#cause whoever installs that shit needs her and her skills

[pearsonspearson]

The most irritating thing about 911 is the fact that they decided to make Angela’s wig grow over the seasons like 😭😭😭

[katsuukiwii]

Proud- Levi X Reader Chapter Ten

Chapter 10: “New Behavior” Chapter Warnings: Language, suggestive material, teen (OF AGE) working in a sex shop, sex toys mentioned, mention of sex

I provide definitions for sex toys at the end so you don’t have to look them up!

Spoiler (check after reading chapter): Based off of this post that I REALLY REALLY LIKED

Also I have three reqs that I will be working of after this! I go latest req to most recent req

He walks down the hall, knocking on Liam’s door, checking if he’s awake. After getting no response, he opens the door, seeing the brunette lying in bed, asleep. Levi walks over, placing a hand on the boy's small shoulder and shaking him softly, he speaks in a low, gentle voice, “Liam? It’s time to wake up buddy, you have school today.” The boy grumbles, sitting up and looking at Levi angrily. Any other parent would be upset, but waking up extremely pissed off was a normal Ackerman thing, and spending the rest of the day LOOKING pissed off, was also an Ackerman thing. 

He gives the boy a kiss on the cheek before telling him to come downstairs for breakfast. Levi walks down, setting some pancakes on the table with two pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs. Liam woke up every morning with a proper, healthy meal! Levi, woke up with toasted pop tarts and tea. He turns to look at the doorway as Liam arrives. He sets a plate on the table and the boy hops up, taking a bite of the pancakes happily! “Thank you Papa,” Levi raises a brow as he notices the boy mutter the same words under his breath, “You’re welcome bud.” He smirks, knowing that he’s never seen Liam do that before, but he brushes it off, ‘It’s probably just one of those weird things that kids do.’

So, he goes back upstairs, gets a shower, gets dressed, and grabs his phone, messaging Mike.

Levi (6:46am)

“Hey, wanna go to the gym later?”

Mike (6:48am)

“Sure! But I thought we just went 

the other day?”

Levi (6:48am) 

“Yeah, but it’s boring here. I was 

thinking maybe I’d let (Y/N) 

meet Liam?”

Mike (6:49am)

“Awww, you have a crush”

“She’s really nice and keeps her 

house clean so i thought u 

would like that lmao”

Levi (6:49am)

“You went to her house?”

Mike (6:49am)

“Shit, that sounds bad-”

“Me and violet hit it off, so i 

went to hang out with her”

And they were roommates

Levi (6:50am) 

“Jesus fucking christ i hate you.”

Mike (6:50am)

“See you at the gym”

Levi (6:50am)

“See you”

He puts his phone in his pocket, grabbing his gym bag and walking back downstairs, seeing Liam’s now empty plate at the table. Putting the plate in the sink, he steps into the living room, chuckling at the small boy watching cartoons and giggling. He scoops Liam up in his arms, causing him to squeal, “Papa! Put me down!” Despite his words, he giggles as Levi spins him around once, kissing both of his cheeks, his forehead, and his nose before sitting him back down, “Okay, okay. There you go.”

The boy gives him a hug before they get ready to leave. He hands Liam his coat, letting him put that on while Levi tosses on his own, lifting the warm hood over his head before wrapping Liam’s scarf around him carefully. The snow had started to really come down, so he had to make sure his son was warm. “Okay, go grab your back pack,” Liam goes upstairs, coming back down a few minutes later with his bag. 

He sets the boy in the car that was already warm (he lets it run for a few minutes) and tosses his gym bag in the back next to Liam. After that, he grabs his own backpack and sets it on the floor of the car. He hops in, putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the driveway before finally rolling down the road. 

...

Levi had just dropped Liam off at Erwin’s and was now about to start work, he looks at the time, 5pm, knowing that it’s finally time to start his shift. He walks out to the front counter, checking around the shop and making sure it all looked clean, after about 15 minutes of that somebody walks in. 

“Welcome to ‘Does Your Mother Know?’, what are you looking fo-”

Levi stops mid sentence, the woman stares at him, before looking over at the sex toys on display, then to the racks of porn flicks and lingerie, then back to him, “Uhh...Hi, (Y/N).”

“I didn’t know you worked here! Do you get discounts?” Levi’s eyes widen, confused as to why she wasn’t mad, “Yeah, I do...Why do you wanna know anyway?” Levi smirks as (Y/N) shakes her head, “I just wanted to. Might come in handy one day. ANYWAY-I was gonna let whoever was working here know that I’m about to install the Christmas decorations!”

Levi raises his brow in acknowledgement, “You’re doing the installation?” She nods, “Mhm! I’m a landscaper, but you can’t really do that in the colder months. So near Christmas time I go around and hang up a bunch of decorations!” He smiles at her enthusiasm, taking her hand and spinning her in a circle as she giggles. 

“Okay then. If you need any help let me know.” She turns, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “This is my job, I bet I could do better than you.” He hums in agreement, hugging her before letting her step outside, the sky already getting dark, illuminated by the street lights and signs that are lit from the shop.

...

It doesn’t take long until Levi steps outside, the snow falling heavily as he noticed (Y/N) on a ladder, hanging decorations, “(Y/N)!” After hearing him shout up at her, she looks down, them shouting back and forth at each other, “What?”

“Do you need more light? If you want, you can take a break! After my shift ends I’ll help you out!” She smiles, covering the lights from the snow and stepping down carefully, quickly moving into Levi’s arms where he takes her into the shop to warm up. “Thank you...When does your shift end?”

“About ten. It’s eight now, but I assume it takes a while.”

She nods her head, “It does. Thank you baby.” He suddenly noticed the nickname, his face now turning a light shade of pink, “Uh, yeah...No problem. Do you wanna go get a drink? There’s a Olive Garden down the street, you can go get something to drink, maybe some breadsticks, and then come back?” (Y/N) nods, giving him yet another hug before exiting happily, past another person who was entering, “Oh, hi Mike!”

“Well, well, well. What are you up to here?” Mike smirks as Levi rolls his eyes, “She’s the one installing the Christmas lights, dude. Why are YOU here?”

Mike giggles as (Y/N) leaves, getting into her car and driving over to the Olive Garden, “Well, I do need a new fleshlight BUT THATS NOT WHY I’M HERE. I wanted to ask when we’re gonna go workout, because I know it’s not tonight.” 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I thought we’d be able to, but I’m working late. But I am off tomorrow, so we can go whenever you want,” Mike nods before looking around the shop, grabbing a fleshlight off of one of the shelves and setting it on the counter, “That’s 75 dollars. Pay up.” Mike hands him the money and he sets in the register, “Alright, there’s your fleshlight, freak. Get out.” Mike laughs, knowing the Levi’s joking.

Anybody else would think he’s being serious, but in reality, he couldn’t care less, and that’s why he worked in a sex shop. There was no shaming people, even if he didn’t like it. To sex shop workers, it was simply buying what you needed to get off, and it was far better than buying toys online. That way you could actually see and feel to make sure it suited your preferences and tastes! Most people thought only creeps worked there, but truthfully, you needed to have very good people skills, and be willing to openly talk to people about something so private.

...

The lights were finally up, with Levi’s help! Of course, (Y/N) did do most of the work, but regardless, she was grateful. The two hold each other, looking up at the bright decorations and lights, “Y’know...For a sex shop, you gave it a really good look.” She swats his arm playfully before looking into his eyes. They pull each other closer, sharing a soft kiss and pulling back, just barely, before deciding they both wanted yet another one, making this one a bit longer. 

They finally pull back, panting slightly, before (Y/N) speaks, “How much time do you have until you have to get home?” Levi checks his phone, setting it in his coat pocket, “Maybe half an hour, why?”

“....A quickie?” Levi smirks as he feels (Y/N) fingers run over his undercut, sending chills down his spine, “I’m trying to show you I’m better than that! I think your genuinely nice, and I don’t just wanna fuck you.”

“So...That’s a no?”

“It’s a yes, I’m just saying-”

And so, they spent those thirty minutes in the back of Levi’s car, hidden behind the store. What a night.

[jisungsmochi]

the bubble tea girl - ljn

bubble tea shop worker! reader + new employee! jeno hehe 

just a shit ton of fluff tbh i am so soft for jeno 

word count: 3.5k 

a/n: this is the second instalment of my nct dream job au hehe, please enjoy and as usual, i apologise for any mistakes :)) p.s look how cute he is 

//

you were standing outside the bubble tea store you worked at called, Tea-riffic. totally cheesy, but very popular. you were hanging up a ‘now hiring’ sign at the front window of the store. your manager was seeking new employees as many of your previous co workers had outgrown the small franchise and moved onto bigger job opportunities, you couldn’t really blame them. you had worked there for a little less than a year, and quite enjoyed your job.

after securing the sign, you headed back into the store to continue working. shortly after you had served a few customers, you noticed a boy with round glasses, wearing a black hoodie and some sweatpants, stop to read the sign outside. he made eye contact with you through the window, causing you to lose your train of thought and forget which order you needed to start. you saw him chuckle to himself at your actions but chose to disregard it and continue with your order.

part of you hoped that he would come back and apply, but that was just you being delusional.

the next day you came into work was three days later. you greeted your fellow coworkers before heading to the back to start on orders.

‘hey y/n, we got fresh meat’ your coworker, yeji joked. it was a term you used for all new employees, meaning someone had just applied and gotten a trial shift.

‘ahh yes, someone to torment’ you giggle before following her to a different area in the back, waiting to be introduced to the new trainee.

‘hey guys this is jeno, he’s here for a trial shift, i entrust that you will take care of him and help him if he asks’ your manager stated as you looked over at the boy. it was the same boy from days before but only this time, he wasn’t wearing glasses. you gave him a shy smile in which he returned.

‘y/n, since you’ve been here the longest out of everyone, could you just help him out today?’ your manager ordered as you nodded in response, ‘sure thing’

jeno looked stunned when he heard that you would be training him. he quickly followed you out to the registers.

‘i’ll formally introduce myself, i’m y/n’ you smile as you put your hand out for him to shake. he looked at you with his eye smile and returned your gesture,

‘ah hi i’m jeno’

‘great, now that we got that out of the way...working here isn’t as easy as you may think. everyone has a spillage count, i’m up to ten drinks in my entire time here.’ jeno chuckled softly at your words, making you pause for a bit before leading him to the register.

‘for now i’ll just show you how to take orders and later today we can switch over to the actual drinks, sound good?’ you gave him a friendly look, which made his nerves about this job, die down.

‘yeah that’s fine with me’ he responded as you began explaining the functions of the register as well as what questions to ask for the orders. to your surprise, jeno got the hang of it really quickly. it also helped that he was on the better looking side, as many girls would often stare at him for extended periods of time before collecting their order. you just shook your head in amusement before tapping his shoulder.

‘yes, y/n? how did i do?’ he asked, concerned about his progress.

‘trust me, you’re doing well! now this is the hard part, i’ll give you three chances if you mess up an order, it’s stated in the rules otherwise you can’t get hired. but i’m here to help!’ you assure him as he nervously bit his lip. he didn’t respond to you, which made you kind of upset to see him like this. you placed your hand on his shoulder before reassuring,

‘don’t overthink it, otherwise you’ll be prone to messing up! i’m here with you’ he looked over to you and just smiled and nodded,

‘thank you’ he muttered as you pulled him towards the drink station and started on your first order.

he often got confused along the way but eventually he started picking up the pace, with only having messed up one order, which he made up by apologising sweetly to the girl who just accepted the wrong drink anyway due to his innocent charm.

‘dang jeno, you have to stop charming these ladies otherwise we’ll have to make you work here every single day!’ you decided to joke, pushing his shoulder against yours.

‘my badddd’ he softly whined before your manager approached the both of you.

‘jeno, you’ve done really well today. your communication skills and work ethic has impressed me, you can start working here, i’ll email your roster to you soon’ they smiled as jeno gave you a high five, before thanking your manager.  

‘thanks for helping me today, y/n! i should treat you to something, want some tea?’ jeno offered, eyes bright.

‘jeno, i work at a bubble tea shop, i’ve had enough of tea for one day, let’s go get burgers, and we can get to know eachother since well we’ll be working together alot’ you offered in return, which made his entire face light up.

‘t-that sounds amazing, when should we go?’ he asked, pushing his hair back with his hand as he leans against the counter.

‘how about right now? i mean we are both off our shifts’ you keep smiling as jeno suddenly becomes more shy, he just nods and follows you out of the shop.

the rest of the night was spent with you and jeno talking about the most random things from the mandela effect to the tv show, teen wolf.

‘i’m telling i sobbed when allison died’ jeno explained to you as you were both seated across from eachother.

‘i felt that one, and aww you cried? that’s not very manly of you’ you sarcastically joked. he flashed you another eye smile which frankly just made you melt on the spot.

‘it’s getting late, i should head home. would you like me to walk you back to the shop?’ jeno offered, waiting for you to finish the last bite of the burger.

‘if you don’t mind! i don’t like walking alone when it’s dark’ you shyly admitted watching as he just nodded. you both walked side by side, continuing your conversation on which was the ultimate ship in teen wolf.

‘stydia!! come on! you can’t even deny it’ jeno became rambling making you want to argue back, playfully.

‘excuse me! theo and liam!’ you joked as he just rolled his eyes,

‘they weren’t even a couple’ he shook his head in amusement.

‘yeah yeah’ you muttered, softly judging him. it surprised you how easy it was to get along with him. he felt the same. jeno didn’t want this day to end.

‘i’ll see you tomorrow for your first official shift! glad you joined us, jeno!’ you smiled brightly as you both stopped outside the shop.

‘i’m glad i have you guiding me! get home safely! see you tomorrow!’ jeno waved before crossing the street to catch the next bus.

you made sure he got on the correct one before heading towards your car and driving home.

a few weeks into the job and things were sailing smoothly as usual. yeji’s spill count went up to twelve, making her the contender for the clumsiest employee you’ve had. jeno on the other hand, has had a whopping zero spills, which had you shocked.

‘you’re way too good at this! you probably worked at another store or something, was it the place a few blocks down?’ you playfully grilled him as you both were on your break.

‘let’s face it, i’m good at everything’ he just smirked before continuing to type on his phone.

you and jeno had somewhat gotten close, he didn’t attend your school, so you only crossed paths during work, but it was enough that you would both chatter the day away.

‘can one of you guys head out to the registers now? i’m off’ yeji greets as she hangs up her apron and grabs her bag, before waving to you both and leaving the store.

‘lets just both go’ jeno shrugs, shutting off his phone as you both made your way to the front. you decided you were gonna wipe down some tables whilst jeno serves customers. you were finished your final table when you saw jeno speaking to a girl who by the looks of her face, was becoming annoyed with him.

you slowly crept behind the counter, pretending you were organising the cups while eavesdropping on their conversation.

‘you can’t show up to my workplace’ jeno groans, trying to keep his calm. the girl crossed her arms before huffing in annoyance,

‘we have to talk soon! you can’t keep avoiding me’ she whines back, making you wonder what exactly they had to talk about.

‘what’s there left to say? we aren’t together anymore. you said no hard feelings, so stop following me around’ jeno seems to have fully lost it, unaware that his voice is becoming louder.

‘you can’t stop me, we have to discuss it all eventually’ the girl mutters under her breath in defeat before storming out of the store. jeno rubbed his temples, visibly shaken by the whole confrontation. you debated on whether or not you should comfort him. you looked over at him, he was hunched over behind the register.

‘you alright?’ you softly ask, unsure of his reaction.

‘yeah just fine, uh do you mind covering for me? i’m not feeling well at the moment’ jeno pleads, giving you the most vulnerable look you had ever seen from him. you nodded, ‘no problem, anything for a friend. feel better soon’ you smile softly before watching as he pat your shoulder and rushed out of the store.

whoever that girl was, clearly means or meant a lot to him.

you didn’t see him for a couple of days, mainly because he had called in sick for some of his shifts which made you worry. it wasn’t like you two were super duper close, but you thought he was close enough to atleast give you some explanation as to what went down a few days prior. you shook the thoughts of jeno out of your head, ready to serve the next customer.

‘hello! what would you like today?’ you smiled widely, before your expression almost instantly changed. it was the same girl from before, staring back at you.

‘is jeno working today?’ she got straight to the point, leaving you stunned.

‘oh um no he isn’t working today, i’m sorry’ you reply in the kindest way you could.

‘could you tell him i stopped by? my name is euntae’ she groaned to herself before leaving the store.

she had a lot of nerve to speak to you with disrespect, you were immediately alarmed by her presence, thus leading you to tell jeno all that happened when he had his next shift.

‘god she came again?’ jeno pulled at his hair, visibly frustrated with the presence of euntae.

‘who is she anyway? like your girlfriend or something?’ part of you was wishing he would say no.

‘used to be, not anymore. things ended badly and she’s just been following me at school and now work’ jeno sighed, sitting in the break room. you sat next to him and placed a hand to his shoulder.

‘do you want to talk about it?’ you calmly asked.

‘not really, it’s just, she hurt me bad. and i thought that keeping myself occupied would get my mind off the breakup but look what happened’ he placed his head in his hands. you felt so bad for him, you wished you could just embrace him.

‘well, how about we do something? like go to the park and ride bikes? anything to help you get your mind off her. and if you need, i’ll just give a heads up when she’s coming and you can duck under the counters’ you explained as he chuckled at that last part. his laugh made you feel warm inside.

‘you’d really do that for me? you’re amazing’ he muttered, not helping your nerves one bit. you blushed at his words and nodded,

‘as i said, anything for a friend’ you smiled at him in which he returned. why did that hurt you to say?

as you both expected, later that day, eunjae walked into the store, eyes out for jeno. you quickly signalled to him to duck in which he immediately caught on to.

‘sorry jeno’s not here’ you instantly stated, startling her.

‘did you tell him i came by?’ she crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.

‘he hasn’t been at work, sorry’ you shrug before walked away to complete orders. eunjae glared at you before storming out once again.

‘oh thank god, you are an angel’ jeno gives you a quick hug, instantly pulling away. you still treasured that fraction of intimacy with him, you’d wish he just do it again.

the next week, jeno came into work, greeting you with a quick side hug before beginning to take orders.

you and yeji were making drinks when she started interrogating,

‘what’s up with you and jeno?’ she smirks.

‘nothing, there’s nothing’ you mutter, making it clear you were upset.

‘oh sweetie, do you like him?’ yeji frowned,

‘i’m not sure’ you sigh, looking over at the black haired boy who never stopped smiling it seemed. he had this aura about him that you couldn’t stray away from. maybe it was because you were both stuck at work and forced to communicate but you wanted to hang out with him outside of work, it just never came up.

later that day, you were munching on some fruit you had packed for your break, before jeno came in and took a seat across from you.

‘hey y/n, care to share?’ he smiled, which you couldn’t resist so you shoved the box of fruit towards him, causing him to let out a small chuckle.

‘any plans for the weekend?’ you started,

‘umm actually my school is having its junior prom. i wasn’t gonna go but my friends keep bugging me about it’ jeno shrugged, but the idea of prom to you, was a dream. your school didn’t really hold many dances or events, so this was all very exciting.

‘oh my god! that’s exciting, i missed prom last year because i had to take the late shift here. and my school isn’t having one this year. you’re lucky you get to have one, you should totally go.’ you excitedly blurted, as jeno watched you with such captivating eyes. he couldn’t get enough of your little rambles.

‘i might go, on one condition’ he gives you a grin in which you have him a confused expression.

‘you come to prom with me?’ he asked, figuratively crossing his fingers behind his back. you were startled by his question, you and jeno? going to prom together?  would people ask questions?

‘wow i mean, if you’re okay with it, i would love to go with you to prom! i mean, like a date right?’ you accidentally blurted the last part in which you instantly regretted.

jeno flushed red before responding,

‘if you want it to be then sure, i’m down’ his response made you internally celebrate. jeno had a way with words. as well as his constant facial expressions.

you were going to prom, finally. also with lee jeno. two things you never expected to happen.

friday came along, for once jeno and you decided to hang out, outside of work. he took you to a park, to ride bikes, like you had suggested before.

‘slow down!! i have small and weak legs!’ you yell as jeno laughs hysterically in front of you.

‘oh stop being a baby!’ he comes to a halt in which you followed.

‘let’s go get a drink’ jeno smiled before pulling his bike with him to the nearest cafe. you both ordered a berry smoothie, taking a seat on a bench and chatting away.

‘so, any run ins with euntae lately?’ you teased while sipping on your drink. jeno just chuckled softly before replying,

‘i’ve actually spoken to her at school. i cleared everything up on my end. and for the most part i think she took it well? we aren’t on total bad terms’ you nodded at his words, glad that he was finally able to live freely.

‘that’s great! i’m happy for you’ you smiled as jeno looked over at you. you looked so huggable, like you needed someone to just embrace you forever. jeno wanted to be that person for you. but he would wait until prom for all the events to unfold.

you and jeno arrived at the prom separately, due to jeno’s pre prom plans with his friends, in which you didn’t want to interrupt. jeno’s eyes landed on you, standing at the front of the hall, hands gripped together and looking to the ground. he smiled to himself at how adorable you looked.

‘hey there’ he spoke, giving you a small shock before you slapped his shoulder lightly.

‘don’t sneak up on me please!’ you whine as you fixed your dress.

‘you look really pretty, y/n. i’m so glad you could come and accompany me’ jeno looked into your eyes which made you freeze. he had this glint of sparkle in them, which you couldn’t stop staring into.

‘hello?’ he flashed you an eye smile, which pulled you out of your daze.

‘oh uh sorry, spaced out. you look really good too, its a pleasure to be here’ you smiled back, trying to hide the blush that crept to your cheeks.

‘gosh, you don’t have to be so formal! let’s go inside!’ he chuckled before pulling you, while linking his fingers with yours. your palms were clammy and you hoped he didn’t notice. the prom, for the most part, consisted of you and jeno standing by the food and refreshment tables, eating and talking. there was some dancing, until you were pushed into the dance circle and could only remember the choreo to fancy.

‘you have some killer moves, y/n’ jeno teased whilst sipping on his drink, you rolled your eyes before pushing him till he lost balance.

‘let’s go outside, too many people here’ jeno locked his fingers with ours once again, which couldn’t make you stop blushing.

you both situated yourselves on the staircase outside the hall, the only people there being the security but they were ready to clock off for the night.

jeno didn’t let go of your interlocked fingers, which you didn’t mind at all.

‘can i tell you something?’ jeno blurted, looking into your eyes with an expression you couldn’t comprehend.

‘is it bad or good?’ you questioned, slightly feeling anxious for his response.

‘you can decide. i just wanted to tell you that, the reason i applied for the job at the shop was to uh, be friends with you’ jeno admitted, completely turning red. you were shocked at his words, your hand reaching to cover your mouth.

‘jeno! why would you- how? god you’re so lame!’ you giggled, softly slapping his shoulder while your fingers remained intertwined.

‘hey! i thought you were really pretty and you seemed so nice, i just had to get to know you!’ jeno blurted out even more, which kept making you giggle.

‘you could have just come into the store instead of staring at me like a creeper’ you teased as his eyes widened,

‘wait you saw that?’

‘yes! i thought you were cute too, don’t worry’ you smiled at him in which he returned the gesture.

‘what i’m trying to say with all of this is that, i really like you. like, you make my days worth while. when i was going through a tough time with my ex, you had my back and always helped me through it. i’m so grateful to have met you, i just can’t get you out of my head” you stopped him from speaking,

‘jeno can you just kiss me please?’ you whisper, bringing yourself closer to his face, your noses touching.

‘w-what?’ he stutters, as you reach to grab the sides of his face.

‘let me kiss you, lee jeno!’ you rolled your eyes playfully as he nodded eagerly. you pulled his lips to yours as he reached to grab onto your sides. kissing jeno was like everything you had imagined. he was gentle, and cautious, yet passionate and warm. you both pulled away, only centimetres apart.

‘wanna go get some tea?’ he joked as you pull him in for another short kiss.

‘you’re so lame, but i guess that’s why i like you’ you replied before intertwining your fingers again and walking with him to his car.

lee jeno was non stop adventure. he was unpredictable. yet, you couldn’t get him out of your head even if you tried.

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia - Chapter 72: Summer Shorts Part 1

Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here

Shota Shinso in Student-Teacher Conference

At the knocking at his apartment door, Shota Shinso paused the video he’d been watching, a special counting down the top ten most amazing Hero battles from the previous year.  The votes for the battles had come from an online poll, which he’d voted in, so they were probably a little on the biased side rather than being truly objective or anything like that.  But he had to admit that most of the ones which had made the cut were the same ones he would have chosen.  

Unsurprisingly, Uncle Izuku had made the list twice, for his fights against Doom-Fist and the Maximums. Shoto was on the list two times as well; Ingenium and Gale Force had both made it on there once, as had Kestrel and Rodeo.  Red Riot and Real Steel shared a spot on the list.  And then there had been Ground Zero’s battle against Megastorm…

He’d had to fast forward through that.  It had sent his mind flashing back to the day of the Nomu attack.  He’d heard the sounds of tearing flesh and the Nomu’s terrible scream. His hands had felt wet with Ground Zero’s blood as he’d desperately tried to provide what first aid he could.  His nostrils had filled with the coppery smell…

It had taken everything he had not to scream and destroy the apartment. At least with Mom and Dad both at work, there hadn’t been anyone else around to see.

He’d been doing so well.   He’d actually passed his exams at school and made good use of his Quirk during the Heroics final exam.  He was able to be around Kirishima-Bakugo without flinching or expecting her to be mad at him.  He only had nightmares about it every so often.  

He hadn’t counted on what actually seeing Ground Zero would do to him.  Shota had been doing a good job of keeping himself from thinking about him. He’d hidden away his Ground Zero posters, statues, toys, and other merchandise.  He’d set his phone and internet browser to screen any mention of him. If he kept himself from thinking about Ground Zero, then he could keep himself from thinking about what happened.

Shota knew what happened wasn’t his fault.  He’d been told that often enough now, had enough therapy that he could say it without feeling like it was a lie.  But it was still like standing on the edge of a cliff.  Somedays, it didn’t take much to send him over the edge.

Dumb, really.  He should have expected that Ground Zero would have been in such a video.  His fights had always been amazing to watch.  His Quirk, his strength, his skill, all of it was… had been simply amazing.

And maybe he wouldn’t be anymore.

Because of him.

Dang it, he was supposed to be moving past this!

He shut his eyes right for a moment, doing the calming exercises Hound Dog had taught him.  Deep breaths.  Focus his thoughts on where he was, what he could see.  Whoever was at the door knocked again, and his eyes snapped open as he got off the couch.  “Coming!” he called out.

He opened the door before they could knock again.

“Hey, kid.  Can we talk?”

…It was Ground Zero.

***

The park near his apartment was busy today, with lots of kids playing around, happy and carefree. He could see a group of elementary school-age kids using their Quirks to keep a Frisbee up in the air.  One had some kind of wind Quirk, another an arm-stretching Quirk, and the third and fourth, who looked like twins, seemed to have some kind of telekinetic push and pull Quirks.  He smiled, remembering doing the same kinds of games with Toshi, Shinji, Izumi, and the others as a kid.  Of course, there was the time he’d hit the Frisbee with a sonic blast and knocked it out of the park…

Maybe they ought to bring that back.  It’d be a fun game and good Quirk training!

He and Ground Zero sat on a bench, eating the ice cream they’d bought. Though lots of Pro Heroes, especially the Top Ten, went out in some measure of disguise when they were off the clock, Ground Zero didn’t bother.  He was very good at radiating “keep at least three meters away from me if you know what’s good for you vibes.” It was something his daughter was also extremely good at.

Ground Zero clearly wanted to talk, but Shota didn’t have any idea what it was about.  It was all he could do to keep from shaking and panicking. The ice cream gave him something to be present in the moment in, something else Hound Dog had taught him to do when he thought he was going to have a panic attack.  

“So,” he said quietly, “you wanted to talk?”

Ground Zero took a moment, as though sizing him up, then nodded.  “How you doing, kid?  Katsumi says you did pretty good during the exam.”  His voice lacked some of its usual hard edge.  The question sounded sincere.

Kirishima-Bakugo had talked about him?  And said he’d done good?  He wouldn’t have expected that.  Shota nodded. “It was really nuts!  Uncle Shota got actual bad guys to fight us!  Even Shadow-Thief!   Boy though, did Mom and Dad give him an earful about that!  Mom really doesn’t like her for some reason, maybe because Dad says she used to try and flirt with him whenever he’d try and catch her, but that’s silly, because they’ve been married forever now…  But yeah, I was one of the last ones left standing, and we zapped the big guy really good….”

It had made him feel like he could actually do something right.  It was a good feeling.  He’d actually helped his friends when it had really counted.  

“That’s good,” Ground Zero said, more indulgently than most adults did when he went on about something. “Sounds like you really kicked their asses.”

Shota actually laughed a little bit at that.  Ground Zero definitely had a way with words.  “Yeah, I guess we did.”   He frowned a little.  “What… what about you?  Are you doing okay?”

Ground Zero went quiet for a moment, before he went on.  “Getting better every day,” he said.  “Physical therapy three times a week.  Hasn’t been the challenge yet that can beat me.  Glasses and Tintin’s wives are working on a better prosthetic.  I’ll be kicking ass again before you can blink.”

It sounded reassuring. But it was still a challenge he wouldn’t have been facing if it hadn’t been for Shota.  If he hadn’t been trying to keep him safe… Ground Zero looked down for a moment, at his leg, then over at Shota, then sighed.  “You know this isn’t your fault, right, kid?”

Shota frowned.  He closed his eyes.  “Sometimes,” he said after a moment.  “Maybe not all the time.  But it’s hard not to think it was.”

“It wasn’t,” Ground Zero repeated, more forcefully this time.  He tossed the remains of his ice cream in the trash and put a hand on Shota’s shoulder. His grip was firm and strong. “Look at me, kid.”  He didn’t speak again until Shota was looking him in the eyes, something that took more willpower than he thought he had.  

“Listen,” Ground Zero said. “You, Shota Shinso, are not to blame for what happened to me.  Not one damn percent.  You got that?  Whatever sick f—er, bastard made that damn monster is to blame, not you.”

Shota nodded, mutely. He’d been told that so many times, from so many people.  Some days, he believed it.  Ground Zero though, was one of the most direct and honest people he knew.  If he blamed Shota, he’d have no problem letting him know.  If he didn’t blame him, maybe there was some truth to it.

“Good,” Ground Zero told him.  “And anytime that thought starts running through your head, I want you to punch it, hard, for me.  You picture it, shout kill and let it have it.  You got that?”

He nodded again, his head bobbing up and down quickly.  He could do that!

Ground Zero looked him over again.  He let out a puff of breath.  “Look… I ain’t good with words.  So maybe I’m not gonna tell this real well, but… Listen, I have been exactly where you are.”

“You?” Shota asked. “But you’re Ground Zero!  You’re not afraid of anything!  You’re the most confident Hero ever!”

Ground Zero shook his head. “You remember Kamino?  All Might’s last fight with that masked potato-faced freak?”

Who hadn’t heard of that? Uncle Izuku had told the story plenty of times of how he and his friends had gone to rescue Ground Zero from the League of Villains, while All Might had battled his long-time enemy.  It was the climax of all kinds of documentaries about All Might’s career. Everyone who was around and aware then had a story about where they were when they saw it happen.  They studied it in school!  He’d seen the video hundreds of times!  Shota nodded again.  

“I went through the same thing you’re going through,” Ground Zero said.  He gazed off into the distance.  “I blamed myself for causing All Might’s retirement.  I thought if I hadn’t been so weak, hadn’t screwed up and gotten captured, he wouldn’t have had to use up the last of his strength to save me.  I blamed myself, for weeks.  Without even realizing it, it affected everything I did.  I was even nastier and louder and angrier than usual.  I was such a shit, I’m amazed any of my friends stuck around.  But after I failed the Provisional License Exam, well… let’s just say it took Deku beating some sense into me for me to realize what I’d been carrying around.”

“Really?” Shota asked. He’d never heard this one before! “Uncle Izuku never said anything about that! And you always seem so confident! But you… you blamed yourself too?”

He knew Heroes got scared sometimes.  Uncle Izuku had talked about it, so had Uncle Denki, even Uncle Inasa had.  Uncle Shota even said that fear was a logical response sometimes.  And he knew they had doubts and worries.  But of all the Heroes in the world, he never would have expected Ground Zero would!

“Yeah, I did.  And there’s still times where I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been such an arrogant dumbass back then.”  He looked over and smiled a bittersweet smile, then gave Shota’s hair an affectionate tussle.  “So don’t go letting me hear you needed Toshi or Katsumi or somebody to beat you up, okay?  There’s nothing wrong with needing help.  Hell, you start feeling down, you call me, day or night, okay?”

Shota nodded rapidly again, the bad thoughts banished for the moment.  He knew they’d be back.  “Okay!”

Seemingly satisfied with that, Ground Zero nodded.  “Which is kind of why I wanted to talk to you in the first place, kid.  You know how All Might’s taking over from Nedzu as principal?”

“Oh yeah!” Shota said. “He’s gonna be really awesome at it, I just know it!  He said he might still teach a few classes, but that we’re gonna get a new Heroics’ teacher!  He said they were looking into some people, but he didn’t really know who it was going to be…”

Ground Zero cleared his throat and interrupted him.  “It’s going to be me.”

“Oh, wow!”  Shota said.  It was only then that he realized what Ground Zero had actually said.  “Wait, what?”

A smile passed over the Hero’s face.  “It’s gonna be me.  All Might offered me the job before you all went off to Ponytail’s island.”

“Oooh,” Shota said. “You’d be really good at that!  I learned a whole bunch when I was your Intern! And Kirishima-Bakugo’s really super talented, so you must have taught her a whole lot too, and you’re one of the most awesome Heroes around, with one of the best fight records and…”

Ground Zero held up his hands.  “Breathe, kid.  Breathe. I know I’m pretty awesome.  So you’re damn right I’ll be a damn good teacher. Even if I have to drag some of your classmates forward kicking and screaming.”

Shota didn’t know who that would be.  All his friends and classmates worked so hard and had such amazing Quirks!  “But… why would you want to talk to me about that?” he asked.  He wasn’t family or anything.

Ground Zero gave him a small, sympathetic smile.  “Because I knew you were probably still blaming yourself.  Even though I told you not to.  I didn’t know how you’d take it if you had to see me every day.”

“What?” Shota asked. The question didn’t make any sense.

“Kid,” Ground Zero said patiently, “you practically had a damn panic attack when I showed up at your door.  You’re going to be seeing me every Heroics Class if I take this job.”  He tapped his knuckles against his knee.  It made a small metallic clang. “And you’ll be thinking about this.”

“That’s not,” he started to say, but stopped himself.  He can’t help but stare now, his eyes wide and wet.  What if Ground Zero was right?  “Maybe.”

This got him a nod. “That’s what I thought.  But here’s the deal.  If I’m going to be a teacher, then I’ve gotta look out for my students first.  Which means I have to look out for you, before I even teach a single class.”

Shota felt his eyes growing wet.  “But… but…”

“Aw, for the love of…” Ground Zero started, waving his hands rapidly.  “Don’t cry, kid!  I cannot deal with crying!  You’re worse than Deku, I swear…!”

Shota sucked in a breath and fought back his tears.  He couldn’t just cry like that in front of one of his heroes!  He wasn’t a baby, even if he was a little younger than all his classmates.  He was training to be a Hero.  He had to be strong!  

Ground Zero was being a Hero.  He was thinking of someone else, Shota, putting his needs first, even if it meant he didn’t get to be a teacher.  Shota… Shota couldn’t take that away from him!  And he’d be a good teacher too, he knew it!

And if he knew what to expect… then maybe he could be ready for it!  He could psyche himself up!  Hound Dog said that getting in the right mind space was important!  He’d even know him all kinds of exercises for how to do it.

“A Hero’s got to be brave,” he said finally.  “I can be brave too!”  He was almost sure he meant it.  He could do it!  He could do it!  He was getting better every day!  He had his bad days, but maybe if he really worked on it…

Then Ground Zero held his gaze and if Shota hadn’t known his Quirk was Explosion, he would have been certain he was reading his mind.  “All right,” he said.  “I believe you.  But I’m going to be watching you.  And I’m going to hold you to telling me if you start having trouble, got it?  You’re going to be a damn good Hero someday, kid. Especially with me in your corner.”

***

Chihiro Kaminari in Kiss and Make Up

“Chihiro! Chihiro!  Watch!  Watch me!”

Chihiro looked over to where her eight year old sister, Hikari, was playing on the monkey bars.  The purple-haired girl was hanging on by one hand, her other limbs dangling in the air.   “Okay, okay,” she said, “I’m watching.”

“Okay…  Watch!”  Hikari released all her fingers and Chihiro’s heart lurched.  If her little sister got hurt on her watch, she was going to be in a load of trouble!  She started rushing forward only to realize that Hikari wasn’t falling.  Despite her fingers not touching anything, her palm was still flat against the bar and she wasn’t falling.

Chihiro’s Cords perked up as she got closer, tiny sparks dancing along their tips.  There was enough electricity flying about that she could feel it.  The fact that Hikari’s hair was standing straight up was another clue.  She crossed her arms.  “Let me guess, Spark Plug,” she said.  “You’re using your Quirk?”

“Yep!” Hikari said proudly. “Daddy and I worked real hard on this one!”

Hikari’s Quirk was called Static.  It let her absorb ambient static electricity and release it and apparently also stick to things with it like a balloon.  She had to laugh a little bit though.  She and Dad had certainly driven Mon to yelling at them more times than she could count for doing dumb things with their own Quirks.  Her younger brother Reylo got yelled at less often, but only because his Quirk was sound-based and Dad couldn’t teach him anything dangerous.

Chihiro gave her a thumb’s up.  “Cool trick,” she said.  But she noticed that Hikari’s hair was starting to settle back down.  Her Cords were starting to spark less too.  She took a few steps forward and held out her arms, letting Hikari fall into them.

“Off!” Hikari said, looking surprised and annoyed.  “How come I fell?”

“Ran out of juice,” Chihiro told her.  “You don’t make your own electricity, remember?”

“Oh.  Right!  I knew that.”

Chihiro just laughed again and set Hikari down on the ground, letting her run off to the next piece of playground equipment.  Well, at least her little brother Reylo had half a brain.  One Kaminari ought to have at least half a chance.

“Stay where I can see you!” she called out.  “And that goes for you two too!”

She looked over to where her other charges (Heh.  Charges. Why was she always this funny when no one else was around?), a small brown-haired girl and a blond boy:  Mako Midoriya and Tai Kirishima-Bakugo, both five years old.  When the kids’ regular sitter had bailed, she’d volunteered to watch them.  She was already watching Hikari anyway and didn’t have any plans.  Plus she was getting two thousand yen each for the two of them.  They gave her a friendly wave.

There were also, she would readily admit, advantages to living in a gated community, including a private playground.  Almost all the families that lived here were Pro-Heroes, though there were also a few Support Company officers, and a few other careers, such as Mom’s split career as Hero and musician.  The kids certainly seemed to enjoy it anyway.   She’d already been ten by the time they’d moved in and was starting to get too “cool” for that kind of thing.

Of course, to hear Mom tell it, the reason they bought the house was all Dad’s fault.   Dad had brought home a Great Dane puppy instead of groceries… somehow.  Since Sparky was going to quickly get too big for their apartment, so they’d gone house shopping.  Of course, to hear Dad tell it, Kirishima-Bakugo’s dad had nearly flipped a gasket when he’d found out they were going to be neighbors…

Chihiro let a smile spread across her face as she watched the kids play.  Hikari was making herself dizzy, spinning around on the merry-go-round, while Mako and Tai were playing on the teeter-totter.  It was nice.  Peaceful even.  She could quietly zone out just a little bit.

“Stuck on kid duty too, Kaminari?”

Taken by complete surprise, she let out a cry of alarm as she turned.  Her Cords shot out and unleashed a mild pulse of electricity the second they made contact with… something.

“AAAAGGGGGGGGGGG!””

Shiro Monoma hit the ground with a small thump.

***

“You killed him!” Hikari shouted.  “Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad!”

Chihiro shot her sister a fierce look.  “No, I didn’t!” she protested.  But as she quickly turned her attention back to Monoma, she wasn’t so sure.

“He’s still breathing,” Monoma’s younger sibling said, sounding disinterested.  Takeru, right.  That was their name.  And non-binary too.  Important to remember.  Chihiro thought they were the same age as Tai and Mako, but they sounded like they were going on forty.  They gave him a look which suggested they’d long grown bored with seeing accidental misfortunes befall their older brother.

“She really made him go zap!” Mako said.  “He lifted up and then… Bzzzzt!”  As she talked, her hands copied the motions Monoma had gone through.

“Yeah!” Tai agreed. “I saw sparks!  It was so cool!”

Chihiro gulped and looked down at Monoma.  He was still breathing.  That was good.  She probably hadn’t hit him with that many volts.  He’d just surprised her.

“It’s not my fault!” she said, throwing her hands up in the air as she paced back and forth.  “He snuck up on me!”

“Uhhh.”  A noise from Monoma caught her attention instantly. His eyes fluttered open.  How could someone be electrocuted, fall in the grass, and still be so damn pretty?  Especially while wearing a t-shirt and shorts?  “What hit me?”

“You snuck up on her and she electrocuted you,” Takeru told him flatly.

“I did no such thing!” Monoma protested.  He ignored her hand up in favor of bouncing to his feet under his own power, dusting himself off once he landed.  

“You were doing that thing where you don’t make any noise,” Takeru said.  “No wonder she didn’t hear you coming.”

“Yeah!” Chihiro said, pointing at him.  Maybe she could spin this as his fault after all!  “Why do you gotta ninja around all the time?!”

Monoma seemed offended at that, putting a hand to his chest.  “I did no such thing!  I do not “ninja around!’”  He wilted under her glare ever so slightly, however.  “Well… perhaps I do have a bit of a silent tread.  I can apologize for that, at least.  I’m sorry.”

Great, how was she supposed to be mad at him when he was apologizing?  Completely unfair!  She didn’t want to be thinking about him at all!  “Yeah, well…,” she said, “I probably shouldn’t have zapped you.  You okay?”

He produced a flick comb from his pocket and fixed his hair.  “No harm done, I suppose,” Monoma said.  

Chihiro realized the children were all watching them still.  “Okay kids,” she said, waving her hands vaguely in the direction of the playground.  “Show’s over. Go play!”

Hikari crossed her arms. “Aw, I wanted to see you zap him again!”

“Go!” Chihiro repeated, pointing more dramatically this time.  Her little sister turned tail at that.  Meanwhile, Takeru was being dragged off by Mako and Tai under half-hearted protests.

“So…,” she ventured, looking back at Monoma.  This was definitely awkward.  Why the hell didn’t she keep the kids around?  Now all she could think about was how he’d kissed her and how Mika had said she should date him!  Maybe she should shock him again, run away, move to a new city, start a new life on the run singing for coins on street corners…

Okay, maybe not that bad.

“Um, yes,” Monoma said, and she was somehow glad to see the awkwardness was mutual.  It was so rare to see him as anything less than composed that she considered it a victory even in embarrassment.

And then he said the most dangerous words of all.

“Can we talk?”

***

They were far enough away that they wouldn’t be overheard, but not so far away that they couldn’t keep an eye on the kids.  Hikari had met up with one of her friends and Chihiro gave a wave to the kid’s parents before giving Monoma as much of her attention as she could.

“So,” she said.  Her Cords make small circles through the air, as she crossed her arms.  “You wanted to talk.  Talk. I’m listening.”

“Ah, yes, well,” Monoma began.  Alarm bells were already ringing in her head.  Granted, her guard was always up around him.  Sure, she’d eat lunch with him with Mika, Koda, and Fukidashi or Tetsutetsu.  He was tolerable in small doses.  Especially if he kept his mouth shut.  But she’d never seen him as at a loss for words as this.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have just kissed you like that without asking.  It wasn’t very gentlemanly of me.  I was… overcome with emotion at resolving some of my own issues, and let my exuberance get the better of me.”

Chihiro blinked slowly. She definitely hadn’t been expecting an apology.  Even with the one he’d given a few minutes ago, she wasn’t even sure he really knew how to apologize.  But she looks over and he was so earnestly apologetic that even her background level of irritation at him started to fade.  “It’s, ah, it’s fine,” she said.  “You were excited.  Happens.”

He looked a bit surprised. “That’s happened before?”

She had to laugh at that. “No, that one was definitely a first.” Her left Cord shot out and gave him a soft poke in the chest.  “Definitely wasn’t expecting my first kiss to be you though.”

He looked offended at that. “That was not a first kiss.  All I did was kiss you on the cheek!”

“A kiss is a kiss!” she shouted at him, moving closer.  “Doesn’t matter where it was!”

“You’re out of your mind!”

“I thought you were apologizing!”

“I did!  You were the one who tried to turn it into a semantics argument!”

“It’s not semantics if I’m right!  That! Was!  A!  Kiss!”

Their faces were mere centimeters from each other now.  His eyes were big, blue, and ever so close.  He really was just too ridiculously pretty for his own good. Probably spent more time in front of the mirror than she did.  About the only person who might outdo him in the hair and skin care regime was Aoyama.

“That wasn’t a kiss!” Monoma snapped.  “If I’d really wanted to kiss you, I’d have done it like this!”

Before she could blink, he’d reached out and put his arms around her, spinning her around into a low dip, before planting his lips on hers.  Her eyes went wide as he held the kiss for a long moment, before spinning her back into a standing position.

“What the hell?!”  she snapped.  “What the hell was that?!”  Her Cords flew about her head like angry snakes, sparking with electricity.

“I… I don’t… it just happened!” Monoma said, backing away from her nervously.  He looked ready to run and hide.  Good!  Who did he think he was, kissing her like this was some made for tv romantic movie where they yelled and kissed?!

She pointed her Cords at him aggressively, taking aim, her face flush with anger.  “I oughta just take you out!”

His eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled that same smug, irritating, and entirely too good looking smile.  “Well.. Why not?” he asked.  “I am finding your company surprisingly enjoyable, even without Mika as a barrier.   Pick me up at seven tomorrow evening then?”

Her mouth dropped open. She could feel her mental footing slipping away as she shifted lanes from furious to baffled in the space of an eye blink.  Mika’s advice to give him a chance came back to her.  And she definitely wasn’t about to admit that she’d really enjoyed that kiss. But the other hand, he was absolutely infuriating. And sure, he’d shown her a more vulnerable side back at school…

Her Cords sagged, the sparks fading.   “…What?”

“That, ah, that is… if you want to,” he said. Awkwardness replaced the smugness.  And now he had his hands up, protecting his face, as he backed up. “We could go on a date.  And I promise no more kissing.”

The words unless you want to hung silently in the air.

“Why me?” she asked, after letting him squirm uncomfortably for a moment.  “I know Mika’s your ex.  Going from her to me has to be a pretty steep downgrade.”

He looked puzzled for a moment, until his eyes widened in realization. He crossed his arms. “You do remember I used to date her before she, ah, blossomed. I’m not so shallow as to be purely attracted to… that.”

Okay, he did have a point there.   “Okay, but the first question still stands.  You’re all fancy pants and I’m… me.  In fact, up until you kissed me, I was pretty sure you didn’t even like me.”

A blush spread across Monoma’s face and he smiled sheepishly.  “Mika insists I have a thing for women who can beat me up.  You do fall into that category, of course, but the fact remains that you are a fascinating and attractive woman.  You’re talented, with varied interests, and you are entirely willing to call me out to my face when I’m being a pretentious asshole. After some rather blunt conversations and realizations… I’m… trying harder not to be that person anymore.”

Okay.  That was… actually pretty respectful sounding.  Which was definitely a first for him when it came to her.  Sounded like somebody had called him out.  Mika, maybe?  Or Tetsutetsu?  Koda was too nice to have done it…

“Okay, fine,” she said.  She tried to project with her tone that she was doing him a favor, not that she was actually possibly maybe kind of interested in him.  “We can go on a date.  On one, no, two conditions.”

He seemed surprised at that.  “All right, I completely understand if you don’t wish to….  Wait, what?”

“One, no more kissing me out of the blue.  You try it, and I’ll shock you so bad you’ll never get your hair to look right again.”

He chuckled. It was actually somewhat pleasant when it wasn’t paired with taunts.  “A tremendous threat.  Very well. And the other?”

“Don’t you dare tell Ojiro about this. Or put it on-line or anything where she can somehow find out about it. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Monoma nodded.  “I suppose that’s reasonable.  So long as you do the same with regards to Fukadashi.  I don’t need her comparing me to some anime or manga more than she already does.”

He had a point there.  Fukidashi was weird.  And given the company she kept, that was saying something. “Deal.  It’s a date.”

“YAY!”

Chihiro’s head snapped around and she saw that the kids were staring at them. Hikari was the one who’d shouted, but they all looked enthralled.  Well, everyone but Takeru did.

“How long have you been watching?!” she demanded.

“Long enough,” Takeru said.  They looked over at Chihiro.  “You should have shocked him again.  Otherwise he won’t learn anything.”

She had to laugh at that.  “Okay,” she said.  “You, I like.”

“Yay!  A date!” Mako said.  “My big sister went on a date too!  With Haruto Sero!”  She danced about as she talked, kicking up a little bit dust.  “Ah… ah… choooo!”

Chihiro’s eyes went wide as Mako’s Fire-Breath Quirk went active with her sneeze.  Instantly, she tackled Monoma to the ground, as a blast of flame went through where his head had just been.  Her face went flush as she realized how close they were again.  Hastily, she shoved herself up and off him.

She offered Monoma a hand up and this time he took it.  His hands weren’t anywhere near as soft as his pretty boy imagine would have suggested, she realized.  “Sorry about that.  She doesn’t have full control of her Quirk yet.”

“Quite, quite all right,” Monoma said, sounding a bit shook from his near-fire experience.  He was blushing too, she noticed.  He dusted himself off.  “But seven, tomorrow then, if that’s agreeable to you?”

“Yeah, all right,” she said.  

Great.  That gave her more than a day to figure out how to explain to her dad she was dating a Monoma.

One date.  Not dating.

She definitely wasn’t thinking about kissing him.  …Dating him!  And she wasn’t thinking about that either!

…Crap.

[prettyfunkyunorganized]

Daughter Series - Genji

The final bit of the series is here! As you likely know, I created this whole endeavor from @i-am-not-daredevil‘s fantastic Overwatch headcanons that I requested - they can be found here. I also want to give her and @zarcake-writes a huge shoutout for encouraging me throughout this process. They are both wonderful people and wonderful writers that I am very lucky to have connected with. You’re the best!

A huge virtual hug to all the people who have taken time out of their day to read this series. It means the world to me. I’ve never shared my work like this before, and having this feedback has been magical. I can’t thank you enough. 

Now, back to Genji. Here are 5,178 words worth of father-daughter meeting with a break in the middle. Hope you enjoy! 

More Daughter Series: Hanzo, Roadhog, McCree, Reaper, Soldier 76

Genji Installments: pt 1

masterlist

News that the Shimada clan was active again had worried everyone in Overwatch, but Genji, of course, had been the most shaken. By far. His mostly metallic body didn’t respond to fear the same way it had when he was a younger man, but his hands instantly went together, one thumb drawing circles on the opposite palm. This nervous tick had stayed with Genji all his life, even after he’d been rebuilt. He took a slow, deep breath while reminding himself that he and his team had brought down the Shimada clan once before. They could do it again. What’s more, this time Genji had his brother at his side, rather than against him.

The moment Winston said the brothers’ family name, Hanzo was infuriated, rage obvious in the way his face darkened. He was going to fly off the chain. And Genji was going to have to clean up after him. Again. Having his older brother join Overwatch was certainly not a bad thing, but having the sour man mope about the base had been . . . trying. The archer’s utter lack of social skills managed to wear on everyone’s nerves. Hanzo was going to be even more testy until he had more information on their family’s resurging criminal empire. Wonderful.

In the end, Genji had convinced everyone but his brother that he should be the one to investigate the recent Shimada activity. Hanzo insisted that he should come along. Genji insisted that he was too heated. The following argument had been long and exasperating, but Hanzo ultimately gave in, storming off like a stormcloud. Unfortunately, when Genji agreed to allow Zenyatta to provide support on his mission, Hanzo was pissed all over again. The cyborg had reached the end of his patience – he would deal with his brother’s pouting when he returned to Gibraltar.

“Hopefully Hanzo will be of calmer mind when we return,” Genji sighed.

“He is a man of tightly held beliefs, but all things change with time,” Zenyatta mused.

The two operatives had been cooped up in their surveillance spot for going on five days, and Genji’s hope was beginning to dwindle. He was usually more patient than this after years of training with Zenyatta, but this was proving to be too much. The idea of facing the people who had turned from being his family to being his attempted murderers had put Genji on edge. Perhaps if he could make some semblance of sense out of the information Overwatch had gathered on the Shimada, he would feel more at ease, but the intel was baffling.

All the signs pointing toward weapons dealing and extortion were unsurprising, but the continuous string of Shimada sightings in seemingly random towns scattered throughout the Eastern coast of North America were bizarre. Some of the locations were major cities, which was reasonable enough, but other places didn’t even scratch the 20,000 population mark – a few were home to less than 2,000. There was no apparent connection or pattern on the map before Genji, despite the fact that he had spent hours staring at it. He’d memorized it. He could see it when he closed his eyes. He could name each town in order of Shimada appearance, forward and backward. This map was haunting him.

“Genji,” Zenyatta said softly, “if analyzing that diagram is indeed helping you, then, of course, continue to do so, but I think we both know better than that.”

The cyborg begrudgingly looked up to his mentor and eventually groaned. “You are right, as usual, master.”

Zenyatta gave him a quick glance before turning back to the window. Overwatched had been tracking the Shimada clan’s financial records and it seemed this was the next stop on their strange road trip. “I know how important this is for you,” Zenyatta said quietly, “and I know you can fixate on the things that matter most to you. You are passionate, and that is admirable, but sometimes I believe it gets the better of you.”

Rolling his neck, Genji pushed the intel away. “I suppose I will keep a lookout then, perhaps the night air will do me some good.”

“Very well,” the omnic said floating away from the balcony. A movement from across the way stopped Genji in his tracks. Zenyatta turned back around quickly. “What is it,” he asked quietly.

“I recognize that movement,” Genji said keeping his eyes focused. “We need to move. Stay close, and out of sight.” They scaled down the side of the building silently, following the tiny flits of shifting shadows. This little town was empty this late in the evening, completely still in the crisp night air aside from the three figures darting through the rooftops. Somehow Genji and Zenyatta managed to not draw attention to themselves. Either the Shimada clan was sending out a mediocre a member to test them, or this was a trap. Genji’s brow furrowed as his target stopped beside an old apartment complex and unsheathed his weapon.

“How should we proceed,” Zenyatta asked just above a whisper.

“Continue to watch. Engaging is not our best – ” Genji began to respond, but shrill scream cut him off.

“Perhaps now we should . . .” Zenyatta trailed off, concern fraying his voice.

“Whoever, that was,” Genji replied gravely, “they are likely already dead. Our time will be better spent if we follow the assassin to – ” Glass shattered and a figure was tossed out the window above them.

“Are you shitting me?!” An enraged shriek out before the small body on the fire escape leaped back into the building.

“Well then,” Zenyatta murmured. It wasn’t often he was at a loss for words. The sounds of fighting continued.

Genji jolted out of his confused stupor. “We should help. Now.” The two Overwatch agents clambered up the fence fire escape to the third floor. Before they could enter the building to assist, a masked ninja was launched past them, grabbing a piece of the railing at the last second. He likely would have broken something important if he’d continued to fall like that. As soon as the attacker regained his composure, he slipped out of sight.

“Aw, son of a – ” A young woman sprang up beside them, peering over the ledge frantically, feet lifting off the ground as she leaned over the side. Genji almost reached out to pull her back, but she plopped back to a standing position before his hand touched her. “This is bad. Really bad,” she whimpered.

“I beg your pardon,” Zenyatta said curiously.

“They’ll be back,” she moaned, “With friends. I gotta go. I gotta go! Now.” She retreated back into the dilapidated old apartment. As she jumped over the windowsill a stray piece of glass sliced her leg, making her falter. Blood spread across her palm as she pressed her hand to the wound.

“That looks deep,” Zenyatta worried, floating right over the shards and settling next to her. “Are you in pain?”

The young woman gave the omnic a wary glance. “Um, yeah, but I’m okay. But I need to leave. I need to get away from here.”

“We are here to help, I assure you. Should anyone return to harm you, you will not have to face them alone. However, if you feel you need to flee, I won’t stop you,” he said soothingly.

Something about that synthesized tone had always calmed Genji, and it appeared to have the same effect on this short, frightened girl. “I mean,” she said slowly, “I just – there’s probably going to be a whole mess of those guys here in a sec, but . . . it might be nice to have some help for once.”

“Here,” Zenyatta moved his hand to gesture above the young woman’s head. A harmony orb glowed above her, and she was instantly fascinated. She swayed from side to side, watching the golden orb bob along with her. Her giggle was light and soft. Genji crossed the threshold and joined the two of them, wondering why anyone would put a target on the back of such a pleasant young woman.

“That feels a lot better, thank you,” she said with a smile. “Who are you – OH SHIT!”

Genji heard the rustle behind him too late. Something came whizzing past his head and Zenyatta was tossed across the room. The young woman produced a fighting staff from thin air, ready for a fight. Her motions were practiced, as if combat was second nature. Genji followed suit.

Four assassins bombarded the two Overwatch operatives and their new acquaintance. Evidently, the Shimada ninjas were still quite skilled. Incredibly so. In the cramped room, Genji found himself unable to gain an edge over the pair of assailants that continued to charge him. Zenyatta was floating about more erratically than usual, launching his orbs of destruction as fast as they appeared above him. The girl, much to his surprise, was holding her own quite well against the agile killer that towered above her. With a swift whip of her hand, she caught the opposing ninja in the throat and a desperate noise sputtered from him as he collapsed to the floor. The assailant rushing Zenyatta saw his comrade fall and instantly unleashed a brutal attack, blasting the omnic straight in the processing unit on his head. A disturbing metallic thud caused Genji to freeze just long enough for his own attacker to knock him off balance. Before he could react, the cyborg was pitched into the air tumbling back toward the street. He climbed back up the wall in a few swift jumps to see Zenyatta was still lying in a crumpled, blinking heap. He’d never seen his mentor like this. It was terrifying. Taking advantage of Genji’s momentary hesitation, all four Shimada clan members descended on the young woman pinned in the corner.

“No,” Genji howled, reading his katana, but a sudden flash blinded him. Once his eyes and accompanying visor adjusted to the light, the cyborg stayed rooted in place.

Determination sprawled across her face, the young woman brandished her weapon with deadly accuracy. She was a force of nature, just like the yellow dragon snarling alongside her staff. Each time she struck an attacker, the dragon tore sunk its teeth into him as well. When someone tried to come from behind her, the writhing beast clawed the ninja’s throat. As the last Shimada hitman tried to flee the dragon slipped away from its young master to wrestle the man down. Something snapped as dragon and ninja met. Everyone was still, but not all were breathing.

Now that the threat had been eliminated, the ethereal yellow creature casually drifted back to the girl’s side, coiling around her shoulders happily. The young woman nuzzled the dragon’s nose with a thin smile before it dissipated.

“That was quite the skirmish,” Zenyatta said slowly as he shifted into his usual cross-legged position before rising from the ground. “Are the two of you alright?”

“Master!” Genji rushed to the omnic’s side, “Have you been damaged?”

“I will be just fine, my good student,” Zenyatta assured him. “What occurred to me was the equivalent of being knocked unconscious momentarily. I will perform a more thorough check of my system once we have completed our mission. In the meantime,” he said turning to the young woman, “I believe thanks are in order.” Genji looked to her as well, a strange feeling of confusion and anxiety making the hair on his neck prickle.

She shrugged, timid now that there was nothing trying to kill the three of them. “Oh, you don’t need to thank me. It was the least I could do after you guys swung in to help me in the first place.” Her cheeks turned red as Zenyatta approached her.

“Nonetheless, without your assistance my student and I could have met our end today,” he said bowing his head to her.

The girl giggled gently, “Happy to help. But, hopefully, we won’t be doing this again anytime soon.” She flipped her wrist toward the ceiling and her staff condensed until it was small enough to fit in her hand, much the same way an umbrella shrunk in length. “Guess I better get going,” she sighed, “Nice meeting you!” Zipping her coat, the young woman headed to the fire escape with a slight limp from the gash on her leg.

“Wait,” Genji called after her, coming to his senses, “how did you do that?” Shock caused his voice to come out hoarse and high pitched.

“Do what,” she questioned turning back with a frown.

“You summoned a dragon,” he gaped. “I – I do not understand . . .”

“Right,” she said laughing awkwardly, “about that, I don’t really know how it works. It just sort of happened one day and now my crafty little friend appears whenever I really need her.”

Genji folded his arms across his chest and frowned at the floor, eyes searching the worn linoleum for an explanation. Only those of the Shimada bloodline could call upon dragons in that way, no matter how formidable a ninja in the clan became.

“What is your name,” Genji asked hesitantly.

She frowned skeptically at him, leaning toward the exit. “Why?”

“Forgive me,” he stammered, “I do not mean to pry. I am simply . . . curious.” He wasn’t sure how much he should say. Bubbly persona aside, the Shimada clan was still trying to kill this girl and had poured an immense amount of resources into doing so. There must be some reason for it.

“My colleague and I were sent here to investigate the activities of the Shimada clan,” Zenyatta said, revealing more than he probably should have. “I hope you will understand if we have a few questions since our target appears to have taken an interest in you.”

“Wait, you two know who these guys are,” the young woman said incredulously gesturing to the fallen men around her.

“Did you not,” Zenyatta asked tilting his head to the side.

“No!” Her shoulders slumped as she ran her hands over her face. “They started coming after me a few months ago, and I’ve just been running ever since. Every time I think I’ve shaken them, they pounce again.”

“Months,” Genji repeated, brows raised behind his visor.

“Yeah,” she sighed dejectedly.

“Impressive,” he muttered honestly.

“I imagine you don’t know why these people have been coming after you either,” Zenyatta asked thoughtfully. She shook her head. “Unfortunate.” The orbs around him whirled as he drummed his metal digits on his knee.

“What did you say these jerks were called?” She nudged one of the fallen ninjas with her foot, making sure he was really down for the count.

“The Shimada clan,” Genji replied.

“Well that might have something to do with it,” she said pursing her lips.

“What do you mean?” Genji’s thumb began drawing circles again. Something in the way this girl scrunched her over expressive face, spoke with her arms, and smiled easily in the face of danger felt familiar. And unsettling.

“My last name’s Shimada,” she said not looking up from the broken ninja. Genji cringed for less than a second, but Zenyatta still noticed.

“Is that so,” the omnic said slowly looking away from his student.

“Yup.”

“And you’ve never had any other sort of deals with the Shimada clan,” Zenyatta asked. “Your parents weren’t involved with them?”

“I’ve never even heard of them until now, and I was raised in an orphanage until I busted out of the system. Since then I’ve been on the streets,” she replied.

“So you are unaware of who your parents are?” The orbs around Zenyatta swirled slowly, as if mimicking the omnic’s thought process.

“I know their names, but not much more,” she said toying with the end of her tight black braid.

“May I ask you parents’ names? Perhaps if we can determine why you are being pursued, we can find a way to keep you safe.”

The girl squinted at Zenyatta doubtfully for a long moment. “I don’t know if I can tell you,” she eventually said, rubbing her arm and looking at the starry sky. “You two seem nice enough but . . . This could just be a trick. I’ve been almost killed so many times recently that I’m just not up for trusting anyone. I appreciate you trying to help – if it's genuine – but, no. No.”

She tried to leave again and Zenyatta rushed over to put a hand on her shoulder. “Please, give us a chance,” he pleaded. When Zenyatta took an interest in someone, his determination knew no bounds. He’d do almost anything to help those he felt needed him. “I can only imagine the strain you must be under. Your feelings of fear and suspicion and foreboding are entirely justified, but unless you are willing to allow people to help you, those feelings are unlikely to change. If you decide not to allow us to assist you, I understand. We will not force you, but please know that we mean you no harm, and anything you tell us will stay confidential. You have my word.”

The young woman wavered, stealing glances at Zenyatta, Genji, and the way out in turn. She rocked from side to side making a desperate little nose before swiveling back to Zenyatta. “I mean, you did try to help me against these guys. And you’ve been really nice to me. And . . . and I know I can’t keep doing this by myself,” she all but whispered. “I’m so tired of running.” She rubbed her temples as her eyelids drooped.

She looked exhausted, and a wave of sympathy rolled over Genji. He’d done enough running from his former clan to know how she was feeling. The student joined his master beside her, trying to mimic Zenyatta’s welcoming air. It was times like this he regretted that his face was concealed. He was giving her a warm-hearted smile, but the girl had no way of knowing. “We will help if we can,” Genji said softly.

“Alright, alright,” she said beginning to smile again. “Dunno what it is about you two that seems so genuine, but I’ll give you a shot. It might have something to do with the fact that I’ve always had a soft spot for anyone who likes the color yellow as much as I do,” she grinned, nodding to Zenyatta’s uniform.

The omnic let out a jovial laugh. “Color can be a strong subliminal influencer! Not that I have any intention of coercing anyone,” Zenyatta backtracked.

Both Genji and the girl smiled. “I believe you,” she assured him. “And I’ll tell you my parents’ names if you think it will help.”

“I appreciate your vote of confidence and any information you can give us,” Zenyatta replied.

She took a deep breath before speaking, “My biological mother’s name was Juliette Grace.” Genji instantly felt lightheaded, and his biotics began working faster, as if he were under attack. “My biological father’s name was Genji Shimada. I guess I got the last name from him.”

A few of Genji’s steam vents puffed out a jet of air, releasing the tension building up in his mechanical system. If only relieving his racing mind was as easy. For the first time since he’d been rebuilt the man felt as if his knees might fail him. His jaw was clenched, and his heart felt as if it would leap through his throat and scuttle away.

He swallowed hard and looked to Zenyatta, trying not to shake. Zenyatta was hardly moving, a sign that he was shocked as well. The omnic was the first to look back to the girl.

“Um, is everything still okay,” she asked. No one responded, and she tried to shrink into the wall, “You’re starting to scare me,” she admitted tentatively.

“There is no need to be afraid,” Zenyatta said quickly. “We were just . . . surprised, is all. I was thinking that perhaps you are an unknown child of Shimada Sojiro, not – ” He hesitated, turning back to Genji.

“Do you guys know my parents or something,” she asked almost breathlessly, her voice somewhere between hopeful and scared.

A long silence fell between them as Genji scrambled for something appropriate to say. He was at a complete loss.

“I believe Genji is most suited to answer that question,” Zenyatta finally filled said, “why don’t I give you a moment alone.” He began to head for the door and Genji spun around in a panic.

“Wha – no! I do not believe that is a good idea,” he squeaked.

Zenyatta simply chuckled and patted his student’s arm, “You will be fine.”

“Do you have to go,” the girl whimpered from behind, and they both looked back to her. She clearly didn’t like the idea of being alone with Genji. It made him feel guilty.

“I am asking for your trust just a little bit longer,” Zenyatta said peacefully, “I am confident it will be worth your while. However, if it will put your mind at ease, I will promise I will stay close by. If you need me, you need only say so.”

“Okay,” she said with a nervous nod. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Zenyatta drifted away, and Genji slowly turned back to the girl.

“Are, uh,” she began after a few seconds of Genji trying to make a cohesive sentence, “are you alright?” She laughed roughly. “Seems like you’re more freaked out than I am, and that’s saying something.” She muttered this last bit under her breath, but Genji’s enhanced ears still picked it up.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to stop being cowardly. “Forgive me, I was . . . overwhelmed. I hope I did not add to your stress too much.”

She shrugged, “I’ve been at max stress level for a while now, everything just spills over the top at this point.” Part of her rosy lower lip went under her teeth, giving the pale girl an uneven smile. “I would appreciate some explanation though. Feels like I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” he said lowly. “I know how that feels.”

“You do,” she said looking up to him. She was just a few inches shorter, but seemed much smaller with the way she held herself.

“I have spent many years avoiding the Shimada clan as well,” he explained. “I know how relentless they can be, and how deeply that can affect you.”

“Why are they looking for you?”

He hesitated, but believed honesty was his best option, as it usually was. “I used to be a part of the clan. After I . . . left they continued to come after me.” It was more of a half-truth. Or maybe three quarters, but he certainly hadn’t just ‘left’ the Shimada empire.

“What made you decide to leave?”

“I was raised in their ranks, but after years of disappointment, the clan finally sent someone to kill me. I could not go back after that, even if I had wanted to.”

“They raised you,” she frowned.

“Yes,” he said wondering why she looked so confused.

“Wa – wait. Are you . . . are you not an omnic?”

Genji’s head jolted back a bit at the unexpected question.  “I – no. No, I am not,” he answered sheepishly.

“Oh,” she said holding the vowel a long time. She suddenly went bright red. “I’m so sorry,” she yelped. “That was really rude wasn’t it?! I shouldn’t have asked that. And I shouldn’t have assumed either. I’m so sorry! I – I was just confused, and I’m trying to figure things out, and – ” She continued to stammer nervously until she finally turned away and pressed her head into her hands.

Without thinking, Genji laughed lightly, moving so he could see her face peeking through her fingers. She peered back at him, completely still. She was an adorable little thing. “Please, there is no need hide like that,” he said still chuckling, “you need not feel so embarrassed.”

“I didn’t offend you,” she asked, still hunched.

“Not at all,” he said with a broad smile.

“Well, I’m still sorry,” she insisted putting her arms behind her and rocking on her heels. “And I’m sorry to hear that people have been trying to kill you, too.”

“Oddly enough, being almost murdered was not all bad,” he said only somewhat joking.

She sputtered out a disbelieving laugh, “I mean . . .  Good?” They stood there, close together, but no longer surrounded by tension. “Do you really know my parents,” she asked eventually, eyes wide and worried.

“I – well, yes. In a way.” He wanted to tell her, he did, but he was terrified to see her reaction. She continued to look at him expectantly. He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment and turned his head away, unable to look at her as he told the truth. “I am Genji Shimada.”

She stayed entirely still for what seemed like ages. Then her hands raised to a defensive position and Genji began to sweat. She leaned away and took a small step back. He felt cold.

“You’re serious, aren’t you,” she said almost inaudibly.

“Yes.” He had to say it twice, his mouth too dry to make a proper noise the first time.

“I, ah, I don’t know what to say,” she murmured.

“Neither do I,” his thumb all but boring circles into his palm again.

“Did you not know about me?” When Genji found the courage to look at her again, her arms were pressed close to her chest, fingers clasped tightly together, shoulders near her ears.

The question left his brow pinched in confusion. “Of course not,” he replied.

“Oh,” she said, sounding less wobbly, “I always figured you did.”

“Why would you think that?”

“My mother signed off on the adoption papers, so she decided to give me up. I guess I just assumed you were okay with it, too.”

“No,” Genji protested louder than he meant to, “I had no idea. If I had I never would have – ” He stopped himself before blubbering out all the regrets boiling over in his mind.

“What would you have done?” The dreamy tone in her voice was sweet and somehow encouraging.

“I can not say exactly what I would have done,” he said choosing his words carefully, “I was a very different man back then – and young – but, I never would have left you alone. I would have made sure you were safe and happy. You would have been loved, even if you weren’t with me.”

The words settled around them heavily and Genji began to worry he’d said too much, too soon.

“Thank you,” she said with a sniffle, wiping her eye and blinking.

“I did not mean to make you cry,” Genji said approaching her worriedly. She didn’t pull away this time.

“It’s fine,” she said with a wry laugh. “I cry easy – I’m kind of a sap. Sorry,” she said bashfully.

“There is nothing to apologize for,” he said with a gentle tilt of his head.

“No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.” Her cheeks were still red, but her smile was wide.

“I wish I could have told you sooner.”

“Me, too. But, um, what do we do now?”

Genji looked around him, remembering they were still surrounded by the bodies of men who wanted to murder his daughter. He had to get her away from this, all of this. He had to protect her. “I would like to take you someplace safe,” he said decisively, “I have some friends who can help me keep the Shimada clan away from you.”

She beamed. “You want me to come with you?”

“Nothing would make me happier.” He adored the way she giggled back at him. “Let’s go find Zenyatta and we can be on our way.”

The floating omnic was staring peacefully at the moon, turning to greet Genji and the girl as they approached. “I trust all is well,” he asked.

“It is,” Genji nodded.

“I am glad to hear it,” Zenyatta said cheerily. “And you are feeling alright as well,” he asked the young woman.

“Yes,” she said firmly, “I haven’t been this good in a long time, actually.”

Zenyatta chuckled. “You have a very lovely smile, young lady, I feel fortunate to be seeing it.”

“Aw, thanks,” she said pushing her hair behind her ear shyly.

“She is coming with us,” Genji informed his companion.

“She is?”

“Yes. I – I will not leave her on here own.” Genji had shared much with his mentor over the years, but it was different to speak with Zenyatta about his daughter. The feelings he had toward her were like nothing he’d ever experienced – overpowering and incredibly deep. He just wanted to stare at her while asking a million questions. She was beautiful. Her playful smile reminded him of his own, but without the scars. The dark green eyes that sparkled even in the dark street were poised under a pair of brows that were just as wild as his had once been. Her exuberance made him long for a time when he had been that happy. More than that, he wanted to do everything in his power to keep her happy.

“I suppose a proper introduction is in order then,” Zenyatta said turning to fully face the girl. “I have yet to hear your name.”

Genji frowned, “Neither have I.” A twinge of shame crept up on him as he realized he didn’t know his child’s name.

She laughed it off easily. “We have been rather preoccupied up until now, what with the multiple assassins and unexpected family revelations on our hands.”

Genji grinned at her quip. She was wonderful.

“My name is Mona Shimada, well, Desdemona Shimada, but please, please, just call me Mona,” she said wrinkling her nose.

“As you wish,” Zenyatta said. To anyone else, the omnic probably sounded just the same as he always had, but Genji knew him better than most, maybe better than anyone. Zenyatta was amused. He liked her. It made the father’s heart swell. With his hands centered in front of him, the former monk bowed his head to her. “I am Tekhartha Zenyatta, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Mona.”

“Likewise,” she said, respectfully repeating the motion.

“Come,” Genji said gesturing to the town behind them. “Let us find a place to take shelter and call our team. They will be expecting an update.”

“You have a whole team,” Mona questioned.

“Yes,” Zenyatta answered, “we are with Overwatch.”

“O-Overwatch,” she stammered excitedly. Genji nodded. “That is . . . awesome,” she laughed.

“They are going to love you,” he said walking alongside her. The two stayed close to one another as they meandered down the sidewalk, Zenyatta bobbing along behind them, considering giving them each a golden orb, but they already seemed to be in almost perfect harmony.

[captainderyn]

Thieving With Dignity: Chapter Four

Thank to @shortmandown for editing as always and @delavairesslegacy for inspiring me to get my ass back into gear and write this chapter by reading it and yelling at me about Rielay and Hugo :’) you guys are great!

Cross posted to ff.net

Title: Thieving With Dignity

Chapter: 4/?

Summary: A brief interlude in the chaos of Rielay’s new life. Decisions are questioned, realizations are had about her situation, and forgotten meeting may just give Rielay the escape she needs.

**Under the cut as usual

The hangar was blissfully quiet as Rielay moved around the remaining cargo that had yet to be loaded back onto her ship. It was just her and the boxes, the soft inhale and exhale of her breath on top of her footsteps the only noises alongside the power systems of the spaceport. Her tears had dried, leaving her cheeks and eyes red; the panicked horror she had felt faded to a hollow nothing. Hugo was gone, she was alone and had no out. It weighed heavy on both her mind and  heart.

The hiss of the turbo lift shattered her mind numbing routine, immediately snapping her to high alert. She pressed her back to the crates she had been taking inventory of, thanking the stars that the stack was tall enough to hide her. Her hand drifted down to the blaster at her hip, closing around the grip and resting lightly on the trigger. As the footsteps padded closer she held her breath.

“Perfect flying condition?” A voice muttered as the footsteps stopped. “Bullshit.”

She let out her breath in a huff, whoever this was had nerve. Rielay glanced over at the Promise; if this was where she was going to die, she might as well do it with at least her ship’s dignity still intact,and slid out from behind the boxes. “Talking shit about my ship, stranger?”

Her blaster was pointed at the stranger’s chest, prepared to be met with the brawn of a bounty hunter. But, she blinked and let her blaster drop down to her side, there was only a lanky young man stuffing a datapad back in his jacket.

At her voice he started, looking around wildly and taking hurried steps back towards the door until his eyes caught on her as she stalked closer.

Oh stars. She scowled, the young man towered over her by at least a head and she had to turn her chin up just to glare at the surprise and very faint amusement playing across his face. She should have stayed behind the crates, at least then she’d still have the idea of being threatening. At least, it it came down to a fight, he was more than likely going to judge her skills on her height. He’d have to learn the hard way that that wasn’t anywhere near the truth.

Whoever this was though, definitely was not a bounty hunter. Not like any other bounty hunter she’d come into contact with. Compared to the types like Nalan he was a kitten, visibly unarmed and dressed in the light clothes of a civ. He looked as though he’d never left the upper levels. “Did ya get lost or something?”

The kid ran a hand through his hair, digging around in his pocket for something when she crossed her arms and continued to stare at him with a deep rooted suspicion. “No, but are you Captain Taqq?”

“I might be.” She hedged, snatching the piece of flimsi he held out and quirking an eyebrow when he swore, shaking out his hand. There were scrawled numbers across it, the access code to the hangar. In her own handwriting. That had only been given to one person other than Hugo, and the young man in front of her definitely wasn’t Chridan Deryn. A quick shot of panic iced her veins and she cast her eyes around, scanning for any unfamiliar shadows, any rifles that could be trained on her, any sign that Chixi’s hunters had finally caught up to her. “Where’d you get this from?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but not fast enough. There was too high a chance he was a distraction for an ambush, far fetched as it would have seemed a few weeks ago. That chance, that gut feeling, was not something she was going to ignore. Not again. Her blaster was whipped up again to be trained on his chest and he held up his hands, backing away with wide eyes. “Who are you, where did you get this from and what do you want with my ship?”

“Get that thing away from me.” The kid had guts, snapping at her like that when she had a firearm within shooting distance. One movement of her finger and he’d drop the ground like a rock, silent as one too. “If you’d listen, captain-”

“I don’t want to listen.” She brought her other hand up to steady her blaster, it had begun to quake with her hand. “Not if you’re some distraction just waiting for me to drop my guard enough to kill me!”

This, finally, gave him pause and she took a breath. Utter bafflement crossed his expression before settling into irritation. Admirable, she thought. She could be about ready to pull the trigger and he had yet to qail. Either he was an idiot or he wasn’t a bounty hunter. She wasn’t yet ready to choose which.

He blinked at her, scrubbing a hand across his face and narrowing his eyes at her. “Are you…? Bounty...what?” He shook his head and muttered something she couldn’t catch. “Look, crazy lady, I’m Emeldir Deryn, my father sent me to look at your ship. For installations, I think.”

Oh. Deryn. She looked at him inquisitively, thoughts clearing enough so she could start to see the resemblance. Same red-brown hair, same bright eyes--though narrowed at her in irritation. A small giggle threatened to force its way out and she dropped her blaster back down again, clapping a hand over her mouth. Stars he wasn’t…

A snippet of conversation from the Senate Tower flashed to the forefront of her thoughts. The gossip of a group of senators, talking about a young man with an attitude causing chaos in that day’s Senate meeting. She had been too preoccupied to focus in on the details but Deryn had definitely come up.

“Emeldir Deryn?” She couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice. “Not the Deryn that had the old senate geezers throwing a fit?” Desperately she tried to reign in her fraying composure, but he looked to uncomfortable now, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck as it turned beet red, creeping into his face. It sent her back into a fit of giggles and she grabbed onto one of the cargo crates, dropping her head down onto her arm. She must look insane to him, but stress was one hell of a drug and of all the kriffing people to work on her ship…

“I’m not a senator.” He muttered defensively, pale eyes meeting her own watering ones with such awkwardness and defiance that she had to clamp her hand over her mouth again, shoulders shaking.

“I mean, you aren’t the only one that’s bad at their job.” She offered with a lopsided, half hearted grin. Teasing the son of the person she had thought could do work on her ship wasn’t the best idea she had ever had, but he wasn’t even meant to be here. And he was so easy to nettle. She straightened, shaking her head and quieting her laughter. Unprofessionalism wouldn’t get her anywhere. And it wouldn’t do Emeldir Deryn any good either, except maybe make him leave faster. Now that was an idea. There wasn’t any more reason to waste the kid’s time.  “Look, kid, as great as it is to have company you don’t need to be here.”

“What do you mean? My dad sent me here-”

“Your services aren’t needed. She won’t be my ship soon enough and I don’t have the credits to spend.” She motioned towards the hangar door. “So don’t let me waste your time.” “Why would you want your ship looked at if you're selling?” He really wouldn’t take the hint, would he? She wasn’t here to spin him a wild tale about the details of her bad decisions and even worse actions.

“Circumstances change.” Rielay said, gesturing towards the door again, more firmly this time. “Now please, leave.”

Yet still, he lingered, looking at her ship with a look of deep concentration. His shoulders rose and fell once in a sigh and when he looked back at her he had an eyebrow raised. “I’ll assume you ran short on the credits you thought you had?”

Now, now, that tone implied that she hadn’t thought this through. And she hadn’t, but that was a small details that she could afford to leave out. “Are you implying I’m of the rough and tough smuggling type?” Rielay knew she should be offended and quite probably very worried that he could read her easily after only half a meeting, but she found she could only tilt her head and eye him with incredulity. He looked at her with his other eyebrow creeping up, thoroughly unimpressed.

“Captain Taqq, do you know how many smuggling vessels I’ve worked on? I know you’re not a ‘businesswoman’.” He made air quotes around the fake title she had given herself. “XS freighters aren’t exactly warships or pleasure vessels.”

She most certainly should be angry with him. She’d be lying if she didn’t have a soft spot for guts and sarcasm and instead she held up a hand, shaking a finger. “That’s where you’re wrong. I am a businesswoman, just no the legal kind.” This banter took the weight off her shoulders, the familiar quips and retorts falling easily to mask her stress and almost hid the looming fate of her and her ship.

The corners of his mouth quirked up in the barest hint of a grin. “In any case, if a businesswoman type like yourself were to, say, need a few jobs I may know where to find some.”

Either she was definitely going out of her mind or he was looking just over her shoulder, glancing in her direction as though the words that had come out of his mouth made any sort of sense. Maybe that was even more than the hint of a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “You...what?” She held up a hand when his mouth opened. “No, I heard you.”

“Then I suggest we take a look at your ship, before it gets too late.”

So he was serious. Rielay turned slowly, shaking her head slowly. “I...well, sure.” She finally stuttered out, regaining her wits enough to stride ahead of him, spreading her hands out in a grand gesture when she reached the ramp. She wasn’t about to shoot a gift Bordok in the mouth. If this kid was serious--and his eyes read serious like a lit up billboard--then she may have some use for him after all.  “Well, this is the Promise. She’s got to be one of the fastest and most nimble freighters you’ll ever see.”

She caught his eyes straying to the dents and spray paint and hopped up on the ramp, growling; Even if he would help her, he wasn’t about to get away with insulting her ship twice in one sitting. “Hey! Eyes up here kid, it’s been a rough trip.”

`“I’m sure.” Emeldir’s eyes scoured the metal one last time before he shook his head. He was unruffled by her sharp tongue now.  She glanced at him sideways before stepping into the airlock with the young man close behind. To find someone completely unbothered by her, to even return it in kind was a rare thing. She hadn’t expected to find it in the stuffy upper levels of this rock. “Do you fly solo?”

“I had someone. Things didn’t work out as planned. Just as the installations on my ship didn’t.”She looked around, a frown pulling at her mouth and listened for any the familiar sounds of another body moving around her ship, But it was quiet. A small sigh escaped her lips. She was lonely already and it showed, this was information that this kid had no reason to know.

“What do you need to see here kid?”

He rattled off the information like he had done it several times before. The engine room, or wherever the systems in her ship were kept. For wasting his time, at least he was professional about it. His casual offer still caught her off guard, if he could pull through then this could change everything. But if it was just a cruel joke...well, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to help it if her blaster accidentally misfired.

Two engines stood still on either side of them when they stepped inside the engine room, controlled by a panel in the middle. “The hyperdrive is over there.” She pointed to another removable panel, surrounded by the entrances to her crawlspaces. Hopefully nothing he needed was in those crawlspaces, she had made them for her use only and she doubted he could fold himself small enough to fit. “I don’t know what you’re looking for but the engines have been modded for maximum power and the hyperdrive has been upgraded multiple times. Not necessarily with all standard parts for this model.”

Emeldir went to the left engine, examining it as he spoke. He moved as she had in the shipyards of Coronet City, confident and with ease as though he could do this in his sleep. Impressive. “I need to see the power your vessel is holding,” He noted something to himself under his breath. “So that when installing the new defenses we don’t overload the system or accidentally redirect power from the engines or the hyperdrive. The last thing I want to do is damage your ship.” Another sideways look with the slightest of smirks. Well, wasn’t he just having a field day making subtle jabs at her and her kind. Who knows how many smugglers he had met with an unhealthy attachment to their ships. She was no different and he was taking no small amount of pleasure in needling her about it.

Maybe it was payback for her own teasing of him.

It shouldn’t be this easy for some teenager to so quickly shift her suspicion to good natured irritation. It shouldn’t have been this easy for her to work a favor out of him. He had to be playing a game and Rielay needed to figure out what it was so she could put the power back in her hands. For now though, she’d play along.

“Right..so what’ll be the cost for this system I want. Chridan Deryn didn’t seem too keen to tell me right away.” She asked as Emeldir replaced the panel he had taken out and stood back to his full height. “And tell me more about this offer of yours.”

“Your looking at a lot of credits.” Emeldir looked over his shoulder at the ship’s systems, working his lower lip between his teeth as he did the math in his head. He just ended up shaking his head, drawing a hand slowly across his jaw. “I can’t tell you the exact amounts, not with the small ecosystem of brands you have growing in here.”

If she hadn’t seen his brow wrinkle or his eyes narrow while he tried to calculate all the different costs needed to work around the parts she might have called him out right then and there for trying to cheat her. His doubt appeared genuine, as did his apologetic look. She didn’t peg him as the kind to be a stellar actor and liar. She’d take this chance.

“Okay..so your deal.” She raised her chin and looked up expectantly. “You said you had a work around for a captain in a tight situation?”

He dipped his head, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “I do, though it may not be exactly the work a smuggler is accustomed to.”

She was quick to answer. “Anything is better than the situation I’m in now.” Her fingernails drummed on her arm in a quick, nervous beat. “Though I must say I don’t know what a young kid such as yourself would have for connections.”

Casual, but if he was lying he would catch on it. She hoped, at least, that if he were lying he wouldn’t be able to think fast enough to skim over her tripwire.

Emeldir answered smoothly, crossing his arms in a mirror of her own. If he weren’t an upper levels specimen he could have just as easily fit here, in a smuggler's ship. His mannerisms, if she looked over the accent and refined politeness, wouldn’t look out of place on Nowhere. “You’d be surprised at the people I meet through my father’s business and my mother’s career,” He pushed himself off the wall to pace in the small space, gesturing as he spoke. Despite his smooth answers Rielay could tell he was pulling this plan together as he went, the slight pauses and expressions crossing his face were telling enough.

“There are a lot of senators looking to regain support among the people for the next election but none of them actually want to go down and get their hands dirty enough to help the people that aren’t supporting them. I’m confident most of them will agree to have a..third party do the work in their names, especially since it isn’t fully legal.” A sideways glance was sent her way. She gave a slight nod, waving her hand from him to continue. “Or, depending on how many credits you’ll need there are a few high paying locals that want gang trouble taken care of.”

Gang deals and slightly illegal work? That was her job description in a nutshell. “I’m in. Send me the details and I’ll report back to you in a few days.”

“I’ll give the details, but I have one requirement.” Rielay stiffened, eyes immediately narrowing and her jaw setting.

There it was, the catch in this miracle. What would it be? A cut of the payment, something else? Her voice was clipped. “Oh? And what’s that?”

His brow furrowed in the first sign of doubt she had seen from him in this whole exchange and he looked away briefly before meeting her eyes, To his credit whatever doubt was there was gone, replaced by a firm confidence. “I want to come with you.”

Oh of course--Rielay blinked at him before barking out a strained laugh, “Come again?”

Significantly less sure of himself he shrugged, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I..want to go with you. On the missions.”

She most certainly was not going to take an untrained, unarmed kid through the underlevels of Coruscant. She wasn’t going to risk a senator’s son by even taking him in the mid levels of this planet. Whatever game he was playing at she wanted no part of. She was having a hard enough time winning her own. “Absolutely not.” Come to think of it, why would he even want to tag along? Most Coruscanti civilians were allergic to the idea of danger. “Why would you even want to?”

“I don’t want to try and get elected as a senator, I don’t even want to finish learning how. I want to help people and you're the one that can help me do that.”  

That was almost laughable and Rielay would have snorted in derision had he not been looking at her with all of the excitement of an akk dog pup. He didn’t know what he would be getting into. But, if these were to be multi-step jobs it may not be so bad to have an extra set of hands.

“You’re looking at the wrong woman if you want a means to help people. I don’t help people, I help myself.” She tried to put as much gruffness into her voice as possible. All she had to do was ignore the very story behind Hugo joining her crew and she could almost believe her own lie. “And this isn’t easy work. It gets dangerous.”

It did the exact opposite of her intention, it seemed to solidify his resolve even more. “I understand and I won’t get in your way. It’s a duly beneficial agreement. You get your credits, I don’t have to play at being a senator for a few days.”

