jess and Jason. Stuff that isn't bad because it's offensive, but because it's just plain bad. In all produced rps, they frequently forget their own lore, characterizations, and write things that just plain make no sense. A lot of people get frustrated with that, understandably.

Stringing fans along. New MCD/Mystreet/Roleplay content is continuously promised and not followed up on. Seasons/series are left unfinished without warning, or rushed to completion in order to throw them in the bin and stop having to write them. Lots of fans have grown tired of hoping for new content for the things they originally followed for. The Aphmau Fantasy Stories channel is inactive for a reason.

Related to above, she mostly just does clickbait-cocomelon-styled videos targeted towards very young children now, which frustrates a lot of old or returning fans looking for more serious content.

Also related to above, retiring or benching main/beloved characters for seemingly no reason. This is most demonstrated by Laurance, but can also be seen in characters like Garroth, Daniel, Lucinda, and Vylad. (One commonality seems to be that this "benching" frequently happens when there are difficulties with employing the voice actor.)

Shipping. Yeah Aarmau is basically the only Aphmau ship featured anymore in all her content, and has been for a while. So people who don't ship that often don't like Jessica, Jason, or their modern content, since the characters are their self-inserts and it's basically their fault.

Content stealing. A lot of her work references other established works, such as making the wyvern dragon language in Minecraft Diaries just being the dragon shout language from Skyrim, taking the titles and sometimes names of the Divine Warriors from mythical figures featured in Final Fantasy, or, most egregiously, stealing the entire Mystreet Season 6 Finale from Fullmetal Alchemist. Yes, they really did do that. In my opinion, some of these seem like simple references to media she enjoys, while some of these (looking at you Mystreet Finale) just feel lazy at best and incredibly deceitful at worst.

The baby voices. All the VAs, including Aphmau, pitch their voices up to sound cartoony now. It's grating.

Jess learned the word "himbo" and now it is Garroth's only personality trait. It's grating.

The Fucklist, or sometimes referred to as The List, is a list Jessica made and posted on her tumblr of characters who, in a less child-friendly version of MCD, would have fucked. The sentence alone is upsetting enough. It's upsetting to read as well. And she didn't even include the canonical Aphmau and Aaron fucking, because it was spoilers at the time. Maybe this doesn't belong here, I don't know if this is the One Reason why a fan has turned on her. But it's probably been the straw that broke some poor camel's back out there.

Some Mystreet fans don't enjoy the more lore-heavy later seasons, and prefer the sillier slice-of-life first couple seasons that the series was originally written with the intention of following.

Similarly to above, some Mystreet fans don't enjoy the MCD crossover lore added late in Mystreet Season 6. Some MCD fans don't enjoy that the series now crosses over with Mystreet.

And more im probably not thinking of at the moment.

You cannot unlearn what you have learned here today.

Sorry.

[captain-erwinmerica]

It's not weird at all anon, my update schedule has been completely thrown off since I went on holiday, so I'm still kind of just floundering around. But it will be updated! I'm kind of just.. storing up some nsfw energy because it's gonna be a bit filthy and it's not something I've ever written before 😂 so I'm procrastinating about it a little bit. And thank you for following my other works too 😭 I'm always amazed that people read everything of mine cos i know some of its different.

[nanaosaki3940]

Brother’s Girl & All... (Part 2)

Pairing: Shoto Todoroki X OC (slightly Touya X OC) 

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Angst. 

Warning: Long post, MHA manga spoiler. 

Fandom: My Hero Academia, Tokyo Ghoul. 

Synopsis: Shoto Todoroki, the 1st year heartthrob of UA, slowly started to fall in love with his kind and pretty classmate who also happens to be his ‘dead’ older brother’s girl. 

Part 1 -> Midsummer Dream 

Part 3 -> The Shape Of My Love 

A/N: I know this is an xOC fic but you can read it as a self-insert if you like.

The UA sports festival was in two weeks. It would be broadcast live on TV too. There was no doubt that those who did well had a much better chance of becoming pro heroes. We would know what events we would be participating in until the day of. But I was sure everyone had started getting ready. Time passed in the blink of an eye in the morning of the sports festival arrived.

Right now, we the students from Class 1-A were all in the Class 1-A assigned dressing room.

“Man… I wanted to wear my costume.” Ashida whined.

“To keep everything fair we can’t.” Ojiro said with a smile.

“I wonder what the first round is gonna be…” Sato muttered.

“No matter what comes we have no choice but to deal with it.” Tokoyami stated.

“Right.” Shoji nodded his head.

Then all of a sudden, someone opened the door of the room and we all turned around to find Iida at the doorway.

“Everyone, are you ready?” he asked. “We will be entering soon!”

At that moment, Todoroki walked past Iida and entered the room.  

“Midoriya…” the bi-colored hair boy called out.

“Todoroki-kun?” Midoriya asked nervously. “What is it?”

“Looking at things objectively, I think I’m stronger than you.” Todoroki stated monotonously.

“Huh?” Midoriya mumbled in confusion. “Y-Yeah…”

“But All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?” Todoroki narrowed his eyes. “I’m not trying to pry about that. But I’m going to beat you.”

“Oh? Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?” Kaminari smirked.

“Hey hey hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Not now, we're about to start!” Kirishima stated with a frown as he put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder.

“We’re not here to play at being friends.” Todoroki scowled. “So what does it matter?”

After a moment of silence, Midoriya finally spoke up.

“Todoroki-kun…” Midoriya muttered. “I don’t know what you were thinking when you say you’ll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you are more capable than most people… looking at it objectively…”

“Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively…” Kirishima stated nervously.

“But everyone…” Midoriya continued. “The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they have got! I can’t afford to fall behind! I’ll be going for it with everything I have too!”

“Yeah.” Todoroki nodded his head before turning to look over at me. “And Osaki…”

“Hmm? Yes?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I have seen your quirk at USJ. However, I don’t want to judge your strength or your other capabilities. I just want to say that I see you as a rival as well.” he added.

“Yeah… Well, okay.” I smirked at him. “Just so you know, I won’t hold back either as well.”

After that, we all walked out of the room and headed towards the ground. 

“Shinsou is out of bounds!” Midnight announced. “Izuku Midoriya advances to round two!!”

I let out a sigh of relief as Midoriya won the fight, but that the same time I also felt sorry for Shinsou. Then suddenly at that moment, my stomach started to ache again. I bit my bottom lip as I stood up from my seat.

“Where are you going, Nana-chan?” Uraraka asked.

“Bathroom.” I replied with a smile before walking away.

I quickly made my way down the stairs and headed towards the bathroom. I let out a groan as my stomach twisted again. I quickly walked into the bathroom and washed my face with cold water on the washbasin. I looked up and stared at my own reflection in the mirror. I noticed my eyes were changing from my normal eye color to Kakugan and then again going back to their original state.

I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a grunt as I again felt the pain in my stomach. I shook my head and opened my eyes again. Seeing my reflection one last time, I let out a heavy sigh and walked out of the bathroom as I thought of getting some fresh air.

As I walked down the hallway, at that moment with the help of my Ghoul quirk, I sensed someone familiar behind me. I quickly turned around to see Todoroki standing just a few inches away with his right arm reaching out towards me. Todoroki and I looked at each other for a moment as I blinked at him a few times in confusion.

"Umm... Todoroki?" I trailed off as I looked back and forth between his face and his arm. "What were you trying to do?"

Todoroki quickly pulled his arm back away from me with a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"I-I wasn't trying to do anything weird, I swear!" he stuttered out awkwardly.

"Okay... so umm... Did you need anything?" I asked in confusion.

Todoroki regained his usual composure and let out a sigh as his eyes trailed down at the ground.

"I came to apologize to you." he said in his usual quiet and solemn voice.

He refused to meet my eyes as his gaze still planted firmly into the ground.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked.

“I burned you in the cavalry battle.” he responded quietly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. “I swore that I would never use my left side again…"

"Oh, it's alright. I'm fine now." I smiled at him. "Thanks for your concern, Todoroki, but please don't worry about me. I was able to heal myself with the help of my own Ghoul quirk..."

"I'm sure you already know that Endeavor's my father.” He added.

“Yes, I know Enji-san.” I muttered, nodding my head. “He and some of the other pro-heroes were friends with my parents. I met him many times before as well.”

“The only reason he married my mother was to create a child that would surpass All Might.” he continued as his hand reached out and touched the scar on his face. “My mom went insane because of that. She couldn't even look at me cause the more she looked at me, the more I reminded her of my father. She said my left side was unsightly because of that, so she tried to burn it off when I was only five years old."

I furrowed my eyebrows when I heard those words. Todoroki maybe didn't know this but I already knew the whole story of his family because of a certain person.

“I refused to become my father's puppet.” he growled under his breath. “I vowed that I would win this competition and surpass All Might without using his fire quirk, but I got blinded by the thought of winning and lost control of myself. I hurt you because of it. I'm sorry."

My eyes softened at his words. My heart ached at the look on his face. That sad expression of his reminded me of someone very close to me. And coincidentally that certain someone was related to Todoroki and Endeavor.

I could see the tornado of emotions behind Todoroki's expressionless face, but they were mostly negative emotions like pain, sadness, and anger. To me, it looked like he was being himself for the first time, true and genuine, as he shared about his problems with me and I appreciated this side of him.

“Todoroki…” I smiled warmly at him as I reached out and gently grabbed his hands. “Enji-san doesn't become the victor if you use your own quirks. And it's up to you if you want to use your left side or not or if you want to forgive Enji-san or not. The way I was raised and the people who were my parents, I would never understand your pain and what it feels like to be trapped by your own blood, but having the same quirk as your own father doesn't make you 'him'. Enji-san isn't you and you're not Enji-san either. You are your own person, Todoroki; completely different and unique from everyone else.”

Todoroki stared at me with wide eyes before his expression softened a bit.

“I want to apologize for my behavior earlier.” He stated politely.

“What do you mean?” I asked, removing my hands from his.

“I was rude and I misjudged you. I apologize.” he responded.

I chuckled softly, shaking my head.

“It's no problem.” I smiled.

He smiled back as he looked deep into my eyes. My gaze trailed off to the left side of his face and his turquoise eye brought me back a few bittersweet memories.

The color of your fire is bluish! It’s so pretty! I wish I had a pretty quirk like you…

Your Ukaku Kagune is really beautiful, Nana-chan… It looks like the wings of a beautiful butterfly…

Nana-chan… I love you…

I love you too, Touya-kun…

I snapped out of my daze and quickly looked away from Todoroki’s gaze with a bitter smile on my face. I regained my posture and started to walk away from the bi-colored hair boy.

“It’s my turn now…” I said. “Wish me luck Todoroki…”

“Shoto.” He muttered.

“What?” I asked in surprise as I turned around to look at him.

“Call me Shoto.” He smiled coolly at me, his hands in his pockets.

“Shoto it is then...” I smiled back and nodded my head.

And with that, I turned around and quickly walked away from the scene. 

BOOM!!

We both jumped from where we sat and quickly stood up as a huge explosion racked through the nurse's office. I looked up to find dust raining down from the ceiling.

“What was that?” I asked.

BOOM!!

“What the hell is happening out there?!” I asked.

“It must be Deku-kun and Todoroki-kun.” Uraraka said as her eyes widened in fraction. “I think their match is up now, and judging by the shaking it probably is.”

We both ran out of the nurse's office as we made our way down the long hallway and out to where the Class 1-A viewing section was.

“SMASH!!”

Another huge explosion shook the arena and my eyes widened as I saw the scene before me. Midoriya broke through Todoroki's ice attack with just a flick of his finger.

Todoroki's assault continued, forcing Midoriya to break the last finger on his right hand. However, Todoroki withstood the smash and created a tower of ice to run up and close the distance between them. Midoriya used another smash to break the ice steps apart, but Todoroki avoided it and nearly froze Midoriya at close range. In order to break the ice that was slowly freezing him, Midoriya sacrificed his entire left arm and let off a full-powered smash. Todoroki withstood the aftershock of the smash using an ice blockade.

“That’s a lot more powerful than before.” Todoroki commented, standing up. “Are you trying to tell me… to stay away?”

Midoriya simply gritted his teeth and frowned at Todoroki.

“What, you’re that beat up just from defending and running away?” Todoroki mocked. “With your arms like that you can’t fight, can you? So, let’s finish this.”

At that moment both Midoriya and I noticed that frost had formed on the right side of Todoroki's body as his arm quivered from the cold. Understanding that Midoriya had no healthy fingers left, Todoroki sent an ice attack at him that he expected to finish the match. However, Midoriya declared that he wasn't finished yet and used his already broken finger to blow Todoroki's ice away. The wind pressure was on another level as the audience was nearly blown away. Todoroki had created a wall of ice behind him to prevent from flying out of bounds. All of the fingers on Midoriya's left hand had been broken, even his entire right arm. Both the boys looked pretty beat up.

“You’re trembling, Todoroki-kun.” Midoriya spoke up, referring to Todoroki’s right arm. “Quirks are physical abilities too. There's a limit to how much cold your body can take isn't there? And isn't that something you could solve by using the heat from your left side? Everyone is fighting with everything they have got, to win and get closer to their dream, to become number one. Do you want to win with just half your strength?! You haven't put a single scratch on me yet you know! So come at me with everything you have got!”

Agitated, Todoroki rushed at Midoriya, albeit much slower than before. I noticed Todoroki's drop in mobility, assuming that it was because Todoroki's stamina was running low after wasting so much of it fighting Sero. Todoroki closed in on Midoriya, but as soon as he lifted his right foot to attack, Midoriya controlled One For All and struck Todoroki in the torso, sending him flying away.

Todoroki recovered and tried to use another ice attack, but it was much slower than the previous ones and Midoriya was able to avoid it. They both moved into closer quarters and fight in spite of their afflictions. Cementoss urged Midnight to stop the match because Midoriya was fighting too recklessly by continuing to injure his already broken fingers with more smashes knowing that Recovery Girl would heal him. But my old man Aizawa retorted that Midoriya wasn't fighting recklessly, he was simply doing everything he could to win the match within his current skill level.

As Midoriya dashed at Todoroki, the latter attempted to freeze him. Without any fingers left to use, Midoriya pulled back his thumb using his cheek in order to release another smash to blast Todoroki away. Todoroki asked again why Midoriya was putting himself through so much pain, to which his opponent replies was because he had prepared to do whatever it took to become a hero. After headbutting Todoroki, Midoriya again challenged him to use his full strength, telling him to stop screwing around because even if he wanted to reject his father, Todoroki didn't have the right to be the best if he wasn’t prepared to do his best. And with that, Midoriya capitalized and struck Todoroki with another controlled One For All smash, declaring that he would surpass him.

Anger flashed in Todoroki's eyes, but suddenly he froze on his spot for a moment. He then slowly turned his head around and looked at me. His heterochromatic eyes bore into my brownish amber ones before he flashed out a small genuine smile at me, making my eyes go wide open in surprise.

“What are you doing?” Todoroki chuckled as he looked back at Midoriya. “But I understand now..."

“H-Huh?” Midoriya asked in confusion.

“Nana told me that I’m my own person, different and unique from everyone else.” Todoroki said. “I think I understand what she meant now.”

With that steam started to come off Todoroki's body as the frost on his right side slowly melted away. A small flicker of flame near his left eye gave way to a burst of immense heat as his left side was completely engulfed in his own crimson flames.

"SHOTO!!!" Endeavor yelled out from the viewers' gallery with a huge angry grin on his face. "Have you finally accepted yourself?! With my blood, you'll surpass me!! You'll fulfill my desire!!"

"What the hell is wrong with him?" I deadpanned.

"Endeavor is cheering for his son..." Mic commented, sweat-dropping while the audience stared at the No. 2 pro hero with confusion for his sudden outburst. "Such a doting father..."

Midoriya grinned at the Todoroki boy for the bi-colored hair boy finally using his own flames and unleashing his full potential in the battle.

"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki asked, making Midoriya drop his smile for a moment. "You're hopeless with those injuries. Don't blame me for what happens next..."

With that Todoroki unleashed both his ice and firepower from both sides of his body while Midoriya smiled again as he reeled his fist back and red veins of energy crawled up his arm. Both the boys powered up in preparation for one final clash. Right on cue, Todoroki sent a large wave of ice at Midoriya while the green-haired boy lunged forward by using One For All in his legs, his body glowed with power. The air got hotter as enormous flames danced around Todoroki's left side, the heat and pressure in the air making everyone flinch back.

We saw Cementoss stand up, placing his hands on the ground to try to stop their attacks from colliding head-on. As Midoriya flew towards Todoroki, he prepared a full power smash in his healthy arm and Todoroki counterattacked with a powerful fire blast, thanking his opponent as he did so. Even though Cementoss built a wall between them, Midoriya's wind pressure and Todoroki's fire create an enormous fiery explosion of unimaginable proportions that destroyed the entire fighting ring.

The sound of the explosion was deafening as the air that was previously freezing cold became so hot and dry that my lungs and windpipe almost burned. The smell of smoke overpowered my senses as gusts of wind forced me back. When the shaking finally ceased, the stage was so clouded with dust and smoke we couldn't see a thing. When the smoke cleared out, we all gasped in surprise as we spotted Midoriya who was unconscious, slumped against the wall of the arena. Todoroki was breathing heavily, standing among the wreckage as the left half of his shirt had been burned off and exposed his well-toned torso.

“Midoriya is out of bounds!” Midnight announced. “Todoroki advances to the semi-finals!”

After getting over the initial shock the audience broke out into cheers. 

“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Our final two are taking the stage!” Mic yelled out. “These two need no introduction by now but I'm going to do it anyway! It's comrade against comrade as the two rising stars of Class 1-A go head to head! Our final match is Katsuki Bakugo VS Shoto Todoroki!”

The audience went crazy as the boys walked up the steps to the main stage.

“Who do you think is gonna place first, guys?” Uraraka asked.

“With Kacchan's injuries and Todoroki using his fire now, I'd say it's Todoroki's match to win.” Midoriya said.

“I feel extremely guilty for hurting him like that.” I mumbled in sorrow. “I’m the worst.”

“Please don’t blame yourself, Nana-san.” Yaoyorozu smiled at me. “You didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Momo’s right, Nana.” Ashido patted my shoulder while others tried to comfort me as well.

“I still can't believe you cried for that asshole after your match.” Jiro stated. “With all that shit he was talking, I'm surprised you didn’t kill him.”

“Well, I did literally try to kill him though.” I muttered sadly.

“You're too nice, Nana-chan.” Tsu commented.

“START!!!”

Todoroki wasted no time attacking, placing his right hand on the ground and forcing a giant glacier of ice called Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall to spring up from the pavement.

“Dammit!!” Bakugo yelled as the ice-encased him completely.

“Todoroki gets a hit in right away! Is he trying to escape close combat with Bakugo? Perhaps the winner has been decided already!” Mic commentated.

A low rumbling sounded out through the arena as the ground shook periodically.

“That's Bakugo, no doubt.” Kirishima deadpanned.

Bakugo burst through the wall of ice with a battle cry, melting the ice around him.

“He burrowed through the ice like some kind of mole creature.” Kaminari gasped.

Bakugo dashed forward before grabbing Todoroki's left shoulder and throwing him into the air.

“ARE YOU UNDERESTIMATING ME, YOU HALF AND HALF BASTARD?! IDIOT!!”

Todoroki quickly jumped in mid-air while creating a wall of ice to keep him from going out of bounds and sliding along it. Bakugo clicked his tongue and went in for another close-ranged attack, but Todoroki was too fast. He grabbed onto Bakugo with his left hand, about to ignite his arm when suddenly a familiar deep voice yelled out.

“Use your left side!! Use it, Shoto!!” Endeavor yelled out from the stands.

Todoroki then suddenly froze on his spot after hearing his father’s voice and words. He then cooled down his body and threw Bakugo to the other side of the arena.

“What the fuck was that?!” Bakugo snarled. “Quit screwing around. I thought you were all fire and flames now, you half and half bastard!! What happened to all that sloppy crap earlier about making yourself 'your own person', huh?! Am I not strong enough to make you use it?!”

I bit my bottom lip before my gaze trailed off to Endeavor who was watching the fight with a sadistic look on his face.

“You bastard!! I want an indisputable first place, you got it?!” Bakugo yelled. “Winning means nothing if I just beat scum that underestimates me. There's no point if I can't get higher than that stupid Deku!!”

I noticed that frost started to creep up Todoroki's arm. At that moment, I yelled out from my seat.

“Shoto!!” I yelled. “Don’t give up!!”

Todoroki’s eyes widened in fraction as he gazed in my direction. I saw Todoroki grit his teeth as steam came up off his body and melted the frost away. His left side erupted into flames making Bakugo smirk at him.

“All it took was your fucking little cheerleader, huh?!” Bakugo snarled.

He then jumped into the air and created continuous explosions around him to propel himself into a circular motion, encasing himself in a twister-like wind. Todoroki immediately started to build up powerful flames on his left arm for a large-scale attack. Then suddenly out of nowhere, Todoroki froze on his spot before slowly closing his eyes and his left arm fell to his side, extinguishing his flames. My eyes went wide open in shock as I let out a loud gasp. And right on cue, Bakugo unleashed his attack.

“HOWITZER IMPACT!!!” Bakugo growled.

With that Bakugo’s explosion blasted the entire stadium with a huge explosion and the impact destroyed Todoroki's ice which sent him flying out of bounds.

“He added rotation and speed to the huge blast we saw in his fight with Uraraka!” Mic yelled. “He was like a human projectile! It looks like Todoroki ended up not using the fire attack we saw in his fight with Midoriya though!”

Bakugo's eyes widened in shock.

“You… You put out your flames!!” He growled in anger.

Todoroki was out cold as his body limped against the wall of the arena.

“Stop screwing around!!” Bakugo screamed.

He ran to Todoroki's unconscious body and lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

“Stop screwing around!!” Bakugo screamed again in anger and frustration. “To get a first-place like this?! You bastard!! I'll kill you!!”

Midnight quickly dashed towards the boys while I stood up from my seat and flew at the spot. Midnight quickly activated her quirk and a pink mist crept up behind Bakugo and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted after inhaling it. I quickly made my way towards them and carefully lifted Todoroki in my arms.

“Is Todoroki okay, Nana-kun?” Midnight asked.

“He's unconscious and has a few bones broken, but he'll be okay.” I responded.

Midnight nodded her head before she snapped her whip and looked back at the audience.

“Todoroki is out of bounds and incapacitated!” she announced. “The winner of the UA Sports Festival is Katsuki Bakugo!”

Right now at this moment, I was with Todoroki in Recovery Girl’s office room. He was sitting on his hospital bed while Recovery Girl and I treated his injuries.

“I'm sorry…” Todoroki mumbled.

“For what?” I chuckled.

“Even after you advised me to move past my grudges, I still couldn't bring myself to use my flames in the final fight…” he said, frowning. “I still have a lot to think about. When I heard my father ordered me to use my flames, I just couldn't do it. Every fiber in my body told me to go against him and I did what I felt. The hatred is still in me. I realized then that the only reason I used my flames in my fight with Midoriya was that at that moment, I forgot about my dad and everything he has done…”

“You’ll be okay, Shoto.” I smiled at him. “I know it’ll take time to recover from your past and all. But trust me, one day, all these negative emotions of yours will go away. Just move forward at your own pace.”

Todoroki remained silent for a while before speaking up again.

“I want to see my mother again.” he muttered.

“I see…” I smiled warmly at him. "You should go then..."

“Really?” he asked. “Well, I’m still not sure though… I thought she wouldn't want to see me…”

“Nah…” I chuckled. “It's been years now, Shoto. She probably misses you too. I bet she’ll be very happy if you visit her…”

Recovery Girl wrapped the last bandage around his arm before flashing out a smile.

“All done.” She said. “You two should better get going or you'll be late for the awards ceremony.”

“You’re right.” I jumped up from my seat. “Thank you for everything, Recovery Girl. We have to go now.”

I looked back at Todoroki and smiled.

“Let’s go.” I said, grabbing his wrist.

“Yeah.” He smiled back as we jogged out of the room. 

After Manual, Gran Torino, and the Police Chief bade their farewells, it was now me and the boys in the hospital room. My eyes drifted down to Iida's arm, hand bandaged and bicep covered in a cast.

“Are your injuries healing up okay?” I asked as Shoto and I sat on chairs at one side of Iida’s bed while Midoriya sat on the other side.

“I'll be fine.” he said. “The doctor said there was a bit of permanent damage to my hand.”

“Permanent damage?” Midoriya gasped.

“There was damage to my brachial plexus.” Iida began to explain. “But it just means that I will have trouble moving my hand and fingers and experience some numbness. Apparently, there is a possibility that it can be healed with nerve transplant surgery.”

Iida went quiet for a moment before speaking up.

“When I found the Hero Killer I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should have done was tell Manual. But I forgot myself in my anger. Being taken in by the hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires... that is the furthest from what a hero should be... I hate him but he spoke the truth. That's why until I become a true hero I think I want to leave my left hand as it is…”

Iida then turned to look at me.

“And thank you, Nana, for saving our lives.” He smiled.

“It was nothing really.” I chuckled awkwardly.

“Iida-kun, let’s become stronger together…” Midoriya said with determination.

“Yeah.” Iida nodded his head in response.

“I feel… kind of bad.” Shoto mumbled while Midoriya, Iida, and I looked at him with confused expressions.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “About what?”

“I feel if I get involved, other people mess up their hands...” Shoto replied, looking down at his own hands with all seriousness. “Is it… a curse?”

And then there was this silence for a moment before Midoriya, Iida, and I broke into a fit of laughter.

“PFFT… HAHAHAHA!!!”

“Todoroki-kun, I didn't know you could make jokes.” Midoriya laughed.

“It wasn't a joke.” Shoto responded. “I'm like ��The Hand Crusher’ or something.”

“THE HAND CRUSHER?!?!”

We laughed again even more hysterically than before. After our laughter died down a bit, Midoriya again spoke up.

“Hey, Nana-chan…” Midoriya spoke up.

“Hmm?” I looked at him with a smile.

“Last night, I noticed you were talking to Endeavor with a sense of familiarity. Do you both know each other that long?” Midoriya asked.

“Yeah, I never got the chance to ask you that.” Shoto added. “How long have you known my father?”

“It’s a long story.” I sighed with a small smile. “Wanna hear it?”

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna share it.” Iida muttered.

“No, it’s okay.” I shook my head.

I took a deep breath and started to tell my story.

“Enji-san was one of my parents’ closest friends. Mom and Dad knew him during their high school days. I met Enji-san, All Might, Midnight, and Present Mic for the first time when I was only four years old at one of the Osaki family’s house parties. At that party, Enji-san brought two more guests with him. They were Shoto’s older siblings, Touya and Fuyumi-san.” I stated.

Shoto’s breath hitched as he looked at me with wide eyes.

“Touya and I instantly clicked and became very good friends. Enji-san then later proposed to my parents a quirk marriage between me and Touya but my parents instantly rejected his offer. My parents were against this whole quirk marriage thing. They hated it. Enji-san was very displeased at their decision and kept on asking my parents to think about the matter over and over again. My Dad then stated that ever in the future, when Touya and I would grow up and become adults, if we ever fall in love with each other and decide to be together, then and only then my parents would think about this marriage. From that day onward, many playdates were arranged for me and Touya by Enji-san in order to get us even closer. Slowly Touya and I became really close and then eventually we fell in love. I know we both were too young to fall in love back then but we just did.” I went on.

“Then what happened?” Midoriya asked as the boys listened to my story intently.

“Then a few years later my parents were killed in a villain attack at I-Island as you all know and a few months later after that incident, Touya passed away in a terrible accident.” I added.

There was a moment of silence before Shoto spoke up.

“Are you still in love with Touya Nii-san?” Shoto asked.

I chuckled and looked out at the sky through the window.

“Now that you asked… I think, right now, if Touya suddenly appears and stands in front of me, I’ll definitely jump into his arms like a typical shoujo manga heroine and tell him how much I missed him, how much I felt lonely without him. So yeah… Maybe I still love him…” I smiled softly.

Nana-chan… I love you…

I love you too, Touya-kun…

Later that evening, Shoto and I bade our farewells to Midoriya and Iida before we started to head back to the place where we were staying at. As we both quietly walked down the path, I noticed him in deep thought.

“Something on your mind, Shoto?” I asked.

He slowly nodded his head in response.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I’m thinking about Touya Nii-san.” Shoto responded quietly. “I was never allowed to play with my siblings. We were always kept separate from each other. We never really talked or ate together. When I was five years old, that horrible incident happened. I remember Natsuo-Nii saying at first that Touya Nii-san had gone missing. My sister Fuyumi-Nee was crying uncontrollably all day. My Mom was hospitalized at that time and her condition got even worse after learning about Touya Nii-san's situation. Natsuo-Nii then later said to me that Touya-Nii died in a forest fire accident. Natsuo-Nii never told me the full story, but what he did tell me was that my father had done something unforgivable. In his mind, Dad killed Touya Nii-san.”

“I'm sorry.” I mumbled.

“Don't be.” he said. “The only one to blame is my old man. And if you’re still feeling sorry then I should feel sorry as well because you lost Touya Nii-san too.”

After few moments of silence, Shoto again spoke up.

“Nana…” he muttered.

“Hmm?” I looked over at him.

His heterochromatic eyes met my brownish amber ones and I noticed him slightly blushing.

“I know that Touya Nii-san isn’t here with us anymore, but if you ever feel lonely again…” Shoto stated shyly. “Just so you know that I’m always here for you, Nana.”

My eyes widened at his words before I let out a warm smile at him.

“Okay… Thank you, Shoto.” 

"We confirmed that two of the villains' targets are Nana-chan and Kacchan." Midoriya stated.

"Nana and Bakugo?" Tokoyami asked. "Are they trying to kill them? Why?"

"I don't know. Anyway, I think the camp is the safest place since Aizawa sensei and Vlad King sensei are there." Midoriya responded.

"I see. So now our mission is to escort Nana and Bakugo there, huh?" Tokoyami asked.

"We don't know how many villains are there. You might come across one suddenly." Shoto stated.

"We can use Nana's sensing ability. And we have Todoroki's freezing and if Tokoyami is okay with it, an invincible Dark Shadow with built-in controls..." Midoriya muttered with all seriousness. "Honestly, with this group, we could probably even go up against All Might!"

"What's with you guys?!" Bakugo suddenly yelled out who had been listening to everything in quiet for a while now.

"Nana, Bakugo, you guys walk in the middle." Shoto instructed.

"Don't protect me, you scum!" Bakugo growled, gritting his teeth.

"Let's go!" Midoriya announced out loud.

"Don't ignore me!" Bakugo yelled again.

"Make sure you keep up." Shoto stated, completely ignoring the angry explosive blonde.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugo huffed.

“Katsuki... just shut it for a second.” I sighed as he and I walked into the middle of the group.

As we walked through the forest, we heard some shouting from nearby.

“It sounds like Ochaco and Tsuyu.” I frowned as the boys and I went over to the source of the sound.

When we reached there, we noticed that Uraraka and Tsu were fighting with a female villain with blonde hair who was carrying big syringes in her hands. But as soon as she saw us, she quickly ran away.

“Ochaco, Tsuyu!” I called out.

“Who was that woman?” Shoto asked.

“A villain, a crazy one.” Tsu replied before looking at me. “We heard Bakugo and you’re being their targets. Why?”

“I don't know.” I replied. “But the boys here are protecting us.”

“Us? But where’s Bakugo-kun?” Uraraka asked.

“What do you mean? Kacchan's right over th-”

Midoriya cut himself off as he turned around to find that Bakugo was gone.

“Tokoyami is gone too!” I gasped in shock.

“An attack from behind?!” Shoto asked.

“The boy you are talking about...” an unknown voice spoke up. “I took him with my magic...”

We looked up to see a masked figure in a yellow trench coat and a top hat perched atop one of the high branches.

“This talent isn't someone who should be on the hero side.” The man stated as he showed a blue marble in between his fingers. “We will take him to a stage where he can shine more.”

“Give him back!!” Midoriya scowled at him.

“Give him back?” the man chuckled. “That's a strange thing to say. Bakugo-kun doesn't belong to anyone. He is his own person, you egoist.”

“Give him back!” Midoriya yelled again.

“Move!” Shoto said before he shot his ice at that man.

But the man quickly dodged the attack. I then shot a ball of compressed gravity at him but he dodged my attack as well.

“We simply want to show him that the path he is on now with its fanatical values is not the only path he can take.” The man stated as he started to float high up in the sky. “Kids these days are made to choose their parts based on their values.”

“To go out of your way to talk to us... You are underestimating us!” I frowned at him.

“I was originally an entertainer you know. It's a bad habit of mine.” He laughed as he now showed us two blue marbles in between his fingers. “Taking Tokoyami-kun was an improvisation on my part. And also… You’re our target as well, Nana Osaki-kun. Come on, join us.”

“Never!” I growled.

Then all of a sudden my body was enveloped in bright blue light. I gasped in surprise as I felt my body was lifted off of the ground before I started to float towards him. I tried to move on my own but it wasn’t working. It felt as if I was trapped in a cage.

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed.

“NANA!!”

Shoto and Uraraka reached out to grab me but failed as the masked man grabbed my wrist tightly before slinging me over his shoulder.

“You bastard!!” Midoriya screamed out. “Give them back!!”

Shoto quickly used his Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall at my abductor but he again skilfully dodged the attack.

“Sorry, tricks and running away are my only redeeming features!” the man laughed, tightening his grip around my waist. “There is no way I would fight students who are hero candidates. Vanguard action squad! Targets successfully collected!”

With that, he flew off with me, Bakugo and Tokoyami. I stayed calm as the man flew through the air while he fastened his grip on my waist. I still couldn't move my own body as the blue light was still radiating off of me.

“Who are you?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes. “And who are you working for?”

“You’ll find out that soon, Nana-kun.” The man smirked.

“How do you know my name?” I asked.

But before he could say anything, I heard my name being yelled out from a distance.

“NANA!!”

“NANA-CHAN!!”

The man and I looked over to see Midoriya, Shoto, and Shoji flying high up in the air and were heading towards our direction.

“Guys?!” I gasped in surprise.

“What the?!” the man frowned.

And right on cue, the boys crashed against us making us all fall out of the sky.  

“AAAHHH!!!”

I quickly shut my eyes tight as we hurdled towards the ground and I prepared myself for a painful landing. The boys tackled the man out of the air and we all ended up landing directly on an open space in the middle of the forest.

CRASH!!!

“AAHH!!”

I yelped out in pain as I landed directly on my back.

“Oi, oi, oi!!” an unknown voice called out. “I know those brats!! Who are they?!”

“Nana-chan!” Midoriya exclaimed in concern as he and Shoji stood up from the ground.

“Nana!!” Shoto called out frantically as he quickly jumped off from that man’s back and pulled me away from him. “Are you okay?!”

“Y-Yeah…” I mumbled, feeling the sharp pain in my back. “But my back hurts a bit…”

“Oh, look! It’s Nana-chan!!” a familiar voice giggled out.

Shoto set me down and he, Midoriya, and Shoji moved to block me from the villains as they shielded me with their bodies protectively. We turned around to see that the crazy blonde girl from earlier was standing far away from us with two male villains. One male villain was wearing a black and white bodysuit that covered his face. He was one who spoke up earlier just a few minutes ago. The man’s voice and body language seemed to change completely from sentence to sentence. He also kind of reminded me of Deadpool from Marvel Comics.

And the other male villain had spiky raven locks, a pair of turquoise eyes, and had patches of gnarled, wrinkled, purple skin that cover much of his lower face and neck, all the way down past his collarbone, below his eyes and on his arms. These appeared to be attached to the rest of his skin by multiple, crude surgical staples or hoop piercings.

I noticed that the ravenette villain was staring at me and when my brownish amber eyes met his turquoise ones, I couldn’t help but feel like I had seen him somewhere before. His face softened a bit when he saw me staring back at him.

“Nana-chan! You should run away right now!” Midoriya stated.

“Don't leave yet!~” the girl chirped, swinging her syringe at us.

The boys and I quickly leaped back out of the way before she could stick us with her syringe.

“Both your Kagune are so pretty! Stay with us, Nana-chan!~” she giggled.

“We cannot allow you to leave with one of our targets!” Deadpool 2.0 said as he aimed a high kick at Shoto.

Shoto barely dodged it and jumped back as Deadpool 2.0 threw a series of punches at him. The villain then attacked Shoto as Shoto attacked back with his ice quirk while the blonde girl tackled Midoriya to the ground. I quickly dashed forwards and swatted the girl away like a mosquito from Midoriya with my Rinkaku Kaugune before she could hurt him. I noticed the villain with yellow trench coat reverted to his normal form as he went over and stood beside the ravenette villain who was still staring at me.

“Shoji!” I called. “You still have Katsuki and Tokoyami, right?”

“I got them.” Shoji said as he opened his palm revealing the two blue marbles from before.

“Good job, Shoji.” Shoto said.

“Nana-chan, this is your chance.” Midoriya said. “You should run away.”

“I can’t leave you guys.” I frowned.

