#flashfire week

[thena0315]

My Hero Academia - Season 7 Episode 8

Next Week: Two Flashfires

[kingtomura]

Deja Vu | 1 | January Embers

summary: Your best friend died years ago. He went up in flames until there was nothing left... so why does it feel like you can still see him sometimes? content: touya todoroki x female reader, childhood friends au, reader has a quirk, flashbacks, childhood memories, fluff, heavy angst, bullying, eventual smut, eventual meaning next chapter, soft touya, hurt/comfort, tragedy, mdni wc: 4.5k | Chapter 2 | m. list | read on ao3

You meet Touya Todoroki when you are four years old.

He was a redhot firecracker that demanded the attention of you and all those around him. 

Touya Todoroki was also the first in your class to have his quirk maifest. It was the talk for about a week, everyone expecting nothing less from the son of the flame hero, Endeavor, himself. 

You would watch him some days, flaunting his newfound power on the playground in front of others, knowing he would be some great hero one day. Even better than All Might, he would yell to anyone that would listen. It was a decent dream, you believed. Maybe someone could actually be better than All Might. 

It didn’t seem like that would be in the cards for you, as it became more apparent as the days went by that you may not have a quirk. The excitement of watching every other child’s quirk manifest began to fill you with a pit of dread.

Quirkless. 

It’s something you never thought you would have to think about. The realization hadn’t caught up with the rest of your class yet and you could only thank the stars.

But it was only a matter of time before a group of three noticed. 

They cornered you while you tried drawing shapes in the sanded area of the playground. 

“Hey,” one kid dragged, horns proudly peeking out of his head. “What’s goin’ on with you?” 

You spared him a glance before going back to your sand, gliding the stick you found through the yellow grains. “What do you mean?”

One girl behind him pipes up, curly pigtails bouncing with the tilt of her head,  “Where’s your quirk? Aren’t you turning five soon?”

The emphasis on five makes you jolt a little and you try to play it off — offering a little shrug to the trio. “I dunno. Mom says I'm a late bloomer.” you pray they will be satisfied with your answer and leave you alone. 

The third kid finally speaks, sporting a new pair of bat-like wings. “No way, I bet you’re gonna be quirkless!”

The other children erupt in a loud laugh that calls the attention of your other classmates — much to your dismay. 

“That’s so sad for you!” the girl yelled, grin on her face showing not an ounce of pity. 

“Yeah, really!” The first boy laughs, taking a step forward and kicking the sand you were drawing in towards you, effectively ruining your picture and your day. 

You go to stand, brushing the sand off of your dress before the girl rushes forward to push you, sending you down to land flat on your bottom. Your bottom lip wobbled as you tried to hold back the tears and humiliation threatening to spill over and out. 

The bat-winged boy pointed to you, “Look, guys, she’s gonna cry!” Yelling out to anyone who could hear, only causing you to dip your head in shame, now unable to stop the warm tears from trailing down your cheeks. 

And you thought today couldn’t get any worse.

“Hey! Knock it off!” You hear a voice yell, familiar. “Flashfire fist!”

You feel the heat before you see it, hot and swift.

The screams make you look up. Its Touya, red hair and fist aflame, standing in front of you and effectively blocking you from the trio of bullies before. 

“Ouch, Touya! You could have really hurt us!” the girl with pigtails cried, holding her own wrist as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

The boy who kicked sand at you spoke up next, voice wavering on the verge of tears as well, “Yeah, you jerk!”

Touya shrugged, flames dissipating and points a finger at them, “I don't care. Bullies’ feelings dont matter!” 

You could only stare with wet lashes as the trio ran off — no doubt to tell the teacher. Touya didn’t seem to mind, as a matter of fact he seemed proud as he turned to you and reached out a hand to help you up. He was all smiles and warm eyes, “Are you alright?”

You take his hand, noting how warm it still was from his previous quirk use and nod, “Mhm, thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” he helped you to your feet before continuing, his smile almost blinding, “I’m Touya Todoroki, the next number one hero.” 

You nod and introduce yourself, cheeks warm and smile dancing across your face. His mood is infectious. “Nice to meet you, Touya, next number one hero.” 

Later that day you realize Touya does get in trouble for improper quirk use and can’t help but apologize. 

“It’s fine!” He returns, not bothered in the slightest. “I’d do it again and again, if I had to.”

After the incident Touya insisted on being by your side the rest of the day. During lunch, arts and crafts and even nap time. He would go where you would go and you couldn’t say you minded. Once school had finished for the day and it was time to break apart Touya insisted you both hang out more.

Even going as far as to introduce himself to your parents as they came to pick you up. 

His foot tapped in excitement as he told them about your days and how you should hang out more. 

That’s how you both find yourselves in some forest on the weekend, walking together through the fresh snow, because Touya just had to show you this cool training spot. 

“But, don't you think we’re going too far, Touya?” You ask, nerves trembling as you look around the forest. You wouldn’t know your way back without him and you’ve never been this far out alone. 

“No,” he singsongs, “C’mon– don't be such a baby,” 

You puff your cheeks, running to catch up with him,  “Don’t call me that, but okay!” 

He grabs your hand once you are by his side and it's warm. Touya is always warm. 

“We’re almost there, anyway!” 

This special place looked the same as any other place in these woods, but you wouldn’t let Touya know. He’s so excited to show you what he came to do. 

“My dad and I train here sometimes.” He starts, smiling as he backs away from you to show you a flame in his hand. “He thinks my flames will be hotter than his one day.”

You can’t hide the way your eyes fill with sadness as you look to the ground. 

“I don’t think I’m gonna get a quirk, Touya.” 

The boy’s smile drops instantly, as he rushes over to you, taking your face in his tiny hands. Still so warm, like always. 

“Hey, don’t say that! Maybe you aren't trying the right things.” He dips behind you before you could turn to stop him, “Maybe you can see in the dark!” His hypothesis being tested by covering your eyes. 

You bite back a laugh, “No, Touya, I don't think it works like that.” 

The boy lets you go and runs to a rather large, fallen log – climbing atop it and looking down to you. “Well, maybe you can fly. Have you tried that?” 

You shake your head, unable to hide the worry in your face. Touya was up pretty high. “Hey… you shouldn’t be up that far.” 

“What do you mean? It’s fine!” he reassures, continuing his musing while walking along the fallen log. “Besides, it’s not like I'm clumsy or anything—!” 

The boy’s words were cut short by his shoe stepping down and slipping on the ice below it, sending him crashing down to the patch of snow and debris below. 

In that moment, your hand shoots out before you can think and there’s ringing in your ears. Your eyes squeezed shut as you wait for the impending crash. But it doesn’t come. 

You slowly open your eyes and see… Touya. He’s okay. Better than okay because he’s floating above the snowy patch of grass below, debris and everything brushed away. Your hand is still out as you meet Touya's wide eyes. 

“Whoa!” You finally pull your hand back and watch his feet gently touch the grass below. “Dude, you have mind powers! So cool!” 

You will your breathing to go back to normal as you take in the new information. You do have a quirk. All hope was not lost. 

The feeling of warm liquid creeping down your nostril catches your attention. Bringing a finger to your nose, you pull back and see the crimson drop. Blood. The sound of Touya’s steps through the snow breaks your focus. 

“Hey, what happened? You're bleeding.” He takes your finger in his hand, red brows furrowed and cerulean eyes filled with worry. 

You shrug, taking your hand back and wiping your nose with your sleeve, unaware of the tiny smear of blood you left across your face. “I dunno. I’m not hurt, though.”

At this, Touya smiles, bringing his own hand to your face to wipe the remainder of what you smeared. “You better not be! We’re gonna be heroes together — you and me!”

It’s so infectious, the way he lights up with a smile, you can’t help but return it. “Yeah, we sure will.”

—----------------

The first time you think you see Touya it’s while you are on your way home from the bustling area of downtown. 

The shops are crowded with people trying to get their last minute gifts for the holidays and you promised your parents you would be home hours ago. It’s a flash – so quick you almost miss it. 

Almost. 

Through the crowd there's a glint of white hair and blue eyes. You stop, sending the people behind you nearly barrolling into your backside and profusely apologize, half heartedly hearing their grumbles as you make your way through the flurry of people. 

The snow white hair is a little further ahead, but you can see bits and pieces where the sea of heads will naturally move. 

Was that…

It couldn’t be. Your heart picks up as you nearly chase your way through, mumbling faint excuse me’s and pardon me’s to those around you as you lock onto the moving person. It's becoming harder to keep up and you break out in a light sprint. 

The person takes a sharp left into an alley and you follow behind, only to be met with the emptiness of a damp back alley. 

There was no way it could be him. Your mind was playing tricks on you. 

You shake your head, hoping you could physically shake those thoughts from your brain and turn to head home. It had been a long day.

There is a battle raging in your mind — one that you are not sure is formed from grief or from anxiety. it is an all consuming inferno of blackened dust in your heart and you cannot stop yourself when you bring it up to Fuyumi.

You both have been sitting in silence for a while, wrapping gifts for the upcoming holidays. She has been in her own little world, humming christmas tunes, while you have been in a fit of inner turmoil. 

“Hey, Fuyumi,” you start, instantly catching her attention in the otherwise quiet home. 

“Hm?”

Your nerves are eating your confidence and you start to second guess yourself. Only the warmth in her gray eyes gives you the resolve to continue. “Something weird happened at the market the other day.”

She tilts her head, flowing ponytail following the direction, “What’s that?”

“I was walking and,” you stall — unsure if bringing up your friend's dead brother before the holidays would be a good move. “I swear, I thought I saw Touya. It was a flash, but the guy had his white hair and,” unwanted tears are blurring your vision, “and his eyes were so much like Touya’s i don't—” you're choking up, tears fighting their way through your throat, “I thought i was going crazy.”

Surprisingly, Fuyumi takes it well, reaching a hand out to touch your shoulder, a comforting motion you’ve grown to know over the years. 

“Hey, it’s okay. That could have been anyone, you know?” She smiles, and it’s bittersweet like the flowers at a funeral, “it’s the holiday season so everyone is out right now.”

You nod, reluctant, but logical. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. It was pretty crowded in that area.” the tears would force their way through your resistance whether you fought them or not, so you give up – letting them flow down your cheeks. “I’m sorry for bringing it up, Fuyumi.”

“No, it's okay! Don't worry about it." She looks to the side. ���It’s only been three years since it happened, and the anniversary of his death is coming up too. It's harder around this time of year. For all of us.” 

You can only nod as Fuyumi brings you into a tight hug. Your resolve melted away in her arms as you cried, it felt like things would never get easier. 

A life without Touya wasn’t a life you could see yourself living happily in.

You wished and prayed for him everyday — unwilling to believe your best friend was really truly gone. It felt so surreal. Like something that happens in movies and not to you.

Fuyumi said nothing as she held you and rubbed soothing circles on your back. She has been a pillar for you in these times and you couldn’t be more grateful. Only wishing you could show your gratuity in a more effective form than just sobbing into her shoulder. 

There is an anguish in your heart that will not go away. A part of you died when Touya did, there was no denying that. 

Fuyumi pulls away, holding you by the shoulders as her eyes meet yours — she's started crying too and it's enough to make you shake with sobs again. 

“Hey, hey,” Fuyumi starts, her voice unwavering despite the tears. You wish you were strong like her. “We’ll get through this, okay? We just have to be strong.”

You give her a pathetic nod, one more for her sake than yours, and try to sit up straighter. 

You knew that Touya wouldn’t want to see you like this.

—-------------------

When you are five years old, you notice there is a change in Touya.

You gasp when you see him again, “Touya! Your hair!” 

His eyebrows scrunch at your pointing and then widen in realization. “Huh? Oh, don’t worry about that.” Touya huffs, “were you even listening?”

The question startles you and you quickly nod your head, knowing you didn't hear a word he said. “Mhm!”

Touya keeps talking, now bringing a hand to his hair, rubbing a lock between his forefinger and thumb, “Okay, so what’s the deal?” 

You can't stop the confused look in your eye as you watch him, cheeks rosy from the cold. It snowed again yesterday, and Touya never seemed bothered by the cold. You were freezing though. 

Somehow you let him bring you back to this forest — it’s become your go to hangout. A place where the both of you could practice your quirks in peace. 

“Do you like All Might or something?” 

You shrug, indifferent to the well known hero. Your parents weren’t heroes and neither was anyone in your family. He seemed more like a comic book character than an actual person. 

“Well, it doesn't matter. My dad told me I’m gonna be even better than All Might! So he better watch out.”

You smile, seeing his eyes light up, “Oh, yeah? How are you gonna be better than him, Touya?” 

You don’t know why but it makes your heart dance when he gets this way. Stars in his eyes and world in his hand. He’s your hero, you absently wonder if he knows that. 

Touya shrugs, scrunching his nose in thought, “I dunno. I haven’t gotten that far yet.” He snaps his fingers and turns to you, “I know! I’ll look it up. It can’t be too hard, right?”

You laugh now. Of course he doesn’t have a plan.

“Don't you think if it were that easy he wouldn't be the number one right now?” You test, and Touya gives you a look, pout strong on his face.

“Hey, whose side are you on, anyway?”

“Yours! So, I don't want you to waste your time on silly stuff.” You offer, looking at the leaves you're making dance in your hand. 

He groans, the frustration evident in his voice, “Whatever! I’ll figure something else out.”

In that moment, there’s a great gust of wind — whistling and blowing the leaves in your hand away. It’s chill makes you wrap your arms around yourself, shivering. 

“Touya, don’t you get cold?” You ask, arms doing little to warm yourself as you continue to shiver. 

The boy looks at you, brows furrowed and eyes confused. “No, do you?”

“Yes!” You shout, “all the time! It’s so c-cold out here. I don’t know how you do it.” 

He walks over to you, pondering and examining your face. “Yeah, your nose is all red. Rudolf.” 

He takes your face into his hands and closes his eyes, rubbing his nose against yours back and forth. It’s warm and it makes you flush. Your cheeks burn when he pulls away, stunned at the smile on his face and stars in his eyes.

“Better?” He asks, innocent question ringing in your ears and you realize yes, you do feel better, but you also feel warm and fuzzy like there are butterflies dancing around in your belly and you can’t get them out — so, you just nod instead, slow smile creeping on your face and Touya grabs your hand again.

“Good! Now let’s keep going! There’s this cool new move I wanna try.” 

And you follow behind him. He was your best friend after all. You feel as though you would even follow him through the icy storms of Antarctica if you needed to. 

—-------------------

Christmas with the Todoroki’s has always been interesting. For one, half of them were not present during the dinner. Rei being sent to the facility, endeavor choosing to work on his hero duties and little Shouto desperately trying to eat with all of you without Enji coming home to find him out of his room. 

The silence is eerie – other than the sounds of metal clinking against porcelain plates. 

You couldn’t help but break the tense air, words sounding loud in the quiet of the room, “Thank you all for inviting me over. The food is really good, Natsuo.”

At this, Natsuo perks up, a smile so wide on his face it makes his eyes squeeze shut. “We love having you around! You’re like the big sis we never had!”

“Hey!” Fuyumi squawks, ready to scold her little brother, “I’m the one who knows where you sleep Natsu, so watch it!”

You can’t help but laugh at the threat, knowing Natsuo has been a victim to many of Fuyumi’s pranks. Shouto only watches on, eating as much as he could before he would inevitably go back to his side of the home. There wasn’t much expression to his face, but he seemed content to watch his older siblings bicker back and forth. 

Times like these were nice, you decide. It pulls your mind away from the reality and into the more lively parts of growing up.

After the dinner was done, and the gifts were passed out, there was a somber air growing about you all once more. 

Shouto went back to his room and Natsuo found his place in the living room, playing video games and insisting that since he cooked most of the meal, he shouldn’t wash dishes as well. 

Much to Fuyumi’s dismay, you agreed with Natuso, but offered to help her with the dishes. It was something to prolong the inevitable walk home. 

“What did you get for him this year?” Fuyumi asked, passing you another plate to dry.

You glanced at her, noting how she avoided your gaze, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth instead. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a while. A necklace — with charms and things I think he would like.”

She nods, bringing an arm up to wipe her eyes with her wrist, “Yeah, I’m sure he would love that. He always liked your gifts.”

It’s impossible not to find yourself tearing up. 

Once you were done washing dishes with Fuyumi, she went to join Natsuo in the living room, offering unwanted tips on the current game he was playing and receiving groans of irritation in return. 

You take that as your cue to leave and make your way to the place you’ve dreaded all night.

Touya’s shrine.

His memoriam stared back at you as you dropped to your knees, lowering your head in prayer and then placing the small decorated box onto the shelf of his shrine. 

“Oh, Touya… it’s been three years.” You say to his photo hanging above the shrine. It’s his school photo. You were both in the same class, already talking about what high schools you would be choosing in the upcoming years.  

It doesn’t feel like three years. It feels like everyday is the same — you wake up and he’s not there. Like a day you’re doomed to repeat until the reality of it all finally sets in. 

What would he look like now, you wonder. Would he have gotten taller? He had always been smaller than the other kids. Would he still have dreams of being a hero? You didn’t know. You wished you knew. 

Your fists clinch in your lap and the tears flow freely from your eyes. Even with your head bowed you can’t stop seeing his picture etched into your brain. Those blue eyes staring into your eyes. 

A sob escapes your lips and it all comes crashing down after that. 

“God, Touya..!” Your words break down, sending your resolve with it. It feels like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and you’ve been openly bleeding out for three years. 

You are only sixteen years old and expected to spend the rest of your life without the boy who would put the moon in the sky for you. 

Unthinkable.

You’re not sure how much time has passed once you’ve calmed down, but you know it’s late now. 

It was time to head home, and you wished Fuyumi and Natsuo well as you hugged them. They wave you off, faces somber and words tight. If they heard you crying, they didn't mention it and you’re thankful. 

The trek home would not be not a long one, but you couldn’t stop yourself from taking a detour. 

The forest where you and Touya always hung out was nearby and you can't stop your feet when you make a sharp right turn and head that way. 

It was getting dark and snow was beginning to fall, but you felt at home.

There's a river you like to walk along. It's such a small little stream that never seems to freeze over, no matter how cold it is outside. It is where you find yourself trailing beside. The water being the only noise breaking through the quiet of the forest.

It kept you company until you reached the familiar open patch of grass, which was currently covered in snow. 

Some trees were still charred from the incident, but others were still standing proud. It’s strange how that works — some things can remain the same through adversity while others are damaged beyond repair. You wonder if things could ever grow back from such tragedies.

Maybe the growth of something new could come from the ashes of the old. Like a phoenix.

The snapping of a twig snatches you from your thoughts. 

It's a forest, yes, but this area doesn’t have much food for the animals. You stand to your feet, absently wondering when you had taken a seat in the first place, and look around. Maybe it was a trick of the wind, or something falling. 

The snow crunches under your feet as you begin to take your leave — you’ve been out long enough. 

You make your way through the thick of the trees until something brings you to pause. 

Your steps were not the only steps you were hearing. 

“Hello?” You call out into what you hoped had been an empty forest, only to be met with silence. It is not a comforting quiet, it was a quiet that crept underneath your skin and gave you goosebumps. 

It felt like you were being watched. 

“This isn’t funny!” You yell, taking cautious steps backwards, preparing yourself for a sprint in the opposite direction. 

You turn, ready to take off when a glimmer of silver catches your eye, the flicker making you halt your movements.

Your heart hammered against your chest.

There was no way. 

It was so faint, but you knew the necklace you crafted like the back of your hand.

“Hey! Stop fucking around, whoever you are!” You don’t know where this brave face is coming from, but you aren’t backing down. You could fight if need be.

Against your better judgment, you take a few steps forward, and like you thought, whoever was around took those steps with you. Your breath hitches when you see it. 

A flash of white hair. 

You break off into a sprint, and the person is already off, having a headstart and leaving you behind. 

You couldn’t see as well through the snowfall, but you didn’t need to. White hair and the shimmer of a necklace around the person’s neck has you chasing them deeper into the woods. 

“Stop..!” You cry out, reaching a hand forward in an attempt to activate your quirk. 

The force of it causes branches to fall from a tree further ahead of the person and he only changes direction. 

You follow behind, lungs burning as you struggle to keep up. There was another attempt, bringing an already leaning tree down in front of the running man. It still did not work, he simply jumped over it and continued on. 

You were approaching your limit with your quirk and desperate. If you let this slip through your fingers it would drive you mad. 

“Wait!” You try again, reaching both hands forward and focusing all you had on the man before you. It was hard to ignore the blood trickling from both nostrils with your quirk use, but you had to, this was your only chance. “Touya..!”

And in that moment, the man stopped — whether it be from your quirk holding him in place or his own will, you weren't sure. All you knew was that the man stopped, and turned.

Your vision began to blur as your head pounded from the overexertion — your quirk was difficult to use on a living being, but it didn’t matter. You would know those eyes even in your darkest hour.

The cerulean blue was the last thing you saw before your world went dark. 

And in your final moments, only one thought rang in your mind.

Touya is alive.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 390 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1-2 道案内はここまでだ… みちあんないはここまでだ… michiannai wa koko made da... Lit. “The directions are until here...” Cont. “We have arrived...”

3 ありがとう飯田 ありがとういいだ arigatou Iida “Thanks, Iida.”

tagline 1 No.390 轟焦凍：ライジング　　堀越耕平 ナンバー390 とどろきしょうと：ライジング　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 390 Todoroki Shouto: RAIJINGU   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 390 Shouto Todoroki: Rising  Kouhei Horikoshi

4 赫灼熱拳 かくしゃくねっけん kakushaku nekken Flashfire Fist

5 "燐" "りん" “rin” Phosphor

tagline 2 届けて…‼︎ とどけて…‼︎ todokete...!! Deliver it...!!

1 信じられねえ… しんじられねえ… shinjirarenee... “I can’t believe it...”

2 遷音速… せんおんそく… “Transonic speed...”

3 戦闘機並みのスピードだぞ… せんとうきなみのスピードだぞ… sentouki nami no SUPEEDO da zo... “He’s as fast as a fighter jet...”

4 絶え間ない氷結生成で抵抗を流し たえまないひょうけつせいせいでていこうをながし taema nai hyouketsu seisei de teikou wo nagashi “With the constant generation of ice, they’re cruising through [any] resistance.”

5 熱で空気層をつくり摩擦を軽減… ねつでくうきそうをつくりまさつをけいげん… netsu de kuukisou wo tsukuri masatsu wo keigen... “The heat’s creating a layer of air to reduce friction...”

6 今　群訝の危機をどうにかできる可能性があるとすれば いま　ぐんがのききをどうにかできるかのうせいがあるとすれば ima   gunga no kiki wo dou ni ka dekiru kanousei ga aru to sureba Now, if we have any chance at doing something about the Gunga crisis,

7 「エンジン」と「半冷半燃」 「エンジン」と「はんれいはんねん」 「ENJIN」 to「hanrei hannen」 It's Engine and Half-Cold Half-Hot.

8 オールマイトちゃんと教師に…！ おまえちゃんときょうしに…！ omae (kanji: OORU MAITO) chanto kyoushi ni...! All Might, you’ve [become] a proper teacher...!

9 君たちだけだ‼︎頼んだぞ‼︎ きみたちだけだ‼︎たのんだぞ‼︎ kimi-tachi dake da!! tanonda zo!! It’s only you guys!! We’re counting on you!!

10 轟くん！ とどろきくん！ Todoroki-kun! “Todoroki-kun!”

11 君のおかげで俺は きみのおかげでおれは kimi no okage de ore wa “It’s thanks to you that I”

12 なりたいものになれたように思う なりたいものになれたようにおもう naritai mono ni nareta you ni omou “was able to become the person I wanted to become, so I think.” (Note: This is a reference back to Todoroki’s words to Iida against Stain: “Look properly at what you what to become!”)

1 だから dakara Therefore,

2 君もなって来い きみもなってこい kimi mo natte koi become [the person you want to] and come [back].

3-4 前略お母さん ぜんりゃくおかあさん zenryaku okaasan Dear Mother,

5 俺はクラスの皆に並べられるよう おれはクラスのみんなにならべられるよう ore wa kurasu no minna ni naraberareru you in order to be able to stand alongside everyone in class

6 毎日なるべく発言したり会話をしたりしています。 まいにちなるべくはつげんしたりかいわをしたりしています。 mainichi narubeku hatsugen shitari kaiwa wo shitari shiteimasu. I’m speaking and conversing as much as possible every day.

1 たくさん話すと衝突することもあります。 たくさんはなすとしょうとつすることもあります。 takusan hanasu to shoutotsu suru koto mo arimasu. Too much talking can also lead to conflict.

2-3 でもぶつかり合うとより気持ちを理解できる時もあります。 でもぶつかりあうとよりきもちをりかいできるときもあります。 demo butsukari au to yori kimochi wo rikai dekiru toki mo arimasu. But there are also times when we can understand each other’s feelings better when we clash.

4-5 俺の友だちは自分の為だけじゃなく他人の為にも怒ったり泣いたりします。 おれのともだちはじぶんのためだけじゃなくひとのためにもおこったりないたりします。 ore no tomodachi wa jibun no tame dake ja naku hito (kanji: tanin) no tame ni mo okottari naitari shimasu. My friends get angry and cry not only for themselves but also for the sake of other people.

6 俺もそうなりたいです。 おれもそうなりたいです。 ore mo sou naritai desu. I want to be like that too.

7 大変だけど頑張るよ。 たいへんだけどがんばるよ。 taihen dakedo ganbaru yo. It will be difficult, but I will do my best.

1 白黒反転するんだよ しろくろはんてんするんだよ shirokuro hanten surunda yo White and black are flipped. (Note: This line is from chapter 350 where Dabi talks about how when you surpass your limits, it's like the world gets turned upside down.)

2 燈矢／荼毘の原点 おれのオリジン ore (kanji: Touya/Dabi) no ORIJIN (kanji: genten) My (read as: Touya/Dabi) origin (Note: There are some familiar formatting elements here that call back to Tomura’s monologue in chapter 379.)

3 こんな簡単な事だったなら こんなかんたんなことだったなら konna kantan na koto datta nara If it was as simple as this,

4 もっと早くにぶつけられていたならーー もっとはやくにぶつけられていたならーー motto hayaku ni butsukerarete ita nara-- if they had expressed [their feelings] to me sooner--

5 ぶつけたい事 ぶつけたいこと butsuketai koto [There are still] things I wanna express,

6 言いたい事 いいたいこと iitai koto things I wanna say.

7 まだ mada I still

8 あるんだ！ arunda! have them! (Note: As in he still has those things he wants to say.)

9-10 大氷海嘯‼︎ だいひょうかいしょう‼︎ daihyoukaishou!! Giant Ice Tidal Wave!!

1 ーーッ　ハアッ --HAA “--haa--”

2 ……みんな……いたのか…ッ ......minna......ita no ka... “......everyone......there?...”

3 ハァ HAA “haa”

4 そうか………よかァねェけど…ーーよかった… sou ka.........yokaA neE kedo...--yokatta... “I see.........not...all right...but...--thank goodness...”

1 大氷海嘯だけじゃあ だいひょうかいしょうだけじゃあ daihyoukaishou dake jaa “With only Giant Ice Tidal Wave,”

2 止められなかったかもしれねェ… とめられなかったかもしれねェ… tomerarenakatta kamo shireneE... “it might not have been possible to stop you...”

3 燈矢兄は一戦目より…ずっと… とうやにいはいっせんめより…ずっと… Touya-nii wa issenme yori...zutto... “...because ever since our first match, Big Bro Touya...was always...”

4 "火力"を上げてたから "かりょく"をあげてたから “karyoku” wo ageteta kara “raising his firepower.”

5 焦凍…‼︎ しょうと…‼︎ Shouto...!! “Shouto...!!”

6 俺には辿り着けねえ境地だった おれにはたどりつけねえきょうちだった ore ni wa tadori tsukenee kyouchi datta “That was a level I couldn’t reach.”

7 俺は……"最高"傑作ではなかったのかもな… おれは……"さいこう"けっさくではなかったのかもな… ore wa......”saikou” kessaku de wa nakatta no kamo na... “Maybe I......wasn’t the ‘ultimate’ masterpiece after all...”

8 ーーみんな… --minna... “--Everyone...”

1 死んじまえ しんじまえ shinjimae “Die.” (Note: This particular version of “die” is especially intense and vulgar.)

2 クソ親父 クソおやじ KUSO oyaji “Damn old man.”

3 死ね… しね… shine... “Die...”

4 みんな…俺も… みんな…おれも… minna...ore mo... “Everyone...me too...”

5 死んじまえ しんじまえ shinjimae “Die.” (Note: This is the same version of “die” as in bubble #1.)

6 内側から氷結してる…⁉︎ うちがわからひょうけつしてる…⁉︎ uchigawa hyouketsu shiteru...!? He’s freezing from the inside...!?

7 燈矢兄ーーーー…… とうやにいーーーー…… Touya-nii----...... Big Bro Touya----......

8 ……で…どうするんだ……… ......de...dou surunda......... “......so...what should we do.........”

9 この先きっと このさききっと kono saki kitto “I’m sure from here on”

10 地獄だよ じごくだよ jigoku da yo “it will be hell.”

11 …燈矢…！ …とうや…！ ...Touya...! “...Touya...!”

12 悪かった… わるかった… warukatta... “I’m sorry...” (Note: This literally means “I was wrong.”)

13 瀬古杜岳行かなくて……ごめんな…‼︎ セコトたけいかなくて……ごめんな…‼︎ SEKOTO-take ikanakute......gomen na...!! “For not going to Sekoto Peak......I’m sorry...!!”

1 …大嫌いだ… …だいきらいだ… ...daikirai da... “...I hate you...”

2 お父さんなんか…！家族なんか…！ おとうさんなんか…！かぞくなんか…！ otousan nanka...! kazoku nanka...! “Father...! [My] family...!”

3 ああ……聞かせてくれ…！ ああ……きかせてくれ…！ aa......kikasete kure...! “Yes......let me hear it...!”

4 もっと…！ーー…ーーー……‼︎ motto...!--...---......!! “More...!--...---......!!”

5 っ…冷…！追いつめて っ…れい…！おいつめて ...Rei...! oitsumete “...Rei...! For wearing you down,”

6 ごめんなァ gomen naA “I’m sorry.”

7 冬美…全部おしつけて…ごめんな…！ ふゆみ…ぜんぶおしつけて…ごめんな…！ Fuyumi...zenbu oshitsukete...gomen na...! “Fuyumi...for putting everything* on you...I’m sorry...!” (Note: He’s talking about foisting so many responsibilities on her.)

8 夏雄…放ったらかしにして…ごめんなァ…！ なつお…ほったらかしにして…ごめんなァ…！ Natsuo...hottara kashi ni shite...gomen naA...! “Natsuo...for neglecting you...I’m sorry...!”

9 …焦凍…！ …しょうと…！ ...Shouto...! “...Shouto...!“

10 ごめんなァ…！ gomen naA...! “I’m sorry...!”

1 笑おうぜトガヒミコ わらおうぜトガヒミコ waraou ze TOGA HIMIKO Let’s smile, Himiko Toga.

2 人は笑う為に生きている！ ひとはわらうためにいきている！ hito wa warau tame ni ikite iru! People live for the sake of smiling!

3 燈矢くん とうやくん Touya-kun “Touya-kun.“

4 あなたは anata wa Were you

5 笑えた？ わらえた？ waraeta? able to smile?

tagline 戦場変わって… せんじょうかわって… senjou kawatte... The battlefield changes...

[tf2shipswag]

alright everyone, here's the bracket!

[saxton, admin, and zhanna standalone comic pngs are by @tf2-pngs and the maggie and saxton one is by @tf2gallery!!!!!!!]

the first polls for round 1 will be going up tomorrow!

NOTE: not all polls will be going up in one day, i will probably put 2-4 polls up per day and have each of them last a week.

links to each poll [once they're up] and the list of whos going up against who will be under the cut!

LEFT SIDE:

ENGIESNIPER [TRUCKS N' VANS] vs. SOLDIERSPY [FREEDOM FRIES]

HEAVYMEDIC [RED OKTOBERFEST] vs. SNIPERSPY [BLOODY SUIT]

DEMOSOLDIER [BOOTS N' BOMBS] vs. SNIPERSCOUT [SPEEDINGBULLET]

DEMOSNIPER [SWORDVAN] vs. MEDICSPY [GENTLE SURGERY]

PYROSNIPER [BUSHFIRE] vs. ENGIESPY [NAPOLEON COMPLEX]

ENGIEMEDIC [SCIENCE PARTY] vs. PYROSCOUT [FLASHFIRE]

SNIPERMEDIC [BUSHMEDICINE] vs. ENGIEPYRO [TEXAS TOAST]

PYROSPY [SPYRO] vs. MEDICSOLDIER [FRUIT SCONES]

RIGHT SIDE:

ZHANNAPAULING vs. MERASMUSSOLDIER [MAGIC MISSILES]

ZHANNASOLDIER vs. ENGIESOLDIER [HELMET PARTY]

PYROPAULING vs. MAGGIESAXTON

ADMINSAXTON vs. SOLDIERSCOUT [BATTING HELMET]

MEDICSCOUT [QUICKFIX] vs. HEAVYSCOUT [HEAVY HITTERS]

DEMOSPY [BOMB VOYAGE] vs. SNIPERSOLDIER [AMERICAN AVIATORS]

ADMINSNIPER vs. HEAVYSPY [SPOOVY]

DEMOPAULING vs. DEMOMEDIC [JÄGER BOMBS]

[bnhaobservation]

I just read your post about Enji’s atonement to Touya very well written and an interesting read but quick question - “the rest of his family wanted to forgive him way before he were to do something” when you say that the family was looking to forgive before he do something, so you mean they were looking to forgive Enji before he even started atoning?? Because I can see it with Fuyumi and maybe even Rei, but Shouto was not looking to forgive his father until Enji started to atone and looked to possibly forgive if Enji showed what type of father he would be!

Also I think Shouto also called Touya by his name after the reveal 🤔 oh actually I think if I remember correctly he slipped a little in the start but he also mostly called him by his name.

Thank you for enjoying my meta!

First of all a clarification.

When I said the family wanted to forgive him, I don't mean the family HAS FORGIVEN him. Their forgivance is conditional, they don't want to go back to how they were before but they're okay with giving him a chance.

Okay, so let's go through the timeline of Enji's atonement.

Around the end of September Enji has his talk with All Might. [Chap 165] According to chap 192 this is what kickstarts his idea he should atone... or, at least, that he should atone differently by how he was doing before.

This will lead him to try to approach Shouto in a manner that, I guess is different from before.

He reaches out, respects Shouto's refusal for it, tells him he's proud even if Shouto mainly used his ice and he's there because he failed his licence exam, there's no complaining but also no pressure on how he should have done this or that or that once Shouto gets his licence he should join his agency.

I'm not 100% sure about this but also Enji's speech to Shouto seems a step in his atonement path as he says he wants to make Shouto's proud, which, from my understanding, is not generally something Japanese fathers say. It's kids who've to make fathers proud and be grateful because the fathers gave them life, not the other way around.

By the end of November he's crowned Number 1 and then moves to Kyushu where he ends up fighting the high end.

While he's doing so, we learn he'll also started sending flowers to Rei and shows up to her hospital many times but she can't meet him yet and he respects this (I'm not sure if he started back then or he already did, poor Rei is a character HUGELY neglected so it can be that Rei is more willing to forgive Enji because actually there was more than just 2 months of flowers and visits)

Rei thinks this means Enji isn't leaving his past or his family behind.

As soon as Enji is back from Kyushu, Fuyumi throw a party for him and invites Natsuo and Shouto.

According to Natsuo, by this time, his mother and sister are willing to forgive him.

Shouto doesn't say he's willing to forgive him... but he makes clear he's willing to give him a chance, which is the first step on the path.

Fuyumi is touched and offers him more soba.

In the same month Enji sends plenty of texts to Shouto until Shouto replies he wants to learn flashfire fist.

After the Christmas Eve party at U.A. Shouto invites Midoriya and Bakugou to intern with him at Endeavor agency. Enji doesn't really want them but accepts to please Shouto.

On January 1st Shouto makes clear he will study under Enji but not because he's his father but because he's the Number 1 so doesn't want to be handled like a son. Enji accepts.

A week after Fuyumi invites them at a dinner.

At the end of it we get Shouto saying he doesn't know how to feel about Enji out of obligation due to how he hurt his mother... who however instead wants to forgive him, and Midoriya saying that Shouto is trying to get himself ready to forgive him.

Later the discussion about Touya also comes up.

I'll stop here.

A bit of cultural contest now.

Japan is pretty big about the need of harmoniously getting along. For all I searched about families who're victims of abuse (husbands abusing wife, parents abusing kids) but also other things abou bullying and so on, it seems one of the main goals wasn't so much to punish the culprit but to ripristinate the harmoniously getting along.

So I think in a way this too plays as a factor in why the family is the way it is.

Now what we have here?

Fuyumi ALWAYS wanted a family, so I think she always wanted to forgive him if he were to make an effort.

We don't exactly know where Rei stood before she decided she wanted to forgive him. Since Rei comes from a traditional family she was probably educated into Confucian values so she likely felt guilty for how things went wrong. She also might want to rebuld her family for her children's sake. So, even though she's still traumatized, she wants to forgive him and she might have always want to forgive him.

I tend to think Enji started sending her flowers when he decided to atone but don't we really know when he started so this might have had a longer build up or not.

Shouto doesn't really blame Enji for what he put him through even though it was traumatic, for him it was always what he did to his mother that was the worst sin. After the fight with the High End Shouto says he's not ready to forgive him... but, as Bakugo pointed out much later he doesn't say 'I'll never forgive him'. As Midoriya pointed out, Shouto wants to but he's not ready yet. Possibly he wants to for his mother and sister since they're willing to give this a try, maybe he wants to because, deep down, he'll also like to have a family. Hard to say.

The only one who states he'll never forgive Enji is Natsuo.

It's true, the fight with the High End is AFTER Enji decided to atone but... what exactly had he done that we know of by then beyond deciding to atone and sending Rei flowers?

Since Shouto claims he hadn't seen anything, I take for him he hasn't done anything.

Yet, Rei, Fuyumi and Shouto were all willing to give him a chance... Shouto's chance was likely more conditioned than the one Rei and Fuyumi were willing to give him (Shouto wants him to do something while probably Rei and Fuyumi would content themselves with Enji not doing anything bad) but still they were willing to give him one.

And having to deal with people who're willing to give you a chance makes things A LOT easier and since Enji did many things to atone in the end, it's easy to assume they will forgive him.

That's what I was trying to say, sorry if it didn't come out clear.

In regard to Shouto calling Touya with his name... Shouto alternates the two.

Post reveal, facing him, he goes for Touya, no 'Nī' (= "Brother") attached which is very rude and many won't do it even if their brother were to trying to kill them.

Then, once he's not facing him, when thinking about him or talking about him, he tends to call him 'Touya Nī' unless he's talking of him as a Villain ("Dabi's existence is my family crime").

When he faces Touya again, first he calls him 'Baka aniki' (馬鹿兄貴 “stupid brother”), then starts with 'Touya' (without 'Nī') but immediately switches to 'Dabi' and calls him as such through all the fight.

Okay, no, when Touya tells him he'll burn all Enji loves, Shouto calls him again 'Baka aniki' when he tells him he won't let him do it.

For the rest of the fight it's all Dabi.

Then after Shouto has frozen Touya and Touya has unfrozen himself, when he thinks about him he goes back to 'Touya Nī' and keeps on calling as such.

I think I didn't miss anything but I'm open to corrections if I did.

[vodka-01]

Currently editing, and doing a bit of revamping for Flashfire.

I'll probably be able to get the new chapter posted sometime this week.

[noroalia]

important information !!!!

[mist-spelt]

they're on opposite teams but guess what they're in love!

tf2 flashfire week 2020, day one: dynamic

(feat. fem scout & nonbinary pyro)

[kellanved-ammanas]

FlashFire Week Day Five: Proposal

@shadowenza

Something was up. Romantic dinners were something they never did. They couldn’t go out anywhere for dinner dates because Pyro couldn’t take his mask off in public and neither of them could cook anything more complex than mac-n-cheese. So the fact that Scout had cleaned his room to set up a fancy (fake) candle-lit dinner, undoubtedly getting help from either Heavy or Spy with the food, was pretty suspect. Pyro was excited for whatever it was.

The dinner was good, Scout had definitely not made it by himself. They talked throughout it; Scout fidgeting with nervousness, Pyro doing the same except with excitement for whatever this might be leading to. The anticipation was enjoyable in way but also a bit maddening. But finally, at long last once they were done eating…

“So, uh… you’ve probably figured out by now that something’s up,” Scout said. “You might’ve even guessed what I’m doing, it’s… kind of obvious.” Not to Pyro, but interrupting to correct him would only make the reveal take longer. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while and uh… finally decided to do it. So, um…”

He shifted to kneel besides Pyro’s chair on one knee as he pulled something out of his pocket. Wait! Was he about to… “Will you marry me?” He was!

“Yes!” Pyro said, nodding before even looking at the ring Scout was holding towards him. Maybe he should’ve been expecting this, especially with how much he wanted it. “Thank you!” He accepted the ring. It was gold and fancy and expensive looking… and it had a fire pattern engraved on it! He placed it on the table for now so he could tackle Scout with a hug, sending them both to the floor but who cared? “I love you!”

Scout chuckled. “I love you too.” He kissed him.

***

Spy was trying to paint and struggling to come up with a good idea for it when his door burst up. He jumped to his feet, reaching for his knife. But it was just Pyro and Scout so he relaxed again.

“We’re getting married,” Pyro said proudly through his mask, holding up his ungloved hand – the other hand was holding Scout’s – to show off the ring Scout had got for him.

“Congrats,” Spy said, unsurprised because he’d known from watching Scout that this was coming. He did mean it though. Now, hopefully Scout wouldn’t blow this like Spy had with his one shot at marrying the love of his life.

“It’s awesome, isn’t it?” Scout said, grinning wide. … With how happy they were together, they’d most likely do well. “And uh… this means you’ll be Pyro’s father-in-law, right?”

“Uh… yeah, it does mean that, huh?”

Pyro froze for a second before something seemed to occur to him. “Does that mean I can call you ‘dad’?” he asked, his tone the one he used when he wanted to make sure he was understood. “Like Scout does.”

That was… not a question Spy had been prepared for but… “I suppose if you really want to, you can.” Why Pyro would want to was beyond him but… whatever, it didn’t really matter as long as it wasn’t during battle.

Pyro let go of Scout’s hand so he could clap, clearly very pleased. “I’ve never had a dad before, thank you.” He hugged Spy, squeezing him tight enough to almost hurt. It only lasted a second or two though, not long enough for Spy to even try to respond before Pyro was pulling back. He then mumbled something that sound a bit like “Let’s go tell everyone else now,” before running out of the room, clearly expecting Scout to follow.

He didn’t, instead he looked at Spy, his expression almost surprised as Spy felt. “I… didn’t expect him to do that or request that or uh… say that. But um… he seems happy so thanks letting him call you ‘dad’, I guess. And uh… yeah, super exciting stuff. We’ll update you when we pick a date and stuff. I gotta go catch up with him now. See you later.” He gave Spy a small wave before jogging out after Pyro, closing the door as he exited.

Spy let out a sigh as he settled back into his chair. Well, he apparently had two sons now. That was… fine actually. With how long Pyro and Scout had been dating, he’d already been sort of thinking about Pyro as such anyway. He wished them well in their marriage.

[ducklettwrites]

Flashfire Week: Day 1 “It’s All For Show”

Now Available on Ao3!

Fandom: TF2/Pokemon Trainer AU

Pairing: Pyro/Scout

Characters: Pyro, Scout

Description: In which Pyro has to teach Scout how to show with style and flair.

Author’s Notes: I’m participating in @shadowenza‘s Flashfire Week. I love both of these characters and want to explore their dynamic more. I had a lot of fun writing this first part, I hope to have more fun for the rest of the prompts!

Anyway, Pokemon Trainer au for this one. Scout is an ace trainer who spends most of his time working around gyms to train his team of (mostly) electric types. Pyro is a kindler who participates in contests with their team of fire pokemon. Both work for an underground trainer guild that dispatch vigilante justice to those who deserve it.

Scout wasn’t often paired on missions with Pyro. Their differing skill set lent themselves to occupy different roles in the midst of the fight: Scout, as a front runner whose greatest skill was to get in and get out; and Pyro, who stayed behind, taking care of any stragglers and clearing any evidence. As trainers, they were as night and day. Scout’s electric types were meant to pack just enough punch to convince whoever was in their way to step aside. Pyro’s fire types were finishers, last reminders to get out now or risk not leaving alive. Despite this, when they weren’t on death-defying missions, Scout and Pyro had grown remarkably close. The two had a natural chemistry and energy that balanced well with each other.

There was something about Pyro that intrigued Scout.  The way they presented themselves as a master of show and presentation. The way they seemingly came from nowhere with no prior training. The way they never showed what was underneath the mask they always wore. A mystery to unwrap, a trainer of undeniable prowess, it made the attraction Scout felt all the stronger. It was for this reason, that when given the opportunity, Scout jumped on the first mission they would be able to work side by side on. However…

“Have you ever been in a contest before?”

He just wished it were different circumstances.

“No…” Scout trailed off, setting the briefing pamphlet on the conference table and leaning back in his chair. “But I saw my ma compete in loads of contests when I was little. It can’t be that hard, can it?”

Pyro looked up from their own pamphlet and rubbed a gloved hand over their mouth. No doubt to keep from snapping at Scout for trivializing their chosen trainer path.

He gave his best attempt at an innocent smile, hoping to soften the blow.

“At least it isn’t high tier.” It must’ve worked. “Mid tier is doable. You’ll need training, but I can make you a believable super rank coordinator.”

“Why aren’t you doing the contest again?”

They flipped through the briefing. “Same reason Spy isn’t either. It would draw too much attention if an elite or master coordinator was participating in a super rank contest.” They plopped the pamphlet to the table and shook their head. “That’s why Miss P. needed a newcomer. Fresh face who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.”

“Wow thanks.” He got out of his chair, standing over Pyro, and wrapped his arms around their neck.

Pyro sighed. “You know what I meant.”

Scout buried his face against Pyro’s hoodie. “I know. I just wanted to give ya shit.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Love ya too.”

They leaned up and kissed Scout’s cheek. “Let’s see how you feel when training starts.”

---

“When it comes to the showcase, you’re not bad, it’s the presentation that’s lacking though.” Pyro had been dispensing criticism like this all morning. “Let’s run it again.”

“Again?” Scout stood in the center of the training room, practically panting from the previous run. Even his partner Pikachu looked to be on the brink of collapse. “Can we maybe take a five minute break first?”

Pyro was on the edge of the training room, arms crossed and smirking. “Fine, five minutes.”

Scout wasted no time recalling his Pikachu to their ball and marching over to the end of the room. He picked up his water bottle, and dropped to the floor. Leaning against the wall for support.

Pyro watched him with marked amusement. “Aww, what’s the matter? It isn’t that hard, remember?”

“Okay. Maybe I was a bit off.” He said between drinks of water. “In all fairness, Ma made it look so easy.”

Pyro set themselves down next to him. “Any coordinator worth their ranks does.”

He heaved a sigh. “Do you think I can be passably super rank in less than two days?”

“You’re not doing as bad as you might think.” Pyro gently pat Scout on the shoulder. “Like I said, you have the showcase down. It’s more style to the presentation that needs to be worked on.”

Scout adopted a mischievously serious tone. “And how does one go about adding style, oh great teacher?”

Pyro crossed their arms. “If you’re trying to get me to show you how I perform, you can just say so.”

Scout tried to remain serious while looking at them, but cracked into a full grin after a few seconds. “Okay, what if I want to see how you perform?”

Pyro no doubt rolled their eyes behind the mask, and stood up. “You’re lucky. I don’t do private shows for just anyone.” A toss of a pokeball and there stood Pyro’s partner, an imposing figure of a Rapidash, lovingly named Loo. The Pokemon still regarded Scout with suspicion, but was quick to calm with a touch by it’s trainer. Pyro led the Pokemon to the center of the room and motioned for Scout to pay attention.

Scout, obediently sat at attention. He gave a thumbs up to his teacher.

To say that it was impressive was an understatement. It was a dance of two beings in tandem with one another, trainer and Pokemon moving effortlessly side by side. Though not a word was uttered, neither had difficulty understanding one another. The dance concluded with a leap that gave the illusion the Rapidash was flying and a spray of flames before touching the ground and landing next to it’s trainer.

The applause could have been from a thundering audience by the excitement that rushed through Pyro. Scout was now standing and cheering as loud as he could. They returned Loo to their ball, and walked back to their adoring fan.

“That was. Amazing.” Scout exclaimed.

Pyro hid their face, mostly to not show how hard they were blushing. “Let’s see you do it now.” They said with playful push.

Scout responded in kind, tossing a pokeball for his Pikachu. “You’re on, teacher. Watch the style be dished right out.”

[skzsauce01]

Public Relations

Synopsis: The SweetHeart of Seoul discovers that the Bad Boy of Busan isn’t that bad after all. Or, you really hate what your job entails sometimes. Superhero AU inspired by The Boys, BNHA, and idol culture.

Warning: alcohol, fighting

Word Count: 7.9k

Pairing: fem!superhero!reader x superhero!IN

Jihyo starts briefing you about this weekend’s events before you’ve had your daily dose of caffeine, so you think you’re having auditory hallucinations when she informs you of your upcoming team-up with Flashfire.

“The Bad Boy of Busan?” you interrupt. “That Flashfire?”

“Is there another one I don’t know about?” she impatiently says. Looks like she hasn’t had any coffee either. Or maybe way too much, considering that the Prince of Shadows, face of the SeoulHero Company, landed in the hospital last night after what was supposed to be a simple confrontation with a group of bank robbers. “Yes, him. Any other questions before I move on to your scheduled lunch with him today?”

It’s the wrong answer, but you ask, “Why?”

“He’s on loan to us while Prince’s out, which means all your team-ups and appearances with Prince are now with him, including the launch party for Hero Face over the weekend. And don’t you dare try getting out of it again. Nayeon told me all about your little stunt last week.”

Apparently, Nayeon had access to all of your family’s genealogy and international death records, and thus, your distant relative’s funeral was exposed as fake. But to be fair, attending a launch party for SeoulHero’s new makeup line sounds incredibly counterproductive as a supposed superhero.

“Why couldn’t he have picked a better time to get hurt?” Jihyo continues. “The face of SeoulHero doesn’t show up for Hero Face? Now half of our faces are from Busan Defenders. This whole launch was designed around you two, and he just had to ruin it. Freaking face, heart, and soul.”

Face, heart, and soul. Prince, you, and Seoul.

Ever since SeoulHero hired you, it has always been made clear that you are Heart, the good girl, the SweetHeart of Seoul, the Nations’ Heartbeat, and whatever other ridiculous nicknames the media has created for you. You are the wholesome hero, everyone’s favorite.

Perfect, flawless Heart.

“What about Tigerlily and Dandy?” you suggest. “How about they be the main guests instead of me? It’ll be good for their ratings too.”

Jihyo looks like she’s ready to throttle you. In an eerily calm voice, she says, “This is not about them. This is about the company. Look, I know you mean well, but contracts are contracts. You are going to the party, and you are going with Flashfire. Any other questions?”

You shake your head. An intern comes into the conference room with a cardboard holder full of coffees and places two down on the table between you and Jihyo. He whispers an apology, receiving a saccharine smile from Jihyo and a terse one from you.

The drink is cold.

You take it with you to your scheduled lunch with Flashfire. You’ve seen him create blazing infernos before on TV; heating up some coffee should be nothing.

Lunch is in the cozy café inside of SeoulHero headquarters, a surprise considering that any and all sightings you share with another hero, especially if they’re a young man, garners an outrageous amount of publicity. But for some reason, Jihyo wants to keep this business meeting under wraps. She even made you change out of your costume into civilian clothes for the occasion.

The café is strangely empty, with only two customers inside. You wouldn’t put it past Jihyo to have arranged for some fancy lunch catering so the team-up can truly be a surprise. She’s not the only leaker in the company.

You’ve nestled yourself in your favorite corner booth, surrounded by birch planters and an abundance of ivy trailing from the hanging pots. The glass windows are covered with opaque white curtains, shielding you from prying eyes walking through the third floor. However, the best part has to be its close proximity to the kitchen. The world-class pastry chef lets you try their new desserts before anyone else, and they’re so much better than those little cakes you’re forced to promote.

This is your little oasis.

You idly flip through the menu while waiting for Flashfire to arrive. You only know him through news reports and the trending hashtags on social media, and you’re certain he only knows you that way as well. Jihyo makes sure you go viral every time you walk out of a fight unscathed.

Which means just about every time you apprehend a villain.

While Flashfire has his flames and Prince his shadows, you have rapid regeneration. Your wounds stitch together in the blink of an eye, leaving only artfully messy hair and splotches of dirt as evidence of your battle. It makes for great pictures.

A soft thud across from you makes you glance up from the pictures of artisan pizza. A pair of dark sunglasses stare back at you. The embroidered cartoon dinosaur on the accompanying baseball cap waves hello. If you didn’t know that you were meeting the Bad Boy of Busan of today, you would have never thought that he wore oversized argyle sweaters. Judging by his hero costume, he seems more like a tight black shirt guy. Though if you’re judging by hero costumes, you suppose you seem more like a frills and flounce skirts type of girl rather than hoodies and sweats.

“Hi,” you say after a moment, holding out your hand. You don’t bother with your real name since this is a business meeting after all. “I’m Heart. Nice to meet you.”

“Flashfire. Hello, Heart. So,” he says after he’s finished shaking your hand, “you’re the Nation’s Heartbeat. The next IU.”

“No, I’m just Heart,” you quickly say. You’re not trying to be modest either. IU, nicknamed the Nation’s Hero and the Hero’s Hero, is exactly who the company is setting you up to be, and while you adore her and admire her, you don’t want to live in her shadow forever. The comparisons started the moment you were unveiled.

“A girl with healing powers and a smile like that? You’re going to have the whole world wrapped around your finger,” said everyone at the company. “You’re our IU,” didn’t need to be explicitly stated.

“So, Seoul,” you abruptly say. “How familiar are you with the city? Have you been here before?”

“I came here a few times for a mission last year, and I did my hero internship here, so I know this place pretty well. Anything else?”

You don’t even know why Jihyo scheduled this lunch. “Can you heat this up for me?” you ask, pushing the cold coffee towards him.

“I make fire. I’m not a microwave.”

That feels more like what you expected. Nevertheless, he ignites a small flame on the palm of his hand and holds the environmentally-conscious cup above it, being careful not to set fire to the paper. You watch with fascination as he warms the drink all over. Curls of steam begin to rise from the small opening at the top.

With a satisfied look, he sets your coffee in front of you. “Can I see your healing in real time then?”

“It’s only fair.” You roll up your hoodie sleeve and present him with your bare wrist. “Go and burn me.”

When his hand clasps around your wrist, you note that they’re strangely colder than they were when he shook your hand. However, that thought fades into nothingness. The sun has crash landed onto your arm.

When Flashfire draws his hand back, your charred muscle and scalded skin immediately begin to knit itself back together. The pain is blinding, and lava pools of heat gather at where scar tissue would be. Rapid regeneration always hurts more than actually getting injured.

Flashfire’s fingers ghost over your newly smooth skin. “No scars? Wow.”

White stars flicker behind your eyes as you yank your sleeve down. “A fourth degree burn is not comparable to heating up a drink.”

“Sorry,” he says, and he does sound apologetic. “I didn’t realize how hot that was.”

“By the looks of it, the team-up mission is going to be easy,” you reply. The pain has subsided, but you can still feel the prickle of fire. “Did your company tell you about it?”

Team-ups are just another PR stunt. The companies, with their vast network of spies, receive notice of future crimes and send their heroes to the right spot at the right time. You haven’t come across any manufactured crimes yet, but with the way SeoulHero’s PR team likes to operate…

But the one this weekend is real: a bank heist in relation to the one Prince was supposed to have stopped. Evidently, the thieves got away when he was left with half of his brain on the floor.

Flashfire nods. “Yeah.”

Jihyo really wants to keep you busy from doing actual superhero things, it appears. Patrolling the block again isn’t all that exciting, but it’s something productive at least. What even is the point of this meeting? “Well, since there’s nothing left to discuss, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You throw your hood over your head and are about to get up when Flashfire holds up the cream-colored menu. “You don’t want to eat lunch? I’ll pay.”

The prospect of the café’s spicy chicken sandwich makes you hesitate, but you shake your head. “I should get going. The streets aren’t going to patrol themselves.”

“The SweetHeart of Seoul indeed,” he teases as he flips open the menu, shaking his head in mock amusement. “Don’t forget your coffee.”

You can still hear him chuckling to himself when you leave. Your face is hot, but it has nothing to do with your powers.

SweetHeart of Seoul.

Why did that have to be your nickname?

The bank heist is set to occur at 4:45 on a Saturday morning, which means you are in your hero costume by 4:30 and at the intersection by 4:40. The bank alarms have already gone off, and you’re just waiting for the robbers to come storming out. Squad cars have blocked off the streets in preparation, but two news vans are conveniently parked at the department store parking lot. Several more reporters from SeoulHero are waiting in stores, and you know Jihyo has sent an intern to record phone footage from an apartment building landing. Meanwhile, Flashfire is waiting in an alleyway somewhere.

Long ago, before you knew about the need for footage, you strolled right into a jewelry store and stopped the thieves before they were able to take all the diamond rings they desired. You handcuffed them. The police came and took them away. The company scolded you for not allowing the camera crew to capture anything and put you on probation for two weeks.

So now you obediently stand outside with perfect hair and makeup, waiting for the perfect action shots.

It’s all so contrived, but the media eats it up. Jihyo gets hashtags trending, fans make edits of you walking through a hail of bullets, and you continue working as a hero.

The heavy double doors of the bank burst open, the alarms blaring even louder. You run across the street in your silly heeled boots and impractical sweetheart-neckline bodysuit. The flared pink skirt—only added back because your approval ratings went down with women with daughters—swishes, giving you your own entrance music.

The trio of robbers shoot at you. You either dodge the bullet or absorb the damage completely, trying to keep a straight face as you heal. Your bodysuit is bulletproof, but the impact is still there. You distantly wonder if Flashfire just shoots out a blast of fire and completely melts the thing.

“Drop your weapons now!” you shout. You’re nearly there now.

As anticipated, they don’t comply and continue firing. However, Flashfire leaps out of his hiding spot and launches a fireball, scattering them into two directions. He goes after the duo, which leaves you the one with metal arms. If you had to guess, this is who Prince faced on Thursday night.

“Put your hands up where I can see them!” you tell him. Useless police protocol against someone with powers.

He gives you a wicked smile. “Let’s see how fast you heal, SweetHeart.”

He slams a fist into your stomach, knocking you back against a car, leaving a you-sized dent on the doors. Your ribs crack and then start to reform. Perhaps your skull has been cracked too. Black and white spots appear before your eyes, and you can vaguely make out Metal Arms heading your direction. