#because he feels fake and he supports endeavor without knowing what he’s done

[incorrect-league-of-villains]

Dabi: The man I'm about to marry showed me this pebble that looks like a guitar pick and with an entirely straight face said "it's for rock music".

Fuyumi: Marry him faster.

[tongue-like-a-razor]

Faking It | Part V

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x F!Reader

And thus continues my ode to all the tropes that ever troped XD Wanna hear something funny? I have this story saved in my one-shots folder. Like, what was I thinking??

Anyway, thank you so much for following this meandering tale. I still can't believe the epic support and love you guys have given me and this story <3 I appreciate you more than you know!

Summary: Fake dating your friend, Bradley Bradshaw - what could possibly go wrong? Your sister is getting married and you need a date. You enlist Bradley's help and the rest is history.

CW: swearing, some angst (y'all knew it was coming)

Start from the beginning: Part I

You open your eyes the following morning to find Bradley’s arm draped over your body, his fingers wrapped around your hand near your chest. You hold your breath, lest you wake him before you can fully appreciate the moment. You close your eyes for a minute, imagining that all of it is real.

Before the minute is up, however, Bradley begins to stir. You decide to keep your eyes closed, curious as to how he will react upon waking in an embrace with you. You feel his body shift behind you, his head lifting slowly off the pillow. He doesn’t withdraw his arm just yet and you can feel his breath warming the tip of your ear as he rests his head briefly over yours. His fingers tighten around your hand for a split second before he releases it and drags his arm away, his hand lightly skimming the exposed skin under the hem of your shirt as he rolls onto his back. Meanwhile, you nearly convulse at the absolute upheaval of your entire nervous system as your body grapples with the chaos ignited by his fleeting touch.

You turn around slowly to see him covering his face with his hands and your heart sinks. He’s clearly mortified and possibly regretting the entire endeavor. He must know that you like him. He must see right through you. And then it hits you. You were drunk last night. Had you done something that might have given you away? Other than convincing him to share a bed with you and cuddle you to sleep? You think you might be sick.

You sit straight up, wincing at the pounding in your head, and slip out of the bed without so much as uttering a good morning to the man who’s been spooning you all night. You rush into the bathroom, hurriedly locking the door behind you, as if Bradley might try to barge in. You start running cold water over your face, trying desperately to remember every single thing that happened the previous night.

Bradley had seemed fed up with Steven, but that was likely for show. Bradley had helped remove your shoes, but that was likely because you would’ve otherwise ended up with your face in the sand. Similarly, carrying you when you had expressed some ridiculous phobia of crocodiles? That was likely an attempt to get you home before you did something stupid. You cringe, looking up at your grimace in the mirror.

When you step out of the bathroom, Bradley is already dressed. He looks over at you with an apprehensive expression. “You up for some breakfast?” he asks.

“Uh, I’m actually going to head over to my sister’s chalet,” you say quickly, gathering your things. “All the bridesmaids are getting ready there.”

“You should eat something,” he says.

Your eyes meet his across the room. “I’m sure they’re going to have a platter of sandwiches or something.”

Bradley looks like he might have something else to add but ultimately seems to reconsider. “I guess I’ll see you later,” he says.

You give him a tight smile. “That’s the plan,” you respond, heading for the door.

…

You spend the morning in a daze. Your sister is getting married and you can hardly think of anything other than Bradley Bradshaw. Once or twice, this realization infuriates you, but then you blissfully revert to daydreaming about his captivating grin and his expressive eyes and his beautifully sculpted shoulders.

By the time the ceremony rolls around, you’re frighteningly untethered from reality, and you desperately try to focus on the task at hand. You take a deep breath, grounding yourself before taking the final step off the stone staircase onto the perfectly manicured lawn, clutching your bridesmaid’s bouquet to your chest. You haven’t seen Bradley since that morning and your nerves are shot with the anticipation of what the day might have in store. Your thoughts that morning may have all revolved around Bradley’s shoulders but, if you’re going to make it through the rest of the weekend, you’ll have to feign indifference toward him, romantically speaking – while pretending that he is the love of your life. It can’t be as complicated as it sounds. You take several more breaths, concentrating all your efforts on your walk toward the altar without letting your heels sink into the soft ground.

Your eyes scan the chairs briefly but you see no sign of Bradley’s wavy, brown hair. You take your place next to the other bridesmaids, turning to the collection of lawn chairs in front of the flowered trellis. You’re still searching for Bradley in the crowd when the flower girl skips up the aisle sprinkling handfuls of rose petals over the freshly cut turf. When you can’t locate him, you start to worry that perhaps he’s changed his mind about attending. The thought upsets you because the least he could have done was talk to you beforehand so that his absence wouldn’t catch you off guard.

You’re still annoyed when your gaze lands on a particularly handsome face that’s smirking up at you from the assembled guests. You stare at him for a moment, shocked that you didn’t recognize him sooner. He’s wearing a light-colored suit and his hair is slightly more gelled than usual but, other than that, he’s the same old Bradley. Except, you’ve never seen him in formal attire before. And he looks good.

You give him a smile, playing the part of the enamored girlfriend despite the turmoil in your gut at having left things unsettled that morning. You look away from him so as not to give him an opportunity to perceive the discomfort on your face. In doing so, however, your eyes settle on Steven instead. He grins at you broadly, wiggling his eyebrows. You feel sick to your stomach and promptly look away just as your sister makes her way down the aisle in her blindingly white gown. Behind her slender form, you notice that Bradley is glaring at Steven.

You smile inwardly at Bradley’s transparent animosity toward him. Your ex-boyfriend certainly deserves it but, what’s more, it’s a pleasant feeling having Bradley in your corner against enemy number one.

When the ceremony comes to an end and all the guests rise as the wedding party heads back up the aisle, Bradley gives you a slight nod as you walk by which sends a fluttering sensation throughout your insides. You quicken your pace, racing after the happy couple as if you plan to outrun them, completely forgetting about the grass versus heels situation. Your left foot sinks into the ground and you nearly lose a shoe as you stumble forward.

Just as you’re about to fall face first into the greenest grass you’ve ever seen, Bradley hops out of his row and grabs your arm, sliding his hand around your waist to steady you. It all happens so quickly that you’re still visibly shaken as you straighten your back.

“You okay?” he asks, his face hovering far too close to yours as he leans forward to look at you.

“I think so,” you breathe. “Good catch,” you add.

He smirks with one side of his mouth. “You are too, babe,” he replies.

You stare at him for a moment, trying to decipher how much of the current scenario is an act, and you decide that Bradley Bradshaw has missed his chance at a seriously successful career in acting.

“Shall we?” he asks, holding his arm out for you. “I hear it’s cocktail hour.”

You try to calm your overwrought nerves and glance up at him with a guarded smile. After all, you need to convince your mother – and Steven – that you’re in a happy relationship, and you can’t do that by avoiding poor Bradley’s gaze all evening. It’s not his fault he’s hot as fuck. “Let’s do this,” you say, sliding your arm through his as the rest of the guests begin to make their way toward the patio where the servers are already walking around with platters brimming with ridiculously small, and unnervingly unrecognizable, food.

…

“You look good,” Bradley says casually as he reaches to take a miniscule quiche off a circulating platter.

You swallow a large chunk of stuffed mushroom, praying you don’t choke on it before you could respond. “You’re not so bad yourself, Bradshaw.”

He grins, popping the quiche into his mouth.

You meet his gaze and nearly lose yourself in his eyes when you feel a violent tug on your dress. You look down to see your niece smiling up at you. She continues pulling on your dress even though she’s already captured your attention and you have to pry her little hands off the chiffon skirt before the material disintegrates in her iron grip. “Aly, Aly, what’s up?” you ask hurriedly.

“Is this the pilot?” she asks with a sly smile on her face as she turns to look up at Bradley.

Bradley grins at the little girl. “Hey, how’d you know?” he exclaims.

Aly giggles. “I guessed,” she admits.

“Good guess,” Bradley says, winking at her.

“How big is your airplane?” Aly asks excitedly.

Bradley lifts his eyes to look at you as you bite into your bottom lip to keep from laughing.

“Size doesn’t really matter, little girl,” Bradley says.

A small chuckle escapes your mouth despite your efforts to contain it and Bradley shoots you a pointed look.

“What matters,” Bradley continues, “is how you use it.”

“Use it?” Aly looks at him with furrowed brows.

“Fly it!” Bradley corrects himself. “How you fly it.”

You put a hand to your mouth, trying to hold in your laughter.

“In any case,” Bradley says. “My plane is quite large as far as planes go.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and turn away, because looking at Bradley will certainly compromise your poker face.

“What’s so funny, auntie?” Aly yanks on your dress again.

You turn to look at her with tears in your eyes from the strain of withholding your laughter.

“Yeah, auntie,” Bradley chimes in. “What’s so funny?”

“I am not laughing,” you say with a giant smile.

Bradley chuckles, shaking his head. “Get your mind out of the gutter, auntie,” he says, and the rough quality of his deep voice makes the statement sound ridiculously sexy, nudging your mind in precisely the opposite direction.

“Yeah, auntie,” Aly agrees. “Get your mind out of the udder.”

At that, you burst out laughing. Grabbing Bradley’s shoulder – the very one you’d been fantasizing about for the better part of the day – you try to steady yourself while attempting to stifle your own amusement. Bradley chuckles while his hand slides around you and rubs your arm absently as you try to breathe through your hysterics.

Aly squeezes in between the two of you, peeking up at you with a grimace. “You’re really happy today, auntie,” she says.

Bradley’s hand stops stroking your arm and his embrace briefly tightens around you.

“Well,” you say, wiping your eyes and straightening your back. “It is my sister’s wedding day. Happiest day of my life.”

Aly eyes you skeptically while Bradley’s hand falls back to his side as you slowly move away.

Bradley looks down at the girl. “You ever heard of the Super-Hornet, Aly?” he asks.

Aly glances up at him with wide eyes and shakes her head.

“Tell you what,” he says, crouching down so that his face is level with hers. “You tell your auntie that she’s going to have to let you borrow me for a dance so that I can tell you all about it.”

You chuckle lightly as Aly glances up at you with a couple of round, excited eyes. “I suppose I can lend him for one dance,” you say.

The girl runs off cheerfully and Bradley rises, his eyes settling on yours as a smile spreads on his face. “Look at you being so generous,” he says.

You shrug. “What kind of person would I be if I refused to share with a child?”

He laughs, his eyes still holding your gaze as he licks his lips. “So,” he says after a moment. “You left in a hurry this morning.”

Your giddy mood instantly deflates and, as you contend with a sudden and rather debilitating panic attack that derails your plans for an uneventful evening, the space between the two of you becomes fraught with tension. “I was running late,” you say dismissively, turning away from him to try and locate another server distributing appetizers.

“I saw your sister at breakfast,” he says.

You shoot him a horrified look. “Oh no!” you exclaim. “Was she wondering why we weren’t together?”

 “Probably,” he says. “But that wasn’t really my point.”

“Fuck,” you groan. “She’s going to tell my mom. And my mom’s already on my case. And” –

“Why’d you lie?” he asks.

You glance up at him. “I didn’t lie. I had no idea my sister would still be having breakfast.”

“Your sister said you weren’t supposed to show up till noon.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Why are you interrogating my sister?” you ask crossly.

Bradley watches you levelly. “My bad,” he says after a short period of silence. “I thought we could be adults about this.” He pushes off the banister and heads across the terrace toward the bar.

You let out a frustrated sigh and shake your head. Of course, Bradley would choose the most crucial event of the entire weekend to pick a fight with you. You stomp off in the opposite direction, grabbing a flute of champagne from one of the trays as you go.

…

“Trouble in paradise?”

You look up from your drink to see Steven eyeing Bradley, who is standing on his own at the stone barrier separating the terrace and the grassy slope that slants toward the lake below. He’s looking out at the water with an impassive expression on his face. “Not now, Steven,” you say tiredly.

Steven leans into the high-top table you’re standing at. “I think now is the perfect time, baby,” he says.

You roll your eyes. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Look,” Steven says, sliding closer to you along the curve of the table. “It’s clear to me that this Bradley guy – that he’s just a rebound…”

Steven continues talking but you’ve stopped listening. You’re watching Bradley finally turn around and look at you. Even from a distance, you can see the subtle shift in his features when he notices whom you’re conversing with. Bradley sets his jaw and starts towards you.

“…but I’m here now,” you hear Steven’s voice frighteningly close to your ear and you flinch, backing away.

Steven is giving you a smirk that he probably thinks is irresistible and perhaps, once upon a time, it had been for you. You’re about to tell him off when Bradley walks around the table from behind, forcing his way in between you and Steven. “I’m getting tired of finding you near my girlfriend,” he says, the antagonism palpable in his tone.

Steven appears annoyed that his advances have been cut short. “We were just having a chat,” he replies.

Bradley gives his head a slight shake. “Plenty of other people here to chat with,” he says tersely.

Steven lets out a scathing laugh and glances at you. “Y/N, since when do you let your boyfriends decide who you get to talk to?”

You’re about to bite back when Bradley takes a step toward Steven, lowering his face so that he could stare him down at close proximity. “I’ll tell you what,” he says in a low voice. “I see you bothering her again, and you and I? We’re going to have a chat. And, believe me, you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

Steven takes a step back uncomfortably, glancing between you and Bradley with a begrudging expression. “I’ll see you later, Y/N,” he calls to you before turning and walking away.

Bradley shakes his head at him heatedly before turning to face you. You don’t meet his gaze, still upset with him for losing his temper and stalking off earlier, leaving you to navigate cocktail hour on your own.

Bradley doesn’t say anything either, so the two of you just stand in silence, refusing to look at one another.

Then, Bradley says, “Your mother’s on her way over.”

“Great,” you grumble, letting out an irritated sigh. You look up at Bradley with a sour expression. “Can you just pretend to be happy to be here?” you say, although the acidity in your voice is a far cry from the pleading and begging you’d done only a couple of days ago. You realize that you’re taking him and the favor he’s doing you for granted, but you’re far too mad to apologize for it now.

Bradley gives you a stony look and shifts his jaw. “Can you?” he asks flatly.

You bring a hand to your face and close your eyes, trying to reset your emotions. But it’s too late; your mother’s condescending tone makes you bristle. “You two seem to be enjoying the party,” she says with a hint of irony.

You glance up at Bradley worriedly to find that he’s already watching you. You wish you’d never asked him to come. There is no way the two of you could convince your extremely attentive mother that you are in love when you can barely stand to look at one another. At the same time, it’s not like you can come clean about the whole thing now; you’ll appear even more unhinged than your mother has already deemed you to be.

“Your gracious daughter here was just trying to convince me not to throw Steven into the lake,” Bradley says, apparently channeling his anger toward you into a jealous boyfriend persona.

You mother visibly stiffens. “This is a formal event,” she says sternly, giving him a horrified look. “There will be no such altercations.”

Bradley lets out a contemptuous chuckle, sticking his hands into his pockets before balling them up into fists. “That’ll be up to Steven, ma’am.”

Read Part VI

Tag List:

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[dadsbongos]

spiriting

Insert Coin - Chapter 2 / Series Masterlist

Waking up to the cursed sound of Monokuma’s voice, (Y/n) let her body remain in the warm confines of her duvet. Her eyes were heavy and burned whether she had them open or not. Turning, she let her back rest against the mattress, endless stare settled on the ceiling.

Every time she went to close her eyes, Byakuya’s bloody corpse was staring her in the face. His voice festered between her ears as it called her name. Quite possibly the last thing he’d said to anybody was him calling her name for help.

Stabbed over ten times between his abdomen and throat.

It must’ve been excruciating. To be working to bring everyone together only to be brutally murdered in your endeavors.

She can only hope death was quick to lay its merciful hands upon Byakuya’s soul.

And to be boiled alive, even.

A hand came up and over her heart, scrunching up the fabric of her sleepshirt, a new wave of misery banging at her brain as she thought of Teruteru. The Ultimate Cook. No, their Ultimate Chef. The least she could do was honor his wishes in her mind.

To be slathered in slimy batter and caked with breading was a mere inconvenience in comparison to being boiled - being cooked. The heat. The bubbling and popping of your skin as you quickly simmer.

It made her queasy just to think about.

All that pain, all that suffering - brought about by the hands of Nagito Komaeda. The sweet-faced, gentle-smiled boy of luck. The same boy she was planning on meeting in the dining hall.

Sighing through her nose, (Y/n) slowly rose from her bed before swinging her legs over the edge of her bed frame and pushing up to a complete stand. Her body felt like gelatin, mind in a foggy haze as she moved towards her closet, pulling off her makeshift pajamas and trading them in for cleaner versions of the clothes she already had on.

Exiting her cottage, (Y/n) was sure to lock her door before stowing the key away and heading towards the dining hall before anybody sent out a search party for her. The sand crunched under her shoes as she made her way to the dining hall, hopefully, the others had somehow forgotten about the entire night prior. If she could be the only one with the horrid memory of their friends’ deaths, she’d be happy.

Ultimate Peacekeeper and yet she couldn’t even keep two people alive.

Clenching her teeth, (Y/n) shook her head - if she thought like that then she’d be too busy throwing herself a pity party to focus on any of her peers. She reached out to open the dining hall door and stepped inside, and for a split second, her heart picked up at the thought of finding another body.

A corpse laid across the floor and Monokuma’s wretched voice bringing about another body discovery announcement.

Once again, she forcefully shook off her thoughts and pushed forward. Everyone was there. No, two people were missing.

Fuyuhiko, which was no surprise, seemed an avid supporter of being the “lone wolf” of their group. Nagito, on the other hand, was almost never by himself - despite his previous exclamations of being unworthy of a friend, he surely liked the company of the people on the island.

(Y/n) sidled herself up beside Hajime, giving the boy’s side profile a gentle, unnoticed smile - he looked exhausted, “How’re you feeling?”

“Hm,” Hajime flinched at the sudden noise, turning to lock eyes with the mediator, “I feel…” he looked down at his plate sadly, “fine.”

“Alright,” she pat his back, “if you need anything, I’m always available. It’s what I’m here for, Hajime.”

“Right,” the brunette nodded, he let his shoulders droop, defenses falling ever so slightly, “thanks, (Y/n).”

“Of course,” she nodded, looking around the dining hall once again and quirking a brow, “is it just me or… are there people missing?”

Before Hajime could answer her question, Monokuma appeared suddenly inside the cafeteria - frightening a few of the students. Hajime’s brows furrowed, “You can't just pop up out of nowhere like that!"

"Puhuhuhu, but I can!" what a high-pitched drawl, (Y/n) suddenly thought - she’d always been taught that villains have sickeningly deep voices and here Monokuma was, proving her entire life wrong, "I'm here to deliver the next motive!"

"A motive?" Hajime tilted his head in the midst of his confusion.

"It's not that I don't think you all love participating in my super fun killing game or anything..." Monokuma fidgeted, faking a new shy persona, "But, of course, I thought it would be even more fun to give you guys a motive!"

"Well, we've taken care of everything,” Kazuichi immediately rebuffed, “No one is going to kill anymore, no matter what your motive is!"

(Y/n) swung her head to look at the Ultimate Mechanic, “‘Taken care of’, what are you talking about?”

"Whatever you say!" the black-and-white bear waved off, clearly in disbelief of the boy’s words anyway, "If you're interested, there's an arcade machine in Jabberwock Park with a game on it that might have some cool info for you! And that’s as much as you’re getting from me, bye for now!"

"Ooh, fun!" Ibuki blurted out as Monokuma disappeared.

"Fun?” Hajime shook his head, irritation clear on his face, “No! Guys, we absolutely cannot play that game. This is Monokuma's attempt to trap us. Who knows? The game could be filled with lies to get us to kill each other!"

“Hajime’s right,” (Y/n) nodded, “If anyone plays that game, a murder is likely. I know it’ll be hard but we have to do our best to keep alive.”

Hajime could be a good leader. Strong, independent, commanding - a good man. He could be great. Then again, so was Byakuya.

Mahiru looked around and asked the question (Y/n) had before Monokuma arrived, "Wait, where's Nagito?"