“You're one of their main targets, Nana. You need to get somewhere safe.” Shoji said.

“That’s why I’m staying.” I responded before going back to my fighting stance. “If I go back to camp, I'll lead them to the other students. I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.”

At that moment three dark purple masses appeared in the air which was actually Kurogiri’s portal. The crazy blonde girl and Deadpool 2.0 quickly said their farewells to us before diving into the portal and escaping away.

“We can’t leave without Bakugo and Nana Osaki.” The ravenette villain spoke up, frowning at his companion.

“That’s fine, we can go.” The yellow trench coat guy chuckled.

“Huh?”

The yellow trench coat guy laughed before looking over at us with a smirk as he took off his mask.

“Foolish children!” he smirked. “Haven't you ever seen a magic show? When the performer shows something off, it means they're hiding something they don't want you to see.”

As the mask completely came off he opened his mouth and revealed two blue marbles placed on top of his tongue. I could see Bakugo and Tokoyami trapped inside each one. The man then snapped his finger and the marbles in Shoji’s hands revealed it to be Shoto’s ice pieces.

“Katsuki! Tokoyami!” I exclaimed in shock.

“Kacchan!!” Midoriya yelled.

“Compress, Dabi, retreat immediately.” Kurogiri suddenly spoke up. “Leave Nana Osaki for now. Just get the angry blonde one back to Tomura Shigaraki.”

“What?! No!!” Midoriya exclaimed as we all desperately dashed forward to catch them.

“Sure.” The yellow trench coat villain name Compress chuckled as he and the ravenette villain named Dabi stepped into the portal. “That ice attack was the perfect chance to prepare a few decoys. I put them in my right pocket for later. Upon noticing objects in my right hand inter my right pocket you would naturally be excited enough to give chase. And this is where I leave you... ACK!!”

But then Compress was suddenly cut off when Aoyama attacked the villain with his laser beam quirk from behind the bushes far away and the marbles flew out of the villain’s mouth. Shoji quickly dashed forward and caught one marble. As I was about to reach out and catch the other one, suddenly the ravenette villain called Dabi grabbed my wrist tightly with his left hand while he grabbed the marble with his right one. I gasped out in surprise and looked up at him as his turquoise eyes bored into my brownish amber ones.

“NANA, NO!!” Shoto yelled, running towards me.

“Hello there.~” Dabi flashed out a sexy smirk. “It's been a while, hasn’t it Babydoll? I missed you so much.~”

“Huh? What?” I frowned deeply at him.

“What, you don't recognize me?” he asked, still smirking. "Ouch, now I'm hurt, Babydoll."

I looked deeply into his turquoise eyes and for some reason, I sensed some sort of familiar aura emitting from him.

Nana-chan… I love you…

I love you too, Touya-kun…

“Touya?” I whispered out in bewilderment, my eyes widened in fraction.

“Release them.” Dabi said to Compress as he threw the marble at him.

I then quickly snapped out of my daze and tried to break free from his grasp, but failed. I yelped in pain as he twisted my hand behind my back and slung his free arm around my waist while my back pressed against his broad muscular chest.

“I’m taking you with me, Nana Osaki.” Dabi whispered smugly into my ears, his hot breath sent a chill down my spine. “This time, I’m not letting you go away so easily… Like I did last time...”

What?

Last time?

What the hell is he blabbering about?!

Compress then snapped his fingers and it was revealed that the one Shoji caught was Tokoyami and the one Dabi caught was Bakugo. Compress quickly wrapped his hand around Bakugo's neck, making the angry blonde unable to move.

“Nana-chan!! Kacchan!!” Midoriya yelled out.

“Stay back… Deku…” Bakugo groaned out in pain.

“Dabi, Compress, let’s go.” Kurogiri called out again.

“NANA!!” Shoto called out as he used his ice to blast himself forward.

“SHOTO!!” I yelled back, trying to get away from Dabi.

But at that moment Kurogiri’s portal was already closing. It was already too late.

“How sad for you, Shoto Todoroki.” Dabi smirked at Shoto. “Can’t able to save your loved one… But don't worry though… I'll take good care of my Babydoll...”

And with that, Kurogiri's portal closed completely as darkness consumed me before I lost my consciousness. 

After visiting All Might at the hospital, Bakugo and I were sent to the police station for some inquiry on the League of Villains. After all, we were the ones who were being kidnapped by them. Kaneki, Shoto, Midoriya, Iida, Kirishima, and Yaoyorozu were also present at the police station for some inquiry as well for they were part of their ‘Nana-Kacchan’ rescue mission.

When my inquiry session was over and I was allowed to go home, I noticed Shoto standing outside the police station, leaning against a pillar.

“Shoto?” I called out, walking up to him.

He turned around to look at me and pushed himself off the pillar.

“Hey.” Shoto smiled at me.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Everyone went back home.” he replied. “I was actually waiting for you.”

“What is it?” I asked.

Shoto looked away from me, frowning.

“Nana, I'm sorry.” He muttered.

My eyes widened in surprise at his words.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

He clenched his fists at his sides as he tried to bring himself to look at me, but he just couldn't do it.

“Back at the camp when you and Bakugo were taken away by the villains…” he stated. “I failed to protect you both… I failed to save you, Nana…”

My chest tightened as I heard the pain in his voice. It was obvious that he blamed himself for what happened. It hurt me to see him like this. It wasn’t Shoto’s fault after all. He did everything in his capabilities to protect me and Bakugo.

I reached out my hands and cupped his cheeks, turning his face to look at me. He slightly flinched at first but later relaxed at my touch. My brownish amber eyes bored into his heterochromatic eyes.

“Shoto…” I smiled softly at him. “It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. You did everything in your capability to keep me and Katsuki safe and sound. And besides, I'm here now, safe because of you. You later came to save me and Katsuki in the end with the help of the others and that's more than enough for me… Thank you, Shoto…”

I leaned in slightly, gently pressing a kiss to his cheek. Shoto's face exploded into a deep blush as his eyes widened in surprise. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at his cute expression.

“Sorry about that…” I smiled sheepishly at him, a slight blush on my cheeks as well.

Shoto cleared his throat and quickly looked away from me, still blushing furiously.

“N-No… it’s fine…” he mumbled.

He then gently grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers.

“Let me walk you home.” Shoto said with a small gentle smile.

“Okay.” I smiled back, nodding my head. 

After passing the first round of the Provisional License Exam, my friends and I quickly walked back to the waiting room where we found Shoto already there, sitting on a bench all by himself.

“Hey, Shoto.” I smiled, walking up to him.

Shoto looked up and smiled back.

“Hey, Nana.” He said. “Looks like you passed as well. Congratulations.”

“Same goes to you.” I chuckled as I took a seat beside him.

I leaned back on the wall behind me and sighed before closing my eyes.

“You know… you could’ve teamed up with us in the first round…” I muttered.

“That would’ve only slowed me down, Nana…” Shoto replied, looking down at his hands with a serious look on his face. “This is one of the most important moments in my heroic career. So I had to focus. I didn’t want to get distracted. I couldn't afford to mess this up at any cost.”

“You’re wrong, Shoto.” I sighed, opening my eyes again. “Teamwork is always very important, especially in situations like this… You’ll understand one day…”

I then stood up from my seat and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?” Shoto asked.

“To buy myself a drink.” I said, looking back. “Want some?”

Shoto simply shook his head as a no. I then again turned around and made my way towards a vending machine that sat in the corner of the room.

“Well, if it isn’t the princess who passed the first round in one go…”

I turned at the familiar flirtatious voice to see Shindo smirking down at me, leaning casually against the wall.

“Don't call me that.” I huffed before buying myself an orange drink. “Anyways, you have no room to talk. Someone got a little too excited and destroyed an entire quarter of the arena two minutes in.”

“Hey, I can't help it! My quirk is just that powerful!” he joked.

“What exactly is your quirk, anyway?” I asked as I opened the can and took a small sip of my drink.

“Vibration.” he responded with a suggestive grin.

I spit my drink out and choked slightly.

“It's okay what you’re thinking now, sweetheart...” Shindo winked at me.

