#but goddammit the man has an o in his name like Do Young and is literally a part of Yeon Jin's dream so it would just make sense

[divinereign4ever]

I didn't see it in the tag (but I am late to the party so it could be further down) but is anyone thinking about how in the first episode Yeon Jin's mom said something like "people with Os in their name will bring her bad luck?"

Because I know people are theorizing that Do Young, Yeon Jin's husband, may stand with her over Dong Eun bc he's content with his trophy wife and perfect daughter (even if he basically knows that his wife is evil and his daughter, while indeed perfect, isn't his biologically).

I mean yeah that could happen but idk that "O" thing is sticking with me. I think he's gonna flip to Dong Eun's side and that will be the icing on Dong Eun's revenge cake.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 310: A Tale of Two Kacchans

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Deku was all, “hey, you know what sounds like a good decision? Abandoning my studies at the safest place in the country so that the bad guy who wants to find me and kill me has literally nothing standing in his way of doing that.” All Might was all, “I fucking knew you were going to say some bullshit like that so whatever, but I’M COMING WITH YOU and I’m also going to invite the Hawksquad to come with us, mostly so that I can steal Jeanist’s car.” Jeanist was all, “okay fine you can borrow my car, All Might, but only if you wear jeans.” All Might was all, “okay sure” and he wore jeans and also sunglasses and a leather jacket and it was pretty rad. Anyway so now they’re out there fighting crime and hunting down the LoV and stuff, and absolutely none of it is going to end well, I’m just letting you know now. But I guess we’ll let them enjoy it while it lasts.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “happy belated Kacchan’s Birthday makeste, here’s the flashback you really wanted at long last,” and proceeds to pull the old vestige flashback out of the kitchen drawer and upend its contents all over my Friday afternoon without the slightest bit of warning. OFA III is all “WHAT’S UP I’M JUST SOME GUY, HELLO,” and okay?? Hello yourself. OFA II, on the other hand, is all, “okay yeah I have different hair and stuff, but I’m like 98% sure I’m either Bakugou or his goddamn twin, I mean look at me.” Which, yeah. I looked, and he really is though you guys. Anyway though, so he and OFA II basically just showed up in the First (who goes by Yoichi now)’s prison cell one day all “HEY THERE, WE’RE HERE TO SAVE YOU, APPARENTLY, ALTHOUGH WE SEEM REAL CONFUSED ABOUT IT TBH BUT HEY.” And so they saved him, and Yoichi was all “hey nice to meet you do you want to join my super-exclusive Saving The World Club”, and so they did, and then the chapter ended lol. I would have said yes too.

oh my sweet lord?? I didn’t realize we were getting a color page this week, but LOOK AT THIS

this could have been a fucking volume cover. I’m almost mad that it wasn’t, lol but I mean fkldjslklk just look at it??! Horikoshi out here spoiling us and making sure we’re well fed since next week the manga is on break for Golden Week. well this will certainly help to tide me over. hot damn look at those colors

so now it’s raining on some dumb building in the middle of somewhere

is this where the Hawksquad has set up camp for the night? or are we actually cutting back to the League? that’d be unexpected (but not unwelcome)

ffff nevermind dammit it’s just more random citizens under attack

feels like this is the third or fourth scene we’ve had of civilians being Under Attack since this arc started. I mean no offense, but I think we get it by this point. it’s the end times, etc. etc. we’re well aware that things have gone to shit

so apparently these two guys are facing off against a girl with a mutant quirk. and she’s telling them that she’s not a monster and she was just scared, oh shit. I believe her btw, you can see it in her face

but these assholes don’t believe her at all and they’re pointing what looks to be some type of support item gun at her

you know what’s interesting, is that this kind of random quirk discrimination is the exact kind of thing PLF and the like were swearing up and down they’d put a stop to with their glorious revolution. it’s almost like those guys were completely full of shit. huh

so yeah, fortunately for this woman someone is stepping in and intervening before she can be blasted to bits by this trigger-happy asshole for absolutely no fucking reason

looks like a hero actually stepped in and saved her?? but no that can’t be, heroes are the ones that ruin everything and make everything worse, or so I understand. lol where did all of this sarcasm come from out of nowhere dlkdsjlk I’m sorry guys I just suddenly got swept up in the hypocrisy of certain people’s philosophies out of the blue idek

anyway so it is of course Deku saving her, and now he’s trying to talk thess jerks down all diplomatically instead of just kicking their asses, which is certainly a choice

MOTHERFUCKER I’M

fucking impossible to miss the real world parallels here. shit. this woman nearly died for her crime of Walking While Having A Mutant Quirk huh. and meanwhile Deku is just letting this guy scurry away and even letting him keep that fucking bazooka of his, like, ????

fucking hell she’s crying!!

lmao this chapter is actively trying to make me mad now huh. that’s some genuine righteous anger I’m feeling on behalf of this fictional ferret lady whom I only met two minutes ago. girl you are not the one who needs to explain herself here!! you didn’t do anything wrong holy fuck. everything about this situation sucks so much

fkKJKLMMMHFGH

“I’m sorry I made you upset, please enjoy this panel of tiny!floating!Deku hefting this lady’s massive beach umbrella up for her like the fucking gentleman he is” well okay then thank you sir

and JUST LIKE THAT the tension is broken and I’m entirely incapable of taking the rest of this conversation seriously because Deku’s trying to be all calming and authoritative, but now the illusion has been broken because I know he only comes up to like her knees

“well thanks again for saving me young man. I’ll leave you to it, I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do like protecting your Lucky Charms cereal from all those greedy children”

oh hey All Might

you wouldn’t have just let that guy with the bazooka just walk away to commit more attempted murders would you?? man

OH MY GOD DEKU IS IMMEDIATELY DITCHING HIM AGAIN

I ~CANNOT STAY HERE~ oh, well, sorry to keep you detained I know you’re busy

dfslkjlk oh my god

fucking told you Deku didn’t pack any food lol. it’s literally all notebooks in that bag you guys. he couldn’t just leave them all in his dorm room when he left, because what if someone tried to read them and came across one of the pages where he absentmindedly doodled Kacchan’s name surrounded by little tiny hearts oh gosh

AWWWWW

I needed this Horikoshi. thank you for this wholesome soul-cleansing interaction after all of that bullshit earlier

so now Deku’s climbing up this tall building to eat his lunchbox more dramatically. Tokoyami would be proud

and Banjou is saying that society right now is just like in The Good Old Days (read: bad old days) when quirk society was even more of a mess than it is now

which is exactly how AFO likes it, no doubt

so now Deku’s having a whole conversation with Banjou seemingly out loud lol, weird. and he’s basically saying that they don’t have any clues as to where TomurAFO and the League are hiding right now, and none of the Tartarus escapees they’ve found knew anything either

mmmmmfmhm, marge simpson noises

but you think you can?? you, alone, by yourself?? you think you stand a chance?? I just need you to think this all through a bit more kid

Deku it is NOT JUST YOUR RESPONSIBILITY ALONE, PLEASE REALIZE THIS ALREADY. YOU MAY BE THE CHOSEN ONE, BUT EVEN THE CHOSEN ONE NEEDS HIS FRIENDS BY HIS SIDE GODDAMMIT

and of course my pleading is all in vain, because he’s a fictional character who can’t fucking hear me, and also because I’m pretty sure there’s only one character who is going to actually be able to get him to hear reason here. I’ve been saying it, and I’ll keep saying it lol. so until then I guess I’ll just have to be patient

anyway so it appears we’re segueing into another flashback??? HORIKOSHI PLEASE GIVE ME SOME BAKUCRUMBS BEFORE THE TWO WEEK BREAK, I BEG YOU

dlKSDJLFKWJELKGHSLGKLEKJLFKHLGK

YES, THANK YOU, I KNOW WHERE THIS FUCKING IS LOL, IT’S NOT LIKE I’VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE REST OF THIS SCENE OR ANYTHING LMAO. BUT ANYWAYS DON’T MIND ME, YOU WERE SAYING??

oh my god oh my god I’m not readyyyyy, but also FUCK YEAH I AM SO FUCKING READY LOL LET’S DO THIS

YOU GUYS

I’M ABOUT TO STEP IN THAT ROOM AND YEET ONE OF THOSE FUCKING CHAIRS AT YOU ALL

NOOOOO

I’M ABOUT TO GRAB BANJOU’S GOGGLES AND STRETCH THEM OUT AND SNAP THEM BACK SO THEY SMACK THE SHIT OUT OF HIS FOREHEAD!!! IT’S WHAT HE DESERVES!!! I’M ABOUT TO MOVE TO JAPAN AND GET A JOB WITH DOORDASH AND FIND OUT WHAT HORIKOSHI LIKES TO ORDER FOR LUNCH SO I CAN BE THE ONE TO DELIVER IT SO THAT WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR I CAN FINALLY ASK HIM “HEY WHAT THE FUCK” IN PERSON

AHHH NO EVERYBODY SHHHHH STOP TALKING!!!!

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THAT PERSON SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS IN THE BACKGROUND TO SHUT THE FUCK UP, OH WAIT, THAT’S ME

(」゜ロ゜)」 щ(゜ロ゜щ)

LOL THIS FUCKING ASSHOLE!!! LOOK AT YOU!!! YOU’RE NOT KIRISHIMA OR SHINSOU OR IIDA IN A WIG OR ANYBODY LOL. YOU’RE JUST A DUDE. BROOOOO ABOUT FUCKING TIME, WHAT’S GOOD

I CAN’T SCROLL DOWN AHHHH BUT I HAVE TO BUT IT’S TOO INTENSE AHHHHHHH

I CAN SEE THE TOP OF HIS SPIKY HEAD, IT’S FINALLY THAT TIME AHHHHHHHH OKAY I’M GONNA DO IT HERE GOES

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

IT’S HIM. IT FUCKING REALLY FUCKIGN IS HIM OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. WHY AM I SO SHOCKED LMAO I’M THE ONE WHO’S BEEN SAYING THIS THE WHOLE DAMN TIME LMAO. OH GOD. O H MY FUCKING GOD

well okay then sir. so are you an ~ancestor~ or a Kacchan from another timeline or so what’s your deal then

YOICHI WHO IS YOICHI

YOICHI ALWAYS KNOWS WHAT’S UP. LMAO WHO IS YOICHI

(ETA: I’m going to punch myself in the face lmao. he’s Yoichi. he, the First. that’s his name. name reveal at long last what what!!)

MORE IMPORTANTLY SHOULD I BE IMAGINING NOBU’S VOICE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE LMAO I AM ANYWAY BUT YEAH

(ETA: I actually think he’s going to end up being voiced by Nobuhiko whether he ends up being Kacchan or not, just because it fits right in with the general “identical in almost every way” aesthetic he’s got going on.)

TUMBLR HOW WE LIKING OUR ANGSTY ALTERNATE UNIVERSE KACCHAN?? EVERYONE HATED YOU SO MUCH BEFORE THEY EVEN MET YOU, BUT THEY FORGOT TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU MIGHT BE HOT LMAO WHAT A TWIST

“some bright-eyed brat” oh come on. IT’S GOTTA BE HIM LOL

oh my god you all are probably TIRED AS FUCK of all my screaming but I’M SORRY IMMA HAVE TO DO IT ONE LAST TIME BECAUSE...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

that face. that expression!! THE FACT THAT HE’S OUT HERE OPENING DOORS WITH HIS FEET, LIKE HOLY SHIT!! JUST ADMIT THE JIG IS UP ALREADY

and so they really are the ones who busted First out of his jail cell huh

so how did they know you were in the room?? why did they come and break you out?? and how, pray tell, did they know to get you to transfer OFA to them?? hmmmMMMMMMMM

oh MY GOD

you guys. oh my god. it’s too much. every last bit of it lines up exactly with the Bakuverse theory sdkjfj I’m short-circuiting. it’s really fucking happening oh my lord

HELLO SEXY ALTERNATE UNIVERSE KACCHAN WITH HIS SEXY FUCKING SCAR, FUCK YEAH WE REALLY ARE EATING GOOD THIS CHAPTER

HELL YEAH WE’RE GOING. WE’RE GOING FULL SPEED YOU GUYS. LMAO I’M SO FUCKING HYPED RIGHT NOW I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF WEFKJLDKFFFF

SO, EVERYONE, LET’S RECAP. -- ACTUALLY NO, I STARTED TO WRITE UP A LIST, BUT I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED IT REALLY JUST NEEDS TO GO IN ITS OWN THREAD. SO I MADE IT AND POSTED IT, AND NOW I’M FINISHING UP THIS HOT MESS OF A RECAP POST. SO NOW WE’RE BACK TO THIS ONE FINAL PANEL OF DEKU EATING HIS KATSU ALL SERIOUS

YES SIR. YES SIR, WE GOING, FULL SPEED AHEAD, WHATEVER, IDK WTF IS HAPPENING BUT YES!!

lol, anyways so as I said in my other post, mysterious sexy guys with tragic pasts are what bring us together as a fandom, so whatever your thoughts are on the rest of it, let’s just rejoice in that. it’s what we deserve

[windscattered]

Previously

Delano woke up to Fang carefully climbing off of him and onto the floor. He heard her patter off somewhere. Delano, still half-awake, just listened in case she started peeing somewhere in BG’s apartment.

Instead he heard a small gasp from where he assumed the kitchen was. “O-oh no,” a voice said quietly. “Where did you come from?” A pause. “N-no! Don’t come closer! Sh-shoo!”

Hadn’t BG said something about his brother…? Was that him?

With a quiet groan, Delano got up from the couch. Better go save him from the terrifying beast that was Fang.

“Fang, come here,” Delano said when he arrived at the kitchen. In the kitchen there was a young, thin man who was half-climbing onto the counter to get away from Fang, who was looking up at him, tail wagging with enough force to knock over a toddler.

The man had the same dark complexion and hair colour as BG. Definitely his brother. Although he was way skinnier than BG’s toned build. He also had way less facial hair than BG.

The young man was now staring at Delano, not looking any less panicked. If anything, his panic seemed to increase.

Fang, though, returned to Delano, tail still wagging.

“Sorry, I- uh. We…” Delano realized how it must look. A man built like a shit brick house with a busted-ass face appearing uninvited in his kitchen with a massive dog. No wonder the brother looked like he was being held at gunpoint. “Your brother. He, uh. Insisted we spend the night here. Me and my dog. Her name is Fang.”

The man was now slowly climbing down from the counter now that Fang was at least two meters away from him. His face brightened at the mention of his brother, though. “You know Orlando!”

Delano forced himself to not flinch. BG’s real name. He had tried to not learn it, but it was now slapped to his face. Shit. “Yeah.”

“I’m his brother Lorenzo,” the man continued.

Goddammit, now Delano also knew his brother’s name. He was getting too close. “Daniel,” Delano said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Lorenzo started going through the fridge as he continued talking. “How long have you known Orlando? How did you two meet?”

God damn, Delano just wanted to go back to sleep. “About two months, I think,” Delano said, sitting at the dining table.

Lorenzo brought some sandwich ingredients to the table, looking thoughtful. “Two months…” he repeated. “That’s… Ohh, are you the one who he’s been going out with?!” he asked, eyes huge.

Oh for fuck’s sake… “It’s complicated,” Delano muttered.

Lorenzo seemed to realize what he was asking. “Oh, sorry. That’s- that’s not any of my business. Sorry.” He chuckled a little as he made a sandwich. “Funny, though. That’s exactly what Orlando said too. Oh.” He paused from spreading butter on bread. “Do you want a sandwich too?”

Delano actually did. He hadn’t been hungry earlier when BG made him that omelette. “Yeah, thank you.”

Lorenzo pushed the bread and butter towards him as he proceeded to build his own sandwich. “Anyway, I thought it was funny that you both used the same exact words to describe the situation. What is it that makes it so complicated?”

Delano started to regret choosing to make a sandwich. “How much has he told you about me?” he asked instead.

Lorenzo frowned in thought. “Not much. I had to twist his arm a little to even find out your gender.”

Delano hummed. He didn’t want to be the one to burst his bubble. And expose his older brother for seeing a sex worker. “We’re… both very busy people,” Delano said noncommittally.

Lorenzo seemed to buy that lame excuse. His brow furrowed in sympathy. “I get it,” he said. “Orlando is so ridiculously busy… He spends all of his free time either running errands, doing housework or sleeping. I was so happy when he started going on dates.” He looked genuinely sad. “He’s spent so much time and energy making sure I am content that I fear he’s ignoring his own happiness.”

Hmm. Beej was one of those people, huh. Those people who were so desperate to be needed that they ignored themselves and their own needs. Selfless to a fault. How odd that he’s seeing Delano… Delano’s clientele usually were selfish people who only cared about themselves. Maybe BG was also one of those people who lowkey wanted to save Delano from the awful fate that was sex work.

Delano couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about it made an uncomfortable weight form in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he should stop seeing BG.

But before that, where’s the harm in having a sandwich with his younger brother at two in the morning? … Well, okay, him being so chatty was a little annoying, but Delano could deal with it. Luckily, Lorenzo seemed to be one of those people who were happy to chatter away by themselves with very little input from another person.

The two ate their respective sandwiches and Lorenzo then excused himself to go to bed. As Lorenzo retreated to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Delano gave Fang some more kibble and went back to the couch.

As Delano stared at the dark ceiling, waiting to fall asleep again, he idly wondered if he should “repay” this to BG somehow. Of course, Delano had no money, so he’d have to pay with his body. The problem was that BG seemed to be goody-two-shoes enough to turn that offer down. With a sigh, Delano decided to figure that out in the morning.

***

Later, Delano woke up to more sounds from the kitchen. That had to be BG making breakfast. Delano sighed, rubbing his face against the armrest of the couch. A part of him wanted to go back to sleep, but another part of him couldn’t sleep in a strange place anyway.

With a sigh, Delano got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. He was greeted by BG cooking something at the stove and quietly chatting to Fang, who was standing by his feet and looking up at him with a gently wagging tail.

“The trick is to add the vegetables last,” BG was saying. “Otherwise they’d overcook and turn mushy and ruin the texture.”

“Are you teaching her to cook?” Delano asked with an amused smile, leaning on the doorframe.

BG turned around, looking slightly startled. “I-I, uh. I wanted her to feel included.”

“You do know that she only wants treats from you, right?”

“I did give her some broccoli and cauliflower as I cooked,” BG said, pulling out two clean plates. “With her kibble,” he added as he slid a half of a thick omelette on each plate. “I don’t want to teach her to beg while she’s here.”

Delano chuckled. “It might be too late for that.”

“Oh?” BG asked as he set the plates onto the dining table, along with two forks and knives. “How so?”

“She was really cute when she was a puppy,” Delano said as he sat down at the table. “I mean. She still is.”

BG chuckled as he poured coffee for them. “I understand.”

“Me and Fang used to eat the same food when I was younger and broke,” Delano mused as he grabbed a fork. “I mean more broke than I am now.”

BG’s smile was uncomfortable to say the least, as he brought the two cups of coffee to the table, along with sugar and some kind of plant-based milk. “At least you’re better off now, right?”

“Yeah,” Delano admitted, cutting a piece out of the omelette. “I don’t have to worry about rent, thanks to my jobs.”

BG sat down and poured some milk(?) into his coffee. “That’s good to hear.”

Delano hummed in agreement. “Speaking of work,” he said. “I have to pay you back for taking care of me.”

BG paused from mixing his coffee. “You don’t have to,” he said hastily. “Take it as payment for the first time we met.”

Delano squinted as he thought back. “The massage? You paid for that.”

“Yes, but-” BG fell silent, looking like he was desperately scrambling for an excuse. “I… I didn’t give you a gift for it.”

Delano chuckled. “What’s with you and the gifts? It’s not that important. As long as you pay me, I’m happy.”

BG smiled sheepishly. “It’s just… A thing I want to do.”

Delano had to admit that the gifts were endearing. They also set BG apart from his other clients. There were a few clients that paid Delano to pretend to be their boyfriend, so that was nothing new for him. But very few treated him like BG did. Very few talked to him about completely normal things like everyday life (although BG did avoid talking about his job), which in turn encouraged Delano to open up as well. Which he carefully avoided doing with clients, no matter how much they paid him and took on dates. There was also the way how BG had sex with Delano. Most of Delano’s clients jumped his bones, ripped his clothes off, shoved him into bed and fucked him fast and hard. But BG had an almost romantic approach to fucking Delano. No, you couldn’t even call it “fucking”. The way BG held Delano’s hands and gazed into his eyes while he slowly and gently made love to him. Not to mention how he caressed and stroked Delano, as if to make sure Delano also enjoyed it. There were a few times when BG sucked Delano off to make sure that Delano came also.

But now that Delano thought about it, in the light of Delano’s thoughts from last night, about BG’s perfectionist personality and possible saviour complex… It was starting to get uncomfortable. I mean yeah, Delano did take a few clients who liked to be rough with him and punch and choke him, but he didn’t need anyone to nag him about it. Fang did enough of that and she didn’t even speak.

But back to the present. Delano shrugged, letting the issue drop. He wasn’t that hard-pressed to not owe anyone. He’d pay back with some other kind of favour, then. If he ever got the chance to.

“I’ll get going once I’ve eaten,” Delano said.

Some kind of expression flickered on BG’s face, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared. “Okay. Do you want me to see you off? To make sure you make it home safely?”

Delano forced himself to smile. “You don’t have to. You’ve already gone out of your way for me.”

BG looked at him for a while, as if he was evaluating him. Then finally he nodded, rubbing his neck. “Alright. I guess I did kind of drag you out here without letting you say no.”

Delano chuckled. “At least I got two meals out of it.” Delano hadn’t known omelettes could be that filling. Maybe he should look up some recipes later.