Hiyoko giggled, covering her mouth with her hands as she did so, "He's probably too ashamed to show his ugly face around here.”

"No," (Y/n) interrupted, “I don’t think he’d be so self-conscious.”

"Don't worry about it,” Kazuichi waved off, locking his hands behind his head, “He isn't going to bother us anymore."

"What did you do?" (Y/n) pushed herself away from Hajime and toward the mechanic.

"Kazuichi, you probably shouldn't say stuff like that..." Nekomaru’s voice was strange - hasty, as if he was trying to hide something.

"Nekomaru, Kazuichi," (Y/n)’s brows furrowed as she looked between the boys, “Tell me, right now, what did you two do?”

"Well, we..." Kazuichi glanced at Nekomaru, "Took care of him this morning."

"You guys killed someone?" Mahiru exclaimed, face running pale.

"No! What the hell? Of course, not, we didn't do that!" Nekomaru shook his head as if he couldn’t fathom how his suspicious behavior could lead to that conclusion, "We found him on the way here and... tied him up. So he couldn't do anything drastic again! He's on the floor of the room we had the party in, he's- he'll be fine."

"So you guys - without telling anyone - kidnapped Nagito this morning and just left him tied up?" Hajime turned his head between the two, obviously done with the idiots, "Do you understand why that possibly wasn't the most fantastic idea?"

"What were we supposed to do, just let him run around acting like that?" Kazuichi asked, exasperated, "It's fine! He'll live, we just have to bring him food or something once in a while..."

"Now that we're in this mess, it will be difficult to pull us out," (Y/n) crossed her arms, thinking over the situation, “I’ll keep watch over him. I was going to do so anyway, but two people,” she glared directly at the boys of the hour, “decided to act without consulting the group,” as Mahiru prepared a plate, (Y/n) continued, “Just leave Nagito to me, I’ll be a babysitter for him - if anybody has an issue with him, please don’t act on your own until necessary. It could do more harm than good.”

Handing over the plate, Mahiru gave the peacekeeper a nervous smile, "Be careful, okay? Just run outta there if anything weird happens."

“Right,” (Y/n) nodded, taking the plate, “Kazuichi, Nekomaru,” the two hesitantly looked over to her - it felt horribly similar to facing a disappointed parent - she pursed her lips before giving a sympathetic grin, “I get where you two were coming from and I appreciate it, but don’t do something like this again. It’s dangerous.”

The two murmured out their agreements as (Y/n) left.

Crossing from the dining hall to the old building, (Y/n) flexed her fingers as she walked, gut knotting up inside her. Byakuya died there. Her friend, and to some extent, a role model. All because of the man she was going to be spending the rest of their stay at Jabberwock with. She had to. She needed to keep tabs over him if they wanted to avoid something like the party again.

Her hand stopped at the door handle, fingers resting against the cool metal.

She could just let him starve, it’s not like anybody would care. Nobody would check the old building anyway.

Shaking her head, (Y/n) pushed the door open - she’s supposed to be the Ultimate Peacekeeper and she was already dropping the ball with two deaths and a kidnapping. Letting Nagito starve was just a cruel and unusual punishment. An impulsive thought she'd never act on.

And so, putting one foot in front of the other, she continued down the hall Teruteru did. To find Nagito.

[azucanela]

1. FAKE DATING / ENGAGEMENT | TODOROKI SHOUTO

1K CELEBRATION MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: Dating his publicist out of pure practicality had been a pretty good bad idea, continuing to date his publicist because he was beginning to enjoy the perks of his —albeit fake— relationship was an ever better bad idea. Proposing to said publicist because he wanted to anger his father was just a bad idea in general, but hey, the look on Endeavor’s face was worth it.  

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

WARNINGS: kissing, enji todoroki deserves a warning, t

A/N: hehe shoto and a two for one

It had started out as something to piss off his father, if Shouto was honest. 

Shouto was now an upcoming Pro Hero that was rising through the charts, and Enji had been trying to mend his relationship with the rest of his family for a while now. This was something Fuyumi strongly supported seeing as she’d suggested hosting a weekly family dinner ever since Shouto was in his second year at UA. 

He hated those dinners if he was honest, but Shouto attended them out of courtesy for his sister. Natsuo wasn’t as polite as he could’ve been but Shouto found it entertaining to watch as he made several passive aggressive comments, much to Fuyumi’s dismay.

Shouto couldn’t help but feel the need to defy his father as well, in his own way. Which is why he brought along Y/N L/N, a young, quirkless, businesswoman he’d met during his second year at UA. She’d gotten into the the UA business course, and now served as a publicist on his team. Asking her to pretend to be his girlfriend was a rather... difficult task, but he managed to convince her fairly easily since they were close friends and she seemed to notice how much his father pestered him. Inviting her to one of these weekly dinners had probably been the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

That dinner had a lot of tension. 

As far as the Todoroki Family knew, Shouto had been dating Y/N for two years, and things were very serious between the two. Which is probably the reason why Enji felt the need to retaliate by beginning to invite other young Pro Heroes to the dinners, ones that seemed to have an interest in Shouto. Shortly after that, Y/N began to attend the weekly dinners more frequently, and Shouto had a feeling he was in too far when they kissed for the first time and he enjoyed it. 

Now, Shouto always had a feeling that Enji disliked Y/N, but he’d never outright expressed those feelings. Until now, that is.

“Excuse me?” 

Enji brought a hand to his temple as he inhaled deeply, “Shouto, you can’t tell me you intend to spend your life with your quirkless publicist.” 

Shouto scoffed at his words, eyes cold as he met Enji’s stare, “that’s what this is about? The fact that she’s quirkless? You can’t be serious.”

This was supposed to be a nice little family vacation, something Fuyumi had once again suggested. Shouto had brought along Y/N, feeling that he owed her some sort of enjoyable experience for putting her through the hell that was his family. It was a nice beach house, large enough that she could easily avoid his family while enjoying the perks of the it all. Not that Y/N needed to avoid his family, Natsuo and Fuyumi actually liked her quite a bit, Enji on the other hand? Well, this seemed to be Enji Todoroki’s version of an intervention.

“Shouto, you have potential-”

The room grows as cold as Shouto glares, “Y/N is one of the most impressive people I know, and if you think the fact that she’s quirkless discredits anything she’s done, then you haven’t changed at all.” He practically slams his glass onto the table beside him as he rises from his seat, heading towards the exit of the room. 

“This conversation isn’t over Shouto.”

No, it was done, very, very, very done. Because Shouto already had a plan. A very irrational, illogical, reckless plan that would likely prove to be a very big mistake.

Y/N on the other hand, had just gotten started on her daily routine. Stretching her arms above the bed she and Shouto had been forced to share in order to keep up the illusion that they were a couple. Though he’d already woken up it appeared, normally they’d both still be in bed, seeing as this was a vacation. Y/N didn’t mind sharing a bed with him if she was honest, in fact, Shouto was the perfect person to sleep beside because of his quirk. 

She didn’t mind any of this arrangement, and maybe that was a problem. 

The last thing Y/N had expected from Shouto was a request for a fake girlfriend, he’d explained how he though he should probably inform her of his plan seeing as she was his publicist. Y/N had been in shock as he continued to say he had a few people he was thinking about asking, only for Y/N to shut down the idea entirely. 

There were far too many variables, what if the person he selected exposed him for the false relationship later on in his career, what if they were bad at keeping secrets, what if they weren’t up for all the false acts of love, even worse what if they did fall in love with him?

Shouto saw the solution as having Y/N become his fake girlfriend.

And for some reason, Y/N found herself agreeing. Because she would never expose the fact that the relationship had been a lie the whole time, not when it was her job to preserve Shouto’s image. And she was perfectly okay with false displays of affection, she would surely never fall in love with Shouto Todoroki. He was her boss, and her close friend, developing feelings for him, or anyone else for that matter, just wasn’t in her cards.  

She kinda sorta failed. 

Now, Fuyumi would not stop giving her false hope, speaking of how she’d never seen Shouto so happy, how she was jealous of the way he looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention, the girl had even suggested that Shouto would propose soon.

If only she knew that this entire relationship was a petty lie, made to get back at the Pro Hero Endeavor for his not so subtle attempts at finding Shouto a partner that would likely create a... powerful grandchild to say the least. Y/N just so happened to be the most convenient person to anger the man, seeing as she was quirkless and all. 

Y/N was too busy glaring at the ceiling to hear the door unlock, lost in her thoughts, though she didn’t fail to hear the sound of the door slamming shut. Raising her brow, Y/N shifted in the bed to face the door to the room she and Shouto had claimed, which could be compared to a hotel suite. 

Shouto had moved straight to the dresser across from the bed, where his wallet, keys and a discarded tie from the dinner reservations they’d attended last night, were. Y/N propped herself up on her forearms in an attempt to get a better look at him as he grabbed his wallet and keys, shoving them into his pockets. “Shouto what are you doing?” 

He turned around almost instantly, and Y/N didn’t fail to notice the crease between his brows, though it disappeared almost instantly when he saw her. “Did I wake you?” Was his response, voice quiet as he watched her.

“You didn’t answer my question, Sho.” 

He’s silent for a moment, and Y/N wonders if he’s simply ignoring her question, though he moves closer to the bed, and Y/N watches as he takes a seat at the edge of it. “I’m going out.” 

“Can I come?” Y/N is sitting up, just for Shouto to grab her shoulder and gently push her back down.

There’s a small smile on his face as he shakes his head, “go back to bed.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, bringing her hand over his, “I happen to like hanging out with you.” She averts his gaze, which is now fixated on her, “also your family scares me.”

She can see him frown from the corner of her eyes, and Y/N is about to assure him that she’s joking, when his interlocks with his, removing them from her shoulder and laying them down in her lap as he practically examines them. The intimate action distracts her, though it’s become more frequent for Shouto to do things like this even when they are alone. Shouto’s hands are fidgeting with her own when he finally speaks, “do I scare you?” And he sounds almost scared of what her reply might be.

“No.” The answer comes without thought, and immediately after the question leaves his mouth, causing Shouto to look back up at her. “Never.”

Shouto’s eyes meet hers and Y/N can’t really decipher the look on his face, but that doesn’t really matter since his hands drop hers as he brings them to her face, only to pull her into a kiss. 

It was by no means the first time they’d kissed, but it was definitely different. The first kiss was practically oozing hesitation, gentleness, and it was purely because Enji hadn’t stopped glaring at Y/N the entire night she’d been at the dinner table. This was harsh, firm, as though he had something to prove. Y/N can feel the anger he was radiating when he entered the room, but the weirdest part of the kiss is how intimate it was. Because they’d never been in private when they kissed, everything was public, to portray the likeness of a real couple.

Y/N can’t help it when her hands find their way to Shouto’s arms, gripping them tightly as she kisses back with equal fervor. This only seems to encourage Shouto’s sudden action as he gently lays her back onto the bed, one hand slipping behind her to her back, pressing her body closer to his. Y/N’s hand begins to move up his arm and to the nape of his neck, threading into Shouto’s hair as she pulls him closer.

This was very different.

Shouto pulls away, head moving to her neck to press a kiss against it before exhaling deeply as they remained like that for a moment, before Shouto separated himself from her, “I’ll be back.”

Y/N is still laying in the bed in shock at what just happened, but when she hears the door close, she finds herself feeling tempted to scream into her pillow because what the hell just happened? There was no reason to be so... intimate in the privacy of their room, and Shouto seemed to be seething with anger when he initially entered. And there was only one thing that could’ve set Shouto off.

His father, they must’ve had a conversation already, but so early in the morning? Y/N hadn’t seen Shouto so angry since... ever.  Now, if Shouto was honest he didn’t know what possessed him to head to the jeweler he saw on their way to the beach, but here he was. Was Shouto prepared to propose purely because his father had insinuated that his —fake— relationship wouldn’t last? Yes. Did he potentially have actual feelings for Y/N? Shouto wasn’t sure. He’d never been in an actual relationship, but he’d also never felt this way.

It was horrifying. The way his heart seemed to pick up speed whenever she was around, the way his right side, the side that created ice, seemed to heat up. Or the odd flutter in his stomach whenever she smiled at him, the way he never wanted to let go once she wrapped her arms around him. 

Maybe proposing wasn’t the best idea, proposing without informing Y/N he intended to propose was probably an even worse idea, but Shouto wasn’t really thinking as he made his unlocked the door of the beach house. 

Looking back on it, he definitely should’ve told Y/N but the look on his father’s face, the pure astonishment‚ and maybe even disgust, was fantaastic Along with the claps and cheers from the strangers on the boardwalk, the support from his siblings, well it was worth it. Worth the anger that Y/N was now displaying, very clearly. She didn’t seem to mind earlier when he’d gotten down on one knee, in fact, she’d started crying, though Shouto supposed this was just another part of their act. God, he wished it wasn’t an act. 

“Shouto, what the hell was that?” 

She’d forced him to take a seat on the bed they’d spoken on earlier, and though Shouto probably should’ve been paying more attention to her words, his eyes had been glued to her hand, particularly her ring finger. “A proposal.”

“Yes! A proposal we did not discuss, at all, might I add.” Y/N ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at the roots as she inhaled deeply, “Shouto you don’t just, propose to someone out of nowehere—”

His brows furrow at this, “my understanding was that most proposals are spontaneous.”

Y/N groans, turning away from him momentarily in a last ditch attempt to collect herself. If Y/N was honest, she was finding herself getting more and more caught up in their lies, when he got down on one knee, she almost forgot that everything between them was fake.

Almost. 

“Yes, that’s true.” She mumbles, turning back to face him, “however, that’s for real couples. Every aspect of this relationship is planned because this isn’t a relationship, it’s more like— like a contract. And we agreed to have a fake break up within the next two months.” She vividly recalled the discussion, Shouto had randomly become distant, avoiding her calls despite the fact that it was her job to speak within him. When he’d finally approached her, he told her they needed to plan their break up soon.

The only part of this relationship that wasn’t planned or staged was probably that moment they had together earlier that day. 

Shouto isn’t saying anything, in fact, he looks rather deep in thought, and Y/N can’t help the frustration that bubbles up inside her as she stares at him, awaiting a response. “Shouto, are you even listening to me?”

His eyes flicker upwards, meeting hers. Y/N can see them soften, and the look on his face effectively halts her pacing. Shouto takes this as a chance to grab her hand, rubbing gentle circles onto it as he speaks, “I’m always listening to you.” He shuts his eyes temporarily, breathing deeply before looking back up at her, “what if I don’t want us to plan things anymore?”

Y/N finds herself feeling breathless as she replies, “what?” She clears her throat, “what do you mean, Shouto?”

“I don’t want to plan things.” He repeats, fingers toying with the ring she now dawned on her left hand, eyes fixated on the jewel that Y/N had a feeling was ridiculously expensive. “And I don’t want a contract.”

Confusion floods Y/N as she watches him, nothing he did today had made sense. That moment on the bed that he’d initiated, the proposal, this. Shouto just wasn’t making sense and Y/N was becoming desperate, desperate to understand what exactly he was trying to say. “Then what do you want?”

He’s silent for a moment, contemplating his next words, Shouto wonders if she feels the same way. But he’d once made a promise to her, to be honest and transparent throughout this entire arrangement they had, and Shouto kept his promises, especially if they were to her. 

So he replied, “you.” Looking up at Y/N, he could see the shock, the confusion on her face, “I want you.” He straightens in his seat on the bed, “for real.” 

He expects her to tear her hand from his, maybe rip the ring off her finger and throw it at him. Perhaps it’s dramatic, but he also expects her to ridicule him for desiring her, for wanting an actual relationship. It wouldn’t be in Y/N’s nature, he knows this, but maybe a brutal rejection would make it hurt less. 

Instead, Y/N nods slowly, allowing a shaky breath to escape her as she brings her hands to his face, “guess I’m marrying into quite the family.” She mumbles, before pressing her lips to his.

This is good. Yeah, this was good.

A/N: yeah idk kasdkashd this is unedited so oops if its bad

TAGLISTS[lmk if you want to be added or removed via asks or replies]

BNHA: @beifongsss​ @shawkneecaps​

[dalamjisung]

binge watch party ✿ park jinyoung

word count: 1753

genre: slice of life, fluff, actor!jinyoung

member: jinyoung x reader

description: after seven years these seven boys are finally ready to move on with the certainty that no matter what, where, how, or whom… they’ll always be together. Be it for red carpets, concerts, study sessions, or a simple binge watching party at your apartment.

“How was it?” You ask as soon as you see Jinyoung by the door, shrugging off his jacket and putting his shoes aside. “How was it, how was it, how was–“

“Oh my god,” He smiles, groaning in faked annoyance. “Let me sit down, will you?”

Grabbing him by the shoulders, you push him to the sofa, where you have spent the entire afternoon watching Netflix and waiting for him.

It’s been about a couple of weeks since his previous contract ended and, as much as Jinyoung loves you and needs rest, he also needs something to do. He is not the type of man who can simply chill around his apartment, idly fiddling his thumbs until something better comes up; no, that’s not who he is. Jinyoung needs a purpose, he needs a drive. It’s always been like that, and when he got home, that eventful afternoon, with a peaceful smile on his face and the other six members in tow, you all proceeded to celebrate– you congratulate them on what was, and what will be.

The future is bright for all of you, you remember saying in all your drunkness. This is just the prologue of a seven-chapter-book.

Jinyoung made fun of you for the whole week after that, but you know that deep down he’s happy; about his freedom, about his new endeavors, and about having you supporting him even though he’s barely spent any time with you after years of not spending time with you. You tell him it’s okay, though; too much time and you might end up getting tired of him. He knows it’s a joke, but pout anyways.

“So?” You squirm in front of him, wrapping the blanket tighter around your shivering body. He chuckles, and pulls you on top of him, laying down on the couch and squeezing you near. “Jinyoung!”

Your whine makes him smile even wider.

“What?” He groans, nuzzling into you. “It was okay. We talked, I thanked them for the opportunity to work with them, they kissed my ass; I signed a contract, they kissed my ass a bit more, and I left.”

Wiggling free of his grasp and the confines of the blanket, you prop yourself up on one elbow, looking down at a, clearly, very excited Jinyoung. His words can’t fool you; you know he’s squeaking in the inside.

“Oh my– it’s done? You signed with them?” He nods, hair falling over the crinkles in the corner of his eyes. “You are officially under their actor contract?”

“Oh yeah,” He whispers, pulling you down and covering your mouth with his. “Get ready, Y/N. Now it’s not just ahgase, you have to share me with; all the ahjummas will want me, too.”

“As if they don’t want you as it is,” You snort, chuckling at the memory of your cousin’s wedding. “Remember Auntie Kim?”

Jinyoung groans at the mention of the woman that followed him around the whole event. “Don’t remind me of that… I’m sure she’s around here, lurking around, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.”

You giggle. “She was enamored, babe,” You joke. “Give her a chance. Could be true love.”

“It was definitely not true love,” He laughs, locking eyes with you. “I know true love.”

“Really?” You gasp. “Can you tell me what it’s like?”

With a serious face, Jinyoung simply unwraps his arms from around you, and in between pulling the blanket on top of him and rolling to face the other way, he ends up pushing you to the ground, the loud thud making him burst out in laughter.

“Damn, Bambam was right,” You wince, hand rubbing your ass. “Your hips really are big.”

“Yah!” He whines, covering his face with the fluffy blanket he stole from you. “Shut up, we agreed we’d never talk about this again.”

“Nope,” You pop your lips close to his ear, pulling the cover from his face and returning to lay cuddled to him. “You said you never wanted to talk about it again; I just laughed.”

His grumbling dies down in your ear as his eyes finally focus on the huge screen behind you, where his face is big and in HD.

“Are you– Is that me?” He laughs, pointing at the TV, where you barely remembered to have paused the first episode of He is Psychometric. The school uniform contrasting with the man in from of you, and you can barely believe Jinyoung actually managed to pull off a high school student part in a drama. “I had a lot of fun filming that show…”

You can practically hear the longing in his voice, the nostalgia, and you feel a warm sensation spreading through your body as he eyes sparkle with the excitement that never really died down, even after the show ended, even after he moved on to the next. It never leaves– it just accumulates.