“S-Shut up!” I exclaimed, blushing furiously as I looked away from him from embarrassment.

~~~~~

3rd Person’s POV

As Shindo continued to flirt with Nana, Todoroki sat on the opposite side of the room with his arms crossed, watching their moves with an irritated look on his face. At that moment, Kirishima was passing by and saw Todoroki sitting there, scowling.

“You okay, man?” Kirishima asked; a bit concerned.

Todoroki quickly caught himself and went back to his usual expressionless self.

“It’s nothing.” Todoroki muttered.

“You sure?” Kirishima asked, raising an eyebrow.

Todoroki tried to avert his gaze but Kirishima caught on quickly, following his line of sight over to where Nana and Shindo were talking.

“Oh, it’s Nana and that Shindo guy.” Kirishima stated before realization hit him. “You’re jealous, aren’t you, Todoroki?”

“Could you speak any louder?” Todoroki whispered, frowning at his friend.

“You know, you’re not the only one who likes Nana.” Kirishima whispered. “Bakugo’s there as well. I heard he and Nana had an argument the other day cause she kissed you on your cheek.”

“Wait?” Todoroki asked as his eyes widened in shock. “Bakugo saw that?”

“Yeah.” Kirishima nodded his head. “Todoroki, if you don't make your moves, you'll miss your chance... You know, if I were you, I would’ve already made a move on her by now...”

And with that, Kirishima walked away from the bi-colored hair boy. Todoroki huffed as he sank back into his seat.

“Besides, it’s not that simple…” Todoroki trailed off in a whispered tone as his gaze went back to Nana again.

Now that you asked… I think, right now, if Touya suddenly appears and stands in front of me, I’ll definitely jump into his arms like a typical shoujo manga heroine… And tell him how much I missed him… How much I felt lonely without him... So yeah… Maybe I still love him…

The four of us later walked back to the dorm and as soon as we stepped inside the building, we faced the wrath of my old man Aizawa.

“What the hell were you three thinking?!” he growled out.

Aizawa was waiting for us at the door, yelling so loudly that my hair flew backward.

“Leaving the dorms past curfew, fighting on school grounds, property damage, it's like you've completely disregarded every rule we've put in place to ensure your safety.”

“Sorry.” I said sheepishly.

I had never heard old geezer raise his voice ever in my life. Even when he was angry was always deathly calm.

Aizawa wrapped his capturing weapon cloth around the boys and dragged them to the nurse’s office. While I treated their wounds, Aizawa stood in front of us with crossed arms and burning gaze with a timid All Might standing beside him. Aizawa’s capturing weapon was still kept wrapped around them though.

“I’m glad you two are so energetic.” Aizawa stated with a frown, burning fury oozing out from his existence. “So… Who hit first?”

“I did.” Bakugo huffed.

“But I hit him back, so…” Midoriya trailed off.

“If anything, I am responsible for what happened.” All Might said. “Young Bakugo felt it was his fault for my loss of power.”

Aizawa eyed the three males in front of him suspiciously for a moment before he let out a sigh.

“Bakugo, four days of house arrest! Midoriya, three days!” Aizawa barked out as he pointed a finger at them, making the boys fly back a bit at his rage. “During that time, you must clean all the common areas in the dorm, morning and night! Plus, you’ve to turn in a written apology! For your injuries, if the pain gets worse or doesn’t go away, go to the infirmary! But don’t rely on old lady’s quirk! Injuries you got your own should be healed that way!”

“What?!” Midoriya paled.

“Be grateful I'm letting you off easy!” Aizawa said, his glare more than enough to silence Midoriya. “That’s all! Get back to bed, all of you!”

“Yes!”

And with that Midoriya, Bakugo, and I dashed out of the nurse’s office. The three of us filed into the elevator to get to our respective floors and my mind again drifted back to Dabi and Touya. As soon as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, Bakugo and I quickly stepped out of it.

“Hey.”

My train of thought was interrupted by a deep soft voice just as I was walking up to the door of my room. I looked up to see Shoto standing there outside my room, leaning against my wooden door.

“Tch!” Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the bi-colored hair boy.

“Shoto?” I asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“Where did you go, Nana?” Shoto asked. “There was an explosion going off outside half an hour ago.”

“Yeah, about that…” I chuckled sheepishly. “Katsuki and Izuku went to one of the training grounds and got into a fight. Toshi-chan and I stopped them and brought them back.”

“What?” Shoto frowned before looking at Bakugo. “Did you hurt her, Bakugo?”

“What makes you think I would do that, you half ‘n half bastard?!” Bakugo snarled, clenching his fists.

“Cause that’s what you’re good at.” Shoto shot back.

“What did you say?!” Bakugo growled as he gripped the collar of Shoto’s shirt. “Say that again, huh?!”

“Guys, stop it!” I scolded, pushing them apart. “Just stop!”

I looked back at Bakugo and softened my gaze.

“Katsuki, a lot has happened today.” I muttered. “Please go and take some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

Bakugo frowned as he looked back and forth between me and Shoto.

“Whatever.” Bakugo grumbled as he unlocked the door.

“Goodnight, Katsuki.” I smiled.

“Goodnight.” Bakugo mumbled as he stepped inside his room before slamming the door behind him.

“You didn’t get hurt or anything, did you, Nana?” Shoto asked with concern as he gently held my shoulders.

“No, I’m fine.” I smiled at him. “Thanks for worrying about me, Shoto.”

“But you still look troubled. Did Bakugo or Midoriya do anything to you?” he asked.

“No, they didn’t.” I responded, slightly shaking my head.

“Then what’s bothering you?” he asked.

Dabi and Touya...

“It's nothing, Shoto. Really.” I smiled at him.

“Nana.” Shoto said with a serious tone, giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze as he leaned closer to my face, his heterochromatic eyes boring into my brownish amber ones. “You're always there for me when I go through a hard time. So I want to be there for you during your hard times as well. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it now. I may not be good at comforting people or listening to their problems, but if you ever need me, I will always be there for you. Always…”

My heart started to pound in my chest after hearing his words, but I wasn’t completely sure why. My face turned completely red; so red that I could put a tomato to shame. My mind was racing, unsure what to say while he waited for a response. My face softened at his words and shyly looked up at him.

“T-Thank you, Shoto.” I stuttered out. “That’s really generous of you. I appreciate that…”

“No need to thank me, Nana.” He smiled. “That’s the least I can do for you…”

Shoto slowly let go of my shoulders and turned around, heading back to his own room which was just beside mine.

“Umm… G-Goodnight, Shoto.” I mumbled shyly, still blushing.

Shoto turned to look at me with a delighted expression as his cheeks turned red while he smiled at me sheepishly.

“Goodnight, Nana…” he muttered. 

A week had already passed since UA held the amazing cultural festival and we the Class 1-A students with all our capabilities performed a flashy and lively musical performance, receiving a ton of applause and an ovation from the audience at the end of the show. I was really glad that everyone enjoyed our performance, especially Eri. It was very important for Midoriya, Mirio, and I to free Eri from Overhaul’s grip on her psyche from her consciousness and make her smile again, and seemed like it actually worked, making us feel happy and relieved of her recovery.

November was coming to an end and December was on its way which means my birthday was approaching as well. I was going to turn sixteen this year. It’s on the 5th of December and yes I’m a Sagittarius.

Right now, I was in my dorm room, getting all dressed up to visit a certain person. Today was the day I was going to meet Shoto and Touya’s mother again. It had been so long since I last saw the matriarch of the Todoroki household.

I inhaled sharply and stood in front of the mirror, placing a blue flame necklace around my neck. Touya gave me this pretty blue flame pendant on my 5th birthday a long time ago and that was the last time I celebrated my birthday with him before he passed away. I wore an olive-green-colored jacket over a dress and a pair of black boots.

I was tying up my raven hair in a high ponytail when suddenly there was a soft knock on my door.

“Nana, are you ready?” Shoto asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, just a sec, Shoto!” I replied, finished brushing my ponytail with my hairbrush.

I quickly grabbed my keys, my wallet, and my cell phone from my study table and rushed towards the door. I reached out for the doorknob and opened it up, greeted by Shoto's heterochromatic eyes from the other side.

"Hey." Shoto greeted me with a smile.

His voice and his gaze were soft and steady. His eyes shimmered, tinged with a mixture of joy, ease, and calmness.

"Hi, Shoto." I smiled brightly at him.

His eyes trailed over my frame.

"You...look cute." He muttered.

"Huh?” My cheeks began to heat up. "R-Really?"

"You look nice." Shoto stated. "The way you're dressed and the way you did your hair and everything. It's a bit different from usual, but I like it."

His lips curled up at the sides, a warm flush lighting his complexion.

"You're looking really pretty, Nana." he added.

I chuckled at his words.

"Thanks, Shoto." I smiled, stepping out the door and closing it behind me. "So… let’s go then, shall we?"

“Yeah, let’s go.” he smiled back.

From that point onward, time seemed to go by in a flash. Before I knew it, the two of us had already arrived at the hospital. Shoto was quick in checking in at the front desk, telling the receptionist who he was here to see. And not much later, we slowly were making our way over towards his mother's room. The heels of my boots made faint clacking sounds as they moved along the corridors. After a few moments later, the two of us halted in place.

“This is it.” Shoto mumbled, making me nod my head in response.

His right hand reached out towards the door's handle. With it now secured in his hold, he slowly pushed the door open.

My eyes immediately fell onto long straight locks as white as snow. Sitting on a bed next to the window was a familiar slender, female form. She turned her neck around and her gaze fell on our figures; those same familiar warm grey eyes which I saw last time many years ago. Shoto and I both stepped inside the room and closed the door behind us.

“Hello, Mom.” Shoto greeted with a smile, as we both walked closer to her. “Look, I brought Nana with me today.”

Rei broke out into a smile as her eyes sparkled with happiness and delight.

“Hello, Nana-chan.” She greeted me. “It’s been so long since I last saw you.”

I returned her gesture with a warm smile.

“Hello, Rei-san.” I bowed, greeting her back. “It’s great to see you again.”

Rei stood up from the bed and wrapped her arms around me. I felt really loved and relaxed in her warm embrace and soon after I hugged her back.  

“I’m so happy you finally came to see me.” She muttered.

“I’m glad I did.” I chuckled, slowly breaking away from the hug.

Rei again took her seat on the bed while Shoto and I sat on the chairs on the opposite side of her.

“How have you been? How is Aizawa-san?” Rei asked.

“Both me and old geezer is doing well.” I smiled at her. “How are you doing, Rei-san?”

“I’m doing just fine.” Rei chuckled. “And it’s all thanks to you, Nana-chan.”

“Me?” I blinked in confusion.

“Because of you, Shoto decided to see me again after so many years.” Rei responded as her smile appeared boundless, widening more and more. “So, thank you, Nana-chan.”

“You don't need to thank me, Rei-san. I didn't do anything special, really.” I chuckled sheepishly, slightly blushing.

“But I do. I really do. Because I'm sure that it must've taken a lot of patience and understanding on your part, in order to get Shoto to open up." She smiled sadly. "He's been burdened from a young age and because of that, he was always closed off from others.”

“Yeah, I know.” I sighed, nodding my head. “I mean, I was never aware of Shoto’s situation before, but I had seen Touya going through the same pain and agony, so yeah… I know what you’re talking about.”

Then there was this uncomfortable silence that fell among us.

Oh shit!!

Why did I mention Touya in front of Rei-san?!

Me and my fucking stupid clumsy ass!!

“I’m sorry…” Rei whispered, sniffling. “I’m sorry, Nana-chan.”

My whole body became stiff when I noticed tears forming at the edge of her eyes.

“Mom.” Shoto called out worriedly.

I quickly reached out and grabbed her hands in mine.

“R-Rei-san, w-why are you saying sorry to me?” I stuttered frantically.

“You lost Touya because of us.” She responded meekly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “If Enji had stopped being harsh on the boy and didn’t push him to his limits… If I had stayed at home instead of getting myself admitted to the hospital… If I had tried even harder to stay strong, mentally and emotionally… then perhaps, Touya would’ve been with us now, alive and well. Perhaps, you and Touya would’ve become more than just friends by now, Nana-chan… Things could have been much different from what it is now…”

That’s right…

I’m not just the only one but the Todoroki family as well…

Rei-san and Enji-san lost their child…

Shoto, Natsuo-san, and Fuyumi-san lost their eldest brother…

And I…

I lost a friend… support… a lover…

I shook my head and gently squeezed her hands.

“I’m not the only one who lost him, you know.” I said. “You lost him too, Rei-san. Touya was your son after all… Your own flesh and blood… My pain is nothing in comparison to yours…”

“But you and Touya were connected by heart, Nana-chan.” Rei stated, looking into my eyes, calming down a bit. “You two were more than just good friends. I know everything… I heard it from Natsuo and Fuyumi… Whenever Touya would have a hard time with Enji, he would always run back to you for your love and warmth. You used to give him medical attention whenever he burned his own skin from overtraining his quirk. You loved him, didn’t you Nana-chan?”

“I still do...” I chuckled softly. “I still do love Touya, immensely.”

“Touya was really lucky to have someone like you in his life.” Rei smiled at me, wiping away her tears. “You were his only friend beside Natsuo. I still remember those days when Touya would come to me and gushed over you every chance he got; about how much he loved you and wanted to marry you in the future and so on.”

“O-Oh? R-Really?” I stuttered.

My whole face started to heat up. I felt as if I was on fire.

“Yes.” Rei giggled in response. “But I’m glad that you found someone else in your life now.”

“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You and Shoto are dating right?” she asked before her gaze fell on her son, giving him a teasing look. “It’s not nice to steal your older brother’s girl like this, Shoto.”

My mouth practically dropped open in shock.

Shoto’s girlfriend...?!

Shoto's expression seemed to mirror my own, eyes widening in a hurry.

"M-Mom, you've got it wrong..." he protested, blushing more deeply than before. “She's not my girlfriend. We're just good friends..."

Rei pursed her lips.

"Hmm? Are you sure you're not dating, Shoto?" she asked. “The way you talk about Nana says otherwise.”

"W-We're not!" Shoto replied.

“Well, alright then. If you say so…" Rei smiled again.

I could still feel waves of heat burning my forehead. Shoto's face was almost exactly the same; his usual cool, apathetic expression had all but disappeared, replaced instead by a bright-red flush. I gripped down onto the edge of my seat.

Do other people see us as a couple as well?

Rei placed her hands on her lap, eyes brimming with excitement.

"So, I'm assuming that the two of you met at UA, right?” she asked. “Cause as far as I can remember Nana-chan never met Shoto and Natsuo before.”

“Yes, that’s right.” I smiled. “Well, actually Shoto and I met even before I started attending UA. It was at USJ, right Shoto?”

“Yeah, during that USJ villain attack.” Shoto nodded his head.

“I see.” Rei smiled at me. “Well, thank you, Nana-chan, for being Shoto’s friend.”

“I’m glad I am...” I smiled back. “We never got the chance to meet each other until we started attending UA, even though our families have known each other for years. But I’m glad that we finally met and now are good friends, right Shoto?"

I directed a smile towards the bi-color-haired boy seated beside me.

“Right." He smiled back at me.

Rei couldn't stop grinning ear-to-ear.

"I can't wait for the two of you to actually start dating." She giggled softly.

"Mom, please..." Shoto let out a sigh.

The rest of the visit seemed to pass in minutes. Chatting away with Rei was such a nostalgic feeling. There was this warmth and familiarity about Rei which I hadn’t felt for a very long time. It was because she kinda reminded me of my own mother, Junko, and my foster mother, Nemuri or Midnight; kind, sweet, and gentle. The only difference was that Rei was a soft woman whereas my Mom and Nemuri were known as the badass bitches across the Musutafu city back in their UA days.

It was nice having the opportunity to meet Rei again. Shoto and I finished our goodbyes for the day and Rei welcomed me back for another visit in the future, which I gratefully accepted. And with the sun setting off in the distance, Shoto closed the door behind us as we stepped out of the room.

“Nana.”

I glanced over to my side, smiling happily.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” Shoto smiled. “For visiting my mother.”

I chuckled in response.

“It was nothing really.” I patted his shoulder. “Rather I should be the one thanking you for bringing me here today. I always wanted to see Rei-san again. So thank you, Shoto.”

Shoto simply smiled in response. 

“His regeneration has slowed, we can take him on!” Shoto announced, looking over at Shigaraki. “Nana, Bakugo, Hado senpai!”

“Maggots swarming by the thousands…” Shigaraki muttered, trying to stand up from the ground.

Shoto, Bakugo, Nejire senpai, Iida, and I all at once charged at Shigaraki before a huge battle broke out. But within a few seconds, it all stopped when the earth beneath us started to shake violently and the sound of buildings crashing down hit our ears from afar. We all turned around and noticed that the behemoth Gigantomachia had finally arrived at the battlefield while carrying the remaining members of the Paranormal Liberation Front on his back as we watched the walking calamity moving towards us in horror.

“There is no way we can handle fighting both that giant and Shigaraki!” Shoto yelled, before charging at Shigaraki again. “I would better take Shigaraki down since he is already on his last legs!!”

“Don’t go and play the hero all by yourself, you half and half bastard!” Bakugo growled, charging at Shigaraki as well.

And with that Shoto, Bakugo, and Nejire senpai attacked Shigaraki with their super moves all the same time and the villain finally fell on the ground, unconscious.

“Run!!” Endeavor shouted when Gigantomachi finally stepped into the battlefield and quickly picked unconscious Shigaraki up from the ground.

“Shigaraki, you're not looking so good!!” Spinner asked from the giant's back.

“You okay, Shoto?” Endeavor asked as Shoto landed beside his father.

“Oh there you are!” a familiar voice suddenly called out.

We all looked up to see Dabi on Gigantomachi’s back, grinning down at us.

“You all look like a bunch of ants from way up here!” Dabi chuckled, waving his hand. “Oh?! Do I spy Shoto too?! That’s perfect!! Long time no see!!”

“Huh?” Shoto asked in annoyance.

“Dabi!!” Endeavor snarled at the ravenette villain.

“Ouch! Is that any way to address me?” Dabi chuckled mockingly as he poured some liquid from a bottle over his head before his hair went from black to white. “Why must you call me by my villain moniker... when I have such a great name… Call me Touya…”

And then I felt like the whole world just stopped. My eyes widened in disbelief while my mouth gasped open as I stared at Dabi or should I say Touya in bewilderment. My heart started to beat faster than usual as if it was going to burst out of my chest and now I suddenly started to feel like the whole world was spinning really fast, making me feel all dizzy and sick.

Now that you asked… I think, right now, if Touya suddenly appears and stands in front of me, I’ll definitely jump into his arms like a typical shoujo manga heroine and tell him how much I missed him, how much I felt lonely without him. So yeah… Maybe I still love him…

“You are that dumbstruck?! Really?!” Touya laughed. “I know my face isn’t exactly what it was, but I was sure that my own family would have figured it out. Though there was this one person who speculated that I could be Touya and it was none other than my lovely ex-fiancé; Nana Osaki!!”

It's been a while, hasn’t it Babydoll? I missed you so much.~

“T-Touya…” I mumbled, still in shock as my eyes started to get blurry and watery.

“Who are you?” I asked softly. “Do I know you? Have we ever met before? Why did you ask if I recognized you? And why do you keep saying that you missed me?”

“The name is Dabi, Babydoll… Your glorified villain babysitter.” He smirked, standing up, his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.

“Is that actually your real name though?” I looked at him skeptically. “I don’t believe that. What’s your real name? What’s your true identity?”

“Why do you ask, Babydoll?” he asked.

“Cause you remind me of someone I knew and love.” I responded.

“Oh really? Who?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Touya Todoroki.” I mumbled softly.

Touya looked at me with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry Babydoll, for hiding this secret from you! Back at Camino Ward, when you asked me if I was Touya or not, at that moment I wanted to do nothing else but to pull you into a tight hug, shower you with love and kisses, and tell you that I was in fact your Touya, but if I did that, my plans would’ve gotten ruined!” Touya stated before he looked back at Shoto and Endeavor with a smirk. “Well, Endeavor, I never forgot a thing. And I had plenty of reason to keep watching you. I’m not saying that everyone has to be pure and selfless. Just you! And guess what? Right now, my prerecorded life story is broadcasting nationwide and on the internet!”

Touya grinned widely as he started to jump down from Gigantomachia’s back and began to dance and twirl around in the madness. Shoto and Endeavor simply stood on the ground with wide eyes and dropped jaws, staring at Touya in disbelief while trying to take in everything that was happening right now at that moment.

