#black soft girls want to be loved cared for and rescued

[mejcinta]

Modern femi-nuhsim stripping fairytales of selfless, romantic moments? Who would have thought. So many so-called feminist executive producers and writers nowadays are so deep in narcissism that they fail to commit to the heart and spirit of love stories, it's concerning. Killing romance altogether in the name of being progressive. 🤦🏾‍♀️

[xenodile]

"Shuro loves Falin for the same reasons he hates Laios" Completely and utterly wrong, could not be further off base.

I get the impression a lot of people watching Dungeon Meshi as it airs, or are a bit removed from its original manga run, have forgotten that Laios and Falin being monster freaks wasn't actually apparent until the events of the story. The only person that knew Falin loved monsters as much as Laios was Marcille because they were best friends at school.

Once Laios and Falin were in an adventuring party together, they both had public facing personas because they had both learned through their separate upbringings that being super interested in monsters and dungeons wasn't normal. Laios is the blunt but well meaning, outspoken and opinionated guy we all know, but Falin was way more withdrawn and soft-spoken, non-confrontational, easy to get along with. Everyone that interacted with Falin would say she's a sweet, gentle girl that everyone likes. Because she was, frankly, kind of a doormat.

The whole thing with Toshiro's infatuation with Falin is he doesn't actually know her. She is outwardly very polite and reserved, and that appeals to Toshiro because it meshes with his cultural sensibilities and how he was taught people are supposed to behave. Then he sees her marveling at a caterpillar in a private moment and decides on the spot that she's the ideal woman and proposes without actually talking to or getting to know her.

And his lack of understanding of Falin as a person is brought to the forefront in every action he takes after she gets eaten. He leaves the party and makes no attempt to contact the two people that Falin loves the most. Whether it's a matter of him just not knowing how much Falin cares about her brother and Marcille, or actively avoiding Laios to rescue Falin himself, he's demonstrating that he doesn't actually know what's important to her or understand how she feels.

Then when he meets Laios's party on the lower floors and they go over what happened, it's made even more blatant that Toshiro's affection is shallow and half-baked. He came into the dungeon a week too late and neglected his health the whole way down, so he was in no state to actually try and save Falin when he got there. When Laios talks about eating monsters, something Falin was thrilled about, Toshiro is disgusted. He threatens to kill Laios and turn Marcille in, which would never fly with Falin. His anger at the use of black magic is entirely based in his selfish idea of Falin being tainted and blaming Laios and Marcille for "ruining" his attempt to rescue her, as Kabru points out that Toshiro would have done the exact same thing in their shoes and that he's being a hypocrite. To say nothing of how he'd rather kill Falin after she's been transformed and "put her to rest" rather than put any effort into saving her, because that would require further involvement from Laios and Marcille and methods that Toshiro doesn't approve of.

And there's the fight he has with Laios, and Toshiro's subsequent confession that he had hoped to just take Falin home with him. He at no point gives consideration to what Falin feels or what she might want, only what he has decided about her based on the most surface level observation. Just like how his problem with Laios arises from his refusal to just talk to him about his boundaries, he has no actual connection with the woman he claims to love because he just wouldn't actually talk to her.

Like it's not a coincidence that every time his attraction to Falin is brought up, another character goes "yeah he's being weird about it".

[red-riot-unbreakable-heart]

Shoto Todoroki x Reader | First Kiss ❄️🔥💋 PART 7

Previous Chapter: Part 6 | Next Chapter: Coming Soon!

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Ship: Shoto Todoroki x Fem Reader! 💋

Genre: Fluff, Romance, S*xual Tension, Smut

🚫🔞THIS IS AN ADULT BLOG CONTAINING EXPLICIT CONTENT. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, A18+ ONLY.🔞🚫

CW: MDNI!, A18+, kissing, romance, sexual tension, spicy scenes, lemon. This chapter is very tame compared to the others!

Link to My Master List

The Party

You all rush back to the 1A dorm, your laughter spilling into the crisp night air as you congratulate each other for coming up with such a genius plan. You all trust Hatsume to do her part here – after all, she is the prodigy of the Support Course! At this point, Mineta doesn’t really have a choice but to participate – he’s already in way too deep (Or too high, for that matter).

You spread your arms wide as you run, the inky black sky above you blinking with a smattering of golden stars. It feels good to be young and reckless. You cackle as Monoma reaches out and grabs your hand, holding out his other to Toru. She takes it (or you assume she does – it’s hard to tell in the dark), and you feel Mina’s fingers interlace with your free hand. The four of you must look wild – a group of Japan’s most promising heroes in training locking hands and laughing under a perfect evening sky. You want to freeze this moment in your mind – take a snapshot and tuck it into the golden locket of your heart.

When you finally reach the dorm building, the four of you are breathless and wheezing. The rush of being young and pulling off a crazy scheme continues to pump through your veins as you take the stairs two at a time. When you finally reach the common area, your breath catches in your throat as you take in the scene.

It looks fabulous.

You have successfully blacked out the windows, causing the space to feel cozy but oddly illicit. Shoto has leant some of his expensive throw blankets to the cause - the navy woven squares are scattered across the room. Each blanket has been tastefully draped across the backs of the couches. Shoji and Tokoyami have arrived early, and are using their quirks to string up fairy lights around the space. The tiny lights give the space a warm, soft glow that fills your heart with an odd nostalgia. It looks like a picture book or a Pinterest board – fabulously cozy and sweet. You long for Shoto – it would be so saccharine to snuggle up to him under the tiny, blinking lights.

“Where did you get those!?” Mina says in awe, pointing at the lovely lights as Dark Shadow fastens the cord to a window frame.

“Hatsume from the Support Course popped by earlier and passed them along. I guess she developed them for underground missions or search and rescue? They’re super sturdy - battery powered and non-flammable.” Shoji says, tapping a fairy light bulbs with one of his dupliarm fingers. “So far they haven’t shown any sign of exploding or anything, so we figured it would be safe enough to hang them up.”

“They’re so cute!” Toru squeals, dancing around the room with her invisible arms thrown wide as she takes in the space. “This looks incredible guys!”

“Thanks again for all of your help!” you say to the guys (and Dark Shadow, of course!). As they finish hanging up the lights and grab seats on the couches. Dark Shadow is careful handling the lights, but given you’re all in a safe space his strength doesn’t really matter.

“It’s an honor to be part of this illicit evening.” Tokoyami says stoically, Dark Shadow grinning above him.

The Shadow butts in with his quivery voice. “Fumikage wants to kiss a girl tonight!”

If the bird boy could blush, his cheeks would be on fire right now.

“Dark Shadow!” He admonishes, pinching the bridge of his beak with two fingers.

“What!? I’m only telling the truth!” Dark Shadow squawks out, shrugging his staticky arms towards the heavens as he smiles mischievously.

“Oh really!?” Mina sidles up to where Tokoyami is perched on the edge of a couch cushion. “And what lucky lady’s caught your eye?”

“It’s no one’s concern!” Tokoyami refuses to look at Mina or to meet her gaze.

Dark Shadow buzzes excitedly in between the two and whispers conspiratorially into Mina’s ear. “He has a little crush on Tsu!”

“DARK SHADOW THAT IS ENOUGH!” Tokoyami says loudly, shoving his hands in his pockets as he gets to his feet. “We’re going to go back to my room until you decide you can behave.” He stomps off to the dorms, Dark Shadow hovering behind him and shooting Mina a thumbs up.

“Well that would certainly be an interesting couple!” She says impishly, rubbing her hands together.

“Mina.” You say, rolling your eyes. “Cut it out with the match making – we’ve got a secret party to pull off!”

“Fine, fine.” She waves you off, making her way to the kitchen to set up the booze.  “Come on, guys. The party planners get the first drink of the night!” You and Toru cheer as you follow her to the kitchen.

“Nieto, Shoji – you want drinks?” You call over your shoulder, watching as Nieto takes the seat next to Shoji and starts up a conversation about Present Mic’s latest English lesson. They both shake their heads.

“I think Koda’s bringing some soda and ice tea – I’ll wait for that.” Nieto says, throwing you a peace sign. For the billionth time, you wonder when he became so damn loveable. Never in a million years would you picture yourself getting close to the blonde haired idiot.

In the kitchen, Mina and Toru are measuring out their glass bottle of booze – pouring small amounts into red, yellow and blue solo cups. “Guess who bought the paper goods?” Mina smirks as you reach for a cup.

“It was Midoriya, wasn’t it?” You swish around the amber liquid in your distinctively All Might colored cup.

“Bingo.” Mina takes a swig from her own cup and makes a face. “This’ll take some getting used to – hey! Sip it slow, Toru!” Mina admonishes as Toru downs her cup in a few gulps. You both look at her incredulously.

“What? I thought it would be better to get it over with! But yuck it burnsssss!” She squeals, crinkling the yellow cup in her invisible hand.

You sniff at your own cup – the scent is strong. You’ve sipped alcohol before at fancy family parties when your parents have allowed, but you’ve never had a full cup to yourself. You take a tentative sip and aren’t surprised when you agree with Toru – the stuff definitely burns on the way down. You make a “yuck” face. Maybe you’ll just stick to soda tonight.

You place your cup on the kitchen counter and reach for a bag of chips. You easily pop open the bag and start pouring the crisps into a large bowl to place out for the crowd.

“Okay. So Sato’s bringing desserts, Koda’s handling soft drinks, Shinsou’s handled the playlist…” You rattle off, slipping your phone out of your pocket to check your notes app to remind yourself of everyone’s rolls and responsibilities. You have a text from Shoto – you open it up to reveal a photo of his new whale plush.

Shoto: Kuchihiro is ready to party.

He’s added a disco ball emoji and you feel insanely proud of him for using emoji’s so liberally these days.

“You’re making that face at your phone again.” Mina snickers.

“What face?” You say, closing your phone and putting it back in your pocket. “I don’t make any phone faces!”

“You so do.” Toru says, draping her arms around Mina’s shoulders. “Lately you have this goofy lovesick look whenever you open up your phone.”

“I do not!” You say defensively, trying to laugh it off as heat floods your cheeks.

“Whatever you say!” Mina says brightly, rolling her eyes as she opens up a bag of pretzels and pours it out into another brightly colored bowl. “Let’s get back to your list…so Shinsou’s handling music, the guys have snacks and drinks covered. Oh! And entertainment will be MC’ed by yours truly!” Mina says, closing her eyes and posing dramatically with her cup of booze. Her tiny horns quiver in excitement.

“How could I forget that.” You say, rolling your eyes. Internally, you’re grateful for the change in subject. You don’t know how much longer you can keep Shoto a secret from your girlfriends. It’s so tempting to spill every juicy detail of your hookups to Toru and Mina. You long to tell them about the way he kisses, the dirty (and sweet!) things he’s been known to say in bed, how the velvety weight of his cock feels in your palm when you get him off…But no. Not right now. There’s too much at stake with UA’s no-dating policy. The less people who know, the better.

Focus on the party, dammit.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening!” Toru shrieks, doing a little jig around the kitchen.

“Alright guys – remember Hatsume is gonna buy us as much time as she can. That being said, we need to keep an eye on the clock and on our phones. It’s likely we won’t get a ton of warning if one of the teachers catches wind of our party and decides to bust us. Is everyone’s phone charged!?”

Mina and Toru both hold up their phones �� at 85% and 25% battery, respectively.

“Toru!” You cry out, scooping her phone out of her hands and plugging it in to a nearby wall charger.

“What!? You and Mina have phones. Everyone in the dorm has phones! We’re fiiiiinnnneeee.” She draws out her last word and smacks her lips at the end. Oh, god. The alcohol is already kicking in. “Just three hot ladies against the world!” She cheers twirling. You and Mina lock eyes and Mina hesitantly puts her drink down on the counter. It’s probably best if you’re both sober to pull off this plan.

A few moments later Sato, Koda and a girl you don’t recognize join you in the kitchen. The animal hero holds quite the collection of beverages in his broad arms – iced teas, sodas, and lemonades catch your eye. He smiles happily as you help relieve him of the drinks, thanking him profusely.

Sato’s stacking tupperwares and trays of baked goods up on the counter – the heavenly scents of brownies, layer cakes and cookies dance across the room. Toru bounces around in excitement and praises the boys for bringing the provisions.

Mina pulls the mystery girl over towards you and Toru. The girl is rather pretty – she’s average height with long, glossy black hair that falls past her shoulders. She’s wearing a lovely light pink sweater embroidered with purple tulips. It pairs nicely with her flared blue jeans and tiny floral belt.

“Girls! I’d like you to meet Fumiko Fujita, my new friend from General Studies!” Mina waves her hands enthusiastically and points at the terrified Fujita, who’s biting her lip and looking at the ground. “She’s a little shy, but she’s excited to join the party and get to know everyone! Mind entertaining her for a sec while I go ask Shoji to hang up some streamers?”

“Uh…sure. What’s up?” You say uncertainly as Mina skips away to the other room. Who the hell is this chick?

The poor girl’s grey eyes dart up at you and Toru before she looks back at the ground.

“Hey.” She says quietly, thumbing at the edge of her sleeves anxiously. You take mercy on the poor nervous girl.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m Y/N, and this is Toru Hagakure.” You say, taking a step back to give her some space.

“Hey there!” Toru bubbles excitedly, hiccupping a bit at the end. “Mina didn’t mention anyone from General Studies would be coming. Do you know our friend Shinsou?”

Fujita glances up at Toru and seems to relax when she registers that your friend is completely invisible.

“We were in separate classes. He ended up transferring into Class 1A, right?” She has a lovely voice – soft and sweet.

“Yes, he did recently. We’ve just started training with him and he’s really great!” You say, trying to keep the conversation flowing. “He’s told us a bit about the General Studies program and it sounds like you guys get to learn a little bit of everything which is super cool. I heard you recently did a work-studies with leading companies across Japan. How was that?”

Immediately she perks up and her eyes brighten as she babbles about participating in a work-study with a leading Hero PR Firm up North. She’s really quite likeable once the dialogue gets going. You get the feeling that she thought all you Hero Course students you would likely be pompous jerks. You’re more than happy to prove her wrong.

You chat for a few more minutes, asking questions about her experience in the General Studies course and about her passion for Hero media. Toru adds in a tipsy comment here and there, and a few minutes later the three of you are giggling like good friends.

“Sorry I was so nervous earlier – I’ve never really spoken to anyone in the hero course.” Fujita says genially as she accepts a cup of iced tea from a wobbly Toru. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. But you all are…well, normal people.”

“Why wouldn’t we be!?” Toru asks in surprise. Fujita looks away and blushes, embarrassed.

“I dunno…sometimes when the other courses talk about you guys they make it sound like the hero course is full of self centered powerful jerks. I think a lot of people in General Studies are jealous because they didn’t make the cut for the hero program.” She says thoughtfully, sipping from her cup.

“Is that how you feel?” You ask, feeling a bit hurt those other students in the school feel so poorly about your class.

“No, not really. I was never aiming for the Hero track. I applied directly to General Studies so I can learn about all aspects of the hero world and take classes in both the Business and Support programs. Plus this school has the best student library in the country. Actually, that’s where I met Mina.” She says thoughtfully.

“Aw it makes me feel bad that the other courses think we’re jerks.” Toru says sadly, draped over the kitchen counter. 

“Not everyone does! Just a few.” Fujita assures her, reaching to grab a handful of pretzels from the bowl. “More than anything I was intimidated to come to the party since I don’t really know anyone.”

“That’s valid.” You nod, grabbing a few pretzels yourself. “So did Mina invite you to meet new friends, or…?” You’re honestly not really sure why Fujita is here. You’re happy for the company and to meet new UA students, but it seems kind of random that Mina wouldn’t encourage the girl to bring along friends from the Support Course.

And, speak of the Devil! Mina appears – a blur of pink as she dashes towards you all and grabs Fujita by the shoulders, causing her to squeal in surprise.

“Come on Fumiko! We need to go prep – I have a list for you just like you asked!” Mina steers the girl out of the kitchen and towards the common room, which is rapidly filling with students from classes A and B. She gives you and Toru a wave and a wink as she frog marches Fujita out of the space.

“…a list?” Toru wonders as she takes another sip from her cup.

“She’s definitely up to something.” You say to your invisible friend, watching Mina pull the General Studies Course girl to an empty corner of the room to whisper conspiratorially at her. Toru giggles and hiccups next to you, drooping back across the kitchen counter. You sigh and pour her a glass of water.

Class A has begun to filter into the common area, with guests from Class B coming in one at a time in order to avoid raising suspicion amongst the UA faculty and staff.

You wave to Midoriya as he arrives with Ochaco and Tsu. Tokoyami eventually re-emerges from his room and joins the party alongside Eijiro and Momo. Everyone is dressed to the nines – wearing their nicest little outfits and smiling widely. The girls are all done up in makeup the likes of which can never be worn in the classroom or in combat practice. Everyone has a happy glow about them – excited to be part of a fun evening in.

You grin as you join the group, passing around bowls of snacks and welcoming people in.

“Wow, you guys have really outdone yourselves!” Ochaco cries happily as she accepts a bowl of chips. “I know I was discouraging the party idea in the beginning, but honestly I’m so glad you ignored me and went through with this! It feels like it’s gonna be a fun night!”

“And you even got Class B to come out for this, ribbit.” Tsu adds, waving at a cluster of Class B students sitting on one of the couches. “This will be great for Hero Course morale.”

You smile and happily accept their compliments, excited to see where the night takes you all.

And that’s when you see Shoto Todoroki enter the room.

Your mouth is practically watering as you take him in - he looks incredible. He’s traded his usual sweatpants/t-shirt combo for a pair of khaki chinos that nip in to accentuate his delightfully narrow waist. His beautiful pale skin stands out in contrast with his navy blue polo shirt. It looks cozy like it’s made of a comfy textured sweatery material. He looks so goddamn delicious and slutty in this little outfit that you wish you could whisk him away to your room and make him cum all over again.

As if the outfit wasn’t enough, there’s this…

… Shoto is wearing his self proclaimed “Squirtle Squad” sunglasses inside.

You have to stifle a laugh as you realize he’s wearing the glasses he bought for himself and his whale plush as a bit. The sunglasses look completely normal (definitely RayBans or some other fancy pants brand that only a Todoroki could afford). But you know he’s wearing them for you as a continuation of the joke. This makes it even better – Shoto is far too practical to needlessly wear sunglasses indoors. It’s almost as if he’s flaunting your connection out in the open for everyone to see. It makes your heart warm and fuzzy and a laugh bubbles up out of you despite yourself.

Hagakure turns to you with interest. “What are you giggling about girl?”

You can’t help yourself – you subtly point at Todoroki as he steps into the common area, looking stylish and cool with that typical neutral expression of his.

“Ohmygod!” Toru lets out in a rush. “Todoroki is looking like a snack tonight! Hubba hubba!” She grabs onto you and shakes you a few times.

“Toru, you need another glass of water.” You say, laughing as you disentangle yourself from her invisible arms.

“I am perfectly sober again, thank you very much!” She huffs, pulling away from you so she can keep staring at Shoto. “Todoroki wearing that cunty little outfit sobered me right up.” This comment has you absolutely wheezing with laughter.

“I’m gonna go say hi to him and ask why he’s wearing sunglasses inside.” You tell her, sauntering your way towards Shoto.

When you make it across the room to greet him, he’s leaning over a bowl of pretzels, carefully selecting the most pristine, unbroken pretzel stick he can find. You give him a moment, watching as he chooses a pretzel and raises it to his sunglasses-covered eyes to examine it closely. It must pass whatever visual test Shoto is performing, because he pops it into his mouth and starts to chew.

You stare for a millisecond at the way his strong shoulders shift beneath the cozy sweater material of his shirt. You long to run your hands across him so you can feel the hard muscles of his back. Ugh if only you could peel that shirt off of him so you could kiss each sharp divot of his spine. You recall earlier the way his back had trembled against your bare chest as you’d jerked him off in your lap. Maybe the two of you could sneak off somewhere and do that again…

You shake yourself from your daydream and reach up to tap him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey there, stranger.” You say behind him. He turns to you and - despite the mouthful of pretzel – he beams. His entire body practically lights up as your eyes meet. You want to tell him to cool it – stop being so goddamn beautiful and looking at you so openly where everyone can see.

“I see we have a card carrying member of the Squirtle Squad in our midst this fine evening.” You say, crossing your arms with a smirk. His smile grows impossibly wider and he flips up the sunglasses to rest on top of his head. The motion pulls his bangs up in a way that would make most men look goofy. But on Todoroki, the hairstyle is devastatingly hot.

“You caught me.” He says quietly. “I even wore blue. Have you ever heard of cosplaying? I just learned of it on the internet this morning. I’m cosplaying as Squirtle.”

Oh this sweet baby boy. His eyes glint with excitement and you wish you could pull him into a hug he’s being so soft and open with you right now. You settle for something simpler. You reach your hand out to the pretzel bowl, letting your pinky brush against his as you fish out a broken pretzel stick. He shivers at the contact. You bet he’s half-hard in those tight pants of his. You shake your head quickly, trying to clear it of your horny thoughts. You try not to think about what’s under his attractive clothes – it would be ideal to make it through this night with dry panties, after all.

“I have heard of cosplaying! Just wait until I take you to a Comic Con, Shoto. I’m gonna blow your mind.” You tease, giving him a tiny wink. You quickly reevaluate your surroundings to make sure no one is seeing how downright flirty you’re being with Todoroki.

“You already did this morning.” He admits, cheeks rosy with a blush. “You seem to find new ways to blow my mind almost daily.” He absentmindedly adjusts the sunglasses holding back his two toned hair.

“You better get used to it.” You intone softly. Izuku, Ochaco and Tsuyu make their way towards you to greet Todoroki. You quickly take a step backwards from Shoto to put some distance between the two of you. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

“Woah, Todoroki! Nice sunglasses!” Izuku Midoriya is bouncing on his heels with excitement as he makes his way towards you and Shoto. Your private conversation comes to a quick halt, Shoto purposefully taking a few steps apart from you as well so that no one will sense your mutual attraction.

Midoriya is eager to chat with Shoto and ask his opinion on the latest battle strategy class your class has undergone. Shoto eagerly sinks his teeth into the topic. He’s told you multiple times of his admiration for Midoriya and of how highly he values their friendship. You smile softly and let them yap, taking the opportunity to make your way back to Toru with Ochaco and Tsu in tow.

“Do you plan on playing Spin The Bottle tonight, Tsu?” Ochaco asks, munching on a few pretzel sticks she’s snagged from Shoto’s pretzel bowl. “I’m undecided!”

Tsu blushes a light pink and holds her face in her hands. “I don’t know if I’m ready for something like that, ribbit. And I like all of our classmates, but it would be awkward to kiss someone for the first time in front of the whole entire class.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Ochaco says, finishing her last bite of pretzel. “I would be a little embarrassed! But there’s something kind of thrilling about the game, ya know?” She turns her face towards you. “What about you, Y/N? You think you’ll play?”

“Mina, Toru and I have been planning this party for so long, that it would be weird if I didn’t play!” You laugh, waving Toru over to your group. She’s a little ways ahead chatting up Ojiro.

“If you could choose anyone in the class to kiss, who would it be? Who do you hope gets picked for you?” Ochaco is bouncing excitedly at your side. She’s just as bad as Toru tonight – so much enthusiasm and teenage horniness.

“Huh.” You say, trying not to let your eyes stray towards Shoto. “You know, I really haven’t thought about it.” You quickly try to divert the conversation to another topic. “Did you know that Shoji and Tokoyami did most of the decorating in here?”

“They did a great job!” Tsu says, admiring the many streamers and decorations that the boys have hung up. “Tokoyami is so talented with that Dark Shadow of his, ribbit!” Hmm, interesting. Seems like Tokoyami’s crush on Tsu may not be totally one sided. You smile lightly as Toru skips towards you all.

“Ojiro better be my Spin The Bottle kiss!” She whispers urgently to the three of you. “He’s looking like an absolute snack in those corduroy pants. It would be a shame for them to stay on him the entire night.”

“Toru!” You squeal, scandalized alongside Tsu and Ochaco.

“What!?” Toru laughs mischievously. “I’m just saying – an ass that fine deserves to be admired up close. Naked. And I volunteer as tribute!”

“Oh my God!” Ochaco laughs. “I didn’t realize Spin The Bottle involves booty!”

“Just my version!” Toru cackles as she turns to look at Ojiro over her shoulder. “I am going to absolutely wreck him someday. Tail and all.”

This conversation is making you feel hot around the collar. You change the subject quickly for all of your sakes. “Ochaco…who would you choose to kiss? Midoriya, right?” You side eye your friend as she blushes and stammers.

“Oh I don’t know about that! W-we’re just good friends!” She plays with her hair, un-tucking and than re-tucking her bangs behind her ears.

“Good friends can kiss!” Toru says loudly, and you roll your eyes as you glance around for some water you can pour down her throat.

The four of you chat and giggle together as other classmates continue to roll into the party. Snacks are being passed around and the overall atmosphere is jovial. Members of Classes A and B are mixing nicely, and you realize with a start that there has never really been an opportunity for the two classes to get together and just socialize before. All of your interactions are for training or competition purposes. This is the first time you’ve all really been able to let loose and mingle.

Eventually, Neito comes to join the little group. He laughs and teases and jokes alongside you all as if he’s always been a part of the crew. It’s as if the past few months of teasing and goading Class A have never happened. You notice that he’s bouncing around with a frenetic energy, constantly craning his neck to see over the crowd. You guess he’s nervous and waiting for a curtained purple haired Shinsou to make an appearance.

