#everyone knew it was gonna be swift city for a week and they all participated

[aryomengrande]

finally done making these keychains for my besties 🥹 it's confetti from the concert + their favorite ts songs that are part of the eras setlist (one bestie is lucky bc her fav ts song is foolish one and that was one of the surprise songs during n3 which i attended)! the nametags are actually stickers i got from haji lane, at a shop that sells fanmade merch. these mfs kept me alive long enough to see taylor live. long live all the magic we made! 🫶🏻

[mediocre-writerr]

we’re going down [leah rilke]

bring us through: leah rilke book

chapter 2: we’re going down

*not my gif*

The private jet was fancier than any plane I’ve ever been on. Seats where your feet weren’t cramped like a bunch of sardines in a sardine can. A smell that doesn’t smell like someone just ate the whole Taco Bell menu before they came on.

It was clean and polished. No spot had a stain, like it was brand new. Perfect as one would say.

Here’s the thing about perfection though: everyone has their own version of perfect.

Here’s the thing about me: I didn’t know that until much more recently.

There were many trials and tribulations with my family, especially when it came to perfection...or well perfection in my dad’s eyes. But somehow, some way, we always came out stronger. There was one time where my mom didn’t get the job we needed to really help our financial situation, and my dad got so angry that she wasn’t perfect that she had to go live with my aunt for a couple months. But when she came back with a new better job, my dad celebrated her. We went to a fancy restaurant in the city and ate the most expensive food on the menu. Then my older sister didn’t marry the guy my dad wanted her to and he disowned her for a few months. Until she came back with more money and a grandkid for our parents. He threw the baby a huge baptism party, spending loads of money buying them a house and the necessities for a baby.

My mom not getting a job? Fixed with a big celebration dinner. My sister not marrying the man my dad wants? Fixed with a huge baptism party and buying them a house.

I’m valedictorian, on the verge of going to the most prestigious school in Texas on a full ride: Rice University. And then right when everything in life seemed to be perfect, I messed everything up. There was no way coming back up from this one.

I was just sitting at the kitchen table during dinner. Eating mom’s classic country fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. Occasionally, participating in awkward conversation about how good the food is. I felt like I slept-walked there, barely able to recall the argument before dinner, the yelling, the screaming. Remembering for the thousandth time in the past week, that she was gone.

I sat there awkwardly, waiting for the other foot to drop. That I was just going to get kicked to the curb like everyone else who didn’t follow what my dad has planned for their life. But as my younger brothers went upstairs for bed I recognized something on my dad’s face that I had never seen since they found out. His face dressed in a big smile, like he was just told he’s going to Disney World.

As if on beat, he leaned in closer to me from across the table. And I knew that things were about to go for a crash-landing. His unusual happiness at my disobedience was going to wreck havoc into my life.

He cleared his throat hesitantly as my mother joined us back on the table. His breath smelled like his usual bourbon, “So Raleigh,” he said, crossing his fingers together with my mom’s, “We have a fun surprise for you.”

As if on cue there was a knock on the door. My father gestured for me to go get the door. I opened it revealing Shelby and her parents. I stopped short in my place, both of us frozen with confusion written all over our faces. But her parents had an unfamiliar expression: genuine happiness?

I cleared my throat, trying to piece everything together, “Hi Mr and Mrs. Goodkind. It’s a pleasant surprise. My parents are at the kitchen table.”

I open the door wider for them as the two of them say their hello’s and walk inside, “What’s going on?” I ask Shelby and she shrugs.

“I have no idea,” she whispers back, “But it can’t be good.”

The two of us sat across from our parents, as they stared at us with grins on their faces. But it’s as if the grins had a double meaning to them, “We wanted to talk to the two of you about something. We know the two of you are as thick as thieves, I mean you never shut up about each other.” Mr. Goodkind laughs, trying to ease the awkward tension, but it misses by a longshot.

Me and Shelby laugh along awkwardly, as we look at each other with a side glance. They said fun surprise. Not we’re kicking you out onto the streets. But we knew, from the way that our mom’s wouldn’t look at us or from the way our father’s faces grew more and more stern by the second, that something was about to go down.

My dad fetched something from his office. Two envelopes with our name scrawled across it, with a pamphlet in his name. The pamphlet in big bold letters saying: Dawn of Eve.

“We want you to have this,” my dad says, “It’s a gift for the two of you.”

We slowly opened the envelopes revealing a plane ticket to Hawaii, along with an itinerary, “It’s a retreat,” my mom blurted, “A beautiful month trip to Hawaii with other girls around your age. You’ll love it. Find your true self. Growing.”

Mrs. Goodkind chimes in, “Aromatherapy messages, swimming with dolphins, workshops!”

“A chance for the two of you girls to discover who you’re really ought to be.” Mr. Goodkind says.

And at that point I knew. It wasn’t just any retreat, it was a retreat to get our shit together.

I closed the overhead container, like closing the container would shut out the memories too. Looking for a distraction, I opened up Instagram on my phone scrolling through various posts of people back home and celebrities flaunting off their life.

Everyone seemed to have taken their seats. The brunette with a book sat in the back away from everyone else, holding onto the book like her life depended on it. The ‘put on your seatbelt’ sign flashed above us, as a video began playing on the screen in front of us.

“Right now, hundreds of girls just like yourselves, board charters just like this one, are on route to our retreat in Kona, Hawaii.” the middle-aged lady said.

But I wasn’t quite focused on that, but rather the girl in the back all by herself. She was staring blankly at the seat in front of her, not paying attention to anyone in the plane or the video.

“The Dawn of Eve literally waits for no man.” the lady says, causing me to catch my attention.

I looked at my best friend who was captivated by the video. I give her a look and she just shrugs. The air on the plane was tense as we lifted off into the air. It seemed like nobody wanted to be here. So Shelby did what she did best.

“I’m gonna start an icebreaker to get to know everyone.” she states, starting to get up from out of her seat.

I pull her back down as fast as I could, “Shelb, really? We’re not on a mission.”

But she just pulled out of my grasp standing up. I let out a sigh, even though everyone would hate this idea, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t support her? “So, in the interest of bringing us all together I would like to propose a little ice breaker.”

I could literally feel everyone’s eye roll in the room. An asian girl with bangs stood up suggesting ‘Never Have I Ever’. But of course peppy Shelby shot down her suggestion. She was never one for those types of games. Especially with all of the secrets she keeps hidden inside.

“Alright I’m gonna start with an introduction and play matchmaker,” she says walking up and down the aisle.

I was trying to pay attention to Shelby, but for some reason I kept looking back at that beautiful brunette. Who did not seem to be interested in anything Shelby was saying. Her nose still knee-deep in that book of hers, curled onto her side, reading like it was life or death.

“And this is my best friend Raleigh Fuller,” my best friend says, snapping out of my trance. She looks at you with the look as she follows your gaze to the girl in the back, “We’re from Dillon, Texas.”

She grabs my hand, dragging me all the way towards the back, sitting next to the girl, “You two will be paired up together. Have fun you two.” she says to me with a wink before walking back down the aisle.

The brunette didn’t acknowledge me though, but rather kept reading her book. I cleared my throat, awkwardly, trying to gain her attention.

“The Nature Of Her? By Jeffrey Galanis.” I said, squinting at the book cover across from me.

That seemed to have caught her attention, “You’ve read it?”

“No. I actually never heard of it, but it seems like it’s interesting. If you’ve been having your nose stuffed in since I accidentally ran into you.” I say jokingly with a small smile.

The flight attendant came by with a cart full of chocolate cake. We both thank him softly, before indulging in the richness of the cake.

She didn’t respond after that all she did was stick her nose in her book again. But it seemed like she wasn’t even reading the pages. After three seconds she’s already flipping onto another page.

I cleared my throat, scratching the back of my neck. I mean what am I supposed to say? The girl clearly didn’t want to be bothered. It’s like the writing in those pages were magical. The old me would just sit back in the leather private jet chair, feeling sorry for myself about her completely ignoring me. Probably thinking something like: wow, I guess I’m really not cool. Or spit out a random fact since that’s all I know like: competitive art used to be in the Olympics.

But that past me was probably dug next to the old Taylor Swift’s grave. The lyric that goes: “I’m sorry the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now...why? Cause she’s dead.” Yeah that’s how I’m feeling on the inside, so instead I say, “You know it’s kinda rude that we’re supposed to be having a conversation, but you’re completely ignoring me.”

She let out a laugh and took one glance up from the book. Finally being met with her bright blue eyes, “Does it look like I want to be bothered right now?”

“No, but it looks like you’re reading the same page over and over again. Like it’s the only thing that can keep your heart beating,” I said, “What’s so interesting about that book anyway?”

She studied me for a brief moment. Her eyes leave the pages of that book for more than five seconds.

Finally, she said, “Look, it’s one of my favorite books. But I don’t think there’s a rule against rereading your favorite book over and over again. That’s like me telling you that you can’t read Wuthering Heights over and over again.”

Now it was my turn to stare at the girl.

She was right. She may have been a closed off book, but so was I. I used to be one of those people who would kill to ask thousands of questions about what that book was about. Or why she loved it so much. I would love to join in and lead on Shelby’s icebreakers. But now? Sometimes, I don’t even want to talk to Shelby.

I wanted to apologize for my comments. These days, I can’t control my own emotions or what I want to say anymore.

I’m sorry, I imagined myself saying, I’m sorry that I was a complete pain in the butt. I didn’t mean to judge you and how invested you are in that book. My parents found out my deepest darkest secret. And instead of accepting me with open loving arms they decided to send me to a retreat. A retreat in which I’m pretty sure is a conversion therapy camp, but they don’t want to say that out loud. So they call it a fun surprise for me and my best friend. While the girl I fell in love with is just gone. I used to be this bright bubbly girl, but now I’m not. So, please forgive me for my behavior since you probably don’t want to be here either.

That’s a little TMI, don’t you think?

I open my mouth and start to utter those meaningless two words when my best friend came rushing past.

“Shelby? Where are you going?” I ask, surprised at how fast she was moving.

“I got chocolate cake in my teeth.” she mumbles, covering her face in her hand and I immediately got the message.

“Ah got it.”

Shelby rushed back into the bathroom and I turned to the brunette in front of me again. The closed-book of a girl, opening my mouth once more ready to mumble the two most overused words. But the plane started shaking, jolting us back and forth. The two of us look at each other, tilting our heads to the side.

“Hello everyone. We’re experiencing a little turbulence.” The plane continued to jolt and it seemed like more than just a little turbulence, “Actually a lot of turbulence!” the pilot yells.

The lights flashing on and off. The brunette just shoved her face back in the book. This could be our last moments on Earth and she’s still reading that book! I get up from out of my seat, banging on the bathroom door.

“Shelby! Open the door!” I yell.

My blonde best friend came bursting out and she fell onto her knees on the floor. Praying to the God she still whole-heartedly believed in. I fell down on the ground next to her, holding her in my arms as she prayed. I didn’t pray, but rather sat there thinking that this was the end.

[always5hineee]

Hell and Back - Chapter 20: The First Rule of Right Club (Trial 27)

Word count: 3153

Chapter warnings: Mild language, violence, and dangerous actions  

[Please do not replicate any of the behaviors read in this book.]

-----

       After explaining what had happened with Tao's challenge, Suho warned her not to do it again without asking him about it. She tried to defend herself in regards to the time limit, but he wasn't having it. Tao attempted to take the blame for it, but they both understood that it was just Suho's being on edge. At least they got another trial out of the way. Only a few more before they were done... Finally, she just decided to move past it, looking down to the screen.

       "Lay is limited for this trial." She said curtly, not willing to fight with their unofficial leader any longer. "Who did we say was going next?"

       "We listed Sehun." Lay offered, paying attention mostly just because of the use of his name.

       "I'm okay with that." Sehun said. "Let's go, it's getting late, and I'm starving. The faster we do this, the better."

       "Alright," she pressed his name, waiting for it to load up. Before the text even appeared, Sehun grabbed the phone out of her hand. As she started yelling protests, he held it on his other side out of her reach as she grabbed his arm, jumping behind him to try and get it. Reading it, he said,

       "I have to compete in a fighting ring." Pausing her jumps, she asked,

       "Are you serious? That seems dangerous. And illegal." Handing the phone back to her, he said,

       "Yeah, it does, doesn't it... Where are we even going to find a fighting ring?" As he asked this, everyone looked too Kris. Noticing their gazes, he glared.

       "Don't look at me. I don't do that underground shit."

       "We might need to ask the app again..." Chen suggested.

       "The last time we did that, though, Lay got screwed over."

       "Do we really have a choice, though?" Kyungsoo pointed out. "We can't just walk around the city asking people where to find a highly illegal activity we can participate in."