“Man, I’m having a blast!!” Touya laughed. “Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah! How could I make you hurt? How to best stomp all over your life? I have been pondering all this ever since that day! I couldn’t figure out why I even existed and every day I would crawl to Natsu-kun and Nana crying my eyes out… Not that you ever knew, right?! When you finally achieved success with your little puppet Shoto… I thought killing him might do the trick! But then who would have guessed you got bumped up to No. 1! Suddenly, I was rooting for your happiness. My blood ran cold when I thought you might bite the big one in Kyushu! Then I led Starservant and Ending straight to you one after the other and you still survived like the cockroach that you are! You were finally No. 1! It's all you ever wanted! But it must have weighed on you, right?! Or was all the praise and admiration like chicken soup for your soul?! When at long last you could steer your kids in the eye… Did you finally start to feel the warm and fuzzy bonds of the family?! You must have thought ‘as long as I face the future I can be better’! I can tell you are at a loss for words, so here is the answer! The past never dies! Get it yet?! You reap what you sow!! Let us fall together, you and me, Enji Todoroki!! Come dance with your son, here in hell!!”  

“Touya is dead. This is an unforgivable lie.” Endeavor mumbled in disbelief.

“I am alive and kicking! It's an unforgivable truth, Dad!!” Touya responded with a grin. “So sad that you never bothered to invite me to your fire quirk-infested agency! You can swab me or take some blood samples as a souvenir if you don't believe me. Go run a DNA test. Although my own test results are already being publicized as we speak. Endeavor, consider this a homecoming gift from me to you since I dug up something on that good for nothing spy Hawks as well. Even coming from a villain, the words that I speak will shake the public to their cores. They won't be able to trust any of you after this. The damage has already been done! After seeing something like that, who the hell won't be shaking in their boots?!”

With that, Touya jumped off from Gigantomachia's back and was about to attack Endeavor with Prominence Burn to finish off his father once and for all.

“Thanks for going strong up until now, Endeavor!!” Touya yelled.

“Touya!! Stop, please!! Don’t do this!!” I screamed out, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Sorry, Nana!! But this is what I’ve been waiting for the past 11 years!!” Touya replied back.

“Father, he is coming!!” Shoto yelled at a still shocked Endeavor, preparing to attack Touya back. “Protect Nana and the others! I will handle this! Please move! Protect them! Hey, please get it together!!”

But then suddenly a plane flew up in the air at the battlefield and before Touya could unleash his attack, he got tied up with wires from that plane. We all looked up and noticed who it was.

“Apologize for being fashionably late!! Best Jeanist will now be returning to work starting today!!” the No. 3 pro hero announced.

“Even if you are alive, Jeanist… The Todoroki family’s past won't be brushed under the rug… Right, Shoto?!” Touya smirked.

Best Jeanist unleashed even more wire and wrapped them around Gigantomachia, Spinner, and Mr. Compress as he pinned down the giant on the ground.

“You’re kidding me! He managed to detain Machia?!” Mr. Compress yelled.

“Trying to break free is so painful!!” Spinner shouted. “Doesn’t Machia have immeasurable strength?! Shigaraki, wake up!! You are alive, aren’t you?! Machia needs your orders!! Shigaraki!!”

Nejire senpai meanwhile, tried to strike Shigaraki again, but unfortunately got blasted by Touya's flames, much to everyone’s horror.

“Senpai!” I shouted in horror as I ran up and caught her into my arms before looking back at Touya with rage. “What the fuck, Touya?!”

“What a mess, huh Endeavor!!” Touya called as he broke free from Jeanist’s restraints using his blue flames. “Look! Another starry-eyed kid with a bright future burned to ashes!! By your flames!!”

Then suddenly Shigaraki slowly started to regain consciousness and ordered Gigantomachia to break free from the restraints. And right one cue, the giant let out an earth-shaking roar and started to tear down the wires around him, but Jeanist again shot more wires around it.

“Quit it, Touya-Nii!!” Shoto yelled as he charged at Touya. “So you send that villain?! Natsu was nearly killed!! The brother you said you crawled and cried to! That Natsu!!”

“Then that would mean Endeavor would suffer!!” Touya grinned at Shoto.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Shoto asked.

“You got it, Shoto!!” Touya laughed. “Your big brother has completely lost any feeling for anything!!”

“Touya!!” Shoto yelled as Touya used his flames on his younger brother.

“Finally, I can kill you!!” Touya laughed.

“Shoto!!” I shouted in horror as I charged at the Todoroki brothers. “Touya, stop!!”

“Hey, Spinner!! Behind you!!” Mr. Compress called.

“Huh?” Spinner asked as he turned around to look. “Looks like luck is in our favor after all!!”

“Those fucking Nomus again!!” Bakugo snarled as he charged at those flying creatures.

I also turned around and gasped when I noticed Nomus flying towards us. I quickly changed my route and flew towards the Nomus unleashing my Rinkaku Kagune and taking out my scythe. One after another, Bakugo and I fought and killed the Nomus when suddenly I felt a similar presence around me.

“Don’t tell me!” I gasped.

“Po!”

At that moment, Mirio senpai arrived, using his quirk to take out the Nomu which was approaching Best Jeanist, leaving everyone shocked.

“Lemillion!!” Midoriya gasped.

“Mirio senpai!” I called with a smile.

“Despite this, it’s not like I have got the power to take out this Nomus in one shot!” Mirio senpai chuckled. “Nana-chan, Bakugo, back me up!!”

“It’s great to see you again, Bakugo.” Jeanist greeted.

“That was just a placeholder name…” Bakugo smirked as he killed a Nomu with his quirk. “I was saving the real deal for you! From now on call me… God of Explosive Destruction, Dynamight!!!”

“Huh?” I sweat-dropped.

“Another dud…” Jeanist groaned.

“Too long!” Iida yelled.  

“Chaotic!” Nejire senpai commented.

“Tacky!” Mr. Compress deadpanned.  

“Kinda cool!” Spinner muttered.

“Haha! That's a good hero name! It's pretty funny!” Mirio senpai laughed.

“It’s not meant to be funny!!” Bakugo snapped at Mirio.

“Without joy and laughter to balance the sorrow the world can never hope to have a bright future…” Mirio senpai stated. “My bad there! That's just my motto!! As long as the final boss is restricted in the blaze, it’s time to clean up the rest of the mess!!”

And right on cue, Mirio senpai, Nejire senpai, Bakugo, Jeanist, and I started to attack and kill all the flying Nomus.

“Aw, your friends are having a blast down there!!” Touya laughed as he and Shoto kept on fighting mid-air. “Poor Shoto... No fun for you, just pain!”

Touya then grabbed Shoto and wrapped his arms around his younger brother before covering his azure flames around themselves as he started to increase his heat.

“But you… your body will burn too!” Shoto stuttered out in pain. "You're burning up as well, Touya!"

“You have grown up to be so considerate, I’m happy for you little bro!” Touya chuckled as his eyes trailed off to Endeavor’s still shocked face. “I’m fine! In fact, I’m overjoyed right now! Look at that face! Even when his masterpiece, his greatest doll is about to get perished by his failure's flames, he still can't do anything!! Hey, take a look! He is totally broken!! Hahaha!! Shoto, if you burn up in my flames and turn to ashes, I wonder what kind of face dear old dad will be making then?!”

While I was fighting and killing the Nomus, I noticed what Touya was trying to do with Shoto. So without wasting any more time, I used my Kakugan and swapped places with Shoto. And right now, I was in Touya’s arms.

“Nana!!” Shoto gasped in shock.

“Oh, now look at that?” Touya smirked as he tightened his grip around me and pulled me even closer to his chest, immediately extinguishing his flames. “It’s been so long since I held you like this, Nana… I missed this.”

“Touya…” I mumbled lovingly as I reached out and touched his face. “Please, stop this… I beg you… Please…”

“I can’t, Nana…” Touya muttered, softening his gaze at me before reaching out and gently running his fingers on my cheek.

“Hey, let go of Nana-chan!” Midoriya yelled.

“You know it’s rude to interfere in other people’s family matter!” Touya said to the green-haired boy in annoyance.

“I’m interfering because Todoroki-kun is a precious friend and Endeavor is my mentor who made me stronger!!” Midoriya yelled. “The past doesn't disappear! That's why the present Endeavor is making an effort. That’s the Endeavor I’m watching. You’re not Endeavor!!”

“Ha, anybody could figure that out!” Touya responded mockingly. “But don’t you pity the likes of me at least a little?! The consequences of the scenes committed by a supposed apostle of justice… That’s what I am! Evil will no longer prosper! Justice will crumble! All I have done is showed all those susceptible people where to put the blame! Now the future that awaits is clear! All the lip service and ego-stroking will vanish and it will be chaos!!”

Then all of a sudden, Gigantomachia started to go all wild and tear up Jeanist’s restraints.

“Big trouble!” Mirio senpai yelled.

“He has restored!” Jeanist shouted.

At the moment, Endeavor used every bit of strength he had to fly up and knock the giant back before knocking himself out as a result.

“Enji-san?!” I gasped in shock.

“Macchia?!” Spinner yelled.

“My strength!!” Gigantomachia groaned in pain as he started to slow down a bit.

“There was a message from the mountain team! They said they didn’t notice any effect but… the anesthetic worked!!” Jeanist stated.

“Looks like we’ve to go now…” Touya muttered with a sigh. “But before I go, I want to do something that I’ve always wanted to do since forever…”

“What-“

But before I could say anything more, Touya quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, pulling me into a passionate searing kiss as the cold metal of his piercings sent pleasant shudders up my spine. My eyes widened in shock and I went completely rigid on my spot. I mean, after all, it was my first kiss and it got stolen by the man I had been in love with for so many years now. I didn't know how to respond to it at first. The kiss was like a beautiful sweet dream; a dream that I didn't want to wake up from.

I’m in love with you, Nana Osaki. You may not understand what it means to be in love with someone because you're still too young. But always remember… I love you and I always will love you, Nana-chan...

My brain stopped functioning and the next thing I knew, I slowly and unconsciously closed my eyes and started to kiss back Touya. In response, Touya smirked into the kiss before he pressed his tongue to the seam of my lips and at my grant of access, delved the tongue inside my mouth. As our tongues intertwined with one another, the kiss got rough, sloppy, and even more demanding. Euphoric warmth began to blossom within me and the whole feeling was completely blissful, making the kiss feel like fireworks, tingles, and desires. It felt as if nothing mattered at that moment, as if nothing existed in this universe; it was just only me and him. Touya then slowly pulled away from the kiss as soon as we were out of breath and chuckled softly at my tomato red confused face.

“DID HE JUST KISS HER?!?!” Bakugo roared in rage.

“Looks like I’m your first kiss, huh?” Touya muttered with a smirk, panting slightly from the kiss. “Lucky me!”

Touya quickly let go of me and started to climb back onto Gigantomachia while I kept on floating in the mid-air like an idiot, trying to process everything that just happened now.

“Touya!!” Shoto yelled, charging at his older brother to attack him with Flashfire Fist.

“Sorry, Shoto! The situation has changed!” Touya responded before attacking Shoto with his Flashfire Fist Jetburn.

“Shoto!” I gasped, rushing forward to save him.

But it was too late as Shoto had already taken the attack and was now knocked out cold. I quickly caught him into my arms and slowly landed on the ground. I looked over to see that Mr. Compress caught Touya into his marbles before safely handing it over to Spinner.

And after that, whatever happened on the battlefield was all blurry to me. I remembered Shoto slowly regained his consciousness and I quickly went back to fight Shigaraki and the Nomus. Mirio senpai was finally able to catch Mr. Compress and easily took him down. Bakugo, Nejire senpai, Iida, Jeanist, and I all desperately tried to fight and chase after Shigaraki with our fatigued injured bodies while also fighting against other Nomus as Shigaraki, Spinner, and Skeptic started to escape away by riding on the back of a flying Nomu. Shoto, Endeavor, and Midoriya were all barely able to stay conscious at that moment. Midoriya also tried to catch Shigaraki with his Blackwhip but failed in the process. In the end, Shigaraki successfully escaped away with his comrades, bringing the Paranormal Liberation war to a conclusion. 

“I said the same thing to Gran Torino as well, but…” the doctor stated to my old man Aizawa. “If you had waited even a moment longer, it would have been even worse. Thanks to Rock Lock, Manual, and the others prioritizing your life you’re here.”

Right now, I was in Aizawa’s cabin with Present Mic with my old man was lying down on his hospital bed. After Shigaraki shot the quirk-destroying bullet on his right leg, Aizawa had to cut off his leg on the battlefield in order to prevent the drug from destroying his quirk.

“Thank god, you’re okay…” I sighed as I put my head on Aizawa’s shoulder. “I thought you would’ve died, you old geezer…”

“The world can’t get rid of me that easily, brat…” Aizawa responded, gently patting my head.

“Even Kayama senpai… Why…” Mic trailed off.

“Please don’t say it, Mic…” I mumbled, biting my bottom lip as tears started to form in my eyes. “It’s too much for me, you know… First my parents… then one of my mentors, Sir Nighteye… now my foster mother, Midnight… I just can’t…”

Aizawa quickly pulled me into a hug, burying my face into his chest.

“Don’t say it, Yamada…” Aizawa stated. “Just tell me how the students are doing…”

Mic let out a heavy sigh.

“Well…” Mic trailed off. “Almost every student has either regained consciousness or gotten better after receiving medical attention… well except for Midoriya…”

“What?” Aizawa asked.

“Izuku is the only one who still hasn’t shown any sign of waking up.” I added.

Aizawa’s eyes widened in shock as he looked over to us with a puzzled expression.

“Don’t worry…” I sighed before getting up and walking over to the door. “Toshi-chan is with him now…”

“Where are you going, Nana-chan?” Mic asked.

“To see Shoto.” I responded before closing the door behind me.  

I then slowly made my way towards Shoto’s cabin. When I reached there, I slid the door open. I noticed that the people in the room turned to look at me.

“Nana-san.” Yaoyorozu greeted me with a small smile.

“Nana!” Kirishima grinned at me

“Hey, guys.” I greeted them back, walking up to them. “Looks like you finally woke up, Shoto.”

“Yeah…” Shoto replied meekly in a raspy voice.

“His throat is burnt, so…” Mina stated.

“I see…” I nodded my head before taking my seat beside Shoto on the bed. “How’re you doing now, Shoto?”

“How’re you doing, Nana?” Shoto asked.

I stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh, looking away.

“What do you think, huh Shoto?” I muttered. “Touya was my friend… my fiancé… we were in love with each other… Eleven years ago, we all believed he passed away, but now all of a sudden he came back into our lives… Not as Touya, but as a murderous villain Dabi...”

Suddenly my eyes started to get all blurry. My breath hitched as I wept, tears started to roll down my cheeks.

“Nana-san!” Yaoyorozu gasped, rushing to my side and pulling me into a hug. “Please calm down!”

“I…I-I’m not okay, Shoto!!” I sobbed out loudly, as Yaoyorozu tightened her grip around me, gently rubbing my back. “I’m not okay, you hear me?! This is not okay! Touya being Dabi is not okay! None of this is okay! I couldn’t save my lover from walking down the path of destruction! I failed to save him! When the League kidnapped me and Katsuki, I speculated that Dabi was Touya, but I wanted to believe that I was wrong! That it was all just a misunderstanding! But, no! It’s a despicable truth and now it hurts, Shoto! Dammit! I love Touya so much, it hurts!!”

But Shoto didn’t say anything back as in response he remained completely silent and stared at me in shock, as if I broke his heart or something. 

“Did you happen to hear Uravity's speech?” Ectoplasm asked Endeavor, Shoto, and Hawks. “Come in and see for yourselves. All is well. At least for the time being.”

With that the four entered the barrier wall, witnessing the students, teachers, and the crowd leading Midoriya and Nana towards the Class 1-A dormitory.

“In the end, all we did was cause more pain for both Nana and Deku.” Endeavor spoke up with guilt in his voice. “No real progress… just a roundabout way of getting to this point.”

“No progress? I disagree.” Hawks responded with a small smile, staring at Nana with a loving and affectionate look in his eyes. “We are seeing it here, Endeavor-san. One For All is a network of power that links people’s hearts. It tied All Might to Midoriya-kun. The previous One For All user, Nana Shimura-san is Nana-chan's relative from her mother’s side of the family. Then Class 1-A kept Nana-chan and Midoriya-kun in the game... And Uravity linked these people to Nana-chan and Midoriya-kun. If everyone… If all of us are even a little bit capable of seeing each other as united as one, then… I see a future where heroes have time to kill. One so bright we can’t help but grin.”

Shoto, on the other hand, remained completely quiet the entire time, recalling the moments when he witnessed Nana shedding her precious tears for his eldest brother, Touya over and over again while declaring her love for him.  

‘Now that you asked… I think, right now, if Touya suddenly appears and stands in front of me, I’ll definitely jump into his arms like a typical shoujo manga heroine… And tell him how much I missed him… How much I felt lonely without him... So, yeah… Maybe I still love him…’

‘What do you think, huh Shoto? Touya was my friend, my fiancé… We were in love with each other… Eleven years ago, we all believed he passed away… But now all of a sudden he came back into our lives… Not as Touya, but as a murderous villain Dabi... I’m not okay, Shoto!! I’m not okay, you hear me?! This is not okay! Touya being Dabi is not okay! None of this is okay! I couldn’t save my lover from walking down the path of destruction! I failed to save him! When the League kidnapped me and Katsuki, I speculated that Dabi was Touya, but I wanted to believe that I was wrong! That it was all just a misunderstanding! But, no! It’s a despicable truth and now it hurts, Shoto! Dammit! I love Touya so much, it hurts!!’

As much as Shoto loved Nana, he wanted to see her all happy and smiling again, even if it meant sacrificing his own love for Nana and reuniting her with his brother once again.

“Father… we do this together…” Shoto spoke up. “Nana has shed too many tears for Touya-Nii. She went through so much stress for our mistakes. Nana has done nothing but loved and supported Touya-Nii her entire life, but in the end, she had to receive pain and suffered the most. But enough is enough. Not anymore. For our family, for Nana, we need to find Touya-Nii and bring him back home.”

Endeavor let out a heavy sigh before looking down at the ground, covering his eyes under his fedora.

“Yeah.” The older Todoroki man mumbled out. 

It was like 6:30 in the morning when I woke up today. I wasn’t usually a morning person and always prioritized my beauty sleep over anything else, but with so many problems in my life right now that kept me restless almost 24/7, I just couldn’t sleep peacefully for a day even if I wanted to.

I grumbled under my breath and rolled out of the bed while mentally cursing All For One, Touya, and Tenko for constantly keeping me agitated and anxious like this every single time as I made my way towards the girls’ bathroom. I showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and finally tossed my raven-black hair up into a high ponytail before leaving my room, dragging my feet the entire way to the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes and mindlessly walked into the room before letting out a small yawn and stretching my arms.

“Morning.”

I looked over to see the explosive blonde standing at the counter in front of the toaster.

"Morning, Katsuki." I greeted him with a sleepy smile, making my way towards him and Bakugo narrowed his eyes at me.

"You look like you got hit by a fucking bus.” He pointed out. “Those bags under your eyes… Did you even sleep at all last night?"

I sighed and shrugged in response.

“A little, I guess…” I muttered out in response, causing Bakugo to shake his head in a disapproved manner.

"You shouldn't have gotten up at the ass crack of dawn if you hadn't gotten a good sleep, dumbass." he lectured me as his toast popped out from the toaster.

There was a moment of silence before I spoke up again.

“I saw Touya and Tenko in my dreams last night …” I sighed while starting a pot of coffee and Bakugo stiffened a bit upon hearing my response. “And after that, I couldn’t sleep properly anymore…”

Bakugo then went completely silent for a moment as he began to spread some Nutella on the toasty bread, careful not to get any on the sides before handing the food to me.

“You know, you’ve to face them again… someday soon…” he pointed out in a soft voice. “And when I say soon, I mean very soon.”

“I know… I’m just so tired of everything now, you know. Especially after what happened last night…” I sighed again and leaned back against the counter before taking a small bite of the toast.

“I understand, but you need to get rid of your frustration, anger, and tiredness as quick as possible before facing those fucking assholes once again.” he stated the obvious while pouring coffee in two mugs for both of us. “You're fucked anyway, so might as well get some damn sleep.”

“Oh yeah? But then again, if I sleep in and wake up late, who’ll serve me my favorite coffee and toast with Nutella at the breakfast?” I stated with a small teasing smirk causing Bakugo to let out a small chuckle in response.

“Make your own damn breakfast from now on, you lazy woman.” He smirked back and this time I chuckled out in response.

“That was rude, Kacchan. I always wanted you to make breakfast for me.” I pouted with puppy dog eyes causing Bakugo to roll his own eyes at me.

“Not happening again.” he scoffed and I pursed my lips in disapproval.

And just then a familiar figure walked into the scene, making me smile warmly at the individual.

“Morning, Shoto.” I greeted the boy and he smiled back in response.

“Morning, Nana.” Shoto greeted back before his heterochromatic eyes trailed over to Bakugo. “Morning, Bakugo.”

“Hm, morning.” Bakugo mumbled out and continued to sip his coffee while Shoto slowly made his way over to me.

“What do you want for breakfast, Shoto?” I asked with a small smile, causing Shoto to slightly tilt his head to the side.

“What are you having?” he asked, looking over at my plate which was on the counter.

“Coffee, toast, Nutella.” I smiled and held up my coffee mug at Shoto before looking over at Bakugo with a teasing smirk. “Kacchan made breakfast for me today.”

This caused Bakugo to let out a small huff as he rolled his eyes at me while his cheeks slowly began to turn pink in color.