“I think,” You hum, hands finding solace in his chest, and then, sneakily, shoving your cold palms under the hem and into his warm skin. Jinyoung yelps, but doesn’t push you away– never pushes you away. “I think this afternoon calls for a binge watch party.”

“Sure,” He shrugs. “What do you wanna watch?”

“All of my favorite actor’s shows,” You wiggle your brows and before he can even try and grab the remote away, you stretch your arms out of reach, already typing his name on the search handle. “Park Jinyoung.”

“Y/N, love… come on,” He pulls your closer, hiding his face on your hair, but you still feel his smile. You know this is not truly bothering him, or else you’d never even suggest it. “No…”

“Oh yes,” You kiss the tip of his nose. “And we’re doing this chronologically, so you can observe how much you’ve progressed and how much you deserve this opportunity, my love.”

“Wait,” Now he is shocked. “No. No no no, that means–“

“You know it!” You interrupt him, clicking play just as he shouts in your ear, embarrassed. “Dream High 2, baby!”

“Y/N, baby, listen to me,” He begs, mouth over your ear and you can’t help the shiver that runs over your body. Jinyoung uses that to his advantage, very well aware of his effect on you. “You don’t want that, huh? How about we forget this and just go… celebrate?”

A kiss to your neck; a touch to your waits; and hands traveling lower and lower and– you grab his wrist before Jinyoung can venture further and complete his mission, choosing to watch the opening credits instead.

No matter how much Jinyoung huffs and puffs, you hear him whispering the lines behind you; you feel him silently laughing as his chest pushes against your back. You know your boyfriend is having the time of his life relishing on the beginning of his career, both as an actor and as an idol, and you can’t wait– you can’t wait to see what the future will bring, and the many afternoons to come where you see it all over again, knowing that no matter the characters, no matter the plots… there is just one Park Jinyoung, and he belongs to you, just as you belong to him.

You two reach episode five before the doorbell rings. And then rings again. And again and again and again and it actually takes both of you around the tenth ring to actually move.

“Coming!” You shout, knowing exactly who is on the other side. There are only six men that would feel this comfortable with invading Jinyoung’s well preserved privacy, and after a couple of day without them, you already missed their chaotic energy. “Come in, you rascals.”

“Y/N!” Yugyeom embraces you before running inside. It takes a while for you to notice, but they are all wearing comfortable clothing, almost like this had been planned. “Missed you.”

“Jinyoung texted you guys, didn’t he?” You ask Jaebeom as he comes inside, smiling widely at you.

“Of course,” He rolls his eyes, walking besides you to living room. “Something about Dream High 2 and a binge watch party?”

“Oh yes,” You nod, looking at your boyfriend, who know sheepishly looks at yours if he’s a child who’s been caught stealing cookies. “A party indeed.”

Jumping on top of Jinyoung, you two cuddle close on your side of the couch, allowing Jackson enough space to poke you two with his feet every time young Jinyoung popped up on the screen. Yugyeom and Bambam sit on the ground by your feet, and they cringe every time they see themselves, hands squeezing your feet enough to earn angry flicks from the man squeezing you to himself. Jaebeom and Mark focus more on the food then on the show, but you still see them wincing at their old selves; and it’s quite funny, if you have to admit. It’s hilarious to see their faces contort in embarrassment, although their eyes tell another story– their eyes shine with pride and recognition.

Pride for all they did, all they became. Recognition of how much they achieved, how far they came. And now, after seven years these seven boys are finally ready to move on with the certainty that no matter what, where, how, or whom… they’ll always be together. Be it for red carpets, concerts, study sessions, or a simple binge watching party at your apartment.

“What are you thinking, Y/N?” Jinyoung whispers in your ear, lips finding your cheek right after. “Hm?”

“Just… how big your hips are.”

“They really are, aren’t they, Y/N?” Bambam gasps, turning around to look at both of you, and if you turn around, you know exactly what face Jinyoung will have– tongue poking his cheek in annoyance, eyes closed, and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

“They really are, Bam,” You giggle, turning around and pecking your boyfriend’s lips. “But they are perfect nonetheless.”

“You only say that because you have pretty big hips too, Y/N,” Yugyeom says while chewing on some popcorn and you practically choke on your spit.

“Excuse me?!” You screech, body leaping forward, but before you can get your hands on Yugyeom’s, Jinyoung pulls your back to him.

“Shhh,” He whispers in your ear, voice carrying all the laughter he makes an effort to suppress. He kisses your hair, quieting your indignation towards the youngest’s statement. “Just accept it. Just accept it, love.”

“Wha–“

“Your hips are big,” Jinyoung’s eyes shine with mischief. “But they are perfect nonetheless.”

————————————— 

I have to say, I’m really loving this series, each and everyone of them, but every time I write the new one I like them more ;) What do you think of this one, my lovelies? Jinyoung is so cute! If you liked this story, please please please share, comment, like, or anything you feel comfortable doing ❤️ thank you for your endless support, lovelies💕

[washymylifeaway]

Haikyuu SakuAtsu fanfic recs: series edition ;)

ALRIGHT LOVES, BUCKLE UP! IM FORCING MYSELF TO FIND MOTIVATION LOL

As I was making that cursed SakuAtsu fanfic rec post (it really is cursed, but it’ll get done eventually cause I do love the SakuAtsu too much, when tho? only god know LOL), I decided that if I’m gonna finish it, imma have to break it up. SO that’s why this is our lovely series edition post LOL. Originally, it WAS writers, tags, series, then single fics BUT I decided to scrap tags and even then I was like it’s too long..... And so, this post materialized LOL (mayhaps writers next? who knows anymore cause I certainly don’t LOL). These are ONLY some of the series that I absolutely adore, and I say some because 1) the tag is literally like 4k fics long and I was on like page 20 something and I have SO many tabs open rn for SakuAtsu, so chances are I missed one or five LOL :’((((( and 2) my ao3 account hasn’t been made yet (should’ve done this a looooooong time ago) and so I don’t have them all saved anywhere :( (these just sound like excuses LMFAO) So these are just the ones I saw and was like OOP I LOVE and then added LOL (and so they’re in no particular order hehe). I also didn’t *** any of them cause they’re all so freakin good and even if you randomly chose one, you will not be disappointed.

As per usual, pls check WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES for series and each individual fic before reading and make sure you’re taking care of yourselves (since mental health is key!) Stay healthy loves <3

I would also be more careful cause there are a lot more TW in these fics than other ships!

Terminal Curiosity by favspacetwink, moonlumie (E) // CHECK WARINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES!!! this is one of the BEST series I’ve read for this ship and even though I tend not to read WIP, IT’S WORTH IT! Please read ALL the tags before going into any of the fics in this series because there’s some real spicy stuff that may not be your cup of tea!

your highs and lows by astroeulogy (T,M,E) // this fic made me go on a roller coaster of feels from start to (tentative) finish :))) It’s great and I love it AHHHHH The progression in their relationship is just so ajfkjsf, and I just adore how Atsumu just broke(?) during that first fic and the number of double takes he did, v relatable LOL.

Different Kinds of Dysfunctional by DeathBelle (T,E) // I LOVE the entrance to this fic and how it flowed so well. I think Atsumu is characterized really well throughout this series (I could totally see Atsumu bringing the same thing up over and over again LOL), and his development was done beautifully (You just want to make me say it.,,, Kinda, yeah.). I really freakin love this series so please go ahead and read it don’t be shy hehehe.

we call everything on the ice, "love" by awkwardedgeworth (T) // I LOVE this fic omg,,, it’s in series, but it’s only two fics LOL... Anyway, Notte Stellata is one of my favorite SakuAtsu fics and I have reread it way TOO many times and the fanpage fic IS SO AMAZING (AND FUNNY ASF PLS). I really love ice skating AU’s too so this really made this ‘series’ all the more better <333333

know you better & related stories by theglitterati (T,M,E) // this is definitely one of the best relationship development series I’ve read, I love it so much! It really touches all the bases, and the progression is just SO good. It really is the fic version of the get along shirt, extended edition LOL.

flutterbird (a collection of sakuatsu one-shots) by wordstruck (T,M,E) // this series is such an easy pick up because it’s a bunch of one-shots (esp. if you’re not into smut cause there is some), BUT all of them are def worth a read. Personally, the third one, the sakusa kiyoomi listography, is my favorite (cause imma sucker for Sakusa), but that’s just personal preference hehe :)

Atsumu + Sakusa + The National = ? by isaksara (syailendra) (T,M) // this is another stand alone fic series but with AUs :D I don’t even know like most (ie. all) of the references (LMFAO), but I still read all of them LOL. Again, a personal favorite (without any references LOL) is the second one, famous angels (never come through england), it’s really funny and good and I just love it okay?

Better For Us Both by abrandnewheart (M) // (this was CP from my angst fic rec post LOL tho it is slightly edited cause istg my writing style changes every post LOL) THE MUG FIC. There is a sequel and when I saw it, it took me another week to read it cause I was like,,, am I ready to have my heart break again? No LOL. But the sequel is actually not as angst (but there’s still angst), so if you want to be like semi-broken or whatever, just read the sequel LOL (also it’s Sakusa POV HEHE). It’s so sad and it made me physically hurt every time someone even mentioned mugs afterwards (LOL why am I so dramatic but it’s the truth :///). Go ahead and hurt with me. You should read it even if you don’t like angst because you know what they say, no pain no gain :’)

parallax error: angle of inclination by min_mintobe (T) // okay so technically this ‘isn’t a series’, but it is two fic that are related, and what is that if not A SERIES :DDDDD Anyway, I really love this fic enough that I would find loopholes in my own dang post to recommend it LOL. I really love the service ace bet between Sakusa and Atsumu (I do think it is a superior headcannon (it’s hc right?)) but I also love what’s left unsaid by both in each other’s POVs hehe. If you want to go straight to Sakusa’s POV (cause their different POVs of the same fic), here it is parallax error: line of sight. You can read either first, but I recommend you read both eventually :)

to make any other mistake by honeymilktea (rosevtea) (T) // I, myself, am a very big fan of college Haikyuu (tho idk if it seems like that LOL), and this fic is very much up my alley hehe. I really like the idea that they are both TA’s and that Atsumu would totally bribe Sakusa into fake dating him as well as Sakusa wearing his brightest outfits to spite Atsumu.

How Do You Know? by awkwardedgeworth (T) // these fics are both so funny omg. The google search histories, the trial and error, and just everything in these two fics gives me so much dopamine LOL. There’s one POV for both end of the ship, though their tragedies are slightly different.

the human disaster chronicles by firtree (G,T) // is this another Atsumu gay panic fic? Yes, yes it is and I have absolutely no shame in recommending it hehe. I realllllllly like this fic and Atsumu having a break down cause Sakusa didn’t follow his routine? It is the move. Anyway, pls read this series cause like the title suggests, it really is a disaster (but at least there’s love right? LOL).

I Love You (Though it's Inadvisable) by Anubis_2701 (T) // okay the series itself is a wip (as in only one fic for now LOL), but the fic is so good, I couldn’t leave it off :))))) First, I do love a good soulmate AU and although I’m not a big fan on the body switching AUs, THIS one was SO good!!! It gets really cheesy and fluff at the end, but the beginning of this fic was just so immaculate, that we’re gonna ignore how much the ending made me want to stick my head into a hole (cause it was so FLUFF OMG).

The Germaphobe and the Asshole by metaandpotatoes (T,E) // so this series is also actually a WIP, but it’s okay I only read the first and the last one anyway cause they’re basically stand alone’s LOL. This series focuses a lot on Sakusa’s mysophobia, so if you’re not a fan of the hc, you should prolly pass hehe. TBH, my favorite is the third one, Avoidance Behavior, but that’s mainly cause I really like SunaOsa and I love the brother bond in it!

you are the cause of my euphoria by SugarHighs (T) // ajsfljksadhjkdfk is my first thoughts while reading this series cause ATSUMU WOULD. He would start posting thirst trap pics (which really reminded me of Wonho) in order to prove he was the most good looking member of MSBY. Tho, we do love the clowning of one Sakusa Kiyoomi, as done in the third fic (PLEASE NUMBER 17 AND Cheezel). Even if you can’t get yourself to read the other fics, read the third one, 5 Ways To Tell If The Person You're Dating Is The One, for the free serotonin boost plsplspls.

'basis' - noun. the underlying foundation for an idea or process. by auvelli (T) // like I said, college AU is a great AU, love it. This one, I do love indeed. We do stan having microwaves and mini fridges hehe. I support the ramen endeavors but oatmeal is gross, I said what I said. Anyway, I love the tags in the second fic, so even if you don’t end up reading it, read the tags,,,, they’re funny okay?

and i press you to the pages of my heart by volchitsae (T) // I LOVE THIS ONE, teehee again the college AU makes another appearance LOL. I REALLY love this writer, and this one is so funny but cute at the same time. It’s another two POV fic, but you’ll want to read this one in order hehe. Again, the ending is so FLUFF, that my head wanted to take a visit to the underground BUT ITS OKAY.

affection and acid reflux by volchitsae (T) // so the first fic is ~angst~ but IT GETS BETTER OKAY, happy endings. HAPPY ENDINGS. Anyway, there’s some really cute Sakusa in this one (esp. when he talks to the boy at the village LOVE HIM) and a healthy amount of angst as well. I really like this fic and guess what it is? Say it with me, COLLEGE AU LOL.

how big the hourglass, how deep the sand by volchitsae (E) // did I just recommend the same writer three times in a row? Yup and I think that says something LOL (tbh I like some of their stand alone fics more tho LMFAO but that doesn’t mean these series are bad nononono not at ALL (this sounded sarcastic but that was not the intention LOL)). This one is ~magical~ (v literally) and has some kinky stuff (holy water ftw) in it, so tread carefully :) I would make sure to read the tags before each one because it gets kinda steamy LOL.

^^ if I had to choose between these three, I liked and i press you to the pages of my heart the most just cause the plot was my type LOL. But they’re all good hehe.

a study on you(th) and reverie by sieges (G,T) // this series is such a sad series :( The first two are the only SakuAtsu but the third one is an angst Osamu one so there’s that LOL (and ofc the fourth one is KuniYama (is that their ship name idk)) But the first one is a moving on fic (which I liked) and the second is like basically a fake break up (which I liked more LOL) and both have some nice shares of angst and fluff so choose your battles wisely (or just read both LOL).

Burden of Blame by DeathBelle (E) // CHECK WARINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES!!! ah yes, the mafia fic LOL. I REALLY LOVE THIS FIC. I felt so bad for Atsumu the entire fic and yes it is, ATSUMU BEST BOY time. Did I really just recommend this series AGAIN for the THIRD TIME in THREE SEPARATE POSTS? Apparently LMFAO I didn’t even know TBH LOL. I just really like this one,,,,,, okay? But pls Atsumu just here for the ride man cause he BEST BOY. Anyway, if you want to see my other comments of this fic that I forgot I did links here :D (links and here are two separate links to two separate posts LOL).

OKAY so that’s most of the series that I saw and was like gotta put this here LOL. And do you see how long this is (I know I’m missing so many series I like istg when I find them later imma cry or just make another post LOL).... Can you imagine how long my actual fic fic one is LOL (i’m not kidding tho it’s so long I might just do fics with their actual summaries instead of adding my invalid, piss poor reviews :/). Ugh the more I think about it, the more I lose motivation to finish LMFAO, so imma go be no thoughts head empty, but I hope you enjoyed reading these series! I love SakuAtsu SO much, so there’s lots more to come (is that good or bad idek). I know I was kinda lazy on the warnings (my bad), so I hope you all were attentive and made sure to check before reading! Also if there are any errors, send me a message/ask! PLS, they’re v embarrassing LOL. (Also tell me if I forget to cap my I’s bc I do that sometimes and I can’t tell cause of the font LMFAO.) The way my posts get slightly more chaotic every time I post LOL.

[tainted-wine]

I don't know if u recieved this question before? But what make u like Hawks?

Wooooo where do I start?

What sucked me in right away is how charming he is the moment he appears. First of all, it was a big surprise seeing that this was the guy behind Japan’s top 2 bara men.

Look at ‘im! Tiny little bird boy!

And he’s just so expressive. And that’s not to say other characters aren’t, but dayum, what a first impression! 

Look at how animated he is!

Each and every movement was securing Hawks’s grip on my heart. This all happens during his introductory chapter!

Warning: Spoilers and me just rambling without any direction.

And then there’s his personality. Now, we all thought he was a bit of a douche when he first appeared. So did I...and I loved it! Watching him speak with no filter on stage was golden. Still love that diss on Endeavor.

Endeavor is lucky that he doesn’t burn easily or else that comment would have left him writhing in pain. 

Also while we’re here I wanna talk about a small anime change that always bothered me. The scene where he and flame daddy are out on a stroll.

This scene was meant to show just how amazing Hawks’s quirk is and how efficient he is at his job, chatting with Endeavor while handling problems left and right. I don’t think the anime captures the chaos around them well. Watch that scene and compare it to the manga panels.

There are feathers constantly leaving his wings and flying around. He’s talking to a fan while helping a granny far away from him. It’s clear that everything is happening at once, yet he remains calm and handles it all like a pro.

In the anime, they cut from one incident to another. It still gets the point across, but it feels a lot slower. Even when he was giving autographs, they left out the girls and kids feeling up his wings. When I first read this, I was overwhelmed, but I didn’t get that feeling in the anime! I was just really excited to see how wild that part would look animated, so it was a bit of a downer.

Where was I going before this? Right. So everything this bastard does raises himself on my Thirst Meter. Like, it low-key bothers me that he eats with his gloves on please take them off they’ll get greasy. But his gloved hands are hot so I ain’t mad. Hori’s art is hand porn.

And then Hawks shows off how he’s a legendary-rank support character. Rescuing everyone caught in the middle of the High-End fight, picking up falling debris, and also being a feather swordsman fuck I can’t handle this.

Also lol.

He proceeds to show us more of his deceptive skills by faking us out. Like that part when Dabi comes in and Hawks is like “oh no, poor little me only has my tiny feathers left. Whatever shall I do?”

But then we see that the sly bastard had a big feather at the ready. If Mirko didn’t come hopping in, he was ready to stab a bitch.

Dabi is a Fire/Dark type, so False Surrender wouldn’t have done much damage anyway.

But wait a minute....ahhh shiiiit Hawks is with Dabi! He was a bad guy all along! 

lol jk he’s a hero that’s pretending to be a hero who hates heroes and sides with villains thus making him a villain himself.

I LOVE IT.

Many fans call Hawks a morally grey character. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think so. I think he’s very much a good guy. He’s compassionate to the point where he sympathizes with everyone, villains included. He doesn’t like doing shit to appease the villains. He was so broken up about Endeavor’s injuries that his stubble fell off for a panel. AND THOSE LOOK LIKE TEAR STAINS, MY DUDES.

But he also doesn’t like seriously harming the villains. I never get tired of that somber expression when he realizes Twice isn’t gonna back down.

Some say that the speck in that panel might be a teardrop but it’s hard to know for sure.

Anyway I’m not here to talk meta cause I suck at that. I love Hawks because he’s a cheeky handsome good-hearted bastard who happens to be part bird and I love birds and I hope Tokoyami gives his wounded and possibly wingless ass a hug.

And a big thanks to @every-keigo for making panel-searching for Hawks super easy.

[bonjour-rainycity]

Odin’s Ward ~ Chapter 5

Link to previous part: https://bonjour-rainycity.tumblr.com/post/630063393754284032/odins-ward-chapter-4

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word count: 2240

Warnings: None

Y/n: 18 // Loki: 20 // Thor: 24

Y/n’s POV

Jovial music fills the air, encouraging the plethora of people in attendance to dance. Since I came of age weeks ago, I am eligible to join in the festivities. Today is Thor’s birthday, and Asgard has spared no expense. Food and drink line every available surface, people don lavish dress, and the hall boasts various shades of red and gold. The King and Queen sit at the high table, eyes sparkling in humor.