       "Yeah, I guess." Suho said, clearly unhappy with this decision. "Y/N, ask the thing." He ordered. She wanted to snark back at him, but just did what he asked, watching the familiar box. Do you wish to request a set trial location? Note that this cannot be changed freely. Clicking yes, a GPS box popped up.

       "I guess we have a place, then." She said. "It's within walking distance, actually, do we-"

       "We're driving." Kris said, making it non-negotiable. "If something happens, I'm not gonna run down the street like some clown."

       "Alright, alright," she said, putting her hands up in surrender, still grabbing her phone in one. "Let's go then." They got into Kris's car, inching down the road as she looked for the right area. Finally, they reached a suspiciously dark parking deck, to which she pointed. "There." Pulling in, she told him to just find whatever parking space he wanted. Although it was empty, she knew that the place must be close. Reluctantly, he did as she asked. Once they had stopped, everyone got out, Kris double checking to make sure it was locked.

       "Okay," she directed. "I think it's in the bottom deck of this place. That's what the GPS is insinuating, anyway."

       "Do you guys carry masks?" Kyungsoo asked, pulling one out of his pocket. It wasn't uncommon to do so for both health and privacy reasons. However, she didn't have hers on her- she generally didn't when she hung out with them. She wasn't alone, as Baekhyun wasn't carrying one either.

       "Hold on, there are probably extras in the car." Kris said with a sigh, re-unlocking it and digging in the center console. Finally, he came up with one fabric and one paper. "Who wants what?"

       "You can have the real one," Baekhyun offered. "Blue looks good on me, anyway." Taking the black fabric mask from Kris gratefully, he turned to check his car once more as she put it on. Although it had definitely been in the car a while, it faintly smelled of his cologne. He'd used the same one for years, so she could recognize it by now.

       "Let's go." Suho directed, his own mask on as well as they headed towards the not-so-reputable staircase. They filed down two at a time, Sehun in the front. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, they were met by a large, well-built man obstructing the entryway.

       "Excuse us..." Sehun said with an awkward laugh, trying to get through.

       "What do you think you're doing?" The man asked in a rough tone, shifting to cover any gaps in his body-barricade.

       "We're here to fight." He explained. "So if you could just-"

       "All of you?" He asked, looking up at the line. "I don't remember that many people even being on the roster."

       "Roster?" He asked. There was a roster? Well, shit, how were they supposed to get onto that.

       "Um, yes. Are you sure you're in the right place, kids?"

       "It's just him fighting." Suho pointed at Sehun, trying to get control over the situation. "The rest of us are just here to watch." Raising an eyebrow, the bouncer asked,

       "You? You're gonna fight?" Sehun nodded, to which he shrugged. "What's your name?"

       "Oh Sehun?" Grabbing a list off a table obscured by the wall, the man looked it over. After a few seconds his eyes widened just slightly, but he was quick to hide it. Looking back up to Sehun, he said, "Alright, you're on the list. If the rest of you are just watching, though, you'll have to buy tickets."

       "Where do we do that?" Suho asked. He received a weird look- they were not blending in easily- but the bouncer told them he'd take the money right there. Reluctantly, each of them paid, following Sehun in. As they passed the man, he said,

       "Competitors can go to the back room to get their gloves, unless you brought your own."

       "Thank you." As they walked in, she looked around, astounded. She had never really been anywhere like this before. While in structure, it definitely looked like a parking deck, it was- no pun intended- decked out to no end. There were LED's and smoke machines everywhere, but it fit well with the aesthetic. It was less like a cheesy haunted house and more like a club that was too cool for you. There were crowds of people, makeshift bars, and the smell of many, many drugs, at least half of which the scents she didn't recognize.

       "Hey, honey," she heard a voice to her right as she was walking, a man sauntering up to her. He was definitely older than her, but she couldn't tell by how much in the dim light. "You look new. Need someone to show you around?" Shoving him away by the shoulder, Kai answered for her.

       "She's fine, thanks." Looking to Kai, then to her, then to the group as a whole, he laughed.

       "Oh, you're one of those girls."

       "What's that supposed to-" She started to ask, before Kai pulled her to his other side by the elbow.

       "That's enough of that." And with that, he escorted her further into the deck with the rest of the group. In the center of the entire mess, there was a huge padded arena, much like one would see in boxing movies. There was a timer hanging on the wall, lit up at 1:34. It was counting down, leading up to something. Sehun split off to go to the back, slipping through the mess of bodies and out of sight. She wanted to follow him, but Kai was still holding onto her elbow. She was simply forced to watch as the clock counted... 3... 2... 1...

       When it hit zero, it made an earsplitting buzz for a second or two, quieting the whole room down. Just after it went off, a man climbed up into the ring, wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. Holding a microphone, he yelled,

       "Ladies and gentlemen! Can I have your attention please!" Once the whole room was looking at him, he waved a hand, laughing into the microphone. "Ah, who are we kidding, there are none of those here. Who's ready to fight?" As he said this, the room flew into an excited roar, strobe lights going off in the background. All of it was giving her a headache, but it was somehow entrancing as well. She couldn't help but continue watching.

       "We have a roster of eighteen people this week, including your favorite reigning champion, the Golden Ninja!" The room once again broke out into a frenzy, but she couldn't help but laugh. The golden ninja? What kind of lame-ass name was that? She could only assume the others would be worse.

       "We also have quite a few new contenders, so keep your eyes out for some new potential bets! Remember, the rules are simple. No kicking, no biting, no uh... blows below the belt, and you fight to win! Now who's ready?" Screaming and rock music began harmonizing in some sort of demon's chorus, flooding the area. How was this not audible to the people on the surface? Regardless, the matches were about to start.

       If there were 18 players, that would mean there were 9 games. She wasn't sure which Sehun would be in, but she wanted to make sure she was up front for it. As she struggled to see over the mob, Chanyeol asked,

       "Do you want a lift?" He whispered next to her ear. Wanting to be able to see the fight, she nodded in agreement. Kneeling down in front of her, he gesture to his shoulders. Not sure of what to do at first, she awkwardly stepped over his arms so that she was standing over him, legs on either side of his head. In one swift motion, he grabbed her knees and stood, lifting her off the ground on his shoulders. As they we relatively near to a pillar, he leaned back on it, so that she'd have some form of support as they watched.

       Now that she was far above the crowd, she could see quite clearly. The fight was just beginning as the announcer called the first two competitors out. Neither of the names called were Sehun's. She looked on in curiosity as two bigger men entered the ring, each with shorts and gloves on. They were both heavily bruised, although neither looked like they bore recent injuries. Maybe they were regular competitors.

       "Three rounds of three minutes each, we'll judge the winner by K.O.'s or cheering! Ready, set, go!" The brawl broke out almost immediately. She could barely keep track of their hands as they battered each other, each grimacing in pain every few seconds. When the three minutes was up, the disorienting buzzer rang again, each man backing up from the other. They were breathing heavily and sweating, glaring at each other. Had they fought before?

       The second and third rounds progressed in relatively the same fashion, although they progressively became more slow and clunky. By the end, since no one had been knocked out, the announcer raised each man's hand one at a time to listen for the cheers. She did not cheer for either.

       The second match was similar, but they only fought two rounds. During the second, the smaller of the two men was knocked out cold, tongue practically falling out of his mouth. It was beginning to worry her. Those two men were obviously not in the same weight class. Who would Sehun end up fighting?

       "Hey, uh, loosen up." Chanyeol said from below her in sort of a loud whisper, trying to get her attention without alerting anyone else.

       "Huh?"

       "My scalp's kinda sore still." Looking down, she realized that she was holding onto his head rather tightly, running her fingers over his remaining hair in an obsessive manner.

       "Oh! Sorry..." She said. "I'm just nervous."

       "Me too."

       The third round passed, then the fourth. The fifth. She was starting to become fearful as even bigger and scarier men began coming out, each more violent and rage-filled than the last. Sixth. Seventh. It was at the eighth round that things became interesting. The announcer, as he had between the other rounds, stood to speak. However, this time, his dialogue was a bit different.

       "In a recent development, one of our competitors has backed out! Normally we'd drag him out here and just... beat the shit out of him," He laughed with the crowd, "But he's pretty much turned tail and hit the road." Were they talking about Sehun? Had he run away? She didn't have time to ask Chanyeol what he thought before the man continued. "So, you folks are in for a special treat! Instead of giving our eighth round competitor a bye, the Golden Ninja is going o be fighting twice! Yes, you heard that right, the Golden Ninja will be fighting two first round drafts!"

       The crowd began to go wild, lights flashing and a few beer bottles smashing on the ground. She flinched, causing Chanyeol to tighten his grip on her knees.

       "It's gonna be fine." He muttered.

       "You don't think...?"

       "I'm sure he's alright." As the two names were called, her eye grazed over the arena. The first guy- the original fighter- looked about how she'd expected. Huge, tons of tattoos, short hair, muscled far beyond her comfort level- it was all there. The second man, though, was much different than anyone else she'd seen. He was wearing golden shorts, as well as a headband. He had long, black hair that was tied back with it, falling into his eyes like feathers. His skin was light, and surprisingly clear. She couldn't make out a single bruise on his frame, although that could have just been the LED's. It was when the starting buzzer rang, though, that she was truly surprised.

       The bigger man lunged for him almost immediately, likely familiar with the ninja's style. The smaller man immediately zipped around him, looping a foot around his ankle and pulling, causing the man to fall to the ground. Once he was down, the boy jumped over him, leaning down to hold a glove to his shoulder. Within seconds, the man had gone completely limp, announcer ringing the buzzer.

       "And, as usual, the golden ninja takes the victory!" Two assistants, a man and a woman she had seen at the bar earlier in the night dragged the motionless body of the man off the arena floor, the victor waving his hands in the air and calling for cheers.

       "For the final first-round match of the night, we have a new competitor to the ring!" She held her breath, trying to figure out whether she wanted Sehun to still be here, or to have escaped. This did not look good for him. The trial never said he had to win, but it also may have a contingency. In addition, she'd really prefer if he didn't die...

       "Introducing... Sehun!" Shit. Walking out into the arena, Sehun was already sweating just slightly, silky sheen on his skin. He had taken off his shirt and was now wearing gloves, but he was still sporting black skinny jeans, no doubt restricting his movement. The crowd broke out into laughter.

       "What's going on?" She asked. "Why is everyone laughing?"

       "My guess?" Tao said grimly, "This is a normal occurrence. They pick the weakest of the new competitors and throw them up against the reigning champion as a form of entertainment."

       "That's sick." The betting boards supported his theory. Every single bet was on the golden ninja, Sehun's boxes completely empty. No one expected, or even wanted him to win.

       "Yeah, well, it's just how it goes." Sehun was looking around, trying to find the group. With Y/N covering feet above the rest of the crowd, she made eye contact with him, causing his darting gazes to still. After a moment, he looked back to the golden ninja. He had the advantage in weight and muscle, but he had no experience. She grit her teeth, hands roaming over Chanyeol nervously as the first bell rang.

       The ninja seemed reluctant to lunge for him first, mostly because he seemed to want Sehun to make the first move. As obvious as it was that the latter had no idea what he was doing, the ninja wasn't stupid. Neither of them knew anything about the other. After a few seconds, though, the crowd began to boo. They wanted blood. As the competition was fueled on audience approval, the fighter fling forward, trying to pull the same tripping move.

       While Sehun wasn't able to completely avoid it, he pulled his foot out of the other man's grip, keeping his balance and managing to shove off him. The ninja tripped, skittering on the floor, but didn't fall either. Annoyed, he said something to Sehun, but she couldn't hear it from where she was residing. Still, it seemed to send the front few rows into a bout of excitement. In a blur, the man's fist flung forward, connecting solidly with Sehun's jaw and flinging his head to the side.

       "Sehun!" She shouted worriedly, Kris looking up at her with a glare.

       "Shh, don't draw attention." A second blow met the boy's face from the other side, causing him to sink to his knees, blood flowing from his nose now. Laughing, the golden ninja leaned over, sneering. It was his revenge for Sehun avoiding his first move. While he was celebrating, though, Sehun wrapped his arms awkwardly around the man's knees, yanking on them and causing him to land on his ass, yelling out in surprise. Sehun managed to scramble to his feet as the golden ninja tried to react, able to get in a sucker punch while he was on the ground. Then a second, then a third.

       At this point, the ninja had lost his advantages: his speed and experience were limited to his incapacitation on the ground, so Sehun was free to use him as a punching bag. As much as the boy didn't want to, he understood that he wouldn't get lucky twice, but if he managed to knock the man out now, the fight would be over. He kept punching until the clock hit zero.

       As the buzzer sounded, he backed up, breathing heavily, wiping the blood from his upper lip with the top of his arm. Watching as the golden ninja twitched on the ground, the crowd was hushed, the announcer walking over to him. He seemed to ask a question, the boy trying to get up. He managed to make it into a standing position, knees shaking and face bloody. After a few seconds, though, he crumbled to the ground again. Shocked, the announcer walked over to Sehun, grabbing his wrist and raising it.

       "The new champion of the arena- Sehun!"

Go to Chapter 21

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia - Chapter 50: Things Go Beyond

Presenting a special, extra-length 50th chapter, raw and unedited, of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Koharu could still not believe the direction her life had taken.  She’d gone into the Sports Festival with the hope that she could impress the teachers enough to make it into the Hero Course for the second year.   She never would have expected to have gotten Third Place.  And she definitely never would have expected that, as a General Education student, even one who made Third Place, or that she’d be Interning with Deku, and also with the Voice, Hitoshi Shinso, golden boy of the General Education department.

Now, the Internship was nearly over.  She’d learned a lot from everyone, including from her future comrades in the Hero Course, Isamu Haimawari and Toshinori Midoriya.  The former was working with Deku as well, but like her, he had no Hero legacy of her own.  It made her feel a little less alone in all this.  Midoriya, on the other hand, was Deku’s son, and working with Lemillion, who, along with Glamour and Deku’s main Sidekick, the Shield, had also been participating in their mentorships.   With so much attention being paid to them, she couldn’t help but feel a little unworthy of it all.

It just meant she’d have to work that much harder to prove herself.

She stepped out of the locker room after having changed into another gym uniform (Checking on her costume was the first step when she got back to UA.), when she heard a voice calling her name.   Deku and Lemillion were supposed to be going on patrol together today and taking the three of them with them.  Sure, since she wasn’t in the Hero Course yet, she hadn’t been allowed to do any fighting, but the off-patrol training regime had more than made up for it.  

“Ah, Kocho!  There you are!”

She looked up to see Lemillion coming her way.   “Oh, Mister Togata, sir,” she said.  “I’m not late, am I?”

He shook his head.  “Oh, no, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. And you don’t have to call me Mister Togata.  Lemillion’s fine.  Or even Mirio if you want.  I’m easy.”

“Oh, okay, sure. What’s up?”

“Well, you see, I’ve got a son about your age, David, he’s in the Support Course.  He’d probably kill me if he knew I was talking about this, but, well, he had a break-up with his last girlfriend, and…”

Okay, she definitely wasn’t expecting that.   Koharu quickly held up both hands.  “Sorry, Mister Togata.  Lesbian.” Not that she’d been doing much thinking in that regard.  All her focus had been on the Sports Festival.  And now it was all on getting herself up to Hero Course standard.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, okay!  You’re probably a little young for my daughter, though. And I’m pretty sure she’s already sweet on someone, even if she won’t tell me…”

What was happening? Pro-Heroes had seemed so… distant before, even the ones who seemed personable on camera.  Who knew they were as human and strange as everyone else?

***

This was officially the best week of Isamu’s life, and that was counting the fact that he’d won the Sports Festival the previous week.  Working with the Number One Hero—Deku!—had been a dream he’d never have thought possible.  He’d trained harder than he ever had before and more than a few small children had actually recognized him while they were on patrol.  Sure, he’d been overshadowed by Deku in that regard, but who wouldn’t have been?

He’d even gotten to take down an actual Villain.  Nothing fancy, just some guy with a Grasshopper Quirk turned purse snatcher, but Deku’d actually let him do the takedown.  He’d been able to anticipate where the guy was going to jump, use his own Quirk to repel himself into the air, then come down and knock him right off his feet.

Maybe it wasn’t taking down the League of Villains or anything, but it was pretty good all the same.

Their patrol must have been quite the sight to the people down below.  Lemillion parkour-ing from rooftop to rooftop, Midoriya doing his gravity-jumps to do the same thing, Deku actually flying, Kocho flying along with her wings, and him, doing his Slide and Glide, occasionally adding an extra-burst to launch himself to the next roof.  But as Deku said, the public visibility was good.  Made people feel safe, watched out for, and let the Villains know they were out there.

Deku landed on the edge of the next rooftop and waited for the rest of them to join him, before breaking into a grin.   Isamu had seen him interviewed countless times and knew he smiled easily, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.  It was entirely genuine, no pretention about it.  He’d seen the man gush easily, about his friends, about his family (especially about his son), even about the progress he and Kocho were making.  

But he’d also seen him turn serious in a heartbeat.  Earlier in the week, when a Villain with a strength-enhancing Quirk had appeared, trying to knock down a tower, Deku had given him a chance to surrender, not wanting to fight if he didn’t have to.  When the Villain had retaliated, Deku had been absolutely swift in his response, first binding him with black coils of energy, then using a single Detroit Smash to knock him out.  The man had been threatening innocent people.  Isamu understood the need for swift action there.

And just as immediately, Deku had returned to grinning, assuring everyone that everything was okay.   And to everyone watching, it was.

That was the kind of Hero that Isamu wanted to be.  

“Okay,” Deku said, “we’re here.  I took patrol to this part of the city for a very important reason.”   Whatever it was, he seemed excited.  Practically vibrating, even.  Isamu didn’t have a lot of personal experience to form a baseline of Deku’s behavior, but this typically seemed to accompany talking about another Hero or a Quirk.

“Wait,” Midoriya said. He rubbed his chin with his hand. “It’s Saturday, right?  So that means…”

Kocho looked at him, with a confused expression.  Isamu shook his head, because he had no idea what was going on either.

“That’s right!” Deku said. He gave his white cape a dramatic flick and pointed to the street below.  A storefront with a multicolored awning was down below, part of a fairly expansive building.  “It’s the grand opening of Herotopia Ice Cream!  One hundred and fifty Pro Hero themed ice cream treats!”

Lemillion let out a laugh at that.  “Oh, man, I can’t believe I forgot!  I bet I’m delicious!”

***

It was, fortunately, early in the morning, so most people weren’t out for ice cream yet.  In fact, it made them the first customers of the day.   Despite the owner’s protests, Dad had insisted on paying, and then they’d all occupied a back booth.   Toshi, like Dad, had gotten Dekulicious ice cream, which was a swirl of green, red, black, and white.  He wasn’t entirely sure what each of those flavors was supposed to be, but it all combined to be pretty good.  

Uncle Mirio had gotten his own flavor, Lemonillion.  “Not a huge lemon fan,” he admitted, “but their hearts are in the right place.  And I like the pun!”

“If they want to start marketing this for more retail spots, I am definitely talking my dad into stocking it,” Haimawari said.  He’d gotten a cone of Red Cherry Riot.

“Definitely amazing,” Kocho said, between sips of her Pinky Acid Shake.  Toshi’d been a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to find anything on the menu, but he should have known Dad wouldn’t have brought them there if that was the case.   “Appreciate it, Mister Midoriya.”

Dad just grinned at that. “I keep telling you, you don’t have to call me that.”

Kocho shrugged. “Sorry.  Can’t really turn off the politeness.  Mom would track me down and smack me.”

Haimawari laughed at that. “My mom’s the same way.  Of course, I think she just likes smacking things. Does that to Dad often enough. Kind of like Ojiro actually.”

“She did try to do that to Sero back at the festival,” Kocho agreed.  “Is that normal?”

“Aaah, yeah, kinda,” Toshi admitted.  “As far back as I can remember, anyway.”  

Ojiro did have a tendency to strike out when she felt frustrated, usually at Sero or Sato, but she’d never done them any serious harm.  She was just an expressive person.  Which, Toshi supposed, was a thing you had to do when you were invisible.

“So,” Dad asked Kocho, “did they give you any idea which of the Hero Courses they’re going to put you in?”

The moth-girl shook her head, a movement exaggerated by her antennae.  “No clue,” she said.  “And I’m technically not in yet.  Still have to finish this semester, pass my exam.  And I still don’t know what other criteria they’re using to determine if I get in.”

She extended her proboscis and slurped up some of her shake before speaking again.  “Though I’m guessing you or Mister Shinso or both are giving them some kind of report card beyond whatever usual Intern evaluations get done.”

That got a laugh out of Uncle Mirio.  “Oh, she’s smart.”

Dad laughed too. “Pretty standard Intern review form, actually” he said.  “Though Nezu and Aizawa did ask more in-depth feedback than usual.”

Wait… if Mister Aizawa was asking for feedback.  “Dad?” Toshi asked.

Dad’s eyes went wide. “I talked about Aizawa, didn’t I?” He started shaking in his seat. “Oh no, oh no, oh no, he’s gonna kill me!”

“See?” Haimawari said. “See?  This is why I know he’s scary!  Even Deku’s afraid of him!”

Toshi did have to admit that their teacher could be scary and was super serious even at the best of times, but he was also an incredible teacher who clearly cared a lot for them. Dad, Mom, all his parents’ friends spoke highly and kindly of him.  Toshi even had plenty of childhood memories of him, when Grandpa Might would bring him to UA with him.

On the other hand, there was good news to be had!  “Looks like you’re going to be classmates with us then!” he said.  “That’s awesome!”

Haimawari nodded his agreement.  “You were really great in the Sports Festival,” he said.  “Plus, you know, be nice to have somebody else around who isn’t part of the shared memory.”

She gave him a curious look. “Shared memory?”

“Except for Haimawari,” Toshi explained, “all of the rest of us grew up knowing each other.”  Some better than others, based upon various friendship clusters between the adults, but there weren’t any strangers between them.   Well, no stranger than Mineta anyway. “Still can’t believe they put all of us in the same class.”

All the Class A kids in one class, the Class B kids in another, and all kids who weren’t either in Class C.  Weird when he thought about it.  Toshi wondered for a moment just who had planned that out.

“Not my idea,” Dad said. “But it worked out well.  Look at all the teamwork you guys pulled off!”

“So,” Kocho said, “that’s the two of you, and I already met Sero, Ojiro, and Sato back at the Festival, and Mineta, from the Festival is in your class?”

Haimawari gulped. Mineta did seem to like unnerving him.  She seemed to have slacked off some since she’d met Izumi’s friend Shinji though. “Yeah.”

“Hooo-boy.”

“She’s really… not… that… bad…” Toshi said.  They weren’t close, but the Minetas were still family friends.  “She’s an acquired taste,” he tried.

“But I think you’ll fit in great,” Haimawari added.  “And I’m not just saying that because it means I’m not the new guy anymore.”

“We were all the new guy at one point or another,” Dad said.  “You guys all have the advantage, growing up together.  My class had never met before.  It’s going to make you even better Heroes than we ever were.”

“Maybe,” Haimawari said. “But our first year couldn’t possibly be as exciting as yours…”

***  

He should never have said that, Isamu would later reflect.  Because it had almost immediately gotten worse.

They’d left the ice cream shop when they heard it.  A low whistle, growing steadily louder, like something falling from the sky.  People stopped where they were, looking up and for the source of the sound.

“What is that?” Lemillion asked, shielding his eyes against the sun, looking up.

Deku pointed to something, a huge black spot that was growing steadily bigger.  “Something’s falling…” he said.  He squinted, trying to determine what it was.  “Can’t make it out.  But I’m betting it’s going to make a hell of a crater if it hits.”

“Step back, everyone,” Deku said.  He took a couple steps back, then ran forward, tensed his legs, then launched into the sky.  The force of the acceleration made Isamu’s hair flutter and made Lemillion’s cape snap back.

They watched for a moment as Deku rose to meet whatever it was.  As he closed in on it though, the thing lashed out!  Isamu let out a gasp as he watched Deku fall from the sky. Next to him, he heard Kocho scream and Toshi let out an anguished cry.  He was pretty sure he screamed too, but he was too stunned by what he’d seen. What could possibly have been powerful enough to do that…?

He could only watch, helplessly, as Deku fell, hitting the ground hard enough to make the same kind of crater he’d worried about.  He bounced twice, then pulled himself to a sitting position, holding his head. “Haven’t been hit that hard since…” he muttered.

“Dad!” Midoriya cried out, at his father’s side in an instant.  

Deku looked up, seeing that whatever had hit him, it was still coming.  “Toshi… get behind me.”

And finally, whatever it was hit the ground like a missile.  The impact cracked the pavement, sending up a cloud of dust. When it cleared…

The creature was massive, much bigger than Deku or Lemillion, maybe even larger than All Might in his prime.  It had dead, pale grey skin, bulging muscles, a face twisted into some kind of beak. Worst of all, its brain was exposed, the top of its head completely gone.

It let out a feral roar, like some kind of ancient dinosaur.

Deku flung Midoriya towards them, then was on the creature in an instant, flinging himself into the air. From his hands, black tendrils of power entangled the creature, lifting it into the air, slamming it into the ground again and again.  Each time it hit the ground, the creature would let out another roar.  But it wasn’t a roar of pain.  The creature didn’t even look like it was feeling the blows. It was rage, pure, violent rage.

Lemillion had placed himself between Isamu and Kocho and the creature and he caught Midoriya easily, putting him behind him as well.  “C’mon, Deku, you’ve got this…” he whispered, fists clenched tight.  

“What… what is that thing?” Kocho asked.  Isamu detected some fear in her voice, but he didn’t judge her for it.  It was all he could do to keep himself from shaking. The creature was unreal, monstrous, a mockery of a man.  Something about it just seemed profoundly… unnatural.

“I.. I don’t know,” he replied.

“It’s a Nomu…” Midoriya breathed.  “I’ve only seen pictures… there aren’t supposed to be any more of them…”

The creature—the Nomu—broke free of Deku’s tendrils, lashing out.  Deku dropped down and it struck out, hitting him with a blow which connected with a resounding crack. The force even knocked him back, gouging the street beneath his iron soles.  He used the space, bringing up one arm.  “DELWARE… AIRFORCE… SMASH!”

A mighty blast of concentrated air pressure struck the Nomu, smashing it into a nearby car. Considering how much their Hero Courses and Deku himself had talked about minimizing property damage, it must have truly been serious.  But Isamu winced all the same.  Insurance coverage for Hero battles was good, but could still take months to process.

It didn’t seem to matter. The Nomu sprung up again in an instant, roaring again.  It leapt, covering the distance between itself and Deku like it was nothing and struck him again.   He was more ready for the blow this time, dodging it, but it grabbed his white cape and threw him to the ground, hard.  

“Dad!” Midoriya screamed again.  He took a step back and Isamu could see the look of concentration flicker over his face as he manipulated his gravity.  He was getting ready to jump.

The second he did, Lemillion grabbed him.  “Toshi, no!”

“But Dad…!”

“He doesn’t want you getting hurt!  You can’t fight that monster!  I’ve got this!”

Lemillion rushed forward, cape trailing behind him.  “Hey! Ugly!”

That got its attention and it struck out at him, the Nomu’s blow passing harmlessly through his torso. Lemillion struck back, hitting it with a haymaker that would have dropped almost anyone.

The Nomu didn’t even flinch. Lemillion’s hand made a sickening crunch.

Lemillion winced, biting his lip to keep from screaming, taking a step back and cradling his hand. But he had the monster’s attention now. It roared and slashed at him, but fortunately, he could still activate his Quirk.

Again and again it struck, but Lemillion kept its attention.  Time enough for Deku to recover.  He hit it from behind, knocking it through Lemillion, crashing into the street.

A burst of speed brought Deku to it again, as the Nomu recovered.  It threw a punch, but he caught it, emerald and crimson lightning crackling over his skin.  His face set and grim, Deku twisted the thing’s wrist, shattering it.  Even then, it didn’t seem to feel the pain.

Isamu had seen plenty of news footage and pictures of Deku in action.  He always, always smiled.  There were, occasionally, brief flashes of grim determination, or even serious focus, when he was fighting a really serious Villain.  But there was none of that here.  He was more serious than Isamu had ever seen.  There was only sheer focus on ending the threat in front of him.

What was this thing?

Deku drew back his other fist.  “DETROIT…. SMASH!”   With his free hand, he hit the Nomu with such force that its head spun around nearly one hundred eighty degrees, making the most sickening sound as it did so. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it fell to the ground.

“Holy shit,” Isamu said.

“Language,” Lemillion said, quick enough that it sounded like a reflex.

“Sorry,” he said, just as reflexively.

A moment of tension broke. Deku looked around, spotting the few civilians that had sheltered in place while he fought.  Slowly, and with great effort, a smile did return to his face. “It’s all right, everyone!” he said. “I’ve taken care of the threat! You’re safe now!  Because I am here!”

Yeah, okay, Isamu was man enough to admit his little fanboy heart soared at hearing that.

“Call it in,” Deku said. “I’m pretty sure it’s not getting back up, but we need a containment crew here, immediately.  And we need to get your hand looked at.”    He looked over at Isamu, Kocho, and Midoriya.  “Sorry, kids, but I think we’re going to be working full time on this. Internship’s over.”

“We understand, Dad,” Midoriya said.  He sounded more worried than Isamu had ever heard him.  He was usually one of the most confident, encouraging people Isamu knew. If he was worried…

“Please tell me that kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time,” Kocho said.  There was fear on her face.  No surprise.  She was even less used to this kind of thing than he was.  And he was scared out of his mind.

“Deku,” Lemillion began.  He was cradling his broken hand against his body, holding his Hero-phone in the other. “It’s not just here.  Reports of attacks coming in all over the city.  There’s more of them.”

Deku stopped smiling. “It’s an attack.”

***

It was an awful, foul, unnatural thing, the Nomu.  Dead grey skin, its beak, its exposed brain…   It made Izumi sick just to look at it.  Afraid too.  She had heard the stories, how one had been resistant to her father’s freezing power, how another had nearly killed her grandfather.  To think that someone once human had been perverted into such an abomination…

“Just as ugly as I remember,” Uncle Denki—No, Chargebolt now—said.  He lifted his right arm, readying his Sharpshooting gear. Electricity crackled around him, making his hair stand up.

Beside him, Grape Juice’s face was set in grim determination, two of his balls already in his hands. “Just so you know,” he said, “if we don’t survive this…  it’s been nice knowing you, buddy.”

The Nomu let out a roar of challenge, looking them over with its cold, almost lifeless eyes.  

“Hey, relax,” Chargebolt said.  “We’ll be back with the wives before you know it.”

He looked back over at Izumi.  “Izumi… lock us in.  And keep it up.  This thing can’t get through.  We keep it focused on us and it can’t harm any people.”

“And don’t drop it until we tell you to,” Grape Juice added.  “No matter what you hear.”

“But…”  She couldn’t just leave them to that thing’s mercies. She knew about Nomu, knew that some of them had given even some of the strongest Heroes some of the most difficult fights of their careers.  She loved her Uncle Denki dearly, but neither he nor his partner were what she would have called formidable.

“Do it!” Chargebolt shouted, racing forward, Grape Juice at his side.  Grape Juice threw several of his balls, but the Nomu dodged.  Right into the path of Uncle Denki’s first electrical blast.  It staggered under the blast, but kept coming.

Izumi let out a gasp, but brought up both hands, drawing in as much heat as her body could handle. She formed thick walls of ice, as thick and tall as she could make them, until nothing would be able to pass through this side of the street without smashing its way through.  The bands on her regulator harness were already glowing an angry orange from the effort and she could feel the heat rolling inside her.

But she could hold it for the moment.  She might need to shore up the ice wall.  And when the time came to do her part, she would not be found wanting.

Her ice was too thick to see through, but she could hear the crackle of electricity being discharged, the roar of the Nomu, and the rubbery sound of Grape Juice’s balls.  

She wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, the sounds of combat, or what it would mean when it stopped.

***

“How soon until we’re at Tokyo?” Froppy asked.  Her normally neutral expression given over to worry.  Her voice quavered in a way that Akaya had never heard her speak before.

Rockhopper, manning the helm, gave her a grim look.  “Still nearly an hour out, ma’am.”

Akaya frowned.  They’d been out in open waters, when the call had come in.  An All Heroes Alert for Tokyo had gone out, meaning anyone able to make it to the location should.   Tokyo was besieged by creatures though to be extinct, abominations against the natural world called Nomus.

The Oki Mariner was far out, but they would try.

Her parents were based out of Endar, on the southern side of Japan.  She didn’t know if they’d be heading there or not.  But many of her friends on their Internships and their parents were in the greater Tokyo area.  

She prayed that they’d be safe.

***

“Foul beast,” Tsukuyomi said, cloak billowing around him, “I shall not allow you to harm anyone else!”

It was a good thing he sounded so confident, because Takuma was scared out of his mind.  Mom and Dad didn’t talk much about the Nomus they’d faced as students, besieged at random intervals by the League of Villains, but what little they’d said had been enough.  Mom had talked about having nightmares for weeks after the USJ and Dad had talked about how he’d been left questioning how worthwhile his Quirk was when there were monsters like that out there.

At the time, Takuma hadn’t understood it.  They were some of the most awesome heroes he knew (well, next to Deku, and Lemiliion and Red Riot and…).  What could they ever have been afraid of?

And now he knew.

He hung back, watching from a roof while Tsukuyomi and Shadow-Dancer contended with the creature on the street below.  Tsukuyomi had told him he was not to engage under any circumstances.  Not even to rain Acid Tape from above.  If any civilians wandered into the field of combat, he was to retrieve them, but that was it.

“I can’t hold it much longer!” Shadow-Dancer yelled.  She’d possessed a shadowed section of the street, wrapping it around the Nomu.  It struggled mightily, thrashing about as though it felt no pain, no matter how rush road rash it committed to its dead grey skin.

“Then let us end this,” Tsukuyomi declared.  “Dark Shadow… Show no mercy!”

Dark Shadow leapt from the Hero and towards the creature, larger and more menacing than Takuma had ever recalled seeing it.  It was early in the morning still, but the sun was starting to shine.  It could only be Tsukuyomi’s fierce directive giving it such power.

Swarming darkness, its “skin” constantly in motion, its eyes yellow comets in its head, deadly claws flashing…  Dark Shadow is more aptly named than he ever realized.  If Tokoyami’s Frog-Shadow ever becomes half as formidable, she’ll easily be one of the most powerful Heroes in Japan.

The Nomu never stood a chance.  Takuma found he couldn’t watch.  He flinched and looked away.   Judging by the wet sound he head, he didn’t want to look.  Even that made him want to throw up.

He’d left his phone back at the Agency and for once, he didn’t feel its absence.

***

Time and time again, Tensei swooped down and grabbed someone off the street, jetting back to the safe zone as quickly as he could.   “Safe zone” was only an approximation, only far enough to keep them out of the rampaging Nomu’s range as other Heroes battled with it.

“Keep it up, Jet-Blue,” Veloci-Queen told him, slowing down only long enough to get her own rescue back on his feet.  

He slipped the straw inside his helmet in his mouth, taking a long drink from his apple juice reserves. An indicator told him he still had plenty of left for the work ahead.  Good.  He had the feeling he’d need every ounce to fuel his Quirk.

In the distance, he could still see Tailman and Tentacole, two other local Heroes, grappling with the Nomu. Tetacole had the monster in a wrestling hold, while Tailman slammed his tail into it, time and time again.  

It did not fall and instead let out a mighty roar, breaking free from Tentacole’s grip.

Tensei took a breath and took off again.  This was a high traffic, populated area and there were still so many people trapped in their cars.

Time to fly.

***

At U.A., the mood was grim.   Water Spout and Doctor Izumi were not having a good conversation.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of going out there, Eri!” Water Spout shouted, pointing.

Doctor Izumi ignored her husband, continuing to throw items into her medical bag with rapid fire speed. “People are hurt out there, Kota.  I’m going to Musutafu General.  If I can help even just one person…”

Water Spout frowned. “There’s nightmares out there. Don’t you remember what Deku said about those things?”

She continued packing. “Of course, I do.  And I remember what Dad said too.  They’re not invincible.  And right now, we’ve got damn near every Hero in the country converging on Tokyo.”

Finally, she turned to look at him.  “And in case you’ve forgotten, I can take care of myself.”  She punctuated this by clipping a large sheathed knife to her belt.   “And besides, there’s no indication they’ve made it anywhere near the school yet.”

Nevertheless, the rest of the teaching staff was staying at U.A., to protect the students in case anything should happen.

“I can go with her,” Kimiko said.

Both of them looked at her like they’d forgotten she was in the room.  They probably had.  Doctor Izumi had started packing as soon as the Hero Alert had gone out and Water Spout had shown up not long after.  

“Maybe I can’t fight,” she added, “but I can make sure Doctor Izumi can get away from anything out there.”

“…do you know what Aizawa would do to me if I let one of his students go out into danger like that?” Water Spout asked.    Aizawa was his father-in-law, but he seemed deeply terrified of the prospect.

Doctor Izumi frowned, but nodded.  “I’ll take the heat with Dad if it comes up.  I’m going, Kota.  The only difference is whether or not I go with extra stealth or not.”

Water Spout frowned too, but he stepped close to her, put one arm around her middle, and another on her face.  He pulled her close and they kissed.  “Stay safe out there.”

“And you stay safe here,” she said.  “And if Dad asks if you’ve seen me, tell him you haven’t.”

She looked over at Kimiko. “Let’s go, Ojiro.”

***

The Nomu had Kestrel in its grasp, one wing in each hand.  Many of her feathers were embedded in its skin, but it neither bled, nor showed any signs of pain.  It had been faster than it had looked, its powerful long arms giving it greater reach than she could avoid.  And now it was pulling.

Feathers fell from Kestrel’s wings and floated up into the air, stabbing ineffectually at the Nomu. Under such pain and stress, her control over her feathers had to be reduced.  She could bring neither the speed nor force needed to wound it.

And if something was not done soon, it would separate her wings from her body.

Sora had been told to keep back.  There was the implicit order in there that she was not to engage in combat with the Nomu. However, as mother always said, the line between implicit and explicit was where permission lived, so long as you knew how to look for it!

While her right gauntlet contained a capture cable, sometimes, more aggressive measures were needed.  Her left gauntlet contained a small harpoon launcher, for entangling flying objects or for when more penetrative power was needed.

It was this she sighted on and fired.  The harpoon and its cable raced across the sky and hit the Nomu right in its eye.

If it felt any pain from it, it did not show it.  But its grip on Kestrel slackened as it looked up.  Then, it let Kestrel drop completely and grabbed the cable with one of its dead grey hands.  And it yanked.

Unprepared for such force, Sora’s jetpack was overwhelmed by its strength and she was snapped downward.

The tug stopped and the Nomu jerked, two of Kestrel’s feathers stabbing up from its jawline up through its brain.  She smacked it with what remained of her right wing and knocked it back, getting weakly to her feet.

“C’mon, kid,” she said, wings flapping weekly to get herself airborne.  “We gotta… gotta move…”

Her own stability restored, Sora fired her Jackpack harder, swooping down to grab Kestrel.  The Nomu, seemingly oblivious to the injuries it had obtained, swung wildly at them.

“I am afraid we do not possess significant enough strength to stop it,” Sora said.  

Kestrel tried to wiggle free from her grip.  “Somebody’s gotta…”

***

“Red Riot… UNBREAKABLE!���

“Real Steel… INDESTRUTICBLE!”

Daisuke watched as the dead grey Nomu hammered away ineffectually at Red Riot and Real Steel, its blows not even pushing them back.   The power of its blows against their super-hardened bodies made deafening noises, but did little else.  But at least it was distracted for the moment fighting them.   When it had dropped from the sky, it had taken them all by surprise.

Both bastions of manliness had instantly thrown themselves into the fray, but even their great strength was doing little to slow it down.  Red Riot had managed to score several sharp gashes along it with his sharp edges, but if it noticed, it didn’t care.

“We need to get back to the Agency,” he told Shiro Monoma.  “Mobilize any of the sidekicks, get the word out.”  Red Riot and Real Steel were collectively the Number Ten Hero, some of the strongest in the field.  If all they could do was hold it in place…  And even that wouldn’t last long.  As tough as they were, he knew neither could hold their maximum defense for that long.

But Monoma had gone white as a ghost, rooted in place.

Daisuke nudged him. “Hey.  We need to move.  I’ll carry you if I have to, but it’s not safe here.”  Some of his classmates would have been raring to fight. Kirishima-Bakugo and Midoriya for certain.  But Daisuke knew when the time to fight was and when the time to run was.  They were students and that was a monster.

“I…” Monoma began.  He was just staring at the Nomu. “It’s…  it’s…”

Given the way in which Monoma’s Quirk let him perceive others to mimic their skills, who knew what exactly he was seeing looking at that beast?  He supposed he couldn’t blame him for being frozen.  Even with his own great strength, Daisuke found it absolutely terrifying.

Daisuke sighed and heaved the smaller boy onto his shoulders, using his Extendo-Arms to weave his way through the street.

“I couldn’t beat it…” Monoma continued, seemingly oblivious to anything else.  “Not even if I had a million skills…”

“Run now,” Daisuke said, “existential crisis later.”

***

Kenta was certain he was going to die.  When they’d responded to the report of a Villain attack, none of them of them had expected the monster that had been waiting. A Nomu.  The thing that his dad, his Uncle Hanta, all of Dad’s class talked about in hushed and fearful tones.

Suneater and Nejire-chan had been on it in an instant, the former entangling it with tentacles while Nejire-chan blasted away at it with her Wave Motion shockwaves.  They were the Heroes, rushing in.  And he was hiding behind a mailbox, shaking, with a stupid, useless Quick that wouldn’t do anyone any good against that.

He was going to die. And Dad would be left all alone. And that thought hurt far more than the thought of dying.  When Mom had died, Dad had built his life around him.  It was only with Kenta starting U.A. and some encouraging words from his friends that Dad was starting to live his life again.   And then he’d done this to him by going and getting himself killed.

“Tamaki!” Nejire-chan screamed,

There was a wet, meaty sound of fist hitting flesh.  And then another.  The mailbox Kenta was hiding behind shuddered as something impacted into it with a metallic clang.  The Nomu roared, a terrifying, triumphant sound.

Kenta gathered his courage and dared to peek around the edge of the mailbox.  Nejire-chan was slumped over on the ground, bleeding from a nasty head wound.  A short distance away, Suneater was laid out as well.

A shadow fell over them and he realized it was the Nomu.  

It let loose a low growl, raised its hands.  It hadn’t seen him… but it was going to kill Nejire-chan!

If he leaned over, he might be able to get at its ankle.  And do… what… exactly?

Could he?  He couldn’t.  

He had to.  He had to do something.

Kenta stretched himself out, opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the thing’s ankle, teeth tearing through skin and bone and muscle like they weren’t even there.  He spit out the chunk of meat, as it toppled backwards and pulled Nejire-chan towards him.  She was surprisingly light and he got her over his shoulder as he got to his feet.

He could still feel chunks of Nomu between his teeth.  He really wanted to throw up, but he kept going.  And why did it kind of taste like metal in his mouth?

Kenta looked over his shoulder.  Even without ankle to support it, the Nomu was struggling to get back up, as though it didn’t feel its wound at all.

***

“Just a few more moments, please…” Aunt Momo said quietly, her voice weak from the strain and sweat dripping down her face.  The front of her costume was unzipped, as she concentrated on the machine she was creating. It was one of the biggest things Chihiro had ever seen her create.

And fighting the Nomu was Aunt Pony, two of her missile-like horns stabbing it again and again, while she rode on another two.  She darted this way and that, sometimes too close for comfort, trying to keep its attention.

And Chihiro’s job was to watch Aunt Momo’s back.  Neither had wanted her there, but she’s insisted on offering some kind of protection. She couldn’t just leave her unprotected like that, she just couldn’t.

“There…” Aunt Momo gasped, falling to her knees.  “It’s done.”  

Her head snapped up. “Now, Rodeo!  Do it now!”

Aunt Pony shouted something in English.  Chihiro didn’t understand enough of the language to pick up everything, but caught something about “fish” and “barrel.”  She jumped off her horns and directed all four of them at the Nomu at maximum speed.   They pierced its legs from above, pinning it to the street.

“I’m sorry,” Aunt Momo said to her.  “Shouldn’t… have to… ask this… of you…”

Chihiro shook her head. “Gotta do what we gotta do.  It’s why we’re Heroes, right?”

She plugged her Cords into the device Aunt Momo had made and gave it all the electricity she could generate in one massive blast.

At maximum charge, the rail gun fired, its projectile tearing through the Nomu like it wasn’t even there.  Its top half slid the ground with a schlip sound, while its legs collapsed.  

The top half started dragging itself forward.

They were in a bad wheeeeeeeyyyy….

***

Takiyo had been on patrol with Cellophane when the creature had struck, dropped out of the sky like a living missile.  He would later deny the high pitched scream that he had made.  

Cellophane’s visor dropped into place.  “Radiance. I need you to run.  Get back to the Agency.  Hero Alert’s already going off, so more help will be on the way. But you’ve got to run.”

He launched a strip of tape while the creature vented its rage on a parked car. He was going to try and get above it, Takiyo realized.   Didn’t he know how little his Quirk would work on a monster that size?

“And…,” Cellophane said, “and tell my wife and kids I love them.  Please.”

He was… he was going to fight it anyway?  When there were certainly other Heroes on the way?  When his Quirk would do little more than slow it down for a moment?  With a wife and a large brood of children at home, and two more children on the way?

Perhaps, Takiyo reflected, he had underestimated Cellophane.

Perhaps he had misunderstood just what being a Hero meant.

Could he do any less?

He let out a scream and unleashed all his light in a powerful, blinding bolt at the Nomu. Blinded, it let out a mighty road, thrashing ineffectually.

“Told you to run!” Cellophane said, launching himself into the air.  “But thanks, kid!”

Takiyo ran.

***

Team Idaten was on the move.   With the speed Quirks possessed by many members and the fleet of vehicles for the rest, getting from Hosu to Tokyo was easy.  What wasn’t easy was finding out the city had become a warzone.

What wasn’t easy was discovering that the threat was Nomus.  Ingenium dispatched Sidekicks quickly, sending them to various sections of the city, to rescue whoever they could and aid the Pros in whatever way they could, before changing in to engage one himself.

Which left Mika and Flash-Step on rescue duty for any civilians trapped in the way of its rampage. Flash-Step was zipping from place to place, picking up people and moving them out of the way.  Mika was slower than that, but was carrying a little blue-skinned girl in her arms.

“I lost my mommy when everybody started screaming and running!” the little girl wailed.  

Mika was not particularly good with children.  She wasn’t even particularly good at being reassuring in general, unless it was Shiro, and that was because he was easy.  She was very convincing, especially when it came to getting Chihiro to back her up, but that wasn’t quite the same skillset.  She stroked the girl’s hair as she ran.  “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m sure we’ll find her.  Everybody’s running this way.  She’s probably really worried about you.”

The words felt like sludge in her throat.  How could she make a promise like that?  All Might and many of their teachers and parents talked about how a Hero’s first job was to make people feel safe, to make them feel like everything was going to be okay.  But how could she do that when she didn’t know?  What if it turned out her words were a lie?

“Yu!”  Mika looked to see a blue-skinned woman, arms outstretched, standing not far away with other worried civilians.   “Oh, thank goodness…”

“Mommy!” the little girl cried out, squirming in her arms.   Mika handed her over to her mother.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” the woman said.

“Of, of course,” Mika said, suddenly flustered.  “Just… just doing my job.”

She spared a look back to where Ingenium was still fighting the Nomu.  He was faster than it was, but his blows weren’t doing much to stop it. One moment, he was a little too slow and it connected, knocking him down.  It let out a roar and raised its arm to smash him and Mika felt her heart seize up.  No Sidekicks in sight, no nothing…

A bolt of blue energy struck the Nomu in the face, temporarily distracting it.  She saw a gangly man standing in the doorway of a convenience store, a hoodie pulled up over his head and a bandanna wrapped around his face.

Not a Hero then… but what the heck?  And where had she seen blasts like that before?

But it bought Ingenium the moment he needed, and he was back to hammering the Nomu with powerful kicks.

Mika had seen the Hero Alert and all the locations where Heroes were fighting these monstrosities. She hoped her friends were safe. She hoped Shiro was safe.

She hoped her parents were safe.

Right now, she’d swear off girls and boys forever if it meant everyone she cared about made it home.

***

Mei was as transfixed as everyone else in the workshop, stuck staring dumbly at the television.

“My babies…”

***

Asuka paced furiously, watching the televisions.  Mob-Goblin had grounded her after Frog-Shadow had been nearly destroyed, focusing on her training within the Agency and not allowing her to patrol or venture out. It made sense, of course.  Part of her had been badly hurt and needed time to recover.  But when the Hero Alert had gone out, she’d been left alone with the Agency staff.

Left alone to watch the televisions.  Reports were coming in from all over the city and news drones were relaying pictures of Heroes engaged in combat with the Nomu.  She kept changing channels, watching.   One showed her father, using Dark Shadow to tear the Nomu to pieces… only for each of those pieces to keep moving on its own.  

No sign of her mother… she must have been too far away to respond promptly.  But she was probably on her way.  Maybe it would all be over by then…

“Heroes the Voice and Glamour, along with Deku’s Sidekick the Shield engaging near Lukas Park…”

Asuka watched the screen as Glamour called upon an illusion of Deku, letting the Nomu unleash its rage harmlessly on it, while the Voice sought to restrain it with his capture weapon. The Shield slipped in, faintly glowing with power as he hammered blow after blow on the creature, each with a clap like thunder.  

Frog-Shadow appeared and perched on her shoulder.  “They’re… they’re gonna win, right?”

Asuka reached up and took her hand. “We can only hope so.”

Other channels showed some of her friends out there with the Heroes, some helping with evacuations of civilians, others simply clearing out with the rest.  And she was here, just watching.

Asuka knew most of the others thought of her as “Team Mom”, because she was straightforward, level-headed, and responsible, always keeping them on track and on task.  Then what she was feeling right now must be a mother’s fears.

***

“Aizawa, get out of the way!”  Rikido shouted, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height.

Aizawa shook his head. “You heard Nezu.  All staff is to stay on campus in case those things reach the school.   We’re protecting the students.”

“Dammit,” he growled, jabbing a finger into Aizawa’s chest.  “My son is out there!”

His former teacher didn’t even flinch.   “And my daughter is going out there to help.  Which she can do, because she has a Medical Hero license.  If you go out there, in your state, you’re just going to cause more trouble.

“So sit down.  Or I’ll make you.”

***

“Mom, turn off the TV.”

Mina gave her second eldest, Haruto, a look, as he didn’t give her the chance, and turned the TV off for her.  “Turn that back on!”

He shook his head. “Nope.  I’m worried about Dad and Takuma too.  But you don’t get to give yourself a heart attack or something that could hurt the babies.”

Her hand instinctively went to her stomach, trying to quiet the unease that she felt.  Haruto had already had banished her third child, Yamato, from the room, taking Ren and Moji with him.

“Dammit…”

***

“Hey!  You wanna fight somebody, fight me!” Katsumi roared.  The Nomu had already taken out Aunt Ochaco, clipped her hard when she’d gone in to try and get her hands on it to use her Quirk. She was unconscious, but breathing. So Katsumi was going to hit the ugly fucker with everything she had.

She brought up her gauntlets, firing disks imbued with her explosive power as fast as they would load. Explosions dotted along the surface of the Nomu’s skin, ripping open gashes, burning away flesh, and all together doing absolutely nothing to slow it down.

Had this been the way Papa had felt, fighting Strongarm?  Staring down a foe stronger than you, one who could rip you apart? But doing it to buy someone else a little time?  Was this Womanly?

It was three meters away. Then two.  Then one.  She kept firing, keeping its attention on her.  But she had to move.  She couldn’t just stand here.  Keep it distracted and…  and…  

Why weren’t her legs moving?!

Katsumi braced herself and closed her eyes.

There was a sudden, sharp blast of wind and something scooped her up into the air.  She opened her eyes and found… Shinji?!

“What the hell are you doing here, you overgrown vacuum cleaner?”

The large boy looked surprisingly sheepish at the accusation.  “I, ah, may have, ah, flown away from school as fast as I could when we heard about the attacks.  I was, ah, worried about you, and Izzy, and Shota, and Mika…”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Katsumi slapped her face with the palm of her hand. “Only you.  Put me down!  We gotta fight that thing!”

Her irritation was replaced by terror that made her feel like someone had injected ice water into her veins.  She hadn’t even thought about Izzy being out there somewhere… with Nomu everywhere. And she was with Uncle Pikachu and the Grape, who couldn’t possibly protect her against…

No.  No.  No. She had to banish that thought. If she got herself killed because she was distracted…

Shinji put her down on top of a roof.  “I think there’s better people than us for that.”

Below, the Nomu was looking for new targets.  Fortunately, it seemed to have found one.  More Heroes had arrived on the scene now, that Phantom of the fucking Opera wannabe Laughing Man and Nejire Togata, who’d wailed on their class at the USJ.

Katsumi hadn’t liked getting beat to hell like that, but maybe they could unleash some of that hell on the Nomu.

She realized she was still breathing hard, her heart thudding in her chest.  “Then let’s get Uravity out of the way.”

“Might as well risk my life some more,” Shinji said.  “Dad’s going to kill me already anyway.”

This was still technically a Rescue Internship right?  Maybe she could do some rescuing.

As soon as her hands stopped shaking.

***

"Vanish Veil, do you copy? Reports are in from all over the city. Heroes are already engaged but we need to get the word out further."

"I heard them myself already! I know what I'm doing." Mahoro huffed as she gave her hair a toss and looked out on the city. Might Tower was one of the highest points available, and a good map covered any blind spots. She checked the coordinates again. One, two, three... sixteen. It was a terrifying thought, but it was happening. She activated her quirk, several arrows blinking into view around her, before flying off in different directions, rapidly enlarging as they went. Within a minute, each of the Nomus' last reported locations were highlighted with beacons nearly half a mile high, with a red flashing demonic face topping each one. It would be almost impossible for any Hero to miss.

 "Veil... are you sure you won't consider those art lessons?"

"Shut up! Don't distract me!" She focused on maintaining each of the illusions, while still listening for any location updates.

***

"Why! Won't! You! Stay! DOWN?!" Ravenous directed his Binging Balls to make another pass through the monster. Each time they left a neat hole, but the monster just ignored the damage being done to it. The beast was fast as well and had resisted Tamashiro's best efforts to focus his shots on a single point. As it charged him, finally moving in a straight line, he had three of his balls converge to slice off one of its feet, sending it momentarily off-balance. "RUSH, NOW!"

"ON IT!" Daichi Monoma, the hero known as Boost Rush, fired one of the protrusions on his arm at full intensity, sending him at high velocity to catch the Nomu mid-stumble. "Escape Velocity!" Before the creature had its feet on the ground again, he activated his other arm's rocket booster, delivering a punch that rotated his body and could have moved a car. It didn't inflict any visible damage to the creature, but it was propelled upwards several feet.

"Thanks!" Ravenous flashed a jagged grin as he directed all six of his Binging Balls at the monster's head before it had any leverage again.

***

"Keep it pinned down, Sandblast! Bioshock needs more time to get me ready." Bezoar had embedded himself on a rooftop as a gunner's nest. "I knew I should have taken more iron supplements this morning..."

"You're not the boss of me!" Sandblast sent another wave of Assault Dust at the Nomu, stripping a layer of flesh from it.

"Metabolism is at maximum, fire when ready!" Katsuma had completed maximizing the cell activation of Bezoar's quirk.

"GET CLEAR!" A pulse of light burst forth from Bezoar's jaws as they spread wide, and a roar of displaced air accompanied a high-speed hyper-dense projectile closing in on the Nomu.

***

"This way people, keep moving! Stay inside the tunnel and don't touch the sides!" Petal Princess had created a semi-circular passageway with her quirk, composed of the flowers created by her. Anything trying to press through would sustain significant damage. "Lady, behind you!"

"Rear Guard!" Lady Luminous, without turning around, unleashed her Queen Beam. A projection of light the width of her entire face shot forward one foot, before making two sharp turns, upwards and backwards, to catch the Nomu pursuing her and the fleeing civilians in the face. "Thanks!"

As soon as Lady Luminous had passed the point of the tunnel entrance, Petal Princess thrust both her palms towards the Nomu. "Perfumed Hurricane!" The tunnel dissipated as the flowers flattened, turning razor sharp and converging on the monster.

***

Shota screamed.  The Nomu was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen, like a scary, monster corpse bird zombie thing.  He and Ground Zero had been on patrol, when it had taken them by surprise, dropped out of the sky like some kind of bomb.  It had smashed right through a car like it wasn’t even there and

Ground Zero had proven why he was the Number Four and instantly jumped into action.  First, he’d grabbed Shota and thrown him out of the way, shouting “Stay down, kid!”  He’d landed hard on his butt on the sidewalk.  The patented Ground Zero Rescue Toss!

“DIE!” Ground Zero yelled, charging forward and blasting the Nomu in the face with both hands.  It staggered backwards, blinded by the heat and light, but swung wildly, trying to tag him.  He ducked under the blow and blasted it again, unleashing a powerful charge against its chest.

He pressed his attack, blasting it against and again.  “Dammit!  Why won’t you fall down!”

Ground Zero launched himself up and over the Nomu, slamming his hands against the sides of its head as he went.  He unleashed more explosions and landed behind it, hammering another blow across its back.   It roared and its skin was covered in burns, but nothing he could do was making it fall.

The Nomu spun to face him, its huge arms swinging wildly.  A blow connected, sending him flying.  Ground Zero crashed into a street light and slid down to the ground. The Nomu let out another roar started towards him.

It was going to kill Ground Zero!  He… he couldn’t just…

And so Shota screamed again. He put everything he could into it, a high pitched scream that turned into pure destructive force.  The blast struck the Nomu in the back, blasting a hole right through it.  Shoto could see right through it and out the other side.  He must have even blasted away part of its spine!  The rest of its body seemed enough to support it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.  Even if it was a monster, he’d never, ever used his Quirk on something alive like that…

At least, his attack got the Nomu’s attention.  It turned to look at him, charred and burnt flesh barely hanging off its singed face. One eye was charged and burnt, the other grey and moving rapidly.  It stopped when it saw him.  Letting out a roar, it charged.

He couldn’t even scream. He couldn’t move.  He was absolutely certain he was going to die. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get his legs to move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything.  Getting to be a Hero, it was his dream.  Before now, it had almost seemed like all fun and games (And way too much studying.  At least he didn’t have to worry about exams now.) and now it was just a nightmare.  

I’m sorry, Mom!  I’m sorry, Dad!

“Hey!  Ugly!” a voice—Ground Zero, he was okay!—cried out. “Leave the kid alone!”  Powerful explosions blasted the Nomu and then Ground Zero was above it, flying over its head.  As he came down, the Nomu reached out… and grabbed his leg!

The Nomu let out another roar and grabbed Ground Zero around the middle with its other hand.  He struggled against its grip, blasting it with explosions, but they did nothing to slow it down.  And then…

It pulled.

From below the knee, Ground Zero’s leg… just… came… off…

He let out a scream. Not one of the ones he made before he smashed the bad guy… not even one of the ones he made when he was yelling at someone.  But one that seemed to contain all the pain in the world.

The Nomu let him slip from its grasp.  And Shota screamed one final time.

The waves of sound hit the Nomu and then it simply... wasn’t.  The sound waves disintegrated it completely, like it was never even there.

Shota coughed, his throat raw.  He hadn’t done that particular trick in a while and it took a lot of out of him. He felt sick.  He’d done that.  Done that to something that had once been human…

Ground Zero!

Shota rushed to his side. Blood was pouring from his leg and he looked pale.  He had to remember his first aid training.  He had to!  Ground Zero had gotten hurt trying to protect him!  It was already bad enough.  If he died, he didn’t know what he’d do!  They’d spent so much time on first aid, why couldn’t he remember it?!

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, “I’m sorry…”  He’d done it, he’d gotten one of the greatest Heroes of all time killed.  He was going to have to drop out, everyone was going to hate him, Uncle Shota was going to be so disappointed in him…

“’s… okay, kid…” Ground Zero said, weakly.  “’s… okay…”

***

The Nomu, somehow, even with its head completely facing the other direction, got back on its feet. Its balance was off and it roared and swung wildly, but it was as though it wasn’t even aware of how badly it had been injured.   It wasn’t healing, like some of the Nomu that Izuku and other Heroes had fought years ago, it was simply as though something was keeping it moving despite its injuries.

The sudden revival took Izuku by surprise and it landed a blow that knocked him back.  Having knocked him out of the way, it started towards Mirio, Toshi, and his Interns.  Toshi was already trying to put himself in front of everyone else, while Kocho was taking to the air and Haimawari was moving into a position to slide out, all of them getting ready to protect the injured Mirio.

Against such a monster, they’d have no chance.  He didn’t even have time to think, his body just moved on his own, channeling over seventy-five percent of the power of One for All.  Like a bolt of green lightning, he instantly crossed the distance between himself and the Nomu and hit it with everything he had.  No named Smash, just a straight up punch.  

Its head went flying from its body, smashing into the nearby building and embedding itself there. Finally, the body fell to its knees and did not rise.  It took a moment for the enormity of what he had done to sink in.  True, the Nomu were not people, not anymore.  They’d proven long ago that there was no going back for them.

It was not the first time Izuku had been forced to take a life.  What few times he had still haunted him sometimes, in long dark nights. But this monster had been threatening his son, threatening a friend he loved like a brother, threatening the students he had been charged with the welfare of.

He would do it again if he had to.

“Are those… wires?”   Izuku saw Mirio, with his unbroken hand, prod the head.  He was right. Wires were dangling from its neck, still twitching and sparking occasionally.  

“It’s a robot?” Toshi asked.  

“Is it supposed to be?” Haimawari asked.  “I’ve only ever read about these things, but I didn’t think they were robots…”

“They’re not,” Izuku said, firmly.  Someone was playing games with them.  Probably the same people who’d been behind the truck theft a while back…

“Dad, look!”  Toshi was pointing upward, where numerous arrows were now illuminated in the air.  

“Remind me to thank Maharo the next time I see her,” Izuku said.  “Toshi, I’m counting on you to get Haimawari and Koharu back to Might Tower. Mirio, can you stay here with the, ah, body?”

Mirio nodded.  “Yeah.”

His Hero Phone crackled to life.

“Unable to get eyes on Chargebolt and Grape Juice…

“Ingenium engaging Nomu…

“Kestrel wounded…

“Shoto, arriving to assist Cellophane…

“Voice, Glamour, and Shield engaging…

“Nejire-Chan and Suneater down!

“Uravity down…!

“Ground Zero… critically injured!  Repeat Ground Zero, critically injured!

FLASH!

“FULL COWL! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!”

The fires of One for All flared within Izuku, turning him into a beacon in the street.  He flew into the air so fast he left sizzling after-images behind him.

***

The sounds of battle behind Izumi’s ice wall hadn’t stopped, though she’d heard both Uncle Denki and Mister Minoru scream several times.  She’d even had to reinforce her ice wall twice over.

From above, there came a great crackling sound and a ball of lighting dropped from the sky.  There was a great explosion and the lighting took off again, just as quickly as it had gone.

“Uh, Izumi?” came Uncle Denki’s voice.  “You can let us out now.”

***

Dragging its leg behind it, the Nomu was still shambling after Kenta and Nejire-Chan.  He’d gotten some distance, but it was still following. It just… wouldn’t… stop.

A green streak of lighting fell out of the sky and engulfed the Nomu, then took off again immediately, too bright for his eyes to see what had happened.  When he could see again, the Nomu was on the ground, its head torn off of its body.

“What… what just happened?”

***

Tamaki Togata, alias the Shield, had been Deku’s sidekick for several years now, ever since graduating from U.A.  He’d done so proudly, even if it meant occasionally having his dad embarrass him at work.  

He had never as afraid as he was right now.  Dodging out of the way of the Nomu’s fists, his body started to glow brighter.

“What the…?” he gasped. “Deku?”

From above, a crackling electric streak dropped down, slammed into the Nomu, and was gone again.   His own glow faded as it did so.

“…He’s pissed.”

***

The Laughing Man, with his solid air shields and other tricks, and Nejire Togata’s density control were keeping the Nomu contained, but weren’t doing much damage to it. Katsumi scooped Aunt Ochaco into her arms and turned to Shinji.  

“Can you really carry both of us?”  There was none of the usual anger in her voice found when she spoke to him.  Just desperate pleading.  Even with a good relationship with good relationship she had with Shizuka, Aunt Ochaco had always been the true mother figure in her life.

She couldn’t just lose her, not like this.

“Of course…” Shinji trailed off, deflating like his strings had been cut.  “Yes.  I can. I promise.”

A streak of green torn out of the sky and torn the Nomu’s head off.   The glow faded for a moment, turning the glow into Uncle Deku!  He looked around, almost panic stricken, until he laid eyes on Katsumi.

“Go!” she yelled at him. “She’s okay!  We’ve got this!”

He hesitated for only a second, and then was gone again, glowing like a comet.

***

Shota had peeled off his costume’s tunic and wrapped it around what was left of Ground Zero’s leg, holding it as tightly as he could.  He couldn’t even call for help, he just had to keep applying pressure. He wasn’t even sure where the rest of his leg had ended up.  If they could find it, they could reattach it, right?  But it such an uneven tear…

What was he going to do? Ground Zero just moaned and was growing paler by the second.

“Izzat… you… Loud… Kid…?”

He… he couldn’t die… he couldn’t…  it was all his fault…

A massive thunderclap and a sizzle in the air made him look up, and a bright green streak landed, cracking the pavement.  The glow faded only slight, and it was Uncle Deku!  Steam poured off his body from the force of the acceleration as he looked around.

“Where’s the…” he started, but his eyes snapped to Shota and Ground Zero.  “Kacchan…”

Shota looked up, pleadingly. More tears fell down his already tear and snot-stained face.  “Uncle Deku!  You’ve gotta save him!”

“Hang on tight.”   Uncle Deku unclipped his cape and used it to scoop them both up.  “And take a breath.  This is gonna be fast.”

***

Years from now, they would talk about how Deku had singlehandedly stopped the Nomus that morning. How he had sped from battle to battle like a comet, smashing his way through each and every one of them in seconds, saving the lives of countless civilians, his fellow Heroes, and numerous students out on their Internships.

But as Izuku burst through the doors of the hospital, all he could think about was how he had been too late to save his friend…

[5hfanfiction]

this isn't allowed

Wattpad @ longerr_hours check out my stuff !!!

So i was writing something else, but i never really write from lauren’s pov, and like… kinda wanna go back to what im good at? Lmk whats up w this please im insecure and need compliments to survive :))))))

“Camz…” Lauren says softly, hands still tangled in brown hair, softer than she imagined it would be, lips swollen and eyes shut. Her forehead is barely leaning against Camila’s but she can feel her there and it’s enough to disable her ability to move away.

“I know… just… give me a second,” Camila replies, breath warm and soft on Lauren’s mouth.

She doesn’t know who leans in first but they’re kissing again, and it’s rough, and harsh, and Camila is maneuvering so that Lauren’s back is against the door now and- Camila’s hand is locking it, good that’s why she dragged her over, - and fuck, fuck, how did they get here? How did this happen? One minute she was joking about a crush and the next she was -

“Fuck, Camz,” Lauren moans out lowly when strong, sure hands find her waist under her shirt and a body pushes harder into her own.

Fucked. She was fucked.

-

Lauren always knew who Camila was. Everyone had always known who Camila was but like, Lauren liked to think she paid extra close attention to her in a way that wasn’t necessarily creepy, just curious.

She was beautiful. She’d been transferred to the school during Lauren’s sophomore year and she saw what all the other horny teenage boys saw, a goddess.

Warm, welcoming eyes, a kind smile, a body to die for, Lauren knew crushes on strangers weren’t a thing of rarity, but hell it was like love at first sight.

She never really interacted with Camila and that was the problem. She’d never had any excuse, and reason to see the girl and it kind of sucked, but for the most part she as able to keep her mind occupied with people who were an actual possibility.

Eventually it happens though.

This is how it happens. Lauren used to work in a volunteer program at the Museum of Fine Arts in the city. She’s 18 now and done participating in the docent program, but she’s 18 now so the instructor needs volunteers to chaperone the trips.

That’s how it happens.

“So you can do it?” Mrs. Levine asks, eyes staring into Lauren’s with a desperate plea that the black haired girl couldn’t refuse.

She keeps her on edge still though, hoping she’ll offer something to repay her but realizing, hey, why the fuck would she do that, and deciding to just nod.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she all but squeals, running to her desk to grab the forms needed. “Camila is going to be so excited, she was worried she would be all alone with the twenty-”

“Wait what? I thought you were going?” Lauren interrupts, eyes widening and trying not to get too excited at the possibility that what she’s just heard is true.

“No, no sorry but I can’t because of testing this week,” Mrs. Levine replies with a shrug and a look of nerves, hoping Lauren won’t change her mind now. “Mrs. Cabello will be the other chaperone, I hope that’s okay?”

Lauren doesn’t hesitate to nod this time, and can’t wipe the smile off her face as she makes her way to the parking lot.

-

“Okay we have half an hour, everybody can go grab coffees but meet at the station by 8:15, okay?” Ms. Cabello announced as the group of sophomores got up and ready to head out.

“Actually I think some girls are in the bathroom?” Lauren points out quietly to the young teacher, not wanting to sound like she’s calling her out but worried about accidentally leaving her little sister behind. “They went like a while ago, I can go see if they’re still there if you’d like?”

“Oh,” Camila sighs out in surprise, turning her head towards the bathrooms, where, sure enough three girls are filing out and jogging to catch up to the group that looks to be departing on Camila’s command. “Shit I didn’t even- shoot! Shoot I’m sorry I don’t think I’m suppose to swear with you,” Camila says looking anxious and talking a little too loudly in a way that Lauren thinks is adorable.

“It’s fine, I am 18 after all that’s why I’m here,” Lauren reassures and Camila lets out a sigh at that.

“You’re right, yeah, sorry again still,” she replies, looking to be sure that the girls caught up before grabbing her umbrella. “Thanks for catching that, I’ve never like, chaperoned myself and I guess I’m kinda nervous for this,” she explains and Lauren almost coos at her nervous eyes and soft smile.

She’s glad she’s never had Camila as a teacher, she thinks she’d be head over heels by now if that were the case.

“It’s cool, I only noticed cause it’s my sister and her friends,” Lauren explains, “and hey you did the attendance pretty well, seemed like a natural to me,” she says with a grin, half kidding but half trying to really reassure Camila who looked too nervous for her liking. It works when Camila lets out a laugh.

“Well you caught onto those girls so I guess I’m lucky you were sent to help or I’d already be down three,” Camila replies.

She’s sweet.

She’s always heard Mrs. Cabello is the most amazing, caring teacher in the school but she’s like, she’s really sweet. They walk to the train stop together, stopping for coffee on the way and they talk the whole time. Lauren’s never had conversation flow this easily before, especially with someone so pretty but it does and it’s amazing.

Camila tells her about her favorite movie is Gone Girl even though Ben Affleck is a huge douche, and how she claims her favorite book is Les Mis but she never actually finished since it’s too long and that answer just makes her seem educated, about how she loves Taylor Swift despite the bandwagon hate and she listens to Lauren tell her about herself too.

It’s just small talk, Lauren knows this but it feels like they get along too nice.

They bond over the art too. Lauren has been to the Museum of Fine Arts so often that she stopped appreciating how beautiful everything was, but Camila brings a new light to it in the way she sees things. Not to mention she’s the most damn fine art this place has seen in years and Lauren doesn’t want to seem like a nerd but she has to make that joke and Camila laughs so hard it’s totally worth it if it seemed inappropriate.

It’s a good day an when it’s finally coming to an end Lauren can’t help but be upset. BUt the way Camila says goodbye makes her think this isn’t over yet.

-

It’s little interactions that build Lauren’s crush into something more. She didn’t know if Camila would ever again give her a second glance, but she does. She notices her in crowds and makes sure to pay her some attention.

Run in’s on the stairs, smiles in the halls, unnecessary greetings from Camila whenever she walks past her class (which is adorable, right? That Camila stops in the middle of teaching to yell a “hello” to Lauren as she strolls by [especially since the only reason Lauren ever walks by her class is when she’s looking for her attention, she doesn’t even have a class in that wing]).

Lauren sees her a lot and it’s like, sometimes she forgets about Camila, but after a tuesday where she happens to see Camila like six times, Lauren can’t seem to get the older girl off her mind.

She knows Camila is a teacher, and like 26 and like, way out of her league (Keana said she’s not but Lauren is convinced), but she can’t help but feel like they clicked in a way that could lead to more.

She doesn’t have any hard evidence though so for about a month she sticks to the small moments that she gets.

Something happens in May.

It’s small, but it’s bigger than anything else and it gives Lauren all the hope she needs.

“Hey you,” a voice greets Lauren from behind as she glances into the window of an empty classroom. “What’s up?”

(It’s Camila, and she just said “hey you,” that’s the first thing that Lauren thinks is like, hella gay.)

“Oh, hey, not a lot, yourself?” Lauren gives like her rehearsed response to that questions because Camila catches her off guard and Camila is so cute and wow.

“Not a lot,” Camila shrugs back, leaning on the wall next to Lauren. “Are you going next week?” she asks and Lauren takes a second to think before remembering the field trips.

(something in Camila’s eyes looks excited at the thought of Lauren going maybe, but she supposes that isn’t hard evidence.)

“I can not,” she replies and she has to hold in a smile at how saddened Camila is by that. Lauren isn’t worthy. “Senior sign out day? Remember? As much as I’d love to go to the museum with y’all again I can’t really skip my last day of high school,” Lauren teases earning a laugh from Camila who looks less sad than a second ago.

“Right,” Camila responds with a nod. “We have to go some other time then,” she continues.

(that.)

“Anyways, what, if I may ask, are you doing outside this classroom?” Camila continues leaving Lauren to linger on the invite for plans?

“Oh, well you see, no paper towels in the bathroom so I was gonna try to steal some,” Lauren explains, shrugging and, Camila grabs her hand, gently, not interlocking fingers or anything like, gay like that but like, she’s holding it, and

“Mr. Gold should have some,” she explains half heartedly as she pulls Lauren towards the mans classroom right down the hall.

(Lauren would just now like to point out that a. She knows where Mr. Gold’s room is, why is this lady guiding her, and b. This lady is guiding her !!!! by her hand !!!! she’s !! holding !! her !! hand !!!)