Stars why was she even thinking of agreeing to this?  She had to pause, think about what was more important; the credits this would surely bring her, or the threat that Emeldir may pose? It took only one glance around her ship for her decision to be made. He was right, as long as he stayed out of her way they wouldn’t have any trouble. Even if he was trying to trick her she could rely on her skills and reflexes to get her out. It was enough of a chance to make her decision the only correct one.

Maybe, she silently thought, he could even use that persuasive tone of his and that boldness to put a few more credits into her hands. She looked up at the ceiling, breathing out in a chuckle before sticking out her hand and meeting those akk-puppy eyes. So this is what rock bottom felt like, shaking hands with a teenager on a deal that had the high chance of getting her arrested for killing a senator. “You’ve got yourself a deal, kid. I expect you back here by six sharp tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be here. Thank you, Captain Taqq.” Emeldir smiled at her before stepping away and disappearing out of hangar.

No, thank you Emeldir Deryn. Rielay watched him go, waiting until the sound of  the lift faded before she spun to face her ship. A grin of her own split her face and she bounced on the balls of her feet before giving in entirely to excitement and leaping into the air, pumping her fist. The Promise could stay hers, these easy credits would guarantee that. Noble men and woman with political careers at state wouldn’t dare back out of a deal. All she had to do was drag the young Deryn around for a few days and then she could get off this rock and get the hunters off her trail.

Rielay looked into her ship from the bottom of the ramp, then down at her chrono quickly. It wasn’t too late for all the shuttles to have left. If she moved fast enough she could find Hugo and bring him back here...back home.

She was on the main floor of the spaceport faster than she could plan, having practically sprinted to the lift and punched the button. By the time she hunted down one of the spaceport employees that worked the shuttle tickets she was nearly out of breath. Her hands whacked the desk as she skidded to a stop. “Is someone named Hugo around here?” She asked quickly. “Tall, blond hair, scars-” She gestured around her face and neck, blinking hopefully up at the employee with a beaming smile to match. “Probably would have approached you a few hours ago. I’m a...close friend and need to talk to him.”

The employee, human, gave her an odd look, taking a step back from the desk to scan through a database listing ticket transactions. She frowned, scrolling before pausing and looking over at Rielay before looking back at the screen. “The shuttle he bought tickets for left a little while ago.”

It felt like Rielay had been punched in the gut and the smile slipped off her face. “Oh..do you know where it was headed? There was a miscommunication, I need to contact him!”

“I’m not authorized to tell you that, ma'am.”  The look sent her way might have been sympathetic but Rielay looked away before it could register. She knew what this must look like, something ridiculous that might have come from a romance holo-vid. Two partners have a fight, one leaves.

That wasn’t the case and she barely acknowledged the information that there were halo terminals around she could use to contact him, muttering a thank you before wandering back towards the lift in a daze.

A little bit. She had missed him only by a little bit. On the floor of the hangar she tried to pick up his comm signal, but all she received was static. She threw the piece of technology across the floor, running a hand over her face. A split second decision had ripped the man that had cared for and protected her for years away from his home, turned him out on the streets...just for it to be false alarm.

Five years of loyal service and she had repaid him by throwing it back in his face. Taking out her panic on him just as...Rielay’s hand clamped over her mouth to muffle a cry...just as Zav had taken her anger after the Sacking of Coruscant on her. There would be no apology chance now, no chance for Rielay to tell him she was wrong. No chance for him to come back to her ship as Rielay had been allowed to remain on the Resolution.

Her new line up of jobs that had looked like a perfect miracle had lost some of its shine now that her excitement had been dashed. Saving her own hide, though it had been her goal all along, seemed like less of an achievement with her failure to take care of her crew. Hadn’t she said that crew was family and should always stick together?  

If she couldn’t raise his comm signal now he would be long gone from Coruscant by the time she did. She should have thought dammit, let Hugo help her instead of trying to take this on alone.

Her datapad beeped from where she had discarded it on a pile of boxes, drawing her hand away from her face. With leaden steps she trudged over and picked it up. A message flashed across the screen from an unidentified source.

Here are the details you asked for. -Emeldir Deryn

There were several documents attached and she clicked the datapad off, curling her fingers around it. She may not be able to get Hugo back but she could still fix the rest of the mess she had made. And perhaps that could ease the guilt chewing on her heart.

If she could get her ship she could go get Hugo...if he’d even want to return to the Promise. Maybe, at least, she could help him find new work. But first she had to make it through her jobs. One step at a time.

[doctordouzan-blog]

Tales From RP - Chapter I: The Gundam Regret

Welcome back to the tales of a really bored RPer who wrote a lengthy post about some commonly found RP terms and some basic pieces of advice. I’m still extremely bored out of mind with nothing to reply to, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane. And for the sheer hell of it, I’m going to drag you all along under the pretense of teaching you lessons that’ll help your RP experience.  Today’s lesson? Appreciate what you have. My roleplaying career started on Battle.net after my paternal aunt casually gave me my cousin’s Diablo disc. At first I played only by myself and avoided the online. But after my vacation was over and I was back home, my dad allowed me on the internet with the game. I called myself Cursed_Angel, and didn’t do much at first. Eventually, I found my way to the Town Square channel, which was a stomping ground for people bored out of their mind, and was often where multiverse RP happened.  (Definition time! Multiverse, at least back in those days, meant an RP that combined several different universes at once. So instead of roleplaying exclusively, say, Marvel, you also tossed in Card Captor Sakura, Gundam, Sailor Moon, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. A Multiverse character is either: a; a character that exists in a multiverse RP, or b; a character who exists in several different universes at once. Example of the latter definition: My character Rin Anderson is a multiverse character. She’s a dimension hopper that is constantly trying to find her way home, and winds up in different universes, where she abides by the rules of that universe and explores it before gaining enough energy to leave again.  Multiverse RPs can be insanely complicated. Each universe has their own core rules, such as different rules on vampires and werewolves, magic vs science, telepathy allowed or not allowed, technology advanced vs Bronze Age equivalent, etc. Generally, if it is a Multiverse RP, it is assumed that the rules exist simultaneously and overlapping, and not at all. Confusing? Yeah, it’s basically a free-for-all. The definition of all of these could have changed by now, but that was, at the time, the definitoins of Multiverse and Multiverse Characters.) For whatever reason, my Battle.net server had a huge following of Gundam fans. We had clans as well, consisting of Gundam characters, mostly from Gundam Wing, and G Gundam. My little Cursed (Yes, her first name was Cursed) was an amnesiac little flower who flitted around with the Wolves, the Gundam Wing crew, the Shuffle Alliance, and even the Zoids pals. Eventually, she gained a Liger Zoid, and a Gundam that used a traditional cockpit as well as the G Gundam cockpit, based on whatever her needs were for fighting, and eventually even the Zero programming in the traditional cockpit. Looking back, I’m actually fairly proud of that achievement. Cursed never claimed to have those off the bat. Those were all gifts given to her by the other RPers. She gained the Zoid after repairing it with the tiny Zoid gang, and her Gundam was constructed for her by Duo Maxwell and Sai Sai Ci. She even ended up as a sixth member of the Shuffle Alliance, though I can’t for the life of me remember what she had. I want to say she was another Joker alongside Argo, and again, this was something the group decided on altogether. I was one of the few OCs to attain items like those without actually Mary Sueing/Godmoding and claiming I had them initially. They were items granted to her by the canon characters that she earned. If I could find a way to revive Cursed, I would. She is without a doubt one of my all time favorite characters, even though I cringe at how preteen Kayla RP’d, and what caused me to retire her.  I mostly interacted with.. I think it was Kyoji_Kashu_, Duo_Maxwell, HeeroYuy SaiSaiChi_, and Domon_Kashu- or something like that. All the hyphens and underscores that RPers could love. We had pretty much a full set of characters and even duplicates, but we were the core players. Domon and Cursed were stalwart allies who fought in several battles together. Duo and Cursed were inseparable and terrifying troublemakers that should have never been left to their own devices, ever. Sai and Cursed bonded as two youngsters, a sibling bond between the two, and it was Sai who installed the additional cockpit into the Cursed Gundam- yes, that’s what we called it- to allow her to use the latex-loving piloting style of G Gundam. Heero eventually grew to treat Cursed like a little sister, and was the one that installed Zero on Cursed during some epic RP plot that I wish I could recall, but I think it came after Cursed ended up piloting Wing Zero when him and Quatre couldn’t.  The character that I enjoyed RPing with the most, however, was Kyoji.  Cursed and Kyoji clashed several times, enemies to the bitter end, as she sought to protect Domon and Rain from him. The fights between the two were pretty epic and Cursed, being the novice, hardly ever won. As we progressed through the plot and we did all that crazy ‘Oh he’s not REALLY evil, it’s just the Gundam!’ bizniz, the two grew romantic. The two had a bond that was incredibly deep, considering how novice of RPers we were at the time. As I grew better at RPing and Cursed’s skills grew from combat- like a proper character, she learned, adapted, and trained hard to become better- I grew cocky.  I ended up betraying my character’s personality. Cursed was a soft-spoken girl, not unlike me myself. I was severely bullied growing up, and had little-to-no confidence. Cursed, meanwhile, was accepted in ways I could never be, and someone that I think in the end, I wanted to be like. I began to project my own insecurities onto her, and twisted the personality of my beloved character into something grotesque. She became arrogant, cocky, full of bravado, when before she was the girl that ran after Domon asking to train, or listened in rapt attention when Heero repaired his gundam.  It wasn’t until I made the biggest mistake of my time RPing on Battle.net that I realized the path I had gone down. Cursed was interacting with Kyoji, and while I never can remember how it got to this point, I clearly remember Cursed boldly saying that she was far too strong to need Kyoji, and he was holding her back, that she was beyond his skill level. She destroyed him, and took off without a care, an act completely out of character for her, driven by my own need to be the best. Even worse, was my cockiness went OOC. I basically told him I no longer needed him, that I could RP with whoever I wanted, and that he was beneath me. That was the first time that I realized that my words could have an impact on the person behind the screen. Kyoji and Domon were played by real-life brothers, and Kyoji stopped logging in on that account. We had multiple accounts that we logged in and out of. I had Rikku from FFX2, a custom named Katsume, and Cursed. (I think at one point I had a Sai Sai Ci as well, and even tried my hand at a Heero. I have files somewhere with my old usernames but I found the e-mails I used to send to my boyfriend asking him to log on when I wasn’t able to, so I didn’t lose them.)  I begged Domon to let him know that I didn’t mean it, that I was sorry. Kyoji logged in once and while we talked, it was clear that he wasn’t going to be coming back, that he was gone.  My favorite RP partner was gone, and I stopped logging in for some time. When I came back, our Wing clan, our Shuffle Alliance, was gone. Sometimes Duo or Sai would log back in, but they had all made new accounts and moved on.  It was never confirmed that I was the cause of it, but to this day, I still believe that my cockiness, my desire to be the best, my ego, broke up the group. When members started leaving, others left with them. We lost some of our most active members because I couldn’t control myself. I wasn’t happy with Cursed as a character, she had to be the absolute best. She had to be more, everything I could never be.  I had an amazing Multiverse RP where my character had achieved what very few OCs could. I had fun, I had friends, and I always had someone to RP with, or play a round of Diablo with. Hell, when I got Starcraft later, I always had someone to play games with.  If there is anything I want those who read this to understand, it’s to be happy with what you have. Be grateful for the partners you have, and remember that they’re people behind a screen. Remember that your words can have an impact, and that someone could become hurt by what you do or say. Don’t try to project your own insecurities, your personality, your ego onto your character. It never works out, and always makes a mess of things.  If you reach the point where you have a community that is full, a community of friends that respect and care for you, treasure that shit always, and don’t let it go. Be apart of it, be respectful, and remember that whatever you do or don’t do has consequences.  And Kyoji, if by some miracle you ever read this and remember Cursed_Angel from Battle.net, I don’t think I could ever apologize enough. I miss RPing with you, and someday, I hope I can find you again so that way, I can tell you how wrong I was to say such things. I was lucky to have you as a friend, and not a day goes by that I don’t regret what I did, or what I lost. Someday, I hope to bring back Cursed, maybe even in a Gundam setting, but I know it will never be as amazing as our crazy, zany plots in Town Square.  As always, feel free to ask if you have any questions regarding RP, or are just bored out of your mind. Next time we’ll be checking out one of the following stories. Got one you want to hear first? Send me an ask and tell me which one you want to hear, or Twit at me on the Tweeter. Otherwise, I’ll pick one at random.  -”Kuroda, Tsunade, and the Best Boyfriend Ever (Not.)” -”When Your Demon from Dragon Age is Ivy from Soul Calibur (Wiki Edition!)” -”All My Characters are Besties and Text All The Time!” -”*Giggle* *Laughs* *Snorts* *Giggles* *Chuckles* *Laughs softly* (…What am I Replying to?!)” -”I Got Out of Hell and Turned Super Saiyajin! (All By Myself!)” -"King Douchebag and the Pink Vanilla Sky” - Starring Fuma Kotaro!  -And many more!