Thor’s booming voice cuts through the music, and all sound ceases immediately. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining me here tonight.” He stumbles a bit, clearly under the influence of alcohol. “I—I….” He purses his lips, trying to gather what he wishes to say. His friends begin to chuckle, but everyone else knows better than to laugh at the Crown Prince. “I am so happy that this party is happening.” He licks his lips and leans on the nearest person for support. “I love you all, and I know you all love me.” A cheer goes up at that, and I can’t help but join in. Thor is behaving utterly ridiculously, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself. “Thank you for being here, and enjoy the festivities. Music!” At his command, the music begins once again, filled with a vigor it didn’t quite have before.

“Lady Y/n! What a delight it is to finally have your luminous presence at one of Asgard’s little gatherings.” Fandral saunters up to me with a sultry smile. “Might I be so bold as to beg a dance?” He offers me his hand.

“A dance is fine,” I respond. “But I will not be joining you in your bed this evening.”

His eyebrows shoot up and he freezes. Then, he bursts into laughter. “How charmingly direct. I shall endeavor to change your mind.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

“And I shall endeavor to watch you fail.” I keep a smile on my face so he knows I’m still his friend, then take his arm and allow him to escort me to the center of the floor.

Asgardian dances are more complicated than the ones I saw on Alfheim when I was younger, but I have had nearly a year of practice during my lessons with Queen Frigga and her ladies. Fandral keeps me occupied for the next two dances, twirling me around and stepping on my toes due to his level of intoxication. Still, I laugh along with him, enthused to finally be allowed to attend the festivities.

When the second dance is done, Fandral bows to me and I curtsy in response.

“Lady Y/n, thank you for your company. Perhaps I shall encounter you later this evening?” He waggles his eyebrows in time with his words.

A laugh barks past my lips. “You wish!”

He chortles good-naturedly and takes his leave, already looking for the next person upon whom to bestow his ‘charms’. A man with light blonde hair shyly asks me to dance, and I accept. He’s nice enough, but too quiet to hold my attention.

Three dances in a row is a little tiring, so I curtsy to the man and excuse myself, going off in search of a drink. I find one of the many stations to the side of the room and pour myself a glass of water. Before I can take a sip, a series of hard claps on my back causes me to tumble forward, effectively spilling water all over the table.

“Hey!” I whip around to yell at whatever idiot caused the incident.

I’m met with the chest of a grinning Prince Thor. “Lady Y/n! I’m so glad you could make it. Are you having a good time?”

Knowing now that he didn’t mean to cause me to spill my drink and that he’s just too strong—and drunk—for his own good, I let it go. “I am! Happy birthday, Your Highness.”

A radiant smile lights his face. “Why thank you! Allow me to fix you a drink.”

I’ve never had alcohol before, but now is as good a time as any to try some, so I nod eagerly. Thor grabs a cup about the size of my face and fills it with a mixture of sharp-smelling liquids.

“My creation is complete!” Cheers erupt from the ten or so people around us, and I can’t help but laugh at Thor’s exuberance. “Drink up, Lady Y/n.”

Shrugging, I bring the goblet to my lips and confidently take a gulp.

The sting has me doubles over and coughing before I can even properly swallow. Thor laughs heartily and takes the goblet, patting me on the back until I can stand up straight.

“A valiant effort, Lady Y/n,” he decrees, and the people respond with enthusiastic claps.

A smooth voice comes from behind my left shoulder. “Brother. Do you think it wise to begin Lady Y/n’s evening with one of your more…powerful concoctions?”

“Ah, Loki!” Thor claps him on the back and even Loki sags a bit under the weight. “My well-meaning brother. It would be so sad to let this drink go to waste. Besides, Lady Y/n handled it well, didn’t you, Lady Y/n?”

“Oh, yeah,” I respond with manufactured enthusiasm, my eyes still watering from the sheer force of the drink.

Loki sees through my facade and eyes me warily. “Very well. I shall not let it go to waste.” He deftly plucks the goblet from Thor’s hand, presents it to him with an exaggerated bow, stands up straight, and downs the entire cup without taking a breath. The group surrounding us reacts wildly: jumping up and down, cheering, tripping over each other. Loki maintains his composure and proudly presents the empty cup. He doesn’t so much as grimace. I stare at him in disbelief, and he offers me a smug grin. “All in due time, Lady Y/n, shall you be as strong as I. Now, brother,” Loki turns to Thor, “I wish you the happiest of birthdays. Would you now permit me to steal Lady Y/n from your presence?”

Thor guffaws and begins making himself a drink, nodding absently.

Loki offers me his arm and we walk in tandem to the opposite edge of the room. I frown, realizing something. “I never did get my water.”

With a flourish of his hand, Loki conjures a goblet from thin air and hands it to me.

I drink gratefully. “Thank you. I must say, your ability to down that entire drink was impressive! I could have done it myself with a bit more practice.”

The gleam in his eyes tells me he very much doubts that, but retains enough politeness to refrain from saying so. “I’m sure.”

I take a sip of my drink and lean casually against the stone pillar behind me. “Too bad you didn’t actually drink Thor’s concoction.”

Loki blinks. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

I give him a long look from over the side of my shoulder. “So you’re saying it’s not stored away in whichever secret dimension you favor?”

His lips twitch as he fights a smile. “My dear friend, it is rude to question a prince of Asgard.”

“Is that a threat?”

He’s fully grinning now. “Perhaps.”

“Mm,” I respond, not taking my eyes from his. “I will keep that in mind in the future. Perhaps until then, however, you could humor me with the truth, just this once.”

What follows is quite a lengthy staring competition. Feeling my eyes begin to burn, I make a face that causes him to break with a laugh.

“Alright,” he concedes. “You have me.” With a sigh and a playful roll of his eyes, he procures the drink he pretended to consume earlier.

“Ha! I knew it!” I point a finger at him, solidifying my victory. “You liar.”

He grins. “Trickster god, you mean to say.” He takes my outstretched hand in his. “Since you have found me out, I do believe I must occupy the rest of your evening. I’m afraid I cannot allow you to be left alone to spread word of my deceit.”

“No.” I try to bite back my smile and fail. “I’m sure you can’t.”

“Then may I have this dance?”

I shrug, pretending not to care. “Only because you’re the Prince of Asgard and you’re so important.”

With a roll of his eyes and a noise of playful exasperation, he leads me to the center of the room. The music starts and he draws me only as close as propriety allows. We sway and spin in time with the music. He’s far too graceful for my liking, so I try to trip him about halfway through.

“Why you—” He cuts off with a laugh as I spin away. He chases after me, but each time I deftly avoid his grip. We weave in and out of the other dancers. Some laugh, some grimace, but no one interferes with our game.

With a quick glance back, I see Loki just behind me. Intending to speed up to evade capture, I instead crash into an innocent bystander.

“Oh wow, I am so sorry, I—Loki!”

He laughs with abandon, throwing his head back and circling his arms around my upper body. “Silly girl, thinking you can escape me.” Still laughing, he pulls me once again to the side of the room.

“How-how did you do that?!” My voice is made higher with surprise.

He leans in conspiratorially. “I have learned to create doubles using my magic. There’s still a lot to perfect, but I feel as if I could one day be quite skilled.”

“Yes,” I laugh along. “And then you can continue to catch unsuspecting women who are just trying to enjoy a simple dance.” I do my best to put on an innocent air but can’t quite manage it.

“Mm, that will surely be the case.” He rolls his eyes yet again. I’m certain it is one of his most practiced skills. I tell him so.

“Well,” he responds with a fake huff, “I wouldn’t have to get so much practice if I didn’t have such an exasperating woman in my life.”

I shrug. “Not my fault it worked out like this. You should have better social skills, maybe then you could score better friends.”

He chuckles wryly. “Perhaps. In the meantime, however, I will just have to learn to cope.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Poor you.”

We stand in comfortable silence for a moment, taking in the scenes around us. Out of nowhere, Loki grabs my waist and turns me so that I can see the far right side of the hall. “Y/n, look!” His voice is equivalent to that of a child discovering a wonderful gift has been left for him.

I immediately see why.

Thor, who is quite drunk at this point, is making a fool of himself trying to catch a woman’s attention.

“It seems as though my brother is trying to convince that poor maiden to accompany him to his bed.” It doesn’t escape my notice that Loki’s hands have not left my hips. I swallow and do not mention it.

I don’t intend to be so quiet when I speak, but I can’t force any more volume behind it for fear that my voice will begin to shake. “She won’t refuse him. Most women here tonight are trying to earn his affections. Haven’t you noticed? They’re doing the same to you.”

He scoffs. “No, they’re not.”

“Yes,” I counter, a little too forcefully. I demure. “It would be quite advantageous to gain the attention of one of the princes.”

Loki grins. “How jealous they must be of you.”

“What can I say?” I put on a haughty air, feeling much more comfortable in the realm of humor than intensity. “I’m just that important.”

We chuckle at our shared joke and return our attention to the spectacle.

Thor has now succeeded in getting the woman to take his arm. Two seconds later, however, he trips over his own two feet and takes quite a stumble. Loki laughs so hard he has to lean against the pillar for support. This causes him to take his hands from my hips, and I suddenly feel cold.

The unnamed woman kindly helps Thor from the ground and tries to tug him out of the ballroom. A light that I am quite familiar with enters Loki’s eyes.

“Loki, no—” before I can stop him, Loki conjures up an extra pillar in front of Thor’s face, causing him to smack straight into it and go crashing to the ground. Loki practically explodes in laughter. Thor begins to suspect something is amiss and whips his head wildly around the room in search of his scheming brother.

“Ope!” Loki quickly grabs me and sprints to the dance floor, burying us in the array of couples. Nearly breathless with laughter, we take turns twirling around so we can see Thor’s progress with the woman. Tired of all the antics, she leaves Thor standing by himself with a frustrated look on his face.

“You are bad,” I scold, turning back to my favorite prince. I’m sputtering too hard to put any real reproach behind my voice.

Loki just winks and twirls me once more.

A/n Let me know what you thought and if you would like to be added to the tag list :)

Masterlist

Link to next part: https://bonjour-rainycity.tumblr.com/post/631916582484017152/odins-ward-chapter-6

Tag list: @80strashbag @dark-night-sky-99

[sparkexplosive]

Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] ; 05

Precious Chapters in Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] SERIES

Warning: Name calling, rumors  Word Count: 2,235

You knew coming back to school will be tough, but it’s tougher than you thought. Everyone is isolating themselves from being related to you. You wouldn’t blame them, but you were a bit angry because of how people easily believe false rumors. The rumors are getting out of hand or even being dramatized. 

You had to watch your step and be on the lookout because you became disgraced in front of everyone’s eyes. People tried to make yourself look like a fool such as taking apart your desk and chair screws to attempt on tripping you. You were getting sick of it. You knew you couldn’t go eat your lunch in the inventory room, as usual, you would do or sit with your ex tables with his friends. You took a seat in the corner away from everyone. 

Misaka was using her pass on skipping couple periods to get ordered materials that needed to be picked up from the shop. She is working on her project for the invention event. You ate quickly using your school’s tablet to pull up the roster of all students in the hero course matching up with students from the support department. You scroll down for your name to have your eyes land next to the name, Midoriya Izuku. 

You took a deep breath and gulped down your saliva before you double-tap to highlight his name and press the button to delete. Now it’s official that he is free for any other students to take him if they like to and ask for his permission. You blow out from your mouth and scrolled up to the top to see the available names to be quite surprised to see one of the top 3 heroes in training from Class A-3 was available. 

Bakugou Katsuki. 

You have worked with him before and already know his measures. An idea suddenly appearing on your mind could be the invention you could do for his costume. Perhaps an upgrade from his current costume to changing some parts of his costume. As you open the drawing application to start sketching away on what his upgraded costume could look like and writing down some details would have to explain to him.

You had to present something to him to show what you could do. Perhaps other students brought ideas that he didn’t like which concludes blunt rejection from his part. He is a very blunt person who doesn’t sugar-code anything. He could reject you for numerous reasons but you know he uses his brain more than rumors, hopefully. 

You get so sucked into your work. You didn’t realize the person you were sketching ideas for was getting into argument with his friends on the other side of the cafeteria. 

“Bakugou, that’s a bad idea. It will affect your reputation.” Kaminari Denki doesn’t agree on what his friend was about to do and the rest of his friends agree to expect Kirishima and Bakugou. 

Kirishima Eijirou is dating your best friend, Misaka, and couldn’t voice out his thoughts. He just makes his mouth open to speak but he doesn’t agree with them. He believes to know [Name] well enough with all interactions he had with you. You aren't a bad person, perhaps you simply make a mistake. Everyone is human. Everyone makes a mistake due to a lack of judgment. 

“All of you are dumbass to believe those fucking dramatized rumors. You must be fucking blind if you didn’t see how they behaved with that loser.” Bakugou Katsuki abruptly stands up shaking off Denki’s arm around his shoulder. He was walking towards you. 

Kirishima looks at his back and looks down on his empty before standing up too. “They did have genuine feelings for Midoriya despite what everyone thinks. I have seen it first hand.” Kirishima says before walking away from his table. 

He recalls all those double dates with the two. The look of full adoration and happiness towards Midoriya couldn’t be faked. For someone who was faking their love, they wouldn’t worry about their well being as much as they did. They would scold him and create something even stronger than before to protect him from harming himself. He remembers hearing Midoriya named being yelled and dragged inside while his friend and himself were playing video games in the lounge area. Someone to fake to ensure that Midoriya was eating despite being so sucked into training. You would drag him out from outside because Midoriya skipped a meal which earns scold from you. 

You even cook for him ahead of time each time. 

No one would go to those extremes when they are faking the entire time. 

He recalls the festival where Misaka dragged him away to hide when she spotted you and Midoriya holding hands while chatting away in your conversations. That look in your eyes could not be faked, it was genuine feelings behind those (eye color) eyes. 

Meanwhile, Bakugou takes a seat beside you which startled the hell of you. He was staring at the sketches which resembled his costume. You must have been thinking of ideas before approaching him to be your model considering numerous students tried to approach him. 

“Show me what you got.” He commands before looking at you who was looking at him completely bewildered. 

“Why are you here?” You were shocked that he approached you out of the blue. 

“I needed a partner.” He lies, as Kirishima sits beside you. 

“It seems like you needed some companionship.” Kirishima smiles causing your lower lip to tremble. Your eyes shined before you blink away your tears. 

“Those rumors are ridiculous. Perhaps one is true but the rest..”

“Bullshit.” 

You crack a smile feeling a weird sensation in your chest, perhaps its relief that not everyone believes those rumors. Kirishima and Bakugou are trying to cheer you up in their ways. 

Bakugou snatches the tables over causing you to jump in surprise. “Be gentle! It can be deleted easily!” You exclaimed as he looked over the sketches. 

“Are you gonna explain or not?” Bakugou mocks you before you huff your cheeks with air. 

“Rude!” You mumble and take the tablet back from Bakugou, placing it in the middle where both of them could see. 

You use your tablet drawing pen to circle what you are talking about in a new layer that could be easily deleted without affecting the rest of your work. “There are numerous options you could, such as upgrading your whole suit or just upgrading your gear.” 

“Wouldn’t it be expensive?” Kirishima thinking back at how much his costume upgrades cost, thankfully Fatgum agency is paying for it. His wallet hurts from just imagining it. 

“Yes. But it is possible to get donors, especially Bakugou's reputation as a hero and mine as an inventor. However, I believe Endeavor wouldn’t mind since Bakugou is gonna be working under him. Endeavor knows me personally since I have done his sidekick’s gear upgrades. He knows I am about the quality of all of my inventions, not the price tag.” You answered his question without any hesitation. 

“Why are my gauntlets smaller?” Bakugou questions. 

“I could make them smaller which could be better for you if you were to need to carry citizens or carry anything, in general, a lot easier than removing your whole gauntlets off to do things.” 

“The same amount of power.” Bakugou questions before a smile comes to your lips. 

“I could, but I thought you would like it to be in higher capacity.” Your answer brought a smirk on his face. 

Kirishima’s eyes widened, “Bigger. Holy shit.” 

He thinks of Bakugou with his famous gremlin laughing and letting out bigger explosions but seeing the two of you. He can see imaginary horns on top of the two heads with arrow tails behind them while the two discuss further into his costume change. 

It was entertaining but amusing how well the two got along as if the two have worked before. He could see Bakugou was impressed but ignited to test it out. You were explaining the different options in detail as Bakugou gave tips to want he would like. 

Soon enough, the time was flying so quickly that the bell rings alerting students lunchtime was over which caused everyone to throw away their trash and put their trays where they supposed to be. Kirishima had already said goodbye to you before walking over to his classmate while Bakugou stayed behind to talk to you.

“Hand over your phone.”

“Excuse me.” You were confused about his request. 

“Don’t you want my fucking phone number. We can discuss when we could meet up.“ Bakugou angry mumbles and holds out his hand where you quickly dig into your pockets to pull it out and open it for him to enter his digits.

“You want to be a partner.” You were double confirming and surprised how easily he accepted it. 

“Yeah, Dumbass.” He hands it back to you where he starts walking away. 

You smiled softly before thanking him loudly since he was speed walking to his class. “Thank you!”

“Whatever!”

_____________________

Later that day, Bakugou texted you if you were free after school to discuss it over some food. You can’t deny free food. You were waiting outside his classroom since your classes were already finished for the day. Usually, you would use this time to be the inventory but since you are technically banned from the room for a while. You are just using the tablet to draw out better visual ideas and sitting on the floor. 

You had your earphones on while students walk by to go home due to classes ending sooner. There are just a couple minutes left for the bell to ring. The door slips open to walk out Aizawa who tiredly glances over to the side to see you minding your own business and drawing on the school’s tablet. He taps your foot with his. 

You get startled and take off your earphones. “Stand up before my students start tripping over you.” He mumbles before walking away. 

“Sorry. Aizawa.” You immediately stand up and stuff away from your tablet into your bag before putting it on to only make eye contact with big brown eyes that were filled with irritation. 

Uraraka Ochako. 

“Why are you here? Deku doesn’t want to talk to you.” She harshly says pulling your heartstrings. You whine at the thought he probably doesn’t want to even see you. 

“I already know that.” You mumble rubbing your arm in discomfort. 

“I am here for Bakugou.” You could see the confusion and disgust in her eyes. 

“The rumors are true. You are trying to hook up with anyone.” 

Your eyes widen and gasp. “What the actual fuck! No. He is -”

“Their new partner as the model for the department event. Round face.” They both turn around to see him towering over Uraraka easily with his height. 

He walks beside the brown-haired girl. “You shouldn’t easily believe rumors.” 

With his last words to his classmate, before grabbing your wrist and dragging you behind him. You try your best to keep up with him, pacing him and ignoring the stars on your back. 

As Midoriya Izuku finally comes out from hiding in his classroom to stare at your back being dragged away by his rival. 

He isn’t surprised but he couldn’t help but feel hurt. 

He isn’t prepared to confront you again, nevertheless being your model where you would need to casually be in contact with one another. 

His hands curl into a tight fist on his back straps before turning the other side of the hall away from you being in his sight. 

He knew you had to find a new partner since the two of you did not end in a good note, but terrible note. 

He knows this event is important for your career as an inventor for heroes. As much as he wants to hate you for what you have done, but he couldn’t pull himself to do so. 

On the other side, you were surprised how students moved quickly to stay clear from Bakugou path. 

However, people were gossiping over the sight of being together. 

“Is she sleeping with him too?” 

“That feral boy and the whore deserve each other.” 

Your eyes glance down to the floor. You just want to bury yourself into the hole and die. The rumors are getting out of hands. Your mask is starting to crack. It overwhelms how your reputation is being dragged through the mud like shit. 

However, you were snapped out of it by a pull and soft squeeze from him make you look up at him with your tearful eyes. 

“Focus on me, block them out.” He murmurs loud enough for you to hear as he glares down at the student that even tries to block his path. 

Your eyes widen at his advice. You know he is trying to bring you comfort in his way. He is a good person deep down around his sharp edges. 

It also sounds like he is speaking from experience. There are numerous rumors about the feral boy from Class A from the beginning of their first year after the sports festival. 