BG smiled bashfully. It was almost like Delano had praised his cooking to high heavens. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

The two finished eating and Delano packed his and Fang’s things. BG saw him off to the front door.

“Text me when you get home,” he said.

Delano promised to do that, and after quick goodbyes, he and Fang left BG’s apartment.

[pixelatedrose]

hey big man :D ! it’s been a while and w o a h — callahan, mr. mcblithe, looks absolutely stunning :0 !! he looks like he’s glowing and it’s wonderful. i love the detailing on his lil suspenders and the open shoulders are really pretty. oh! and the little cogs with the shiny gem thing are nice, do they have any significance or are they just there to look cool (which they are definitely succeeding in) ? also, his wiNgs are so lovely!! they’re so big and they look so soft, they’re just breathtaking, i love them :)) i hope you’ve had a wonderful day and you enjoy the rest of your night! remember to drink water if you haven’t recently, love you loads dude 💛 !

Bee!!!! I love yoouuu!!!! :DDD

Okay okay okay

So

>:]

Lemme talk bout my boy Cally-ham McBlimp

Starting with things you mentioned- the open shoulders is also because he's wearing a halter top in the pic (bc fight me halter tops are the ONLY viable piece of clothing if you have wings-) HOWEVER!!!!

In the current narrative, Callahan's sweater does simply just have open shoulders. And THAT'S because in the current narrative!! He doesn't have wings!!!!

The cogs on his belt don't have any story significance, they're simply just decoration- like a fancy belt buckle- and also are indicative of his occupation as someone who's part of the tinkerer's guild!!! Thas all :]

Now the CRYSTAL is a LOT more interesting as it seems to have significant story importance. This crystal as a milky white opaque gemstone that faintly glows, it acts as Callahan's sorcery focus. As a young adult/teen, his uncle (the man who raised him since his parents passed when he was a very very little child) gave it to him, telling him it was a family heirloom and that he should keep it safe and with him at all times. And he's done just that!! For the most part.... he's made a single alteration to the gem, having filed the top part of it down to make it better fit the metal frame its attached to- a frame he made himself. This seems like it will have......effects, later down the line- I'm SO excited to see what my dm has in store for me.

Hhggh

There's so so so so much i can and want to be able to tell you bout my boy Callahan McBlithe, my good ol m8 Cally-ham, my bro my friend my child, but i don't wanna force ppl to read to much so I'm gonna hide it under the cut from now on-

SO CALLAHAN

Okay okay okay

So to talk about Callahan, we gotta talk about Montgomery Silverbeard, or Monty for short.

So, Callahan is a dwarf.

Monty is not a dwarf, but he IS a human RAISED by dwarves.

Monty is in the tinkerer's guild.

Monty has a mechanical Dog named Weller that runs on the energy of a crystal he has.

Monty always wears his goggles.

And one last thing we should know about Callahan before I continue, is something my dm specified that i preciously mentioned in the og post i made about Callahan, is that he has heterochromia, one blue eye and one brown one, and that Callahan also always wears his goggles when he's out in public.

NOW!!!!

Fun shit >:3c

So first things first.

The first session happens and Callahan gets introduced to the party through the means of Remmy- a character I don't have the time to explain other than through his title; The Entity- and things go great.

Well, great is relative i guess cause i mean the party did kinda forget he was there so ._.

But at the very end, as everyone is going to bed and Callahan is about to start walking home, Monty catches him and says he'll walk him home

They start chatting and shit and as they're walking, Monty stops for a moment and takes his goggles off to rub at his eyes.

And as he takes off his goggles, Callahan sees his eyes.

And he's heterochromatic.

One blue eye. One brown eye.

And Callahan stops and just stares for a moment and says. "You're...you're heterochromatic?"

Monty kinda glaces back and responds, "yeah. Has something to do with my birth parents, I'm sure of it."

And Callahan is quite for a moment. And then he slowly, silently pulls his goggles down around his neck to let Monty see his eyes too.

They kinda blink at each other.

Monty catches sight of the crystal at Callahan's belt and asks him where he got it, tells him that its a crystal like that that keeps Weller alive.

When Callahan tells him that it was an heirloom, Monty looks at him and just says, "I think we may be a bit closer than we expected, Callahan."

AND NEITHER ME OR MONTY OR ANYONE FUCKING KNEW THIS WAS COMING

OUR DM IS FUCKING AMAZING AT KEEPING JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SECRETS FROM ALL OF US GODDAMMIT I LOVE HER SO MUCH

Anyway that's all i have the time to tell about right now, but there is still SO much more i could talk about- from Uncle Mar-Mar, to Remmy, to the second session, to the plot to Fuck The Queen, to the con-artist mini-sesh- dude i love this campign with all of my being, its not even funny how in love i am with everything about it

In any case!!!! Thank you so much for checking in, Bee!!! I love you a ton, and sorry i haven't been active, I've been caught between d&d and school and that's all I've been doing lately lol

My schedule should free up some after graduation, but i can't guarantee that since I'll be starting work right after as well, but I'll try to be better!!!

As always, Stay Fresh and Minty, Bee!!! Ily and i hope you have a WONDERFUL day!!!! <3 :D

[zombriekid]

Medium [Alucard/Gender Neutral Reader]

Series: Hellsing

Summary: “…could I request where the reader uses their medium powers on a mission and Alucard begins to believe them?” victory usually tastes so sweet but not at the expense of the innocent

warning: vague mentions of violence against children

 Mediumship is nowhere near as glamorous as the entertainment industry loves to portray; it’s not all traipsing (see: trespassing) on ancient burial grounds and hurling invasive questions into the air in the hopes of something Otherworldly™ responding. You don’t often see apparitions- full body or otherwise- and it’s rare to hear much more than a single whisper, in fact the vast majority of the time your dealings with the dearly departed amounts to little more than just random surges or depletions of energy.

 This is not to say that your spirituality is weak, it’s just that… that’s what “ghosts” are- energy left behind by the living like an imprint of history, and this energy can be influenced by events, past or present, and passionate emotions, negative or positive, thus rendering any argument that they exist a hollow shot in the dark. Because you can’t prove what you (often) can’t see, not to others, especially in this day and age of technology with photo/video manipulation. And the fact that mediumship has a bad rep due to prior exploiters and frauds.

 But you purposefully leave that last bit out of the conversation cause even though He’s acting like He’s not interested, you know that Alucard is tuning in.

 Not that you can blame Him though. What else is there to do?

 From the moment your little menagerie of hunters stepped out of the Hellsing jet, absolutely nothing has happened. Nothing, zilch, nada. This might be ideal in other situations but you were promised a paycheck upon the eradication of a vampire who’s “more monster than man” and the subsequent purification of his/her hunting grounds, and goddammit you can’t let this mission stain your record! That and Mr. Tall Dark and Frightening is assigned as one of your partners.

 Well… more like you’re the one that’s assigned but yadda yadda fine details and all that.

 “So in other words…” Seras pauses with a drawn out vowel, “you feel ghosts rather than see or hear them?”

 You shrug in response before catching your boot over a pile of broken glass. It’s inevitable that you’ll trek through some before the mission’s end- hell before the night’s over because of friggin course a bloodsucker sets up shop in an old, forgotten hospital- however the less shards you have to pluck out of the soles later the better.

 “Depends. I hear Pip just fine, and on occasion he visually manifests himself for me, but that’s only cause of his connection with you. Uses your energy.”

 This seems to satisfy the young vampire for she gives you a quiet hum in acknowledgment with nothing else to follow. Silence hangs over your small group as the three of you inch down the hall, briefly turning your attention into every passing doorway and you specifically avoiding stepping on to jagged scraps of splintered wood and dusty glass; these two might be immune to pathogens but that doesn’t mean you are.

 “So you sensing energy… you mean that literally?” She asks.

 “Yes ma’am.”

 “Then riddle me this, revenant,” Alucard’s voice disrupts the conversation, chases away any semblance of peace and echoes into every dark corner of the walls around you. The fine hairs all up and down your skin suddenly stand to attention with the intrusive introduction of His baritone. It’s not as if you forgot that He’s there, or even that He’s eavesdropping, you just didn’t expect Him to vocalize His opinion. Should’ve known better, it’s friggin Alucard after all. “Do you ‘sense the energy’ of our target?”

 That’s the thing.

 You don’t.

 You can pick up both of your companion’s energies easily- Alucard’s is oppressive and dark and just plain inhuman while Seras’s is warm and jovial, but scarred, reticent, as if she has a blanket of secrets weighing down her back until she aches. That’s the best way you can describe it at least.

But there’s no other energy nearby.

 Now you’ll always be the first to admit that there are certain limitations to your spiritual sensitivity- for instance you wouldn’t be able to sense someone in the parking lot from this deep in the complex- and there are many factors outside of your control that contributes, with species acting as a major contender. After all, man eating monsters tend to amass a surplus of energy with every soul they devour, human or otherwise.

 So why can’t you feel the target’s energy? Sir Integra herself described them as “a gluttonous, beastial affront against the Lord with a deplorable appetite for children”; loss of humanity, depraved morality, the murder of kids… merely one of these would be sufficient enough for you, let alone all three, so this should have ease akin to your breathing offending Alucard in some way.

 Then why…?

 “I’m callin’ it,” Seras huffs before her boots cease their trek, which (shockingly) causes your other vampiric squadmate to pause as well. No need to single yourself out, strength in numbers as the saying goes, so you do the same. “They’re not here.”

 “I agree, but why not ask Hellsing’s residential medium? After all they’re supposed to be able to sense this thing’s energy.”

 The walls quickly sprint by in your vision as you snap your attention to the right, and you channel every poisonous thought and cutting emotion into the glare you fix the back of His head with. Alucard feels the weight, you know He does, just as you don’t need to see it in order to know that there’s a self satisfied grin stretching across His face.

 God, He’s such a petty bitch.

 Then again so are you.

 “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you could use the energy of your soul to sense someone else’s!” You spit out through a clenched jaw, but you’re not yet done. Now for the zinger. “Wait! That’s right. You can’t cause you don’t have o-”

 Cold.

 A plume of icy chill kisses your pebbling skin. Fine hairs rise. Your spine straightens. Instincts, or a sort of magnetic pull to your right. Not Alucard though. Further.

 Over your shoulder.

 A winding stairwell.

 Energy. Young. Scared. On the same floor. Your floor. The first stair.

 There’s a-

 “Murray?” You hear someone ask but you quickly shush them.

 Because there’s a ghost at the base of the stairwell in the little passage off to the group’s right; it’s not strong enough to create a perfect visual, or rather much of a visual at all, instead you’re graced with an opaque silhouette vaguely humanoid in shape. You can make out where the head and shoulders are supposed to be, though the legs dissipate below (presumably) the knees, and judging by the relatively small size you can almost safely assume that this spirit comes from a child.

 An assumption that dries out the roof of your mouth, tightens the muscles in your throat until it hurts to swallow; child ghosts have always proven to be the most harrowing in terms of purification, if nothing else because of the implications of their demise. No one cherishes the idea of dead children, after all.

 It’s in the nature of your job, unfortunately, and it’s time to get to work so first thing’s first: is this ghost related to the mission?

 “Do either of y’all know any history about this place?” You ask in a voice that practically toes on screechy, and yes you’re aware that your drawl is a touch thick right now. “A children’s hospital, maybe?”

 Seras stumbles over her words, likely a result from your behavior considering this is the first she’s bore witness to this side of your role, but she quickly regains her faculties with a throat-clearing cough.

 “N-no, it’s umm.. was just a general hospital. Mostly used during one of the World Wars.”

 Your kneecaps ache- cold, sharp, it bites at the crevices between your joints and it slinks down both shins until your toes start to feel chilly. A sort of rolling, hollow loftiness churns the pit of your stomach, and your head seems far too heavy to be sitting on such a stiff neck, and a dusting of salty tears sting the fleshy corners of your eyes. A scream tears at your jaw.

 But you don’t panic, there’s no need to because this reaction is not yours. The pain in your legs, the woozy light headedness that’s sapping your energy, the involuntary urge to sob and shriek until the lining of your throat feels like sandpaper? None of this belongs to you. This is your body reacting to the stimuli from the child’s ghost.

 Or as you like to call it: minor possession.

 “Why do you ask..?”

 A vampire with a preference for younger victims.

 “Murray?”

 The shade of a terrified kid, silhouette incomplete, and everything from your knees down plagued with an icy burn.

 …there’s no denying it, what you’re currently staring at, subsequently what’s burrowing into your bones and siphoning your energy, is a casualty of this mission’s target.

 You hear someone call your name, more specifically your first name, but with so much metaphorical cotton stuffed in your ears you can’t really determine who so you instead lift a pointer finger towards the spirit; perhaps crawling through mud would be easier. God you feel so weak.

 Seras is the first to respond.

 “Wha’ is it? I don’t see anything.”

 Through your teeth you manage to bite out: “g-ghost.” And that is perhaps the worst thing you could’ve said or done because the shrill gasp that she unleashes is nothing short of jarring, and she bounces from one foot over to the next and back again as her red eyes widen and glimmer with what you could only call excitement.

“Where?! Where is it, where do you see it?!”

 These questions gush out of her like a broken spout with many more to follow, but you can’t help but to tune them out cause this? What she’s doing right now? Yeah this is the exact reason why you prefer to tend to spirits by yourself; the fascination that borderlines fetishization that most carry with their individual worldviews often leads to disrespecting those who have long since passed. Hence your profession boggled down with money-grubbing charlatans, and entire programs dedicated to ghost hunting- ah, your apologies, you mean “paranormal investigating”. It’s distasteful, it’s tacky, and it’s downright insulting, and it etches itself deep into the lines between your brows and the downward tug of your frown.

 This… must convey your message perfectly for the young vampire’s delight gradually bleeds into something more somber.

 Maybe if you weren’t so tired you’d find it in yourself to let it go? “That’s one of our target’s victims, Victoria. Try to show some respect?”

 At least she has the decency to look ashamed, unlike her master whom you can feel the glare He levels you with behind the orange tint of His glasses. Any other time and the weight of His ire would intimidate you, but you honestly don’t care right now.

 The child’s spirit rises and bobs up the stairs, as if it’s simulating the act of walking, and with it goes the sensation of ice and pain and fear out of your joints. From beside you, on your right, you can barely make out Seras quietly saying “I think I see something.” It rounds the sharp bend in the stairwell before it continues its ascension until you can’t see- or sense- it anymore.

 And then something dawns on you.

 “I think he/she wants us to follow.”

 Alucard scoffs from somewhere behind you. “Is it going to lead us to the target?”

 A nod is all that you give Him. He in turn allows a single barking laugh to rip from His throat out of derision, judging by the sound in the way it’s meant to curl around your cheeks until they feel hot, however you’re rather confident in your assessment. In fact you’re very nearly absolutely certain that that is what’s going to happen: follow the ghost and you’ll find the target.

 Which brings you to your final conclusion, one that Seras seems to be grasping at herself. “Wait. If this ghost genuinely is a victim, then it really shouldn’t… exist per say, yeah?”

 “Yep. Man eating monsters, especially vampires, essentially absorb souls as a means to substitute what they’ve lost.” You glance at her in your peripheral. “Which means one of two things. Either my hunch is wrong and this spirit truly is an echo from the past, or…

 “My hunch is right, the spirit is a casualty, and our target’s already dead.”

 Silence picks up where your sentence ends; the nothingness of the quiet permeates through one ear and out the other, and it presses down on the bones of your shoulders until your spine shivers. There’s a tension in the air not unlike a rubber band being stretched from both ends, you can feel it in the cavity of ribcage, and though you could easily attribute the stress to the hospital’s atmosphere or the very real possibility of your estimate holding true, your instincts- built from some odd months worth of experience and adversity- place the blame on something else.

 Or rather someone else.

 Alucard.

 Because His opinion of you, and of your work, is coated in an acidic venom, and He’s very open about this with every sharp word and barbed look that He deems worthy of His time. Yet He hasn’t said anything else, hasn’t done anything else since His last outburst of sarcasm, and it makes you hyper aware of Him. As if He’s going to attack at any moment, physically or otherwise. Does He disagree? Is He biding for time until the finale where He can deliver yet another calamitous blow to your already scarred ego? … Is He actually considering that you may be right about this?

 Not possible. His pride is greater than His hatred for your existence.

 And on this dismal thought, you decide to not dedicate any more energy in to solving the enigma that is Alucard and you take a few strides towards the stairs before you mumble out a “only one way to find out.” You don’t bother waiting for your companions.

 Not twenty minutes later the three of you are provided with a definite answer to your theory.

 But you don’t gloat, there’s not even a hint of desire to. Because, after all, no one cherishes the idea of dead children.

_______________________________________________________________________

a/u: had ta repost this bitch cause i done messed up a-aron, which in turn meant tumblr pissed in my coffee and not showed it in ANY tags sooo... presto here we are again! once more with feeling: thank you to the anon who requested this, and thank you to everyone who reads <3 if ya liked my scheisse then please tickle the heart, leave a comment, and reblog it so other peeps can enjoy it too -3-

[dgmagines]

Hi Hi Hi!!! So how about a scenario with Allen running away from the order simallar to episode 12 ending but instead of lenalee going after him it's his s/o. You can keep or change the ending if you want!

Hey hi hiiii~! This came out longer than expected and uhhh I sorta,,, deviated from the request (I only realized this when I finished writing so,,, whoops?). Regardless, I hope this is to your liking anon!! q w q Please enjoy!!

Also, under the cut because this got hella long uwu;; and the ones in blockquote are “flashbacks” uwu

Word count : 1,542

“Exorcist?What are you doing down here?”

Somethingwas wrong.

“Oh,Cardinal,” they bowed their head respectfully before throwing a concerned gazetowards the hall that lead to Allen’s cell. Inspector Howard had been in therefor too long now.

“I’mjust waiting for the Inspector is all,” the man smiled – a most comfortingsmile had it not been for the chill that ran up their spine. Why… Why did hissmile look out of place…?

Somethingwas wrong - they could feel it in the way their heart wouldn’tstop worrying and their head wouldn’t stop theorizing as their feet franticallycarried them through the maze of a hallway the Order called home.

“Perhapsyou should wait for him upstairs, my child,” the kind-looking elder pattedtheir head, moving past them as he disappeared down the corridor. ______ staredfor a moment more, waiting with bated breath for something – anything really –to happen.

They’dbeen down there.

Theydidn’t know what they had expected and, with a minor self-deprecating remark,they turned and made their way down the opposite hall; towards the stairs thatwould lead to the upper levels.

They’dbeen down there before it happened.

“Lenalee!”Their hoarse voice yelled out to the taller woman- the tears streaming down herface matching that of their own; they felt their heart clench.

Theexplosion caught them off guard – the young (h/c) stumbling as they desperatelytried their best to not fall down the long flight of stairs. Bewildered, theirfrantic mind considered running back towards the cell, already anxious mindcoming up with several thousand scenarios that flitted through their eyes inthe split second it took for them to blink – none of them looked good.

Togetherwith the young Asian, _______ ran through the crowded halls; throwing outfrantic – almost rude – ‘excuse me’s and ‘pardon me’s. They parted when theycame to the stairs - _____ taking the one that would lead them to the groundfloor while Lenalee took the ones that would lead her to the roof.

______took several steps back out of shock as they stared at the guards who were supposedto be guarding the room – at the guards that now lay unconscious on the floorwith… with… something coming out of their eyes. Their body shook; theair felt heavy and suffocating and-

Wasthat… the cardinal…?

Theirlungs burned as they skipped several steps, feet pitter-pattering wildly asthey tried to reach the ground floor as soon as possible. Not once, not twicebut multiple times had they found themselves almost falling – almost sprainingtheir feet from how reckless they were running but their safety was the lastthing on their mind.

Stumbling,______ felt their hands shook as they cupped their mouth – not trustingthemselves to not make any noise as the cardinal started to move. With theirheart in their throat and the sting of tears in their eyes, ______ started tomove; they needed to get away-

Theyneeded to l e a v e.

Theyweren’t safe here and they knew it.

Gasping– out of breath - _______ winced as the branches and the leaves cut at theirskin, leaving tiny nicks here and there. Faintly, they heard the sounds ofbattle as their fellow exorcist fought teeth and bones to get rid of the akumassurrounding them.

Fromup above, they saw Lenalee landing on a tree – closer to the ground so that shecould talk with the (h/c). The noirette was clearly as out of breath as _____was. As they each exchanged information about Allen’s possible whereabouts,several level threes had spotted them and had taken to attacking them.

“________,go! I’ll hold them off and join you!” gritting their teeth, ______ glared atthe young noirette. Their heart was heavy – they were afraid and frustrated andconfused and angry all at the same time and they couldn’t – not for the life ofthem – make much sense of what was happening.

Whywas this all happening?!

“Don’ttry to play hero, Lenalee! You’re much faster than I am- you have a higherchance of catching Allen with your boots!” quickly doing away with the levelthree that tried to attack her, Lenalee turned towards her friend – barelyavoiding the swipe of another akuma.

“Youhave a better lead on his location!” and, you have a better chance ofconvincing him to come back, was what Lenalee wanted to say but her throatburned with the unsaid words and her tears were starting to cloud her visionand goddammit she has akumas to deal with!! She can’t be crying right now!!

“Nowgo!”

Andso they left.

Butthe path the (h/c) took was dark and confusing and they felt like they’d beenrunning around in circles and goddammit- they just wanted to see Allen!!Stopping to catch their breath, _______ honed their senses so that they couldhear of any approaching danger; the threat of the akumas were still aroundafterall. Letting their guard down right here, right now would be a stupid move.

“Link…?”_______ choked on their words, tears burning their eyes as they stared at theunconscious body of the inspector. Hadn’t the cardinal been watching over Linkjust a moment ago? Why was he… all….. messed up?

“Giveup on him, exorcist,” the voice snapped the (h/c) out of their reverie –shoulders tensing as they reached for their innocence. In front of them, with alaidback smile on his face, was the damned Third himself – Tokusa. He smirkedin his usual condescending manner, ______ gritting their teeth and growling inreturn.

“Shutthe fuck up,” they cursed, feeling all the repressed emotions frombefore bubbling and threatening to break under the surface. They wanted to lashout – wanted to grab the man by his collar or his hair and straight up yellprofanities in his face or punch the living daylights out of him but theshaking of their fingers and the almost painful clenching on their musclesprevented them from moving.

Deepdown, they knew they were weaker than the former CROW and that fact irritatedthem to no end.

“Letme through, Tokusa,” the man hummed, tilting his head to the side in aquizzical manner.

“Andwhy? You know you won’t be able to catch up to Walker in time right? He’s justgoing to join the Earl – just as we did,” the chuckle that fell from his lipsgrated their ears. _______ clenched their weapon tighter, swallowing thegrowing lump their throat as they readied for an attack.

Friendor not, Tokusa had turned to the enemy - ____ would’ve had to fight him sooneror later.

“Isee your hesitation, ______,” Tokusa smiled, closing his eyes as he slowlyretreated into the writhing mass of darkness behind him – a portal of theEarl’s making, perhaps.

“You’reweak. Just like the rest of us. Maybe we’ll ask the Earl if you can join us,”with a final, irritating chuckle, Tokusa disappeared; and so did the barrierthat surrounded the (h/c). Gritting their teeth, ______ gulped down the screamthat wanted to tear through their throat.

Frustrationbubbled under their skin and their heart felt like it was being boiled alive.It hurt it hurt it hurt it hu r ts-

“Allen!”

Lenalee.

Thefaint voice yelling for their lover’s name snapped them out of theiranger-induced stupor and the lead that weighed down their feet seemed to liftat the hope that surged through their veins. Breathed in deeply- shakily-before pushing themselves to their feet, _____ found themselves running at fullspeed to where they had heard the voice come from.

Allenwas close-!

Breakingthrough the foliage, ______ gasped when they saw the ark – the unknown devicefloating several inches off the ground as Allen and Lenalee conversed severalfeet away from it. They saw Allen smiling as he cupped Lena’s cheek and, justfrom that smile alone, _______ knew they were fucked.

Thatwasn’t a smile.

Thatwas a parting.

Theirlips shook as tears cascaded down their cheeks. Frozen, they began to move –slowly at first; walking towards the center of the clearing where her friendand her beloved stood – before their feet picked up speed and they startedrunning.

Pleaseplease please-

Forthe love of god-

Allen,p l e a  s  e  -!

Allengave Lenalee one last smile, his back drawing ever closer to the ark – to theportal that would take him somewhere far far away from here. It was thenthat ______ found their voice – the burning sensation in their throat too muchfor them to handle.

“Don’tleave! Allen!!”

Theirvoice carried across the field – hoarse with unbearable emotions that theydidn’t want. It seemed to shock Allen, his eyes immediately drawing towards thestill running (h/c). ______’s heart clenched painfully in their throat at theresolve in Allen’s eyes – their lungs too out of breath for them to continuepleading for much longer.

“Takecare, ______,”

“ALLEN!!”

_______reached forward, gritting their teeth and hoping against all hope that theycould grasp his hand but – as the ark dissipated – the only thing they managedto grasp was the air that their beloved left behind.

[canyouevencauseicant]

Who is she? - Part 2 (Peter Parker Imagine)

Writer’s note: Hey guys! So, I’ve received some comments and requests asking for a part 2 of my first Peter Parker imagine, “Who is she?”. So, here it is! Sorry it took so long! Please let me know what you think and please request more imagines!

Read Part 1: Who is she?

Word count: 4k

“Oh, goddammit!”

You grumbled under your breath as you were literally knocked over by a group of people fleeing from the giant spaceship above. In another life, you might’ve been way more panicked and probably would be running away with those people. But after having met literal gods and seen alien invasions before, this was just another day in the life of agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N). 

Thankfully, Mr. Tony Stark himself had given your suit an upgrade after having seen you fight in Berlin. “You’re a smart kid, (Y/L/N), and you’re not a bad fighter, either. But, I gotta say, that suit really isn’t doing you any favours. No, you need a suit that can keep up and do as much as you do. I think it’s time for an upgrade to match your attitude, huh kid?” 

You had to really resist the urge to roll your eyes at Tony because, the truth was, you REALLY wanted a new suit. Sure, you loved the one you had, but it was slowly falling to pieces and you truly needed something that could keep up with your constant crime-fighting. 

Boy, Tony really delivered.

Your new suit was nanotech, and Tony had even been nice enough to include your own A.I., who you jokingly named Artoo after the Star Wars character R2-D2. The new suit was a thousand times stronger than the one you had previously donned, and was black and blue with white accents with a hood and mask that automatically covered and uncovered your face. It was surprisingly stylish but man, it did exactly what it needed to do; protect you and allow you to be a better fighter.

Your suit was kept in a set of two bracelets, and you wore them both at all times, one on each wrist, for emergencies. Just like the one you were currently facing. 

You swiftly crossed your wrists, activating your bracelets which let out the suit automatically. The nanotech spread across your body and quickly solidified as your suit, your mask and hood popping up and your built-in vision goggles lighting up, the display appearing in front of your very eyes. 

“Artoo! What am I looking at?” You shouted, quickly initiating your A.I. as you sprinted towards where the spaceship was. 

“It’s called a Q ship,” the cool male voice of Artoo spoke matter-of-factly as you wove through masses of people fleeing for safety, “It’s definitely a spaceship because no airforce on Earth has technology like the stuff I’m detecting on the Q ship.”

“Oh, well that’s just fantastic,” you muttered under your breath. This didn’t look good at all, but you knew you had to help, “Artoo, contact Iron Man!”

“Contacting Iron Dad,” Artoo confirmed, the nickname you had set for Tony making you chuckle slightly; while Steve was like you adopted dad in the Avengers, he wasn’t the only one who took on a sort of paternal role in your life. Tony was even more overprotective than Steve was (surprisingly), and could be a really great mentor when he wasn’t being sarcastic or teasing you. 

“(Y/L/N)!” Tony’s voice spoke up over the call, to which you immediately responded, “Where are you, Stark? I’m on my way. What’s happening?” “Squidward and his buddy from space are after the Bleaker street magician’s necklace! F.R.I.D.A.Y., send (Y/L/N) my location,” Tony replied, and it took you a moment to realize that he was talking about Dr. Stephen Strange and the Time Stone he was tasked with protecting. 

“Location acquired, setting route to intercept now,” Artoo stated as you hung up on Tony, the route popping up on your display. You weren’t too far off from where Tony was fighting off the two aliens, so you triggered one of the new features of the new suit; the soles of your suit’s shoes popped out and turned into wheels like those on roller blades, and you managed to gracefully glide over to where Tony was.

As you turned the corner, you suddenly had to duck as a whole tree went flying and nearly took you out. You glanced over to where it came from and you spotted Iron Man, Dr. Strange and Wong fighting the two aliens; one was large and wielding a terrifying-looking weapon, the other much smaller and seemingly unarmed. However, the smaller one suddenly managed to lift a ton of bricks and turn them into spikes and sent them flying at Dr. Strange and Wong without so much as a wave of his hand. Tony, in the meantime, got launched by the larger alien and went flying, the larger alien in hot pursuit. 

“Artoo, who are we fighting?” You inquired, pulling out your knives and getting ready to engage the enemies before they noticed your presence. “Species unknown, but the smaller of the two seems to possess the power of telekinesis. Be careful, (Y/N),” Artoo advised you, and you nodded as you swiftly threw a knife at the smaller alien. 

Thankfully, you had the element of surprise on your side but the alien moved so the knife lodged itself in the alien’s shoulder instead of his heart, causing him to cry out in pain and surprise. The knives you had been equipped with were also an innovation on Tony’s part; they were designed to fly more efficiently, do maximum damage and be extremely difficult to remove. They were your favorite upgrade. 

You quickly moved out of the alien’s line of sight as made a beeline for Dr. Strange and Wong. “Strange! Wong! Where’s Stark?!” You shouted to them as you sprinted towards them. Wong quickly opened a portal for you to glide through that would take you to Tony’s location, and as you passed them, you shouted, “Thanks!” 

The portal transported you to a park, and to your surprise, you almost ended up crashing into a figure dressed in a red and blue suit as they swung by you. 

“Woah, who are you?! Where did you come from?!”

A familiar voice caught your attention, and when you took a good look at the person you nearly crashed into, your heart jumped slightly in your chest; it was the same hero from the fight in Berlin. The new hero who seemed to be as young as you were. 

Spider-Man.

At first, you were a little disappointed that he hadn’t recognized you. But then, you realized that Spider-Man had only seen you in your old suit and therefore wouldn’t be able to recognize you now. However, before you could speak up, Iron Man flew over to you and landed next to you, “(Y/L/N)! There you are! Watch out, this guy in dangerous. Try to stay out of his path and distract him while Underoos and I try to take him out.”

“Yeah, yeah, old man. How about you do the distracting and I do the ass-kicking for once?” You retorted, giving him a look that you knew he couldn’t see because of your mask. You noticed how Spider-Man’s head perked up at the sound of your voice, and you saw him observing you carefully. 

“Wait a sec, are you the same girl from the Berlin fight? The one who’s crazy good with her knives?” Spider-Man asked, the excitement and awe in his voice evident as he did so. 

“The one in the same, that’s me. Good to see you again, Spider-Man! Glad to see we’re on the same side this time!” You chuckled slightly. ‘God, how can he be such a dork but so cute at the same time?’ Your inner voice spoke up, but you quickly brushed it aside as a smile crossed your face.

“Peter, it seems like your temperature is rising. Is this because of the presence of the girl from Berlin?” Karen, Spider-man’s A.I. spoke up suddenly, which just caused him to blush harder than he was blushing before. “Not now, Karen,” Spider-man muttered quietly before taking a moment and then letting his excitement get the best of him.

“O-Oh, wow! Okay, um, I-I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon! I, uh, I-I guess you’re here to help. Awesome, your suit’s new, it’s really cool. Mr. Stark, did you make her suit, too?” Spider-Man rambled off, slightly jealous of how cool your suit was and how good it looked and just happy to see you again. He could feel the heat spreading to his face. ‘Aw man, come on, Peter! You’re geeking out in front of this really cool girl and making a fool of yourself!’ Peter’s little voice sang, but that only made things worse.

Spider-man’s rambling was swiftly cut off when the large alien suddenly attacked and had almost struck him with his huge hammer. Spider-man leaped up gracefully to dodge the blow, and you swiftly side-stepped the attack at the same moment. 

“Again, you talk too much during fights, Spider-man!” You shouted out while laughing slightly, going into fight mode and grabbing your knives. The web-slinger was going to respond with a witty comment, but all that came out of his mouth was “What’s your name?!”

“Now’s not the time for flirting, Underoos! Ask her out after the fight!” Iron Man’s voice came over your comms, which made you snort quietly. Little did they both know that you would love that to happen. You stood by what you said to Spider-man the first time you met him; you thought the two of you would actually be really good friends. Maybe even something more.

You noticed the large alien going to swing at Peter, so you quickly threw a blade into the back of the creature’s leg, another into his arm and a third in his hand, pining it to the weapon’s handle. The creature roared in pain and turned towards you. You quickly went on the defensive and watched the alien closely, attempting to predict it’s moves. However, in a moment you hadn’t been able to forsee, the alien tore the knife from its hand free, and proceeded to throw it straight back at you. 

You didn’t move quick enough.

The sheer force with which the alien had thrown your knife back at you was enough to get it to go straight through your protective suit as if you weren’t even wearing it. Pain unlike any you had felt before blossomed in your abdomen as your own blade pierced through your suit and lodged itself in your flesh. You didn’t even have a moment to scream in pain before you fell backwards.

“Kid!” You heard Tony scream out, as well as Spider-man screaming, “Holy shit!”, but you couldn’t find where their voices were coming from. Suddenly, the large alien spoke something in a language you didn’t understand, and then, out of nowhere, a beam of light appeared on you and you found yourself being drawn upwards. Your body screamed in pain at the sudden movement, the knife digging in further, causing you to moan in pain. Suddenly, you felt something cool hit you and spread across your back. Spider-man had shot a web at you and caught you with it. 

“Hey! Miss! Hang on, I got you!”

You heard Spider-man yelling to you, and you had stopped moving for a moment. But then, the web connecting you to Spider-man snapped, and you continued being beamed up. You heard Spider-Man scream something, but your hearing had become poor and your vision went dark.

*TIME SKIP*

You must’ve blacked out from the pain, but when you came to, you were inside what you believed was the Q ship. What’s more, you weren’t alone; Dr. Strange was levitating feet away from you, with sharp, clear, needle-looking crystals only inches from his skin. You looked around and realized you, too, were levitating.

‘Oh, shit, (Y/N). What have you gotten yourself into? You’ve gone too far this time!’ The little voice inside your head screamed, and you went back into agent mode. You scanned your surroundings and tried to get your bearings. Then, you began forming a plan. What could you do to turn this situation around? 

Your whole body felt like you had been hit by a train and then some; a dull ache had settled into your bones and when you looked down, you realized you still the knife lodged in your abdomen. You suddenly had the overwhelming urge to vomit and panic rose inside you. Where was Tony? And Spider-Man? What happened to them? Were they even alive at this point? Were you going to die? Was this it for you? The end of (Y/N) (Y/L/N)? You were no longer in agent mode. You were freaking out and became a vulnerable, young teenager who was afraid to die and whose thoughts were racing a million miles per second. 

However, a slight bit of movement high above caught your eye. A glimpse of red and gold flashed by for a moment, and your heart jumped in your chest. ‘Tony... could that have been Tony?’ The little voice in your head asked hopefully, and it was extremely difficult not let your hopes up. You had to be realistic. That couldn’t possibly be Tony.

“Artoo,” you whispered under your breath, trying not to catch the attention of the alien and not letting him know that you were conscious, “Artoo, where are we?”

“We are inside the Q ship. The destination is still unknown. (Y/N), your life functions are getting close to critical. The knife lodged in your abdomen must be removed and the wound cauterized. Would you like me to analyze the best way to remove the blade?”

“Yes,” you hissed, “Also, scan the inside of the ship. Is anyone else here with us?”

After a brief moment of silence, Artoo spoke up once more, “There are a total of four other life-forms asides from you. Dr. Stephen Strange, the smaller, telekinetic alien, Tony Stark and Peter Parker are all on board this ship alongside you. Mr. Stark and Mr. Parker are currently 76 feet above you and are currently arguing about how Mr. Parker was not supposed to stow away on this ship.”

Your heart just about leaped out of your chest at the revelation. Tony was here. All hope wasn’t lost just yet. There was still a chance that everything could turn out okay. But...

“Who the hell is Peter Parker?” You asked Artoo quietly, confused by the name. You had never met anybody named Peter Parker. 

Before Artoo could reply, Dr. Strange began to scream in pain as the needles dug into his skin. 

“Painful, aren’t they?” You heard the alien speak, sounding somewhat smug, “They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them-”

He suddenly stopped talking when a thud sounded somewhere behind him. The alien turned around slowly to see Iron Man standing there, hands up and lasers ready to fire at him before continuing, “-could end your friend’s life in an instant.”

“I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend,” Tony said quickly, and had you not been in excruciating pain, you would’ve snorted, “Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy.”

“You’ve saved nothing,” The alien replied, bringing a large block of metal down towards him with his telekinesis as he walked slowly towards Tony, “Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.” Another piece of metal also came towards him, and you knew he was gearing up to fight Tony. 

You tried reaching down to pull out one of your own knives, but you ended up crying out in pain as the knife in your abdomen dug in more. This caught the attention of both the alien and Tony.

“Kid!” Tony shouted, trying to get you to respond, but the alien simply raised his hand and a bar of flat metal wrapped itself around your mouth, effectively silencing you. He brought his finger to his mouth, “Shhh, don’t interrupt. You’ve already made more than enough of a mess of things.”

With that, the alien turned back to Tony, who replied, “Yeah, but the kid’s seen more movies.” 

As a small missile launcher popped up from Iron Man’s shoulder, you suddenly felt something cold and sticky on your back, arms and legs, binding you to the ground of the Q ship. Then, Iron Man fired the missile, which blew a huge hole in the side of the ship. The vacuum that was caused by the explosion sucked out the alien and ejected him into the void that was outer space. You screamed as you felt yourself being jerked and tugged towards the opening. You grabbed onto the webs that were holding you in place, hanging on for dear life and praying you weren’t about to die by being thrown into outer space. 

You heard Dr. Strange yelp and watched as he, too, almost got ejected from the Q ship to his death. His sentient cape, however, caught him and held him for a moment. But the vacuum was too strong. Dr. Strange slipped from its grip and your heart almost fell out of your chest because you genuinely thought he was going to die. But then, a flash of metallic colour went by and suddenly, before you could even figure out what happened, Dr. Strange was safe and there was not longer a hole in the wall of the ship. 

You slammed down into the ground, no longer being held up by telekinesis, and you cried out in pain again. You found it hard to catch your breath. 

“(Y/N)!” 

Tony’s voice called your name, and you found yourself being leaned against one of the walls of the ship.

“Artoo, agh!” You cried out, tears stinging your eyes at the pain. You tapped behind your ear twice, causing your suit’s mask to withdraw from your face. You brushed your hair out of your face, trying to understand what was happening. 

“The blade is lodged in (Y/N)’s stomach. Click the little button near the edge of the handle to release the blade from her flesh,” Artoo spoke out loud, instructing Tony on what to do.

“This is gonna hurt, (Y/N),” Dr. Strange spoke, and before you could even respond your vision went white as you screamed from pain. But it only lasted a moment and then, suddenly, you felt a lot better. You heard a faint buzzing noise and then a feeling of relief from your stomach. Tony had used a healing spray that was a feature in his suit to help your wound. 

“That should keep the wound clean and promotes healing,” Tony said, his suit disappearing back into his hoodie as he knelt down in front of you. He went full Iron Dad mode as he scanned you otherwise from head to toe, checking for more injuries, “Did you get hurt anywhere else, (Y/N)?” 

“No,” you breathed out, looking up at Tony and Stephen, “No, I’m okay.” You readjusted yourself so that you could sit up straighter and look around. “I do have a question, though. Artoo mentioned somebody named Peter Parker was on the ship with us. Who’s Peter Parker?”

“U-Uh, that would be me. I’m Peter Parker.”

A familiar voice spoke up, and when you looked over to where it came from, you saw Spider-Man himself standing there. However, his suit was different from when you had seen him earlier in the day. It was more... metallic. It looked like an upgraded version of his old suit.

“Spider-Man... Peter Parker... same person. Okay, that makes sense,” You nodded your head, giving a slight smile, “Looks like I should be jealous of you now. You got a major suit upgrade too!”

Peter chuckled in response, but he was still stunned by the fact that your mask was gone and he was just gazing at your beautiful face. ‘She’s so beautiful... And so skilled. Man, she’s so cool...’ Peter thought to himself. There were those eyes again, those (Y/C) eyes filled with fire and passion for doing what was right. But now, he saw your whole face. Your (Y/C), (Y/L) hair, your face, your smile, you. He was seeing the real you for the first time.

Boy, did he love what he saw. 

“Is your name (Y/N)? I heard Mr. Stark call you that, but i-is that your name? Like, for real?” Peter asked, stuttering lightly out of nervousness.

You smiled up at him and nodded your head lightly, “Yeah. I’m (Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I’m an agent trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. and part of the Avengers as of a few years ago.”

At that, Peter had his own mask withdraw from his face, allowing his face to be seen by you. Your heart jumped in your chest and you felt butterflies in your stomach. ‘Oh no... he’s so handsome... and dorky and funny... crap, have I got a crush on Spider-man?’

Those brown curls, the softness of his brown eyes and the kindness on his face... it made your heart race so fast, you wouldn’t be surprised if Peter could hear it. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Peter Parker. I’m glad to see we’re allies this time,” You chuckled, slowly getting to your feet and trying to adjust to everything that happened. Peter stuck a hand out and quickly came to help you get up to your feet. When his hand grabbed yours to help you up, you could’ve sworn you felt electricity coursing through your veins. Maybe your suit just short-circuited. 

“Y-Yeah, haha! I don’t want to get my ass handed to me again by you. The bruises you gave me took longer than any others I’ve gotten to heal. My aunt got so freaked out she almost dragged me to the hospital!” Peter exclaimed, and part of you felt really bad for having caused him that much trouble. 

“I didn’t know that! I’m sorry that I did that to you, Peter. I honestly didn’t know how much of a threat you were and when I saw you fighting Sam and Bucky, I knew you’d put up one hell of a fight. I guess I went a bit overboard, I’m really sorry!” You apologized profoundly, turning bright red as you spoke and explained why you went as hard as you did. 

But Peter just shook his head and grinned a big, boyish grin, “No, don’t apologize! You were so awesome! Man, the way you shattered my web-shooter when it was still on my wrist with your knife but didn’t hurt me mid-swing, that was so cool! You managed to calculate the trajectory and nail the timing to achieve that without using any kind of computer or A.I. to help you! That’s incredible!”

Peter was geeking out about you and you about him, and the two of you continued chatting happily, despite being stranded on a spaceship headed who knows where in the galaxy. “You’re strong enough to stop a whole bus in less than three seconds when it’s going like 50 miles an hour! That’s unbelievable!” You exclaimed, completely amazed by the teenage boy in front of you. 