She pulled her in and it was empty and she pointed to the paper towels and let Lauren go.

Lauren grabbed some, still shocked by the contact but Camila’s eyes raking up hr body when she turned back around were a thing she wasn’t expecting. Sure, her ass looks nice in these jeans but like, it’s so obvious.

Camila blushes a darker shade of red than she’s ever seen before when she realizes she’s been caught but Lauren doesn’t say anything, she levels her with eye contact and, there’s a moment. It’s something, Lauren doesn’t know what it is but it’s something.

She thinks Camila might like her too. Maybe.

-

Camila’s boyfriend died a year ago. It’s May 11th and it’s the anniversary and Lauren didn’t know that until earlier that day, but she thinks that’s why she ended up sneaking by Camila’s class all day hoping to get a glimpse. She finally doe in the end.

She was in her pajamas, something Lauren had noticed her doing lately and something that maybe makes sense now. She was in her pajamas and it was the end of the day so students weren’t there, but the lights were off and Camila was just, she was just sitting.

Lauren doesn’t know why she feels like she’s welcome to help but she thinks Camila looks like she needs a hug and she thinks she could be the person to hug her.

“Camila?” Lauren says quietly once she’s somehow found herself in the entrance of the classroom.

(They’d started first name basis a few days after the paper towel incident, Camila had told her she felt too old and that they were friends,not teacher and student since technically Lauren never had her).

She hadn’t meant to see Camila at all and she doesn’t know what she’s doing but when Camila looks up and there are tear streaks on her face and a look of need in her eyes, Lauren doesn’t hesitate to make her way over and envelope the lady in a hug.

She doesn’t say anything. She lets Camila fall apart in her arms and maybe part of her wants to get Mr. Mendes, she knows the two are close friends and she knows he might be able to help. But the other part of her knows she can’t let go of Camila right now, knows that she can’t be left for even a second, sos eh just holds her and lets her cry.

“He killed himself,” Camila finally says after a long while of crying into Lauren’s shoulder in silence. “Everybody knows it happened, nobody really knows how but… he killed himself,” Camila explains and, Lauren has never really been good with words. “Don’t say anything, you don’t need to… thank you for being here right now,” and Lauren thinks it’s amazing that Camila finds a way to reassure her while she’s the one in need of comforting.

It’s emotional and sad and Lauren is crying too by the end of it, but they sit and hold each other for what feels like hours.

-

They get closer. Obviously after something like that happens, the people involved get coser. So Lauren finds her crush turning into something thousands of times stronger and she’s terrified.

Camila doesn’t let her stay scared for long.

“Hey,” Lauren greets, it’s her last day of classes and while all the other seniors are out partying, celebrating the end, Lauren is sitting in Camila’s classroom, waiting for her to get back from the field trip. “How was it?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started,” Camila exaggerates as she struts into the room and plops down on her chair. “Cynthia chaperoned instead of you and she drove me fuckin’ insane.”

“Sorry to have abandoned you,” Lauren starts as she makes her way over to perch on the edge of Camila’s desk next to where she’s sitting. “Next time, I swear I got you next time.”

“Can we not bring the kids next time either? It’d be fun just to go us,” Camila suggest and Lauren smiles ten times harder thn she should.

“I guess it’s a date,” she replies and wait she shouldn’t have, they flirt kind of but like its more indirect and she shouldn’t have, “wait I didn’t-”

And she’s cut off by soft lips hitting hers. So much easier than she ever could have imagined.

It’s sweet and gentle and Camila is firm but so so soft and she’s loving and caring and she tastes like vanilla and Lauren is in heaven as her lips push against hers.

They kiss for a long moment, the best moment Lauren’s mind has recorded thus far in life and, it’s nice. She almost forgets that breathing is mandatory until Camila leans back to suck in a deep breath, almost immediately wrapping her hands around Lauren’s waist to pull her down and closer to her.

“Camz…” Lauren says softly, hands still tangled in brown hair, softer than she imagined it would be, lips swollen and eyes shut. Her forehead is barely leaning against Camila’s but she can feel her there and it’s enough to disable her ability to move away.

“I know… just… give me a second,” Camila replies, breath warm and soft on Lauren’s mouth.

She doesn’t know who leans in first but they’re kissing again, and it’s rough, and harsh, and Camila is maneuvering so that Lauren’s back is against the door now and- Camila’s hand is locking it, good that’s why she dragged her over, - and fuck, fuck, how did they get here? How did this happen? One minute she was joking about a crush and the next she was -

“Fuck, Camz,” Lauren moans out lowly when strong, sure hands find her waist under her shirt and a body pushes harder into her own.

She likes kissing Camila. She can’t believe she’s doing it, she’s wanted to for a while, a very very long while but she can’t believe she’s doing this.

“I don’t think I should be doing this,” Camila breaks away for a breath to say but her words lose their meaning when her hands find residence on Lauren’s ass and her lips fall to her neck, sucking deep and hard and in all the right ways.

“Don’t stop,” Lauren replies to the statement because she feels like she should but Camila wasn’t planning to and- this could get messy.

“Wait, wait, Camila,” Lauren interrupts, pulling away from a pouting Camila when a certain thought enters her head. “I don’t… I know you’re still upset over everything that happened with.. I mean,” Lauren hesitates, not knowing how to broach that topic. “I don’t want to take advantage of that at all.”

“Lauren,” Camila starts, moving away slightly and grasping the younger girls hand. “I’m over him in the way that I need to be, it’s just.. It’s sad to lose anybody you love, even if you don’t still love them in the same ways. I’ve liked you since you called me out on missing those girls in the bathroom, sure I’ve been emotional lately but, this has been my goal since I saw you, the deep stuff? That all needs to wait, I’ve waited this long to kiss you please, please let me do it again,” Camila pleads and Lauren has never lunger for something more quickly in her life.

They kiss until Lauren is sure her lips are going to be swollen for years and her neck is going to be so bruised that all the make-up in the world won’t make a difference. It feels good. Kissing Caila feels better than anything she’s ever done so she can’t stop.

She thinks she wants to do it more.

“I’m never going to get enough of you,” Camila is the one to say it as she’s leading Lauren over to her desk and jesus christ the girl agrees wholeheartedly.

So this is how it starts. Lauren can’t wait for it to continue.

[exoticarmy127]

#GetCreative project:  where readers become writers.

Hey guys! 2016 has passed and it was definitely a very busy year. I finished book 3 in the Dark & Wild series, edited two books, all the while keeping up with my new day job. There was so much going on that the year passed without Switch it Up Week ever gracing this blog. I want to apologize for being unable to hold this event as promised, since this was supposed to be an annual thing. But to make up for it, there will be two Switch it Up events this year! So part 2 will happen in the second half of the year. 

Switch it Up Week 2017: #LSS Edition is the same as our previous event back in 2015. This is basically a reversal of roles where for a whole week, you guys get to be the writers on this blog instead of myself. <3 It’s a great opportunity for scenario blog newbies to promote their works and for everyone to try and dip their toes into writing their own stories. You can check out some of the amazing 2015 submissions HERE.

However, this year’s prompts are not going to be random lines and quotes like that of 2015, which brings me to the sub title: #LSS Edition. 

As you all know, I have a series in this blog called LSS a.k.a. Love Song Series (mobile masterlist). Similar to this story playlist, you would have to write a piece inspired by songs lyrics. 

But before we get to the prompts, let’s get into the mechanics on how you can participate in this event!

Mechanics

This is a fanfiction drabble/scenario game featuring one-shots with a word limit of 4,000 words. Chaptered works or any writings that would exceed the word count would not be acknowledged or re-blogged.

Choose a member from BTS or EXO to feature. Pairings and ships are allowed. You may feature other fandoms (e.g if you want Harry Potter to make a cameo in your story, why not?) but BTS/EXO must be the main characters. 

Choose only one of the prompts from the list. I will not require lyrics to appear in your stories for you can interpret the whole song (though it would be nice if you guys focus on the lyrics provided) but if you want to challenge yourselves, by all means go ahead. 

Make sure to include the prompt in your post, highlight it in BOLD, and then put the word count before the story begins.

Any genre is accepted. If you will be writing smut or themes of violence, sexuality, language use/profanities, and any form of abuse, please put warnings/triggers so that readers would be informed.

To submit your works, simply make a post and tag me:(@exoticarmy127) This is IMPORTANT for I will be looking at my notifications and browsing through my username tag, so you need to tag me so I would be able to reblog your works.

Switch it Up Week is from February 01 - 10 2017. Submissions would be posted simultaneously, so in the next few days, be ready to see stories on my blog dash… written by YOU. ;)

HAVE FUN AND GET CREATIVE!!! Keep in mind: the first idea that comes to your mind once you see a certain prompt is your best idea. But think again and that just might be your greatest idea.

Lastly, read the mechanics again and make sure all rules are followed. For questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I’ll answer them as soon as I can. :)

Requirements

Stories must have titles.

Author’s name should be written at the end of the story, with a link to your personal/scenario blog (consider this a reference for readers who would want to read more of your works. If you have a masterlist page, this is the place to link it to.).

At the beginning of your story, write the word count, main characters, triggers/warnings (if any), and that this is an entry for exoticarmy127’s Switch it Up Week 2017 (This is for tagging purposes :P) and put in a link to this post so others will be informed and they may want to join too.

REBLOG THIS POST if joining (or just help me promote the event! The more the merrier, right?)

Some final notes: this is not a contest and is created for the enjoyment of readers and writers on this site. I believe each piece is a work of art and should be appreciated. If you like a story, reblog it and give the author your comments! They’re going to love that. Rest assured that all the stories I will reblog will have notes from me. I’ll be your first reader, after all. haha! Though please be patient. I can only read and reblog so much and I need to comment on each story but yes, I will read all of them. 

Are you ready for the prompts? Without further ado, here’s the playlist!

*I’ve included the song titles and its artist so you guys could look it up and listen. <3

“Once I was seven years old…” (7 Years by Lucas Graham)

“I like being submerged in your contradictions…” (Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz)

“Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.” (Beauty and the Beast from Disney)

“Take these broken wings and learn to fly.” (Blackbird by The Beatles)

“I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you.” (Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis)

“This love is another name for the devil.” (Boy Meets Evil by BTS)

“Is this the start of something wonderful or one more dream that I cannot make true?” (City of Stars from La La Land OST)

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” (Closing Time by Semisonic)

“She acts like summer and walks like rain, reminds me that there’s a time to change.” (Drops of Jupiter by Train)

“I’ll spend forever wonderin’ if you knew, I was enchanted to me you.” (Enchanted by Taylor Swift)

“All I know at the end of the day is you love who you love, there ain’t no other way. If there’s something I’ve learnt from a million mistakes, you’re the one that I want at the end of the day!” (End of the Day by One Direction)

“Even if I’m born again, I can’t be with anyone but you.” (For Life by EXO)

“Someone comes into your life, it’s like they’ve been in your life forever.” (Heart by Heart by Demi Lovato)

“You’ll never know the psychopath sitting next to you. You’ll never know the murderer sitting next to you. You’ll think, “How’d I get here, sitting next to you?” (Heathens by 21 pilots)

“People talk about the guy who’s waiting on a girl. There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world.” (Man Who Can’t Be Moved by The Script)

“Cause I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.” (Need You Now by Lady Antebellum)

“Loving him was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street. Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly.” (Red by Taylor Swift)

“And you don’t have to change a thing, the world could change its heart.” (Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara)

“Why can’t you hold me in the street? Why can’t I kiss you on the dance floor?” (Secret Love Song by Little Mix)

“Hello from the other side. I must’ve called a thousand times.” (Hello by Adele)

“He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else.” (She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5)

“If you’re gonna be somebody’s heartbreak, if you’re gonna be somebody’s mistake. If you’re gonna be somebody’s first time, somebody’s last time… baby be mine.” (Somebody’s Heartbreak by Hunter Hayes)

“We had the right love at the wrong time.” (Somewhere Down the Road by Barry Manilow)

“Summer after high school when we first met…” (The One That Got Away by Katy Perry)

“I overdosed. Should’ve known your love was a game, now I can’t get you out of my brain. Oh, it’s such a shame.” (We Don’t Talk Anymore by Charlie Puth feat. Selena Gomez)

And there you have it! Some of these songs were suggested while some I took from my personal favorites and from putting my playlists on shuffle. They’re really great songs and each line can have a million different meanings. So knock yourselves out and build stories around them!

I’ve given you guys a few days to write and prepare before I officially start re-blogigng. Yes, you can submit more than one story but please use only one prompt per submission. For questions, just drop me a message.

Thank you and have fun!

- Kaye Allen