Perhaps that’s why he always glares at nothingness when he is walking to block out everyone’s whispers around him. 

You stare at the back of his hair and see Bakugou in a new light.

_______________________________________________

I would love to hear any predictions or theories, you guys have!

Feedback is appreciated!

Please be kind within the comments. I hope you are enjoying the story. Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors.

if anyone wishes to be tagged, either send me an ask or comment below this post! Taglist will be in the comments.

[tamireli]

Okay now my heart needs some good tododeku fanfics. Any suggestions?

Ahhh this is is gonna be lengthy, lol. I have over 100 tddk fics bookmarked, but i’ll give you my top ten. They are in no particular order but all of them are the ones i find myself re-reading regularly because they are just so amazing and dear to my heart *touches chest*

1. The beauty of futility by wbtrashking (fan_nerd) • Tddk ft. baby Eri. I never seem to be able to shut up about this fic, and I’m usually always rec-ing it in twitter at any given chance just beacause it’s so good and relatable to me. Give me fics with protags being 30+ and still struggling to find their place in life, in need to be reminded that they are always worthy of happiness and love, and i’ll eat that without blinking!!

2. teach me your language of love by ArgetCross • omg this fiC!!!!! if izuku was ever to reveal shouto everything about OFA, this is exactly how i’d like it to be!! ((this fic is canon in my heart)). I love how much they support and value each other and this fic is just a terrific portrayal of them baby-stepping into love *aggressively clenches chest*!!

3. saltwater room by reapers • fake/pretend relationship done RIGHT!!! The last chapter is worth all the drama. Not like everything else is bad!! but just to reiterate that you do end up feeling satisfied on an spiritual level after finishing reading.

4. begin again, begin again by aknightley • the scooby doo au you never knew you needed but you end up wishing there was more of!!! like srly!!!! I wish the author wrote a continuation or a series out of this au *tear*

5. Serendipity by theroyalsavage • stardust au!! what else can i say but STUNNING, BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT, BREATHTAKING!!! This fic is everything what dreams are made of!!!

6. Out of Time (Out of Place) by ladyhoneydarlinglove • halloween au, featuring vampire todoroki in denial until is too late- but not really. This fic is ethereal and angsty but with the happiest of endings and who doesn’t like that!! Also the writing here is just *chef kiss*

7. Spark by MsMay • Shouto struggling with feelings and ending up getting the happiness he deserves (honestly that’s everything i always want to find in tddk fics). THIS ONE IS SO GOOD!!! it ignites my soul!!!

8. It’s exactly what it looks like by CrzA • this fic was a ride in the best way possible. and it made me laugh so hard!! izuku and shouto are the best dorks in every way possible in this fic.

9. Conventional Taste by WowBoring • This fic is so cool!!!! shouto goes with izuku to a hero con and pining and other fanboy-related shenanigans ensues. The writing here is unreal!!! 45k words and you don’t even feel them pass by. What a fantastic fic.

10. Duet in E♭ by Shegry • Just by thinking in this fic makes me weak in the knees!!! everything falls together so well *sobs into hands*. it’s super cute and everything you’d like any musician au to be like.

[An honorable mention] 11. life is a highway by ADreamingSongbird • cars au BUT LISTEn,, i know what you may think, but this is cute in a way a can’t describe.

• SERIES THAT YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO READ:

- What The Future Holds by stanzas

- Send Endeavor to the Shadow Realm by

PitViperOfDoom

- Sweater Weather by crispykrimi

- flowers in our eyes by aknightley

•And basically everything these authors have to offer, tbh:

ArgetCross | theroyalsavage | PitViperOfDoom | celestialfics | CrzA | katarasvevo | hanwritesstuff (hannahkannao) | soulstring | furihatachlookie | Pouler (poulerslashes) | cricketmilk |

And that’s it! Please be mindful of the tags before reading any of these.

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful writers in the tddk fanbase, so please don’t forget to go and give them all the LOVE and APPRECIATION they DESERVE!!!!

[sector-i-closed]

Fake Engagement

Requested by @august-angel0802​

CEO!Reader, employee!Yeosang

Warning: a bit of angst with a happy ending

Yeosang released a heavy sigh as soon as he returned from work to the bedroom that you had reserved for him in your fine house.

He wasn't living with you because he was in a relationship with you, but because he was to play the part of your fiancé for a few months.

Yeosang was your employee and you were his boss who was in no shape to be seeing potential suitors who were hoping to score your hand in marriage after you were now thrust into the role as the ceo of your mother's company after her death.

Men and women alike were hoping that they could make a good impression on you and perhaps trick you into dating them while taking advantage of your grieving process but you knew better and could see through their schemes.

It was becoming tiring and you were constantly being distracted by the unnecessary meetings with other ceo's sons and daughters that didn't click with you whatsoever.

Your company's productivity was suffering because of the office meetings and you were done with it, having came up with a plan to stave off the suitors which wasn't the best plan but it would do.

He recalled when you first gave him the engagement ring.

"Remember this is only for show." You warned while Yeosang stood facing you in your office.

"I know." He reassured you while slipping the ring on his left hand, unable to hide the dusting of pink that bloomed on his cheeks.

Days like today made it easy for him to forget that this was only an arrangement and he resented that he'd allowed himself to catch feelings for you, which hurt because from the beginning you'd made it clear to him from the beginning that there would be any real dating going on.

Earlier this morning you had taken him with you as usual to your favorite coffee shop and he enjoyed being with you.

You never saw the adoring eyes that he had set on you while you drank your favorite brew and worked with your business from your laptop, and it made Yeosang sad to know that you never would know how much he enjoyed being in your presence.

He decided that he would try to be even more convincing and support you the best that he could while being in this fake relationship with you, which felt very real to him or maybe it was the heart on his sleeve.

A group of customers had entered the coffee shop and glanced over towards you and your 'fiancé', which motivated you to grasp Yeosang's hand and lean in to kiss his cheek as if you genuinely felt love for him.

Yeosang's heart skipped a beat at the action and he savored the way you stared at him as if he was the only being that existed in the entire universe.

Moments like those were what depressed Yeosang. Because once you were out of the public eye you would withdraw into yourself and seem indifferent to him.

He left off from remembering the events that occured earlier in the day, dressing himself in casual clothes before heading to the living room to find you.

"Hey." Yeosang seated himself beside you, feeling the sensation of butterflies swarming in his stomach every time he was around you.

"Hey Yeosangie." You replied tiredly, continuing to scroll through your phone without realizing that you had just called by one of the nicknames that you used for him while in public.

A small smile spread across his face at the use of his nickname.

"W-why are you calling me that now that we're away from everybody?" Yeosang stammered out, being curious if you had intended to do it.

"What do you mean? Oh Yeosangie? I'm sorry, I sometimes forget that we're not out in public. I'm sorry about that." You waved it off, resuming staring at your phone's screen.

"You don't have to be sorry. It makes me feel like you care about me as more than an employee." Yeosang's eyes widened, not knowing why he had to blurt out that thought.

You glanced up at him with an incredulous expression.

"I don't understand why you would say that. We both made an agreement that nothing would ever come of this fake relationship." You carded your fingers through your hair and kept your gaze fixed on your employee.

"It's in our best interest if we keep treating this as a professional endeavor." You stood and turned swiftly to leave, feeling your heart clench painfully in your chest.

Pride was the reason why you never broke down and told Yeosang that you viewed the relationship as something more than fake, that real feelings were involved on your part..

Because you never wanted to back down from an agreement once it was set in stone. It would have been painful to you to have admitted that you had fell for your employee for real but you were suffering because you were living like you were detached around him.

"If it's a professional relationship then why the fuck are you running away?" Yeosang spoke up roughly, prompting you to freeze in your tracks.

"Because I have nothing else to say. And to put it straight, I'm not running away." You glared at your employee before marching off to your bedroom.

Yeosang followed after you and grabbed for your wrist but you slipped through the doorway and closed the door in his face before he could get a hold on you.

He sighed deeply, not wanting to invade your personal space but he wanted to talk things out with you and hear why you were always reminding him that the relationship that the two of you had was just smoke and mirrors to keep potential marriage minded people away from you.

Hot, bitter tears fell from his eyes as he stood outside of your room. Why did you have to play the part of his significant other so well?

You even made him believe it sometimes and the way you called him by his nickname earlier made a spark of hope ignite that maybe you felt something for him.

"Y/N, I think we should talk..." Yeosang spoke up, his voice hoarse with emotion.

You refused to speak to him, feeling that if you did you would probably spill your feelings to him.

"It would be better if we could talk face to face. I don't know why you ran but I'm sorry for accusing you of running away from the subject at hand. If you could just hear what I have to say in person, I will be satisfied." Yeosang said sincerely.

You sighed in defeat and opened the door, avoiding the eyes of your employee who would certainly think something if you revealed your puffy red eyes.

"Honestly, I care about you a lot Y/N, and even if you don't feel the same about me, I will remain loyal to you for as long as you choose to keep me employed." Yeosang admitted truthfully, immediately taking notice in the wet streaks that made your cheeks glisten in the light.

"That's nice." You swallowed hard, attempting to choose words that would be right but you had no idea what they were.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. You were only supposed to be a hired fiancé but I don't know. I think I've fallen for you and that wasn't in our agreement." You stated with a wry chuckle.

"Y-you do? I thought you only viewed our relationship as professional." Yeosang's face lit up, having originally thought that you may have been hiding feelings but he had no idea that you had fell for him.

"Unfortunately I didn't do a good enough job of keeping things professional. I don't know if I can go on pretending that we are only in a fake relationship. I'll swallow my pride and disregard our agreement this time if it's what you want also." You chewed your lip, watching the employee whom you'd always admired for his hard work think over your words.

"As long as we're together is all that matters to me." Yeosang replied with a light smile.

You gravitated towards him and wrapped your arms around him, feeling happiness wash over you after finally letting go of your pride.

[theamberwriter]

Hello! For the prompt list... Maybe 98 and 107 for Bakugou?

[I was very excited that someone actually did a request. So I ended up writing it all in one sitting, lol Thank you so much for requesting! I hope you like it <3]

Word Count: 2480

Warnings: Honestly, this got a little dark. Prompts: 98 - “Don’t stand up here and pretend to be proud of me!” 107 - “I like your face.”

The day had finally come. The one you’d anticipated for your entire life. Your UA high graduation, where you’d officially become a hero. A real, actual, licensed pro! It’d been a long, tough road to get here. You were grateful to your friends for supporting you this far.

Your palms sweat as you heard the road of the crowd. You had graduated second in your class. That made you extra proud, but also extremely nervous. You sat, listening to the principal as he congratulated you all on your hard work. All the pros were there, even small form All Might. Everyone gave a small speech. 

But then, something up expected happened. Up walked a face you'd known well. Who was a year older than you, who had became a great friend in the two years you'd known him.

"Now, we have a little surprise for you all," announced principal Nezu as he returned to the podium. "When he went here, he was known as Katsuki Bakugo. I know you all know him already. He did great things while he was here, his class went through many trials. But, since he's left UA, he's done even greater things and made name for himself - as Ground Zero."

There was a deafening roar as Katsuki stepped up to the podium. A few disgruntled grumbles coming from your peers. Katsuki stood with his infamous smirk. Looking extremely dapper in his suit. His hair still looking like a blond explosion. Your heart skipped a beat.

"Thanks, principal Nezu," Katsuki said, you could hear the strain in his voice. He was trying really, really hard to be friendly. To be the kind of charismatic guy he needed to be as a hero. "During my last two years at UA, I was sought out by a dorky, little, first-year wimp. They may have been a weakling, but they had an incredible quirk of their own. I never thought we'd be friends. But I wouldn't be standing here, as a friend or as a hero, if we'd never been. They're second in your class, by just a half-point. And I've got a surprise for ‘em, since they stuck it out so long. [Name] get your ass up here." 

"You have got to be kidding me," you muttered, moving out of line. You sprinted up to the front and up the stairs. You were going to murder Katsuki once this was over.

He immediately threw his arm, which had bulked up considerably since he'd graduated, around your shoulders. He pulled you into a tight side-hug, whispering, "I'm proud of you, kid."

Your heart rate picked up. You could feel heat in your face. You looked down at your shoes. Grateful you'd hadn't tripped and fallen to make things worse. You couldn’t understand why Katsuki was here, and why he’d decided to do the single thing you out. Or why Principal Nezu had even let it happen.

"I thought we'd share today with people who are just as happy for you. Just as proud of you," he announced. "Two heroes that have a place in people's hearts -"

You looked at him, your heart jostling in anxiety. Your knees quaked, your palms slicking more than they’d been. "Please tell me you didn't."

"Your parents, Oracle and Vaporwave." Katsuki gestured over the left. And out walked two people you'd dreaded seeing - your parents. They were all happy. All smiles. Acting as if years of mental and emotional torment hadn't happened.

"Katsuki, you shouldn't have," you muttered, trying to pull away from his grip. He didn't know. You hadn't told him. You’d only shared this with one person. "Like really, you shouldn't -"

He shrugged. Proudly stating, "It was nothing."

Katsuki pushed you towards your parents. You walked slowly. Trying to keep the time until you had to hug them as long as possible. There was a reason you'd chosen to live with your aunt in an entirely different town. Your parents beamed at you. And then, before you knew it before you were ready, they hugged you. You tried your best not to recoil. You had to play it cool. At least until you were off stage.

"We're so proud," your father said in your ear. "It's about time you were useful."

“But number two, really?” scoffed your mother as she hugged you. “You should’ve been better.”

Your parents pulled you to the microphone. You stood numbly, unhearing. Staring out at a million smudges of color. Sinking back into your childhood. Where you were a doll, a decoration. Trained to smile so you looked like a happy family to the public.

"We're so proud of [Name]," your mother said, fake sniffling. Her crocodile tears didn't fool you. You knew she was an ugly crier. "Ever since they were small. We knew they'd grow up to be someone great."

"We spent every second we could grooming and preparing [Name] to be a great hero," your father continued. Each word put another building block of anger in you. Filling you up, tempting you to overflow. Just a little longer. "We're so proud. And we're glad you all finally get to see what we saw all those years ago. Why I remember many fond times -"

He was going to go on a tangent with fake family memories. They'd rehearsed them, you knew it. They were going to keep up this image of a happy family. Like you were fine. Like you weren’t just the unwanted child of a mother, paid off to have a baby and keep her mouth shut. As your father kept droning on about the fake memory, you hit your tipping point. You wouldn't let them fool anyone anymore. 

"Shut up," you uttered. You could feel the control you’d worked so hard on slipping.

Your father looked at you. "What?"

"I said," you started lowly, then shouted, "SHUT. UP!!"

Katsuki tried to put a hand on your shoulder, but you slapped it away. You shot him a warning glare. You could see the anger and confusion in his eyes. You didn’t have a reason to be mad at him. Especially when it was your fault you’d never told him. 

Your mother smiled with fake patience. "Now, honey, we know this is embarrassing. But you've done so well -"

"What's embarrassing is having parents who didn't want me!" you yelled, the entire stadium went quiet. "After what you put me through - Don’t stand up here and pretend to be proud of me. Don’t stand up here and pretend you didn’t do what he did. Don’t pretend like you didn’t pull that same crap as Endeavor!”

You have the same sad sob story as Endeavor’s boy, you heard your mother’s smug words to you echoed in the back of your head. Isn’t it just pathetic? Isn’t it just sad? We’re the real losers here. Paying off that woman, only for her to have a dud like you. No one will take you seriously. They’ll think you’re just leeching on to a more famous backstory.

“What’re you talking about?” Her voice was dripping sweet and bitter. She tried to reach for you, but you smack away her hand. Then you shoved her hard, sending her flying into your father. The two landed a few feet away.

“I was friends with Todoroki!” you snapped, stomping your foot. “I told him. I told him what you did. We shared our trauma. Pathetic parents, creating children because they were too weak to come out on top themselves. - I’m not an experiment! You thought I was pathetic and useless as a child! You don’t get to stand here and act like I became someone because of your help. It’s because I don’t want to be anything like you two that I climbed until I was near the top. I’ll take number two. Because it means I stand above you. In a place you could never hope to reach.”

For the first time, your parents looked at you with fear in their eyes. With respect. Taking notice of what they’d done. It didn’t help you’d ended up in the air, and you were wild and glowing. And probably two seconds away from obliterating them. Even after all this time, when you let your emotions get to you, your control slipped. You acted without thinking. Fight or flight.

You glowered down at them. “Now I want you both to leave. I don’t ever want to see you again. - Thank you. For ruining my graduation day.”

You landed on your feet, and sprinted across the stage and out of sight. Your parents scrambled off the opposite side of the stage. Principal Nezu took the podium awkwardly, clearing his throat as he tried to get the day back on track. Katsuki chased after you, slamming open every door until he found you. You were curled in a ball, silent tears down your cheeks. He shut the door behind him.

“Uh,” he murmured hesitantly. “Hey. Nerd. You okay?”

You stood before you could think, bolting to him in a flash. You were in his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?! I told you we didn’t get along. Why the hell would you do that?!”

“I thought it’d be nice! I didn’t know it was this fucking bad!” He took a step back. “How the hell am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?!”

You groaned. “I thought it would have been common sense -”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Common sense ‘we don’t get along’ just makes me think that they don’t - I don’t fucking know - don’t like your friends. Don’t like the path you chose because it’s fucking dangerous. Not because you were a damn experiment!”

“Don’t call me that.” You could feel the white-hot rage filling you. But this was Katsuki you were talking to. Not your parents. And he had a point. Still, you couldn’t help it. “I am more than just some experiment!”

“I know!” he yelled. Then took a long moment’s pause. He tried to even himself out, but there was still an angry edge to his voice. “Why do you think I let you tag along? Why do you think I stopped trying to ditch you like Deku?! - Because nobody else was talking you up! But I could see it. All the potential you had. You had that fire. But you weren’t using it right! I didn’t want to see you fail. And you didn’t. And if you think I’m going to let you go and do something fucking stupid to mess all your work up -”

You felt your feet leave the floor. What business was it of his if you let all your work go to waste? Who’d even let you be a hero after this burst?! “Why do you even care if I fail or not?!’

“Because I think I love you, dumbass!” His face turned red as he processed the words that came out of his mouth. “I mean - I like your face - I - Shit - I like everything about you - and - fucking hell -”

Katsuki shot a blast out a window. He roared in some sort of rage, bellowing, “You’re the only person in the fucking world I want to outrank me! You’re the only person I’d let be number one over me. I like your stupid face. And your stupid quirk. I want to be a team. But not just at being pros. I mean, in life. I want to just - this is a shit time for this. Especially after I made you so upset. I have no fucking right to say this. But - I’m pretty fucking sure I love you. And that I wanna spend the rest of my damn life with you.”

Katsuki wrapped his arms around your leg, you still in the air. Katsuki was eye level with your belly button. You looked down at him. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. But you saw the anger in his eyes. It was mixed with concern. With regret. His face was full of emotions you’d never seen him have before. It began to fizzle the fire in you. 

He stared up at you, keeping a hold on you. “I’m sorry for inviting them, for embarrassing you. I should’ve asked. I’m such a fucking idiot. I should’ve asked why you didn’t get along. And if it was okay if I brought them. This is all my fucking fault. I promise, I’ll make it up to you. If you’ll let me.”

He supported your weight as you fell out of the air. You’d had a thing for him since you’d first met him. Originally, you just admired him for being insanely strong and thought he’d be a good person as a mentor. Your feelings for him crashed down on you like a meteor. You hadn’t even realized them until he’d actually let you stick around for a few months. But everyone said you were stupid. That you’d never get anywhere because he was too goal-driven to look around. Because he was too selfish to think of anyone but himself.

You supposed this proved them wrong.

“I’m still pissed at you,” you noted. Katsuki nodded, anticipation flickering through his eyes. “But what did you have in mind? Is the great Ground Zero asking me on a proper date?”

Katsuki smiled - a real one. Not that stupid smirk. He squeezed your legs tightly. “I could never have been half as great without you. - And I’ll fucking murder you, you tell anyone I said that. But I’ll take you to dinner, a nice restaurant. None of those little bullshit hole-in-the-wall places you seem to think are so swanky. An actual restaurant, somewhere fancy. Black tie. I’ll do anything I can until you see I care. Just you and I - a team for life. Through everything.”

When you two went back, after an hour of filling Katsuki in on your past, you discovered your parents had been escorted off campus. And you were given your awards and diplomas and certificates behind the scenes. After what happened, everyone thought it was best. Later that day, you also filed a restraining order against your parents. They weren’t going to mess with you anymore. A weight felt like it was lifted off of you.

Katsuki took you out for the best date of your life a few nights later. He followed through with his promise. He took you out to the nicest restaurant he could find. It was black tie, so you wore your best. But you guys ended up getting take out after anyway because the portions were so small. You’d never felt so whole as sitting in Katsuki’s apartment, half-dressed up, laughing at some crappy movie, and scarfing down some takeaway.  This made up for the graduation day disaster. You just hoped that Katsuki kept his word, and you’d be a team for life. And not just at work.

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Wicked, pt.9/finale (DT royal AU)

A/N - instead of a summary, I wanted to let you know that this is the finale and thank those who have stuck with the series and gave me the inspiration to keep going. I know this was an ambitious endeavor, but I’m glad I stuck to it. This part will have a lot of things packed into it in only about 3.5k words and there’s a lot there to say and explain but I didn’t want to drag the series out unnecessarily. In case you have questions about the series and their future or concepts about the series, feel free to send them in and I’ll answer when I can and tag it under #wicked.

Enjoy the last part :)

Warnings: angst, indicating smut, fluff, swearing

Word count: 3500

WICKED - SERIES MASTERLIST

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~                          ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

There was a moment when Y/N realized she'd misinterpreted Grayson’s actions, his words, his expressions from the moment they met... as if he'd been speaking a language she couldn't understand... that moment was the moment her heart broke...She could hardly speak in her shock then, but this shockingly defining moment was much different than that first moment.

Body exhausted, heart tortured, drenched in her pain, Y/N could barely stand as she watched her supposedly dead husband dismount the beautiful horse he rode in, her hands grabbing onto Ethan for support. She didn’t believe she was seeing clearly, certain her mind is playing tricks on her. After all, she was far from recovered from her extremely difficult delivery and in moments of great heartache many people see and hear things that aren’t truly there. She believed it to be one of those moments.

Ethan had gripped her tightly, not only to hold her from falling as he felt her shaking in his arms like she could collapse at any given moment, but to also secure himself for he believed his eyes lied to him.

“Get away from her!” Grayson shouted angrily, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows furrowed as he strode toward the shaken pair, fists clenched at his sides. 

He barely came within arm’s reach when Y/N noticed someone else at the gates, her mind and body finally giving out and letting the shock overwhelm her. Eyes rolling back in her skull, body going limp in Ethan’s arms, Y/N fell into darkness she was lost in.

“Y/N!” Ethan screamed in horror, holding her tightly as Grayson practically growled.

“What now, huh? Faking it so she can figure out some excuse to save you both from me?!” Grayson turned around, rubbing his chin in frustration as Ethan realized what’s happening. Not only was Grayson alive, but he had concocted some ridiculous theory about how he nearly lost his life.

“Brooks?!” Ethan didn’t need to look to know the knight was near, already rushing to carry the young queen back to her bed. The moment Brooks walked into the castle, Ethan unleashed his own anger toward the king, grabbing him by the shoulder to force Grayson to look him in the eye.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Huh?! You don’t deserve that woman, brother. She is too good for you!” Ethan spat, pushing Grayson back to hopefully stop himself from punching him. He was ecstatic his brother was alive, but he was done being quiet.

“Me? I mean, it makes sense. I wish I saw it all earlier. Should have known you two would join forces to have me killed! Was there ever a Gandria, Ethan? Because you just happened to disappear to Dracovia and then have me come because she was apparently giving birth to my son?! A month early?!” Grayson paused to shake his head, convinced it was all just a wicked plan of his dragon wife – seduce his power-hungry brother and fake a delivery? She still looked very pregnant to him. And not only that, but they had him declared dead within ten days and would have buried him without a body? She probably already knew he left her the kingdom from before…for Grayson, it was all a ploy. She never loved him – he never said it and he decided to believe what he was given…and in his mind, he was given nothing.

“You really want the throne so badly, E.? My wicked dragon wife? Because if you’re willing to kill me for it, you can have it all. Take it, but you’ll never see me again!” Grayson spat, barely holding himself back from calling his guards and taking his brother prisoner.

“Follow me,” Ethan growled out, pushing Grayson toward the castle. There was no use in talking to him, but he’ll try before he can also show his brother he’s an idiot.

“You think we did this? That the woman you saw today was celebrating your death? Like she didn’t kill hundreds of people in her grief and burned a fucking island?” Ethan ranted, his throat tight and his voice low as he vibrated in the anger that consumed him. Grayson held onto his every word, shaken by the revelations of what she had done in his name.

“The same woman who wept for you, whose heart broke?! Who mobilized all her men to find you? Who had sharks killed to make sure you weren’t a meal?!” Ethan chuckled lowly, gritting his teeth as he stopped in front of the door that separated them from Y/N – the door to the room Grayson and Y/N shared in their marriage.

“You think the delivery story was a lie?” Ethan chuckled dryly once more, staring intently at a stone-faced Grayson, no emotion passing his features. Until they heard a tiny, yet loud wail like cry that stopped as quickly as it began and Grayson’s eyes widened.

“It wasn’t a lie.” Ethan snapped as he gripped Grayson’s shirt and pulled him closer in the most violent manner. 

“That woman nearly died giving birth to your son that night. She called your name in delirium the entire time and when morning came and she opened her eyes, she got the news of your death and she refused to accept it. She didn’t do it because it’s her duty as a wife, she did it because she loves you and you need to shut up about the theories that aren’t true and focus on giving her a loving home she never had.” Letting go, Ethan straightened Grayson’s shirt and forced a smile for he could tell Grayson was coming back to his senses. It was evident Grayson went through the ringer considering the long cut on his right cheek that reached from his eye to his jaw, but Ethan knew a friendly approach wouldn’t be of use in this case.

“I’m willing to forget this ever happened and she doesn’t have to know you suspected her, but you have to stop expecting the worst of her…and of me.”

Nodding, Grayson opened his mouth to apologize, but Ethan interjected. “It’s fine. Just go in and meet your kid because he’s pretty fucking adorable. And make sure to be gentle with her…she went through hell her whole life while you only had days of it.”

Opening the door, Grayson held his breath. He wondered how the hell did he let himself think she would kill him when she never did when she had much better opportunities. In the moments between realizing he’d crash into the ocean and drowning in the water, Grayson only thought of her – the beautiful, fiery eyes that changed emotion as often as wind changed direction, the incredible ability to argue on any topic with such passion that he would goat her to go on just to enjoy the way her entire body engaged as she spoke, or the way she’d grip her thighs tighter and her hands would press deeper into his back and hips to pull him closer to her when they would make love. She was all he could think of and in the moment when he could no longer hold his breath, he had prayed she forgives him for giving up on her, on them.

How did he go from such love to thinking the worst of her?

“She’s asleep. She came to for a few seconds, but she was out like a light right after she whispered your name.” Brooks spoke, his mistrust toward Grayson and loyalty to Y/N evident immediately. The blue eyes that usually had a melancholy tone to them now bore a fire that matched Y/N’s and Grayson nearly slipped up and asked the man of his dragon patron only to remember how Y/N told him their patrons are usually a secret, a very intimate detail to be shared.

Yet she shared hers with him.

“Alright. You can go. She’s my wife and I plan on protecting her myself if need be.” Grayson knew it was unnecessary but he still felt the need to remind this overprotective knight that Y/N was indeed his and that wasn’t changing anytime soon. Perhaps it’s silly jealousy, maybe the feeling of inadequacy or the possessiveness inside, but Grayson wanted it known.

“I’ll remain close by,” Brooks responded before dragging himself out of the room. He wanted to stay and care for his friend, for his love, for his queen, but Grayson was right – he was her husband and Brooks knew she loved him. He wouldn’t stand in their way.

Sighing, Grayson looked to the ashen beauty on the bed, back to where she belongs – in their bed, by his side. But no matter how every atom in his body wanted him to lay beside her and tuck his face in the crook of her neck, the small sound made from a crib to his left had taken all his attention. Guided by his heart, Grayson walked toward his son, looking down on the sleeping child with such glee that his eyes watered immediately. He couldn’t stop shaking as he watched the little one smack his lips before sticking out his tongue ever so slightly, all with his eyes still closed.

“I named him Bailey.” Y/N’s weak voice startled him, turning back to face her without hiding the tears that flowed. Not wanting to upset the baby and make him cry, Grayson decided to talk to Y/N first and sort everything out. He missed her so much for so long that seeing her felt unreal. But he welcomed the feeling nonetheless.

“You always did love that name.” He managed a smile before he laid beside her.

“I can’t believe I missed my firstborn being brought into this world.”

“It’s okay. You weren’t exactly on vacation.” She turned on her side, her shaky hand momentarily suspended in air, just above his chest in uncertainty. It isn’t until he places a hand over hers that she lets it fall to his chest, feeling his heart beating.

“You’re really alive.” She croaked, looking at their hands placed over his chest and her eyelids flutter to keep tears away.

“And we’re really parents, huh?” Grayson smiled before bringing her hand to his lips, leaving a tender kiss on her palm.

“Yeah.” She whispered. “You better not miss our second child being born. That I won’t forgive so lightly.” She teased.

“Oh? Second?” Grayson couldn’t help but chuckle, content she’s thinking of a future with him.

Daring to look up at him, she licked her lips. “How did you manage to survive this? They said it was hopeless.”

Grayson watched her with the softest smile he could muster, noticing how in each and every line of her face there was emotion and it was there for him. She had lost the dull, empty look in her eyes and she wasn’t cold with him anymore. She was warm, very caring, very close.

“I had promised you I would always come home to you and bother you for years to come and I didn’t plan on becoming a liar so early in our marriage.” Grayson teased as he reminded her of the promise given only hours before he had imprisoned her to conquer Dracovia in her name. But he had much more to tell her and he knew she wouldn’t be as forgiving or as calm when he does.

“And earned yourself a scar there.” Tracing the cut on his right cheek, Y/N chuckled softly as he bowed his head shyly, pecking her forearm swiftly. “I think it’s sexy.” She stated, pushing herself closer to him.

“But I had help.” Grayson drew in a deep breath, looking for some strength to tell her what he had to. Unfortunately, other people had different plans as the door opened and the helping hand decided to be introduced to his wife.

“My darling dragon.”

Y/N sat up so quickly that her head hurt and her vision blurred, but she finally realized that the person she saw at the gates wasn’t a hallucination as she believed. This person was very real and Y/N connected the dots rather quickly.

“Mom?” Grayson thought she’d run into her mother’s arms and cry happy tears as she did for his return but she didn’t. Her eyes narrowed and her voice turned venomous. “How…how could you?!” She shouted, scaring Bailey into a scream-like cry. Grayson wanted to rush to his son, to hold him and offer him some solace, but Y/N needed him immeasurably more.

Before the woman has a chance to speak, Y/N had already passed her judgment. Struggling to stand, she grips the bed tightly and pulls herself up.

“I thank you for saving my husband, but I want you gone. And don’t even think of going to Dracovia.” Y/N’s eyes have never been as cold as they were when they looked at the woman she called her mother.

“Please. I…I had to do it! He would have killed me anyway. I was lucky our men were loyal to me.” The woman insisted but Y/N wouldn’t hear it.

“You left me with that monster! You left me with a man who had manipulated me every step of my life! He had killed me day in and day out! He is why I associate love with pain! I never knew what love is until Grayson! And you allowed that! You were the queen! You say the army was loyal to you?! Then why didn’t you kill him or imprison him if murder was too much to stomach?!” Y/N heaved, struggling to stand, to breathe, to even keep her eyes open. There was so much pain, so many unsaid things left inside her that wanted out that she was crumbling. Grayson held onto her, his mind exploding as his baby was screaming along with his wife – his two greatest loves both needing him and he was but a single man.

“Dracovia is mine. You’re not welcome there or anywhere near me. You once said I should never give up my crown for anyone and I won’t. Not for you.” Y/N managed to say before nodding to Brooks who was standing just behind the former queen. He was quick in removing her from the room and Y/N finally felt like she could breathe again.

“Let me help you.” Grayson mussed as he tried moving her to the bed, his own strength affected by the events of the past ten days.

“Don’t. Bailey needs help more.” She spoke firmly and calmly, but Grayson recognized the brass tone. She was upset and angry and frustrated, her emotions in shambles as her memories haunted her again.

Grayson knew it would be a losing battle to fight her on this, watching her grab onto the bed frame before letting her go and turning to get the baby. He had only ever held a baby once, but he remembered how his mother taught him – support the head and all would be good. He also made a mental note to go see his mother after for she too had suffered in his absence. She had been there for him like no one was ever there for Y/N and he had a lot of gratitude to express.

Bailey settled down rather quickly in his father’s arms, simply needing a sense of safety and a calm atmosphere. It’s as if he could feel his mother was battling her own demons but as she stilled and her tears stopped, so did his and Grayson knew it wasn’t over, but he could draw a full breath without thinking about his inhaler.

Putting the infant back in the crib, Grayson tucked him in and smiled to himself, thinking ‘We really made a beautiful baby’ before turning to his distraught wife.

“Don’t defend her…She left her child with an abusive man and she never looked back. Maybe I’d understand if I didn’t have my own little potato, but I do and I could never leave my child in such a toxic environment.” Y/N glanced at Grayson quizzically, certain he has something to say as he always does, but she just found him to be confused. “What?”

“Potato?” Grayson chuckled as he remembered how she told him she never even saw a baby in her life, only in pictures and they always reminded her of potatoes. He couldn’t wait to see her maternal instincts and love, because even though she never had a model parent or any siblings, she already acted like a good mother.

Laughing through it all, she pushed his shoulder playfully and leaned into him with an airy “Shut up” aimed at him. He thought about pointing out how she’s starting to talk more like an Astrovian, but decided against it as he put an arm around her and ran his hand up and down her shoulder.

“Look, love. You don’t have to forgive her or even speak to her if you don’t want to, but she did save my life. The submarine she was in with one of the navy armies was close by and if she didn’t order them to check what happened, I’d have drowned. In fact, I was dead. They got me back and they treated my injuries from the fall and the pulmonary edema I got from swallowing all that salty water. It’s why I couldn’t come sooner. I was trying to survive to come back to you.” Grayson felt her eyes on him as he spoke, looking down on her to catch that beautiful gaze of hers that could rob any man of his sanity.

“And I am grateful. It’s the only reason why I didn’t have her executed.” Y/N reasoned and Grayson stiffened visibly. She felt him tense up and the way he looked at her changed as well.

“Would you really do that?” He asked in disbelief, genuinely worried about what happened to his soft-hearted dragon bride. When they met she talked about unimaginable things in moments she thought to be alone, but she talked of horrors publically now.

“You have no idea what I’d do to protect my family. And I don’t trust a mother who abandons her child to save herself. Maybe one day I’ll be able to be civil with her, but I can’t even look at her now. Grayson please don’t make me.” Her eyes weren’t hard as one would expect. Her words, her thoughts hurt her and despite the unmistakably dark part of her soul, Grayson embraced her again and pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting her go. He had to ask his savior to leave, but he’d make sure the woman was secure for life concerning money. It’s the least he could do.

“Wait, please.” Y/N caught him by the wrist, curling her fingers around it. She couldn’t watch him walk away from her, not when she knew what she said shook him deeply. He wasn’t like her and he definitely would never understand that part of her – the darkness her father created couldn’t be cleared no matter how long she spent away from the man. But if she ever lost Grayson to the fiery blood that controls her, she’d be lost too.

“You must allow me to tell you how wholeheartedly I admire and love you. And if you wish for me to leave, I will do so, but I cannot lie to either of us anymore. Because I do love you. You’re why I know what love is.”

Within moments, Y/N found her lips molded to Grayson’s, stealing her breath away. He drew her fully against him and in her wonder, Y/N parted her lips on instinct. Her senses overflowed with Grayson – his hands, the touch of his lips, his tongue, his hardened length brushing her lower abdomen and his masculine scent.

Groaning, Grayson had to break the kiss. Parting, breathless, he whispered an ‘I love you’ against her lips as Y/N tried to get a grip on reality for her mind was drunk on Grayson and for a moment she thought about urging him to continue only to remember she wasn’t in any state to make love to him for a month longer.

“Really can’t wait. This month will drive me insane.” She complained, palming him through his pants, but Grayson couldn’t handle her touch when they couldn’t finish what she started. Grabbing her wrist, he growls with eyes closed and forehead resting on hers.

“We’re going to break the bed when they give us the green light, but I don’t want to hurt you. Love, I’ll wait, but for all that you hold sacred, never put your hand on my dick again if we can’t go the distance because I’ve been practically celibate and I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself and I never want to lose control with you.”

Y/N swallowed thickly, wondering what the hell her experience would be with Grayson if he lost control because she never realized he was holding back with her. She wanted to know exactly what that entailed but she was sensible enough to wait a while longer. Even if it was insanely hard to keep her hands off him.

“Go.” She tapped his cheek and he opened his eyes eagerly, wanting to see her flushed cheeks again. Her cheeks darkening was possibly his favorite thing about her – it’s the first thing he noticed about her whenever he’d come close. It’s how he knew she was attracted to him despite her claims.

“I’ll come back. I promise.” He pressed a feathery kiss to her lips before running off, adjuting his pants in the process and she couldn’t help but chuckle, whispering to herself, “I believe you.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~           ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

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[lilypad-make]

BNHA Manga 252 Theories

In the chapter we can see that since how worried Endeavor was for his son . Also Natsuo comments on how hot it was . This is a callback to when he visited his mom with fuyumi in chapter 187 [ when he first debuted ], he says the line ,"we all can handle the cold well after all ". This also clues us that he mostly has an ice related quirk and is not able to tolerate the heat .

Even though Endeavor sounded quite unlike his usual self, Bakugou felt his praise was fake and dull. It didn't feel like they had been properly acknowledged after working so hard to beat him in eliminating villains faster than him .Even though the others felt the same way, Bakugou was the only one to confront him. Shoto and Deku knew Endeavor was overwhelmed and chose to say nothing.

It's a big thing for the no. 1 hero of Japan to be kneeling on the ground in public and apologizing to his son for not saving him in fear of his son never talking to him.At that moment, he actually thought about what Natsuo would feel, considering he was always unaware about the things his other children did due to his sole focus on Shoto .

The fact that he is admitting that he was running from his responsibilities ,is a big thing. He neglected all his duties as a parent and focused on grooming his son , Shoto into a better version of himself . He had never shown any sympathy or empathy for the child .He isolated him from rest of the siblings and his only emotional became Rei , who was already at the brink of insanity .

He said that he never intended to shut any of them from his life, but ultimately that's what happened . After Rei left , he hardly spoke to them. He never spoke casually with them and they began to live in a dull and strict home.The children began taking their own choices [ other than Shoto , who was constantly under the watchful eyes of Endeavor .] and carried a lot of emotions and kept bottling them.

Natsuo could never forgive Endeavor because he was very close to Touya . He was someone who was by his side . He was his brother . Someone who took care of him in this terrible home . He was his support , his sibling and someone who was part of his blood . The lines that he could still hear his voice indicates how deeply the incident scarred him . Perhaps , Touya’s death was the reason he took up medicinal warfare . His grief of unable to save his brother .

Shoto would mostly not have much emotion over his brother because he wasn’t allowed to be near them . He was very young and he was just aware of their existence. He couldn’t feel the same depth of Natsuo’s grief due to their differences in upbringing . To him , his only comfort was his mother . 

One thing that rubs me the wrong way is that Endeavor said in the previous chapters that he wished Touya was there , but now he is admitting he had killed him . I have a few theories on how it is possible for Touya to become Dabi with this information . 