“And I regret doing that for you.” Bakugo grumbled out and I giggled in response.

“Tsundere much?” I teased the explosive blonde before looking back at Shoto who was already staring at me with a smile on his pretty face. “What is it, Shoto?”

“Nothing…” Shoto replied, slightly shaking his head before walking over to the counter to pour some coffee for himself in a new clean mug. “It’s great to see you smiling again. It feels nice.”

Shoto’s response made my smile widen a bit as I looked away from the boys and my gaze fell on the coffee mug in my hands.

“Well, I’m still trying to get back to my normal self… It’s kinda hard, but I’m trying. And with you guys helping me along the way, I think I’ll be able to recover back very fast.” I stated in a soft tone while brushing the index finger of my right hand against the rim of the mug before looking back at the boys with a warm smile. “So, thank you, both of you, for always being there for me…”

In response, Shoto and Bakugo didn’t say anything back as they rather simply flashed out a warm smile at me before a comfortable silence fell between the three of us causing us to continue to enjoy our breakfast in complete peace and quiet.

“So, you’re saying that America’s No. 1 hero Star and Stripe has already reached Japan to fight Tenko?” I asked my green-haired friend, raising an eyebrow.

Right now, I was in the kitchen, making a cup of tea for myself when suddenly Midoriya came over to me with a concerned look on his face, informing me about this new situation.

“Well, that’s what All Might told me.” Midoriya shrugged in response before looking down at the cell phone in his hands with furrowed eyebrows. “Also, he ran into Stain the other day where Stain gave him some info about the escapees of the Tartarus prison while many other details alongside it.”

“Stain gave info? You mean the ‘Stain’ I took down months ago?” I asked in disbelief and Midoriya nodded his head in response. “He’s an ally now?”

“Looks like it.” Midoriya responded, feeling a bit unsure himself as well.

“I see…” I trailed off with furrowed eyebrows, slightly nodding my head as I looked away from my friend and my gaze fell on the teacup at the counter.

I started to feel a bit worried about the upcoming encounter between Tenko and Star which didn’t go unnoticed by Midoriya.

“You’re getting worried about Shigaraki, aren’t you?” he asked in a soft tone and the frown on my face deepened even more.

“Even though Tenko’s a villain and a global threat, he’s still my family, Izuku…” I muttered out with a heavy sigh, running a hand through my raven locks in frustration. “He’s my cousin, my flesh and blood… And it’s not just Tenko, you know; Touya is still out there and God knows what he’s doing, how he’s doing… and the last thing I want is to lose Touya again, Izuku. I can’t lose him anymore. I don’t want to lose the man I love.”

“I understand your feelings, Nana-chan.” Midoriya stated in a reassuring tone, slightly nodding his head in response while I leaned back against the counter with my right hand resting on its marble stone surface.

“Is it weird…?” I asked in a weak voice causing Midoriya to glance back at me with a confusing look and continue to speak up. “My love and infatuation for Touya?”

“You mean your love and infatuation for the man who is a murderous villain, but once was an innocent child who wanted to surpass All Might and craved for his abusive father’s love and acknowledgment, but was tossed aside because he couldn’t fulfill his father’s requirements and now you wanting to save him and bring him back home…? No, I don’t think it’s weird… You’re just madly in love, Nana-chan, that’s all.” Midoriya stated with a warm smile before backing away from the counter and leaving the scene.

I simply stared at Midoriya’s retreating figure in surprise and amusement for a moment before my lips curled up into a small smile. I let out a small sigh and shook my head as I grabbed the cup from the counter to finish my tea.

“It’s cold.” I mumbled to myself, referring to the now cold tea in the cup.

I clicked my tongue and threw the cold tea into the sink before leaving the cup there like as it was. As I slowly began to make my way back to my bedroom, strolling through the hallway in a lazy manner, my brownish amber eyes flicked over to one of my neighbor’s bedroom doors – Todoroki.

“Shoto.” I called out softly as I lightly knocked on his door with my small fist. “It’s me, Nana.”

Hearing some shuffling noises coming from the other side of the door as I waited for the bi-color-haired boy, Shoto took almost a few seconds to come and answer his door.

“Nana, hey…” Shoto greeted me, leaning against the doorframe before his lips curled up into a smile.

“Hey. Sorry for bothering you like this. Hope you weren’t busy.” I stated with an apologetic smile.

“No, of course not. I wasn’t doing anything anyway.” Shoto stated, quickly shaking his head in response. “Besides, you’re never a bother, Nana.”

My heart immediately skipped a beat as my cheeks slowly began to warm up upon hearing his words. I brushed all of these off to the side and flashed out a gentle smile at him.

“I came here to ask you something…” I muttered out, crossing my arms over my chest while Shoto nodded his head in response. “Any news from Enji-san… about Touya?”

This caused Shoto to let out a heavy sigh before he brushed a hand through his soft hair and slowly shook his head in response.

“No, not yet…They’re still searching for him.” he mumbled out while I bit my bottom and furrowed my eyebrows at him.

“Apparently, America’s No.1 Hero, Star and Stripe with her whole team arrived here in Japan just a few hours ago. Izuku got this news from Toshi-chan.” I informed him, making Shoto nod his head in response.

“Star and Stripe, huh?” Shoto mumbled to himself.

“And she’s probably facing off Tenko by now as we speak…” I added in a worried tone and Shoto furrowed his eyebrows a bit.

“You’re worried.” He pointed out causing me to look up into his mismatched eyes. “About Shigaraki…”

“About everything.” I countered back with a melancholic tone before letting out a small shaky sigh, my eyes flicked to elsewhere. “I’m just getting even more restless with the passage of each time.”

I could feel Shoto’s gaze on me before he spoke up again.

“Do you… have anything in mind?” he asked and I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. “You know, we could do anything to keep your mind off from all of these if you want.”

I gave him a ‘are you serious’ kind of a look, causing Shoto to smile at me, much of my own surprise and amusement.

“I know it’s not the best time and all, but we could spend some time together while I’ll help you to recover from this anxiety and restlessness.” He suggested and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Know how to play shogi?” I asked and Shoto’s lips curled up into a knowing smile.

“Always up to some competition I see.” He chuckled out while I smirked at him in response.

And this was how both Shoto and I ended up in my bedroom, playing shogi on my bed. We sat on the opposite ends of a shogi board and the match went on without exchanging words between the two of us as our focus was solely on the board and the pieces.

“You’re one tough opponent, Nana.” Shoto pointed out with his eyes fixated on the board in concentration while his intertwined fingers were pressed against his lips, looking all serious.

This caused me to smirk in response and my gaze flicked up from the board and landed on his form.

“Giving up so soon?” I teased him with a smug look on my face. “You know, Shoto, no one has ever beaten me in a shogi match before, except for one person.”

“That’s impressive.” Shoto responded with amusement. “Who taught you to play this?”

I took a moment of silence before answering his question.

“Touya…” I muttered out with my eyes softening a bit while Shoto glanced over at me with a surprised look. “Touya loved playing shogi and I remember him getting really offended sometimes when people get the rules wrong. He was the one who taught me how to play this game and the only person to ever beat me in a shogi match. No one else could. Touya was really good at playing this game and I remember it would catch people off-guard sometimes because they never pegged him for a strategic thinker even though he was and still is.”

“I see…” Shoto trailed off, going completely silent for a moment before speaking up again. “What else did Touya-Nii love to do or the things he hated?”

“You seem curious.” I pointed out with a smirk.

“He’s my brother and sadly I know nothing about him.” he responded back with a shrug, causing me to nod my head in response as I began to recall everything I knew about Touya.

“Touya…” I trailed off for a moment before I started to list off things I knew about the said man. “He hated fish. He used to have perfect dental hygiene. Sometimes, he got motion sick, so he hated fast or reckless driving. Whenever I saw him training on his own, I noticed that he had extremely good reflexes and that he strongly favored his left arm during fights. Touya had no filter; he would call someone a freak to their face and then could proceed to insult somebody else just five whole seconds later after being introduced to them. Touya never bothered with social niceties and was painfully rude, although admittedly he never realized his own rudeness sometimes. Touya was and still is an extremely smart, intelligent, and insightful individual, also somewhat nerdy and I believe he’s the smartest among all of you Todoroki siblings. No offense.”

“None taken.” Shoto responded with a small chuckle and I smiled softly at him.

“One of Touya’s most noticeable personality traits is his independent and self-reliant nature. He’s more of a realist than an idealist sort of person in my opinion and I think his emotional intelligence is as wide as the surface of a teaspoon. Although, he does have a personal metric when it comes to judging morals and I remember him consistently applying it with every person he came across in his life. Touya has always been a goal-oriented individual and he liked to taunt people by calling them by their full name sometimes; in short, he’s an absolute asshole.”

Shoto let out a small chuckle when I called his brother an ‘asshole’ causing me to join him in the laughter as well before I began to speak up once again.

“I also noticed Touya having four staples down his chin and quadruple helix piercings on each ear, so I believe he likes symmetry. His handwriting was nice because he was trained in calligraphy. Touya liked traditional Japanese poetry and preferred tea to coffee and was partial to green tea, probably because of your Todoroki family’s traditional upbringing. To me, he’s an extremely patient person; I mean he waited almost eleven years to ruin Enji-san, so I believe this man can wait. I remember him being very meticulous with anything he deemed important, but he would also absolutely half-ass everything else. Like he’d be super strict about personal hygiene and keeping his house clean, but his clothes would be scattered everywhere in his room because he couldn’t be bothered to tidy up his shit.”

While speaking, I slowly stood up from my bed and began to walk towards my bookshelf.

“Because of the type of quirk he inherited from your parents, Touya’s pain tolerance is higher than an average person’s. I remember him being into edgy music and he loved reading books.”

I then pulled out a book from my shelf and stared down at it while Shoto stood up from my bed as well before making his way towards me.

“Touya once told me that his room was filled with books and this also shows in his vocabulary too which is way better than most other League members if you haven’t noticed that.” I stated before handing the book to Shoto. “Touya gave me this book. It was one of his most favorite ones.”

“The Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows by Edogawa Ranpo.” Shoto read the name out loud and I continued to speak up again.

“Touya has always been a nervous fidgeter and a happy dancer. He used to gesticulate a lot and wore his heart on his sleeve, but now I’ve noticed that he keeps his emotions boxed up in a corner hoping that no one ever finds out about them. His love language is acts of service. Someone going out of their way to include him in stuff or make him feel seen will positively break him. I mean he grew up being ignored by Enji-san so despite craving love and attention he also shies away from affection with something akin to aversion and longing at the same time. It’s a tough balance, so he normally plays the lone wolf to avoid facing the problem. As you Todorokis are rich people, I remember Touya saying him growing up with all the video games his little heart desired, which also added the combo of him loving to show off and having Natsuo-san to beat into the dirt because according to him it meant he was fairly well-versed in at least some games.”  

“Looks like you know Touya-Nii quite well… Too well in my opinion.” Shoto pointed out in amusement as he handed back the book to me.

“It’s scary and weird, huh?” I asked with a small smirk, putting the book back on the shelf.

“No, not really though.” Shoto responded as he slightly shook his head at me. “You love him and plus you’re a very observant person, so it’s obvious that you should know a lot about him than anyone else.”

This caused my lips to curl up again into another smile as I looked away from him with my arms crossed over my chest and leaned against the bookshelf. Shoto shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped a bit closer to me, tilting his head to the side as his mismatched eyes bored into my brownish amber ones.

“Touya-Nii was so lucky to have you in his life, Nana.” Shoto muttered out in a deep yet smooth tone and my eyes softened a bit at his words. “Dad neglected him. Mom couldn’t help him when he needed her. My siblings and I were too young to do anything for him. So, you were his only option whenever he sought out love, care, attention, and acknowledgment.”

“I wish I could’ve been there for him more than I had.” I whispered out with a sigh.

“Do you remember when I first met you, Nana?” he asked, suddenly changing the ‘Touya’ topic and I nodded my head in response. “Back at USJ… After that, we participated in the Sports Festival together, did the internship together twice under my Dad’s supervision, went to the training camp, took the first provisional license exam… So many other things we did together, so many times we spend together… It’s been a year we’ve been together, right?”

“Yeah.” I chuckled in response and slowly nodded my head. “You’re right.”

“You helped me to grow up as a person.” Shoto went on and his voice started to get even deeper than it already was. “You told me that I’m not my Dad just because I inherited his quirk. My powers are my own thing and I’m different and unique from everyone else which includes my Dad as well. Because of your encouraging words, I was able to use my firepower against Midoriya during the Sports Festival. I’ve always been a cold and anti-social person and never had any true friends before, but all of my classmates especially you helped me to come out of my shell, helped me to become a better person. You taught me to become kind, warm, and sympathetic; something I wasn’t before I met you. I was much like my own father; only focusing on becoming the greatest and eventually surpassing All Might in the process. I didn’t know what I was missing in life and if I had never met you and stayed that way, I could’ve turned out to be like him or maybe even like Touya-Nii. Not only in Touya-Nii’s life but also you have a huge impact on my life; something probably you have never realized yourself.”

“You’re praising me more than I deserve, Shoto.” I chuckled out nervously while fiddling my fingers and looked away from him. “I don’t deserve such kind words from you.”

“Yes, you do. And I’m saying this because…” Shoto suddenly trailed off causing me to look back at him again and that’s when I noticed the look in his eyes.

The softness, the warmth and the affection his eyes were holding for me; it wasn’t something you held for a mere friend or even for your best friend. My eyebrows furrowed a bit on my forehead while my heart began to hammer hard against my chest like crazy. My cheeks slowly started to get warmer and warmer with the passage of every second. At first, I didn’t realize what it was, but slowly and steadily I started to understand everything. Everything was before my own eyes now, clear and spotless. Something I kept on denying for the longest time; denying that I didn’t see anything, denying that I misunderstood everything.

No, no, no, no, no… this can’t be happening…

Why didn’t I ever realize this before?!

Why have I never seen this before?!

Why am I so stupid?! Dammit!!

“For the longest time, I felt guilty…” he spoke up again and I bit my bottom lip in nervousness.

“Guilty for what?” I asked, almost in a whispered tone while my furrowed eyebrows deepened even more.

I knew I shouldn’t have asked this, but I just had to know his inner thoughts and emotions. The way his eyes deeply bored into mine, so lovingly, so passionately, it almost scared me. And this never happened when Touya looked into my eyes. When it was Touya, I felt loved, I felt free. But now that it was Shoto, it was scaring me. I noticed his eyes flickered between my eyes and my lips and I immediately understood what he was thinking about and what he was about to say to me.

Shoto began to step even closer to me, daring to shorten the gap between us while I quickly stepped away from him causing my back to hit the bookshelf, eventually getting myself trapped in between Shoto and the bookshelf. He was so close that I could literally smell his cologne coming from his body, literally paralyzing my nerves for how good he smelt.

“For wanting what I want.” He whispered out, making my breath get caught into my throat.

There, he said it!! He finally fucking said it!!

“Even when I knew about your feelings for Touya-Nii, even when you declared your love for him from time to time, I still dared to overstep the boundary. I always knew I shouldn’t have done this. To me, it was almost forbidden, almost taboo, but you know mankind is always attracted to the forbidden ones. I knew what I was getting myself into, I knew what I’ll get if I engaged myself in this… And, I still did it…” Shoto went on as he slowly and carefully leaned closer to my face.

He then reached out and gently tugged my raven locks behind my left ear before lightly brushing his fingers over my soft rosy cheek; ever so teasingly, ever so passionately, as if a butterfly had just kissed my skin. I didn’t know how, but I somehow managed to keep holding eye contact with him, carefully noticing how his facial expression changed every few seconds, how his eyes constantly flickered between my eyes and my lips.

“I still fell in love with you…” he confessed and my eyes widened in response.

I slowly began to shake my head at him, but no word was coming out of my mouth.

“S-Shoto… No…” I stuttered out in a whispered tone and he let out a heavy sigh in response, momentarily closing his eyes.

“Oh, I know.” He whispered back before looking back at me again with a small mocking smirk on his face. “Believe me, I get it. Brother’s girl and all.”

I literally swallowed my own saliva in tension and nervousness when Shoto’s mismatched eyes flickered back to my lips again. He then slowly backed away from me before he finally looked away from my form and began to walk towards the door. I let out a heavy breath which I was holding onto for the longest time when suddenly Shoto abruptly stopped walking and looked back at me over his shoulders with furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes.

“No, no. You know what?” he spoke up in a serious tone and shook his head before he quickly started to walk back towards me. “If I’m gonna feel guilty about something, I’m gonna feel guilty about this.”

And before I could register what was about to happen, I felt something soft and warm pressed against my lips, rough yet gentle; it was Shoto’s lips. He was kissing me.

Shoto gently grabbed my face in his hands and slowly moved his lips against my own ones. I could feel the love, passion, and desire he was pouring into the kiss. Believe me, I could feel it. With the help of my Ghoul quirk’s sensing ability, I could hear his heart drumming like crazy against his ribcage; he was feeling nervous yet excited for kissing his brother’s girl. The warmth of his breath caressed my facial skin, sending small prickles down my spine. He was so close that I could feel his silken hair grazing against my red hot cheeks and leaving a scent so fragrant, it was almost intoxicating yet lethal at the same time. I was shocked and petrified. I couldn't move, I didn't kiss him back. I just kept standing there like a statue made out of stone while Shoto continued to pour out his heart to me through this kiss.

The kiss was sweet and romantic, but Shoto wasn’t Touya. He could never be Touya. No one could ever be Touya.

Shoto was the first to break the kiss as he stared down at me quietly, observing my now red face while I let out a shaky breath, nervously staring into his eyes.

“Goodnight, Nana.” He whispered before quickly walking out of my room and I lingered a hand on my lips as I simply watched him leave. 

If you wanna read the original story, then check it out on Quotev & Wattpad

https://www.quotev.com/story/12426037/The-Crimson-Butterfly-My-Hero-Academia-Tokyo-Ghoul 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/278836218-the-crimson-butterfly-my-hero-academia-tokyo-ghoul

[aphshots]

ଘ welcome to aphshots ; an aphmau writing/editing blog !

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p3do/map, inc3st, anti-lgbtq, pro-ana/ed, proshipper, terf/swerf, transmed, radfem, irl "yandere", fujoshi, exclusionist. we block freely.

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[yoificfinder]

Can you please rec some domestic established relationship fics?

Nonnie, I think more than half of YOI fics out there are domestic established relationship because that = post-series Victuuri, lbr. So boy do I have so many rec (put a limit of one fic per author tho. And also tried not to include fics I've already recced but you should check out the masterlist). I'm sure I still missed a lot of great fics so other recs are welcome!

And in my dreams, i'm Christmasing with you by SnarkyBreeze [T, 5K]

The presents appear to be arranged into four sections. Some of them are big, worryingly big, and Yuuri wonders if he’s going to have to mail them home instead of packing them away in his luggage. Each little section is labeled with a little card that hints at its contents.

Something you want…

Something you need…

Something to wear…

Something to read…

It’s sickeningly cute, and exactly the kind of thing Viktor likes, and Yuuri feels guilty just looking at the pristine packaging.

blessed by fnix_archive / @forovnix [T, 1K]

Victor’s a cuddler, which is a surprise to absolutely no one. The man is huge, all broad shoulders and lean muscle and long limbs meant for being wrapped around someone else. Yuuri.

come get you some of that bounce baby by @crossroadswrite [T, 4K]

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asks, side-eyeing him as he bends his arms behind his back, legs stretched into a perfect split.

“Delivering justice onto this cruel and unusual world.”

“Whoever trashed me on social media is not worth it, Vitya.”

(Or: in which they're happily married, coaching Russia's and Japan's next great skaters, and Victor Nikiforov remains the clingiest, thirstiest man on the face of this planet.)

How to Surprise Your Fiancé With Pork: An Honest Walkthrough by Viktor Nikiforov by @orchids-and-fictional-cities [T, 5K]

The thing with Viktor is that once he’s set his mind on something, there is a very very minuscule chance of him not following through on said thing.

He wants to do something for Yuuri: partly as a Valentine’s Day gift, partly as a prelude to Worlds, and partly ‘just because’. It’s somewhere between dwelling on the abstract thought of Yuuri’s hunger as a competitor, and watching the younger skater on Facetime with his mother back home, that an idea starts to form.

--

This is how Katsuki Yuuri, the love of his life, the apple of his eye, the fire of his loins et cetera, ad infinitum, finds Viktor when he walks into the door: standing precariously with one foot on a barstool and the other on top of his counter, frantically fanning at his smoke detector with a magazine.

i've been up nights making you my god by @kevystel [G, 3K]

The flight is twelve hours and Yuuri sleeps the whole time, head on Viktor’s shoulder, hand curled in Viktor’s jacket pocket underneath their shared blanket, earbuds buzzing a quiet insect harmony in the space between their throats. Viktor snores. Yuuri drools.

(Or, Viktor Nikiforov is very much in love and doesn't know how to deal with it)

In Celebration of an Off-Season by ayn2390 / @rougeandtonic [T, 4K]

"Your coach thinks you've worked hard this year. He thinks you deserve to relax."

"And what does my fiance think?" Yuuri asks.

Victor smirks mischievously and says, "Well, your fiance is looking forward to seeing your belly again."

in the spaces between by sixpences / @thetwoguineabook

Yuuri's life in St Petersburg is spread between four languages.

Losing Never Felt So Good by Ashida / @captain-erwinmerica [M, 1K]

He’d never had to stay on his toes this much before, never had to watch himself and be aware of his surroundings, because their latest game had been going on for weeks now and it wasn’t going to stop any time soon. He hoped it never did.

In which Victor and Yuuri compete against each other for the silliest things, and Victor couldn't be happier.

Naked Body, Naked Souls by @mypoorfaves [E, 3K]

“Have I ever told you,” comes Victor’s soft murmur, “that I’m not afraid to be naked in front of you?”

Yuuri hums a small laugh at the comment, memories of Victor standing proudly in his family’s hot springs, naked as the day he was born, flashing through his mind. “It seems you have no problem being naked in front of the entire world,” Yuuri replies, but Victor only shakes his head.

“There’s a difference between wearing no clothes and being naked,” he says. “I’m not afraid to be naked in front of you, Yuuri.”

Of Adoration and Heart Conditions by smudgesofink [T, 2K]

“Coffee?” Victor offers, for a lack of things to say, and raises his own cup.

“Coffee.” Yuuri parrots. He blinks, intrigued, and then shuffles nearer until he’s close enough to pull on Victor’s hands supporting the mug, his fingertips radiating warmth from where they brush against Victor’s skin. Yuuri takes a sip, closing his eyes, and makes the first happy noise at the back of his throat.

Victor almost swoons.

(Is swooning one of the symptoms of a heart condition? Is Victor dying?)

In which Yuuri is too beautiful in the mornings and Victor may or may not be having a heart attack because of it.

R/Ridiculous by phoenixwings [G, 2K]

I [32M] have to do laundry twice a week now because my husband [28M] keeps wearing my clothes, but I don’t want to ask him to stop because he looks so good in them. What should I do?

Yuuri glanced over the replies, most of which were some variation of “please stop posting these, you’re clogging up the feed”. Yuuri smirked as he wrote his own response.

Buy more clothes.

-quadflipkatsudon

In which Yuuri leaving his laptop open somehow leads to his husband being ridiculous on Reddit.

Safety Hazards in St. Petersburg by @lucycamui [E, 4K]

In which Yuuri moves in with Victor in St. Petersburg and Victor discovers just how distracting living with him can be.

Alternatively titled, How Many Ways Can Victor Hurt Himself? or Idiots in Love

snapshots from the edge of forever by @alykapediaaa [T, 2K]

video description: a three-minute compilation of Yuuri chasing after dogs and petting them.

12,421 likes

v-nikiforov My husband, the dog whisperer.

(Five snapshots from the Katsuki-Nikiforov Honeymoon.)

the soft animal of your body by @stammiviktor [E, 6K]

It happens like this every March, in the run-up to Worlds and the tail-end of winter. Somewhere during the ten-hour days of drills and run-throughs and conditioning, Viktor begins to go numb.

Yuuri warms him against his skin, brings back feeling everywhere he touches, but the cold sinks deeper within Viktor than even his husband can go.

Viktor and Yuuri have been married a year, living together for three, but are still learning new ways to take care of one another.

the st. petersburg rules by @thehandsingsweapon [T, 4K]

two people who live together always make rules. these are some of viktor's and yuuri's.

(in which we consider: the dishes, the laundry, the terrible things the refrigerator has seen, and how viktor wins all the important fights without ever making yuuri lose them).

--

ETA - Other people's rec:

@sophialala1 recs her own fics Stranger Danger, The past is the past..., and You and me against the world

[kantonliu]

@captain-erwinmerica replied to your post : real life rant: there’s something called ‘not your... : Who do I smash 😂

Aw it’s okay i just need to get it out. I really don’t like others saying ‘I just don’t understand why you...’ when they don’t fully know my condition. Just.. meh.

[lonelypond]

Tiger By The Tail, Ch. 4

NicoMaki, Love Live, 1.7K, 4/?

Summary: Snowball fight, anyone? Everyone?

Chapter 4

Maki buttoned up the shirt, soft, linen, luxurious, slid the jacket over her shoulder, so light as to almost count as cloud fluff and after a quick adjustment of the collar, glanced at the mirror. While preferring jeans and flannel for going outside and sweats and pajama pants when her home hasn’t been invaded by obnoixious Japanese D listers, whenever Maki had an opportunity to dress up, she appreciated the style and skill Kotori always delivered with flair. For Honoka’s Christmas video, Maki was dressed in a ivory cashmere tuxedo with the slightest red striping. It looked amazing. Granted, the way the shoot was set up, what Honoka’s TwigVid audience would be seeing was Maki’s back and profile, but Maki felt good and that was all that mattered. She winked at herself. And then something thudded into the basement door, causing Maki to jump.

She rushed the door, tore it open, and glared. The short one, with the short ginger hair, who didn’t seem that obnoxious was staring with a guilty look, crouched down to pat together another snowball. Nico, the short one, with the long sable, flowing hair, who did seem that obnoxious, finished the delivery on a snow missile that knocked Rin in the shoulder, causing her lean and accelerate as she hit the snow with a thump.

“Hey!” Maki shouted.

Nico turned her head and did a double take, her crimson eyes narrowing as she muttered something in Japanese.

Maki stepped out into the snow. “What did you say?”

A voice came from above, “Nico-chi, I didn’t know you were back. Where’s Umi?”

Maki glanced up, Nozomi was hanging over the railing, wrapped in a robe.

Nico shrugged, “Still with the designer. Nico got bored.”

“Not enough fussing over you?” Nozomi sniped in Japanese.

Nico, in a black and gray striped shirt dress, a short, fuzzy teddy bear fur type open jacket over it, and clunky moto boots over sheer black stockings, wasn’t dressed for the weather, Maki thought as Nico waved a fist toward the deck.

Rin dug herself out of the snow and headed toward Maki, with a question of her own. “Are you dressed like snow for a reason?”

“I am not dressed like snow.” Maki replied curtly.

RIn picked up a handful of powder and held it out to Maki, speaking slowly in English, “Snow.” Then she held the snow up to Maki and pointed, “Snow.”

Maki resisted the urge to knock the hand away as Honoka came tearing around the corner and Nico leaned down to pat together another snowball with a daring look in her eye.

“Uh oh, Nico’s gonna get me.” Rin shoved Maki forward as Nico started her toss, which got Maki a face full of wet cold. As she spluttered and her vision cleared, she heard both Nico and Rin laughing hysterically.

Honoka had scooped up snow with the hand that wasn’t holding a garment bag and shoveled it in Maki’s direction as she rushed her, “Ha, Maki! You’re the target.”

Arms raised to knock down Honoka’s rain of snow, Maki plowed forward, checking Honoka to the right, and making her own snowball. Nico was still doubled over with laughter, if Maki threw hers at the right angle, Nico might faceplant in the snow and wouldn’t that be a nice return for involving Maki. Plus, it would be hysterical. Maki felt left out of the laughter. While Maki was winding up, Nico caught on to her plan, and with a quick curse in her native tongue, Nico slid toward Maki, colliding with the taller woman.

“No sneak attacks.” Nico connected with Maki’s midriff and Maki nearly fell over her. The cold air was suddenly perfumed by a fruity, musky warmth and Maki was surprised by how lively Nico felt, like a minature turbine ready to power a town through a blizzard.

“Help! Nico!!!” Rin shouting as Honoka tackled her into the snow brought Maki back to the current scene, her arms full of a grumping Nico, who seemed to be trying to get them both upright, Rin was screaming like Honoka was actually hurting her, and then to add to the fun, Eli came around the corner with a small woman in an oversized army green parka following her.

“Konbanwa, Ayase-san!” Nozomi called from the balcony, “I was just getting ready.”

“It’s Eli, remember!” Eli waved, “this is Koizumi Hanayo, a client of mine who lives in Tokyo. She wanted to meet all of you.”

Koizumi seemed to be looking for someone specific Maki thought as the newcomer’s violet eyes scanned the snowy scene.

“Hey, you’re cute.” Rin scrambled out from underneath Honoka and sprinted toward the newcomer, arms out, grabbing the girl in a hug, “I’m Rin.”

Koizumi screamed, “Somebody rescue me” and Rin stepped back, shocked.

Honoka sat back in the snow, disappointed, “So is the snowball fight over?”

“No.” Rin said, which got buried in the “yes”s echoing from everybody else.

Another shrill, LOUD noise from the new person, an excited squeal this time, “Nico Ni!!!!” and Maki suddenly realized her arms were still full of Nico as the new problem sprinted toward the two of them.

Nico shouted, “NOZOMI!!!”, then freed herself from Maki, striking a pose to confront the charging Koizumi, raising her hands to her temples, “Nico Nico Ni!

Koizumi stopped in front of Nico, her hands clasped together, bouncing in the snow, “Oh my god, you’re so cute And tiny. And that dress...oh my god, is that her new line?”

Nico giggled, “Nico Ni is always happy to meet a fan, especially one with such good taste.”

Maki snorted, that sounded so faked. Nico whirled and glared, her English quick and chopped, her arm pointing toward the trees. “You. Go. Somewhere.” Then the switch to fluency, “Nico is too busy to be pawed.”

“I wasn’t pawing you. You ran into me.”

“Pawing.” Nico stated deliberately, brushing her arms as if to knock off Maki’s damp, grubby hand prints, “No touch.”

“Gladly.” Maki knew she was snarling. Koizumi had slumped at the no touching and Maki shook her head and turned back to the house. She and Honoka had a long evening ahead of them, “C’mon Honoka, we need to get started.”

“Oh yeah,” Honoka bent down to pick up the discarded garment bag, “I remembered my costume.”

“Where’s the hat?” Maki knew Kotori had built Honoka an oversized Nutcracker faux bearskin hat.

Honoka frowned, then reversed her direction, “I left it in the garage. Be right back.” Honoka sprinted off, garment bag flapping as she ran.

“Hey, Maki?” Eli was using her need a favor voice. Recently, everybody was using their need a favor voice. Except her parents, who were using their demand an action voices. That was Maki’s life right now.

Maki sighed before she turned, “Yeah?”

Eli was obviously in plotting mode so she moved to close whisper zone, “Do you have any space....”

“NO.” Maki’s volume startled everyone left, Nozomi and Honoka had disappeared. Nico was listening to Koizumi race through paragraphs of glee while Rin stared at their exchange, mesmerized by the newcomer.

“Hanayo's parents booked her a hotel and sent her to get some exercise. She doesn't have anyone to talk to. She’s lonely. And terribly shy. Back in Tokyo, she spends most of her time on her computer in her parent’s basement. Don’t make me send her back to her no Japanese speaker on the premise hotel.”

Maki rolled her eyes, “Ask them if they can make room. Nozomi seems to like you.”

Eli sighed, “All right. But you really need to loosen up and have some fun.”

“I’m fine.”

“Suit looks great.”

“Yeah.” Maki smiled and shot her cuffs, “Kotori’s been in a really good mood.”

“You can almost feel it in the cut.” Eli patted above Maki’s elbow, “god tier tailoring.”

“Mixed with cashmere. Unbeatable.” Maki felt a shiver, the sun was going down and her hands were cold, and though wool the suit was neither made for outdoor nor impervious to snow and wet. “I need to get inside. Have a fun date.”

“Good luck with the taping.” Eli clapped Maki on the back.

“Thanks!” Before Maki turned back toward her music room, she caught crimson eyes staring and heard Rin say, “It’s like somebody turned winter into a suit, Nico. It’s so light. Snowflakes.”

Maki saw Nico shake her head and smile slightly as she replied “okashi” and then Maki was at the door before her brain autotranslated to ‘candy.’ But when she turned in surprise, Nico and Rin and Eli’s stray had gone around the side of the house to the front door. And Honoka was barrelling back down the hill, hands full.

###

Almost ready. Nozomi giggled. It never hurt to keep an eager date waiting just a few minutes longer. In Nozomi’s experience, it did the opposite of cooling them off. Flicking her long braid over her shoulder, she glanced down again at her phone. A quick swipe and she was at the picture again, Nico Ni, wearing the cutest of the latest Tae Ashida line, with the winter white tuxedo clad arms of the reclusive and mysterious hospital heiress Nishikino Maki wrapped around her. Now, no one else might have looked up the resident of the other half of the master suite, but Nozomi always did her homework. And so many young women were clamoring for more information about the distant and dashing Nishikino heiress. Nozomi was impressed. She might have made a play herself, but Nico actually seemed to notice this woman, which was rare. Nozomi knew one quick, anonymous, only slightly misleading post on her ultra private alt TWIG account, wondering who Nico Ni had flown to America to spend Christmas Eve with would drive Nico’s fans crazy with curiosity, which would lead to huge surge in interest when the redhead was identified, perfectly timed for the Minami Kotori Lunar New Year launch. Sure, Nico would be pissed when she found out and Nishikino would probably blame Nico when she found out, but as Nozomi stared at the pic, she saw Nico caught in a more natural smile, full of joyous mischief, than Nozomi had seen for years, and Maki obviously taking care not to crush Nico, the embrace lingering. Maybe some sparks would liven up Nico’s personal life, which was far too dull for any true friend to leave alone, especially one as addicted to gossip and mischief as Nozomi was.

Before she could change her mind, Nozomi shared the post, with a flood of cutesy hashtags. Then she grabbed her wrap, and rose. Time to put some sparks into her own temporary dull patch, with that hot blonde Baryshnikov-ette.

A/N: Woo hoo! Arsenic and Old Lace finished well so here we go.

[sarahroeser]

Opposites Attract | Zane~Chan Romance Fanfiction (Chptr 4)

Vylad's POV

The next day...

I was just sitting in my room doing my math homework Mrs. Sell gave me. She gives too much Homework sometimes.

Suddenly there is a knock at my bedroom door, which doesn't happen often. "Come in." I say. Then Zane walks in for some odd reason.

"Zane?" I ask. "Hey... I was wanting to talk to you...." He informs me. "What about? You normally don't talk to me?" I tell him, which is true.

"Can I... trust you with something? I don't want our parents or even Garroth finding out right now but, I feel I should tell someone." He says to me. "Of course. I understand your wish to keep certain things private." I say with a smile.

"Thanks. Can I sit down?" He asks me to which I reply "Yup!" and he joins me on my bed. "So.... What's up?" I ask him.

"I can definitely trust you, right?" He says, looking genuine about it. "Of course you can, I promise" I assure him. "Good, I- um...." He starts to speak, but can't seem to continue.

Zane's POV

"I- I have a crush... on a meif'wa, who is pretty much my comple opposite." I finally say "I've been wanting to ask her out but I both am scared she doesn't like me as well and don't know how to ask her!" I finish my sentence.

I kinda got really nervous during the ten seconds of silence that followed before he had a response. I didn't know what someone like Vlyad would think about this kind of thing, considering he has never been in a relationship.

"That's actually kind of cute, Zane. So... Are you looking for advice when it comes to asking this girl out?" He asks me with a smile. "Mhm..." I start to blush.

"Uhh.. Do you at least know her name? That'd would be a start." He says and laughs. "Yeah, Kawaii~Chan Ashida! We sit together in Science, even if we didn't have a choice - at first." I say.

"Ahhh, I see. Your on your way there, I promise." He reassures me with a big, bright smile on his face. "Thanks, I think...?" I laugh. "Any advice on HOW to ask someone out? Even if I know you are inexperienced with love." I joke.

"HEY! Well, has she shown any signs of returning the feelings?" He asks me, he now starting to blush too. "I was joking for one, but, I think she has...?" I replied.

Zianna's POV

Ugh! Vylad needs to do the dishes again, but he isn't answering my calls. I then walk over to his door and knock but there is no answer. But, I know he is in there since I hear voices...

"Vylad!" I shout while knocking on his door. "You have to do the dishes tonight." I state while continuing my knocking. I grow impatient and open the door a tiny bit to see what he and Zane were doing.

"Sooooo.... like? How long have you known her?" Vylad asks Zane. "The first day of school?" Zane said. "It's been 2 months, how long have you liked her?" Vylad asks. Zane likes someone? Wow...

"I'mnot sure to be honest. I don't know what to do and if and how I should ask her out!" Zane says. I'm surprised.

"If I may interrupt-" I say walking in the room "-how well do you know this girl, Zane?" I asked. "Mom!" They both shouted at me. "Hehe, Sorry. But, I may have some advice for you Zane. Wasn't expecting to try and get a girlfriend so soon-" I say.

"Shut up! But, I think I know ger quite well. Nothing too personal actually." Zane replied. "Get to know her personally then - Personaility, Hobbies, Interests, etc., Then you can work on asking her out once you know her better. There is more to people than what you see." I suggest.

"Well.. I guess your right. I mean - How did you and dad start?" He asks curiously. "Dating? Oh sweetie, It was nothing more than that. Garte and I had common interests and we liked each other so we became 'a thing'." I inform him, not sure if Vylad cares.

"I see... Makes sense?" Zane says unsure if that's what both he I meant. "You know what? I will take your advice, mom!" Zane finishes. "I'm glad Zane. I really am. Good luck!" I start "Now for the real reason I came here. Vylad, It's your turn to do the dishes tonight!" I say.

"But, Mom! I have homework to do, and alot of it." Vylad tells me. "No buts. Your chores come first, I think?" I said. "Really Mom?" Vylad asks me.

"Yes really! Now Vylad, Go do those dishes-" I say. "Fineee." Vylad interrupts as he gets up and leaves. "And Zane, Go be confident, I'm proud of you!" I say with a smile.

"Thanks. I needed this and I will!" Zane tells me as I smile and leave him to his privacy.

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood -- Chapter 26

A bit late, sorry. I may have time between putting job apps in for this, drabbles, and Aaliyah’s journal. If you wanna be tagged/not tagged, please please PLEASE let me know so I can fix it. I can make tag lists for any character if need to.

@mrswhozeewhatsis @percussiongirl2017 @winchestergirl-13 @malinq-ashida @optimisticpeacecollector5 @squirrelnotsam

Chapter 26

“There’s something here feeding on the patients,” Aaliyah said once she heard the door click close.

“Like what?” Leo asked. “It’s not like there’s actual creature monsters roaming the halls here.”

“There’s more than just wendigos, werewolves, and ghosts in the dark corners of the world,” Aaliyah said. “Djinn is my first choice, but there might be a witch that might be putting hex bags around.”

“We’ve never dealt with Djinn before,” Nissa brought up.

“They’re hermits and tend to stay around ruins.”

“So, why would one be here?” Xander questioned.

Aaliyah shrugged. “Who knows? It’s why I’m thinking it’s a witch instead of a djinn.” She didn’t want to voice her concern that with the number of victims the source wasn’t a witch. “Leo, think you can actually flirt with some of the staff? Or should I …”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll stay here,” Nissa offered. “Not that Xander can’t handle himself.”

“Love the confidence, Nissa,” Xander shot at her, no real anger in his voice.

“Okay, you two,” Aaliyah cut in, a tease of a smile at her mouth. “Love the bonding we’re having here, but we need to focus here. Leo, focus on with the staff and anything out of the norm they may have noticed. Nissa, same but stick nearby Xander. Xander …”

“I can try and play bait,” he offered with a nervous chuckle.

Aaliyah smiled as she moved to his bed, giving him a kiss on a cheek. “You start thinking of what you want for dinner. After this case, we’ll try and get it.”

“Mac and cheese. But not the cheap stuff with the powder stuff; the real gooey Velveeta type cheese.”

Aaliyah nodded and headed for the door while Xander started listing more things for dinner. Once out of the room, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Part of her didn’t want to acknowledge the thing they were hunting was a Djinn. The hunter part of her mind urged to question those who had access to the residents that had passed away and currently in a coma. Another wanted to move Xander to another facility in the hope of keeping him safe and not worry about what was going on in the facility. After all that she had been through, Aaliyah just couldn’t do that. Something had to be done. Rolling her shoulders to push off from the wall, she started down the hall and spotted a passing nurse.

“Excuse me,” she called out, startling the nurse. “Sorry. I was hoping you’d be able to answer some questions about those in comas.”

“I’m not supposed to. Whole doctor, patient…”

“People are dead and dying, and you’re worried about that?” Aaliyah fought to keep her voice low. She understood as a former nurse where the nurse before her was coming from. But as a hunter, Aaliyah hated red tape and those who prevented her from saving people and hunting things. “Were there any … signs before they slipped into the coma that you noticed? Any new additions to the staff?”

The nurse shifted her weight in a way that Aaliyah assumed that they were debating on if it would be worth breaking the doctor/patient confidentiality.

“There’s a new nurse,” the nurse told Aaliyah. “She’s got these tattoos on her arms that seem like they’re … I don’t know. Like they could be from the Middle East or some tribal knock off. She usually keeps them covered up with long sleeves, but I’ve seen glimpse of them. As for those in comas … Many of us had contact one way or another with them. But she’s been the main one to contact them.”

“Uh huh.” Sounded something like what a Djinn would do. “Is it possible for me to see one of the coma patients? Call it figuring out a hunch.”

The nurse glanced around before gesturing for Aaliyah to follow.

Aaliyah hadn’t fully noticed the music being piped through the PA system until then. It was one of those things one noticed when entering a new space. Her mind had filed it away within a few minutes of entering the lobby of the building. The nurse turned into a room with the light on low. Aaliyah never understood how having the low light helped any; even when she was at the hospital doing her last bit for her degree.

“This is Jason,” the nurse told her. “Came in due to no one in the family able to care for him. Yet they manage to be able to afford payments.”

“Don’t wanna put the time and effort,” Aaliyah said. “Just wanna be lazy and have other people do the work.”

“Something like that.”

She walked in and over to the IV stand and tilted her head at the way the lines were tied up. Almost as if … Aaliyah heard the soft click of the door closing behind her and turned around. The nurse pulled her hand from the knob and kept her gaze on it.

“I had expected to see a hunter or two to pass through here,” she said. “But not the barely known Aaliyah Fisher.” She turned her gaze to Aaliyah. “How does it feel; knowing that your only claim to fame is your ties to the Winchesters?”

“Oh, I’ve had a few victories of my own,” Aaliyah replied. “Don’t sell me short because of them.” Her mind wanted to race in panic mode. She had been lucky in her first Djinn encounter. This one may finally be the end.

“Are you sure about that?” the Djinn countered. “No silver knife coated in lamb’s blood. And I doubt you know any angels or demons.”

Aaliyah scanned the room in the hope of finding some sort of weapon.

“You’re out of luck this time,” the Djinn commented, closing the gap between them. “So, be a good dead hunter and just sit still for a minute. This won’t hurt.”

Aaliyah backed up and knocked over a small flower vase on the nightstand. Her hand fumbled for a few seconds before her fingers grabbed hold. She spun it on her palm, using the neck piece as a handle.

The Djinn sighed. “You are a waste.” She reached out and grabbed hold of Aaliyah’s neck.

Aaliyah pulled away from the Djinn, raising the vase in an attempt to fight it off.

The Djinn deflected the half hearted attack, the remains of the vase breaking somewhere on the floor.

Aaliyah fought against the poison that seeped through her skin, her head nodding in her efforts to remain alert. With each blink, her eyes took longer to open. So, this was how she went out. Against a Djinn that didn’t even break a sweat. Some hunter she was, Aaliyah told herself when her eyes closed. Couldn’t even take out a simple Djinn alone.

It had been Aaliyah’s last thought before the poison took complete control.

**

Aaliyah pulled up alongside the side of the long drive and put the car in park. She sat there and stared at the country styled house with its white siding and porch that spanned six feet from the building and wrapped around the front and side of the house. A small smile pulled at her mouth when the front door opened and the small pack of dogs charged outside. There were perks about having the family home out in the country. Having the large house with an acre or two of land were two. Having room to have seven or so dogs was another. Aaliyah climbed out of the car as the dogs approached.

She laughed as the barking stopped and the pack worked to greet her. Working her way through the pack, greeting each dog by its name or with a good scratch, Aaliyah managed to free herself from the car. Most of the pack darted off to do whatever while one stayed closed to Aaliyah as she grabbed her suitcase from the trunk. She saw a woman standing at the door as she came up to the house.

“Thought I told you to call me when you got in,” the woman said, a smile on her face.

“Figured I’d surprise you,” Aaliyah said, trying to recall a name for the woman who could easily pass as her mother.

“Come on in, your siblings are in the kitchen,” the woman said.

Aaliyah put her suitcase to the side of the entryway before moving for the kitchen. There was a shriek of a noise before she was plowed into by someone. Aaliyah made an oof of a noise when some air got knocked out of her lungs.

“Li-Li,” the person, a sprite of a five year old, cried. “I missed you,” they signed.

Aaliyah managed to free herself from the five year old and knelt down to their level. She smiled as she looked over the boy. “And I missed you, Tiny Terror,” she signed back.

“I’m not a terror,” he protested in play. “I’m Ripley.”

“Right. Little Ripley, the Tiny Terror.” Aaliyah chuckled before going in and tickling him.

Ripley squirmed and fought against Aaliyah’s onslaught of tickles while laughing.

“Alright, you two,” the woman spoke up, walking into the kitchen. “Aaliyah, want something to drink?”

“A beer if you have any?” Aaliyah straightened Ripley’s shirt before standing.

Ripley darted from the dining area part of the kitchen just as the woman turned and put her hands on the counter top.

Aaliyah glanced around and found her three siblings sitting at the table with similar expressions. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Dad died in a car crash,” Xander spoke up in a soft tone, almost as if he didn’t want to talk about it. “He was three times over the legal limit. Seriously fucked up the other car and the occupants were in the hospital for months.”

Sure, Casey was a terrible father for what he did, but Aaliyah couldn’t recall him ever being a drunk. “Are they okay? I mean, I musta missed that when I was outta town.”

“Physically, they’re fine,” Nissa chimed in. “Mentally, I’m sure they’re still messed up.”

“Enough,” the woman commanded. “It’s something we all have to deal with. Aaliyah, why don’t you and Nissa head out and check on the horses.”

Horses? When did they have them?

Aaliyah followed her sister out the back door and stared out the back with her mouth open. She had thought the front of the house and yard had been amazing in its upkeep, the back was even more so. Aaliyah had seen shows where the backyards of high end houses were well sculpted with a pool, which was set off to a side with a rock formation and a working waterfall and spanned a good twenty feet in length. A playscape structure stood further back and away from the pool; something for Ripley to play on Aaliyah guess.

“So, how’s the show coming along?” Nissa’s voice broke into Aaliyah’s mind.

“Oh … um … good. We’ve gone on break for a couple weeks due to spring break before we wrap up for the season.” Aaliyah kept up with Nissa. “Refresh my memory; horses?” She could smell hay and the lingering one of manure some ten feet away from the barn.

“Yeah, Mom was big on horses growing up. She was wanting some long before you started on that show.” Nissa came up to the barn door and opened it. “You’ve helped in the up keep of them.”

Aaliyah followed Nissa into the barn and heard the neigh of a horse and the noise of another. She allowed her eyes to adjust before walking down the aisle and stopped at a stall.

“You never forget yours,” Nissa commented.

Aaliyah held out a hand as the horse walked over to her, as if curious on who the new person was. “I don’t know why, I’ve always wanted one. Maybe mom…”

“Prisilla,” Nissa said. “Or Pris. You’ve never been comfortable calling her mom.”

Aaliyah nodded. “Why did she want all this? Not like she and I got along well.”

“Oh, you do. When dad first brought you and Xander in after your mom died of cancer, we all weren’t sure of each other.”

Aaliyah stroked the horse’s muzzle and listened. “We eventually grew close.”

“Took you standing up to a bully in junior high.” Nissa half chuckled at the memory. “Told ‘em that if they messed with Leo again, you’d kick their asses.”

“Yeah, sounds like me.”

Aaliyah remembered how she stood up to one of the cheerleaders in high school when they were picking on the new kid. It was when she talked with the new kid that Aaliyah learned they were hard of hearing. Some signs still stuck with her; most faded away from unused. “And Ripley?”

“You really musta put yourself into work,” Nissa commented. “Mom and dad adopted him shortly after he was born. It was a few months before we learned he was hard of hearing.”

The horse nudged Aaliyah, pushing her off balance. Aaliyah recovered and shot her horse a look and saw it moving its lips into a smile.

“And that’s why you named him Jester,” Nissa said with a smile. “Come on, let’s see if the others are up for a ride.”

[leex-fr]

So I’ve been reading some kickass lore

I decided to just make a post of my general comments as I begin to go through each person’s lair, if you have reblogged or replied to this post then you can expect to see me mention you in the next several days while I comb through all this amazing lore. I have so far only read through a small fraction of each user’s stuff but I will eagerly continue to explore your clans in time <3

 @luteia-fr #189643

Omg vampire dragons. I could never live in such a foggy, misty place, but I get why they like it!

I love Lady Amira with my whole entire heart. Maybe it’s because I have a thing for female Pearlcatchers but it’s probably because she just radiates this feeling of peace and safety. I love that she runs the inn and is open to all.

A gem from Azarah’s bio: “his main interest is cake and flirting” ok me though?

Your dragons’ bios are beautifully formatted and just really pleasing to look at. I love how elaborately all their stories seem to intertwine and everyone is so regal, ugh, I feel like a plebeian (but in a good way)

 @pumpkin-bread #80484

I see in your clan profile that you were Arcane and switched to Light, hells yeah! I’m Arcane right now but switching to Light as  soon as my fodder nests hatch lol

So far I can see that your dragons have amazing art in their bios. And their outfits are all to die for.

Spice’s story made me very sad, but I’m glad he has Trina! She seems like a bit of a sassy lil thing with her dad wrapped around her finger (claw?)

Cassandra is absolutely stunning and I love everything about her story. So wonderfully written and plenty heart-wrenching.

GREAT STUFF 10/10

 @citrinebumblebee-fr #272790

Love love love the story of Casper’s relationship with her brother. She is such a stunner (did i mention i am always weak for pearlcatchers)

I immediately was drawn to Pandora omg tell me all about her?? A daughter of the Tidelord himself wowow

I love Coran, I want to know all about his fondness for baking, but also I am intensely curious about “Lightweaver do not interact”

Would love to know all about all your dragons, very promising yes yes

 @frforlosers #90726

“Our clan rides on one of Sorenieth’s many natural wonders, the Skywhale!” I AM INTRIGUED. I would love to travel around on a Skywhale wtf

An orphanage!! My heart!! I love that so so so so much

Ok I would die for Beth. I saw her and assumed she would be some hardcore dark personality and immediately I was called out by the quote in her bio lol. Let this be my lesson not to judge a book by its cover. She is a gem and I would trust her with my life

Absolutely amazing concept for a lair, a traveling orphanage on the back of a whale – doesn’t get better than that.

 @hybrid-fr #180358

Ok I was checking out your “Dragon ideas” in your profile (I do the same thing lmao I just brainstorm OC’s all the time that all need fleshing out) and ok. Ok. A dragon that is always on fire and “it’s kind of annoying but nobody says anything” I’m dying lmao

You know what I really appreciate that your dragons aren’t all drowning in 17 pieces of apparel, I LOVE the totally decked-out, complex, well-orchestrated outfits but I have zero fashion sense so I appreciate dragons that still look hella good without needing layers and layers and layers of items lol. It appeals to the minimalist in me.

I love Gregor. Innocent murderous bby.

YOU GOTTA LOTTA DRAGONS I will be returning to learn all about them

 @gemmieurts #2577

You have?? 21 pages of lore?? For one dragon?? Consider my interest piqued.

Sidenote, your dragons have some GREAT artwork, wow.

I love!!! Pele!!!

Your writing is fantastic! You write great dialogue and interactions omg

Snuck a peak at Ashida’s unfinished bio and omg!! She had to eat sand-covered bones and her own scales ahhh the poor dear. I uhhh adore her

11/10 I love your hot melty lair

 @tetris-fr #36993

You’re a hella good writer!! Really enjoyed the post you linked about The Watcher and The Listener.

Isha’s bio is AMAZING, oh my goodness. She is a beautiful zombie-esque dragon and I support her.

Malbec has a quality bio. “Official job is club promoter/party planner” hmm why does he remind me a lot of Tom Haverford from Parks & Rec lol

 MORE TO COME. Thank you all for being so talented and for inspiring a newb like me so much!!

[jimpluff]

7.) What is your favorite scene from the first movie (non-battle)?

I have two picks: one that involves action, and one that is just character development and dialogue. (This is in case a monster scene is too “battle” for the category) 

First, Mako’s moment of “chasing the RABIT” and visiting her memory of Onibaba’s attack. 

Along with the Knifehead battle, this is the sequence that never fails to give me chills. The moment when Mako steps into darkness, the world disappearing around her, and ashes start to fall is arguably the best moment in the film and the only time one wonders, What in the actual Hell is happening to her?

The continuation of this scene is, of course, also spectacular, bolstered by Mana Ashida’s performance and Del Toro’s expert control of the mise-en-scène. 

If I were to select another sequence, sans kaiju action, it would be the first scene with Mako in which she meets Raleigh. Lots of good character work here, it’s shot interestingly and purposefully, and it’s just funny hearing Raleigh surprise her by understanding her Japanese and replying in kind. 

[captain-erwinmerica]

So at some point in money shot, ya think Viktor will touch the butt?

I don’t think I could be that cruel and make him not touch the butt. 

[smolkatsuki]

Happy Birthday Ashida!!

Versace On The Floor

The hotel room was empty by the time Yuuri arrived, he managed to cling on the marble counter in the kitchen to catch his breath from the nerves that were slightly building up. His left hand gripping the pale blue garmet bag tightly as he strolled into the bedroom that he knew they’d end up in the moment Victor walked through the door. Laying it out on the bed, the corner of Yuuri’s lip rose at the sight. The egregious feeling sat in the pit of his stomach when he found out that he missed Victor’s birthday by a couple months. Victor didn’t tell Yuuri until last month and they’ve already been seeing one another for almost a year now.

Yuuri was determined to make it up to the older man whether he liked it or not. Even if Victor owned suits that were in higher quality than the one he got made for him. The suit was a grey shade darker than Victor’s hair with a tie that was a deep blue color that happened to be Yuuri’s favorite color. The Versace suit was crisp and elegant, exactly what Victor is.

Elegant. Beautiful. Sexy. Perfect.

All the things Victor is will be showcased with this specific suit. The thought of Victor wearing it for others to see and not know where it came from sent a chill down his spine. The sense of proprietorial, his own way of marking Victor in the easiest way he could. No love bite or scratch would last longer than the suit that would cling to Victor’s body and carving it for others see what Yuuri sees. Poise and potent, the only man Yuuri would think he could fear if he truly tried.

Yuuri stared at the hidden gift longer than expected. He immediately snapped his head to the direction of the hotel room door. Walking out of the bedroom, his eyes landed on the man of the hour. Victor’s chin tilted up slightly the moment their eyes met and a smile full of confidence brightened the room. Victor quickly walked over to him, his hands going our his waist carefully to pull Yuuri’s body against his own.

“Yuuri,” Victor whispered in awe.

No one says his name the way Victor does, the way that makes his knees buckle and heart rate pick up. Yuuri’s hands slowly reached up to curl his hands gently around Victor’s neck to cup his soft skin that he couldn’t wait to leave the love bites across.

“You made it,” Yuuri murmured when their foreheads rested on one another.

Victor smiled wholeheartedly, “Always.”

Yuuri leaned in slowly to bring their lips together, the soft brush of the kiss began. Victor hummed soflty against his lips as they melted. They were weak for each other, neither of them spoke of it but they knew it. The kiss stayed steady before Yuuri pulled back slowly, his eyes fluttering open to find Victor already staring at him.

“I brought you a gift.”

“A gift?” Victor asked curiously when tightening his hold on him. “For what occasion?”

“It’s a belated birthday gift,” Yuuri replied, brushing Victor’s bangs from his face carefully.

Victor shook his head, “I don’t need a gift Yuuri.”

“Too late,” he grasped Victor’s hand and tugged him to the bedroom. “Come see it.”

The bedroom was left how he saw it, minus the garmet bag on the bed sheets that caught Victor’s attention the moment they walked in. Victor blinked, glancing at Yuuri before going towards the bag. The older man’s fingers danced across the zipper, opening the bag. They both fell their sight on the suit that Yuuri couldn’t wait to see on Victor.

“Yuuri..” Victor said surprised when turning his gaze towards him. “You didn’t have too.”

“I wanted too. I want to see you in it, can you put it on for me?”

Victor nodded quickly but brought his body to Yuuri, their silent agreement. They slowly removed the holsters, weapons, and article of clothing one by one. Yuuri could only watch his fingers move fluently across Victor’s body, the one he is slowly growing used too. The way he can touch Victor so intimately in a way he never expected.

They worked Yuuri out of his holsters and clothes, all he wore was his briefs and dress shirt that Victor adored exposing his chest. Catching the small hint of his tattoos through the thin material. Victor pointed to the chair near the window for him to sit in to watch Victor change in the suit. He could feel Victor’s eyes burning his thighs and back. Yuuri gripped the arm chair when sitting down.

The room grew hot and all Yuuri could do was stare at Victor pull up the pants carefully. Examining the curves of his thighs and hips, Victor did a small turn much to Yuuri’s liking after tucking in his dress shirt. Licking his lips, the older man soon shrugged on the suit jacket.

He took the tie, eyeing Yuuri with a smirk as he put it on with ease. Watching the way his hands work it into the perfect knot and tucked under the dress shirt. Buttoning the blazer up and smoothing his hands over it then adjusting the cuffs. The dress shoes came next to complete the look.

Yuuri’s words that would describe Victor came back again from the simple sight.

Elegant. Beautiful. Sexy. Perfect.

“What do you think?” Victor asked curiously yet teasingly, already knowing the answer.

“Beautiful,” Yuuri replied without missing a beat.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

Victor motioned Yuuri over with a single finger movement, he got up from the seat and walked over to him. His body being attracted by a force that Victor always had around him that made Yuuri need him more. The same finger caressed his jawline once he stood face to face with him.

“Tell me what you want, Yuuri.”

Yuuri shook his head when grasping the lapel of the blazer, “Tell me what you want, Victor. It’s your birthday after all.”

Silence fell between them, Victor let his fingers trace the markings he had grown to adore upon Yuuri’s skin. The same fingers that left marks upon his ass from hits and pleasure from being inside him. They were burning him, an addictive burn that made him press himself closer to Victor.

“Does that mean I can open my gift?”

Yuuri tilted his head confused, “You’ve already opened it.”

The same fingers soon decided to make their own path down his back. The press of Victor’s fingers against his hole through the briefs caused a gasp to slip his lips, a smirk played upon his face. The same smirk that always reminded him why they did this. Leaning towards his ear, Victor whispered a soft reply that sent a shiver down his spine.

“My other gift, Yuuri.”

for @captain-erwinmerica this song always reminds me of victor and yuuri in masquerade & i know your love for suit porn (your twitter is the best thing ever tbh) so why not write this out for you!! i apologize for the rough writing, i’m still going through writers block but i tried my best!! happy birthday!! ^-^ - poppy

[katsukifatale]

sgchan replied to your post “ok so its me birthday and im home alone and bored so im looking for...”

masquerade by ashida is sO GOOD probs everyone will recommend that to you lol There's also a series called "yuri!!! On mafia" or smth that's pretty good

yo thanks my dude!

[yoificfinder]

Hey there! I love this blog so much! You are so great! I've been seeing some of the fics people were looking for and I get to have my own list of fics to read. So thanks for that!!! I was trying to check my list of bookmarked fanfics and I can't seem to find the one wherein Yuuri's phone keeps receiving spam texts of wanting to hook up and then the one time he replies to them it's victor's number. Does it sound familiar? Thanks in advance!

Accidental Crush by Ashida / @captain-erwinmerica [M, 14K]

4.18pm from: Unknown Number.

Message:

’Had to find a pen and paper and take a decent photo :P here you go.’

There was a photo attached alright, a photo that had Yuuri gasping and blushing for good reasons instead of bad, who would have thought the unknown number was in fact not lying, and in fact, one of the most disgustingly hot people Yuuri had ever seen in his life.

----

Or, a university AU in which Yuuri's phone is plagued with spam text messages and the one time he decides to text back results in the best thing ever.

I hope this is what you're looking for, nonnie. It's also already in the masterlist under HS/Univ AU.