When Shinsou does finally make his way into the common room, you’re the first to see him. He strides into the room with a bored look on his face. His expression instantly brightens as classmates across the room shout greetings.

“Shinsou, my man!” Kamanari shoots him finger guns from across the room where he’s chatting with Jirou and Tokoyami.

“Hey Shinsou!” Izuku calls out with a wave from where he’s still deep in conversation with Shoto.

You watch a small smile stretch across Shinsou’s face and you recall what he was like when your class first met him – a shy guy convinced he needed to be a loner. It’s funny how much he’s grown in such a short time. He’s now on friendly terms with almost everyone, waving and sharing greetings with the bulk of Class A and B and he makes his way through the crowd.

You notice something else important, too - Shinsou looks…hot.

Wow, you’ve totally never noticed how attractive he is before. He’s all angles and brooding, but in a kind of slutty way!? He glides through the room surveying the scene with intense, sleepy eyes framed by thick lashes. He’s wearing a slouchy oversized sweater that accentuates his broad shoulders in just the right way. His black skinny jeans pull a bit at his thighs – he’s clearly bulked up a lot in the past few months that he’s been in the hero course. It looks as if he hasn’t gotten around to buying new clothes to fit his more muscular frame. His jeans tuck down into dark purple high top vans.

You can’t help but stare. Huh. You’ve only really seen him in various school uniforms. You’ve never taken care to wonder how Hitoshi Shinsou dresses himself for a social outing. And now here he is, looking like some skater out of an American high school dramedy.

You glance over at Monoma and he’s clearly spotted Shinso as well. He’s practically got heart eyes as he drinks in Shinsou’s emo outfit. As Ochaco, Toru and Tsu discuss Mount Lady’s latest city rescue in detail, Neito leans down to whisper in your ear.

“God. He’s looking absolutely sinful.” He chews on his thumbnail absently as he watches Shinsou scoop up a handful of chips while he chats with Momo. “I’ve never seen him gel his hair like that before. It looks so…good.” Neito chokes a bit on the last word.

“You’d better get it together.” You whisper back conspiratorially. “Go and talk to him about the playlist or something.”

Neito’s eyes brighten and he nods furiously. “Yes. Of course. You’re a genius. Let’s get this show on the road.” He rolls back his shoulders and rearranges his facial features into something akin to confidence. You’re hit with a sudden realization.

“Neito were you…a theater kid in middle school!?” You chuckle as he readies himself to go greet his crush.

He shoots you a look. “Now is not the time for me to regale you with tales of how I played Link Larkin in my middle school’s production of Hairspray.” This dramatic bastard. He takes a moment to stretch and shake out his muscles, eyes focused across the room on an oblivious Shinsou. You stifle a laugh. “Shut up! I’m mustering strength to go seduce the man of my dreams!” Neito snaps at you, but he’s grinning.

“You’ve got this.” You say to him under your breath, giving him two thumbs up.

He puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes lightly. “Here’s hoping!”

“Alright ladies. I’ll see you in a bit for the main event!” He says briskly to your group, waving goodbye to the four of you as he strides across the room on long legs.

You watch him approach Shinsou with his usual “Phantom Thief” bravado. You never realized how much Monoma is truly faking his confidence. Up until now, you truly thought he was some sort of wild psychopath who lived to make everyone’s lives a little difficult. But now you know the true Monoma – the anxious teen who doesn’t believe he truly deserves to be in the hero course. The classmate who is trying way too hard to overcompensate for what he views is a “lesser” quirk.

Shinsou’s mouth quirks up at the corner as Monoma comes into his line of sight. The blonde cracks a joke and gestures expansively at the room before throwing an arm around Shinsou’s broad shoulders. You guess he’s probably making a comment about how Class A thinks they have the best dorm or something like that. To your surprise, Shinsou laughs at whatever Monoma is saying. His face is open, his expression light. He looks up at Monoma with soft eyes. Huh, maybe there’s a chance for that Class B weirdo after all.

Neito approaches Hitoshi with a loose wave that he hopes is oozing confidence. Momo waves goodbye as she’s forcibly pulled away from Shinsou by Kamanari (whos’ ranting about needing her opinion on some tea). Neito is grateful that the interruption has left Shinsou wonderfully alone.

“Ah, is that my eternal vampire lover? Finally come to collect what’s his?” Neito jokes as he rolls up to greet his purple haired friend. He stretches his arms up and gestures at their classmates around the room. “These folks have no idea that we are the masterminds behind Cloak and Dagger Melodies.” Hitoshi smirks and Neito decides to push his luck. He slings an arm around Shinsou’s strong shoulders.

Hitoshi smiles at him, eyes soft. “If I was a vampire, I’d have drained you of blood a long time ago.” He mutters in that gravely tone of his.

Fuck. Hot tendrils of arousal shoot straight through Neito’s gut in response to that little comment. His brain short-circuits as he pictures Hitoshi’s sharp canines biting into the delicate skin of his neck.

“You ready to rock this place?” Hitoshi says, a little louder. He digs his hand into his back pocked and pulls out his phone. He swipes it open and pulls up the Cloak and Dagger Melodies Spotify playlist in a swift motion. Neito watches from over his shoulder, arm still wrapped around Hitoshi and his plush oversized sweater.

“No passcode security on your phone? My, Hitoshi, you like to live dangerously.” Neito quips flirtily.

Hitoshi’s eyes flicker up to meet Neito’s. “I have nothing to hide.” He says softly, flicking his thumb across the screen and opening up “Settings.” “What’s the name of Mina’s speaker?”

“Oh – it’s, uh, the one you’d expect it to be.” Neito says in a strained voice, pointing at the phone screen. Hitoshi looks down at the list of Bluetooth devices ready to connect and his eyebrows quirk upwards.

“You can’t be serious.” He says, disbelieving.

“I’m afraid I am.” Neito says somberly.

Hitoshi selects the device labeled “EijirosThiccBootyCheeks” and hits connect. His phone instantly pairs with the speaker. Perfect timing - Eijiro Kirishima walks by and greets them both with an easy smile on his way to the kitchen. As he strides away, Hitoshi and Neito’s eyes linger on his backside. Kirishima’s tight fitting jeans accentuate the plump curve of his ass, which bounces a bit with his springy steps.

“Christ.” Hitoshi chortles into his free hand, barely able to hold back a bark of gravely laughter. “He really does have ‘thicc booty cheeks.’”

Neito slides his arm off of his friend’s shoulders so he can stifle his own laughter. Once Kirishima is fully out of sight they dissolve into giggles, gasping for air each time they lock eyes with each other.

“Mina really is too much.” Hitoshi says once they’ve calmed down a bit. “She better get to kiss the hell out of Kirishima tonight during Spin the Bottle. If she doesn’t, even I’ll be disappointed.” He opens up Spotify again and kicks off the playlist. Music swells from the speaker on one of the common room tables, adding a sweet ambiance to the room full of chattering students.

“Yeah it’s crazy those two haven’t become a couple already. They’ve been pining for each other for what seems like forever.” Neito says, patting the wrinkles out of his button down as he comes down from his laughter high.

Hitoshi catches his eye meaningfully. “It’s funny, I feel like there’s a lot of mutual pining going on in the Hero Course lately.”

Neito doesn’t know what to say. He can’t piece together if Hitoshi is referring to the two of them, or if he’s talking about the other almost-couples in Class A: Jirou and Kamanari, Izuku and Uraraka…

He opens up his mouth to ask Hitoshi to clarify what he means, but is interrupted by - “Hey guys, do you want some bevvies!?” Toru appears out of seemingly nowhere, bearing two half-full All Might solo cups smelling strongly of alcohol.

Hitoshi shakes his head no. “I think I’m gonna grab some coffee from the kitchen. I could use the caffeine.”

“I’ll probably have another iced tea. But thanks, Toru.” Neito says warmly. She nods (well, based on her body language one can assume she’s nodding her invisible head in understanding) and moves on to the next group to pass around her drinks.

“You’ve certainly seemed to hit it off with Mina, Y/N and Toru lately.” Hitoshi says thoughtfully, smiling smugly at Neito. “I guess us Class A folks aren’t as bad as you made us out to be, yeah?”

Neito makes a show of crossing his arms. He puts on a theatrical scowl for a moment, then drops it. “Honestly…it’s been really nice. I feel like I can be myself around them. Like how I am with you. You all have a weird way of making me feel…less insecure about myself. I don’t need to posture or put on a show for you guys.” Neito looks at the ground, a bit embarrassed. He wasn’t expecting to get so vulnerable out in the open, in the middle of Class A’s common room.

Hitoshi’s still smiling when Neito looks up to meet his eyes. His mouth looks so impossibly soft – Neito wishes he could just lean in and press a kiss to Shinsou’s perfect cupid’s bow.

“I like seeing you like this. You deserve friends who bring out the best in you.” Hitoshi says simply, pocketing his phone. Neito doesn’t have time to react before Hitoshi grabs his sleeve and pulls him in the direction of the kitchen. “Now come on, let’s get some caffeine before Mina starts wrangling everyone up for her screwy little game.”

As Hitoshi pulls him through the crowd, thumb brushing softly against his wrist, Neito feels like he may be in something close to heaven.

Everyone is munching on the chips and pretzels, chatting and laughing. Toru has been passing around small cups of liquor in regular intervals until the bottle is completely empty. When it’s split between all of the people at the party, the alcohol doesn’t really amount to enough to make anyone truly drunk. It’s almost everyone’s first experience with drinking, and a few of your classmates are buzzed and giggly.

As everyone continues to socialize, Mina and Toru work together to peel off the liquor bottle’s dark label. When they’re done, you use a liberal amount of cheap dish soap to rinse and clean out the glass bottle in the communal kitchen sink. You roll up your sleeves to avoid soaking them in the hot, soapy water as you try to get all of the sticky label residue off of the smooth glass. When you’re finally done, Neito holds out a helpful hand, taking the bottle from you so he can towel it dry.

Hitoshi sits on the kitchen counter with his long legs crossed. He’s sipping on a hot cup of coffee, an amused smirk on his face as he watches you all prep and pass the bottle around reverently. From time to time he turns to ask a question to Fujita, who is perched on the counter top next to him. She’s babbling animatedly about what his old class is up to in General Studies, and he seems more than happy to add to the conversation whenever she pauses for a breath.

It’s nice, having all of your friends new and old gathered together in the small space. The conversation flows easily and there is a warm buzz of familiarity and fun hanging in the air. Neito finishes drying off the bottle and holds it up to the light, grinning at you. His eyes flicker over to Hitoshi and his smile squiggles nervously.

Finally, Mina turns to all of you in the kitchen. She claps her hands together like she’s about to pray. She looks up at you all over her steepled fingers and says in an ominous tone.

“Fam. It is time.”

Ten minutes later, most of Classes A and B has been wrangled into a vague circle formation in the common room. Chairs have been dragged into the mix, but most of your friends are sitting on the floor. Those who don’t want to participate directly but are eager to witness the game stand on the sidelines in small pockets. 

You sit with Toru and Fujita from General Studies to your right. Neito and Hitoshi sit on your left. Everyone is buzzing with energy and maybe a teensy bit of alcohol.

Mina, of course, is at the center of everything. Her bright pink skin naturally draws all attention onto her. She brings up her hand to signal for everyone to stop talking, and unsurprisingly the whole crowd listens. She’s got a natural aptitude for leadership, making her an ideal future hero.

“Here are the rules!” Mina holds the bottle above her head like it’s a sacred trophy. “Each round, one person will be chosen to spin the bottle. If you get picked, you’ll stand in the center of the circle and lay the bottle on the ground and give it a hard spin. Whoever the bottle points to, you’ve gotta kiss. Seems easy enough, right?” She grins broadly at all of you, bouncing on her toes in excitement.

“What if we don’t want to kiss someone in the group?” Sero asks skeptically, raising his hand. “Can we get another spin?”

Mina’s eyes flash as she turns to him. “Nope. By joining this circle, you consent to kiss whoever the bottle chooses – no redoes. Of course, you can say no at anytime and bow out of the game. But once the bottle is spun, you don’t get another try.”

“Fair enough.” Sero concedes, settling back into his seat.

“Here’s an important rule - we’re all going to be respectful of each other here. Don’t make things weird – no groping, no butt grabbing, and no tongue. Just because someone kisses you during the game, doesn’t mean they have feelings for you or owe you anything else. Got it?” Mina gives you all an intense look and the group nods in unison. “I’ll serve as the master of ceremonies and select each spinner. We ready to rock and roll?”

“I think we need a demonstration!” Denki calls out from across the circle, eyes bright with mischief. He practically crackles with electricity as he calls out in a teasing tone “Why don’t you go first, Miss ‘Master of Ceremonies’?”

Mina smiles back, all game. “Of course. Watch and learn, everybody.” She saunters to the center of the circle and makes a show of placing the bottle on the ground. She bends over lithely, shaking her ass as she does so. A few people wolf whistle and she turns to give you and Toru a conspiratorial wink. She’s such a showman its ridiculous. You briefly wonder whom she’ll get. Will she be disappointed when the bottle doesn’t land on Eijiro? After all, the odds of having the bottle land on your first choice has got to be slim to none…

She gives the bottle a wicked spin and the game is officially afoot. The glass bottle whizzes across the hardwood floor as everyone watches, captivated. It spins for longer than you expected, turning end over end before it finally seems to start losing momentum. Everyone in the room seems to be holding his or her breath, eyes on the bottle as it skitters to the left and then stops dead…right in front of Eijiro Kirishima.

If Kirishima is surprised by this turn of events, he doesn’t show it. He grins up at Mina as he gets to his feet.

“Weren’t you teasin’ me earlier about this, hoping you’d get to kiss me?” He says loud enough for everyone to hear. Mina smiles and shrugs. You see her glance quickly at the General Studies girl then back up at Eijiro. Huh, strange.

“So, how chivalrous are you going to be right now?” She says slyly, inching towards him on tiptoes. He laughs and leans down to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. The gesture is so gentle and caring that it makes you envious. You wish that Shoto would kiss you like that in front of all of your classmates.

“Good enough for the game?” He asks as he stands back upright. He’s flushed as he looks down at her with bright eyes, his mouth quirked up in a shark toothed grin.

Mina looks up at him, eyes half lidded. She smiles slightly as she shakes her head no.

“Sorry, Eijiro. We need to kick off this game with a little more spice!” Mina cries out dramatically, moving back towards her classmate.

“Wha-?” Kirishima doesn’t have time to react – Mina’s throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the mouth with gusto. Eijiro’s eyes are wide with shock, but after a second he’s kissing her back sweetly. His hands come up to cradle her face so he can kiss her better. It’s a kiss that feels too special - like it should be private.

The whole thing lasts maybe 15 seconds, and then Mina breaks the kiss and hops away as if she’s been electrified. Everyone cheers and she shakes her head as she comes back to herself. After a shaky breath, she takes a sweeping bow.

Kirishima, however, is standing in the center of the circle looking uncomfortable and lost. “Oh jeez that was so embarrassing Mina!” He practically whines out, covering his blushing face with his hands.

“What are you talking about!? Letting a girl kiss you is super manly.” Mina calls out above the roar of the crowd. She leans in closer to him and whispers a quick “Sorry Eij.”

He shakes her off and goes back to take his seat, blushing the whole way and avoiding her eye contact. Midoriya pats him on the shoulder empathetically, and all of the other guys are clearly glad they weren’t chosen first.

“So that’s how it’s done!” Mina glances guiltily at Eijiro before grabbing the bottle off the ground. She waves it in the air enticingly. “Who’s next?” She scans the crowd of classmates before deciding on her first victim. “Kaminari, how about you?”

Denki looks up with a start and points to himself. “Me?” He’s now also patting Kirishima consolingly on the back. “Why not Sero? Look at him – he’s dying to be chosen!”

Everyone turns to look at Sero. The long haired boy is absentmindedly scrolling through Tumblr on his phone. Feeling eyes on him, he blinks up at the group in surprise: “What?”

“He’s not even paying attention!” Mina points at Sero accusatorily with the bottle. “Jeez Sero. Leave the circle if you’re not gonna engage.” She turns back to Denki, hands on her hips. “You’re always bragging about what a suave ladies man you are…so why not put your money where your mouth is?”

“Ugh, fiiiiine.” Kamanari groans, making a show of getting to his feet. He stretches catlike before reaching out to grab the bottle. He shuffles slowly to the center of the circle, grumbling all the way. His face gets a bit pale when he realizes that everyone’s eyes are eagerly watching him. Ever the little attention whore, he quickly shakes his nerves off and gives the bottle a gentle spin. It clatters on the floor and turns around lazily a few times, and then seems to gain speed. Weird.

The bottle turns a half dozen times before coming to a complete and utter stop. It’s pointing at Jirou.

Holy shit this is a wild development!!! You reach out and grip Toru’s hand to convey your surprise.  It’s known by almost everyone in the class that Kyoka Jirou and Denki Kaminari have been pining for each other since the start of the year. It’s almost embarrassing how head over heels they are for each other - they bicker almost constantly.

Denki stares between the bottle and Jirou, dumbfounded. His mouth hangs open comically and he makes no effort to shut it.

“Oh my God!” Jiro groans, leaning forward so that her dark bangs cover her eyes. “Really!?”

“Hey!” Denki says, sticking his nose up in the air. “You should be thrilled to get to kiss me! I’m a catch!” Denki stomps over towards her. He’s frowning now, but he keeps walking towards her. He gets to her side of the circle and reaches down a hand to help her up.

“I swear to God if you electrocute me or some shit…” Jirou threatens, grabbing his hand and allowing him to haul her to her feet.

“I have perfect control over my quirk, how dare you imply - ”

“Shut up and kiss already!” Sero calls out, bringing an early end to their bickering. It seems he’s abandoned Tumblr in favor of live entertainment.

“Fine!” Jirou and Kamanari yell at him in unison. They take a moment to glare daggers at Hanta (as if it’s somehow his fault that they’re in this situation) before turning to face each other.

Denki is a bit taller than Jirou, so he has to stoop down a bit as he sidles up into her personal space. You see him gulp down his nerves as he gets in closer to her, steeling himself. He raises a hand to brush her bangs out of her face before leaning in to bestow a gentle kiss on her punk black lipsticked mouth. Jirou closes her eyes and leans into the kiss. You feel your heart tighten at the image of your two friends finally acting on their feelings.

“Finally!” “Let’s go!” “Great job, Chargebolt!” The guys from Class A are all cheering – they’ve been listening to Denki moon over Jirou for the better part of a year. Sero and Kirishima are particularly annoying as they whoop and cheer. You laugh along with the rest of the crowd as the two break apart. You secretly wonder if everyone would cheer if you and Shoto were to kiss in the center of the room.

Jirou flips Sero and Kirishima the bird before stomping out of the circle in her thick combat boots, her face scarlet. She leaves Denki standing dumbfounded in the center of the circle; his face looks like he’s overused his electrification quirk. He weakly gives his friends a thumbs up before chasing after Jirou. You can hear her stomping down and out of the Class A dorm building – she must be headed for the quad.

“Well, looks like our lovebirds have flown the coop.” Mina glides across the floor to collect her bottle once again. “And speaking of birds…Tokoyami, you want to go next?” She turns to where your bird heteromorph classmate is leaning casually against the doorframe as he chats with Momo and Todoroki.

“I’ll have to pass.” Tokoyami says simply, turning back to his conversation. Mina pouts, glancing at Tsu quickly before deciding to move forward with the game.

“Well then why don’t we get someone from Class B in the mix…” She pretends to scan the crowd. You have a feeling you know where this is going, and sure enough… “Monoma, how about you? Want to try your luck with the bottle?”

You have to admit, Monoma is a pretty good actor. If you hadn’t known that this was all part of a greater scheme, you would have honestly believed that he’s surprised when Mina picks him out of the crowd.

“Yeah, Monoma, get up there!” Kosei Tsuburaba from Class B calls out, hyping up his classmate. Pony Tsunotori cheers for him as well. It’s almost funny how, for once, Monoma doesn’t seem to be fueled by his typical unhinged confidence. You almost feel a little bad for him as he wordlessly gets up, clearly trying to shake his nerves.

“What? No bravado about how superior Class B is over Class A?” Mina says somewhat skeptically. It’s clear to you and Toru that she was prepared to put on quite a performance with Monoma at this stage of the game.

There’s a glint in Monoma’s eye as he registers that she’s trying to bait him. His mouth stretches into a smirk as he takes a step towards Mina.

“Of course I’ll prove that Class B is superior at everything.” Monoma lets out a laugh, but it’s not as unhinged as usual. You notice his eyes dart to look at Shinsou as he steps forward. Shinsou is surveying the scene with sleepy eyes, looking almost bored. You wonder if he’s putting on an act as well.

When Mina holds out the bottle to Neito, her smile is genuine. “Yeah, I’d like to see you try.”

Monoma takes the bottle in shaky hands and gathers his nerve. The thick glass makes a resounding clunk when he places it to the ground. He manages to plaster a wobbly grin to his face as he spins it with a flourish. The bottle clatters across the floor, spinning faster than ever before. Everyone cheers as the glass vessel goes round and round, eager to see who will get picked.

You can see Monoma’s jaw twitch nervously as he watches the glass spin, no doubt praying that it will land on a special purple haired hero. You wonder at what the odds could be. There must be over a dozen people sitting on the floor around you…how likely is it that Monoma will get his kiss?

To your astonishment, the bottle finally stops spinning and lands so that it points squarely at Shinsou. Okay, Mina definitely has some explaining to do. This game is absolutely rigged and you have no idea how she’s pulling it off.

An “ooooo” gushes from the crowd of students sitting around the circle and throughout the common area. A few people snicker as Monoma’s face flushes beet red, he seems to be frozen in place. For a moment, you worry that he may pass out. His eyes dart rapidly between the bottle and Hitoshi. He seems stuck, unsure of what to do next.

Shinsou, however, is calm as all hell. He rolls his eyes at the snickers and jibs flowing in from around the circle as he gets to his feet. He walks slowly towards his friend and then turns to address the crowd around them.

“Seriously, guys. Stop being so childish, this is no big deal.” He says in his gravely tone, sharp eyes bouncing around the room before settling on Nieto.

Shinsou abandons his usual s cowl, smiling genuinely at the blonde. “Now come here.”

Hitoshi doesn’t need to use his voice quirk to get Nieto to step towards him, almost dreamlike. Your jaw nearly drops as you watch the scene – Hitoshi looking at Nieto adoringly in front of the crowd as he slips his hand under Monoma’s chin and brings their lips together. The students around you cheer, unruly.

Shinsou closes his eyes and winds his other hand around the nape of Monoma’s neck, bringing the blonde even closer. Monoma’s eyes are wide and unbelieving, but after a moment they slip close as he looses himself in the bliss of kissing his best friend. The whole room cheers and wolf whistles, but the two boys are seemingly in their own world. Shinsou kisses him again and again and again with no sign of letting up, turning the simple kiss into a full on make out session. Classes A and B are now absolutely rioting, and Shinsou takes a page out of Jirou’s book, lifting his hand to flip them all the bird as he slips his tongue into Monoma’s mouth.

“Alright you too – get a room! You’re allotted kiss time is up!” Mina calls out, tossing a throw pillow at the interlocked couple with precision. “And I said no tongue in the rules! Jeez!” They break apart in surprise and Shinsou spares her a glare over his shoulder before walking casually back into his seat. Monoma still looks like he might pass out, glancing around at them all nervously with a punch drunk expression. His eyes are unfocused and for once he’s blissfully silent. He makes his way back to his seat on wobbly legs, sinking into the floor next to Shinsou. Shinsou avoids eye contact with his friend, but throws an arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

Mina tries to spare their new friend some embarrassment and calls the attention back to herself. “Okay everyone, who’s next? Let me see…” She grabs the bottle and points it around the circle as if discerning the next player via witchcraft.

“Oh Tokoyamiiiii!” She sings as she once again catches the eye of Tokoyami. Damn girl is persistent. If it were possible for him to blush, his face would be bright red right now.

Tokoyami looks alarmed as Mina points directly at him. Dark Shadow on the other hand looks delighted. Tokoyami bats Dark Shadow’s pleading face away from him as he responds, “As I said before, I am perfectly content sitting this out.”

“Aw, Tokoyami…I insist! It’s just one little smooch from one of our fine classmates! Everyone here is so hot, you truly cannot lose.” Mina bats her eyes at him.

“Mina…” You whisper shout at her. “Mina don’t push anyone to do this. It’s challenge by choice, remember?”

Mina nods in your direction but continues to poke at Tokoyami. “Dark Shadow seems interested! Why not just take a chance?” She wedels.

“Can we please, Fumikage?” Dark Shadow says hopefully. “I want us to join the game!”

Apparently Dark Shadow’s opinion holds a lot of weight here, becauseTokoyami finally sighs in resignation. He hangs his head low as he holds out a hand, palm open and waiting for the bottle.

“Yay!” Mina skips over and pulls him to the center of the circle, placing the large bottle squarely in his hand. She slinks back to the sidelines, watching eagerly as Tokoyami considers the bottle in his palm.

Dark Shadow buzzes exuberantly as he hovers over your classmate’s shoulder. The pair stares intently at the bottle as Tokoyami gives it a gentle spin. The crowd looks on silently, and you can hear the quiet scrape of the glass against the floor as it spins end over end. He closes his eyes, waiting to hear the bottle roll to a stop so he can meet his fate.

The glass slows to a stop, lurching a bit and rolling across the circle to point at Tsuyu Asui. Everyone gasps appreciatively and Tsu just lets out a feeble “Ribbit?”

“Ooo Tsu! You’ve been chosen!” Ochaco cheers loudest of all as she pushes Tsu up to stand. “Go on!”

Tokoyami cracks open an eye and stares at the bottle, and then at Tsu. Dark Shadow makes a squawky cheering noise and smiles widely. Meanwhile, the bird hero is standing rigid, arms glued to his sides as he steels himself for what’s to come.

The crowd claps enthusiastically as Tsu walks slowly to the center of the circle. She doesn’t look uncomfortable with all the attention – if anything, she’s looking a little intrigued. Tsu is always a steady, calming presence in your class. Tokoyami takes a few wary steps towards her, becoming more comfortable the closer he gets to her. They stand a foot apart, staring at each other.

“Well this certainly is interesting, ribbit. I honestly wasn’t planning to participate tonight.” She looks up at him with her wide froggy eyes and tilts her head to the side, waiting to see what he’ll do.

“I feel the same. I really wasn’t planning to be involved with this coming of age nonsense.” He sighs, glancing at Dark Shadow who’s hovering excitedly over his right shoulder. “But since it is you, I gladly accept my fate. I hold you in very high regard.”

Tsu lets out a sweet little “ribbit” and blushes. She’s wearing a cute green t-shirt and wide-legged jeans – overall she’s downright adorable. You’re certain that Tokoyami agrees, because Dark Shadow is staring at Tsu with heart eyes.

“You sure you’re okay with this, Tokoyami?” She asks, shuffling closer to him. Dark Shadow is practically vibrating with excitement overhead, hands over his mouth to keep from babbling at them.

“Yes. I find the terms of the game agreeable.” Tokoyami says, serious as ever. “Let’s do this.”

“Go on Tsu!” Ochaco calls out, clearly still tipsy off of her tiny cup of alcohol. “Kiss him!”

Tsu stands up on her toes and plants a virtuous smooch on Tokoyami’s beak. It’s swift and sweet and causes everyone to let out a little “awwww!”  Tsu really is the cutest with her wide eyes and sweet smile.

Tsu blushes, Tokoyami looks frozen in place, and Dark Shadow cheers loudly over the din.

You start to wonder who has the bigger crush on Tsu here…Tokoyami or Dark Shadow? After a moment Tokoyami shakes his head a bit as if to clear out some cobwebs. He nods curtly to Tsu and mutters a barely audible “thank you,” causing her to blush more brightly.

Your eyes survey the crowed and everyone looks to be in good spirits, exciting to see their friends having fun in the game. The only one who looks out of place is – surprisingly – Kirishima. He’s got his arms crossed and is glaring at Mina, who’s waving to him flirtily from across the circle as she stands to scoop up the glass bottle. Huh. That can’t be good.

Your attention is drawn away from your red headed classmate as you watch Tokoyami and Tsu clear the center of the circle and return to their spots. Everyone continues to applaud until they resume their places – Tsu sitting next to Ochaco, Tokoyami returning to leaning against the doorway.

“Alright, now that was a truly thrilling pairing! Let’s see who we have next!” Mina surveys the crowd, searching through the upturned faces for her next victim. Finally, her dark eyes seem to land on who she was looking for because she instantly lights up. Her mouth settles into a wicked smile as she zeroes in on her prey.

“Ah, Todoroki! You’re up!” She calls out, pointing at him with the thick bottle. The room goes unexpectedly silent and Shoto looks at her with surprise. He’s not even sitting in the circle. He stands halfway between Momo and Tokoyami, clearly in the middle of a conversation with the former.

Shoto looks around, confused. As his head swivels around to survey the room full of watching faces, his sunglasses slip off of his head and fall to the ground. He reaches down to scoop them from the floor before hastily stuffing them into his back pocket. He looks both bewildered and lost.

“But I’m not in the circle.” He says blankly, blinking at her with Mina uncomprehendingly.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m tapping you in!” Mina says cheerfully, beckoning him to take her place. “I know your upbringing was a little unconventional given that your dad is the Number 2 hero, so we’ve gotta make up for lost time. You can’t miss out on this youthful right of passage!”

Shoto looks overwhelmed and doesn’t seem to know how to say no. He awkwardly shuffles to take Mina’s place in the center of the crowd. Your blood runs cold. For some reason you didn’t even consider the possibility of Shoto participating in Spin The Bottle. You figured he’d watch from the outskirts or be off chatting with some of your classmates. But now here he is – the unexpected center of attention in an outfit that makes him look like an absolute snack.

You glance around and see that most of the women on the room are gazing appreciatively at Shoto’s outfit as well. He’s absolutely beautiful – the way his pants support his round ass, the way his soft shirt stretches across the swell of his chest muscles. You wish you could claim him somehow…cover him in hickies or walk past him and muss up his hair. If only you could wrap your arms around him in front of everyone…you’re longing to do anything to declare him “mine!” resoundingly.

But that’s not how this works. And that’s not how this story gets to go.

All you can do is sit back on your heels and watch as Shoto spins the bottle.

Oh please pick me! Is all you can think, as he holds up the bottle in his delicate grasp. You pray and you beg and you bargain with the Spin the Bottle gods – hoping for some token of favor to be thrown your way. You can tell he’s trying not to glance your way as he sets the bottle in the center of the circle and gives it a rough spin.

The bottle turns around and around, the sound of rolling glass reverberating through the silent common room as it twists on the hardwood floor. Everyone seems to collectively hold their breath. Shoto might be the most attractive person in the hero course – all aristocratic breeding and soft hair. Who’s going to have the honor of kissing this demigod!?

When the bottle finally rolls to a stop, you can’t believe your eyes. For a brief moment, your heart swells when you think you’ve been chosen. But then your excitement quickly dissipates when you realize the bottle is pointing slightly to your right. Everyone’s head snaps up to see that it’s pointing at Fumiko Fujita, the girl from the General Studies Course.

Oh, crap.

“Oh!” She says nervously, a giggle bubbling up in her throat as she turns to look at Shoto through long eyelashes. You try not to glare daggers at her – she has absolutely no idea that you’ve been hooking up with Shoto. Also she’s nice! You had enjoyed her company so much earlier, and you can’t let yourself hate her for something out of her control. You can’t blame her for coincidentally being chosen as his spin the bottle partner!

But at the same time…the bottle was so close to pointing at you! You feel a deep ache at the unfairness of it all. Had the bottle listed a few centimeters in the other direction, it could have been you. It would have been a cosmic sign that the two of you were meant to be together, the Spin The Bottle gods covering you and Shoto in their favor. But unfortunately, that’s not how this is going to play out.

You want to reach for Shoto, to tell him that you very much do not want him kissing this girl! You bite your lip hard to keep yourself from saying something you might regret.

You take a few calming breaths and try to let it go, but the way she’s looking so pleased with herself is making you absolutely furious. She’s got an adorable blush spreading across her cheeks and she’s pulling at her light pink sweater sleeve absentmindedly, embarrassed.

Shoto stares at her blankly before turning to Mina. You can see that he’s silently begging her with his eyes to intervene. She shrugs and tilts her head at the General Studies Course girl, motioning for him to get it over with and just kiss her. Begrudgingly, he gets to his feet and shuffles towards her. You’re both pleased and annoyed to see that many of the other girls around the room are fixing Fujita girl with baleful gazes, no doubt envious of her position. 

Shoto leans down, holding out a hand for the girl to take. She accepts his help, letting him delicately pull her to her feet. She can’t help the way that she’s smiling ear to ear as she stares down at her dainty hand in his.

Shoto stands a full head taller than Fujita. She looks so petite and delicate next to his muscled Pro-Hero body. For a moment you feel self-conscious about the bulky muscles you’ve been working to build up in the hero course. Next to this tiny General Studies Course girl, you must look like a hulking beast of mass. She’s so girly and sweet looking, and it’s not lost on you how good she looks with Shoto. It’s clear to everyone in the room that they would make an attractive couple.

Shoto glances quickly in your direction, but you doubt anyone else has noticed. They’re all to focused on this newcomer – no doubt wondering what her deal is and if she has a shot with Shoto.

“Are you alright with this?” Shoto asks her softly, and the girls around the room giggle at the sweetness of it. You note that he hasn’t dropped her hand, her tiny manicured fingers are encased in his strong grip. You zero in on her manicure – her nails are a deep navy blue. Coincidentally…one of Shoto’s favorite colors. Her nails match his stupid hot sweater.

“Yeah.” She says breathlessly, looking away before focusing her eyes on his lips. She uses her free hand to twist a lock of her hair around her fingers nervously. You practically roll your eyes, this girl really is pulling out all the stops. She’s a walking fuckin’ cliché.

“Okay.” Shoto whispers. He leans down slowly to plant a soft kiss on her mouth. She cranes up her neck to meet him halfway, moving to her tiptoes so she can attempt to match his height. The kiss is chaste and only lasts a few seconds before Shoto pulls away. He drops the girl’s hand and makes a hasty retreat to the other side of the room. Despite the briefness of the interaction, Todoroki’s tender approach has left all the ladies swooning.

Even Kirishima is impressed, whispering “So manly!” under his breath. You laugh at this despite yourself, and watch as Shoto rejoins Momo and Tokoyami outside of the circle. The girl from General Studies retakes her seat, and babbles dreamily to Toru. The invisible girl is buzzing with excitement, nodding and waving her arms encouragingly as Fujita gushes about her big kiss with Todoroki.

There’s a strange mix of emotions rolling in your gut – jealousy of the girl Shoto got to kiss publically, gratitude that he kept it short. You wish that he would have just kissed her on the cheek. You know that if he had kept it simple, Mina and the crowd definitely would have pressured him into doing more. You have a sour taste in your mouth about the game now – the pressure and the stakes seem so high for something meant to be fun and silly.

You shoot a jealous look at Fujita. You wish that you could be gushing right now to everyone about how wonderful and hot Shoto Todoroki is. You want everyone to know that he’s shared your bed and held you, that you two have been intimately entangled. You want to brag and blush and make the Support Course girl as jealous of you as you currently are of her.

You wonder what Shoto is thinking, how he’s feeling. You look over at him and your eyes meet across the room, a chasm between you. You want to run over to him and ask for reassurance – are you a better kisser? Did he enjoy it with her? He’d rather be with you, right? But obviously you stay where you are. His face is impassive as usual; he tilts his head to consider you before he turns back to his conversation. You notice the sunglasses poking out of his back pocket, forgotten.

Everyone has resumed chatting and there’s a steady hum of babble in the room. The room is buzzing with excitement and giggles about game. Your classmates are eyeing Mina eagerly, wondering who will be up next.

You glance up at Mina who is sitting beside you. You become startled when you realize that she’s staring at you with a funny look on her face. She reaches over to grab your arm. “Hey, Y/N. You okay!?” She takes in your stony expression and shakes you for a moment.

“Wha - ? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” You plaster a smile on your face. “Dang this game is a rollercoaster.” Your expression turns stormy as you remember the way she pushed Tokoyami and Shoto to participate against their wishes. “But don’t push people so hard – this is supposed to be fun. You can’t force people to do whatever you want.” You scold.

She shrugs and gives you a knowing half smile. “Sometimes people need a little push!” She starts to notice the room getting quieter as everyone waits for her to call out the next participant. “Speaking of which…you’re next!”

You look up in surprise as the crowd around you cheers and starts to chant your name encouragingly. Mina scoops up the bottle off the floor and holds it out to you expectantly.

“Come on, Y/N!”

“Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!” Your friends chant around you.

You can practically feel Shoto’s gaze burning into your back as you stare down that problematic glass bottle.

Shit.

End of Chapter 7

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Links To All The Previous Parts:

Part 1: Linked Here

Part 2: Linked Here

Part 3: Linked Here

Part 4: Linked Here

Part 5: Linked Here

Part 6: Linked Here

My Master List

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Author Notes:

It's me! Hi! I'm the author, it's me!

Yesssss sir we're so back!

I'm gonna be honest, I hope that people aren't disappointed with the lack of smut in this chapter! I promise that the world/plot building will absolutely DELIVER in Chapter 8 with a steamy scene - trust meeee ;)

What I want you to take away from this chapter as a reader - this story is about relationships and connection. I think this chap shows that friendships can come from the unlikeliest of places! Like Monoma is fully integrated into the gal squad - who would have expected that!? We're also starting to see some different sides of characters come to light - we see a more toxic side of Mina, we see Shoto becoming more comfortable and soft with the Reader, we also see Hitoshi become more confident among his peer group and show affection towards Monoma. I plan to build on these tiny developments in the next chapter or so!

I also hope y'all enjoyed the little cameos from other UA characters and ships. Tokoyami x Tsu isn't really a ship of mine but I thought it could be a fun little moment for the chat. (I LOVE Dark Shadow so honestly this bit was all for HIM).

Also please please PLEASE can someone set their Wifi name to be EijirosThiccBootyCheeks. I swear I would SCREAM.

I have most of Chapter 8 planned out so hoping to turn things around a little faster this time!

Stay safe and enjoy the holidays!

XOXO,

RedRiotUnbreakableHeart ❤️

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❄️🔥THE ICYTHOTS🔥❄️

Want to join or be removed from the tag list - let me know! Once again, this is an ADULT ONLY blog. The IcyThot club is exclusively dedicated to the Shoto's First Kiss series and will only include A18+. Do not request to be added unless you are over 18. If your blog is ageless/your age isn't listed in the bio you cannot be an IcyThot member! I'm also adding the "sexual content" label/tags.

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snowingavacado

[guupie]

𝐹𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒱𝑜𝒾𝒹 • 𝒥𝒥𝒦

Synopsis: After a long day at your yoga classes you feel drained, but no need to worry, as always, Your beloved boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook is here to the rescue.

Genre: fluff, dating au, smut, romance.

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, Boyfriend material, Jungkook is a caring boyfriend, soft dom! Jk, sub reader, shower sex, rough sex, unprotected sex, reader loves her boyfriend’s massages, Jungkook is good with his hands, Jungkook swears a lot, this is kinda rushed srry, reader has slight kramps, ass slapping, Jungkook is down bad.

Inspired by “Fill The Void - The Weekend”

₊˚.🎧⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Sighing as you take a break from a yoga pose as you watch your yoga instructor guide other people through their next yoga position, mostly it’s only women who volunteered for the yoga in order to somewhat improve in their body and flexibility, possibly.

Sitting on the sidelines you watch the ladies chatting away on their little bit of free time, slightly listening in in their conversation making you cringe most of the time and slightly laughing.

But your tired and you want to go home, you don’t own a vehicle sadly and as to how you got here was by an uber, you groan at the pain that’s coming from your stomach, making you slightly hiss. It’s the kramps, or that you just didn’t eat at all today since you weren’t hungry.

You see a woman approaching you with a pitiful look on her face, making you feel like a pathetic person.

“Hi um, miss Y/N?” The woman carefully asks as she watches you shake your head slightly, confused at to her sudden appearance she continues, making you sigh since you didn’t feel like conversation with anyone.

“Yes, that’s me.” You say, the tiredness didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“There’s someone here for yo—”

Her sentence was never completed when a few gasps and slight squealing from the ladies that were sitting on their yoga mats. Catching your attention and the woman that was talking to you, shocking you both, well only just the ladies since a huge smile spread across your delicate innocent-like face.

It’s your boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook.

He’s not even halfway inside the yoga studio when he’s spots you, hair is long and fluffy, as his grey sweatpants with a simple black oversized shirt that fits onto his body well, showing off the broad chest and six pack, the tattoos that slightly decorates his arm to his hand disappears into his pocket. Scanning the room as he sees the ladies eye him like a hawk, smirking and twirling their hair around like teenage girls.

But his eyes lands only on one person, the one her came her for, you.

You feel naked under his gaze, it’s intense. But you do nothing but smile, standing up from your seated position on the floor since your yoga mat was already rolled up and put away.

Walking towards your boyfriend you feel him eyeing you up and down, your wearing a simple black tank top with very thin leggings that show off your curves and your ass, the ass that you didn’t even know you had until you finally approached Jungkook and he took the chance to slap making a sharp sound.

You giggled as you heard a few gasps in the yoga studio, but you and Jungkook ignored them, a few whispers here and there but you didn’t care.

As you both exited the yoga studio, you found yourself smiling brightly as Jungkook opens the door on the passenger side for you as you get in and closing the door from the inside. You wait for him to get inside the car while you buckle your seatbelt, knowing how Jungkook will scold you if you don’t.

As Jungkook finally finishes putting your yoga mat and bag in the back seat, he hops into the driver’s seat. One hand on the steering wheel while the other focuses on the seatbelt, once he’s done he finds one hand on your coverd thigh, making you laugh at his actions.

“Hey babe, how was yoga?”Jungkook is the first to ask you about your day, you like that about him, he’s always there for you when you need him the most.

You sigh, “Stressful, they had us doing these impossible yoga poses and my body is small, and I wasn’t able to do them. My stomach was hurting the whole time, and im kinda sleepy.”

You see Jungkook nodding from the corner of your eyes, he was thinking about something. And whatever he was thinking about had to be good, he would always come up with suggestions to help take away your stress or pain—even the kramps, he knows your body better than you do.

“Perhaps i know something that could take away your pain baby.” You fully turn to Jungkook’s direction, caught off guard by his sudden deep voice. You would’ve noticed it earlier but it seems like you didn’t.

Your eyes light up like a Christmas tree, “You do?! What do you have in mind?”

Jungkook swiftly turns the steering wheel with one hand as he pulls up into the driveway of the beautiful large house you both share together, it’s only been two years since you moved in with him. And ever since, both of you can’t live without each other.

As the car comes to a stop you sit still in the passenger seat as you watch Jungkook unbuckle his seatbelt, he does the same to you but you don’t notice, still waiting for his answer.

Finally he looks at you, “I’ll tell you when we get inside the house.” You began to whine but Jungkook gives you a raised eyebrow, making you completely shut up.

Getting out the passenger seat you walked up onto the porch of the house and stick the house keys into the door.

The fresh breeze of lavender scent welcomes you, everything looks clean and neatly organized, the kitchen where the island rests in the center as all the glass bottles of wine remain inside the glass cabinets untouched.

Your pet snowballs, who is a white baby bunny greets you as he hops in your arms, you smile snuggling your face with his you hear a deep chuckle behind you.

Turning around, your met with a deeply handsome Jungkook, who stands there with your belongings in his hold as he uses his foot to close the front door.

Putting snowballs down, you fold your arms as you watch him carefully toss your things onto the couch, you was glad that he did that, because what was about to happen next neither of you wouldn’t feel like picking up items or belongings from off the floor.

“A massage.” Jungkook says casually, you smile at him because you absolutely love his massages and they were the death of you.

Taking off your shoes you look at him once more, “I also had something in mind.”

Raising his eyebrows Jungkook slowly approaches you, licking his lips in the process, “And what would that be? Hmm?”

Running up the stairs you found yourself giggling and laughing loudly as Jungkook chased up behind you, dangerously close to catching you, though you don’t do to much as you still have slight kramps, as you ran into your shared bedroom and closed the door, following with you locking it. Completely forgetting that Jungkook has a key for that very reason.

As you enter the bathroom that’s in the room you quickly take off your tank top, leaving yourself in your black bra and leggings as you turn on the shower.

Your hand reaching under the head of the shower to see if the water was warm enough, not even noticing Jungkook sneaking up behind you. Before you can free yourself from your bra and leggings you feel a strong pair of arms lift you up, practically snatching you away from the shower.

A surprise yelp left your lips as you feel the tip of Jungkook’s fluffy hair against your skin, his face buried in the crook of your neck, his hot breath fanned your skin. You hear him sigh in content, making you giggle.

“Kook stop, i need to take a shower! Im sweaty!” You wined, feeling Jungkook’s hands on your clothed breasts since that was how he was able to hold you upwards, you could feel him give them a light squeeze making you gasp, as he smirks. He does it again and that’s when you completely give in.

Swiftly turning you around to take in your flushed face, Jungkook kisses you deeply, the kiss was passionate and you found yourself letting his tongue explore your mouth more.

Moaning you tug on his black shirt while tilting your head to the side as he continues to deepen the kiss, his hands finds their way on your back as he slowly unclips your bra, letting the material fall onto the clean floor of the bathroom. You don’t hesitate to take off his shirt the moment he removed the only barrier that was covering your breasts, your able to get a full glance at his bare chest and he looks absolutely stunning, with or without clothes.

As you both break away from the kiss, you found yourself panting.

“Fuck, now im horny.” Jungkook groans, making you chuckle, you then move your arms to cover your breasts.

“Well too bad, I have to shower. Maybe after I finish showering then we’ll see.”

Jungkook kisses his teeth making you chuckle, “By then I’ll have blue balls by the time you come out the shower.”

You roll your eyes when you hear Jungkook began groaning, “You have a better idea then?!” You swear you saw a smirk creep onto his face a second ago.

“Shower sex!”

“Absolutely no—” You began, but Jungkook shushes you as he continues to reason with you about the shower sex topic.

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Jungkook gives you a raised eyebrow, making your mouth fall open at the catchphrase. Sighing as you thought for a moment.

You or Jungkook had always tried new things during sex, that’s what made your sex life so exciting and fun for the both of you, it was always something different and it made you both feel even more connected to each other.

Car sex, beach sex, even the pool, hotel sex, a 69 position, prone bone position, reverse cowgirl position, doggy style position.

So what made you not want to try shower sex with Jungkook?!

Well, it’s worth a shot, and it definitely sounds hot as fuck…

“Okay,” You breathed out, watching the way Jungkook eyes darkened when you have him the okay to go, he then closed the distance between you both making you slightly confused.

Backing you up against the wall inside the shower while the head of the shower sprays water down on both of your half clothed bodies, the water is at a nice temperature as you stared at Jungkook’s now wet and long dark hair.

“Oh my god! Jungkook my leggings are soaked!” You yelp out, putting your hands on his shoulder’s as he kneels down to your legs. Yanking off the completely soaked material, right along with your white lacey panties that he found quite sexy.

You laugh at his carelessness when he flings your soaked leggings and panties onto the bathroom floor, looking down at him as you feel his lips leaving tender kisses up your legs and to your thighs, Jungkook stands up as your gaze never left his figure.

Quickly remembering that you’re the only one that’s naked you make him take off his pants as well as his calvin klein boxers, once he’s completely naked for you to see—he pulls you into another passionate kiss.

Using your free hand to close the shower door as the fog begins to form.

Jungkook then lifts you up, his hands under your ass as he holds you and your legs wraps around his waist, you stare him in the eyes while your arms is around his neck. “So, no prep?” You ask innocently, Jungkook murmurs a small ‘no.’

The condom is out of the question, this would be the second time you both have had sex without a condom, but neither of you cared. And you didn’t mind being pregnant with his kids, after all, you both plan on spending the rest of your lives together anyways.

Even though Jungkook is strong enough to hold you by himself, he still has your back pressed up against the showers wall, while he holds you up by your ass. “Kook.” You moan, as you feel the tip of Jungkook’s cock against your wet vagina.

Without warning, Jungkook thrusts in. Making you gasp as you dig your nails into his back. Moaning loudly as he penetrates inside of you, the water harshly dripping down both of your naked bodies as you hear Jungkook groan. But your surprise at his sudden fast pace, as he constantly hits your g-spot making you cry out, Jungkook looks at you with his half lidded eyes as he watches you cry.

Since he was going at a fast pace you used one of your free hands and grabbed desperately onto the handrail that was in the shower above your head for support.

“Jungkook, I can’t.” You sob, feeling you grip on the handrail slightly slipping away.

Jungkook grunts, feeling your walls tighten around his cock. Almost preventing him from thrusting in deeper, pressing his forehead against yours as he whispers sweet nothings into your ear. He knows you’re almost about to cum, because you always become this sensitive. And he loves every bit of it.

“I know, i know.” Jungkook coos at your teary face, he ignores you digging your nails into his back practically decorating it with scratches which he didn’t mind, in fact, he thought it would be hot.

If anyone were to walk in, they’d probably only be met with a foggy bathroom with clothes scattered onto the clean floor, and face with the shower glass door that’s covered with fog. And if they were able to see inside, they’d be greeted with Jungkook’s broad back and your legs wrapped around his waist as your small hands gripping onto his back.

“Fuck.” Jungkook hissed.

“Kook, im close,” You moan out, tighten your grip around him.

A few more thrusts has you both cumming undone onto each other, your hot breaths fanned each other’s faces while making intense eye contact. No words were said until you feel jungkook pulling out of you as hus cum drips down your inner thighs.

Carefully setting you on your two feet to stand up in the shower, you sigh, thinking that he wad done and you can finally and actually shower. But poor you, Jungkook was far from done.

But you would find that out sooner or later right?

[thelonelyfairy]

Fractured Bonds

Chapter 2

(Toshinori x Reader x Aizawa)

Note: this chapter has about 7k words so buckle up! Also there won’t be any scenes between Toshinori and reader on this one so gather up Aizawa girlies 🫶 lastly, this chapter will contain spoilers from either season 4 or 5, you can stop reading after “the work-study program has always been…”

Update: Added a fanart of Aizawa/Reader (Yan) at the end made by the lovely @mananeez!

Masterlist Chapter 1 ch3

You finally caved in to Recovery Girl’s persistent requests to accompany Class 1-A on their USJ visit, given their frequent trips to the infirmary and avoiding more headaches on her end. Funny how fate plays out sometimes.

She had reassured you that Toshinori would be present, easing your worries about any direct interaction with your ex.

But as roll call begins and the students boarding the bus, All Might was nowhere to be found.

Sitting across from Aizawa, your nerves begin to stir in your chest. Your Kitsune picks up on it, curling in your lap and radiating warmth, calming the tension in your body.

In the back, the students laugh and bicker, showing how well they’d bonded despite Bakugo’s frequent outbursts. You tried to stifle a laugh but couldn’t hold it back.

It had been a long time since Aizawa had heard your laughter, or seen a genuine smile on your face. Far too long.

When the bus arrives at the arena, the scale of the place leaves you just as awestruck as the students. You’d never seen such a massive training center. As you all enter, Aizawa informs you that they’d be working with Thirteen, who soon briefs the students on the Unforeseen Simulation Joint and today’s focus on rescue abilities. She explains her Quirk, Black Hole. Dangerous, but capable of saving lives if handled correctly.

Once that’s all finished, Aizawa approaches Thirteen, “Let me guess, All Might booked an interview instead.”

A soft scoff leaves you before Thirteen announces the inconvenience, “Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power, he’s resting in the teacher’s lounge.”

Of course, you know that man well enough that he goes out of his way to care for his people, not for fame nor for money. You can already imagine him feeling guilty and helpless while Principal Nezu rambling his ass off about his philosophies.

“That man is the height of irresponsibility.” Aizawa sighs.

“Irresponsible or not, he’s still the Symbol of Peace. He’ll be back soon enough.” You counter, ex lover or not, you’ll go to the moon and back to defend Toshinori just like he did for you.

“Clock’s ticking,” Aizawa announces, disregarding your comment, “we should get started.”

Before you can dwell on it further, the air shifts, a subtle disturbance you can’t quite place. Your Kitsune leaves your body, ears twitching, sensing it as well as it growls. You glance toward Aizawa, who’s already on alert, his sharp eyes scanning the perimeter with Thirteen immediately on guard.

A dark, swirling portal materializes in the center of the USJ, figures begin to emerge—villains. Dozens of them. More than you’ve ever seen gathered in one place. The students freeze, their confusion quickly turning into fear.

“Aizawa!” you call, your voice tight with urgency.

“I see it,” he mutters, stepping forward, his scarf already unraveling as he places on his goggles.

“Stay back with the students. This is no place for you right now.” Without hesitation, he leaps forward, his capture scarf trailing behind him like a shadow.

You grit your teeth, instinctively wanting to rush forward, but you know he’s right. Your job is to protect the students first. You’re a nurse, after all. Your Kitsune begins to swirl around the students protectively as you turn toward the group of wide-eyed students.

“Let’s get to safety,” you command, ushering them toward the back exit, your voice calm despite the chaos around you.

The portal continues to spew out villains, and you can see Aizawa already in motion, darting into the fray. He’s a blur of calculated strikes, his scarf snapping out like a whip, disabling the quirks of those who dare get too close. But the numbers are overwhelming, and even Aizawa, as skilled as he is, can only handle so much at once.

“It’s locked!” Thirteen calls out, as you try to budge with your Kitsune’s strength, all but no hope.

A sickening sound cuts through the air. You whip around, your blood turning cold. Aizawa, mid-battle, is slammed to the ground by multiple villains. He struggles to get up, his scarf moving about to throw them unconscious as blood drips from his forehead, staining the ground beneath him.

Your heart stops. He’s injured. Badly.

You freeze, torn between staying with the students and rushing to Aizawa’s side. The instinct to protect him overwhelms you, but you can’t just leave these kids defenseless.

Panic claws at you from all sides, what are you supposed to do? Save Aizawa, or stay here and protect the students like you promised?

"Fox Face!" Thirteen's voice slices through your spiraling thoughts, her hand firm on your shoulder, her tone calm yet urgent. "Go. I’ve got things here. The students are safe with me, and we trust you—you were All Might’s sidekick after all." Her words hang in the air as the students nod in agreement, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and trust.

You hesitate for just a second, but Thirteen’s steady gaze holds yours. "He needs you."

That’s all it takes.

Without a second thought, your Kitsune retreats back to your body, its strength surges through you, its aura radiating from your body, your eyes glowing as your iris turns into slits. As you teleport straight to Aizawa’s side. The world blurs, and you appear in a swirl of glowing sakura blossoms, kunai ready.

Aizawa flinches as the pain in his body suddenly begins to ease. Bruises and cuts start to repair, your healing ofudas floating toward him, their energy absorbed into his skin. The warmth floods through his muscles, easing his exhaustion like a switch had been flipped—but that relief is quickly replaced by something sharper, anger.

"What the hell are you doing?" he snaps, his voice harsh as he pushes himself up, locking eyes with you from behind his goggles. "I told you to stay back with the students!"

"How are you supposed to fight if you’re injured?" you counter, approaching as you’re unfazed by his outburst, raising your hand to heal a cut on his brow.

"I’m fine," he growls, swatting away your hand. "You should’ve stayed with the kids. This isn’t—"

Before he can finish, a villain charges at you both. Reacting on instinct, you wrap your arms around Aizawa—feeling unexpected muscle beneath his dark uniform—before teleporting the two of you a few meters away in a flash of light. The villain stumbles in confusion, giving Aizawa the perfect opening. He regains his footing, whipping his scarf out to disarm the enemy and bring them down with brutal efficiency.

But his scowl remains.

"You’re reckless," he mutters as the fight continues, frustration lacing his words.

"And you’re stubborn," you shoot back, pulling a kunai strapped from your thigh and throwing it with precision, hitting another villain dead-on. "We’re a team. I’m not letting you face this alone."

Aizawa’s eyes narrow beneath his goggles, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, you both fall into a familiar rhythm, your movements perfectly in sync. You teleport into the fray, kunai slicing through the air with lethal accuracy, powered by your Kitsune’s spirit. Aizawa stays close, his scarf whipping through the chaos, disabling any villains who try to flank you.

It’s almost like old times—each of your moves complementing the other, his reflexes sharpening your attacks while you provide support and healing when needed.

But beneath the surface, Aizawa’s frustration simmers, it’s practically in the air, you know the conversation isn’t far from over.

As you glance toward the edge of the arena, your eyes lock onto a strange trio standing near the center of the USJ. One man appears to have no physical form, swirling with the same dark color as the portal that brought the villains into the facility. Beside him stands a beast, assuming to wield a mutation quirk, and the third—a white-haired man—observing the battle with a chilling detachment.

Whoever they are, they’re not just bystanders.

“Nomu…”

The voice catches you off guard—unexpectedly high-pitched, especially coming from the white-haired man whose intimidating physique suggests something much deeper. His red-rimmed eyes lock onto yours, and for a brief moment, everything else fades into the background. The battle, the noise, the chaos—it all blurs, and you’re left staring into the void that seems to echo within him.

Your breath catches as something deep inside you stirs, a pressure inside your chest that twists uncomfortably, almost suffocating, as if an invisible chain is tightening around you. Your Kitsune spirit trembles, and for the first time, you feel its power falter. Panic flickers in your veins, but you force it down, refusing to let him see your fear.

Your fingers twitch at your kunai, instinct urging you to move, to do something, but you’re frozen—eyes locked with his. He takes a step closer, his gaze never leaving yours.

The man tilts his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as a twisted smile hinted beneath the decaying hand covering the lower half of his face.

"Her."

The Nomu lunges, unleashing its power against you.

Aizawa panicked, quickly throwing off the villains that were pinning him down and sprinting to your side. You'd only ever stopped Toshinori's full strength once, and even then, you weren't sure if he was using everything he had. But one thing was clear is this beast, this Nomu, is at least as strong as Toshinori, if not more so.

Your feet barely touches the ground as Nomu's iron grip closes around your neck, squeezing the air from your lungs.

Your feet barely touched the ground as Nomu's iron grip closed around your neck, squeezing the air from your lungs. The Kitsune inside you fought to keep you conscious, but the lack of oxygen was making your vision blur.

The Nomu hurls you into the corner, near the water of the shipwreck, its gaze locking onto yours as you struggle to catch your breath. Before you can react, it wraps your wrists in one of its massive hands and starts dragging you toward the white haired man. You curse under your breath, teleporting was impossible with its grip on you.

"Aren't you going to save your little friend, EraserHead?" The man's voice remains disturbingly calm.

Without hesitation, Aizawa charges forward, the man doing the same.

Aizawa lands a sharp elbow to the man's stomach, but the villain swiftly grabs his arm in a tight grip.

You can't hear their exchange, only the sickening sound of skin decaying and Aizawa's pained gasp.

“Fox Face!” Aizawa shouts, shoving the villain aside with force as he sees your eyes close, your head slumping forward as the Nomu releases its hold on you. Your body collapses to the ground, unconscious.

“By the way…” the Nomu moves to stand beside its master. For the first time since his school days, Aizawa’s body freezes, paralyzed, unable to tell if you’re still breathing.

“I am not the final boss.”

The Nomu lands a brutal hit, leaving Aizawa’s goggles in the air, his blood pooling around, painting the ground crimson as the Nomu begins to grab a fistful of his hair, smashing his face to the ground over and over.

"Oh, before we go, let’s make sure the Symbol of Peace is shattered," the man’s red eyes lock onto your still body.

His hand moves toward you, deliberately slow, each finger stretching out as it inches closer to the top of your head, ready to make contact with all five fingers. He could already see it, the decay of All Might’s previous sidekick, presumed lover, all in ashes. Nothing.

But none came.

The man chuckles, “You really are so cool.”

With all of his might, Aizawa lifts his head, his blood spilling on his face as the cluster of veins and redness of his eyes holds you in place. Breathing or not, he can’t fathom the idea of you out of his existence.

Many years ago

The first day at U.A. High School was a whirlwind, with you still adjusting to your new classmates. You stood beside your brother, Oboro Shirakumo, who was already chatting with two students. As always, Shirakumo’s bright personality drew people in, while you kept more to yourself, quietly observing.

"Hey! This is my sister, Yan!" Shirakumo suddenly announced, pulling you into the conversation as he introduced you to the two classmates, Hizashi and Nemuri. The unexpected attention made you flinch slightly. "She’s gonna wipe the floor with all of you, just watch!" His grin earned a chuckle from Hizashi, while Nemuri raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Nice to meet you!" Nemuri said playfully. "I’ll believe it when I see it."

You laughed lightly, still unaccustomed to the spotlight. Before you could respond, your gaze was drawn to a student standing off to the side. He was tall, quiet, with shaggy black hair partially covering his face. His arms were crossed, and he seemed disinterested in the lively conversation unfolding nearby.

"That’s Aizawa," Shirakumo leaned over, noticing your wandering eyes. "He’s a bit quiet, but he’s sharp. Really smart."

As if sensing the conversation, Aizawa glanced in your direction. You quickly looked away, but not before noticing the intrigue in his eyes.

A few months into the school year, you headed towards training grounds on your own, bathed in the fading light of the setting sun. Most students had gone home, but you remained, practicing your kunai throws. Each one hit the bullseye, but something felt off. No matter how perfect the throws were, they didn’t feel right.

"You're overthinking it."

Startled, you turned sharply, cursing yourself for not noticing Aizawa standing by the fence. He leaned against it, arms crossed, as silent and unreadable as ever.

"What do you mean?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

He hops over with no trouble as he approaches slowly, his footsteps deliberate. "Your movements are stiff. You’re second-guessing every throw." His voice was calm and matter-of-fact, though not harsh.

You huffed, glancing back at the target. “Alright then, what do I need to work on?”

Aizawa stepped closer, his presence oddly calming despite his usual stoic demeanor. “Don’t think. Just throw.”

You hesitated, feeling an unexpected flutter in your chest. His gaze was sincere, and there was a softness in his expression you hadn’t noticed before. With a deep breath, you pushed away your nerves, refocused on the target, and let the kunai fly.

The blade sailed through the air and struck dead center.

Aizawa gave a small nod. “See? You’re better when you trust yourself.”

"Guess I owe you one," you said, half-joking but grateful.

Aizawa shrugged, his usual stoic air returning, though there was a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Just don’t overdo it. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard about that hero work study.”

As the sunlight bathed the training field, you noticed how it caught Aizawa’s features—the sharp angles of his face, his dark hair falling messily over his eyes. In that moment, he was no longer just your classmate or your brother’s best friend. There was something more, something that made your heart race in a way you hadn’t expected.

His eyes lingered on yours for a moment, and you thought you saw a flicker of warmth in his usual cool gaze.

"Good luck with that," he added, his tone softer than usual, almost teasing.

Aizawa turned to leave, a small, rare smile crossed Aizawa’s face as he disappeared from view, leaving you standing there with a sense that something between you had shifted.

In the second year, the U.A. training grounds buzzed with activity as students prepared for their now-mandatory hero work studies. Amid the hustle, Aizawa stood apart, a frown creasing his brow as doubt clouded his thoughts. Watching his classmates give their all, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of not measuring up. The weight of expectations sat heavily on him, and the thought of failure gnawed at his confidence.

“Hey,” you called, approaching more quicker as you note the tension in his posture. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Aizawa glanced at you, frustration and embarrassment flickering across his face as he gently pushed away your healing ofudas. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this mandatory work study. Everyone else seems to have it figured out.”

“You’re an amazing hero, Aizawa. Don’t let self-doubt trip you up. You just need to train harder and trust yourself.”

He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “It’s not that simple, and your overly cheery advice isn’t exactly helping.”

“Well, let’s train together, then,” you offered, brushing off his cold response with determination shining in your eyes. “I owed you one from last time anyways.”

He raised an eyebrow, “You really think I need help?”

“Everyone needs help sometimes,” you shrug.

After a moment of hesitation, Aizawa nodded, and the two of you moved to a quieter section of the training grounds that already had a series of obstacles placed around, demonstrating your agility with the Kitsune energy swirling around you, leaping, dodging, and striking with precision. Aizawa watched closely, studying every movement as you flawlessly navigated the course.

“Your turn,” you said, stepping aside to give him space. “Focus on agility and timing. Don’t let your quirk limit you.”

With a deep sigh, Aizawa stepped forward, determined to overcome his doubts. He began working through the obstacles, his performance mixed with moments of success and frustration. Each misstep weighed on him, feeding the sense of pressure.

“Don’t let your mind get in the way. Trust your instincts.”

Taking a deep breath, he tried again, concentrating harder. Slowly, with each attempt, he began to improve, but the doubts still lingered. He glanced your way, seeing nothing but encouragement in your eyes.

“You’re doing great!” you cheered, your enthusiasm lifting his spirits.

Fueled by your support, Aizawa pushed himself harder. The obstacles seemed less intimidating, and with every completed run, he felt his confidence build.

“Now try using your quirk!” you encouraged.

He nodded, activating his quirk, his hair lifting as his eyes glowed red with his scarf extended, helping him move through the course more fluidly. The challenge increased, but so did his sense of accomplishment.

“See? You’ve got this!” you called, clapping your hands in excitement. “All you needed was to believe in yourself!”

Breathing heavily, Aizawa finally stopped, a rare smile breaking through his stoic exterior as blinks, his hair fell forward to mask it. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of it,” he said, a quiet pride settling in.

You approached him, beaming. “I knew you could do it! Just remember, you don’t have to shoulder everything on your own.”

The moon hung low in the sky, bathing the quiet streets of Musutafu in a soft, silvery glow. As you walked toward your family’s apartment, your mind wandered after a long day at U.A. Absentmindedly, you kicked a pebble down the dimly lit alleyways, your Kitsune spirit lazily trailing behind.

Passing a narrow alley, your Kitsune suddenly turned, drawn by something. You followed its gaze and froze. There, slumped against a wall wrapped in his familiar capture weapon, was Aizawa. His dark hair obscured his face, and his sharp eyes were closed in exhausted sleep. His chest rose and fell steadily, but the scene was far from peaceful.

You stood still, staring in disbelief as your Kitsune spirit retreated back into your body. “Aizawa?” you whispered, the sight of him sleeping in an alley catching you off guard.

The realization hit hard. You knew Aizawa well enough to understand his desire to keep things private, but this? You had no idea it had gotten this bad. He always seemed so self-reliant, never asking for help, yet here he was, sleeping in an alleyway, leaving your heart dropping to your stomach.

You crouched beside him, hesitant, your hand hovering before pulling it back. "Aizawa," you whispered again, this time softer.

He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. Groggily, he squinted up at you. "Yan?" His voice was barely audible.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, though the answer was painfully clear. “You’re… sleeping here?”

He sat up slowly, running a hand through his disheveled hair, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s nothing,” he muttered, avoiding your gaze. “Just… had nowhere to go tonight.”

Your chest tightened at his admission. “How long has this been going on?” you asked gently, trying not to push too hard.

Aizawa shrugged, his usual stoic demeanor cracking. “A while,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage.”

“Manage?” you echoed in disbelief. “Aizawa, you’re sleeping in an alley. This is not okay.”

He fell silent, staring at the ground. You could tell he hated this—hated the vulnerability, the pity. No wonder he’d been dozing off in class so much recently.

Without hesitation, you stood and offered him a hand. “Come on,” you said firmly.

“What?” Aizawa frowned, confused.

“You’re not staying here. You’re coming with me. You can sleep at my place.”

He hesitated, concern flickering in his eyes. “Yan, I can’t—”

“I’m not giving you a choice,” you interrupted, leaving no room for debate. “You can sneak into my room through the window. No one will know, not even Oboro—he’s always glued to his computer all night. You can stay as long as you need.”

Aizawa stared at you, torn. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden,” you reassured him, your voice softening. “We’re friends, right? What did I say last time? You don’t have to shoulder everything alone.”

He sighed, exhaustion winning out over his pride. “If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure,” you smiled. “And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

After a moment, he reluctantly took your hand. You bit back a cringe as you helped him to his feet. “Thanks,” he muttered, his gratitude quiet but genuine.

“Anytime,” you reassured, already planning out how to sneak him in unnoticed.

As the two of you made your way back to your apartment, you kept glancing at him, your heart heavy for the boy who carried more than anyone realized.

When you reached the fire escape, your Kitsune lowered the ladder with ease, and soon, you were both standing outside your window.

“Take off your clothes,”

Aizawa blinked, stunned. “Wh—?”

“Not like that!” you spoke in a low enough for him to hear, “You were sleeping in an alley. I don’t want all that in my room!” You kicked off your shoes, placing it at the fire escape balcony you’re both on and slid open the window, relieved that your mother did not lock it this time.

He chuckled, remembering your slight germaphobia from class. He quickly shed his outer clothes, folding them at the other end of the balcony along with his capture weapon, leaving only his undergarments as you instructed.

“I’ll get the shower ready,” you inform as you head toward the bathroom, your bathroom.

Aizawa couldn’t help but notice how different your lifestyle was—quietly wealthy but never flaunted. The Shirakumo family definitely raised both you and Oboro well, something he wished his own family would’ve done.

You motioned for him to follow, “There’s a fresh towel and some unused toiletries over there…” He glanced around, noticing the pink, white, and floral décor—completely opposite of his usual style.

“The soap and shampoo are floral-scented too,” you added with a slight apology. “So, you might end up smelling kind of...girly. Hope that’s okay.”

He chuckled softly. “I don’t mind. Thanks for everything.”

You left him to his privacy and went to grab some blankets and pillows, hoping he wouldn’t mind what you had. Mentally, you made a note to pick up something more suited to his taste tomorrow after school.

After his quick shower, wrapped in floral-scented towels, he settled near your bed, sinking into the plush pillows and blankets you’d laid out for him.

As you handed him a blanket to pull himself over, your hands brushed for a brief second. You face reddens while Aizawa allowed himself a small, grateful smile in return, hopefully he’ll like this one more than the others.

“Hello Kitty?”

You sigh, before you can apologize, he asks, “Wait, who's this one?”

“Ah that’s Chococat!” Your voice still hushed, “he’s a quiet cat, of course you’d like him,”

Aizawa released a soft chuckle, “Thanks, Yan,”

“Of course, Aizawa,” you replied, settling into bed yourself.

“Shouta,” he corrected, his voice gentle. “Call me Shouta from now on.”

Your eyes widened at the request, but before you could respond, he had already pulled the blanket over himself, the exhaustion finally winning over. For the first time in a long while, he looked at ease. As you settled into bed, you made a quiet promise to always be there for him, no matter what.

The night was quiet, the faint rustling of leaves outside barely breaking the stillness as Shouta lay in the dark, wrapped in the Chococat blanket you’d given him with a matching pajama that you bought, he offered a quiet thanks, when deep down he grew fond of the black cartoon cat. Months had passed since the incident, and he stared at the ceiling of your small room, exhaustion sinking deep into his bones. It had been a long day—made longer by the clear realization that you had sneaked him into your home, offering a kindness he wasn’t sure he deserved.

He absentmindedly flipped through his English book, one with a romance theme, occasionally thinking about words to describe you. Yet, ‘beautiful’ just didn’t seem to cut it.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the right words. What you meant to him, how he felt for you—there were no terms that fit. Maybe it was a failure of the English language, or maybe it was just him struggling to understand his own feelings.

No one had ever taught Shouta how to love. He’d never planned to, not until he met you.

What he did know was that you were captivating in every way, and it was becoming increasingly hard to focus on the pages in front of him.

Just as he was about to give up, a sound broke through the silence—soft, but unmistakable.

You stirred restlessly in your bed, your breaths uneven and ragged, and Shouta immediately sat up, his senses alert.

"Yan?" he whispered, concern laced in his voice.

You didn’t answer. Your face was twisted with distress as your body tense, trapped in a nightmare. Another whimper escaped your lips as you shifted under the covers, bracing yourself against some unseen terror.

Shouta hesitated. He wasn’t good at comforting people. But seeing you like this, his instincts took over. After all you’d done for him—giving him a place to stay, helping with his hero work studies—this was the least he could do.

He got up from his makeshift bed and quietly approached yours. “Yan,” he called softly, gently placing a hand on your arm, giving you a light shake. "It’s not real, wake up."

Your eyes shot open suddenly, your breath catching in your throat as you sat upright. For a moment, you seemed lost, your gaze unfocused, until you finally registered where you were—and who was beside you.

“Shouta?” you gaze up, your voice hoarse from the remnants of the nightmare.

"Yeah," he replied softly, his hand still on your arm. "You were having a nightmare."

You exhaled shakily, trying to compose yourself. "I’m sorry," you muttered, your voice trembling. "I didn’t mean to wake you."

"You didn’t," he assured you. "You’re alright?"

You nodded, though the trembling in your hands said otherwise. You were trying to hide it, but Shouta could see how much the nightmare had shaken you.

After a pause, he gently slid his hand away. “Do you… want to talk about it?"

You shook your head, your shoulders slumping. "No, it’s the same as always. They come and go."

Shouta remained silent, eyes downcast. He knew what it was like to not want to talk about things, so he didn’t push. But something inside him urged him to offer more.

“Move over,” he said quietly, before he could second-guess himself.

You blinked, taken aback. “What?”

He glanced at the narrow space on your bed. “Just… move over.”

Though surprised, you shifted to make room. Shouta climbed in beside you, lying on his back and pulling the blanket over the both of you. He didn’t say anything more, but his presence spoke volume.

You looked over at him, still shaken but feeling comforted by the quiet gesture. “You don’t have to—”

“I know,” he interrupted, his voice steady. “But I’m here.”

For a while, neither of you spoke. The room was quiet, save for the distant hum of the city. Slowly, your breathing steadied, the nightmare’s grip loosening with Shouta’s presence beside you. You found yourself watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, his calmness grounding you.

“Thank you,” you whispered, barely audible.

Shouta didn’t reply, but you felt him shift a little closer, his arm brushing yours in a simple yet comforting touch. He wasn’t one for flowery words, but his actions were louder than anything he could say.

With him beside you, your eyes began to grow heavy again. For the first time in a while, you felt truly safe—as if your nightmares couldn’t reach you with Shouta there.

Just before you drifted off, you whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Shouta lowered his gaze, his expression softening as he watched the peacefulness return to your face. “Me too,”

The U.A. School Festival was in full swing, and Class 2-A had chosen to put on a theatrical performance as their contribution. They all agreed a play would be the perfect way to showcase their quirks while providing some lighthearted entertainment. The theme? A dramatic fantasy adventure—complete with a brave knight, a cunning sorceress, a wise king, and, Shouta, much to his reluctance, had been cast as the villain— a dragon disguised as a dark sorcerer.

The auditorium buzzed with excitement, the audience eagerly awaiting the show. The lights dimmed, and the curtains rose.

“Fear not, I will save the kingdom from the evil sorcerer’s clutches!” Shirakumo bellowed, swinging his sword with exaggerated flair. His armor gleamed under the stage lights as he charged forward.

Dressed in a flowing gown, you stood at the edge of the stage, your Kitsune spirit subtly swirling around you, adding an ethereal touch. “Be careful, noble knight,” you said with a serious tone, barely managing to keep a straight face, “The dark sorcerer’s power is too great!”

Behind the curtains, Shouta sighed, waiting for his cue.

Hizashi entered in bright royal robes and a ridiculous crown, brimming with energy as the king. “You must save my daughter and defeat the dragon! The kingdom’s fate is in your hands!” He waved his arms dramatically, earning laughter from the crowd.

Nemuri, in her sorceress costume, floated onto the stage in a puff of smoke, trying not to accidentally use her quirk and knock the audience out. She tossed an apple to Shirakumo with a smirk. “With this, you shall gain the strength to defeat the dragon. But beware—his magic is dangerous.”

Finally, Shouta stepped onto the stage, tall and brooding, his dark aura accentuated by his flowing hair and glowing red eyes. The crowd gasped. He stood in silence for a moment, letting the tension build before delivering his line in a low, gravelly voice. “Foolish mortals, you cannot hope to defeat me.”

Shirakumo, ever the energetic knight, took a bite of the apple before throwing it to the side, pointing his sword at Shouta as the final battle began. He eventually stood triumphantly over Shouta, the crowd holding its breath, anticipating the princess’s moment to thank the knight.

But then, Shirakumo collapsed flat on his face.

The audience murmured in confusion as Shirakumo lay motionless on the stage, clearly out of character. You blinked down at him, unsure of what to do—this wasn’t in the script.

Nemuri leaned over Shirakumo’s ‘unconscious’ body, a mischievous grin on her face as she added a dramatic pause. “It seems the knight has fallen,” she purred. “Perhaps the apple was too much for him,” drawing laughter from the crowd.

“And perhaps… there’s another way to save the kingdom.”

You glanced at her, eyebrows raised, lines completely forgotten. From backstage, Hizashi stifled a laugh, and the atmosphere shifted.

Shouta, still playing the dark sorcerer, looked down at Shirakumo before his glowing red eyes settled on you. His expression was unreadable, though his eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to figure out what was happening. Nemuri threw a sly wink in your direction.

“Uh…” you stammered, scrambling to stay in character. “How else can the kingdom be saved?”

Nemuri, grinning fully now, stood up and dramatically pointed at Shouta. “The sorcerer has not been defeated, but perhaps… love can conquer even the darkest magic.”

The audience began to murmur, some whispering to each other, wondering if this was even part of the original script.

Before you could react, Hizashi’s voice boomed from offstage, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Yes! Love is the key!” Nemuri pushed on, “Princess, you must act quickly before the kingdom falls into eternal darkness!”

Shouta stood there, expression stoic but unwavering, his eyes locked on yours. It was too late to back down now.

Stepping forward, you felt the weight of the audience’s gaze. You met Shouta’s eyes, and for a moment, it felt like the entire stage had faded away, leaving just the two of you.

Taking a deep breath, you whispered, “I suppose… this is how the kingdom is saved.” Your heart raced as you placed a hand on his chest, your gaze never leaving his.

Shouta, ever composed, raised an eyebrow in silent question, and you gave a subtle nod. He leans in, gently raising your chin before closing the gap between you. The soft touch of his lips against yours sent a spark through you, the kiss gentle but lingering.

The crowd gasped in unison, and whistles broke out from the back, undoubtedly from Hizashi. The kiss deepened for a brief moment before you pulled away, your face flushed, Shouta’s usually stoic expression softened with something unspoken as his hair settled and his eyes returned to normal.

Behind you, Nemuri let out a dramatic sigh. “Behold!” she declared, arms outstretched. “The princess has saved the kingdom with the power of love!”

The audience erupted into applause and cheers, some students laughing at the unexpected twist, while others swooned at the romantic turn.

You turned to face the crowd, your cheeks still burning, only to see Shirakumo peeking one eye open from the floor, barely suppressing his laughter.

“That… wasn’t part of the script,” you muttered, catching your breath.

Shouta, back to his usual calm demeanor, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

As the curtain fell, Nemuri and Hizashi bounded over, grinning from ear to ear.

“That was genius!” Hizashi cheered, clapping you both on the back and nearly knocking you into each other. “Way better than what we had planned!”

Nemuri winked at you. “I knew it would be perfect. Who doesn’t love a good plot twist?”

You glanced at Shouta, hesitating, silently wondering if he felt the same way. He sighed, a faint smile still on his face. “You’re overthinking,” he muttered before gently pulling you backstage.

“None of you better knock unless you’d want my scarf wrapped around your throats.”

The end of the school year was fast approaching, and with it, the looming reality of graduation. You sat on the edge of the fire escape balcony as the sun begins to set, your legs dangling over as the cool breeze plays with your hair. Beside you, Shouta leans back against the building, a shoulder wrapped around you with his usual calm demeanor slightly more relaxed than normal.

You sigh, resting your head on his shoulder. "Graduation feels… weird. Like we’ve been working toward it for so long, and now that it’s here, it doesn’t feel real."

Shouta nodded, "Yeah. Everything’s about to change." He paused, glancing at you. "What about you? Have you figured out where you’re going after this?"

You smiled, though her eyes were distant. "I’m not sure yet. Hopefully anything within the medical field, or maybe in a rescue agency.,” you shrugged. "It’s just an idea. What about you?”

Shouta shifted slightly, "There’s plenty of work to do here. A lot of people who need protection, me, Oboro and Yamada were actually thinking of opening our own agency."

You turned to face him fully, a slight smile on your lips. "You think we can make it work? We’re gonna be super busy, maybe even needing to relocate,"

He met your gaze, his dark eyes steady and serious. "We’ll make it work. I’m not worried about that, if this agency thing works out, it’ll be enough to have our own place.”

You reached out to take his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. "I like that confidence."

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze, his lips quirking up into a rare smile. "I have to be confident. You’re a handful."

You laughed, the sound light and melodic, a sound that Shouta would never get bored of.

"Just know that I’m not letting you go that easily, Yan."

The work-study program had always been a crucial part of training, but with graduation so close, it felt like this was everyone’s final real-world test before stepping into full-fledged hero careers. You, Shouta, and your classmates were deployed to different areas of the city. You were no longer simple students—You were all heroes in training, and the safety of civilians rested in your hands.

You were assigned at Tatami Ward, where a massive villain, Garvey, was causing havoc. Garvey was no ordinary villain; According to his rapport, he had a powerful stockpiling quirk, allowing him to absorb attacks and release them with devastating force. His rampage had left parts of the city in ruins, and backup was immediately called in.

After a quick briefing, saying your goodbyes to your friends and a kiss to your lover, to which he promised he’ll keep your brother safe before you all part ways.

You were stationed with Hizashi, responsible for ensuring civilians were evacuated safely and tending to the injured. As the EMTs worked tirelessly to treat those who were wounded, you used your Kitsune spirit to heal and protect those who were caught in the crossfire.

Everything seemed to be going well on your end—no civilian casualties, thanks to Kitsune's healing abilities. But there was still worry in your heart. You hadn’t heard much from Aizawa or Oboro since the battle began, and the uncertainty gnawed at you.

You pressed the speaker in your ear, checking for updates. "Shouta? Oboro? Are you there?" You called out. Aizawa was mumbling, unable to catch his words , you tried again with Oboro, only to meet a sharp ringing on his end that you quickly shut off.

Your mind began to race. Shouta had a habit of focusing intensely during battle, so it wasn’t entirely unusual for him to ignore communications. But Oboro—he would never leave you hanging like this.

"Something’s wrong," you muttered to yourself. You spotted Hizashi’s ship, given from the Buster Union agency as he landed near you and immediately rushed over.

“Hizashi, please,” you begged, grabbing his arm. “I need to go where Shouta and Oboro are. Something’s wrong, they aren’t responding to me.”

Hizashi, always quick to react when it came to his friends, nodded without question. He brought you aboard, and the two of you soared towards the last known location of Shouta and Oboro. As you got closer, the smoke and debris became clearer, and your stomach twisted in knots.

When you two arrived, the battle was already over. Garvey lay unconscious, his colossal form defeated by Aizawa and Oboro’s teamwork. You sigh with relief at the sight of the downed villain, but something felt off.

"Shouta!" You called out, rushing toward him. But

your breath caught in your throat when you followed his gaze.

Oboro's lower body lay crumpled, toppled by multiple amounts of boulders as blood began to stain the concrete.

“No,” you whispered, stumbling toward, ignoring the blood splashing the soles of your shoes. “No, no, no!” Your Kitsune spirit frantically tries to sense any life left in him. There was nothing.

"He’s gone…" Shouta whispers,

Oboro had been there for your whole life, through everything, the one who always made you laugh when the world felt too heavy, the one that reassured you when your parents never understood you, the one that threw you boxes filled with donuts to treat your sweet tooth cravings.

And now… he was gone. Your vision blurred with tears, but those tears quickly snapped to anger.

Aizawa stood frozen, unable to move, unable to process what had happened. But your grief twisted into rage, and suddenly, your Kitsune took over, feeding on your pain and anger.

With a swift turn, kunai in hand, your eyes began to glow a harsh blue with sharp slits filled with fury.

"Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought he was still alive… I heard him talking to me—“

"I could’ve saved him!"

Aizawa stepped back, his own guilt reflected in his eyes, but before you could land a hit, Hizashi grabbed your arms and pulled you back with a strong grip, dropping your kunai.

"Yan! Stop!" Hizashi shouted, holding you tightly as you struggled against him.

"I could’ve saved him! You promised me! YOU’RE A LIAR—!" Your words broke into sobs, your body trembling with grief.

A soft voice cut through the chaos. Nemuri had arrived in perfect timing, and in a swift, gentle move, she used her quirk. "Sleep," she whispered.

Your eyes fluttered shut as her fog begins to cloud your vision, your body going limp in Hizashi’s arms. The tears still streamed down your face as you were placed gently on Nemuri’s lap, eyes closing shut as the world darkens.

—-

Hopefully this super adorable art of Reader and Aizawa during UA cheers you up from this angsty ending! The art is from the lovely mananeez go support her! ❤️🫶

[l-y-e-a]

Marauders/Harry Potter - Fic recs

Poly!Marauders Cuddle by @cosmal quit by @ellecdc

@saintlike78 ↓

Behave (pt. 1) Flashing lights (pt. 2) No rest (pt. 3)

@randomoutsiders ↓

one where they help you out of subspace (and again) one where they punish you one where there’s a lot of jealousy one (another) where they all dominate you one where you’re not feeling too good one where you have to use your safe word one where you’re in subspace and they don’t know one where they push you too far into subspace (including marlene and lily) one where remus snaps at you one where you’re a little insecure one where you’re a crybaby

@moonstruckme ↓

emt!marauders are called after a mishap at work Your boyfriends discover you in A&E They talk you through getting stitches They comfort you in the hospital They comfort you when you're terrified of needles You try to avoid them when you're hurt You pick Sirius up after he gets hurt at work They comfort you when you're injured and anxious They check on you when you're struggling with your mental health They come when you get in a bad car crash The boy help (some more than others) when you can't say what you mean A calm, domestic morning with the marauders A semi-calm, domestic night Sleepy aftercare with the boys Sleepy aftercare with bratty!reader The boys coddle a touched starved!you Your first morning with the marauders The marauders comfort you when you're dealing with insomnia The marauders calm you down when you're feeling anxious The boys poke fun at you and James for being sleepy It's your first sleepover with the boys You fall too deep into subspace

Remus Lupin You forgot your purse by @bruisedboys

@luveline ↓

losers rockstar!remus comes to find you when you’re upset sleepy rockstar!remus clings to you after a show rockstar!remus refuses to leave your side rockstar!remus gets back after a show remus reassures you that you're not a burden to friends remus comforts you when you feel stupid remus comforts you when you feel like a loner remus reminds you that it’s okay to eat without him

@ddejavvu ↓

giving mafia!remus the silent treatment mafia!remus is late for your date

@gxtitobxby ↓

dealer!remus cuts you off shy!reader wants affection innocent!reader smokes for the first time and sirius laughs at her. bad move. sub!reader tries to give rem aftercare darling, come home promises

@randomoutsiders ↓

one where you touch yourself without his permission and he gets mad one where he pushes you too far into subspace one where you don’t pay attention in his class (professor!lupin)

James Potter

@fourmoony ↓

reassurance from jamie socially anxious reader feels too much for james

@luveline ↓

james does laundry and misses you after an argument you try to make it up to james after an argument you take bodyguard!James to a sleepover bodyguard!James comforts you in the rain bodyguard!James defends you from meanies James is your angry but soft bodyguard bodyguard!James comes to rescue you bodyguard!James dotes on you before bed bodyguard!James assuages your fears A star between hands shy!you wants to sleep over rockstar!James introduces you to the world James comforts you when you’re lonely you tell James he could’ve been nicer today James defends you from a coworker James assures you that you’re pretty you fall asleep on James’ shoulder James is upset when others treat you badly

@randomoutsiders ↓

one where you guys fight (part 2) one where he takes care of you after sex one where he’s jealous

Sirius Black neglect by @randomoutsiders

@luveline ↓

rockstar!sirius talks about you on the red carpet sirius gets drunk and you look after him sirius actually listens sirius comforts you when you worry you’re too shy sirius gives his shy girl a hug

Fred Weasley

@luveline ↓

a special friend

Regulus Black He loves you by @cryonme

[gothic-lottie]

Chapter 16 of Making Some Sense of This is out now and a good bit of it is a flashback so I had to take the opportunity to draw Professor Fig.

“Alright Isobel, I have a list of all the school things you'll need but that can wait. We should find you some new clothes first. You'll need school uniforms, pajamas, and I imagine you'll want some casual clothes as well.” The man who had rescued me from my family the day before, Professor Fig as he'd introduced himself, went on as he led me through the bustling street.

“Professor, I don't have money for any of this.”

“Oh, don't worry about that, I'll be paying. You only have to focus on picking out what you want, though you do need at least one outfit off the rack since yours has… a hole in it…” he led me into a shop where a friendly woman greeted us. 

“Hello Eleazar, who's this? You never mentioned having a daughter.”

“This is Isobel Morgana, a new student starting at Hogwarts this year. She'll need an entire new wardrobe, do you think you could help, Alice?”

“Certainly… you don't look eleven dear, how old are you?”

“Fourteen ma'am. Almost fifteen.”

“She's starting as a fifth year. Very unusual but that's why I've been charged with getting her adjusted before the school year.”

“Very well then, let's see what we can do for you.” The woman, Alice, led me to a rack of skirts. “This is the fashionable length of skirt for girls your age. What colors do you like?”

“Do you have anything longer?”

“What? Darling, floor length skirts are for grown ladies. Enjoy being young while you can.”

“I want long skirts. Nothing short.”

“If you say so… these are our ladies skirts.”

“I like black… it feels as though it fits me.”

“A grim one, aren't you… alright then.” She took the measuring tape off her chatelaine and took a few measurements quickly before selecting a couple black skirts. “Let me find you a few blouses, one moment.” Alice wandered off to look for shirts and Professor Fig placed a hand on my shoulder. “Is something on your mind, my young friend? She's quite right, you aren't expected to dress like an adult until you turn seventeen. You are still a child.”

“I would prefer to present myself as an adult. If I am away from my mother for good, I am no child. Not anymore.”

“If that's what you want, but remember that we can buy you something more fitting of your age if you change your mind.”

“Thank you, Professor”

Alice returned then, a newfound skip in her step. “I've found just the thing.”

A few minutes later, Alice had me dressed in a soft Lilac blouse and one of the skirts I'd chosen. She'd even tied a matching ribbon around the top hat she placed on my head. “Oh, you look like such a lovely young lady.” She sang as she led me to a mirror. “You're going to be quite popular with the boys~” 

“I doubt that but this is a lovely blouse.  I should get a few more but I'll wear this one out if that's alright.”

 

Two hours later, we'd had me measured for a new corset since mine still had a hole and some blood in it, as well as having purchased school uniforms that Professor Fig assured me would change color by magic to match whatever house I was sorted into. 

As we walked down the alley, I noticed a shop just full of owls. I couldn't help but stare, thinking of how much Father Isaac would love a shop dedicated to keeping messenger owls.

“Oh, how could I forget! Thank you for reminding me, we need to get you your own owl. I know it's uncommon in the muggle world but here, most mail is sent through owl post. I'll teach you how to care for-”

“No need. I know how to care for messenger owls. A close friend keeps them as a hobby so I'm quite familiar.”

“I see… Well, you'll be better prepared than most. The only thing more useful you could have learned as a muggle would be how to speak Latin.”

“I do speak Latin. I'm Catholic and I've been reading the Bible in Latin for years now.”

“I'm impressed. That will certainly make your life here much easier.”

“Good to know.”

Professor Fig picked an owl for me before returning to the tavern we had entered the alley through.

Chapter 15 art

Chapter 17 art

Master list

[writemekpop]

Lost Cause | Jung Jaehyun

Summary: You decide to give your ex Jaehyun a second chance. Is there time to rescue your relationship?

Genre: Angst, ex boyfriend AU

Word Count: 1k

As soon as you walked into the little Italian place, you spotted Jaehyun. 

He was stunning in his simple black suit, shadows falling under his glorious cheekbones. A flood of emotions – desire, hurt, anxiety – rushed through you when you saw him. 

“Uh… hi,” you said, sitting opposite to him. 

Jaehyun held out a glass. “Bailey’s still your favourite?”

To be honest, you’d stopped drinking Bailey’s two years ago – after you broke up with Jaehyun. 

“Sure,” you shrugged. 

Jaehyun tried to hand you the drink, but his hand shook so much it spilled on his sleeve. 

“Damn it,” he cursed. “Honestly, I’m… super nervous. It’s not every day you go on a first date with your ex.” 

“I’m nervous too,” you said, and you both chuckled, relaxing a little. 

Jaehyun grinned. “Why don’t we just pretend it really is a first date?” He held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Jaehyun. Nice to meet you.” “Hi, Jaebeom, is it?” you said, making Jaehyun laugh. “You look great.” 

“You too,” Jaehyun said, taking your hand in his and tracing your palm lines with his finger. Your heart began to race at the touch, familiar yet unfamiliar.  

“You know, I’m a model.” Jaehyun said. “We have this saying that the perfect face doesn’t exist. But, uh, clearly, the people who came up with that have never met you.” You fought a smile. “Well, I am a biology lecturer,” you added. “And evolutionarily speaking, we are hardwired to desire taller and stronger people. So, the girls must be all over you.” Jaehyun grinned. “Although, you know, evolution is only one theory. I think we have to consider creation, too.”

You snorted. 

“What?” Jaehyun said, removing his hand from yours.  

“Nothing,” you said, smoothing your dress. “I just forgot that you believe in wacko theories like that.” 

Jaehyun stared at you. “Excuse me?” 

You sighed. “No, look, I don’t have a problem with it. It’s cute.” 

“Oh, please,” Jaehyun said. “By cute, you mean that your boyfriend is dumb, but you don’t care because I’m pretty?” 

“I never said you were dumb!” you exclaimed. 

Jaehyun rolled his eyes. “I know why you didn’t invite me to those conferences. You didn’t want your fancy university friends to realise you had a stupid boyfriend.” He sniffed. “Well, you should feel lucky to get a guy like me.”

You rolled your eyes, lying back in your chair. “This again! You think I’m some ugly nerd who doesn’t deserve a boyfriend as gorgeous as you.” Jaehyun frowned. “That’s not fair.”

You shook your head. “You know what I always thought? If there are so many girls throwing themselves at you, why don’t you just sleep with one of them?” You laughed. “Oh wait. You did. You slept with your agent, for crying out loud.” Jaehyun pushed out his chair. “What was I meant to do? I had a girlfriend who was so busy with work I knew her Whatsapp profile picture better than her!”  

“At least I have a career!” you huffed. “All your little ‘modelling’ gigs got us was red letters from the bank!” 

Jaehyun rubbed his eyes. “What is happening to us?” You fell into your chair. “I’m sorry, Jaehyun. It was stupid of me to think that we could get back together.”

You sat in exhausted silence until the next round of drinks came.

“It wasn’t stupid.” Jaehyun said, taking your hand. “You were the love of my life.” You felt a twinge in your chest, pain or love or both. “You were mine, too,” you admitted.

You leaned forward and kissed Jaehyun, your hand gripping his hair, throwing yourself into it completely. 

The kiss wasn’t bad. It was gentle. Jaehyun’s lips were soft. But something, some spark was missing. It was like both of you were playing along without really feeling anything. You slowly pulled away. 

“That was…” Jaehyun started. 

“Awful,” you finished, cracking a smile. 

“Terrible,” Jaehyun agreed, with a chuckle. “Maybe it’s too late for us to start again. We’re… ancient history.” 

Although his words hurt, you knew they were true. “Well, will you share this drink with an old friend?” you asked, lifting your glass. 

Jaehyun raised his glass as well. “To old friends.”

“To old friends,” you said.   

—

MAIN MASTERLIST

Let us know what you thought in the comments or on anon! 💋

[michelleleewise]

Omggg okay so can you do a one shot of sugar daddy Loki where he’s dating this girl who’s younger than him and she’s not really dumb but she’s like very girly and bubbly and maybe that makes people think she’s dumb but anyways there’s like this charity gala and all the rich people are attending and like a group of older women greet Loki and the reader and are kinda being condescending and they’re making her feel stupid and like a kid (they just mad cause Loki don’t want them💅🏼)and like Loki steps in and defends her idk if this is dumb but whatever lmao

Aaahhhh!!! Sorry this took me a minute!! Well.....a long minute.....lol but I'm here.....I got you......

Lets.......do........thiiiiiiisssss!!! Thanks for sending me this!!!! 😁💚

====================================

Back Off

Pairing: Sugardaddy Loki x female reader

Warnings: slight angst, bullying, self deprecating thoughts, mean people being mean.

Summary: your sugar daddy invites you to attend a gala with him, the evening doesn't go as planned...

A/n- this may have turned angstier then I intended....oops.....but Loki to the rescue!!! Graphics by @harlequin-hangout

You sat on the ottoman, lacing up your heels smiling. Standing up you looked at yourself in the mirror, twirling the fabric as you spun around. The deep v-neck plunging dangerously low, the backless emerald green dress was a dream. Hearing the doorbell you hopped up and down grabbing your clutch you ran down the stairs grabbing your coat from the hook opening the door "Hello love, ready to go?" Loki asked smiling at you "yes! I just need to get my coat on." You smiled as he took it from you, holding it up for you sliding your arms into it. "Thank you kind sir." You said hearing him laugh "your chariot awaits, my lady." He bowed holding his arm out making you giggle.

You looped your arm with his as he guided you into the tower. You had never been there before and you could hardly contain your excitement. "You look beautiful tonight love." Loki said looking down smiling at you "you look pretty good yourself sir." You winked as you stepped into the elevator, watching him press the button as you bounced on your heels. You squeezed his bicep, biting your lip as you glanced over taking him in seeing him adjusting his tie. His tall figure wrapped in a snug black suit, hugging him in all the right places, his deep green shirt accentuating his eyes "keep looking at me like that and we won't make it to the party." He said not looking at you as you eyes shot to the doors watching them slide open revealing the large room.

You looked up at the vaulted ceilings, lights strung delicately across it, violin music filled the room accompanied by a soft light. "Darling.." you heard Loki say, looking over to him smiling "he will take your coat." He said pointing to the man standing next to you. You smiled at him, sliding your coat off handing it to him "thank you so much." You said as Loki held out his arm "would you care for a drink love?" He asked as you grabbed his arm "yes please!" You said excitedly. "Hey Loki, can I borrow you for a second?" A man asked, looking over seeing Tony Stark waving at Loki "duty calls, you head to the bar and I shall be right there." He said kissing the top of your head before walking to meet stark.

You strode over towards the bar, a smile on your face as your heel caught on the carpet making you stumble into a stool "God, walk much?" You heard someone say, looking up seeing a small group of women sneering at you "relax Susanne, she probably just learned yesterday." Another said as they all laughed. You laughed awkwardly righting yourself waving at the bartender "are you sure your old enough to drink?" Another said "umm..yes, I'm actually.." you started "im not sure she can count that high." The other said as they all started laughing again. You looked down, fidgeting with your fingers trying to ignore the insults as one of the women stepped closer "I don't even know what he sees in you." She snarled looking you up and down "I don't know wha..." you started, feeling a hand on your back making you jump "Darling, here you are....ladies." Loki smiled at the others.

"Loki, so good to see you." The one said smiling as she bit her lip. "Did you get a drink love?" He asked rubbing your back "um..no not yet, what did you want?" You asked smiling up at him "you know what I like." He said winking. You turned back to the bartender waving him over ordering Loki a whiskey on the rocks and yourself a sex on the beach, turning back around seeing the woman had stepped closer to him, running her hand up his arm "here you go Lo." You smiled handing it to him "what, can't even say his name properly? You did go to school didn't you?" She sneered making you flinch. "I...well I just..." you trailed off fidgeting with your glass "loki...dear would you care for a dance?" The woman asked stepping in front of him "no, I don't think so." He said sipping his drink.

"You know, I donate an obsene amount of money to this charity, and I don't believe Mr. Stark would be happy if I told him you were rude to me." She smiled sipping her drink "it's ok Lo...ki. I'll be fine" you said smiling "Darling, I don't..." he started when the woman interrupted him "your...date....will be fine, come on handsome." She said grabbing his drink handing it to you as she grabbed his hand pulling him to the dancefloor. You set your drinks on the bar, looking out to the dancefloor watching them. You knew you shouldn't be jealous, you weren't in a relationship per say, It was an arrangement...a contract...a way to fulfill eachothers needs.... but it still stung watching the way he held her, swaying his hips with hers.

"So, how did you meet Loki, did he find you on the corner?" The other woman snarked as she and the others laughed "maybe we should call her pretty woman, well...maybe if she was older." Another said as you felt your eyes burn, the comments starting to break your resolve. "You do know he's too good for you right? He works with Tony Stark...he drives a porche...what do you have...a Toyota?" The other said when the laughing began again "oh dear, I think she's going to cry." The other woman said. "Careful honey, you can't stain that dress if you plan to return it." She said when you felt a tear spill down your cheek. "Excuse me." You said, holding your hand over your mouth as you stormed to the man by the door, you needed out of there now "hi...um could I get my cost please?" You asked seeing him smile "certainly ma'am, one second." He said walking into a large closet behind him.

He came back with a smile handing your coat to the "anything else ma'am?" He asked as you shook your head "n..no thank you." You said shakely. Putting your arm through the sleeve you felt a hand on your shoulder "love, where are you going?" You turned seeing Loki looking down at you, his eyes softening as you wiped your cheeks. "Loki, I don't belong here, i..i shouldn't have come." You said buttoning up the dark pink coat. "What do you..." he started when the woman he was dancing with slid next to him "why did you leave dear, we were having fun." She smiled running a finger down his tie.

"Miss, if you don't mind we are having a conversation." Loki snapped at the woman pulling her hand from him. "It's ok Loki, I'm going." You said when he grabbed your arm "no, you are not." He said sternly "loki, let her go. She probably has school tomorrow." She said laughing when Loki released your arm turning his attention to her "with all due respect Madam, back off!" Loki snarled stepping between you and her "you act as though you are better then her, when in fact it is she who is better then you." He continued, starting to pull the attention of the room. "She is kind, compassionate, she always stays positive and tries to see the good in everyone." He said stepping towards her making her back up "yes she may be young, but she is funny, intelligent and a far better person then you ever will be." He said.

"Loki..." you whispered seeing everyone in the room looking at you "one moment love." He said glancing back at you "you cannot hold a candle to this woman, you think your money can buy you whatever you wish, but it will never buy you happiness, trust me I know from experience." He said straightening his tie "now if you will excuse me, the woman I love needs me." He said glaring down at her. "How dare you!" She yelled as Loki turned back to you "you wait until stark hears about this! You will.." She started "He will what exactly?" Another voice said, peeking around Loki you saw Mr stark "I think it's time you leave." He said waving at the coat check man. "I beg your pardon! Do you know how much I donate to your stupid charity?" She yelled as the man brought her coat over "oh I do, and now they all know exactly how you feel about it." Tony smiled pointing at the cameras filming her.

"I will ruin you stark!" She yelled grabbing her coat storming off "get in line honey!" He called after her laughing. "Y/n I presume?" He asked holding his arm out "y..yes...hi." you said shaking his hand. "I've begrudgingly heard all about you." He said laughing "I apologize for...that." he said waving at the door. "Please stay, enjoy the party. And any other issue please let me know." He said as Loki slipped your coat off handing it to the coat man. "O..ok, I will." You smiled "reindeer games." Tony nodded walking away. You looked up at Loki scrunching your eyebrows "a nickname...I would rather not discuss it." He laughed grabbing your hand pulling you to the dancefloor, wrapping his long arm around your waist he pulled you to his chest smiling down at you.

You took a deep breath looking up into his eyes "what is it love?" He asked watching you "d..did you.." you trailed off looking down "did I what?" He asked placing his finger under your chin lifting your head "did you...mean it?" You asked quietly seeing him smile "every word love, you are an incredible woman." He said cupping your cheek "thank you Loki, but I mean...that you know..." you started "that I love you?" He asked gripping your waist tighter "yes, I meant it." He said as you looked up at him "y/n, I know our situation started as an arrangement, I had no intention of being in a relationship." He said looking around "but you...my dear, have burrowed into my heart, my very soul." He said "in fact, I was going to ask you this evening if you do me the honor of properly courting you?" He asked rubbing circles on your lower back.

"I...loki I don't..." you stuttered as your mind reeled with the new information. "You do not have to answer now, I understand if..." you cut him off pressing your lips to his, wrapping your arms around his neck feeling his hand on your bare back making you shiver as you pulled back slightly "loki...I have a confession." You said looking into his deep green eyes "i...I love you too." You smiled "and yes, I would love to be courted...my king." You said pecking his lips. "I adore you my queen." He said as you buried your face in his neck "I do have one stipulating my dear." He said making you look at him "I insist you continue using my pet name." He smiled down at you "I think I can do that...Lo." you said feeling his chest rumble.

"Would you care to see my room love? It is only a few floors up." He said running his fingers up and down your back "lead the way Lo." You smiled, linking your fingers together he guided you to the door. You looked up at this man...god...prince and smiled knowing he was yours...and yours alone.

@vbecker10 @mochie85 @lokisgoodgirl @springdandelixn @kinky-faerie @xorpsbane @midnights-ramblings @simping-for-marvel @holdmytesseract @kkdvkyya @slpnbty2001 @lokixryss @vane28282 @violethaze @coldnique @aniar4wniak @nate-ate-hate @buttercupcookies-blog @brattymum96 @dukes2581 @your-taste-on-my-lips @mybabyh @blog-the-lilly @irishhappiness @sinsandguilt @filthyhiddles @lovebyloki @kikster606 @javagirl328 @misunderstoodself @highkeysimpingforloki @eleniblue @commanding-officer @athalialaufeyson @stupidthoughtsinwriting @lokiandbuckysdoll @loopsisloops @joyful-enchantress @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @high-functioning-lokipath @kittiowolf210 @slytherclaw1227 @joyfullymassivewhispers @wolfsmom1 @libbybeaz @lokikissesmyforehead @goblingirlsarah @thomase1

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 59: Fukuzawa Yukichi vs. Optimus Prime

Submitted kids:

Fukuzawa Yukichi: The entire detective agency (in order of acquisition— Ranpo, Yosano, Kunikida, Dazai, the Tanizaki siblings, Kenji, Atsushi, Kyoka)

Optimus Prime: Bumblebee, then depending on continuity, Cliffjumper, Smokescreen, Arcee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, the Aerialbots, Sari Sumdac, Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, Raf Esquivel, and possibly others

Propaganda under the cut!

Fukuzawa Yukichi:

1. “At about 32 he used to be an bodyguard for hire who only works alone then he met this 14 year old (Ranpo) who had no parents and was kicked out of the police academy. He ended up feeding him (I think Ranpo was homeless at this point not 100% sure tho. He is also a genius estimated iq as high as 200) and said he would help him free of charge (bodyguard) if he called. He ended up getting called and investigated something with him. Ranpo saw the world very plainly and cried to Fukuzawa about how scary it is. Fukuzawa helped Ranpo realize that not everyone is pretending not to know things they literally don't know what he does (big issue with Ranpo partly what he was crying about too i think. They have an entire episode (i think it's the first one in the 4th season) devoted to their backstory together which is black, white, and gray when it's from Ranpo's perspective until Fukuzawa helps him realize this and it turns colored. Fukuzawa ends up deciding he wants to create a detective agency (working with others!) with Ranpo not yet tho we still have one more kid first. Later when Fukuzawa's doing a bodyguard job he along with Ranpo end up rescuing a girl (Yosano!) from the man he was guarding (future mafia boss currently a doctor). Yosano ends up becoming a doctor for the detective agency when it's created. After it's created he ends up taking in another 14 year old (Kenji).

He also loves cats and has shoujo anime-esque cherry blossom flashbacks with his old childhood friend who asked him if he wanted to go to fight in war with him, Fukuzawa denied his request. They also have a like 15 min soft-lighting conversation while watching their memories of their childhood together in the latest ep.”

2. “This man literally created a whole detective agency for this one really smart boy (Ranpo) and taught him that he wasn't the one in the wrong but everyone else when he couldn't understand people. Then, he saves Yosano from the trauma this other guy was inflicting on her and brings her to the Agency. The Agency basically becomes the place where all his kids are. His special ability lets those in the Agency control their abilities so Atsushi and Kyouka don't have to be afraid of their out of control abilities anymore. He cares so much for all of them and during the Cannibalism arc when his life is literally on the line, they do everything in their power to save him.”

3. “My guy just CANNOT stop adopting kids. He went from lone wolf assassin to Dad of Many. His first (adopted) child, Ranpo, basically forced him to adopt him (he was like “I’m a teenager with no family or home. You GOTTA adopt me. Because I say so.”) From there he kept accidentally adopting every orphan he came across. Honestly the detective agency is more like a glorified orphanage except they let their kids carry guns.”

4. “A former Goverment assassin who stopped once he realized he was starting to enjoy killing people, Fukuzawa is looking for a job when he bumps into Ranpo, a genius capable of figuring out any mystery, who can’t understand how the world works. Taking Ranpo under his wing Fukuzawa tries a white lie that Ranpo has a special ability and manages to let Ranpo interact with the world without fear for the first time in years since he can know understand the problem wasn’t everyone acting like they couldn’t figure out things but that no one was as smart as him. They found the Armed Detective Agency specifically to use Ranpo’s abilities to help people and to have jobs.

He then saves Yosano from Mori, his ex something who after using her special ability to heal any injury as long as the person is about to die during the War, wanted to use it take control of their local mafia. Instead Fukuzawa and Ranpo rescue her and let her recover from her trauma and come into herself.

He then goes on to provide a place for Kunikida to fulfill his ideals, Dazai a place to do good after his own past in the mafia, Kenji a place to help people, Tanizaki and Naomi (siblings that don’t seem to have any guardians) work to support them, and Atsushi a place to work on his own trauma by protecting people. Fukuzawa later let’s Kyouka, another defection from the mafia, stay and work at the agency so she can help people and not have to kill them anymore. The entire Armed Detective Agency live in dorms that Fukuzawa provided. He also is very protective, putting everything on the line to help members of the Agency escape any danger he knows of. Like when Atsushi is kidnapped he bribes Ranpo to find him and sends Kunikida to rescue him. He sees any danger to the agency and its members as something for him to stop.”

Optimus Prime:

“#VOTE OPTIMUS HE'S THE DAD OF ALL TIME AND HAS ISSUES”

[secret-kkh-fics]

Wash Away the Rain - C1: Shades of Gray

Soulmate AU Challenge - Colours: You see in black and white until you look into your soulmate's eyes. Then you start seeing in colour.

“…Oh shit!” she gasped. “What, did you forget your ‘magic’ muffins in the oven?” Kit scoffed. They both ignored her. “Oh shit,” he echoed the girl. No, not ‘the girl’. His soulmate.

When Graydon Hastur is sent out on a journey he did not want to go on, the last thing he expected to discover was his soulmate. Let alone that his soulmate was Elora Danan! The party discover a girl following behind them, and when he looks into her eyes, his world bursts into colour. There's just a few problems... He is engaged to Princess Kit. And she is in love with Prince Arik. It wasn't complicated at all...

Read on AO3!

Crown Prince Graydon Hastur’s heart bet frantically in his chest, practically trying to break out of his ribcage as he pressed up against a tree, trying to stay as invisible as possible. It was beating so loudly he was certain that whoever was following could hear it from where they were. He could hear the muted thumps of their horse’s hooves on the soft grass of the clearing but couldn’t bring himself to even peek around the tree. Not even as Boorman launched himself from his hiding place at the incoming enemy, closing his eyes tight at the thuds and grunts and sounds of the ensuing scuffle.

“Hey! Put me down!!!” a distinctly female voice echoed through the clearing. His eyes snapped open.

It was a young woman by the sound of it. Certainly not the voice of the horrible Bone Reaver or one of the hellish Gales that Graydon had imagined was following them with the intention of eviscerating them and tearing them limb from limb.

Cautiously, he finally peeked around the tree to see that the others had already all jumped out to attack their stalker, only to stop short seeing a thin young woman with pale skin and light hair that he assumed was blonde. She was wrapped in a knitted shawl as dark as the trees around them… so, possibly green? - though he’d never been able to tell ‘colours’ apart very well when they were a similar shade of grey. She also wore a scowl as Princess Kit scoffed as they approached. Even then, he found that the girl was… pretty.

“Uh-uh. Absolutely not,” Kit scoffed. Clearly, she knew who this was.

“I want to help rescue the prince!” the girl argued.

“Tough. Go home.”

She scowled at the princess, and Graydon couldn’t help but smile, seeing someone who was clearly one of her subjects standing up to her like that. No one at home would dare treat him like that openly, even if he knew they did behind his back.

“You don’t understand!” she continued. “We’re in love.”

Oh.

So, she was in love with Prince Arik? …Of course, she was. The prince was handsome and charming, and any person could easily fall for him. He’d seen several women and men swooning over him while he flirted with them at dinner the night before.

...Not that it mattered that she loved Prince Arik anyway. It’s not like it mattered to him. He was engaged, after all.

“…I don’t know how to break it to you,” Jade said delicately, “but Arik’s been in love with quite a fe-”

“Not like this!” she cut her off passionately. “Not like us!” She was met by a lot of rolled eyes from some of the people who knew Arik well. She sighed in frustration. “You think I’m a fool. Fine, I don’t care! What we have comes around once, maybe – if you’re lucky. And there is nothing we wouldn’t do for each other!”

Graydon blinked in surprise hearing the girl’s impassioned speech. He could only imagine what it would be like to have someone love him that much. Someone who loved him so much that they braved unknown perils and most probable certain death to get him back. His chest burned sickly as he thought of Arik flirting with the courtiers last night. Did he even know what a treasure he had?

“Have you ever been in a fight?” Kit asked the girl, her frustration barely hidden.

“You mean, like… verbally?” He couldn’t help but smile at the response. It was funny and adorable. Though, the snickers from the others he knew were making fun of her.

“I mean, like, defending yourself against someone who wants to hurt you.”

“No,” she said. “Have you?” He couldn’t help letting out a low ‘Oooh!’ under his breath as he finally moved out from behind the tree, watching as the fair woman verbally sparred with the others below him. Everyone seemed stunned by the response. “I can do other stuff,” she continued, turning imploringly towards Jade, Boorman and General Kase. “Whatever you need - tend horses. Somebody’s gotta cook, right?”

“Are you any good?” Boorman asked, perking up at the mention of food.

“I’m phenomenal!”

This time he grinned. She certainly was confident. He wished he could be as confident and passionate as she was.

“She’s not coming with us, Boorman,” Kit groused.

“You heard the Princess,” Kase told the girl as he led his horse. “You’re going back to Tir Asleen at first light.”

Kit turned to look at him sharply. “What?!”

“What? It will be dark soon. She can go back in the morning.”

From the sheepish look on the General’s face, Graydon could tell he wanted to keep her around for the night so he could get a good meal. And if General Kase was willing to keep her around for her cooking after all the warnings he’d given them about safety, then she must be as good as she said. He could do with a nice meal himself, and he certainly wasn’t against her staying with them longer. She seemed nice.

Before Kit could argue any further – something he was quickly tiring of – he took a step forward to the top of the hill and finally drew attention to himself.

“So, what can you cook out here?” he asked the girl.

She turned sharply to look at him, surprised having forgotten there was another in their party, and his breath caught in this chest. He had thought that her voice was lovely, and her delicate features were beautiful… but that was nothing compared to her luminous eyes. Her brilliant eyes locked with his, and after a second they blew wide. He found himself doing the same, his mouth falling open as he was suddenly overwhelmed by an assault to his senses, the world around him bursting into intense vibrancy. The shades of grey he’d known his entire life being chased away by what he could only assume was colour. It was so much all at once, almost giving him a headache, and he looked about wildly to take it all in. He saw the colour of the sky above them, something he’d always been told was blue, and the green of the trees – indeed the colour of the girl’s shawl. He didn’t yet have a name for the shocking colour of Jade’s hair, unlike anything else around them.

Amongst all the new mess of colours, the girl stood out like a bright, fair beacon, looking about as frantically as he was before their eyes locked once more. Their stunning blue colour, the first he’d ever seen…

“…Oh shit!” she gasped.

“What, did you forget your ‘magic’ muffins in the oven?” Kit scoffed.

They both ignored her. “Oh shit,” he echoed the girl.

No, not ‘the girl’.

His soulmate.

“Ah… what’s going on? You two having a staring contest?” Boorman asked looking between them before getting a look of realisation. “Ohh… I see, you have a thing for princes, don’t you girlie? We got a bit of a… ex-lovers reunion going on, don’t we?”

“Wh-what? No!” she protested. Graydon wanted to protest as well, but he was too stunned to talk. “He- I- It- …I’m going to forage some ingredients!”

“Hey! You’re not staying!” Kit shouted as his soulmate fled into the treeline in the other direction to him. “Ugh. She’s going to get killed out there.”

“Shut up and kill me a possum, Princess!” she shouted back. Kit scowled, muttering something under her breath and Jade was attempting to hide a smile.

Graydon looked about at the others, the bright colours of their clothing and the overwhelming green of the forest making him dizzy. This was why he wore dark clothing. You didn’t have to deal with colours when everything was dark. Not that he’d ever had to deal with colours until just now.

“I… I’ll get some firewood,” he stuttered. “You need fire to cook, right? Yeah. Firewood. Cooking. Firewood… Cooking…”

Muttering as his mind swirled with chaos, he turned and wandered aimlessly into the trees behind him.

“Well, that was weird,” he heard Boorman say.

It was ten minutes later that Graydon realised he hadn’t even looked at the ground, let alone picked up a twig for kindling… And he might be a little lost.

…Which way was the clearing?

And hour later, Graydon lazed on the grass, close to a crackling fire, sheltered by a makeshift ‘tent’ he’d made with two large sticks and his coat. His soulmate sat not far off, working over a cast iron pot at the edge of the fire. The stew she was preparing smelled amazing already, but… She hadn’t said anything to him since she’d gotten back, and he’d been too nervous to do the same. She had barely even looked at him.

Overwhelmed by the colours he wasn’t used to seeing and incredibly anxious about the entire idea that his soulmate – his soulmate! – sat mere feet from him, he had pulled out his flute in an attempt to ease his mind. The high, reedy notes drifted peacefully through the air for a few wonderful moments. Until…

“Seriously? You brought a flute?” Kit scoffed.

“Yeah, was that not a good idea?” he asked, annoyance and anxiety mixing together. “My nan believed that music was a balm for the soul. So...” He wasn’t entirely sure why he was always explaining why he did the things he did, why he felt the need to justify every action he took. But he always had. This was something important to him. He was sort of moments away from a panic attack to be honest, and he needed the calming sound of his music. He needed the distraction of focusing on the notes he was playing. How could something as innocuous as music annoy the princess? Gods, was there anything she enjoyed? He could understand that she was stressed about her brother’s kidnap, but it felt like she had been in a perpetual state of irritation since they’d met.

“This is not some jaunt or your chance to see the world,” she snapped. “It's dangerous. And those things that took Airk, they're not just gonna give him back!” There was silence for a moment, and she looked over to Boorman for help. “Hey, tell him.” She pointed towards him.

Boorman turned his head to the side and spat out the stick of blackroot he’d been chewing on. “Well, you're all so naive, it's- it’s adorable,” he told her. Kit turned away, offended by the accusation. “What? You've never known pain, fear, hunger…” Graydon’s stomach twisted. He did know those feelings… all too well. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Despite the fact he was a prince… No, not despite – because he was a prince of Galladoorn, he knew just what it was like to live in pain and fear, and yes, even hunger. But not how Boorman was thinking of it. “Out there, it won't matter who your parents are, or what you think you deserve. ‘Cause the world is bigger than you could possibly imagine... It doesn't give a damn about any of you.”

“Possum stew?” his soulmate said sweetly, cutting off anything else Boorman had been about to say. He leaned forward eagerly, not just to watch Boorman’s reaction, but to observe his soulmate more. Living at court, he knew well the art of distraction, so he could recognise she was preventing him from upsetting them with his words. It was very diplomatic, and incredibly sweet of her. He could tell she was a very compassionate woman, and despite only being a kitchen maid, it seemed she had picked up a few tricks living in the castle.

Oh, gods. His father would never allow him to marry a kitchen maid! …But screw it! She was his soulmate. Surely his father would understand that. And if he couldn’t… well… Well, he’d just have to stay with her. Leave Galladoorn and forsake his crown. Certainly, his father would prefer he marry a servant over losing his last and only heir… Maybe it would overcome his insistence to use him to gain an heir to Tir Asleen…

He shook his head. That didn’t matter away. He was set to be married to Kit, and his soulmate was already in love… He wasn’t about to stand in the way of her happiness. They’d only just met…

“Wow!” Boorman exclaimed after taking his first mouthful of the stew. It was clear he was impressed.

“Phenomenal,” she whispered at him smugly, nodding to him. She knew she was good, and proud to have proved it to him. His heart fluttered in his chest, his gut twisting in a way that was more pleasant than what he was used to.

She went back to the pot, filling up a bunch of bowls and handing them out to everyone in turn. When she handed him one, he was all too aware that their fingers gazed as she handed him the bowl – the first time they’d ever touched, and he thanked her with a gentle voice, earning a nervous smile in response. Once everyone had their bowls and was happily slurping away, she grabbed a bowl for herself and settled down across the fire from him. Sure, it was near where she had been cooking, but he couldn’t help but notice it was as far away from him as she could get… but it was also directly in sight of him.

As soon as conversation started up, Kit stood and went and sat on a log not too far away, leaving her bowl of stew behind. Boorman immediately went to reach for it, only to be swatted away by Jade.

As he ate, he watched his soulmate look over at Kit, unable to read the emotions there. It was clear they had some kind of history, considering she was in a relationship with the princess’s twin. And from the way Kit treated her and reacted to her, and the annoyed yet melancholy way his soulmate gazed at her, he didn’t think it was a good one. Eventually, his soulmate’s gaze moved past his… fiancée, further out to the shimmering haze of magic on the horizon.

“I know this is a silly question…” she said eventually, “but what is the Barrier, actually?”

“It's a force field,” Jade informed her before he could even open his mouth to explain. “Forged by Raziel and Cherlindrea to protect the realm. It was a refuge for those who wanted a life that was more than just survival.” She hesitated a moment, looking as if she was going to say something else. She leaned back, sniffing and clearing her throat to get rid of the tears he hadn’t noticed had welled in her eyes. “My, um, family was headed to the Mothers' Gate when we were attacked. I was the only one who survived.”

“That's... depressing,” Boorman said, “but not why they built the Barrier.”

Graydon’s attention was drawn by movement, and he noticed Kit coming back over to the group, placing a comforting hand on her protector’s shoulder and sitting beside her. It was clear the woman was more than just her guard. They were friends.

“He's right,” Kase told them. “It wasn't built to protect the realm, it was built for Elora Danan.”

“What happened to her?” his soulmate asked.

Graydon looked down, for once not wanting to eagerly share his knowledge. He had a few theories. His father certainly had one to, similar to what he believed to be true, but very different in conclusion. They both believed that Queen Sorcha and her husband had taken Elora Danan back to Tir Asleen, disguised her, given her a new name, and raised her there under their protection, unknown to the rest of the world. But while he believed the Queen had kept her close in the castle, but not too close as to put her in a position someone could suspect who she truly was, his father believed they had raised her as one of their own. After all, it’s only natural to protect one’s child (or so he’d been told, even though he hadn’t experienced much of that), and what better way to prepare the empress for her duties without causing problems in the matter of succession. His father believed they had disguised Elora Danan as their own daughter… Kit. It was why he was forcing him to marry her. Kit and Arik could be asked to stand down at any point when Elora Danan returned. But if Kit was Elora, being her husband would make him consort to the empress, exactly what his father wanted…

But he didn’t think his father was right. Kit wasn’t Elora. He knew she wasn’t. He didn’t know how he did, but he was certain of it.

“People say she's dead,” Jade said, a wide smile growing as if telling her favourite bedtime story. “But the prophecy says that one day she'll return and unite the world against forces of darkness.” She gave a small chuckle before her smile fell and she threw away the balled-up bit of grass she’d been fidgeting with. “Truth is, no one actually knows.”

“My mother knows,” Kit said with certainty, staring into the fire blankly.  He looked over at her, wondering if she had any idea… Hoping his father hadn’t been right, despite the certainty he felt that he was wrong. “Pretty sure my father knew too. I think he snuck her out of the castle one night and took her somewhere far away where nobody would find her. And then… stayed with her.” She let out a breath, the subject clearly something that upset her. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for your father to just leave one day and never come back…

…He imagined he would have found it a relief…

“That what you really think or what you wanna believe?” Boorman asked her.

“Why would I want to believe that he chose her instead of us?”

“I don't know,” Boorman said with his usual almost sarcastic tone, reaching over for his blade and hugging it to his chest. “Maybe 'cause, you know, sometimes it's easier to hate them.”

With the blade cuddled into him, he grunted as he lay back, shifting about to get comfortable. And at the sound of a soft snore, they realised Kase had already drifted off. The rest of them all silently agreed to follow suit, getting comfortable to rest for the night, Jade quietly saying she’d take first watch and wake Boorman up later. His soulmate had giggled and said he wouldn’t like that, earning a drowsy ‘I’ll kill you if you do’ from the man in question. And his assurances that they were safe within the barrier allowed the bright-haired woman to lay down beside the princess and drift off too.

It was hard to get to sleep. Partly because he was used to soft feather beds, not hard damp grounds. He’d tried to avoid joining his father’s hunting parties as often as he could, but even when he couldn’t, they had at least brought tents and sleeping pallets. But he was also far too aware of the woman sleeping across from him. His soulmate so close, yet so far away, staring off into the night at the shimmering barrier… probably thinking of her prince. The prince that wasn’t him.

He knew that he should talk to her. Everyone else being asleep would mean that they would have some privacy. He didn’t want his soulmate to think he was avoiding her. But the idea she was thinking about someone else right now kept him where he was, mouth shut, laying on the hard ground and looking up at the bright pricks of starlight.

He started searching the sky, finding every constellation he could, just like he and his mother had when he was young and couldn’t sleep because of the nightmares. And soon, his eyes grew heavier, the stars becoming harder to find, and thoughts slowing to a stop as he drifted to sleep.

He woke the next morning to the incessant sound of chirping birds who were awake far too early and the quiet whispers of voices around him.

“The kitchen maid?” Jade was asking someone in a hushed voice.

The kitchen maid? …his soulmate?

“She's gone,” Boorman responded quietly. “When I woke up. Yeah, one night of sleeping on the hard ground will cure anyone of their romantic fantasies.”

His sleep-hazed mind played the interaction around on repeat, trying to make sense of the words, an ache growing deep in his chest. As he became fully alert, that ache paralysed him so all he could do was lay there.

She was gone?

She wasn’t here anymore?

She had left while they were asleep?

“Maybe she kept going?” Jade suggested.

“Nah, unless she found the gate. She won't get across that gorge,” Boorman said.

Graydon’s breath caught in his chest.

His soulmate had packed up and left in the middle of the night. And from what little he knew of her, he knew she had not gone back to Tir Asleen. If she was going to head back home, surely she would have stuck around and made breakfast so she could try to convince the others to let her come along. But the fact that she had gathered all her things and quietly snuck off while they were all asleep meant she didn’t want them to stop her. Which meant she was pressing on… Alone. Into dangerous territory with Bone Reavers and Gales and bandits and marauders who could kill her and worse. And that was if she could get across the gorge… which she seemed stubborn enough to try.

What if something happened to her? Fuck, and he would know if something did. What if on the way to the Mother’s Gate his new colours suddenly dimmed? What if she died out there and he didn’t even have the chance to ask his soulmate her name before he lost her?

Oh no.

Fuck.

…He was going to be sick.

“Ah… Graydon, you okay there?” Jade asked, her voice quiet but concerned. He opened his eyes and looked over to see her leaning over and peering at him in worry. “You’re kind of… hyperventilating…”

“What? Oh, yeah. No, um… I-I get nightmares,” he told her, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. It wasn’t exactly a lie, since he did still suffer from terrible nightmares most nights that made him wake up already having a panic attack, or with anxiety ticks like hyperventilating or trembling hands. But that wasn’t what had him panicking right now.

And he couldn’t exactly tell her the real reason why. It didn’t feel right…

He groaned to try and clear away the remains of sleep and the panic attack that Jade had unknowingly halted when his focus shifted to pretending to be normal and okay for those around him. It was rare that worked, so he was glad it did this time, his need to pretend outweighing the anxiety. The kind guard was nodding in understanding, sitting back to give him some space. And he found his eyes drifting over and settling on the empty patch of ground his soulmate had chosen to settle down on last night.

Whether she had gone back or pressed on… she had not even spoken to him before she left. He hadn’t even managed to ask her name… And that made the still lingering ache in his chest grow stronger.

He should have taken his chance and spoken to her last night…

“She left in the night,” Jade told him, unaware he’d heard them before. “We think she’s gone back to the castle.”

He looked over at her. “With the way she spoke about Arik yesterday, you really think she snuck away in the dead of night to go home?”

After a moment, Jade shook her head. “No… She’s stubborn and dedicated when her mind is set. She’s gone after Arik by herself… I’m just hoping she gives up and goes home if she can’t find the Mother’s Gate.”

“If she does find it, I bet you she’s charming the guards with food,” he joked in an attempt to lighten his mood. He could practically picture it already. His soulmate cooking up some lovely meal and serving it to the guards while sweetly and passionately pleading her case.

There was a groan from the ground beside them. “Whose got food?” Kit mumbled, groggily dragging herself up.

“No one, Kit.”

“Mmm…” Kit smacked her lips, blinking hard a few times to wake up properly and looked about. “Speaking of food, where’s muffin girl?”

“Already gone,” Boorman told her.

“Oh, good. Kind of. Would have been nice for some breakfast before she left.” She paused when she realised what she said. “…Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Your secrets safe with me, Princess,” Jade said in amusement.

“Not with me,” Boorman countered, his delivery flat and serious, but his eyes shining with mirth.

“What have you got against her anyway?” Graydon said, the words leaving his mouth before he’d even processed them. Kit looked at him in surprise.

“Nothing… I don’t…”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You could have fooled me. I know you’ve got your own… thing going on right now. You’re worried and stressed, and you have every right to be, but you didn’t need to take it out on her. She was just trying to help.”

“I didn’t take it out on her,” she protested. “She just didn’t need to be here. She’d just get in the way.”

“Sure,” he said, unconvincingly.

“What, you think she should come with us?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. She’d probably be more useful than I’ll be. And at least she wants to come and help, we all know I’m only here because my father forced me to. I’m not good at this sort of stuff. As far as I could tell, she was.”

“Shows what you know,” Kit muttered quietly, but Boorman’s snicker was louder.

“You sound like you admire her.”

“She seemed nice,” he said simply, turning to start packing his belongings in hopes of stopping the conversation there.

“Did she now?” he went on, his voice heavy with suggestion and amusement.

He turned back, roughly jamming a tunic back into his bag. “Oh, for the gods s- We only met yesterday, Boorman!”

“Oh yeah, sure. Because staring at each other in shock, then fleeing in opposite directions into the woods and ignoring but glancing surreptitiously at each other all night is totally normal first meeting behaviour.”

“Look, would you just drop it? I never met her before yesterday, and that’s the truth. I don’t even know her name… When would I have had the chance to meet her? I’ve never even left Galladoorn until we came to Tir Asleen!”

“Mmm, he’s right,” Kit agreed, surprising him. “She’s never left Tir Asleen. She’s been at Prunella’s heels as long as I can remember. Until she decided to cling to my brother like a baby possum to its mother.”

Boorman paused and looked at her oddly. “Are you jealous that she’s spending time with your brother?”

“What? No!” she scoffed, looking about in a familiar way he knew meant she was looking for a distraction. Her eyes landed on Kase, who had wrapped himself in his twilight-sky cloak and rolled over so many times he was practically swaddled in it. “How has he slept through all of this? He looks like he’s in a giant blue cocoon.” Oh, so it was blue. It must just be a darker shade. Wait… As she went over and shook him awake, Graydon’s brow furrowed as he realised she had just said the colour of the cloak. …Kit could see colours? He looked over at the others to see Boorman wearing a similar expression of surprise as him, but Jade hadn’t even blinked. “Kase,” Kit said as she jostled the older man. “Hey, Kase. Wake up, we’re getting ready to go.”

“What? Oh… yes…” He blinked blearily at them, then rolled back over. “Five more minutes…” he mumbled. The four of them looked from the drowsy general, then at each other in varying degrees of annoyance, bafflement and amusement.

…This quest was out to a great start.

Graydon sighed heavily as he walked, tilting his head back and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face as it slowly dried his uncomfortable, wet clothing. He was trying to decide if the day had been more chaotic than the day before.

Yesterday, Prince Arik had been kidnapped by the Gales, he’d been forced to go on a quest to save the prince, and he had met the prince’s girlfriend only to discover she was his soulmate.

Today he had woken to find his soulmate had left in the night, discovered the Mother’s Gate was deserted and a warning in Pnakotic written on the wall in what he was refusing to admit was probably the blood of the missing guards, an earthquake had struck as he’d read the warning – which somehow felt connected – an odd sensation making his skin prickle, they had found his soulmate again walking across the planes, and Kase had been killed by Bone Reavers who had then pursued them right off the edge of a cliff!

Thankfully there had been a lake bellow the cliff with a deep, sharp drop-off right where they had landed. Also thankfully, the drop-off wasn’t too large. They had landed in the safest spot and been able to quickly get to shallower waters. Because he was admittedly not the strongest swimmer, and his coat had weighed him down too much to keep swimming long. Honestly… he might not have made it if he wasn’t still clinging to his horse’s reins. The wet clothing was uncomfortable, but it was preferable to dying, so maybe he wasn’t as cursed as he’d always thought. Also, as luck would have it, the lake they had come out of was fed by the River Freen. So, it was just a matter of following the river to the Nelwyn village so they could meet with the great sorcerer, Willow.

He was a bit nervous about meeting Willow. He’d heard so many stories of him growing up and had studied as much of the battle of Nockmaar as he could. As a child he had been fascinated by the idea of magic, though he knew there were no more sorcerers left in the world. He had still wanted to learn anyway, but it had been his possession that had truly driven him to studying magic. Mostly Pnakotic, in an attempt to understand what had happened to him and prevent it from ever happening again. A part of him hoped that he could ask Willow to teach him. He knew the theory of magic… at least of dark magic, as he’d found quite a few resources hidden away in the Galladoorn royal library. But he didn’t yet know how to channel it and make it work… He’d been too scared to even try. Especially since he knew better than to trust the magic in the books he studied. But Willow was one of the two great sorcerers who had defeated Bavmorda. He would be able to teach him better magic, kinder magic… If he accepted him as an apprentice… If he even had the aptitude for it.

The other reason he’d never tried to do magic, other than the fear of doing something terrible with dark magic, was that he didn’t want to give it a go and discover he was unable. He had spent his childhood playing at being a sorcerer, pretending to cast spells and fight battles against Bavmorda and her forces. But he’d always been told to stop being silly, that he was no sorcerer, and to put the fantasies aside. Even his older brother, whom he adored and looked up to, who was always kind to him and encouraged him in everything he did, told him that he ‘just couldn’t do magic’. And the thought that they were right was worse than the thought of never knowing.

…But he was going to try anyway. He had been focusing on how he could ask Willow to train him, practicing what he was going to say. Because it was better than focusing on the girl that kept slipping into his thoughts when he let his mind wander. As they began walking, she had fallen in step with Jade ahead of him. He had tried to move up and join her, but the so-called ‘knowing look’ Boorman had given him made him fall back again.

He wanted to talk to her… But not with these three listening to him so intently.

Instead, he had fallen to the back of the group alongside his fiancée where they had walked in silence for a few hours, both consumed by their own thoughts.

“I wanted to say, um…” Kit suddenly spoke, drawing his attention. “I'm sorry... About the way I behaved.” He blinked, surprised by the sincere apology, and looked down to hide his reaction. His expressions didn’t always match what he was feeling, and it always made his father angry. He didn’t want to make Kit angry, especially not since she was being nice and apologising to him… and especially because it took him a moment to realise that she was apologising about the way she’d acted at their engagement dinner. “It was... I was very childish. And...”

“No, it's okay, he told her quickly, showing her mercy so she didn’t have to force out the painfully awkward apology. “I- I can understand not wanting to marry someone that you barely know. I wasn't happy about it either.”

“You weren't?”

“I mean, you're...” He couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that escaped him. “You're a very pretty person, but, uh... I just think you should be in love with someone before you commit to spending the rest of your life with them, right? Or- or, you know… better yet, find your soulmate. You- you do have a soulmate, right?” he asked. “I heard you mention colours very accurately this morning.”

Kit looked down to try and hide a small smile, very unsuccessfully. “Yeah. Um… We met when we were kids. What about you? If you could tell that I was mentioning colours ‘very accurately’, then you must be able to see them too.”

“Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s… fairly new. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her about it yet. It’s like… our eyes met, we awkwardly danced around each other… and then things got really hectic.”

That was an understatement. The last day had been one thing after another, and he was leaning towards it being the more chaotic of the two. He really should have taken his chance to talk to her at the fire last night. Come up with some excuse to pull her away from the group so no one could hear and have a talk. He still didn’t actually know her name, for crying out loud! But the biggest issue that had made him so hesitant, it seemed, was still a factor. They wouldn’t have found her still travelling out past the barrier if it wasn’t.

His soulmate was in love with his betrothed’s twin brother.

Kit sighed in amusement, rolling her eyes. “So, we both have soulmates we’d rather be with, but are stuck with each other… We could marry for appearances. You know, say the words and all, but be with the one we love in secret.”

He shook his head, trying to push down bitter memories. “No… No, I couldn’t… Sorry, I just… can’t do that. I’ve seen what my father has put my mother through with his mistresses. Even if it was something we agreed to, I don’t think I could do that to you. And rumours always spread. If word got out, it could put you in danger if you got pregnant and the parentage was called into question.”

She scoffed. “Trust me, that won’t be a problem.”

“Besides, like I said, I think you should be in love with someone before you marry them.” He wasn’t in love with his soulmate… Not yet. But he could easily see how he could. He even thought he might be on the way there already. Even before he knew she was his soulmate, before their eyes had locked and their worlds burst into colour, he had admired her. He had felt a surge of jealousy towards Prince Arik for having her love. He had always tried to ignore emotions like jealousy, scared it would feed the entity that had once (and possibly still did) possessed him, and make it surface once more. But he couldn’t deny what he’d felt in that moment. Just as he couldn’t deny he thought his soulmate was beautiful and sweet and funny. She was adorable, and he wanted to spend all his time around her… But she still refused to look at him. Too aware of what they were, and likely conflicted over being in love with someone else. He understood… but it still stung.

But his feelings aside, he knew in his heart he could never go through with an arranged marriage. It was only the threats from his father that had made him go to Tir Asleen at all. His mother and father had been in an arranged marriage, his mother once a princess of Chashmere. He knew that they weren’t soulmates because his father still only saw the world in shades of grey, while he’d come to realise that his mother could see in colour. And while his mother had assured him that they grew to love one another, the things he’d seen and heard his entire life told another story. His father’s blatant affairs, his mother’s secret letters to her soulmate… He did not want to end up like his parents.

“And what about our responsibility to unite the realm?” Kit asked, drawing him back to their conversation.

He thought about that one a moment before hesitantly voicing an idea he’d been too afraid to tell anyone for years. “One day you and I are gonna be in charge. And when that day comes, we don't have to do things the way our parents did.”

He looked over at her with a reassuring smile, happy to see that she was smiling at him in return. She must like the idea. And who knew, maybe they could come up with a plan and stall the engagement when they got back. Even if it was just long enough for one of them to be put in charge.

…Okay, that was horrible, he was considering their parent’s demise. Those were bad thoughts, and he knew they were his own. Nothing had put the idea in his head or played on his negative emotions to cultivate it. Gods, what kind of person was he? Maybe he really was as evil as his father said…

But he knew he could never hurt his mother or Queen Sorcha… He wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to his father’s death, but he knew he could never bare to be the cause of it. He had already killed one family member. He couldn’t kill another.

He shook his head, willing his thoughts to move away from the morbid subject. They had time to figure this out… if they made it back alive.

Once more, he looked up ahead, his eyes instantly drawn to the bright, fair hair of his soulmate. She looked luminous in the sunlight, even more so as she smiled and laughed as she talked to Jade. Seeing her so happy made his heart flutter in his chest, and he quickly looked over at the princess’s protector instead to stop that train of thought in its tracks. She was happily chatting away too, glowing in the sun in that rich colour he didn’t have a name for yet.

“…Hey, can I ask you a question?” he said to Kit suddenly.

“Sure.”

“What, um… What colour is Jade’s hair?”

Kit looked at him incredulously, her mouth popping open in shock. “Ohhhh, it’s that new of a thing!”

He looked down uncomfortably, and she bumped into his shoulder with a comforting smile. The gesture gave him the courage to continue, a smile returning to his face. “Yeah… and I haven’t really told anyone… Except you, now. So far, I’m just kind of guessing colours based off what I’ve heard. You know, sky, grass, trees. I didn’t even know Kase’s cloak was blue until you said it because it wasn’t the colour of the sky.” He looked up at the sky above them, the usual bright blue he had immediately associated as the colour blue. “But I swear I’ve seen the sky be twenty different colours already.”

“Yeah, that stage is super confusing. You never know just how many shades there are until someone explains them to you. And to start with you don’t know if something is a different colour or just a different shade. And that’s without considering the in-between hues. Like, you know how trees are green, right?” He nodded, despite it being rhetorical. “Well, so is that.” She pointed to a rolled-up bundle of fabric on the back of Boorman’s horse. It was definitely not the colour of the trees.

He squinted at the blanket, not understanding what she meant. “Wait, what?”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know, right? It’s a shade of green that’s a little closer to blue. So, it’s like someone mixed the sky and the grass together. There’s heaps of in-between colours that you’ve probably heard the names of, but have zero concept of. Colours are confusing, like… So, you asked what Jade’s hair colour is, right?” He nodded in confirmation. “People call it ‘red’, but it’s not quite red. Not really.”

“So… her hair isn’t the colour of blood?”

“Dude, you haven’t seen blood yet?” she said, taken aback. Her brow furrowed. “How new is this for you?”

His eyes widened. They were both all too aware that he would have seen plenty of blood the night the Gales took Arik. Which had only been the other night.

“Ah… What colour is it, then?” he asked, his voice going up an octave.

Kit chuckled at his obvious deflection, the most genuine smile he’d seen from her so far. “No, her hair is not the colour of blood. Her shirt is closer to the colour of blood than her hair is. That is usually what people mean when they say red. But ‘red-head’ is a little closer to orange… like your blanket back there. But it’s not the colour of the fruit, the fruit is a brighter version. Her hair is a deeper shade. Some call it ‘ginger’… But that is not what colour ginger root is.”

His brows furrowed as he struggled to take that in. “Right… Sure. Not confusing at all.”

Kit laughed so loudly, their companions all turned back to look.

It wasn’t too long later that the woods began to grow up along their side of the river, and they began to see remnants of man-made structures. They were in some kind of village, or at least… what remained of one anyway…

Gods, he hoped it wasn’t the Newlyn village they were looking for.

“Where is everybody?” Jade asked, looking about as they tethered the horses. Everyone looked concerned, probably thinking the same as him. But just when he was about to start panicking that something bad had happened to the legendary Willow Ulfgood, he heard a new voice fill the clearing.

“Oh, Daikini,” he groaned. “Terrific. Just what I needed.”

They all whirled around to see a Nelwyn standing by one of the structures. It was a fusion of natural and man-made, skeletal branches trained around the worked wood of a dilapidated dwelling, covered in overgrowth as nature reclaimed it. Two moss-covered doors of crafted wood stood open, showing the dwelling no longer had a back, making it appear more like a gate.

Finally seeing another living being who wasn’t trying to kill them right away, the group moved towards the man.

“What happened here?” Jade asked him.

“Plenty,” he replied, taking a step towards them so they wouldn’t get too near the gate. “And if you're not careful, it will happen to you too.” Graydon was all too aware of the man’s hands resting on the hilt of two daggers at his side.

“We're looking for the sorcerer, Willow,” Kit told him, ignoring the warning.

“Congratulations. You found him.” He gestured to himself, his hands never leaving the dagger hilts.

“You're Willow?” Boorman asked, sounding somewhat disbelieving.

“Yep, that's me. Willooowww.” Graydon pulled a face, taken aback by the strange way he’d said the name. No one said their own name like that, especially not so mockingly. This man was not what he’d expect when meeting the great Willow Ulfgood. And if this was really Willow, why was he armed with daggers when he could easily do any number of things to them with magic without even getting close? “But I'm out of the sorcery business now. I've retired. So, jog on.” He finally let one dagger go to gesture them away. Yeah, Graydon didn’t believe a word of it. It was clear he was just trying to get rid of them.

“My name is Kit Tanthalos,” she said, stepping forward, trying to convince the Nelwyn to hear them out. “My mother is Sorsha. She sent me here to come find you. She told me that once long ago, you stood together against the forces of evil and defeated them. The world needs you again. It needs your magic.”

The Nelwyn stood there, silently measuring her words, until another voice spoke up from somewhere behind the structure.

“It's okay,” the voice said. “She is who she claims to be.”

“How do you know?” the Nelwyn asked back towards the voice.

“I read her mind,” came the reply. And then he stepped out from the gate and towards his friend. A Nelwyn with a wide grin and a staff taller than he was. A magical one, Graydon guessed by the large blue-ish crystal encased in the top. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that this was the real Willow Ulfgood. Willow let out a good-natured chuckle. “Kidding! Had you though, didn't I? I didn't read your mind. It's just…” He looked fondly Kit. “You remind me of your mother.”

“My brother, Airk, was taken by-”

“The Gales,” he said, already knowing what Kit would say. Queen Sorcha had been right. He was expecting them.

“The what?” Jade asked.

Willow continued to address Kit as he filled them all in on the parts they didn’t know. Well, what most of them didn’t know. Graydon was ashamed to admit that he knew more than he let on, but admitting he could understand Pnakotic was not something he did easily. And there was no way he could tell them how he’d hid in his room that night when he heard the whispers commanding the Gales to ‘get the prince’. He hadn’t even thought about Arik, he’d thought they’d come for him. After all, he was the prince that had been touched by darkness so deeply it scarred more than just his skin. Nor could he tell them where he’d heard the Gales say to take Arik without giving away the shameful secret his father demanded he keep. The secret he’d stupidly given away by reading the warning on the wall.

“Your brother's alive,” Willow said. “A prisoner of The Withered Crone, who dwells in the Immemorial City that lies beyond the Shattered Sea. The four who came to Tir Asleen are her servants.”

“I'm sorry, did you say, ‘beyond the Shattered Sea’?” Boorman asked, a hint of worry in his tone. Willow nodded and Boorman immediately turned around to leave. “Okay.”

“What?” Kit asked him.

“Princess, I've travelled all across the world, met some real magical marvins, but I never met anyone who crossed the Shattered Sea. That's where all the maps end.”

Graydon already knew this setting out. He’d even tried to explain it to his father in hopes that he’d see just how perilous it was to send him on this quest. But, as usual, he’d been given no choice in the matter, sent on his way with the encouragement of a dozen terrible threats and a list of atrocities his father asked him to commit that he immediately decided he’d do none of. It had genuinely made him wonder if his father had sent him on this quest in hopes he wouldn’t return. It would certainly give him an excuse to start a war with Tir Asleen, if he could blame them for the death of his only heir… But surely even King Zivian Hastur wasn’t that cruel…

“And that's where we must go,” Willow told them. “Beyond the edge of our world, into the unknown. It's the only way to...” His eyes widened. “-to...”

He faded out, distracted by something he’d seen behind them, and they all turned to see what he was looking at. Willow was looking at his soulmate, who lingered at the back of the group. Also wondering what he was looking at, she turned to look behind her, and then back again when she realised there was nothing there and that they were all looking at her. A look of panic spread over her face, and Graydon felt his heart speed up. Why was Willow Ulfgood walking over to his soulmate? Did he know her? Had he seen something about her? Graydon knew from experience that there was something about her, something he could never hope to name, that drew him to her, even before their eyes met and revealed their connection. But he thought that was perhaps him sensing their connection before it was realised. Or just her natural beauty and passion captivating him…

Still confused as to why, he watched Willow go over to his soulmate and stare at her a moment before stepping closer and pulling down one of her arm warmers

“What... What are you...” Her question died on her lips as he reached up and placed a hand on the crook of her arm, muttering an incantation, his staff glowing brightly, looking almost green like Boorman’s blanket. As he did, Graydon felt the energy of the spell well around them all, making him shift uncomfortably. It had been a long time since he’d been around real magic, and he’d forgotten how it felt under his skin. Not bad, just… overwhelming. He’d felt it earlier in the day during that earthquake too. It made his heart pound, and he tried not to panic at the feeling or worry over what the sorcerer was doing to his soulmate. Willow was good. He wouldn’t hurt her.

When the incantation was complete, the Nelwyn pulled his hand away to reveal a mark on her arm that had not been there a moment before. A mark of an all too familiar rune that had Graydon’s heart stopping in his chest.

It couldn’t be…

But despite all logic, his every instinct screamed that of course, it was. How could it be anything else? How could she be anyone else?

“You shouldn't be here,” Willow told her seriously before a fond smile touched his lips, “but it's so good to see you, Elora.”

“Did he just say...” Kit couldn’t get the name out. Everyone was too shocked, their eyes wide as they looked at one another. But Graydon couldn’t take his eyes off his soulmate – off Elora.

“No, you've made a mistake,” she stuttered. “That's not... I'm not... I'm nobody!”

The insistence made something surge up in him, something protective that made him want to tell her it wasn’t true. That she was someone. Someone incredible, someone passionate, someone sweet and kind, someone talented… someone important – to the world. To him.

But Willow spoke before he could break out of his stupor.

“You are Elora Danan, Last Blood of Kymeria, future Empress, High Priestess, Semprum Sorceress of the Nine Realms, and the world's last, best hope against the evil coming to destroy us all.”

“What?” she said dumbly, too stunned to say much more.

And Graydon completely understood why. It was a shock to find out something like that. He could only imagine what it would be like for her. It was already bewildering enough to know that his soulmate was…

It sounded impossible… and yet, somehow, it felt so right. Something inside him told him that yes, of course, she was. There wasn’t a doubt in his heart that Willow spoke the truth. It’s who she was all along and who he had been waiting to meet his entire life.

His soulmate was Elora Danan.

[rising-above-stars]

i wanna know about your characters :3

!!!!! i love them so much i have written bits and pieces i have an entire google drive dedicated to this series

im going to put a read more because this might get long

So first off we have Taylor Connery. He's sort of the first character we focus on. This is very much a fantasy series and I often call him 'accidental King Arthur'. Taylor attended a very elite and strict all boys school that specialised in training knights (there is an all girls counterpart school). The schools are just full of government propoganda and elite teams are often picked to shadow police.

Taylor isn't quite meeting the standards. He's not even being given weapons that suit him. He's not doing as well as he should, so he just gets left behind. But he has this desperate need to prove he's worthy. At some point he breaks into the school's armoury and steals a sword mounted in stone and he improves a lot.

Then things start getting all weird. Taylor isn't quite good with his negative emotions (the cursed shadow dagger he found doesn't help) and he blacks out during missions and such and is often the only survivor but he has no recollection of doing anything, even if there is very clear evidence he did. There's clearly something up with him, but the government is much too worried about protecting the image of the schools they fund so they cover it up. He's required to join the young adult covert rescue guild the local council is starting up so they can keep an eye on him.