One way is that he was enraged with Endeavor and thus using his flames, but his weak body was not able to handle it and set fire to part of the house . In this haze he ran away from Endeavor and his family . Because Endeavor was the sole reason for this , Natsuo would believe that Endeavor ‘ killed” him . 

Another way is that Endeavor’s actions had affected Touya so much that he had completely changed , his old self was “ dead “ and he might have spoken rudely while escaping away from them . His voice must have sounded horrible and thus maybe because of this Natuso could still hear his voice filled with agony  . 

It could also be possible that he was fighting against Endeavor and Endeavor’s flames were so hot that it burned his skin badly . By the time he went to the hospital he was declared “ dead “. Perhaps All for One’s doctor took part in this and he some how managed to conceal Touya’s death from the Todoroki family and put back his burnt body together and stabilized him . In exchange for saving his life and concealing his real identity , the doctor would have asked him to capture people for the necessary quirks ; homeless people , villains and so on . People who would not be remembered by society and steal their quirks for his Nomus . 

Natsuo says he is not a kind person , he believed that because he was not kind , he was not able to forgive Endeavor , but Endeavor for the first time mentions that he did everything for Rei’s and Fuyumi’s sake . This is very important because Endevor was becoming aware about what was going on in his family and what they were each trying to do . 

I have previously theorized about reason why Rei forgave Endeavor in chapter 249 theory  which I have given below to further support my point .  She mentioned when Natsuo and Fuyumi visited her that the doctors don’t think it was a good idea for her to meet him . She might forgive him , not because she was kind , but it was better for her mental health . After years of mental stress , letting go of her feelings for him would let her live a more peaceful life . 

Similarly , Endeavor mentions that him being kind didn’t mean he had to forgive him . This message was also for Shoto and not only Natsuo . Endeavor wished to redeem himself for his past mistakes . He doesn’t need forgiveness because he knows he didn’t deserve any . Deep inside , he understood that he could not account for his past actions and wishes to make the right choices from now on. 

When Natsuo heard him speak such words , he was overwhelmed . It didn’t make sense . His heartless father was being reasonable ? He remembered his sister being happy for them being a family , though deep inside he knew he won’t be able to abide by her wishes . How could he , when the deep wounds never healed and seeing Endeavor continuously reopened them over and over . In the end he began to lash out . How could one redeem from killing someone ? What could be possibly be done now after all that had happened ? 

Being away from them . 

In his subconsciousness , he knew that the only way they would be happy is without him . Every time he thought about what he could do for his family , his dreams showed him how happy his family was .

We saw that Bakugou had decided on a hero name and wished to tell someone first . He definitely wants to tell Best Jeanist first . This leads us to the next part of the arc where we would focus on Best Jeanist , Hawks and Dabi . We would finally learn what went down when Hawks brought the dead body . I had made my own speculations about this and further theories on what is going to happen in my chapter 240 theory .

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon SwSh Thoughts - Post Game

So I’ve finished Pokemon Sword’s primary content.  All that’s left is to finish up the PokeDex and drive myself insane trying to whip up all the variations of Alcremie.  That, and delaying buying an online subscription for as long as possible before I bother with trading to get the other game’s exclusives.  Here’s some thoughts on the game after the fact:

Pokemon SwSh really needed to come out in late 2020, period.  I’ve enjoyed the game so far, but I’ve played it for about a week without putting in too much time/effort grinding and I’ve already done pretty much everything there is to do.  I had my Starter leveled up to 100 before I even left the Wild Area for the very first time.  The pacing and content depth of this game are pretty much non-existent, whereas the majority of the effort has clearly been put toward refining the competitive combat development.  That’s great for those players who really like the battle system, but not so much for those of us who like story and broader gameplay elements.

Pro - Streamlined Gameplay One thing I’ve wanted in Pokemon for ages has been the ability to skip tutorials.  I understand the necessity of having them, as every game that comes out is going to be some player’s first and their presence is for that player.  But at least having the option to skip them for us old hats would be nice.  SwSh does that!  I was delighted to discover that the game allows you to bypass tutorials with a simple yes/no prompt when a new element is introduced.  How to catch Pokemon, type match-ups, how to heal at Pokemon Centers, and so forth - all the stuff previous games led us through by the nose has been made optional this time around.

I’ve seen some people saying that this game holds the player’s hand too much as it leads us from one gameplay element to the next and doesn’t let us progress at our own leisure.  To some degree this is true, but it’s far less egregious than in previous games, such as SuMo.  There’s yet to be a good balance between giving the player free reign and giving them enough guidance to ensure we never feel lost, but this has been an inoffensive example as far as I’m concerned.  The game does end up feeling rather railroaded, but I don’t necessarily consider that a fault of hand-holding. I’ll get to this matter later on.

Pro - The Style Galar is a very pretty region and the game makes good use of the Switch’s higher capacity to produce excellent backdrops for the player to explore.  Many of the Pokemon have charming animations (Falinks is my favorite on this respect).  The towns are all really well-designed in terms of visuals, especially compared to the bare-bones looks of older generations.  I feel like there could have been more, but what we got is still great.

Pro - Implications in Lore Those of you who know me know how much I love lore and world building.  Pokemon, as a franchise, is ripe with opportunity to examine its lore to the most tiny and obscure detail, so any new addition to the franchise is welcome on that front.  Galar has some pretty fascinating nuggets to contribute.

I love that the League in Galar, as well as competitive Pokemon Training in general, is treated like a career sport.  In specific, I love that this view and practice is exclusive to Galar - I wouldn’t like it at all if the entire franchise shifted to this angle, but it works great for a one-off region.  I like that Kabu specifically relocated himself from Hoenn to join the sports league as it doesn’t exist in his home region.  The Champion being a sort of major celebrity/superhero, the way Gym Leaders can recruit proteges or even inheritors of their rank from among contenders, the sort of clique all the Gym Leaders have with one another - it’s a really neat dynamic.  I also like the notion that actually completing the Gym Challenge isn’t something common and most Trainers who try rarely make it even halfway through.  That’s an interesting contrast to other regions where collecting Gym Badges seems almost as a given and the League itself is considered the real challenge, or where the whole endeavor is designed to be finished as a matter of course, like in Alola.

There’s also some really neat additions to the overall lore brought in from the Pokemon Masters mobile game.  While its place in canon is questionable, it does specifically mention Galar in a few places.  The idea that Pokemon who do not appear in the current Dex are banned from Galar by customs (perhaps identified as potentially dangerous/invasive species) is an interesting one.  So is the claim that Iris - the Champion of Unova in BW2 - is a cousin of Leon and Hop.  I love it when there are connections amid titles like that as it really helps build a more unified setting.

-Edit-: Darn, apparently those screenshots were fakes.  Strike that positive from the list, I suppose.

Mixed Pro/Con - The Availability of Pokemon and the Wild Area I’m not talking about Dexit - I have my own thoughts on that explained elsewhere and frankly don’t think it’s going to end up as bad as everyone is fretting over in the long run.  No, in this particular case I’m focused on the availability of Pokemon that are in the game itself.

To put it simply... it’s too easy.  I know that filling out the PokeDex isn’t supposed to be a huge challenge, but I’ve gotten the majority of it done - evolved forms, item-reliant forms, gender/size/color variations included - with pretty much no effort whatsoever.  I like the idea of the Wild Area in principle but what it ends up being in practice is lacking.  It’s too easy to just hoover up Pokemon at a breakneck pace, which leads to other zones and the Wild Area itself becoming pretty much immediately obsolete.  I have no need to return to them once I’ve gotten everything I need and there’s not enough general content to urge me to visit again.

The Wild Area itself is a big open sandbox that you can roam around in, which is nice compared to more linear zones in past games.  Galar has its railroad routes, but they’re brief (aside from the obligatory overlong water route, which even then is still quite a lot smaller than other regions’ have been).  However, it’s just that - a big open sandbox.  You can wander through it very easily and even traipse into the “high level” zones without fear because you can see all the Pokemon coming and give them a wide berth to avoid them.  There aren’t any obstacles or challenges within the Wild Area itself, and the game makes it supremely easy to find Pokemon even under specific weather/time conditions, which I feel is a missed opportunity.  I would have rather the Wild Area been MUCH bigger and more involved, full of places to explore and puzzles to solve.  Similarly, I would rather that Pokemon were more difficult to come by as well - that a greater deal of effort would have been put toward tracking and discovering certain harder-to-find Pokemon, with more in-game detective work to find your prize.

Mixed Pro/Con - The Characters The ensemble cast of new Gym Leaders are great - I enjoy the majority of them and frankly want more interactions, more encounters, just more in general.  That’s sort of the problem though - I want more.  The game itself criminally under-utilizes these characters, especially compared to how much more involved and explored Gym Leaders have been in recent games.  There is precious little content using the Gym Leaders here in Galar as it stands and I constantly found myself wanting them to hang out longer and have the chance to learn more about them.  Their League Cards are a neat little addition full of interesting tidbits about their histories, natures, and relationships with each other, but I would MUCH rather have gotten to see all that play out in the game itself rather than read it as a flavor blurb.

On the con side of this, however, is the fact that all of the characters are extremely one-dimensional.  We’ve been seeing a steady increase in the depth and development of supporting characters in the games since BW onward, with SuMo arguably having the most to date.  The overall characterization in SwSh is incredibly lacking by comparison as we don’t get nearly enough time to be with the cast, nor is the cast given the chance to present more than one note per.  Nobody has any sort of emotional growth or development.  The closest thing to a character arc in the game is Hop’s acceptance of the idea that he’s not going to be the Champion, but it doesn’t have anywhere near as much punch as it could and is over in the blink of an eye compared to how he spends THE ENTIRE GAME repeating the same “I’m gonna be the Champion/Hokage/Pirate King!” spiel every time he’s on screen.

Con - Dynamaxing and Max Raid Battles I’m not really on board with the whole “Mega-Evolution is best! No more gimmicks!” train because that’s just silly to me.  Every game has its gimmick and the way Pokemon gradually picks up tricks and traits from its past versions to consolidate into newer titles is one of its strengths.  That said, Dynamaxing is worthless and a pointless addition to the game, both in presentation and practice.

The visual of a Pokemon going kaiju is a neat concept and one I was initially intrigued by, but in practice it falls flat because it’s as thin as cardboard.  It’s just Mega-Evolution and Z-Moves smooshed together with an additional 3 round time limit tacked on.  All it functionally does is buff your Pokemon’s HP pool and add additional weather/status effects to certain attacks, but in some cases the Dynamax versions of attacks are actually weaker/less useful than their base form.  In Gym Battles all the way through the final League fight with Leon, I didn’t bother with Dynamaxing because my Pokemon were strong enough to not need it.  I could one-shot Dynamaxed Pokemon with ease using a non-Dynamaxed Pokemon and that really shows a flaw in the design if ever there was one.  Dynamaxing doesn’t add or improve anything vital to gameplay - it’s just fluff.

Max Raid Battles as found in the Wild Area are even worse.  For those of you who don’t know, these are instanced battles against a Dynamaxed/Gigantamaxed wild Pokemon where you team up with three other players/NPCs.  If you win, you get a bunch of useful items and have the chance to catch the wild Pokemon as well, which is the only way you can get certain Gigantamax-capable Pokemon reliably.

The issue with these Max Raid Battles is that they’re an absolute slog.  In the early stages of the game they’re all super easy to the point that I could solo them and thus gathered mountains of EXP-boosting candies, which let me overlevel my Pokemon beyond reason.  Since the whole “your Pokemon is too high level and won’t listen to you” thing apparently doesn’t apply to Starters and special Event Pokemon, I was able to max-level and run rampant across all opposition with my Starter and my special “thanks for buying early” Meowth.  HOWEVER.  The difficulty scale of the Max Raid Battles increases with your game progress, so by the time I finished the game and went back into the Wild Area, the Max Raid Battles’ difficulty had ramped up.  That’s an okay compromise on its face, but the manner in which the difficulty has increased is poor game design.  The battles aren’t any harder, they just take longer - the wild Pokemon has more HP,  tosses up a few rounds of shields to soak damage at the start and again halfway through the fight, and purges stat boosts from the player and party throughout the battle.  It just makes the fights a pain in the ass to get through rather than making them more challenging or fun, and it’s gotten to the point that I don’t even bother with them anymore.  They’re just not worth the trouble, not even for the sake of trying to farm EXP candies because, at this point in the game, all Pokemon in the Wild Area scale up to level 60+ and thus are perfectly serviceable as EXP farming fodder themselves.

On a lore side of things, Dynamaxing is really confusing.  There’s the whole visual aspect of the Pokemon growing to giant sizes and sometimes changing their appearances, and there’s these massive arenas built to facilitate the whole thing.  But the game itself goes out of its way to impress the fact that the Pokemon aren’t actually getting bigger.  They just appear to grow in size and haven’t actually physically changed themselves so Dynamaxing is more like a giant hard light holographic projection than anything else?  It’s just a really weird design choice to have made and I don’t understand why it was included.

Con - The Writing So, writing is very important to me.  It’s literally been my job for the past decade with various game studios.  I don’t consider myself any sort of literary snob as I feel there’s a place for schlock right alongside masterpieces - they all serve a specific purpose and fulfill a particular hunger the reader would like satisfied.

That said, SwSh’s writing is abysmal.

Right on the face, there’s not enough of it.  The game is criminally short and light on content, which directly impacts its pacing.  Remember earlier when I mentioned that things felt railroaded?  That’s because there’s not enough story to rest on - it all flies by as fast as can be, forcing the player along a very narrow and brief chain of events that don’t feel consequential at all.  Further, the player has no agency in events whatsoever.  It’s not the player’s story - it’s Hop’s story.  We’re the supporting role to his journey, shallow as that arc may be.  Hop is the one who initiates the events of the game without our input as a character and then we spend the entire game following him around, or being pushed into the next event by other characters who are facilitating Hop.  At no point is the player ever given the chance to express their own characterization, motivation, or even opinions.  Nearly every two-choice dialogue option that appears boils down to “Yes” or “Slightly More/Less Enthusiastic Yes”, which is a huge downgrade from the genuine negative responses and NPC reactions that were present in SuMo.

In terms of overall plot, SwSh has pretty much the same level of depth and complexity as the original Red/Blue titles, and that is as scathing a criticism in this modern age as I can possibly imagine.  The whole story is “run in a circle, collect badges, fight vaguely present villainous threat, fight league.”  We are actively forced from one gym fight to the next with no time to breathe, no story-focused events in between, and not even any chance to appreciate the gym, its leader, or even the towns they take place in.  It’s one and done - once you’ve got the badge there’s no reason to hang around and the story shuffles us along quickly as can be.  I mean that literally in some cases - there are hints of a greater plot at hand with Sonia investigating the history of Galar’s legends and the potential machinations of mega-corporate mogul Chairman Rose.  But each time those are broached in game play, the game pushes the player off-screen and says “Well, that’s not something you need to worry about.  Go get another badge!”  I mean, LITERALLY!  There’s a point where The Plot begins to kick in where Pokemon begin to spontaneously Dynamax and cause havoc, which is the narrative queue for the player to become involved and for the story to reveal a new facet.  But when that happens, Leon LITERALLY says “leave this to the adults, you just focus on your Gym Challenge” and runs off-screen to handle it himself.  It would be a good narrative subversion if it led up to things eventually getting out of hand and the player getting roped into things, or the player having the ability to defy such warnings and interject themselves into danger.  But that doesn’t happen - the game just forces us to focus on the Gym Challenge alone and keeps all the actual plot of the game off-screen away from us.  This is very poor narrative design and game design alike, and it all comes to nothing because we’re forced to clean up everything in the end anyway by battling the villain and legendaries as per usual.

Though I should also point out that there’s no villain in this game.

But what about Team Yell and Chairman Rose, I hear you ask?  They’re not villains, both literally and figuratively respectively.  Team Yell never really does anything other than act as brief gate locking elements throughout the game until you finish the Gym you’re at, then they bounce off to the next part of the route they’re set to block.  They don’t do anything bad and, as it’s later revealed, they’re actually just a bunch of Spikemuth Gym staffers who are posing as hooligans to support Marnie.  They’re literally not villains and, once you beat the Spikemuth Gym, they actually become supporting characters who cheer for the player character and help out against the actual supposed villain of the game.

The actual “villain” of the game is Chairman Rose and his assistant Oleana.  However, they’re only villains because the script says they are.  They don’t actually do anything bad throughout the entire game nor is there any indication that they have some sort of grand master plan.  The most we get is some unusual happenings like small quakes and explosions in the distance, but the game never allows us any chance to investigate - we’re just shoved off toward the next Gym each time.  So when Chairman Rose is finally revealed to be the Big Bad, it comes completely out of left field and seems to happen for no reason whatsoever.  Further, IT IS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.  Chairman Rose’s plan and goal is never explained in depth - all we get is the vague indication that he believes that Galar isn’t sustainable and there will be an inevitable energy crisis in about 1,000 years, and somehow his EVIL SCHEME will fix it.  But, like, even Leon flat-out says “I understand your concern but you’re being hasty, this doesn’t need to be rushed, chill out for five seconds and let’s figure this out reasonably”.  Instead Rose interrupts the Champion match and announces his EVIL SCHEME on global broadcast for literally no good reason.  There was no dire immediacy that required him to do it right then and there, or in that manner, but the plot needed to move us along so that’s how it goes.

It really doesn’t help that, prior to all this, there’s absolutely no indication at all that Rose nor Oleana are bad guys.  They’re just business folk who appear to have nothing but good intentions and support for Leon, with the other adults of the cast all happily trusting them.  There is nothing to make them seem suspicious in practice and they offer no reason to doubt them at all, so them suddenly being the bad guys is just confusing.  Further, how the player is first introduced to the concept of them being antagonists is easily the most ridiculous logic jump and overreaction I’ve seen since the old Adam West Batman television show.  So get this: after a battle, Leon says he’ll meet Player and Hop for dinner to celebrate.  Player and Hop wait for Leon, but he never shows up.  Another NPC explains that Leon was called in for a last-minute meeting by Chairman Rose (who is his boss and has made such requests of Leon’s time throughout the game, as I feel is important to point out) and apologizes for having to miss the dinner plans.  Simple enough sort of situation, right?  The sort of thing that any reasonable person would shrug and say “Well, that sucks but okay, let’s go eat on our own then” to, right?  So what happens here instead?

The Player, Hop, Marnie, and her Gym Leader brother GATHER A SMALL MOB AND STORM CHAIRMAN ROSE’S BUSINESS HQ, FIGHTING THEIR WAY THROUGH SECURITY.

I mean, escalation much?  We all have smartphones - just send Leon a text, for goodness’ sake.  I’m playing through these events constantly going “why the hell are we doing this and why is everyone acting like it’s some sort of dire emergency?”.  And do you know what happens when we finally kick down the doors to Chairman Rose’s office?  We find Chairman Rose and Leon quietly having a peaceful chat, after which Leon apologizes for having to cancel the dinner plans and we all walk out together like nothing happened.  It was just this huge, needless overreaction that has no consequence and that neither Rose nor Leon even bat an eye at.  We, as the players, learn absolutely nothing of importance and are back on the Gym Challenge immediately with no functional changes to the narrative.

Like... what was the point of that?!  How was that the best option to try and put Chairman Rose and his underlings into the role of antagonists for us to oppose?

So what is Chairman Rose’s EVIL SCHEME anyway?  Basically he wants to provide Galar with renewable clean energy which... uh... is bad?  Somehow?  Apparently he plans to use a Legendary Pokemon called Eternatus - apparently the source of Dynamaxing - which is literally never mentioned at any point in the game except precisely when it’s time to fight/capture it, nor does fighting/capturing it have any impact on the story or setting.  You would think that the player being in control of a massive Eldritch horror that has UNLIMITED POWER at its disposal would be something of a sticking point somewhere in the story, but no.  Eternatus and Rose’s plan are never mentioned until precisely the time you need to deal with them, and once that’s done they’re both never mentioned again.  Done and done all in one.  No gradual seeding of information, no hints and clues throughout the game, no development of lore - just wham, bam, thank you ma’am and off we go.

Y’know, call me silly but in a game that has undertones referencing climate change, extinction of animal species, and criticisms against capitalism run amok, is it really a good idea to depict the guy advocating for clean energy to be bad?  That feels like a missed mark to me.

The post-game plot, should one bother to call it that, is just inane.  It basically boils down to a pair of one-shot baddies who show up and say “Ha ha! We’re rich and that means we’re better than everyone! Watch as we cause trouble for vague reasons, get hoist by our own petard, and then fuck off forever! Byeeeee~!”  The post-game is completely pointless and doesn’t add anything of value at all.  Which, again, compare to older games like ORAS’ post-game expansion content and it’s nothing but a damn shame.

SwSh’s writing is shallow and limited at best, with one-dimensional characters, no genuine conflict or resolution, terrible pacing, and repetitive elements that boomerang around over and over and over again to the point of annoyance.  Compared to what we’ve seen Pokemon achieve in earlier titles like BW, ORAS, and SuMo, it makes it all the more obvious that SwSh was not given ANYWHERE near the time and love it needed in development and is a massive downgrade in that respect.

Con - Lots of Style, No Substance To wrap all this up - I enjoyed playing SwSh as much as I did any other early Pokemon game.  I think that, as a first installment on a new system, it’s fine.  That’s all - it’s just fine.  It’s serviceable as a means of establishing the franchise onto the Switch and completing its move off purely-mobile mediums like the Gameboy and 3DS.  It’s pretty to look at and has a superficial level of engagement, but its prettiness and level of content very quickly reveal themselves to be only skin deep.  Once you get past the initial gloss there’s really nothing to this game compared to the content, involvement, and writing quality displayed in past titles on lesser-powered systems.  The towns are all pretty but there’s nothing to do in any of them aside from a Gym battle - there’s no additional fun to be had in each location, making them little more than set pieces.  The characters have initial appeal and potential for more, but the game never explores them at all.  There’s room for a bigger narrative and interesting story with the elements presented, but no opportunity to actually see them fleshed out.  The Wild Area seems big and involved at first, but as soon as you’ve gone around its loop once or twice you suddenly realize how small and compartmentalized it really is, and it lacks any reason to revisit in the end game.  The major game play function - Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing - is little more than a novelty that is basically irrelevant to gameplay itself and, in an absolutely baffling decision by the folk behind the official competitive scene, is actually somehow banned from being used in competitions?  Like, not even “we’ve disabled the Dynamax button in online” but rather “if the competitive Pokemon you’ve spent so much time perfectly constructing has a Gigantamax form, it will not even be allowed access at all, so you better have an identical non-Gigantamax version on hand if you want to play”.  So, what exactly is the point of even having Gigantamax Pokemon then?

Everything about SwSh seems half-baked.  The ideas are there but they aren’t finished.  It should have been given much more development time and, having been in the position of the creative/dev team under demands from the shareholders, I completely sympathize with Game Freak’s devs in all this.  SwSh is ultimately a weak product but one with a lot of good ideas that weren’t given the chance to really shine.  As such, I’ve got rather high hopes for the next installment to improve on the unfortunately thin foundation SwSh has set.  Game Freak’s team has given us some amazing Pokemon games in the past and, assuming they’re given sufficient time and resources to make a title to their satisfaction, I have every confidence they’ll do so again.

[chapitre7]

Endeavor

The Untamed [陈情令] | Mo Dao Zu Shi [魔道祖师] fanfiction

Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Yīng | Wei Wuxian (Wangxian)

Fantasy AU

Loosely inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Characterization is based on the drama, since that's the version of the title I've consumed (along with fanon)

Read on AO3

He can sense the apprehension in his fellow travelers on their footsteps. He grins, a little sympathetic, a little mean, flashing it at them over his shoulder.

 “According to the rumors, it should be just a little further ahead.”

 They’re young, not having yet learned the art of hiding their thoughts and emotions displaying so easily on their faces, exchanging an entire conversation with their eyes. The grin turns into a grimace as he faces forward, hand hovering but not touching the hilt of the sword by his hip.

 It’s a decadent place. He’s a paradox of hope and rejection, the one he wants to meet needs to be there as much as he shouldn’t be there, in that black smudge of reality. It’s not a place, not really, only curtains eaten up by moths, floorboards bent by humidity, roof half blown away by storms. Yet the door opens and he sees him walking out that wretched, misplaced space, illuminated by the torches and by the moonlight, clothes and armor still shining as bright as they had a whole lifetime ago, when they were different men, who could speak with their eyes. His heart feels small in his chest, constricted, desperate to die before this meeting can be realized.

What have I done to you?

 “Light-Bearing Lord,” he greets, enough self-hatred in every word for the two of them.

 “Yiling Patriarch,” is the appropriate response, razor-sharp, and his wish might have been fulfilled, in the end. He doesn’t think he breathes until he’s laughing, empty and loud.

 “These young men and I have been hired for a tricky job.” He waves his hand in the direction of the warriors behind him, wide-eyed children, mesmerized by the man who defies the darkness of the night. “What says you, Light-Bearing Lord, of assisting us in defeating a foul creature that has killed many an honorable man and terrorized their wives and children?”

 The rumors did Lan Wangji no justice. The whispering tavernmen spoke of the fallen noble like he was a witch, hiding away in the woods and dissecting beasts with his dark arts, making friends with the spirits of the dead for revenge against the sect that threw him out when he was the best of them. It was supposed to be me, was all Wei Wuxian could think about. He was the one who had been excommunicated and vowed to kill the vile and the corrupt. He spent years in the solitude of meaningless battles, but when he heard the rumors that the Light-Bearing Lord was back, the mercenary used his talent in lies that he had perfected over the years to guide his awkward entourage there because he had to see him, sword burning against his side with shame and regret. He may have come up with a plan on the way there, but whatever it had been escapes him as Lan Wangji looks barely any different from when they had last seen each other. He’s thinner, bone structure sharp, casting shadows on his cheeks, but he has nothing of witch. His eyes are clear, so clear, deep waters that carry nothing but the truth in their current.

 “Where?” says the white-clad man, startling the mercenary out of his reverie. Whatever uncontrollable emotion that flashes in his own eyes causes his companions to swallow their fear down their throats. They had agreed to fight alongside the Yiling Patriarch, but both the heretics? They might as well die by lightning strike, punished by the heavens.

 “I’ll lead the way.”

 And Wei Wuxian leads, ice-white sword in his hands, unworthy of every success, of every glance he sends in Lan Wangji’s way, well on his way when the sun is not even out in the sky, in the dark where he belongs.

 ***

 “A water monster? I know an expert.”

 Time and time again Wei Wuxian guides them through the woods. How was it that the rumors of the Lan witch followed him wherever he went? He could have lived without ever seeing him again —

 (Maybe not a life but an existence, one day after the other and another after that, dreaming of times long past.)

 — but he’s a guidebook of excuses to seek his aide and presence in every single job. He braves through every angry stare, every silence in return to his attempts at conversation, because if nothing else he’s known for his bravery. Was he not the man who challenged the nobles who tried to steal the ancient knowledge of the Yiling folk to gain power over every kingdom and every piece of land? Was he not the one who stood in the throne room and pointed his sword at the Emperor, god among men, corrupted with dark magic?

 He’s lucky he’s alone that night, when he finds the Light-Bearing Lord bathing in a river. He would have fought every one of his allies to keep it to himself, that silhouette against the water mirror, black hair like silk falling down his broad, pale back. They had once slept in the same dormitories, whispering insecurities to each other when no one else could hear. He was once mesmerized by the fluid, dance-like movements of his swordsmanship, admired his excellence at the Academy’s teachings, desperate to have a place next to him in History books. What a pair they would have made, instinct and intellect, reckless and calculating, heart and mind. Be careful what you wish for, any fortuneteller could have told him, if only he had bothered to listen.

 Wei Wuxian doesn’t think he makes any sound, but Lan Wangji turns in his direction anyway, bared, but never vulnerable.

 “Hello, again,” he greets, waving a hand, and Wangji says nothing, betrays nothing.

 He wants to break the ice between them, but he’s too scared of burning down the bridge of their fragile connection. He sticks to killing monsters; takes whatever he can get.

 ***

 “You can’t defeat a dragon on your own,” he had told the men gathered at the tavern. He’s both hated and respected for his arrogance, long experienced in the art of faking confidence when everybody else’s had failed. It’s led him to more than one helpless situation, and as fate would have it, the moment he spoke those words, he doomed himself.

 He wants to go back to the tavern, drink their cheapest and rarest liquors at once, fall unconscious for a full day before taking another meaningless job. He wants to take his little pouch of gold back to Yiling, as he should have done days before, so the village leader can use it for more provisions and seeds and maybe even a small party, since there was enough to spare. He wants anything else than to be closed off in a cavern with a burned Lan Wangji, hiding from an angry and hungry dragon.

 “They’ll come back soon,” he says, hoping he can convince the other better than he convinces himself.

 “They won’t,” Lan Wangji replies swiftly, and Wei Wuxian clicks his tongue.

 “Then we only need to make it through the night. We’ll patch you up and kill it once you’ve recovered.”

 “We’re not going to kill it.”

 Wei Wuxian looks at him like he’s lost the last of his sanity.

 “What do you suppose we do to a dragon who’s been burning off villages? Pray into his good graces?”

 It’s cruel, to mock Wangji’s past convictions, but there’s no place for offense in the witch’s sweaty brow and tired eyes. However, no matter how far he had fallen, there’s still a fire in the man, burning behind his irises, stronger than Wei Wuxian’s outrage had ever been. He believes him then, before he even speaks, but he speaks anyway.

 “She’s distressed. She only needs to be reassured that nobody is going to harm her, and then she’ll keep her distance, as she’s done all these years.”

 Wangji takes a shallow breath and Wei Wuxian hurries to him, touching his unmarred side, supporting Wangji’s weight when he suddenly gives in against his shoulder. He freezes with Wangji’s breath against his exposed neck and the man’s hand that clutches the fabric of his clothes.

 “Do you regard me so lowly now, to detest my very presence?”

 Wangji’s voice is a whisper but his words are a push closer to the edge of a cliff Wei Wuxian has been hanging by for ages.

 “Of course not. I’m here, aren’t I?” His voice is a pitch higher with his lie, and Wangji’s nose touches his neck, falling deeper, deeper into him. He can certainly feel the way Wei Wuxian swallows.

 “If only because there’s no other option, and still you seem to contemplate your luck with the dragon.”

 He feels the fluttering of Wangji’s eyelashes and holds back a whimper. The man is burning up and Wei Wuxian knows that, if he so wanted, he could use Wei Wuxian’s spiritual power to heal himself, he’s skilled enough in magic to do so. Without a sword to wield, what was there for Wangji to brandish, if not the magic weaker men couldn’t hope to control?

 Wei Wuxian feels colder then, despite the physical contact with Wangji’s feverish skin. He laughs, because he doesn’t know what else to do.

 “You can’t fault me. We could have met in better circumstances,” he says, feeling the immediate huff of air that Wangji lets out.

 “Could we?”

 Wei Wuxian wets his lips. I spent years avoiding you, desperate to see you again, he wants to say. I’m not worthy of your friendship, there’s nothing else I want more.

 I want you and I want you to want me, but what is left of us to give? We’re hubris, remains of the consequences of our actions, but still, you...

 “You don’t want to meet me, Lan Zhan,” he says, meaning shouldn’t, meaning mustn’t, the man’s birth name falling from his lips as easily as he kills, easier, much easier than waking up to greet the world every morning; easy as breathing. Wangji’s — Lan Zhan’s — head rises from its spot on his chest, back away only enough to look at his face. In the campfire he sees everything; his pain, his fever, and the gleam of tears in his eyes. Wangji lowers his eyes.

 “Every time you leave is as painful as when you disappeared then, Jin Guangyao’s blood still fresh in our hands.”

 His grip loosens on Wuxian’s clothes and Wuxian takes that hand in his. The hand that protected him, when the emperor had gotten the best of him, his royal sword licking against Wei Wuxian’s neck. Yet Wangji, perfectly composed, the golden child of Lan, had killed him, for Wei Wuxian, had pierced the head of Jin Guangyao with Bichen, sealing the revolution that shook the land. The sword was a certainty in every tale, but the one who wielded it, if Wei Wuxian, if Lan Wangji, was a secret only the two of them knew. And Wuxian carried Bichen with him, to spread rumors, to take the world off Lan Wangji’s shoulder, because he was bright and he was good and he hadn’t used underhand means to take the emperor down, hadn’t lied his way into the royal guard to cleanse the kingdom of its curse. It was supposed to be his burden, so Wangji should speak not of pain, he should be... He should feel...

 “We’re from different worlds. You deserve better than what I can give you.”

 Nothing but a low life, with no glory, just infamy.

 “Do you suppose I could have acted differently?”

 Wangji’s hand falls from his, eyes hide behind the curtain of his hair.

 “Do you think us so different that I would have stayed still when my family did nothing in the face of injustice?”

 The wizard leans back, eyes focused on the fire, and Wuxian has never felt him so distant. Even in the aftermath of Jin Guangyao’s death, before he lost consciousness, Wangji had held him, hadn’t he? He had forgotten. Wangji had held him and Wuxian could have sworn he had comforted him, speaking reassuring words in his ears, over and over again, even though he had never been much of a talker.

 “Wei Ying,” he says, and his face betrays nothing, though the name says everything. “Am I still such a stranger to you?”

 Wei Wuxian gives in. He pulls the injured man back against him, shifting his position so his back leans against the hard wall and Wangji leans against his chest. His arms cover both Wangji’s healthy and injured ones, and his hands guide Wangji’s hands, fingers intertwined, to cross against his middle. Wangji winces and whimpers, but Wuxian hushes him, mouth right next to his ear, and says, “You can use my energy to heal. Use as much as you need.”

 Wei Wuxian closes his eyes, hoping that, if his words really had power, that he could really will their meeting to happen at different circumstances. If the dragon doesn’t kill them, if Wangji isn’t injured beyond recovery, he wants to tell him that he wants to stay, that he wants to hear his singing voice again as he did once, when they weren’t men, just tall children pretending to fight, looking at the stars and talking about missing a time when they weren’t at war. Lan Zhan had told him one of his ancestors sang her victory into the battlefield, and he had sung, and Wei Ying had been defeated, right there. Surrendered, hopelessly putting his heart in the hands of someone who would never betray him.

 ***

 There’s a whistling sound when he wakes up. The fire has long died out, and Lan Wangji is nowhere to be seen, but he hears it. Not too far into the maze of tunnels of the dragon’s lair, there’s a song. His heart is at his throat as he gets up, stumbles then tries his footing again, running as fast as his drained body lets him. We’re not going to kill it, Wangji had said, and he’s crazy, absolutely crazy to face a dragon without recovering properly, and Wuxian is not sure how much of his recklessness is his own and how much is a terrible influence of the Yiling Patriarch.

 (Could they be so easily separated?)

 He sees him with a leaf over his lips, whistling one of the melodies from the Song of Clarity of the Lan family. Wuxian was the one who taught him how to use a leaf as a makeshift instrument and if Wangji had died right then, remorse would have finally killed him.

 But the man doesn’t die. He walks calmly, his free hand reaching out to touch the creature’s scales, to feel its warm breath as its head lowers, nuzzling him like he’s one of its babies. Wei Wuxian still feels like death is going to take him over, both of them, at any second, but when Wangji turns to him, his left side completely healed and a tired smile on his face, he thinks this is the rebirth he had been waiting for.

 “It’s not going to be a problem anymore,” Wangji declares and Wuxian allows himself to fall on his knees, ecstatic and exhausted.

 ***

 The celebrations last until dark. They don’t take any money for the job, considering how poor the villagers are after losing so much to the dragon’s rage, but accept the food and liquor and thanks they are willing to give. Wuxian loses sight of Wangji halfway through the party, and he might have panicked if not for the conversation he keeps replaying in his head. Does he detest Wangji’s presence? No. Is every departure as painful as the first, all those years ago? Yes. Yes, and yes, and yes.

 He finds him whistling on a leaf again, in the woods. They call Lan Wangji a witch but his Lan Zhan is more like a faerie, easily capturing the moonlight in the white of his robes, ready to take him away with a glance, a gesture, the tilt of his head when he notices him approach.

 Wuxian brushes his knuckles against his left cheek and Wangji stops playing, almost imperceptibly leaning into his touch.

 “Are you okay?”

 He hums, and Wuxian is pleased to feel it under his touch.

 “It wasn’t bad. Your energy was enough.”

 “You should still rest. And we should gather some medicinal herbs tomorrow, before parting.”

 “We?”

 “Ah.”

 Wuxian drops his hand and his head, fully conscious that Wangji can see the redness creeping up his neck and into his face. Sometimes his thoughts act so fast that he forgets he had not yet said the things he meant to say.

 “I was thinking... Do you want to go to Yiling with me? I haven’t checked on them in a while and—”

 “Yes.”

 His head snaps up and he’s enraptured by the shy smile on Wangji’s lips. It’s the same, just the same as then, like nothing bad has ever happened between them, and they’re young and free and ready to start their lives. And aren’t they still? Sometimes it’s hard to remember war didn’t make them old, just tired.

 “Great!” Wuxian lets out, and it’s too high, too embarrassed, so he stands up. “We should head to bed, then, we’ll be traveling for a while and need all the rest we can get!”

 He turns his back to his best friend but he hears it. A low, but clear, “Wei Ying.” It ripples in the silence towards him, like the liquid sound of the lake.

 “You... Still don’t know my heart?”

 He doesn’t know what to say. He’s had years to ponder, to hope, to doubt. Up until the day before he thought Lan Zhan was better off without him, that he couldn’t, shouldn’t... He still held Bichen tightly in his grasp after all those years, like a lifeline, a reminder that he would be nothing without Lan Zhan. But what could Lan Zhan be without him? Something purer, someone...

 Someone who tamed dragons using a technique he taught him. Someone who was as much as him and he was them, white Bichen both his heart and Lan Zhan’s, Lan Zhan’s anger his own, as was his revenge, his fears, his sorrow.

 Lan Zhan walks past him, saying no more, blending into the night and back to their inn. Wuxian follows a little behind, words all spent, nothing left but resolution, caution thrown to the wind. What is he if not bravery, recklessness? He’s nothing but blind, desperate certainty.

 Lan Zhan’s door isn’t locked. Neither is he asleep, eyes open, dark but clear all at once. Although his steps are sure, when he leans down, both hands cupping Lan Zhan’s face, he hesitates. Could he lose his world right there, in that moment, if he were to give in to the love of his teenage years, all admiration, all pride, every single and everlasting dream of a lifetime by his side risked in a kiss?

 Lan Zhan meets him halfway and melts away his doubts and defenses. His grip is strong, that of a warrior, and Wei Ying tries to be gentle, even though he’s a mercenary, a heretic, someone unworthy of so much warmth and adoration. And every kiss that follows, every whispered confession, every blissful breath that escapes them speaks, stay, stay, stay.

 Don’t ever let go of my heart again.

 ***

 “Ghouls?”

 The bartender looks at him curiously over his spectacles, and the mercenary who had been trying for the job glares as he approaches, black hood still partially covering his face, but not his wicked smile.

 “There’s no one better at handling ghouls than me and my partner.”

 “And who the hell might you be?”

 He lowers his hood and his long black hair and signature red ribbon seem to speak for him.

 “The Yiling Patriarch!”

 “Right, right,” he waves the mercenary off. “Now, what did you say the reward for this job was, again? Lan Zhan and I wouldn’t refuse any job to vanquish evil, no matter how small it is, but we must talk business.”

 On cue, a second man sits on the bar stool, white hood lowered to show a perfectly impassive face, as if sculpted by faeries, using the most precious jewels. He gives the mercenary a sideway glance and the man flees, bolts through the double doors of the entrance, making Wei Wuxian laugh. Did the man not hear a word he said? The Yiling Patriarch and the Light-Bearing Lord are allies of justice. If he does nothing wrong, and if the nobles and the holy planned no evil deeds, then they have nothing to fear.

 Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian share a look, each giving a lopsided smile that speaks volumes.

 “Where were we?”