It turned out that the two of you got along really well and had a lot in common. The more you spoke to Peter, the more he liked you and the more you liked him. It seemed that your gut feeling had been right; the two of you got along really well and would be great friends. And one day, maybe the two of you would even become something more. 

Tony and Stephen watched as the two teenagers with extraordinary abilities bonded over ordinary things like their love of Star Wars films (”You named your A.I. Artoo after R2-D2?! That’s so sick!” Peter had exclaimed moments before) and their admiration of different superheros. 

“Do you think they’ll ever stop talking and realize that things are up in the air and we’re still very much in danger?” Stephen asked Tony quietly, glancing over to where the two kids were laughing together. Tony took a couple moments to observe (Y/N) and Peter and his heart jolted a bit at how much he was missing Pepper. He recognized young love when he saw it. 

“There’s a time and place for that. For now, let them be kids,” Tony replied softly, a small smile appearing on his face when he watched you punch Peter’s shoulder playfully, both of you still chuckling slightly and both of you pink in the face. “Let them be kids. Because after this, I’m not sure if they’ll have time to be kids anymore.”

[collective-laugh]

The Parent Trap - Request

Warnings: Swearing, tomfoolery

Rating: SFW

Word Count: 2100 and some change

So I wrote this with the intent of leaving the child(ren)’s origin ambiguous (whether they were birthed or adopted, etc.) and I didn’t give any of them names, but I did assign them genders and personalities. You either get adorable little children or asshole teenagers. No in between.

Also, the MC is gender ambiguous and referred to as ‘Baba’ by all of the children.

I really, really loved this prompt and it was a lot of fun to write!

Asra

Asra is basically this kid’s parent anyway.

He lets her “help out” around the shop and she likes giving back far too much change to customers she think are nice

MC and their kid, this little girl with the brightest eyes he’s ever seen and two little braids adorning her head like a crown, and it couldn’t be more obvious when she tries to set Asra and the Apprentice up

She’s too young to remember when they were together the first go round, and the Apprentice still doesn’t remember any of that, but that doesn’t deter the little girl at all

While she’s playing outside with the other kids, she walks over to the Bread Man’s shop and asks him for his “finest loaf o’ pumpkin bread”

Obviously, it’s bread daddy, and he gives her best piece of pumpkin bread goddammit

She manages to hide it in the little satchel Asra gave her, and she only eats a little off it, she swears, and joins her friends in their game of tag

She has this whole date planned out in that little head of hers. She wanted to light candles but her Baba is smart enough to keep the candles out of her reach, so she settles on putting two mismatched plates on the dining table and the slightly lumpy pumpkin bread in the center

Baba and Asra are downstairs in the shop, chatting together, and she clears her throat as loudly as her little vocal cords will allow her

“Dinner is served!” She announces, and Asra grins and Baba smiles and shakes their head

“Will you be joining us, milady?” Baba asks, still leaning on the counter

She scoffs, “No. It’s a date.”

Baba lets their head fall in their hands, and they laugh, before looking back at her, “A date, hm? Is it for Asra and the nice Bread Man?”

She just stands there, fuming at how horribly her plan was proceeding, and she scoffs again, “No! It’s for you and Asra.”

They both laugh this time, and Asra says, to Baba, “Well, shall we?”

Baba pauses a second, like they’re considering, but they smile, “We shall.”

She wouldn’t admit to peeping in on them eating their bread, but it was definitely worth it when she saw Baba lean across the table to kiss Asra.

Nadia

Nadia doesn’t know the Apprentice has a child at first - much less two little ones

They have a four year old and a twelve year old

She learns when the Apprentice comes to the palace for the first time, one child on their hand, and the other skipping ahead of them

The twelve year old boy asks far too many questions and the four year old boy is far too attracted to shiny things, but Nadia can’t help but fall in love with both of them. While the Apprentice is doing much of their searching, she volunteers to watch the both of them

And, obviously, the children fall right back in love with her, and devise their plan

The elder of the two decides to work on Nadia, and commands the younger to work on their Baba, because, hey, who can resist their baby?

They go searching for Nadia and Baba, respectively, but end up meeting at the fountain

4 asks, “Did you get them here?”

12 just shrugs and says that he found them at the fountain

The two of them get closer to listen in on the conversation

Baba says, “I don’t even remember either of them being born, Nadia...I don’t really know if they’re of my body.” They sigh, and the boys look at one another, “I love them, more than anything, don’t get me wrong...I just…”

Nadia puts a hand under Baba’s chin, and tells them, “You are the best parent I’ve ever met, regardless.”

And Baba’s little boys squeal with Nadi leans in to kiss them.

Julian

Julian was understandably nervous when he found out that the Apprentice was the parent of a lovely little boy...and even more nervous when he found out that lovely little boy was thirteen years old and nearing the puberty years

Julian knew that more than others, and the kid most certainly did not like him whatsoever when their ‘Baba’ tried to introduce them

But, the Apprentice does their best to make him feel better, and truly, he believes them, and he wants to be their for this kid

So, basically, Julian and MC were already together when MC’s kid met Julian

It isn’t until the boy sneaks out in the middle of the night, after the whole “you’re not my dad!” spiel, and Julian manages to find him before he’s gotten into too much trouble, if you discount the fact he was currently being held up by a pair of ruffians

Julian pulls a switcherooney and manages to get him away from them, running like the goddamn wind

That’s the kind of switch that lets the kid know that maybe this guy wasn’t so bad

The first time Baba kicks Julian out is after a really bad fight, and the kid only catches part of it, something about commitment and sacrifice

Julian leaves, slamming the door behind him, and Baba just breaks down in the kitchen, crying

The kid obviously checks on Baba first, making sure they’re alright, but after they try to tell him to just go back to bed, he sneaks out of his window to try and follow Julian

He finds him, sitting by the docks near Auntie Mazelinka’s house, pushing the eyepatch off his head and ugly crying

Julian basically tells him to go back home, that it was dangerous, and acts like he wasn’t just sobbing by the water in the pale moonlight

The kid has had it up to here with the damn theatrics, and he’s probably the most blunt in telling him to go back, that they belong together, and he looks the most unimpressed, but he’s also probably the most genuine

He sees how happy Julian makes his parent, and...he’s not as opposed to calling him ‘Papa’ as he puts on

Muriel

So Muriel

He doesn’t like the Apprentice, regardless of how much they show up and have supper with him and bring him groceries and talk to him

Fuck no

Okay, so he does like them, and values their company, but their kids give him a headache

They’ve got identical twins, and they’re these teenage boys who think they own the world and compete only with the formerly late count in arrogance, and Inanna fucking loves them, for some reason

The Apprentice - their “Baba” - just smiles when they crack jokes or chastises them when they take a joke too far, and is a fair parent, if a little lax

Muriel honestly does the “Office” camera look (you know the one) whenever they do some stupid shit

Once, whenever Muriel tried to talk to one of them, calling him by name, the other would respond but Muriel knows they’re fucking with him, and then it happens again, until it happens a grand total of fourteen times in the span of their two day visit

Muriel’s just done with these little shits, but MC keeps apologizing for their behavior and giving them That Look™, which has them withering under their stare

They see how much Muriel likes Baba and how much Baba likes Muriel, and figure that they might as well use their “super awesome twin power to hook two of their favorite people up” and the other sneers and says, “call it ‘hook up’ again and I’ll put leeches in your bed”

So, much like Nadia’s, one of the twins heads out to get Muriel and the other works on Baba

He has a note written in Baba’s hand (because obviously they have their handwriting down pat) and gives it to Muriel, and immediately he’s burning like a thousand suns as the implication that the Apprentice wanted to meet him in the market for...a date?

Muriel kind of sets into overdrive, and something very, very similar is happening at home (The Other One is convincing Baba that there’s a sale in the market, so, not too similar but hey)

The twin leads Muriel into town, and, like the bosses they are, slip off in the market when Baba sees Muriel

Before they can get an earful from Baba, they’re already gone

Muriel mentions the note, and Baba is confused as shit until they realize their sons were up to it again, but they end up shopping together, spending the afternoon together in a nice, amicable manner

Also they kiss for the first time but

Portia

So the Apprentice has the most adorable baby son, and Portia melts everytime she sees the little toddler just toddling along

Portia is ecstatic when they bring the little three year old into the palace when Countess Nadia hires them, and Portia is more than excited to watch him when she’s not helping with the investigation

She loves children, but wasn’t too fussed about the whole baby-making, considering the stories she’s heard

So, she loves this ready-made kid, but is kind of worried about when the mystery is solved

She genuinely likes the Apprentice and wants a relationship, but she doesn’t exactly know how to tell them that without making it all about the kid

Now, the boy loves Portia as much as Portia loves him, and has an infinite amount of love for Pepi

The Apprentice is chilling with Portia just outside her cottage, having a picnic, the kid playing with Pepi, who’s careful not to use her claws, and licks him until he squeals

The Apprentice laughs, and they and Portia sit around them, drinking lemonade, and it’s quiet, and nice, and Portia is soaking up the sun, despite the fact that she would burn like a lobster if she was out too long

Then, the Apprentice is ecstatic when the kid manages to pull himself up without a table or anything and toddle over to the both of them, babbling Baba’s name, and then…

“Baba?” He plops down on Portia’s lap and she just

M E L T S

But then it’s a little awkward because oh my gods, this kid thinks I’m his parent, and his actual parent is sitting right here

But the Apprentice just leans over and pecks her on the lips, and she realizes it’s not that bad after all

Lucio

Lucio is definitely used to being the sassiest, most arrogant, person in the room

And then he meets the Apprentice, and he’s like, head over heels, but he can’t really, like...make a move, considering he’s dead

But, when he comes back to life, after stealing their body (he gave it back) he’s pulling out all the stops

And this person will. Not. love him.

He thinks it might be him at first, might be that he’s too extra, so he tries to rectify it by sending a carriage of roses straight to their shop

It isn’t until he comes down to the shop for himself that he realizes that they have a teenage kid - at first he thought it was the Apprentice’s apprentice - who looks at him like he’s an annoying scab

They’re a smartass, and make glib comments, and the only reason they don’t have their head up their ass is because their nose is so high in the air

But they love their parent and try to close the door on Lucio because ‘leave them alone, goddammit’

And almost immediately, the Apprentice tells them, “Swear! Who’s at the door?” They come to the door, and mutter, “Fuck.”

Their kid just has this smug look on this face, and the Apprentice invites him in,

So now Lucio’s the smug one, while the kid’s the one who has this fish out of water look

“Baba, is that really the best -”

“Hush now, and go put the kettle on. We’ve got company.”

So, this is basically the parent trap but...with Meredith and the dad instead of the mom and dad

The Apprentice’s kid can’t stand Lucio, just because they’re so similar in personality, and has heard of all the shitty things he’s done, so they’ll stop at nothing to make sure the Apprentice doesn’t fall for him

They fall for him

Lucio makes increasing visits to the shop, and their Baba visits the palace a ridiculous amount of times, and they just don’t understand it

Eventually, they come to terms with the fact that their Baba’s “playing the field” and whatnot, and they and Lucio get in some of the worst arguments or funniest conversations, and the Apprentice is glad to see their two favorite people getting along

[icyhotexplosionwritings]

okay , so when I saw this I was like “OMG, OMG, OMG ASDHFLKASHF!!! I HAVE to write this one immediately” XDD I hope you like it, anon, because I sure loved writing this one, thank you for requesting, hehe :D and I am super happy to hear you love my writing, thank you o///o <3

The nsfw is under the cut and even though I loved writing why they got all jealous, you don’t have to read it in order to enjoy the nsfw, just~~ saying~ (¬‿¬) oh and it... is long, so be prepared xD And now please enjoy~

---

“Oh wow, I haven’t seen anything this pretty before.”, with sparkling eyes you watched as the young man before you unfolded his wings, the wind rustling through the gold and red gorgeousness that were his feathers. “May I touch them?” – “Of course, Dear, don’t be shy.” Carefully you caressed the wings sprouting from his back. “Wow, they are unexpectedly soft.” You and the stranger were giggling, he was obviously showing off and flirting with you and you were not dense, of course you knew he was flirting with you, but… it was fun.

Behind you, three guys that you treasured the most in this world were watching the scene. Bakugou was grinding his teeth, the vein on his neck twitching, his fists shaking. Todoroki frowned, his quirk playing with him as his body temperature was changing from hot to cold, since he was holding back to not attack and jump this man. And then there was Midoriya, standing in between those two, sweating and laughing awkwardly, scratching his cheek, his eyes however showed a different expression – jealousy, anger.

Just a few minutes ago the three of them were arguing where to go next on your date, since everyone wanted to do something else and you, being fed up with all their shenanigans, decided to ignore them and go on. You knew you were beautiful, luscious (h/c) hair, deep (e/c) eyes and smooth, soft (s/c) skin. Where you went, there would be eyes on you, so… you allowed yourself to have a little fun, answering the next best one who tried flirting and now here you were, flirting with this man, feeding his ego about how beautiful his quirk and wings were, ignoring the aura, that got darker and darker with every passing second, behind you.

Izuku was the first one to act, he went up to you, entwining his fingers with yours, pulling you away just a little. “Please stop flirting with my girlfriend.”, he stammered just a little, looking up to the taller man who almost busted out laughing. “Piss off, pipsqueak! Adults are having a nice conversation here.”, however, Bakugou and Todoroki also didn’t want to watch any longer and also because Bakugou didn’t want to lose to Deku, he was the first to show violence, yelling a “You bastard stop flirting with my girl!” his explosions going of as he was jumping at him. The man didn’t even understand what was going on, wasn’t that pipsqueak your boyfriend? And to make things even worse, Todoroki also wasn’t holding back, leaning down for a quick kiss on your cheek, almost burning it, making you think “Ah, he is pissed.”, before he stepped in front of you freezing his feet to the ground, so he couldn’t escape.

Before this could escalate any more, though, it was your turn to hold them back, “Okay, guys, please, calm down. Katsuki, don’t blow his face off, goddammit, and Shouto please let him go, too.” Todoroki was frowning deeply, or, others would say, he was pouting, did however as you wanted, letting him free again, Bakugou was a little harder to call back, so you turned to Izuku. “Izuku, could you please get him back here?” He was nodding, before using his quirk to quickly grab Bakugou, him screaming “Oi, Deku, let go you bastard, I am going to kill you!”, but Izuku brought him back to you, letting him go once he was standing in front of you again. Before Bakugou could run off again, you grabbed his wrist and immediately he was a little calmer.

“Shit! Those bastards are fucking crazy and what is with that fucking hoe, taking three dicks at the same time or what!? Fucking crazy bitch!”, and that’s it, you couldn’t hold them back any longer, if someone dared to talk about you like this, these three didn’t even now the word mercy. Now three heroes in training were attacking this poor man who could only try and fly away with his pretty wings, but we all know, Izuku had amazing jumping power, poor dude. Sigh.

When all four of you were finally at your small apartment you had rented, you were exhausted, dealing with three enraged teenage boys was seriously not easy, especially when you also kind of were a little at fault here, ahem.

Todoroki was the first to cling to you, he wrapped his arms around you before you could reach the living room, making you look up, looking at his heterochromatic eyes, you were already drowning in them. “Oi, don’t just cling to her like she is only yours, half and half bastard!” Bakugou was pushing him away, his own arm around your shoulders – it was not a tender touch. Shouto clicked his tongue while Izuku was gulping, scratching his cheek again. He didn’t want to fight again.

However, when Katsuki leaned down to whisper into your ear, you got chills, “So, Princess, I think you need a little punishment for what you have done, hm?” – “I don’t know what you mEAN!?”, you squeaked when he suddenly threw you over his shoulder walking into your small bedroom, Todoroki and Midoriya right behind you.

Bakugou threw you on the bed and without any hesitation he was undressing himself, Shouto and Izuku also stepping in. “I hate to admit it, but Bakugou is right, you did that on purpose, didn’t you, F/N?”, Shouto said, unbuttoning his shirt. “You were mean, F/N-chan…”, voice barely above a whisper Izuku didn’t care about undressing, but rather hopped onto the bed. “Wait, guys, you were the ones-, mh!”, he cut you off with his lips. You wanted to protest, but in the end, Izuku’s soft lips where keeping you too busy to complain so you just sighed, wrapping your arms around him, reciprocating his kiss. “Oi, Deku bastard. Go!”, Katsuki pushed him to the side, though it was not hard enough so Izuku had to actually break the kiss, making you smile a little, he wasn’t a complete ass after all.

Whilst Midoriya was kissing you senseless, your tongue in a heated battle of dominance, Bakugou was ripping your shirt apart, making you smack him on his shoulder, he definitely had to buy you a new one, however he didn’t even react to that, his hand reaching to touch your chest when suddenly, he touched a hand. “Ha?!”, looking down he saw Shouto, oh was that a little smirk on Todoroki’s lips? He was kneeling between your legs his hands, as soon as Bakugou ripped apart your shirt, cupping your breasts, squeezing them gently, making you moan softly. “Bastard.”, he growled. He grabbed Todoroki, changing their positions, so at least Bakugou could finally get his hands on you too, not even bother to open the button of your jeans skirt, but flipping it up and pulling your panties down.

Breaking away from Midoriya’s lips, you were panting, your eyes a little watery. “Izu, you also need to undress.” you whispered and not only a second later it was Shouto’s turn to make your head spin with his passionate kiss, both his hands massaging your chest, the bra on the ground – wait when did he do that? Oh whatever. His hands were cold, so it was no surprise when your nipples were almost painfully hard, his thumb and middle finger pinching it. Once Izuku was also only in shorts, he lowered his head, pushing one of Shouto’s hands away, because he wanted to feel you too, now cupping your breast, letting his teeth sink into the soft flesh, biting and licking at your hard nipple. You couldn’t help but moan loudly.

These boys played with your body as they wanted and when Katsuki grabbed your thighs, spreading them apart and pulling you further down he also could finally touch you and make you feel good. You gasped when his tongue flicked against your clit, your hips shaking you tried to stay still. Pushing two of his fingers into you, making you moan against Todoroki’s lips, the explosive boy between your legs flicked his tongue once again, your hips bucking this time, before teasing you with long, slow strokes of his tongue. A frustrated moan escaped your lips, whining a “Katsu~, don’t tease.” – “But weren’t you the one teasing us first, Baby, hm?”, you didn’t say anything to that, only grunting, whilst Todoroki made his way down your neck, marking you with his teeth.

Before the teasing could go on any longer, though, Katsuki didn’t want to wait either, so he finally started working his tongue at your throbbing clit, his fingers thrusting inside with just the right amount of force to make you moan in bliss, your hands burying inside Izuku’s and Shouto’s hair. Both were now sucking at your nipples and of course Shouto could not refrain from using his quirk on you, giving you goosebumps. However, you didn’t want to be the only one in pleasure, so your hands traveled down their body, not without scratching along their muscles, tweaking playfully at Izuku’s nipple, a cute little whimper escaping him, before you hooked your fingers into their shorts, pulling them down. Looking at both their hard-ons made you lick your lips, they were dripping with precum and the way the twitched, you wanted to touch them so badly.

Whilst Izuku made a really lewd noise out of pleasure when you wrapped your fingers around him and started playing with his precum leaking head, Shouto’s voice fell an octave, groaning your name in a tone that sent shivers down your spine when you also wrapped your fingers around him, squeezing and stroking him, making him all wet and slippery from his own precum. Suddenly you could hear an annoyed grunt, so you looked down between your legs.

Bakugou watched from below, you three were a moaning, whimpering mess and even though he enjoyed making you feel this good with his mouth, he couldn’t help but feel left out. You caught onto that immediately though and with a crooked smirked you tried your best to say seductively – which was very hard, because those two idiots were playing with your nipples very intensely and that idiot was still thrusting his fingers into you, so your voice was a little shaky – “Katsuki, please fill me up. Make me feel even better!”. It was all he needed, he ripped his short off, quickly trying to find his pants, rummaging around his pockets to fish out a condom, earning a “Really?” kind of look from you. “What? You never fucking know!”, was his only explanation, before he opened the condom with his teeth, putting it on and not even 5 seconds later he could finally push inside you, feeling your heated insides tightening around him. “Fuck, you feel so good, princess!”, he pressed out between gritted teeth, holding onto your thighs, his sweaty hands leaving red marks behind as very small explosions were going off, leaving a very good, prickling feeling behind.

You arched your back, finally being filled by your boyfriend felt way too good. Moaning lewdly and loudly you moaned out Bakugou’s name in pure bliss as he started to thrust with just the right amount of roughness into you, making your knees weak and your body all shaky. Though, you tried to compose yourself a little as you still had two boys to take care of, so you looked up at Izuku, whimpering his name as you squeezed his rock-hard member a little harder so he would understand, and he did. Signaling the other two boys too, you had a slight change of position, this time you were lying on your side, Shouto behind you, one arm underneath you, so he could reach your chest and nipple, the other hand traveling over your hips down to your wet core, his fingers now playing with your clit, pinching and using his quirk on you, while he couldn’t help but grind against your ass, moaning softly into your ear. Bakugou had one leg of you on his shoulder while he was ramming himself inside of you, leaving you a whimpering, moaning mess while you tried your hardest to concentrate on Izuku in front of you, sucking at his hard-on, taking in as much as you could without making it uncomfortable for you.