I love him, he is so important to me. He's a wonderful swordsman and at some point comes into possessions of Excalibur and forms a connection with Nimue, who offers to train him. He was never supposed to own any of the weapons he has, but he does. He's disrupted the King Arthur time loop (is the best way to put it). He's fiercely loyal, very hyperactive, and very deadly.

Then we have Jade Laureate, but she prefers to go by Jade. She's an archer who just so happens to basically share a consciousness with Artemis. One of her distant ancestors made a deal with the fates: they get to share some of the powers of a god, yet they have to live out their stories. She goes on an anarchy arc by the end of the series (or that is what's planned. She gets a well deserved villain arc). She keeps to herself a lot, but she grows very close to Taylor and Aleso (basically siblings). She's not very great at taking care of herself, often putting everyone else before herself. She's sassy, bitter, and it's a great surprise when she shows affection to someone. She doesn't trust very easily.

Aleso is the definition of a hero complex. He has such a huge ego. Him and Jay basically have a queer platonic rivalry. They did not like each other at first, (the blackmail did not help), but Jay did reluctantly admit that Aleso was pretty good and they could do with having him on their team. He is defintely the more experienced out of the three, coming from being part of the youngest team to ever win the highest guild tournament awards. He does care a lot about people, but because of how much he cares and how much of a hero complex he has, he doesn't let his closest friends in on some of the bigger plans he has even though it would be very useful for them to be in on it as well. He's essentially a magic user.

These three are the main focus of the series. Very much rivals to friends, essentially sibling coded in my mind.

There's also Ajgiel, Aleso's childhood best friend who shows up for revenge at some point (I wrote a very wonderful scene where Ajgiel and Jay reluctantly dance together at a fancy charity evening because they don't want to cause a scene).

Then there's the members of the theatre troupe:

There's Harlow Mecurious, Jay's queer platonic partner. Their focus is on languages and communications, the only person to make Jay soft.

Cam, the owner of a sentient mimic bar. He's one of the very few people who chose to not learn how to use magic. He's a good fighter, good with a sword, and learning to do fire tricks would also help greatly in combat. (The bar is named Mimikos. I like to imagine when it's not in full bar form, its just a mini version of the bar but with legs that follows Cam around)

Lester Mitter is another favourite. His father learnt necromancy, his mother learnt plant magic, he learnt both. He summons dinosaur skeletons, using plants to make up the muscle. Usually they're just for entertainment.

Sarah is basically a phoenix. A lot of fire imagery, she does have a tendency to burst into flames and 'die' at times. Sometimes when she's stressed, sometimes to be dramatic. Usually to be dramatic.

There's Zak who has a connection somehow to the Midgard Serpent (not fleshed out), Jayda who works with animals, and Haleigh who is essentially angry Tinkerbell

This is so messy and not as coherent as I would like because it's late but I love them so much. I have so many thoughts on them and the plot to this whole story and it's all on a google drive (the purpose was so my co-author/illustrator could see it but he is hopeless and doesn't listen so we're really not making much progress)

[animalgirl225]

How Modern Day Raymaari got their kittens!

_____________________________________________

Namaari grew up with a cat and absolutely loves them. Raya, having grown up with dogs, doesn’t really have much experience with cats, but seeing how happy Namaari is whenever they visit the rescue at the local mall makes her agree to get one. They are pretty cute. And so soft.

A week or so before Namaari’s birthday, the girls visit the rescue again and find bonded littermates, about four months old. Namaari is absolutely smitten with them. When they leave to continue shopping, Namaari won’t stop talking about them and how sweet they were. Raya can tell how badly she wants them and calls the rescue the next day while she’s between classes and Namaari is at work. The lady on the phone remembers them visiting the day before and is happy to have Raya stop by and fill out all the necessary paperwork for adoption. Raya doesn’t bring them home right away, though, planning to surprise Namaari.

A few days later, the day before Namaari’s birthday, Namaari drags her back to the rescue, only to see the note “We’re adopted!” on the kittens’ crate. Namaari is heartbroken and Raya spends all night comforting her, reassuring her that there will be more. She feels a little bad about how disappointed Namaari is, but she also knows it’s temporary and how excited Namaari will be when she brings them home.

The next day, the girls are planning a nice night in and Raya is planning on surprising Namaari first thing before dinner, retrieving the kittens and their supplies on her way home from class. She texts Namaari that she’s running a bit late due to traffic and that she’ll start dinner as soon as she gets home. Namaari takes Tuk Tuk for a walk and is hanging out on the couch when Raya gets there. After putting Tuk Tuk in their bedroom with his chewy bone, Raya hands her girlfriend a small gift bag, from which Namaari pulls two small break-away collars and a few toys.

“No,” Namaari whispers, her heart starting to pound. “No way, Raya.”

Grinning like an absolute fool, Raya brings in the box she drove the kittens home in, placing it on Namaari’s lap. “Oh my god, babe, you didn’t,” Namaari says, trying not to cry. When she opens it, the black male kitten immediately pops his head out and lets out a loud meow, making both girls laugh. He climbs out and starts sniffing Namaari and the couch while his calico sister stays in the box, a little scared.

“Hello, sweetheart. You’re okay, baby,” Namaari murmurs, her eyes shining with happy tears. Talking softly and sweetly to the wary kitten, Namaari gently holds out the tip of her finger for the kitten to sniff. “Remember me?”

Evidently, she does. Raya watches in delight as the kitten starts rubbing her cheek on Namaari’s hand and purring. After the kittens gain a little more confidence and are fully out of the box, the girls put them into the spare room/office and bring in the rest of the immediate supplies from Raya’s car; litter boxes, food, bowls, a scratching board, and a few more toys.

Once they’ve got the room all set up, they close the door and let Tuk Tuk out of their room. He’s immediately all over the kittens’ scent, tracking it through the living room and to the door of the spare room. A little black paw appears under the door and swats at Tuk’s nose, making him play-bow and bark. The paw immediately disappears and the girls laugh.

“Careful, buddy, you’ll scare your new friends!” Raya says. Over the next few days, the girls carefully introduce the new kittens. Feeding all pets by the door, mixing scents, and even cracking the door so they can see each other under supervision. Namaari also buys a cat tree, a second scratching post, and borrows a baby gate from a coworker. That way they can keep the door open but still allow the kittens some protection from Tuk in case he gets too excited while they get acquainted. Soon enough, the kittens are playing with him through the gate and seem comfortable enough to be introduced without barriers.

To both girls’ delight, their slow and careful introduction pays off. Though the calico kitten, now named Jazz, puffs up slightly when Tuk sniffs her backside, the first contact goes smoothly and the kittens are allowed to roam the house with Tuk under careful supervision from both girls. Namaari is thrilled when, that evening as the girls settle down to watch a show, both kittens curl up on Tuk Tuk’s bed with him and proceed to knead and groom him.

“I’d say that’s a pretty good sign,” Raya says, watching the animals with a smile while she lays against Namaari.

“Definitely.” Namaari agrees. Leaning over, she gives Raya a kiss on her temple. “Thank you so much, babe, I love them.”

Raya hums happily. “I knew you would. And honestly, I was pretty excited for them, too. They’re so cute, and their different personalities are so funny.”

“Cats are great, babe, I’m so happy you get to experience that now, too. Dogs are definitely different, but Tuk Tuk is my buddy now, just like these cats will be yours. Variety is the spice of life!”

“For sure,” Raya replied, turning her head to meet Namaari’s lips. “Love you, ‘Maari.”

“I love you too, Raya.”

[incendio22]

FOR THE HOPE OF IT ALL

Pt 2 Chapter 20: Good News

Trigger warning: This chapter contains alcohol and potential romanticizing of it. Take care ♡

---

Sebastian's POV

My conversation with Y/n kept consuming my mind. One would think that the part about the plan, the massive risk we're taking, would be what kept me open at night. But it wasn't. It was the part where she told me she loved me. This was the first time she ever said it to me first. Of course she had said it before, but it had always been after I told her first. I know she was scared of getting hurt after I hurt her, but the truth is that I have also been scared of getting hurt. Maybe not for the same reason, but Merlin, did it feel like someone was twisting a knife in my heart when she kissed Weasley in front of me. I never want to feel that way again, but it's a risk I'm willing to take for her. For the first time, she told me she loved me first. And that makes all of this feel real, that she's finally committed to us. That we can be a real couple, again. However, I don't mind waiting. And chasing her is quite thrilling, even though my heart is telling me that I already have hers.

I roll my parchment and put away my quill, looking at the massive chunk of words. When I started writing our story I had no idea it would turn into this, but it must take at least two hours to finish what I've written. The story of how I fell in love with her, and how she saved me. However, now it was also a section about me saving her. My heart feels heavy when I think about how I came to her rescue, the panic consuming me when I saw her completely lifeless. I can't imagine having to go through that again, which is why I'm so terrified of her attitude about our plans. She's sitting by the window facing the Black Lake. I know that's where she goes when her mind is busy, so I walk over to her. The common room is almost empty. I place a hand on her shoulder and notice that she flinches at my touch.

''Easy, new girl,'' I tell her and squeeze her shoulder with my hand as I sit down on the floor next to her.

''You scared me,'' she says and tilts her head with a smile, looking embarrassed.

She's looking as if she's been lacking sleep lately and the bags under her eyes are noticeable. Her hair is hanging over her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. She looks so beautiful when she smiles.

''I didn't mean to,'' I explain. ''Just saw you sitting here and wanted to join you.''

She looks at me and smiles and I feel a smile curling on my lips just from looking at her. I can't help it because I feel so endlessly happy when I see a smile on her face.

''You're always welcome to join me,'' she says in a soft voice, before she faces away and looks out the window facing the lake.

''You want to do something fun?'' I ask her with an intrigued tone. I want to take my mind away from things and I'm convinced she'd like the same.

''Depends what you have in mind,'' she looks intrigued and smiles at me.

''Perhaps sneaking into the Forbidden Forest,'' I tell her. ''Or the restricted section of the library. You can decide, the options are endless.''

She looks curious and tilts her head. A strand of hair is falling over her face. I get a sudden urge to pull it away and kiss her and decide to give in, so I do it. I place a quick kiss on her lips and stroke her cheek with my thumb. Her skin is so soft and her hair smells like flowers and I wish I could just stay with her, like this, for all eternity.

''The library sounds exciting,'' she says in a low voice. ''Mostly for old times sake.''

''Ready for a trip down memory lane?'' I ask her as I stand up, offering her my hand to get up.

She takes it and doesn't let go of it when she stands up.  A smile is forming on her lips and she nods, but she quickly runs off to her dormitory to get something. I remember the first time we snuck into the library together. How nervous I was to meet her, how my hands were trembling as I taught her the disillusionment charm and how her presence made me feel something I never felt before. Normally, I'd never take the fall for someone the way I did for her when the librarian asked me if I came alone. But something in my gut told me not to rat her out and I'm eternally grateful I listened to it.

We wander the empty castle and find ourselves outside the library. She hesitates to open the door, so I open it for her and hold an arm out.

''Ladies first,'' I tell her with a smile as she proceeds through the door.

The librarian is gone, so making it into the restricted section is easy. There is something so exciting about exploring something that's forbidden. The only times I had snuck into the restricted section was when I was looking for ways to cure Anne and when I was helping Y/n. It had been over two more years since I stepped foot in here. Y/n takes the lead and starts exploring the bookshelves. She seems attached to one book specifically and carefully starts trying to get it out of the bookshelf. My hand reaches for hers and stops her.

''Careful, love,'' I tell her with a smile. Her cheeks flush when I call her that and I love it. ''You shouldn't open it, some of the books screams in your face when you open them. We'll get caught.''

''What's the worst that can happen?'' she argues, trying to get the book. I stop her once again.

''That the book tears itself apart,'' I tell her seriously. ''Or starts screaming. And if my hand on your shoulder scared you, this will give you a heart attack.''

''Fine,'' she says and rolls her eyes as she turns away from me, heading deeper into the restricted section.

She always gets salty when she doesn't get her will through, but I don't blame her. Even when she's stuck up, she's still my favourite person. Frankly, I find it quite sweet when she's just a little upset. We walk further into the restricted section, eventually finding a small room with some chests in it as well as some books that are locked in.

''I wonder what's inside of them,'' Y/n says as she glances over at the books.

''Frankly, I'm not sure I want to know,'' I tell her in a low voice. ''It must be quite terrifying if the books are locked up.''

She nods and walks up closer to it. I follow her and we stand in front of the cage, reading The Darkest Arts And Its Darkest Secrets. I get chills running through my body. Two years ago I would have been intrigued by it, but now I feel my body wanting to escape. I remember almost losing my mind because of dark magic and I want nothing to do with it. We stand in front of it together and she reaches for my hand, squeezing it slightly. I squeeze it back before I walk out of the room and into another one.

This room just has books stacked up the walls and a small desk with a quill on it. It almost looks like an office, but I highly doubt anyone's been here lately  since the desk is covered in a layer of dust. Y/n, however, doesn't seem to care as she sits up on the table and looks at me intensely as she screws open a bottle that I didn't notice was standing there. She smells it.

''What are you doing?'' I ask her in an upset tone, worried that the liquid isn't safe.

''Just checking,'' she says with a smirk. ''The label says firewhiskey and it smells like it too,''

She starts moving the bottle towards her mouth and I try to stop it, but by the time my hand reaches the bottle she's already had a sip.

''Tastes like it too,'' she says in a satisfied voice.

I would never open a flask standing unaware what it contains, but sometimes I wish I had her guts.

''That could be dangerous,'' I argue. ''Are you out of your mind?''

''Relax,'' she says with a devious smile. ''I stole it from Imelda. Here, have some.''

She tosses me the bottle and I catch it, unscrew the cork and have a sip. This firewhiskey must be better than the one I normally order at The Three Broomsticks, because it tastes immaculate before the fiery sensation kicks in my throat. We sit in this office-like room and drink firewhiskey, getting more and more affected by the liquor.

''When did you fall for me?'' I ask her after a time. It's probably the liquor that worked up my courage to ask such a question.

She looks at me with kind eyes and a slight smile on her lips.

''I guess I felt the first little spark right after our first duel when I begun my 5th year,'' she says softly. ''And it's hard to pinpoint exactly when I fell for you, because it was happening slowly every day. Even when you were at your worst, I still kept falling for you. Almost as if I wanted to save you, somehow. So it's hard to say exactly when.''

She tilts her head and looks content. I just can't take my eyes off her, she's so beautiful. She notices that I'm observing her, so she straightens her back and tosses her hair over her shoulders with a smirk. I smile at her to know that I like what I see.

''It's quite funny,'' I start telling her. ''Because the duel is when I first felt the sparks, too. But I fell for you when I saw how kind you were to Anne. That's when I knew.''

''Knew what?'' she asks.

''That I wanted to be with you, of course,'' I tell her with a smirk.

''Get over here,'' she says and gestures for me to come closer.

I stand up in front of her, taking her face in my hands and look into her eyes. They are sparkling and I hope it's from happiness and love, and not the firewhiskey. But I'm fine if that's contributing to the sparkle, because she looks more beautiful than ever. I stroke her cheek with my thumb and she rests her head in my hand. I move my face closer to hers and kiss her. Kissing her feels like the most natural thing in the world, as if that's where both of us belong. And I feel as if there are sparks flying around us when our lips touch. I can only hope that she feels the same. There is something magical about this moment. Being somewhere you're not supposed to be, drinking something you're not supposed to drink and probably breaking a few school rules. It makes everything so exciting and the kiss feels almost forbidden, which makes it a thousand times more intense.

The next day I'm sitting with Anne at breakfast. She seems happier now that she's back at Hogwarts, but our relationship hasn't really been the same after what I did almost two years ago. I had come to peace with the fact that we may never have the same relationship ever again, but I'm glad she at least allows me to be around her. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

''I've been reading about curses,'' Anne says with her mouth full of food.

''Found anything that might be of interest?'' I ask her curiously as I take a sip of pumpkin juice.

''I did,'' she says and smiles carefully. This is one of few times she has actually smiled at me since she came back to Hogwarts.

''Go on,'' I tell her impatiently.

She gives me a curious look, like the ones she used to give me when we were kids and tried keeping a secret away from our parents. I get a rush of happiness running through my body.

''Do you remember what the goblin said?'' she asks. Of course I remember. ''That children should be seen and not heard.''

''I remember,'' I tell her, even more impatiently than before.

''Well,'' she starts and looks down, as if she's scared of what she's going to say. ''If I'm lucky, this is a curse that only affects children. That means that I might be able to get rid of it once I leave Hogwarts.''

I feel a rush of excitement running through my body. I never even thought about the possibility that curses could only affect children and if what she's telling me is correct, she might be cured. A massive smile is forming on my face and I see Anne's face doing the same.

''It's nothing I can be sure of,'' she continues. ''But it's a possibility.''

''Anne,'' I say, almost unable to put my words together because of the extreme amount of joy exploding in my head. ''I really hope it's true. This is great news.''

[themculibrary]

Shuri/Riri Williams Masterlist

Cassiopeia (ao3)-  Queen_Oval G, 595

Summary: Riri wants to give Shuri her Valentine's day gift.

Climax (ao3) - wakandavision E, 6k

Summary: The one about the vibranium strap...

First (ao3) - wakandavision N/R, 7k

Summary: Riri Williams is the first in her class at MIT, moving through her sophomore year with a thriving business and unshakable confidence. That is, until a new, mysterious girl joins her class and challenges not only Riri's status, but her sense of sexuality and self.

Riri x Shuri - College AU

Home (ao3) - wakandavision M, 5k

Summary: She hoped that in the distance, beyond the gentle echoes of the waves, the ocean could hear every sound.

Shuri receives a visitor in Haiti, bringing up painful memories from her recent past, and questions about her future.

I'm Here Now, Stay with me (ao3) - justscreamingaboutgayshit M, 13k

Summary: Riri goes to Wakanda for the Summer, to visit her friend Shuri obviously. But if they end up as more than that Riri wouldn't mind at all...

And Shuri? Well Shuri wouldn't mind either.

i was your orbit (you were my star) (ao3) - walshisaweedbrain G, 10k

Summary: or the tattoo artist shuri x mechanic riri au

Judas (ao3) - wakandavision T, 19k

Summary: In every universe, Shuri chooses to save Riri. In every universe, but one.

let us never be rescued from this mess (ao3) - walshisaweedbrain T, 3k

Summary: 5 times Shuri calls Riri ‘baby’ + 1 time Riri confronts her about it.

Of Gold and Other Colors (ao3) - mymarsmoonandstars M, 11k

Summary: Shuri let the words go. “I want to kill Namor.”

Peace & Comfort (ao3) - macreadsthat T, 6k

Summary: It had only been 2 months since Shuri had returned from Haiti. Shuri and Riri have been messing around during Shuri's trip. What started as navigating their feelings for one another, has now turned into moments they keep for just them.

A telling of Shuri and Riri's journey from friends to gfs told like the nerdy, awkward teens they are :)

The amount of new Shuriri content was dwindling, so this is for the ones that are still here. Still giddy over the edits, insta pages, and ironheart updates. The ones who fell in love with these two sat in the theater. Me too.

road home (to your sweet nothings) (ao3) - walshisaweedbrain G, 1k

Summary: “Are you sure you still wanna come tonight? I know my mom can be kind of intense with her questions and meeting the family is kind of a big thing-”

Shuri chuckles and brushes the tip of her nose against Riri’s. She tilts her head slightly to the side and leaves a tender kiss on Riri’s lips, brief but rife with meaning.

“Are you sure you want me there tonight? You seem more worried about this than I am.”

See you next Tuesday (ao3) - PennyPizzazz E, 3k

Summary: Riri Williams is an intelligent young woman who has everything she could dream of. Well… almost everything. When a potential interest comes knocking at her door on a random Tuesday night it’s up to her to fight for the one thing that’s missing from her life, love.

Tattoos ;) (ao3) - macreadsthat E, 1k

Summary: I really liked Shuri's tatted hands and the idea of all of their... skills, so I wrote this.

The Monster Is Her (ao3) - mymarsmoonandstars M, 3k

Summary: Ironheart swore to protect Chicago. But what happens when she learns that the Black Panther is one of the things her home needs protecting from?

Tomorrow (ao3) - wakandavision M, 9k

Summary: “I care for you Riri, but I have no heart left to give you.” Shuri's voice decrescendo-ed into nothingness. She walked back to the other girl with slow steps, not being careful to avoid shards of glass and metal littered across the floor. “Tomorrow I will kill a man and any softness I had before…” She breathed in. “...any ability to like…” She exhaled. “...or love…” Riri swallowed. “...that will be gone .”

Shuri and Riri prepare for battle while struggling with the growing feelings between them. Takes place between Shuri taking the heart shaped herb, and the final fight with Talokan.

[diamondshapedcat]

Puppygirl rescue

CW: Kidnapping, drugs, restraints

'Oh what did I do last night?' She thought to herself as she started to awaken to the room around her. As her eyes started to adjust to the soft pink light of the room she was in, she began to become aware of the tight straps coiled around her arms and legs. Firm leather belts keeping her limbs close to the chair she was stuck in. There was very little room to wriggle around in but whoever had done this had taken great care not to over tighten them to the point where they cut into the skin. The room was small, lacking any windows and from where she was sitting there was no sign of a door either. Despite her head still being fuzzy she tried to focus on her memories, thinking her way backwards and making a timeline of events.

Suddenly a sound broke her focus. The loud creak of a door opening behind her broke her concentration before the train of thought could leave the station. 'Are you awake my puppy? Did you sleep well?' asked a soft caring voice paired with the sound of heavy footsteps of leather boots. 'There's no need to be scared my darling, You're safe now'. As the lady walked into her field of view, she could see that she was carrying a large paper bag, loaded with she guessed were pet toys of some kind. 'Fuck it's so hard to think' she thought to herself as she struggled against the restraints, letting out a little whine in the process. 'Awww is my little puppy hurt? There's nothing to be afraid of now. You can call me Penny and I'm your new mommy' Penny then moved to touch the hands of her captive. 'I'm sorry precious, but rescues like you need time to calm down. It must have been so hard for you out there on your own'. As Penny slowly moved her fingers up and down her arms the puppygirl started to remember.

It was late, around 1am behind the fast food place where the trash containers were overflowing and the cctv was conveniently broken. This is how bad things had gotten. Living in a tent by day and dumpster diving at night for expired meals just so she could get the strength to make it through another day. Everyone had abandoned her and thrown her out onto the streets alone. No one wanted someone as ugly as her, someone different who couldn't fit the definition of the 'perfect girl'. She had just finished off another degrading delve into the caves of decay with only a mostly empty container of fries retrieved when a rag of strong sweet chemicals was suddenly pressed up against her face. The last thing she remembered hearing before being taken by the blackness was 'sleep now my good girl.......'

'YOU KIDNAPPED ME!' she exclaimed, trying to jerk her body away from the new threat without much success. Penny gave her a brief look of sadness before responding 'Oh puppy I didn't kidnap you, I saved you' She then took a few steps back, giving the puppygirl space. 'Was Penny right?' she thought to herself. Against all her instincts and all the signs around her, she hadn't felt this safe in weeks, maybe even months. Before she could dig deeper into what she feeling her stomach growled, begging for any morsel of food available.

'Oh my puppy must be so hungry! I think my tough little puppy needs a treat' Penny turned to her bag and pulled out a granola bar, quickly tearing off the wrapper and offered it up to her needy puppygirl just in front of her face. She breathed deep and took in the smell. A strong flavour of peanuts and chocolate filled her nose and forced her empty stomach to growl even louder. She couldn't help but move her head to try to take a bite while making a starving whine. Penny simply complied with her request and guided the bar into her mouth. As the puppygirl started to bite down on her first real meal in a week, Penny started to pat the top of her head triggering a strange feeling within. Something alien yet familiar, almost nostalgic in a way. A warm feeling of a new hope perhaps? Then it hits her.

This is love.

This is what love feels like.

Almost immediately tears started to flow down her face. She tried to speak and say words of gratitude but between the tears and the mouthfuls of chocolate all that came out was gibberish. 'Oh puppy, it's ok. I love you. You'll never be hungry again' Penny's words were genuine and full of love, but they also did little to stem the tears that was becoming more of a rain storm. Inbetween the sniffles and the very wet drips falling, the puppygirl felt a weight lifting from her arms. 'I don't think you'll need these anymore' said Penny, holding the leather belts loose in her free hand. 'Can you do something for me puppy? If you can't say it right now in words, can you bark for me as a way of saying thank you? Can you be a good puppy and bark?'

Suddenly the fog cleared and she knew what she wanted to do. With lakes forming around her eyes she barked as clearly as she could, desperate to say thank you for saving me in as many arfs as it needed. It felt good barking, every woof taking away a little bit of pain as it left her lips. It was cathartic.

A minute of pure barking passed but to the puppygirl it felt like a hour had passed in a blink of an eye. Suddenly Penny cried out in shock and started laughing. 'I can't believe I forgot to ask you your name! How embarrassing! You'll be a good puppy for me and not tell anyone right?' The reply was an automatic bark of conformation, send a shiver of euphoria up the puppies spine. Lost in an sea of overwhelming feelings, she couldn't even remember her own name either.

'Hmmm what's that puppy? You don't have a name? Oh dear oh dear. We can't have such a cute puppy going around with a name now can we?' Penny then reached back into her bag and took out something the puppygirl didn't know she wanted: A beautiful white collar crying out for the neck of a willing puppy that she was more than happy to offer to her new master. 'What name would you like puppy?'

The puppygirl said nothing, leapt from her seat and hugged Penny. She was safe, she was loved and she now had a home. The puppygirl raised her mouth to Penny's ear and whispered.

'That's a good name'