Katsuki was the first one to speed up, his own release creeping up behind him, making him lose his control. “Shit, Babe. I’m gonna cum.” Groaning, he clawed at your thighs, leaving crescent-shaped marks behind as you were reaching for his other hand, entwining your fingers with his, squeezing his hand. You were also so close to jumping off the cliff into the ocean of pleasure, you were sucking and licking in a very sloppy manner now, moaning, huffing and puffing trying to compose yourself, but it was all for nothing. The first to cum was Bakugou, his hips were uncontrollably shaking when he buried himself deep inside of you, trying to hold back the moans but failing at it. He also took you with him into the land of pure bliss, because not even a few seconds later with the way Todoroki played with your clit and Katsuki’s thrusts you also came, however not as quiet as your boyfriend, you were moaning loudly, pure bliss showing on your face and this was also enough for Izuku, his hands in your hair, cumming all over your chest whimpering and moaning your name.

Both boys and you were panting heavily, Izuku fell back on the bed, trying to catch his breath whilst Bakugou was also kneeling over you, trying to calm down again. The only one not being out of breath was Todoroki, so when he propped himself up on one elbow, looking at you, you could see his face – and it was beautiful. You could see how hard he tried to not just grab and pound into you, the way his heterochromatic eyes were clouded with lust, his bottom lip between his teeth, a few strands of hair sticking to his sweaty forehead – beautiful. You reached out to him, caressing his scar with your knuckles, before pushing back his sweaty bangs, grinning and he knew that it meant it was okay for him now.

Todoroki was quick to also fish after a condom you had in your nightstand, hastily putting it on, you also snatched a tissue wiping away the remains of cum from your chest and not even a minute later, Shouto wrapped his arms around you, his foot kicking Bakugou just hard enough so he would slip out of you and fall back on the bed, earning an “Oi, Bastard!”, but he didn’t care, he only looked at him, one eye covered by his hair, “Shut up and scram!”. Katsuki’s jaw was tense, but to your surprise he didn’t yell back at Shouto, he was fair enough to know that right now he had to shut up and suck it up.

Even though Shouto was gentler with you than Bakugou, he still had this passion inside him, so with your help, positioning him at your dripping entrance, he was quick to bury himself inside you, his teeth sinking into your shoulder the moment he felt your insides around him and again, the feeling of him inside you made you whimper, gripping the bed sheets tightly. So, whilst Todoroki held you from behind, thrusting mercilessly into you, Bakugou and Midoriya exchanged a quick glance, before they both were all over you again and you knew, you still had a long day ahead of you, but did you mind? Of fucking course not!

[tenacious-scripturient]

a run-down of / my thoughts on the novel ‘trade secrets’

so! i’ve recently finished this beautifully written novel by @bettsican​, and am anxiously anticipating for the second book in the trilogy! (seriously, give it a read. it’s a great lgbtq+ thriller and mystery story, i promise you’ll love it!! you can find trade secrets in many places, including amazon, where it’s only $6)

as i was reading it, i noted down all the thoughts i had. it was fun, interesting, and kept me on the edge of my seat!

oh, and spoiler warning, of course.

Chapter One

okay. this is interesting. why are they in paris? or rather, why are they NOT in paris?

2080. damn.

who is cooper hall and why is he important i want to knowwwwwwww

Chapter Two

HOLY FUCK

CHAPTER ONE WAS A PROLOGUE

OKAY IF I DIDNT NEED TO BEFORE I HAVE TO READ IT NOW

-ahem- anyway

nate literally everything you think of has to relate to smoking, doesnt it?

clyde you absolutely bitch raccoon

im sort of piecing together what’s happening here? either way this is a SUPER interesting concept.

i love the idea of every word being important

nate look at you being a nice guy. testing the CAPS before giving them to ur clients

or maybe it’s just good business

but whatever

okay, so credits are money in this world. but how do people get them? obviously there’s what nate’s doing but what’s the legal way to get them? ill probably find out soon

if it wasnt explicitly said by betty that nate ends up with another guy (i forget his name. cooper?) i would have thought audry was the romantic interest

audry you loving caring hypocrite

i feel like she’s gonna be one of my favourite characters

who is this young man that dares disturb nate’s slumber

cooper? cooper.

Chapter Three

nate get up

u turtle get up and hurry down the stairs

or—okay you can fall into that drywall that works too

ohhhhh so nate is a detective. that’s interesting

i also love this idea of keeping secrets (haha trade secrets)

dude are you sure that your embarrassing entrance wasn’t the ONLY reason you blushed? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE HEIG—

nate ur spending an awful lot of time looking at his features you funky little bisexual

oh damn ur smarter than u seem, just watching him take a single breath and you’re already making connections. i guess that’s why he’s a detective

im gonna assume this is cooper, even tho it never explicitly says so

i feel like we aren’t gonna get his name for a while, bc clients and whatnot and not getting attached

Chapter Four

NATE WEARS GLASSES???????

that’s kind of cute

im lowkey gay rn

anyway

NATE CALLED HIM SWEET-FACED AND PRETTY-FACED O K A Y

oh he has curly brown hair

and oh the glasses aren’t real glasses. oh. the use is actually pretty cool!

so from what im gathering civilians are people who don’t live in sanctuaries, and lemnis are people who do?

cooper sweetie why do u need so much money what have u done

nate’s pretty clever

HAH I WAS RIGHT WE AREN’T GONNA GET HIS NAME FOR A WHILE

well that’s that i guess

Chapter Five

he’s so timid awh

hehe he’s on nate’s bed

sorry

goddammit man calm down or else you’re gonna get everyone in a 5-mile radius around you arrested

wait…. zero-credit balance?? didn’t he just have a few hundred thousand credits???

OH THIS IS A FAKE PROFILE HE MADE

so cooper isn’t his real name either

oh

Chapter Six

oh we’re back to 2080

oh they’re back in the apartment??

it was obvious before but at this point it’s confirmed that they’re going to be doing some travelling together or something

Chapter Seven

this is getting really interesting i dont wanna stop reading and type everything that comes to mind

these are gonna be shorter now hehe

“i’d been a petri dish of mixed emotions and wild chemical changes for half the day” I LOVE THAT METAPHOR LMFAO

what happened with nate’s mom

i want to know

my prediction: she wanted him to either change up or completely remove the chip bc she did something horrible? or maybe she just wanted to leave idk im bad at predictions

either way it said she was crazy

o h

that’s why he’s terrified of cutting the chip

poor nate

Chapter Eight

oh this is strangely intimate

very intimate

i feel that, because cooper has such high pain tolerance (or doesn’t show pain), he has some backstory for it

Chapter Nine

lmao nate just went off didnt he

THEIR FLIRTING IS CUTE FHJKJDLSKAJDKLSJAK

also is being lgbtq+ widely accepted as the norm in this setting? bc nate considered cooper to be flirting with him

ughhhh it’s so good so far, from the character interactions to the suspense, especially in this chapter

Chapter Ten

rude cooper is rude, rude nate is even more rude

F E D O R A

“coop”

Chapter Eleven

aw i love jimmy already—

WHAT THE FUCK COOPER

EXCUSE ME

JIMMY

WHAT

HOW COULD YOU

goddammit

what the fuck is cooper hiding

cooper oh my god

you

you’re playing a dangerous game, mate

are you really that heartless

“deceptively innocent eyes” you got that right

this chapter hurted

thanks a lot jess

Chapter Twelve

“like a weeping wound on the canvas of my home” this has got to be one of my favourite similes ever omg

the way nate’s describing cooper makes my heart hurt awh

i feel like butterflies have some sort of symbolism

maybe being ugly on the outside and beautiful on the inside, or vice versa? the vice versa was basically cooper lol

aye we finally get to meet audry!!

PEANUT BUTTER AND TRICYCLE I WANNA HEAR ABOUT THAT

i love audry omg

IT’S NATE’S BIRTHDAY?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY YA SMOKEY CONMAN

“bright eyes” is the cutest nickname ever

Chapter Thirteen

oh we’re back to 2080

wait what they’re trapped together

is this story gonna have a sad ending

please no

Chapter Fourteen

OH IT’S THE LINE ON THE COVER

i like that

nate’s back to where he left cooper

also if it wasn’t obvious before, it’s definitely obvious now that nate and cooper or gonna find each other again. hm. not sure how i feel about that

kind of pissed at cooper but also we need him for the story to progress

O H

COOPER IM ONLY KIND OF PISSED AT YOU NOW

IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE

NATE IVE SAID IT BEFORE BUT YOU’RE PRETTY CLEVER

also who is ‘her’?

COOPER WANTS TO BECOME A?? LEMNIS?? GODDAMMIT MAN

I CAN FEEL THE PRESSURE RISING

nate’s in danger

wow this chapter is

a lot

i need a break

-cue a break-

Chapter Fifteen

i’m back

eisley is a cool last name

oh wait so even people outside of sanctuaries can become a lemniscate

i’m still not 100% sure what a lemniscate is

it’s so ironic elijah’s last name is king, but i assume you did that on purpose. i also like the slight nod to royalty by his first name

OH

COOPER’S BACK

why hello there

Chapter Sixteen

they’re

competing

to become a lemniscate

and one of them dies

do they fight back?? is that why they end up in prison??? so many thoughts are going through my head right now

nate, your fantasy about becoming a lemniscate is surprisingly dark. i’m totally down for it

Chapter Seventeen

oh wait so joshua is cooper’s blackmailer?? Interesting that it’s a lemniscate

i keep forgetting nate is wearing glasses

cooper, my dude, calm the fuck down. you’re gonna get yourself and nate killed

it’s the return of soft™ nate

Chapter Eighteen

oh there’s another one

oh this is very ominous i don’t like

Chapter Nineteen – Twenty-One

okay i was eating while i read so i couldn’t type here but just know that these chapters were really really good

Chapter Twenty-Two

wait fuck what’s happening this is all happening so fast

cooper brought out his gun,,,, it’s aimed at ivonne,,,,,,, they’re walking,,,

OH IT WAS A FAKE KIDNAPPING

nice

i like ivonne a lot

Chapter Twenty-Three

the entire story just changed course

this isn’t just about cooper and nate anymore, it’s about a corrupt government

NATE AND COOPER ARE HOLDING HANDS AS THEY RUN THROUGH THE BARRIER THAT’S SO ROMANTIC

also the line “only the dead are ever truly free” is beautiful

THAT’S WHERE PARIS COMES IN

THEY ALL GO TO FRANCE DON’T THEY

I’m so curious to find out where this story is going

Chapter Twenty-Four

this is doin me a confusion

but tbh these hints/ visions of the future, if you could call them that, are giving just enough information to keep me super interested. props to you

Chapter Twenty-Five

AUDRY STOP TEASING NATE

just joking keep doing it, this might actually get their relationship somewhere

ivonne is definitely my favourite character so far. she reminds a little of melia from xenoblade chronicles, in that they’re both ‘royalty’ that rebel. also they’re badass and smart

oh fuck the brother is here

okay thank god he’s not an asshole

oh god things are happening again

Chapter Twenty-Six

nate stop ogling at cooper when you’re in a life-or-death situation

holy shit the lemniscate are messed up

this crew is pretty great, it sucks that it’s almost the end of the book

WAIT I FORGOT THERE’S A SECOND COMING SOON HECK YEAH

anyway

YES COOPER PULL THROUGH

awwww yiss

Chapter Twenty-Seven

oh

oh

O H

oh my god i ship them so hard

THEY KISSED

THIS IS SO STEAMY

this chapter was art thank you so much for this

Chapter Twenty-Eight

AHAHAH AUDRY

once again, i’d like to state how much i love her

oh the tension just grew twentyfold

this is… great

oh god nate what are you planning, you just got together with cooper and now you want to leave him?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

what’s with all the dancing?

Chapter Thirty

oh god the description

so he’s going around and giving people credits, all the while confessing things that would help the lemniscate track him down. i assume this means he’s going to die, but why?

just what are you planning?

oh we’re back to clyde, the guy who started it all. it feels full circle

Chapter Thirty-One

OH

HE’S MAKING HIS CHIP SHOW THAT HE’S DEAD

that’s much smarter

FUCK

NATE YOU IDIOT—COOPER’S REAL NAME

SHIT NOW KING IS HERE

everything’s going downhill now isn’t it

Chapter Thirty-Two

wait that took an even darker turn

there’s so much happening right now i can’thandlethis

cooper and nate are couple goals

Chapter Thirty-Three

king isn’t as horrible as i thought

still horrible, but not a monster

NEVER MIND YOU’RE A FUCKING MONSTER WHAT IS THIS BS

cooper

actually

shot

nate

Chapter Thirty-Four

OH MY GOD

WHAT

THIS IS HOW YOU END IT

I CAN’T

HOW DARE YOU

NO

NO

NO

NO

i need the next book

like right now

what the hell

Final Thoughts

okay so this book was SO good, and so well written. like damn

aside from that horrible ending how could you do this to me

i’m joking, it was an incredible and emotional ending, i loved it and hated it at the same time

it very rarely felt static, and especially in the first half, there was a good mix of action and backstory/description. it was never boring

the story is just,,, so unique. i seriously haven’t read anything like it, EVER

the world-building?? Is?? so vast?? and insane??

the increasing tension and speed as the story progressed is perfect, i felt my heart beating faster the more i read

anyway that’s all from me

this book was amazing i cannot wait for the next

[redrobin-detective]

The Long Way Around 19

And so begins the second act of the story. We got Izuku to the hero course but now what? I’m sure you all know but things are gonna get shaken up. Also introducing one of my favorite bnha characters and by far my favorite character to write in this story. Enjoy!

AO3

Chapter Nineteen: Bizarre! A Mentor Appears!

Izuku thinks he's finally settling into 1-A. It's now the end of his first week here and, so far, things have been going pretty well.

First off, he's finally learned which classroom to walk in, having accidently walked to 1-C a couple of times on accident. But he's also gotten pretty close with some of the people in his class. He and Uraraka clicked almost immediately, but he's also become friendly with Kirishima, As-Tsuyu, Iida and Todoroki. Since that first day, Kacchan has pretty much ignored him unless he was trying to get Izuku to fight him again.

Izuku misses his friends in 1-C, misses the easy comfort he'd developed with them but he's glad he's fitting in here well. Besides, it's not like he doesn't see them anymore and they still text all the time.

Still, despite the warm welcoming, Izuku can't help but feel like an outsider, not just because he's new but because he's quirkless. While he hasn't had any really bad interactions like in middle school, he knows that some of the others are doubtful of his capabilities. He's held up so far in the training sessions but he still feels like he needs to prove himself somehow.

Izuku knows most of them mean well when they go easy on him during exercises but it still it frustrates him. He didn't get to this spot for being weak and he hates that people still treat him as such. Sometimes it amazes him just how close-minded people can be, as if their way is the only way. During those interactions, he steels himself and makes notes for the future.

When he's a hero, he's going to put a stop to this kind of injustice.

"Midoriya," Izuku turns away from his conversation with Uraraka to look over at Aizawa-sensei. "Come here for a moment, I need to speak with you in the hall." Izuku stands up, convinced all at once that he was going to be thrown out of the class. He's only been here a week, he couldn't have screwed up that badly-

"You're not in trouble but it pertains to your upcoming week." Izuku sighs with relief as he follows his teacher into the hallway. His heart speeds up, as always, when he sees All Might standing there too. The hero looks a bit uncomfortable.

"Is something the matter? Can I help?" Izuku asks before he can shove the words back in his mouth. Idiot. What could he possibly do to help the Number One Hero? All Might chuckles and gives Izuku a quick hair ruffle.

"No Young Midoriya, there's nothing wrong but I appreciate the sentiment. That good heart of yours is the finest quality in any hero," All Might says. If Izuku was killed right now in some sort of freak accident, he could die happy.

"Moving on," Aizawa-sensei says dully. "I'll get right to it, you got a nomination earlier this morning even though you technically weren't eligible." Izuku's mouth drops open, a nomination? For him? "It's last minute but everything is in order. You were supposed to spend your internship week with me bringing you up to the level of your classmates. However, given this development, I thought I'd give you the option."

"I'll do it," Izuku answers quickly the moment his teacher finishes speaking.

"You don't even know who nominated you yet." All Might says with amusement but still that hidden touch of discomfort Izuku can't place his finger on.

"I know but I still want to do it," Izuku pleads. "Even though I'm in the hero course I have to work two, maybe three, times as hard as everyone else just to keep up and I'm already so far behind. The fact that someone bothered to sponsor me at all is incredible and I have to take this opportunity."

"I still need to find time to catch you up," Aizawa-sensei says with a sigh.

"Can't I come after my internship? It's only in the day and I know you work primarily at night," his teachers look at him. "I can forgo sleep for a week, it's not like I haven't done it before." A nearly manic grin spreads on Aizawa-sensei's face and he looks like he's about to say yes when All Might interrupts.

"I think what your teacher is trying to say is that while we admire your dedication, we certainly don't want you to go to such exhausting lengths." All Might says with a grin. "If you truly intend to take this internship then we shall simply have to find another time to train you."

"I do, I mean, intend to take this. I'm sorry if this upsets your plans, Sensei, but I need to start moving forward instead of just catching up."

"I kind of figured you'd say that," Aizawa-sensei nods. "Alright, I'll get it set up. You'll be leaving with the other students Monday morning. I'll be explaining the details in homeroom so pay attention. All Might knows your sponsor so I'll leave it to him, just be back in your seat before the final bell." Sensei says as he shuffles back into classroom.

"So you know who sponsored me?" Izuku asks, turning to look up at his hero.

"A-ah, yes, I do," All Might says, clearing his throat several times. Izuku begins to wonder what kind of person his sponsor could be to make All Might of all people anxious.

"His name is Gran Torino, he's a pro hero from the old days and he's been long since retired. He taught at Yuuei for one year and was, in fact, my homeroom teacher. He's a very good teacher and a skilled hero." Izuku is getting very concerned with how nervous All Might looks, is he actually shaking? "But he's very tough and has no patience for failure; you'll learn a lot I'm sure but you need to be careful around him."

"I-I will, sir!" Izuku squeaks as he imagines a tall, menacing man with a terrifying quirk. "Uh, since you know him, do you know why he picked me of all people?"

"O-oh, well I'm sure he saw your potential and wanted to help foster your growth. Now you best get back inside so you don't miss anything, you've got a big week coming up." Toshinori says, smiling down at his student. "I'm not sure of your normal exercise routine but try not to do anything strenuous over the weekend. This internship will require all your strength and skill."

"Yes, I understand, All Might, I wont let you down," Young Midoriya says with an earnest expression. "I'll tell you know how it goes when I get back!" The boy says with a final wave before disappearing back into his classroom and sliding the door shut. Toshinori lets out a deep breath and quickly makes his way down the hall, hoping to make it back to the teacher's lounge before he reverts back to his true form.

No one had been more surprised than him when Young Midoriya got a last minute nomination and from his old mentor of all people. He'd nearly keeled over right there. The boy has only been in the hero system for about a day which means Torino had been waiting for him to be put up.

None of the other teachers had actually expected the quirkless student to get nominated so it was quite the surprise. It had been the gossip among the staff this morning, who Gran Torino was and what he wanted with Young Midoriya. But Toshinori is the only one who actually knows the man and he's more than certain that Torino had a very specific reason for sponsoring the boy...

Toshinori enters the teacher's lounge, thankfully empty at this time and powers down with a sigh. It's getting tougher to remain in his All Might form. The strain of One For All is starting to be too much for his broken boy. He coughs into his handkerchief and stumbles over to the couch where he can hopefully rest for a little bit before his afternoon class or some world-ending disaster, whatever comes first. Toshinori is just getting comfortable when his phone buzzes in his pocket.

"Goddammit," he mutters, fishing it out. "Hello?" he croaks as another cough hits him.

"You sound like hell," a gravely old voice says and just like that Toshinori is 15 again, getting his lunch beaten out of him. A strangled gasp escapes his throat as he violently sits up before dissolving into another coughing fit. How long has it been since he's heard that voice? Years for certain but Gran Torino sounds just as commanding as he did back in the day. "At least pass on your power before you kick the bucket."

"Why are you-" he hesitates, "wait, this is about Young Midoriya, your sponsorship, right?"

"No, I'm calling about the dry cleaning, of course I'm calling about the boy, you idiot! The internships start next week and I haven't heard diddly squat from the school."

"You just turned in the form this morning." Toshinori says, his annoyance partially outweighing his anxiety. "We just got around to confirming it with the young man not five minutes ago."

"Well that's your problem for not making the kid available until the last second," Torino snaps. "And more to the point, it's your damn fault for making me come out of retirement to do this in the first place!"

"I-"

"I know you Toshinori. I probably know you better than anyone in that uppity school," Torino barrels on ahead. "I knew the second I saw that boy beating on Endeavor's kid that you'd be considering him as your successor. Hell, I'm surprised you haven't offered it up already." Torino pauses, "you haven't have ya?"

"No, but the situation is complicated," Toshinori says, leaning back and rubbing his temple with one hand. "I will admit I've given it some thought but everyone in Japan knows he doesn't have a quirk now. He can't just develop a power like mine out of nowhere, it'd be too suspicious." He pauses and thinks of Young Midoriya's resolute face when he'd first confessed his quirklessness. "Besides, the young man has come far on his own. He's proud of his accomplishments and I don't know if he would even accept."

"I don't remember you being such a coward back in the day," Torino taunts. "Those are minor details that can be worked around and you know it. You're just too scared to give up your power and admit that your time as the Number One is almost up." The truthful statement hangs heavily in the air. "Look, that's why I nominated the kid. I'll check him out since you keep putting it off and see if the kid has the stones to handle One for All. You two knuckleheads can work out the rest."

"I-I appreciate it," Toshinori replies softly.

"Yeah well you better, always gotta clean up your messes for you." The older man sighs. "So the kid's coming Monday, right?"

"Young Midoriya insisted. We'll have the paperwork in by the end of the day."

"Make sure you do," Torino says while the phone crackles with movement. "Damn, I guess I should clean this place up a bit if a kid's gonna be here. Should probably fix up your old room too so he's got somewhere to crash once I'm through beating on him."

"Don't go too hard on him, you hear?" Toshinori says but there's a light smile on his face as he imagines Young Midoriya collapsing in the same broken down room he'd used a very long time ago.

"Well I'm not going to see if he's good enough by tiptoeing around him," Torino grumbles. "But don't worry, he'll come back to you in one piece."

"That's all I can ask I guess," Toshinori mutters. "Thanks again," he says weakly until he's unable to suppress the urge any longer. "You know, it's not just the fear of losing my power that makes me hesitant. I'm just- this was her power. I need to do this right. I screwed up so many things in my life but I can't screw this up. I'm afraid I'll make the wrong choice and ruin everything she stood for."

"Stop being stupid, Toshinori it doesn't suit you," Torino says dismissively. "This isn't something you can know, like a math equation or something. This is something you gotta feel. You were a mess when Shimura found you but she saw something in you and turned you into a hero. Sometimes you gotta trust your gut and make a leap of faith."

He clears his throat, "look, I gotta go. I'll call you in a few days with my thoughts on the kid."

"Okay and, even if this doesn't work out, it was nice talking to you. It's uh been awhile," Toshinori mutters awkwardly.

"Yeah, because you've been too busy out there killing yourself. Take care, Toshinori." Torino says sharply before abruptly hanging up. Despite the rudeness, Toshinori couldn't help but smile. After all these years and the old goat still hasn't changed. Young Midoriya is certainly in for a rough couple of days. The thought brings him back to the reality of the situation as he lays back down and watches the fan spin lazily overhead.

By complete accident, he's stumbled upon a boy who feels right in a way none of Nighteye's other choices have. Despite his deliberate feet dragging, the more he interacts with the boy, the more certain he is that Young Midoriya has what it takes to be a worthy successor. It seems so sudden for such an important choice to be thrust upon him like this. But then he thinks of his happenstance first meeting with Nana and smiles.

He's run into Young Midoriya several times over the last year before he even noticed him. Toshinori can't help but think that this might be fate smacking him over the head. He can't help but wonder if some things were meant to be.

XxX

"You've all got your costumes?" Aizawa-sensei asks in his normal, dry way. "Don't lose them, don't wear them in public without your sponsor and don't embarrass the school. Have a good week, I guess." Tenya look down at the case containing his armor. Since hearing about his brother's injury, all he can feel is a deep emptiness in his chest. He holds the case tightly in his hand. Hopefully he'll be able to fix that this week.

"Iida," he turns to see Uraraka, Midoriya and Todoroki standing there looking sympathetic. The whole class has been treating him delicately ever since the incident. Only Midoriya and Uraraka have been brave enough to try and get him to talk but Tenya always tried to allay their fears. Apparently he hasn't been entirely successful.

"Good luck with your internship," Midoriya says with a shy smile. "I know I sound like a broken record but we're here for you if you need someone to talk to. We are uh kind of..." he trails off and looks awkwardly down at his case. "You-you have my number, if you ever need me during the week." Uraraka nods emphatically while Todoroki just stands there and watches him thoughtfully.

While there have been numerous changes in the class dynamic since Midoriya arrived, Todoroki has by far changed the most. Where previously he was closed off and didn't interact with anyone, he's now more engaged, especially with Midoriya. Considering that Midoriya gave him some pretty significant injuries during the Festival, Todoroki can usually be found hanging around the quirkless boy. Anyone in the class who dares to whisper about Midoriya's ability to be a hero will find themselves on the receiving end of a very cold look from the boy. Uraraka thinks it's a sign of love but Tenya thinks there might be more to it than that.

"I appreciate it, all of you, and I will keep that in mind should I ever need it." Tenya says, faking a friendly smile to soothe their worries. They had their own internships to worry about and, besides, this had nothing to do with them. This is personal. He sees Uraraka and Midoriya wander away with a final wave but Todoroki remains, looking like he's trying to figure something out.

"You're going to Hosu, right?" Todoroki says softly.

"That is correct," Tenya says sharply. Did Todoroki figure out him out? Would he tell Sensei? "And you're working at your father's agency, are you not?"

"I am," the other boy nods. "He's hoping to track down the Hero Killer this week. I might run into you since the villain was last spotted there." Tenya winces but Todoroki isn't done yet. "You should take Midoriya up on his offer to talk; he's very perceptive and kind. I think he can help you."

"I appreciate it but really I am fine," Tenya says tensely. "I must say I'm surprised at your attitude towards Midoriya given his condition. I admire his resolve greatly but I must admit I still have my doubts on his capabilities." Instead of the glare Tenya had expected from his frank assessment, intended to distract Todoroki, he merely looks confused.

"You fought him too, didn't you see it?" Todoroki questions. "He's undoubtedly skilled with his martial arts but there's something about the way Midoriya treats people, the way he fights. I can't describe it other than to say, despite the battle, he made me feel safe for the first time in a long while."

"No, I guess I didn't," Tenya responds slowly, not sure what to make of the strange comment. He looks up at the train schedule. "I'm afraid I really must be going. My train will be arriving momentarily. I wish you luck during your internship." Todoroki stares at him intensely for a moment longer.

"You too Iida, be careful and don't do anything you'll regret." Todoroki says before walking away, his footsteps silent in the noise of the crowd. Todoroki means well but he can't understand what Tenya is feeling right now. He hates to disappoint him, and everyone else, but nothing is going to stop him from avenging his brother.

He turns and walks towards his train, going with open eyes into whatever awaits him in Hosu.

XxX

Izuku knocks on the door to the creepy, abandoned looking building where, supposedly, his mentor will be waiting. He'd spent a good portion of his weekend trying to find any information on Gran Torino, the man who taught at Yuuei for just one year and, even years later, still scared the pants off of All Might. He knocks again and it echoes listlessly. Strange.

He tries the door and finds it open. Izuku frowns, there's something not right about this situation. He pulls out his new bō, courtesy of Hatsume, and has it ready by his side as he enters the building. "H-hello? I'm uh, I'm a student from Yuuei's Hero course? You uh nominated me?"

He takes a few steps in and freezes, there's an old man lying in a puddle of what looks to be blood on the floor. His natural urge is to scream but he clamps that down and focuses. Izuku's staff is whipped out to it's full length as he quickly assesses the area for the person who'd done this before racing forward. There's still a chance the man may be alive and Izuku knows some basic first aid, that should be enough until the ambulance arrives-

"I'm alive!" the old man yells, lifting his head up suddenly and this time Izuku does actually scream because what the hell is happening. Izuku had whipped his staff around unconsciously until it's right in the old man's face. He should probably move that. "Who are you?" the old man asks as he shakily gets to his feet, seemingly unconcerned with Izuku and the weapon aimed at him. If this is a joke by his teachers, Izuku is going to be furious.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku," he says, feeling annoyed that he may have just wasted his time and optimism, again. "I'm looking for Gran Torino? He's a hero who sponsored me, I was told to meet him at this address."

"What?" the old man asks, holding his hand to his ear. "You're going to have to speak up, sonny. Are you a friend of Toshinori's?" Izuku takes a deep breath and leans down to the older man's level. No matter what's going on, he can't bring himself to be rude to such a sweet, old man.

"I said-" Izuku finds a small but powerful fist in his face. He's thrown back a bit before he brings his staff up to defend but the old man has already moved, perching on a couch on the far side of the room. Izuku rolls his jaw, that was a good punch from someone who couldn't stand a minute ago. Was that all an act? "Gran Torino, I presume?"

"You're not as dumb as you look and believe me, you looked pretty dumb there for a minute." Gran Torino says in a gravely voice, all traces of earlier confusion gone as his wrinkled face becomes hard. Faster than Izuku can follow, the man is speeding forward and kicks his foot right into Izuku's face, forcing him to ground. "Are you sure Yuuei sent the right boy? I asked for the kid who fought all the way to second place in the Sports Festival."

"And I asked for a mentor who would treat me with respect and not resort to stupid tricks so I guess no one is getting what they want today." Izuku says, wiping the dirt from his face as he sits up because he's annoyed and excited and terrified all at once.

"Oh ho, testy aren't we? Yeah, I yanked your chain a little bit," the old man grins and it reminds Izuku of his master. "So what are you going to do about it, boy? Come at me and show me what you showed those kids you fought." Izuku smiles back as he settles into his stance, his bō ready in front of him. Gran Torino has some sort of speed quirk. Whatever it is, it's not something Izuku will be fast enough to keep up with but he might be able to predict where the man will go.

Gran Torino rushes forward again, Izuku grits his teeth as he tries to aim his staff at the incoming projectile but Torino dodges midair and plants both feet into Izuku's gut before using him to jump off. He stumbles backwards, only staying upright by using his bō to stabilize him.

Izuku watches Torino continue to bounce around the walls like a pinball. There'd been a jet of air when Torino had pushed off him so it seems like a propulsion quirk which gave the man speed, mobility and impressive force. He'd have a hard time defending against such a versatile quirk.

The next time the hero speeds his way, Izuku is able to duck, but his staff doesn't even come close when he tries to strike the hero. This is pathetic, he can't even land a single hit on a man old enough to be his grandfather. Torino lands above his doorway and sneers down at Izuku.

"Not as easy as the Sports Festival, is it kid? That's because all of your opponents, save the kid with the explosions, were going easy on you on account of you being quirkess. You got potential all right but you're not going to get anywhere at Yuuei or in the real world if people keep pulling their punches. Since they weren't taking proper care of you, I figured it was up to me."

Yes, this is exactly what he was looking for. Someone who would look at him and not see someone who needed to be protected but someone who had the opportunity to be powerful in his own way. He'd almost gotten used to being coddled that the blunt approach is like a breath of fresh air. So this is the man who taught All Might.

"Please give me everything you've got, sir." Izuku says seriously, calculating in his head his advantages and how he can use them. "Because I'm certainly going to."

"Oh you'll come to regret those words," Torino says, jumping off the wall with such speed, it cracked. So clearly he's not concerned with collateral damage to his home. Good to know. The man bounces past him in a way meant more to intimate than hurt, Izuku doesn't even bother trying to hit him. He's too busy trying to focus on Gran Torino's movements, the time he needs to cross the room and how to predict his next location when he ricochets off of Izuku's back. Torino lands on the his microwave, smashing it to bits.

"Come on kid, I know you can do better than this. You tore through Endeavor's kid and gave that explosion brat a run for his money. Show me that you're worth my time." The man demands, speeding forward again. Izuku is tired of constantly being on the defensive so he plants his staff on the ground and jumps up to meet Torino in the air with his fist ready to greet him. But the hero has more mobility than he'd anticipated and course corrects midair to slam Izuku hard into the floor before bouncing around some more.

How is he supposed to land a hit when he moves faster than Izuku can think? He frowns, Iida is faster than Izuku, probably faster than Gran Torino too, and Izuku was able to beat him. And he did it not by being strong but by being smart and a bit sneaky. He gets back to his feet while his sponsor continues to whirl around like a blur.

Torino comes around again and it looks like he's tired of using Izuku as a springboard as his hand is outstretched, ready to drive him into the floor again.

Izuku is able to dodge and, now that he's got a better approximation of the other's speed, he brings his staff up to the point where he knows Gran Torino will be and swings. For a second, Izuku dares to think it will connect but instead the man bats the bō out of his way. Izuku grunts in aggravation as he falls back into his stance. He's getting closer though and that's something.

"You're intelligent and you've got a good ability to predict but that will only get you so far." Torino shouts from the other side of the room. He's right, all he's doing is reacting now, he needs to go on the offensive. Izuku spies the couch in the middle of the room and a hesitant plan comes to mind. He dashes under the couch and waits a second or two. "You think a real villain will give you the opportunity to hide and collect your thoughts? Well you're-"

Torino had been in the upper left corner ceiling when Izuku had gotten under his couch, assuming he didn't change his trajectory, Izuku knows exactly where he's going to be. Once he hears the man jump off the wall, Izuku rolls out from under the couch and readied himself. He likes to imagine that's surprise on the old man's face as Izuku swings his staff in his direction.

Everyone always thinks the quirkless kid is trying to hide, why do they never guess he's manipulating their expectations? There's something very satisfying about the way the bō slams into Torino's side, directing him off course. The man still lands fairly gracefully on floor a short distance away.

"Using your opponent's perception of your weakness against them, that's good." Torino says with a dry grin he as he rubs at his side. "All Might sure as hell didn't teach you that trick."

"Well when I'm as strong as All Might then I'll worry about fighting fair," Izuku retorts.

"Ha!" the old man barks. "Alright put that staff down, kid, we're done for now. You're off to a good start but you've got a long way to go if you wanna go pro."

"I know sir, that's why I'm here." Izuku says relaxing only slightly, if Torino come at him again, he'll be ready. "I'm already at a massive disadvantage being quirkless, I need to be twice as skilled just to keep up."

"At least you understand the stakes," Torino nods. "You have a very long day ahead of you, brat. First, I'm going to tell you exactly what you did wrong just now and how to do better next time."

"And after that?" Izuku asks.

"Why, you're going to show me I wasn't wrong in sponsoring Yuuei's first quirkless hero." Gran Torino says with a toothy grin that promises an afternoon of insults and pain. Izuku can't wait.

It's late, very late, by the time Izuku is directed to a dirty, dust covered spare bedroom in Gran Torino's home. He's sore all over and he's pretty sure he's going to look like he got jumped by a gang tomorrow but he feels good. The pain feels like progress after too long of standing still.

He collapses on the bed which smells like dirt and sweat. Doesn't matter, too tired. Gran Torino says tomorrow is going to be twice as hard as today so he needs to be well rested so he's at least halfway prepared. He's on the cusp of unconsciousness when he notices an unread message on his phone.

Glowstick: How's it goin? U r at ur internship right?

Izuku smiles, he's missed them. Their concern even though he's not in their class anymore means a lot

MightyBoy: Yea, I'm so tired

IcyHot: This was the hero no one's ever heard of, right?

MightyBoy: Gran Torino, yeah, he's, Izuku searches for the right word, something else

Vampira: But is he helping?

MightyBoy: He's not going easy on me

MightyBoy: I finally feel like I'm moving forward

MindController: That's good

MightyBoy: Btw Shinsou, I talked to my homeroom teacher

MightyBoy: Since he's not working with me this week he said he might stop by ur class and check u out

MightyBoy: I wore him down with how there's unappreciated talent in 1-C

MindController: You did what now

Glowstick: I CAN'T LOSE HITOSHI TOO!1!1

Izuku snickers to himself as the chat explodes. The pleasant buzzing of his phone beneath him, reminiscent of so many nights spend this past term staying up late and texting with his friends. It's comforting to know that the more things change, the more things stay the same. Izuku is tempted to check in on a few of his friends in 1-A but it's late and they're probably tired from their own internships.

He's still worried about Iida, the other boy hadn't seemed right when they'd said goodbye at the train station but he doesn't feel right texting him out of the blue. They've only been classmates a week and he's not sure it's his place to butt into Iida's personal issues. Eventually, even these thoughts can't keep awake any longer and he drifts off, his phone still buzzing warmly in his hand.

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Believe Me

Chapter 7/??

Relationship: Rin x Reader (Your/Name) , (Full/Name)

Summit: Inside the class there was the same confusion of always, Rin and Bon were fighting over something stupid, Shima and Konekomaru were trying to stop them while Shiemi and Izumo were laughing for the scene. Everything was as always. Until the bell rang. The Exwires notice that the professor was late, but nobody knew why. When the door opened… A new student arrived to the True Cross Academy. She’s smart and strong, still a quiet and solitary person. Moved by a strange feeling, Rin would like to know her, help her if he can but nobody would think that that student was someone so… special.

--- 

Everyone is out but a strong tremor shakes the ground violently, throwing all down. Turning to the building, Yukio sees you and Rin falling. He runs towards you, but quickly stops due to another explosion. Reacting immediately, you extract one sword and stick it into the wall, lacerate it. Surrounded by sparks, the fall stops. Now, you’re hold up to the sword with a hand, and the another one is bearing your partner’s weight.

“Goddammit it hurts!” <<Yukio!>> the girl shouts his name, <<Get everyone out of here!>>

<<What abou->>

<<Go already!>> you look at Rin with worries eyes, but there’s a smile on your face, <<Ready to run?>>

<<….>> he can say clearly; you’re at the edge, with that wound you’re holding the weight of two persons…

<<Where are you, my little dear?>> the man looks outside the hole in the building, <<Found you.>>

Pervaded by a thrill of terror, you let the hold and think where to escape. You need it, now. Once you touch the ground, you adapt the impact with a somersault and start running right away while Yukio is shooting at the enemy. Suddenly, you grab his arm and take one of his guns. In a second, you aimed and shoot an entire magazine in the same point, opening literally a hole on the man’s head. Keeping to aim at him, a disgusting sound is in the air…

<<We need to hide…>> the student gives back the gun and starts to think intensely, <<Think faster fuckin’ brain!>> she is so frightened, what happened to her?

<<Our house is near.>> Rin says, hoping to relax you, <<We can go there.>>

<<Where? Where is this place?>>

<<After the center.>> Yukio responds, and that word make you more anxious.

<<That’s not fucking near! Not one fucking bit!>>

<<C…o…m…e….>>

Again. That enormous fear is trapping your body. You grab the brothers and start to run as quickly as possible. The men can’t reach your speed, you’re so fast!

<<C’mon!>> you scream dragging them along, <<Use more your legs!>>

You escaped from the woods but is not far enough. Holding your own arm and trying to catch your breath, you're looking for someone or something that can help you.

<<The wound is getting worse (Y/N)-san.>> Yukio says checked it through the cut on the shirt, <<You need to rest or the blood won’t stop. You’ll die!>>

<<Shut up for a second… I’m thinking…>> your skin is so pale, and there are dark circles under the eyes.

<<Nii-san, tell her something! She’s gonna die for real!>>

<<….(Y/N), please listen to->>

<<Found it!>> you run towards a parking lot, kneel next to a motorcycle and with a dagger cut some circuities. The Okumuras are watching you with shocked faces.

<<You’re not stealing it, right (Y/N)-san?>>

<<I'll give it back later.>> you manage to turn on the engine with the dagger and some patience, <<Yes!>> you remove the kickstand and get into the saddle, <<Get on!>> giving some gas shots, you keep the engine warm.

<<We can’t both come in, there isn’t enough space.>>

<<Rin you come here, Okumura-sensei cover our backs.>> with a nod, Rin sits at amazon style between your legs and keeps an arm around your neck for a better adherence, while Yukio sits on the back. With a powerful hasten, the trio leave the woods and go in the streets. The Exwire is leading the way and the professor checks if someone is chasing you.

The wind is strong. How fast are you going right now? You’re almost touching the cars! Are you crazy?! Now the road is straight and you’re accelerate again.

<<We’re arrived after that bridge- Wait (Y/N), slow down!>> the demon sees the lights are all on.

<<If I do that, we’re not gonna make it. Trust me, I did this other times.>>

Curious, Yukio looks at you and then the lights…

<<(Y/N)-san that’s a drawbridge!>>

<<That’s why I’m gonna so fast.>>

<<Do you want to jump to the other side?! Are you fuckin’ insane?>> this is the first time you have heard him swearing, maybe he’s scared.

<<Hold on tight guys!>> the bike is climbing the bridge at very high speed and the moment the wheel flys, Rin manage to says the last indication: the first cross turn to the left.

<<OH MY FUCKING GOD!!>> Yukio is holding very tight on your shoulders, forgetting that you’re hurt.

Tilting backwards the bike, you manage to maintain the right balance for the impact with the cement. When the first wheel touched the road, you could hold the handlebars well, avoiding a crash with cars. Moving to the other side of the road, you start to feel dizzy.

“Crap not now!” the girl keeps the eyes on the street and at the first cross she turns to the left, finding a little church circa 500 metros far. She reduces the speed and stops the bike in front the gate.

The brothers are greeted by black dressed men, but you can’t hear anything. Turning off the engine, you get off the saddle and look up at the sky. You don’t feel your arm anymore, your body is so heavy, your eyes are closing… Everything turns black.

 ---

The student opens her heavy eyes and everything is blurry. Why? She didn’t drink so it’s impossible she were drunk. What happened? She’s so cold but something is keeping her warm… What is it? Moving slowly her gaze, she finds Rin. He’s holding her even if he’s asleep, his heartbeat is so fast. Is he okay?

“He looks so stressful…” you don’t have the strength to speak or move your body.

<<(Y/N)…?>> the demon felt the bed moving, so he opened an eye to check on you, <<(Y/N)! Thank god!>> now he is fully awake, <<How are you? Are you thirsty? Do you need something?>> he bombards you with questions like a machinegun, <<Geez…. You scared me…>>

<<R-Rin…>> you found a super tired voice to use, but it’s better than nothing, <<H-hold me…>>

<<E-eh?!>>

<<I-I’m cold… your body is warm…>>

Moving under the covers, the young boy puts one arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him, praying that you would feel better soon. Feeling protected, you nuzzle your head in the crock of his neck.

<<I’m so tired…>>

<<That’s because you lost a lot of blood.>> he says whispering, he doesn’t want to break the quiet ambiance, <<Sleep a bit more.>>

<<I… don’t… wanna…>> your body began to shake again, <<I… don’t…>>

<<You need to rest.>>

<<No… I’m scared… of… my dreams…>> unconstitutionally, you rest your head in his chest, <<Every time… I fall... asleep… nightmares… come for… me…>>

<<I’ll protect you.>> he hugs you tighter and kiss your forehead, <<Trust me. I’ll never let those dreams touch you. I’m the son of Satan, I’m scarier than them.>> stroking gently your hair, he managed to relax you and finally, you fall aspleep again, <<Goodnight, my love.>>

 A bright sunlight is lighting the room. A fresh and kind wind wakes you up. After a while, you realized that Rin is here in the same bed, holding you near his warm body.

“I’ve slept? I didn’t dream about… He did that?” you’re staring at him and touch his cheeks. “When I’m around him I feel safe. I can show that I’m vulnerable without any worries… I want to protect him even with my life, I don’t want to lose Rin...” it’s not as if you don’t know what’s happening to yourself. You have been in denial for a long time now, but you aren’t stupid to not realize that you have fallen for him.

<<Mmh… (Y/N)…?>>

<<’Morning, bed head.>> you giggle at the vision of his hair and face, <<You can sleep more if you want, I’ll make breakfast today.>>

<<’kay… Thanks…>> he rolls on the other side and pulls up the covers, then he realizes something, <<No!>>

<<E-eh?>> he scared you, <<W-what?>>

<<Lay down stupid!>> he grabs your wrist and makes you lay in the bed again, <<Kuro, please call Yukio!>>

[Ok!]

<<….W-what’s so sudden?>> you obey to him, he looks so scared and worried, <<Ehm… can I sit?>>

<<I’ll help you!>> he really did everything, he supported your weight, adjusting all the pillows and slowly sat you down.

A knock at the door. The demon gets up for open it, Yukio and Kuro come in. The little cat jumps on the bed and comes near you for some cuddles.

<<(Y/N)-san are you able to stand up?>>

<<Yes.>> you obey and get off the bed, standing still.

<<Are you dizzy?>>

<<No.>>

<<Do you feel heavy when you move?>>

<<Not anymore.>>

The teacher checks heartbeat, breath, blood pressure, everything. You stay quiet and let him do what he is doing, he’s a doctor after all. Rin and the men are so impatient to know. Are you ok? Or not? Which one?

<<Everything is fine.>> says Yukio with a smile, <<You’re fast to recover (Y/N)-san. The wound was very deep and you lost a lot of blood. I thought it would take a month to heal at least, but it did in two days…>>

<<Haha, the war has make me strong.>> you crack a joke with a relaxed smile, <<I won’t die so easily.>>

<<Thank god!>> Rin hugs you and moves his tail so dynamically that you thought it would tear apart soon, <<I’m so happy!>>

<<Hehe, Rin it tickles!>> you ruffle those blue hairs.

<<Nii-san!>> the glasses twin grabs his brother by the collar and drags him away from you.

<<Rin, behave yourself.>> the black men are scolding him, <<She’s a girl, you can’t do what you want.>>

<<I’ll make breakfast. (Y/N)-san, do you have any preference?>> a chubby man is talking to you.

<<Ehm… If I don’t ask too much… I would like some orange juice and some toasts.>>

<<Eh? Just that?>> a blonde man tries to encourage you to eat more, <<You don’t need to restrain yourself!>>

<<I never had breakfast before, but it seemed rude to refuse your offer.>> you add smiling, <<Right now I’m not hungry, but I thought that eating something after two days without food, it’s healthier.>>

<<Are you an angel?>> the three men are moved by tears by a person so kind, selfless, and that smile.

<<Pardon?>> you heard them whisper something, but didn’t understand one word.

Avoiding to disturb any further, the men excuse themselves to the kitchen. You thought that everyone is so strange; in a good way obviously.

<<(Y/N)-san, do you remember what happened?>>

<<Oi Yukio, don’t stress her!>>

<<I must write a report for Lord Pheles, I need to know everything she knows.>> he approaches you and ask again, <<Do you known the man who attacked us?>>

<<...I did what I’ve done because I was scared. I don’t even know why, my body moved without my consent.>>

<<What do you mean?>>

<<I’m sure I met that guy in the past somewhere, but I don’t remember. He was like…>> you touch your eyes for focus better on your memories, <<Like…>>

<<Like what?>>

A memory shows up. You open wide your eyes and start to shake. Shutting your mouth with both hands, you run to the bathroom. The brothers run after you and the demon holds your hair backwards while you’re throwing up.

<<Impossible… He’s dead…>> your breath speed up very fast, make difficult even talk, <<It’s not him…>>

<<It’s alright (Y/N).>> Rin caresses your back with circular movements to calm you down, <<Yukio, you crappy four-eyes, stop treat her like this! She doesn’t want to remember, don’t push her into it!>>

<<(Y/N)-san, I’m sorry but I need to know. What you remembered?>>

<<Did you fucking hear what I’ve said?!>>

<<Two days ago, a person came to visit you and pick your swords… He had messy, light pink hair and purple eyes. He wore a black jacket with a blue and yellow shirt. His name was… Shion?>>

<<!! Shion?! He’s here?>> you grab Yukio’s jacket and repeat, <<Where is he?>>

<<H-He’s gone after->> you jump in your feet and run again in your room. Searching in your clothes, you find your phone and see some texts and missed calls.

<<Be safe!>> unlocking it while putting some clothes on, <<Shion? Where are you now?>>

<<Why she is so in a hurry?>> the teacher is staring at you with a curious face, <<Who is that guy?>>

<<At home? Thank goodness! Why did you go out alone?>> closing the zip of your shorts, you stop, <<What? Yatsufsa was with you?>>

<<Yat-what?>>

<<Okumura-sensei, did you see a big white wolf with him?>> you ask staying still, <<Or outside the gate?>>

<<N-no I didn’t...>>

<<Don’t fucking lie to me Shion!>> you grab all your stuff and greets the brothers, <<I’m coming home, ok? Wait for me!>> ended the call, you ate your breakfast quickly, <<I apologize for my rudeness but I must go! Thank you very much for the meal and the medicines! I’ll pay you back soon!>> with a deep bow, you leave the church and your peers behind with puzzled faces.

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

[tranquilitybasehotelcasino]

honorable mentions: quotes that didnt make it into my recent "the signs as" post

but wAS THE DOCTOR NOrMAN BATES????? good evening, you dirty homestuck lmo i lunch what are you, a chump welcome to your tape i nominate cordy for bucket duty PENNSYLVANIAAAAAA you got me. i am a cute polyamorous fuck thats allergic to spice "Yahtzee" said Dave. "Oppan Gangnam Style," her brain said approvingly. "Bruh," said Terezi. 🐴esist "i ship it" bb said blankly. the score is now Cordy 826, Jacob Asshole. welcome to scenic Screwup City, population Allison Keith "fuck up", see under "shut the" at least we have memes to dull the pain of existence i once had a dream that the kid who played rico in hannah montana went to our school im allison, from gym class im karina, from hell imagine if all babies sounded like Cr1tikal i think i convinced my moms friend to name her son eridan gay love! bee communism, and robot communism for that matter, sleepless in seattle 2: electric boogaloo yknow i dont think nebraska exists ava and emma are pyromaniacs, more at 11 dont you >:3c at me young man how did you know chess the musical was a musical about chess i hate shakespeare but ive alrready sold my soul to the bard *someone sends me a video of a furry convention* this is cyberbullying okay ive wanted to do this for a while but guys i gotta come out to you im a communist and a lesbian but more importantly a communist "disgusting" beef cheek bernie will pierce me DIE COMMIE FUCKER kisses smorch is a valid fantroll name i sweater god sounds like something a daddy dom would say amelia have you ever heard of a wild concept called church and the redemption of sin my entire body is in tangible pain!!! n'y'all welcome to hellmurder island ill be your concierge LEEEEEEEEROY NJENKINS hatsune malfoy maybe the REAL horcruxes were the friends we made along the way *soccer mom voice* sorry marlene, you arent daddy material pumpkin party in sea hitler's water apocalypse: the real straight agenda I HAVE WEAK THUMBS, LIZZIE my name. is will SHAW. *accidentally flushed my pad down the toilet* well this has gone completely fucking pear shaped, looks like theres no other way outta it. youre going to have to decapitate m no but listen have you ever actually played russian roulette dave strider, hatsune miku, and vlad the impaler walk into a bar, brandon you chicken fried fuck chapter one; old man megido and the freezer of doom STEALING MY PHONE WONT CHANGE YOUR INCESTUOUS FEELINGS ANDREW *blasting metal crusher* fuck me mettaton hey cordy what happens if i snort pop rocks "you die" shit really fuck you and fuck your dog biscuits!! young man, are you suggesting we blackmail batman i identify as an anime character, i promise i am pikachu in my heart im a fucking winner! a winner!!!! oh shit its sans undertale OH SHIT ITS JOHN HOMESTUCK O H S H I T I T S D I P P E R G R A V I T Y F A L L S No Archive Warnings Apply: Aradia Megido/Aradia Megido fucking mc escher YOUVE MURDERED US BOTH, YOU SON OF A BITCH, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU *loudly humming megalovania* "please" sbear ov juddice shes fuckinh whispering the lyrics to funkytown in my ear *ievan polkka blasting* taste THIS rainbow! goddammit janet b-buddy? *dani california blasting* listen. have you ever seen 2001: a space odyssey? "no" okay watch it and tell me being in love with hal 9000 is wrong i warned you about the stairs bro, i told you dog IT JUST KEEPS HAPPENING ELLLLLLECTRIC LEMONNNNNNN *screaming* MARQUISE SPINNERET MINDFANG eat me, lizzie millican! mushroom dance, mushroom dance, whatever could it mean? "it means youve lived a life of sin" *loud and squeakily* aND EVERY TIME WE ToUC H— DOES ANYONE HAVE THE VIDEO OF ME SWALLOWING RUBBER "nah" ha! youre broke! why is beetlejuice mossy WRONG CHAT WRONG CHAT i am the left brain, i am the left brain work very hard till my inevitable death brain you got a job to do, you better do it right and the right way is with the left brains might I L I K E O R E O S A N D P U S S Y welcome to antisocials anonymous *angrily* tHIS is why youre nEVER GONNA BE STAGE MANAGER *someone sneezes* shut the fuck up your blood is like a venetian delicacy also send nudes DIDNT MEAN TO SEND THAT THOSE ARE MY MINECRAFT PANTIES YOU SON OF A BITCH we should all go to comic con as homeless people with aids "no, annick" ITS BETTER THAN UNDERTALE im so sorry mr strizzle "lance lance revolution" please watch less voltron im pretty sure thats called cystic fibrosis Annick DuChateau has changed her name to 4 Entire DQ Blizzards in a Trench Coat on the count of three everyone kinkshame karina thats gay charlotte!!!! thats gay!!!! "and his memes arent funny" HEY NOW babbay pullmd close rin the backerseart of yowizr rofetr WHERE ARE MY HEADPHONES IM GONNA TAKE BLEACH SHOTS i cant believe brandons a directioner "i cant believe jacks emo" cry me a table, linda *groping an undertale body pillow* kama sutra, siena *singing off key* oNE RinG to RULE THem aLL soak me in your finest milks daddy who is our messiah? ... mrs d'angelo (our science teacher) *brandishing a plastic horseshoe* take it back, fuckboy i hate the library. everyone hates the library. you know what? heres your three dollars. ill see you in hell every time you speak, i hear the sound it makes when pac-man dies rey picks up kylo and dunks him in the trash. fucking obliterated are you a parking ticket? the future terrifies me if you cant put an end to moffat's shit writing you cant put an end of my life cake. stick it in your hoo-hah POLICE PUT THE CUMMIES ON THE GROUND oh you love homestuck? name five of his albums your room has posters with the dead eyes of Cameron Diaz boring through the souls of all who enter--- sollux feels trapped in a hell of "Wheels on the Bus" holy shit is that kurt cobain "yahtzee" said dave "ahem. undertale" then im gonna pull out my dads bigass bowling ball like "this is 1/800 the mass of vy canis majoris" only dumbfucks play magic the gathering in his free time, reginald enjoys BODY SLAMMING CIVILIANS WITH HIS WHEELCHAIR YES EGGSY blondie screeches to a halt, another comrade fallen meggers preggers THE HOT WINGS AVA THE HOT WINGS lizzie dont name your kid onomatopoeia annick youre a running joke in my household i can cut fabric lady but if you wanna see a super special skill i can cut human flesh you kids with your understuck and hometale im extra homosexual, but im in love with him. god bless that man. his laugh is my text tone bellybutton fetish KARINA ITS FIVE AM

[hazelandglasz]

Stammi Vicino 2.0

I got inspired by an idea, and then the plot bunny just ran with it …

AKA The IT AU no one ever asked for

AKA My pleasure writing ;)

On AO3

Contrary to popular beliefs around the hallways of The Rink,Viktor is not completely incompetent around computers.

He didn’t become the “hero” of his department by being entirely clueless around those electronic beasts.

But.

This time around, no matter how hard he tries, no matter what he tries--and it ranges from unplugging his whole system and plugging it back off to singing a lullaby to it--, the report that needs to be on Yakov’s desk in … oh Lord, thirty-five minutes, simply won’t. Fucking. Print.

“Arrrgh!”

Plisetsky rolls away from his cubicle to glare at Viktor. “Do you mind keeping it down, old man?” he growls. “Some of us do work around here.”

Viktor wordlessly growls back, raking his fingers through his hair. First of all, he is not old, fuck you very much, and second of all, he would so work too if he could.

“Vitya, just call IT, that’s why they lurk around in the basement,” Georgi says over the wall that separates their two desks.

Georgi is right.

He’s the voice of reason, as melodramatic as he may be in his color palettes sometimes.

“IT, Chulanont speaking, how may I help you?”

“Hello, hi, this is Nikiforov, station 1804?”

“Yes?”

There is a smirk behind that cheery tone, Viktor doesn’t need a conf call to know it.

He may use his break time to watch videos of dogs. Maybe. So sue him.

“There is a problem with my printer.”

“Any error message on your screen?”

“No--nothing happens.”

“Did you try to turn it o--”

“Yes!”

“Alright, buddy, I’ll send someone within the hour. Slow down with the caffeine, alright?”

Before Viktor can reply or, you know, defend himself, Chulanont hangs up on him.

The little--

“Chulanont told you to untwist your panties?”

“Yes, Mila.”

“He has a point.”

“Can you kindly mind your own panties and leave mine as twisted as they want to be?”

“Kinky.”

“Mila, do you need another visit from HR?”

“Hmmm, yeah, I’d say I do, it’s been a while since Ms. Crispino paid us a visit …”

Michele’s angry eyes appear above the partition at the mention of his sister before slowly sinking back down, and Mila clears her throat, twisting her mouth in embarrassment.

Her eyes land behind Viktor, and her smirk makes a comeback. “Viktor, did IT say the name of the guy coming to help you?”

“Nope.”

“Hm-hm.”

Viktor swivels around on his chair to follow her line of sight and when his eyes find the guy who stepped out of the elevator, fixing his hair and pushing his glasses up his nose, he lurches forward mid-turn and faceplants.

God. Fucking. Bless.

The Mystery Dancer from the company’s Christmas party is … not looking as mysterious and daring as he did back then--now that was a night to remember, the way they danced together through all the songs that played, laughing like Viktor hadn’t laughed in God knows how long, smiling and brushing fingers …--but still as captivating and interesting with the thick frames hiding his beautiful eyes.

“Yuuri!”

Viktor may have had his fair share of champagne that night, but he didn’t forget that name.

Which made his inability to find Yuuri in the personnel's log even more frustrating.

The man seems surprised that Viktor knows his name, and a oh so pretty blush spreads on his cheeks--really, Viktor would love to observe the way it flares like pink paint in a glass of water. With his fingers, his lips …

“Mr. Nikiforov? Station 1804?”

Oh.

“Y-yes, that … that’s me.”

A small smile, one that screams of discomfort. “I’m Yuuri. Katsuki. I’m from IT?”

Viktor can only nod as he stands to let Yuuri sits in his chair. Yuuri starts typing some commands and codes while explaining in a soft voice what he’s doing, but there is a distant ringing sound in Viktor’s ear at the moment.

He doesn’t remember.

“See, Viktor, your computer was not connected to the same network as your printer, I don’t know what happened there …”

He doesn’t remember me, our dance, the whole night, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.

“Viktor?”

I know it happened, Chris has pictures. I was ready to take him on all the dates and he. Doesn’t. Even. Remember.

“Viktor? Mr. Nikiforov? Sir?”

Oh Lord …

“Ow.”

Viktor shakes his head, rubbing at the back of it. On the floor, next to his foot, there is a little black cat still holding some paper clips.

And Yuri is glaring at him. “Can you stop being pathetic for a second, old man, and answer the guy so he can return to the cave where he belongs?”

Yuuri’s face matches Viktor’s scarf now. “Yuri!”

Both men look at him and Viktor has to pinch the bridge of his nose. “This is going to get confusing very fast,” he mumbles. “Yuri, you’ll have to find a nickname or something?”

“Or you can just call us by our last names, like a professional human being.”

“Nah, that’s no fun, right Yuuri?”

Yuuri looks back at him and shrugs. “I guess .First names are … good?”

“That’s the spirit!”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Relax, coolio, Yurio!”

“Don’t you dare.”

Mila’s head pops out again from her cubicle. “Yurio? I approve.”

Yuri--no, Yurio now--groans and disappears back between the wall of his space. “Fine, do whatever you want. And bring me back my paper clips holder.”

“After the violence you used to throw it at me?”

A small sound, innocent and so tentative Viktor could have missed it, stops him mid-drama.

A giggle.

From Yuuri.

That’s fucking adorable, and Viktor is going to combust.

“I understand now why some days are not so productive,” Yuuri says as he stands up.

Why is he standing up?

“Seems like your printer is working now … Viktor.”

Oh, my name sounds pretty in his mouth.

Nope, not going there.

“You’re a miracle worker, Yuuri,” Viktor exclaims instead. “How can I thank you?”

Yuuri tilts his head to the side and brushes a strand of hair away from his face with a crooked smile. “You just did.”

And with that, he’s gone, and Viktor lets himself drop in his chair, looking at him go.

Not a bad sight to fixate upon.

“You are pathetic--oww, you asshole, you nearly hit me!”

---

Now that Viktor has found Yuuri again--he didn’t even consider IT to be the place where his mystery man was hiding, and he will make amends for that neglect--he cannot fathom the idea of not seeing him.

Yes, he does have a melodramatic streak to compete with Georgi, why do you ask.

Lunch hour doesn’t work, because apparently, the whole IT team--all three of them, it’s like their computers are guarded by an adorable Cerberus.

(Yes, Viktor did mark the page for the IT team in the company’s mug book. why do you ask?)

--seems to take their lunch break at odd hours.

Whyyyy?

“Because it makes sense for them to run diagnosis and tests while we mere humans are out for lunch.”

Georgi, once again the voice of reason.

“Since when are you so logical?”

“Since he is getting laid again.”

“Ah.”

“Mila!”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“...”

“Thought so.”

“Maybe Old man here needs to get laid too to get his remaining grey cells working ag--oww!”

“Yurio, show some respect.”

“Thank you Sara.”

“--for your elders.”

“Fuck you Sara.”

“The job is taken.”

“Eww.”

“Yes, don’t hurt the baby’s sensitive ears with your trash talk.”

“Fuck you Viktor.”

Viktor laughs, leaning back in his chair. “That doesn’t tell me how to, how did you so romantically put it, get laid with my beautiful mystery man.”

“You know his name, he’s not a mystery man anymore--did you actually bring the mug book with you?”

“I needed to look at his face.”

Chris leans over his shoulder to look at the page too. “He’s a cutie,” he says thoughtfully. “The other two are not too shabby either--Sara! Why did you hire only models to be in IT?”

Sara smirks at them. “Eye candy.”

Michele seethes in a corner, and as entertaining as it may be--it so is--that doesn’t help Viktor with his situation.

“Goddammit, Viktor,” Yurio explodes, “if you want to see the IT guy, either go down to the cave or get the IT guy to come up here!”

Now that’s an idea.

“Or you can be a creeper and wait for him and follow him and slaughter him before making a suit out of his skin, for all I care.”

What.

No, the first idea was better.

---

Thus starts the big Week of Viktor Against The Machines.

Unplugging and replugging everything in the wrong order is a pretty easy task, and it gets him the priviledge of looking at Yuuri’s butt wiggling for, oh, only a minute.

But a minute of that particular sight is more than enough to fill a lifetime of fantasies when you’e Viktor Nikiforov.

Even worth the comments about him drooling from … many cubicles actually.

Kicking the router until the Wi-fi network collapses is a job of precision and only done once he has checked that this wouldn’t be too much of a bother.

Mila carries Yurio away for coffee before the young man can start screaming bloody murder, so not bothered.

This time, Yuuri is not alone--he brings his intern with him, a serious looking dude with an extreme focus.

And an undercut.

“Altin,” he says to introduce himself before lifting the router in the air like he’s going to perform Hamlet’s monologue. “Hm.”

Yurio and Mila return just as Viktor manages to invite Yuuri for a drink while Altin repairs the thing--and he doesn’t even embarrass himself in the process.

Lo and behold, Yuuri accepts, checking with the younger man--that he calls Beka for some reason--before returning his attention to Viktor.

Who, frankly, doesn’t know if he can handle that smile without doing something idiotic.

As they walk out, Yurio stands close to the door, eyes wide as they look at Beka Altin working his magic.

Interesting.

Not as interesting as Yuuri talking about how computers are more than electronic circuits, but still.

---

The following day, Yurio waits for Viktor at the entrance with a papercup and a frown.

“Want some help with your mission?”

“My what now?”

“Your mission,” Yurio repeats, shoving the cup in Viktor’s chest. “I figured, the bigger the mess, the longer he’ll stay, the more opportunity you’ll have to charm him because he seems receptive to,” he pauses, gesturing at Viktor’s everything, “this, and the quicker you’ll stop moping.”

Viktor takes a careful sip of the drink and considers his young colleague.

A genius, yes; but Yurio is still very young.

And not very subtle.

“The bigger the mess, the more likely Yuuri is going to bring reinforcement, hm?”

“Look, do you want my help or not?!”

“I do. Thank you, Yuri.”

“Nah, use Yurio, I got used to it.”

“So what’s the plan?”

---

Alright.

Alright.

Maybe they took it one step too far.

Uprooting the whole database from the server, forcing it to halt as if under attack and putting everyone but the IT team on hold was … perhaps a bit much.

Possibly.

Neither Viktor nor Yurio ever denied being over-the-top.

Even with the unhappy frown on Yuuri’s face, it’s worth it, because it means that they need to go back and forth between the servers and the desks for the next two weeks.

(Viktor will totally buy muffins baskets for the team)

“So, Yuuri …”

“Not now.”

There is something new in Yuuri’s voice, something dark, that doesn’t let Viktor completely indifferent.

He fears that there isn’t much Yuuri could do that would make him feel differently.

But that little growl?

Straight to the spank bank.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this command would provoke that reaction,” he still says softly.

He did not, that’s not a lie. Yurio did, though.

Even if it worked beyond even his expectations.

Yuuri sighs, leaning back in Viktor’s chair to look up at him. His hair is pushed back--after pulling at it for hours, it’s almost like Yuuri gelled it--and he took his glasses off.

Viktor could kiss him on sight, for all to see, he’s so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

“I know you didn’t mean to do it,” Yuuri says tiredly, “but you have to understand that your actions have consequences.”

Is Yuuri scolding him?

“That what you do put everybody else in jeopardy.”

Signs point to yes.

“Boss, don’t be so hard on him,” Otabek--Altin’s name, after all--says, eyes on Yurio’s screen while he types line after line of coding. “We should have safe-guarded that command.”

Yurio is perched on the cubicle’s wall like a cat--no surprise there--following Otabek’s every move.

“You can save it, thought, right Beka?”

It’s weird and sweet (sweird?) to see Yurio looking at another human being with so much fondness.

“We can put it back online,” Beka says, “but Yuuri is the only one who can save what has been lost.”

“My hero,” Viktor says softly.

He didn’t expect Yuuri to smirk at him. “Hero, uh?”

“Of course.”

“Does that make you the princess in distress?”

“Of course.”

“Meaning that this is my task to complete to win your hand.”

“It’s already yooo look at the time, gotta run, gotta get … um, coffee. Lots of it. For everybody.”

“Vitya.”

Viktor freezes on the spot, red high on his cheeks.

Yuuri stands up and walks towards him, glasses back on his nose but his hair still pushed back.

Forget about walking, Yuuri Katsuki is stalking towards Viktor.

And Viktor has no intention of going anywhere--what’s a little humiliation in exchange of this sight, this determination aimed at him.

“Will you go on a date with me when I put the system back fully?” Yuuri asks, voice soft yet confident.

Viktor reaches for Yuuri’s hand, and bring it to his lips. “I can’t wait.”

---

And now for a little prologue-epilogue

From the moment Yuuri started working at The Rink, he fell in love with the chief creator Viktor Nikiforov.

Talented, amiable, gorgeous--the man had everything going for him.

Why would he even look in the direction of some IT schmuck like Yuuri?

After the Christmas celebration, which Yuuri only remembered as the Headache From Hell, Yuuri feels a little bit better, like he belongs there. Phichit is a good manager, sure, but Yuuri is the computer wizard.

With Otabek as an intern (and soon a colleague, Yuuri will make sure of that), there is nothing they can’t do, from the basement where they work surrounded by all the machinery.

That doesn’t make his crush on Viktor any less pathetic, but it is a consolation.

“Yuuri, desk 1804 needs you urgently.”

Yuuri rolls closer to Phichit. “Can’t you take over from here?”

“No, no, it’s … important that you go and fix it on sight.”

Yuuri narrows his eyes at his best friend. “Who is station 1804?”

“Why do you care?”

“What are you doing?”

“My job?”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s not Mr. Feltsman, is it?”

“Oh no.”

“Ms. Liliana?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t put you through that.”

“You’re not trying to play matchmaker again, are you?”

Otabek looks at them with a confused look. “Again?”

“He got me drunk at the Christmas party, saying that I just needed a little liquid courage, which, a, it got me nothing except a headache, and b, certainly didn’t work to approach Viktor.”

Otabek’s eyes are all round and wide. “The Christmas party?” he repeats. “The one where--”

“Yuuri, Station 1804 is waiting,” Phichit cuts in, perhaps a bit too loudly to be honest.

But he’s right, and he’s his boss, so Yuuri sighs and goes out.

“This is not over,” he warns Phichit.

Before the door closes, he swears he hears him reply, “This is just the beginning.”

[aidoru-ojisan]

Hey guys, not sure if any of you saw that post I made that was basically a rough summary of the Cute Girls playing In A Metal Band story I wanted to make (if you did you have an idea what this post is about) if not uh... well to sum this up this is basically the rough draft of the first chapter of that series. No intended name has been given to it, I merely gave the chapter the name “Bastard Noise” (this is also a reference to the noise side project of a very influential Powerviolence band, Man Is the Bastard, the genre itself also speaks for the tone o f the series) this is intended to be a rough draft, so no names of characters nor specific designs of characters have fully been thought out yet. This is just me wanting to get feedback and stuff. I intended to have a fully fleshed out 1st chapter soon, I still need to design the characters themselves. So I would be grateful if you can take time to read this rough draft of the first chapter for my “Cute Girls Playing In A Metal Band” series, please do not roast me for terrible writing nor grammar mistakes, I haven’t written in a long time but my passion was recently revived for the art by complete boredom LOL

"You there? What the heck are you doing here? This is no place for a rich brat like you."

What ravenous tone this largely built gruff man spoke to me. I can feel his strong barbaric gaze through the shade his large yet ripped dark hood.

Is this what society calls a "barbarian?" The lack of scent of alcohol or filth tells me this man is not homeless despite wearing the clothing of a homeless man.

Here I was, simply taking a leisure night walk with my husky/german Shepard mix female dog, Laika. Why was I walking her during night despite knowing the dangers of such a time? Simply because it was easier to walk her, despite being well trained Laika was very protective of me around men and many men usually walked during the day time to go to work, lunchtime to enjoy the fleeting breaks they had (not to mention I'm usually having lunch at school that time as well) and the evening is well known for being the time when most people return from work, so nighttime was the perfect time to walk her. 

I had nothing to fear of the night, I'm not that much of "simple rich girl" that is afraid of things I don't have full knowledge of. The night was dark but the street lights and the protective aura Laika surrounded me with gave me a sense of assurance.

That's until...

"Are you deaf? I told you to leave, get out of here already."

Despite seeming to intimidate me, it is almost as if I can see the built hooded man being wooed by the single azure eye Laika had, despite having a very ferocious expression on her face, which her dark brown eye expressed much more than her azure one, to warn the man to not harm me, the man still seemed to be entranced by her. 

Never judge a book by it's cover they say.

Making a small sigh, and slightly patting Laika's head to calm her down, I look into the eyes of the man hidden beneath his dark hood.

"I'm sorry, I'm just little baffled by the situation I'm currently in."

"Well anybody would be" could be heard as the man scoffed and shook his head.

Regaining his composure, the man then does a small sigh while taking out something of his pocket, Laika being wary that it might be a weapon the man takes out a piece of bread from his pocket

"Can she eat this?"

I suppose anybody would be surprised by this outcome, even Laika is, but I for one wasn't. I did a small nod to the man to reassure him it was fine

"She isn't that much of a picky eater, but she may be wary of the person giving her the treat."

Of course the man knew I was implying him, but then I could feel his intimidating aura change into a warm aura. Kneeling down to Laika's level, I could also see all of her wary aura fade away as she took the piece of bread from the man's hand "I'm just glad she didn't get hurt while she was loss."

"More like I'm glad she didn't see you as a mortal threat."

The man made a small chuckle at me as he lightly petted Laika's head, enjoying the warm sight, even I knew that Laika was much more of a trouble maker than this supposed "barbarian" tonight.

As I was walking her down the usual path I always take her, with all her strength, Laika managed to pull me hard enough to break the grip I had on her leash and fall to the side of the path, luckily I was wearing the clothes a "slob" would wear, and my track jersey would already be covered in dust and other dirty things during gym, so I didn't care much despite knowing how expensive this jersey is. 

Yet Laika's sudden burst of energy and escape was very shocking for me, for there was a sudden loud noise that echoed throughout the dark alleyway that even the most absent minded person would know dangers would dwell. yet I was courageous despite my rich girl status.

Even so, the worry I had for Laika's well-being mattered too much for any stereotypical traits to get in the way... Thus as I chased after her to regain control of her, I found her, dark caramel and black fur being shined on by a faint red light, growling at the largely built dark hooded man who was also revealed by the faint red light...

It was reliving to me that both of them no longer showed any sign of intimidation despite the amount they had during their first encounter. Now I can feel assured that me and her will return home safely tonight

"Even though you gave me the chance to pet your dog, don't think I'm still not gonna tell you to get the hell out of this place."

Hmm, it was quite humorous to see him speak those words in a harsh tone as he continued to lightly pet Laika's head.

"I see, not even her cuteness can sway you."

"She's cute but her cuteness isn't enough to change my feelings."

Making a small chuckle as I fixed my rustled caramel hair from chasing after Laika, I then take a small peek past the faint red light

"That loud noise... what was it?"

With faint curiosity, I spoke that question, but it's almost as if the man heard me speak the word “noise”, I can feel an aura of anger emit from him. Laika becoming more conscious of him, the man stood up as Laika moved back to protect me

"Noise"?..."

Hmm? Why does it appear the man is so displeased with me speaking that word, that is what brought Laika here no?...

"I'm merely curious, since my dog came rushing over here as soon as she heard it."

Most of the man's intimidating aura faded with a small chuckle he made as I spoke that sentence

"Your dog has good taste."

"Good taste"?..."

I spoke with a confused expression, does he mean for food? I doubt that, since Laika really has no preference for her meals, she eats whatever I feed her, high quality or low quality pieces of bread like the man gave her before.

"The dog is probably old enough to know what she heard compared to you."

That's right, Laika was about 2 years old, in human years that should be about 20 and I just turned 14 not too long ago...

"Wait? Is this noise she heard can only be heard by adults? I do know that dogs can hear certain volumes of noise compared to humans-"

"Noise Noise Noise..."

As I was about to finish my sentence, the man's intimidating aura returned, Laika becoming more protective of me, can just me speaking the word "noise" be triggering the man? "Is there an issue with me speaking the word Noise-"

"IT'S NOT NOISE GODDAMMIT!"

Backing away a bit as the man burst out his rage. Laika started to ferociously bark to warn the man to not come any closer to me

"Oh... I'm sorry... I just get pissed off when people call Metal "noise"..."

"Metal?..."

As the man calmed himself down, he softly apologized, Laika becoming less wary of him, I was confused yet curious. 

"Metal" can he be speaking of the material?

"Well it's technically Grindcore mixed with Powerviolence and Noise but eh, it's all Metal."

The man just uttered words I couldn't comprehend, but didn't he just speak the word that "pisses" him off?

"Ah, I'm sorry you look kinda lost."

"Of course I am, you are speaking of things that are alien to me."

The man scratching his head in humility, I then made a small giggle,

"Yet... I feel a great passion in your words, do you love this Metal you speak of?"

As I spoke that sentence, I can almost see the man's eyes, which were covered by the darkness of his hood light up

"Love?... Metal is my life."

As he uttered that sentence, I felt the strongest passion I have ever felt in my life imminent from them, for in this world, bound to a specific life style and set of rules, even I have never felt such a passion like this for anything.

"You look surprised by what I just said, surprised a dude like me can talk that way?"

The man made a wry smile as he spoke those words, shaking my head, I then made a small chuckle

"I'm surprised that any person in the world we live in can have the amount of passion you have."

As I spoke, I can see the man making a displeasure smile while I spoke the words "in the world we live in."

"The world we live in... It's fuc- messed up you know?"

Trying his best to not curse despite his displeasure, he probably did it due to my young age, since a young person my age shouldn't even know such words.

"Messed up?..."

Certainly what he spoke of was confusing me, in a world that would be considered the "perfect utopia" how is it messed up?...

"Can't you see?... we are caged up in this world, we have to follow the rules this society set out for us, we can't talk about anything we want, heck we can't even express ourselves..."

I did know this world only became the "perfect utopia" it is now through setting out certain laws and lifestyles for its people... but all of those laws and lifestyles were meant to ward "evils" and "chaos" that would disturb the foundation of this utopia the government and the people built... can it be?

"Is Metal one of the evil things that are forbidden?..."

As I finished my sentence, the man slammed his fist onto the alley brick wall, Laika becoming protective of me once again, the man clenched his teeth in frustration

"Even then in that time we could do what we wanted... no one really cared about us but... we did, but now... we can't do what we want anymore, everyone who loved Metal back then is now too scared because of this whole system... we've been reduced to just a small pack of dudes, trying our best to keep Metal alive... cause like how Dio said... "I am Metal, I'll never die. We are Metal, we'll never die..."

I did not know of this Dio persona, but the words that the man quoted from them... such great passion and love can be felt behind them...

"All of these emotions you are displaying... is Metal truly "evil?"

Speaking those words with a strong convection, the man's eyes came into contact with mine, his dark brown iris, showing a great fire despite the darkness of the alley and hood covering them in shadows

"Heh, the way you spoke those words, your plain brown eyes are pretty as your dog's one blue eye."

"Thank you for the kind words... but your answer to my question, please."

Despite his quite flattering yet insulting statement, he then takes a deep breath in and sighs, letting loose all the tension that his body got from the multitude of emotions our conversation brought him.

Gazing at me with the same passionate dark brown eyes he had before, he then calmly speaks. 

"Metal was never evil or good."

The convection he spoke those words with, I felt my heart stop for a moment... his statement was simply that powerful "Here take this."

Approaching me and handing me a blank white CD held withing a plastic case, he then whispers in my ear "Even though being young, you seem mature enough to know what Metal is, listen to that when no one is around, with earphones or something."

The serious tone he whispered these step of actions I needed to take, truly I knew if I was found out with this I would find myself in a unsatisfactorily situation.

Moving back to the area he stood, near the opening where the dim red light shined, he then sighs,

"Not everything on there is too heavy, just promise to listen to it all at a safe level of volume OK?"

Hmm... Of course I knew that, listening to any form of music at high volumes can damage ones hearing but remembering how loud the noise from before was, I have the idea that this "Metal" is especially loud

"Yes, I shall be taking my leave now... thank you for having this conversation with me. It was quite interesting."

"Be glad your dog was here, she's the only reason why I even considered talking to ya."

As the man smiled at Laika, she did a happy bark at him, making a small giggle I then make a small smile at him

"Never judge a book by it's cover... I guess that saying is true, despite looking like a dangerous man, you seem like quite a passionate man who is fond of dogs as well."

"H-ha? Go home already kid, I better not see you round these parts again."

I can see the man being quite embarrassed by my statement, making a small giggle once again as I turned away, I then spoke one final sentence to him before leaving,

"Who knows? Maybe this CD and your passion will be enough to make me come here again."

"I SWEAR- Hey! Kid! Don't rich girls like you know manners! HEY! Don't walk away when I'm not done talking to ya!"

Giving him a farewell wave as me and Laika were leaving the dark alleyway, I can hear him laugh as we were leaving...

Yet who knew the words that I spoke to him would become true... his passion and "Metal" were enough to awake something withing me that I never knew that a simple rich girl like me would have... that something that awoke was...

"YOU BASTARDS F**KING READY????!!!"

Screaming my lungs out before the mob of people that appeared nothing more than pigs trapped within cages filled with their own feces, the heat that all our bodies brought into the whole area was enough to give one a heatstroke, the area was enveloped by a crimson red from the bright stage light that shined upon me and my fellow comrades beside me... it was almost as red as the fire within are hearts... the ravenous rage that burned like a flame, that flame wanting to burn down the system that oppressed our true selves, the system that kept us silence... 

"NOW, LET US DESTROY THIS F***ING SYSTEM WITH THE VERY “EVIL” AND “CHAOS” THIS SYSTEM TRIES SO HARD TO KEEP FROM US!!!!"

As I felt my throat burning from my roars of rage, the double bass and cymbals of a drum were being pounded on creating a destructive wave of sound, a bass with a sound so disgusting and dissonant, it made my stomach turn, one lead guitar and rhythm guitar erupting a chaotic sound... the whole stage and room became a room fulled with rage and chaotic passion

[sadwriterdude-blog]

Chapter Numero Uno

well i’ve decided to start to even try and write, but don’t expect anything good it’s gonna be trash. i’d still like to know ur feedback tho so yeah, idrk how experts label this part but like uhm warning, this shit gets heavy

___________________________________________________

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! “Ugh…” Lying against the hard pavement, a small brown boy of about 15 years twitched as the harsh sound of the alarm kept blaring throughout the enclosed alleyway. He stumbled out of his sleeping bag and looked around, hoping that the last 4 years of his life were just a dream. The ground i was weathered to a point where it was smooth, and so gray that it almost looked black. He grabbed the alarm and broke what was left of the old thing on his knee. The dilapidated alarm shattered, giving him a deep cut across his right palm. “Goddammit!” He made his way over to his backpack and pulled out a long roll of gauze. He slowly wrapped the gauze on his palm. The cut was still bleeding, and even though it disgusted the young child, he was fascinated by it. He was enamored by the cut so much, he smoothed over it with his other palm until his right hand was scarlet red. He picked up his backpack, a giant black messenger bag and stuffed his sleeping bag inside. He threw the bag over his shoulder and trudged out of the alleyway, into the sunlight. The moment he stepped onto the sidewalk, the brightness hit him from every direction. He was blinded, lurching backward into a man at least twice his size. “Watch it, punk,” said the man, in a grave voice, weathered down by the years of stress, pain, and tiredness. The homeless adolescent raised his hands out of instinct, ready for a punch to impact against his weak arms. After a minute of complete stillness, the young boy peeked between his arms and studied the lumbering giant. The man’s face was sagging from the weight of the multiple chins he possessed. The chins were covered with what barely passed as a beard, and looked more like a raccoon’s carcass. The man was balding and he had small, green beady eyes. His lower torso was bulging so much, it almost touched to his rounded knees. The man’s face had twisted into an expression that remotely resembled pity. “I’m not gonna hit you, kid.” He slowly brought the young boy’s arms down off his face with his own giant, but surprisingly soft, hands. “My name’s Howard, but you can call me Howie. What’s your name?” The teenager, confused, shrugged. “I-I’ve never r-r-really had a n-n-name before,” he whispered timidly. The man looked indignant. “What?! Kid, everyone has a name! Let’s give you one,” the man said, livid. “Hmm, let’s see. Maybe Jasper!” The boy shook his head from left to right. “How about…. Jackson?” The boy shook his head even faster than last time. “Ok kid, you’re making this hard.” The man stroked his chins. “Ok, I’ve got the perfect name! Rico!” The kid shrugged. “C’mon, Rico is amazing!” “I-I-I g-guess.” With a name, the boy felt empowered. Controlling. Powerful. Strong. He finally had an identity. Before this, he was the unwanted child on the street, everyone picking onhim. He’d survived off of pure, carnal rage. Fighting and clawing his way out of skeptical situations. At the age of 12, he’d already been on a daily dose of crack cocaine. At 9, he was in dogfights, against full grown adults, all ready to strangle his scrawny mistake of a body, which was marred in scars. All of them were long and slender. Things weren’t…. great at home. When a home had even existed. Now it was a hazy memory, lost in the brutality of life on the streets. The innocence of his childhood had been eradicated completely when he’d been cast out. Thrown away. Rico blinked, snapping out of his trance. The man was peering at him, concerned. “Kid, do you wanna come home with me tonight? Houston is a pretty rough city at night.” Rico scoffed. He’d be the first one to know that. “O-Ok, sure. Thanks, Howie!” Howie waved it off. “Aw, it’s nothing kid.” The large man reached out to hold Rico’s hand. Rico hesitated, scared he would notice his scars. Reluctantly, he firmly grasped Howie’s hand and they started walking down the street. Rico’s mind was in tatters, still not understanding the fact he was going to sleep in a bed. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. He kept repeating the pattern in his head, in fear of tripping and falling. After walking for what seemed like eons, they reached a small, broken down apartment. But it was enough for Rico. He rushed inside and found a small room with a bed, a TV, a desk, and a couch. Leading into another room was a kitchen, that was so old it was growing mold on the kitchenware. On the other side of the apartment was a balcony, that led out to the greatest view Rico had ever seen. He could see most of Downtown Houston from the balcony. He rushed back inside and jumped on the bed, bounced once, and laid down. Sighing in relief, Rico noticed that the stench of the room was familiar, like cookies and family. It made him feel safe. Curling up, he started snoring immediately. Howie looking at him, smiling that he could finally make someone’s life better. After what he had done, he had needed to do that. Before all of it ended. He went over to his desk and pulled out a cloth and a bottle filled with liquid. He wet the cloth and put it over Rico’s face. There. He won’t wake up now. He went once more over to the desk. This time, he pulled out a gun, and threw it from hand to hand, deciding. Starting to cry, he put the gun to his head. He slowly whispered, “I-I’m so sorry.” With his hands now sweating all of a sudden, he harshly pulled the trigger. POP! And Rico didn’t hear a thing.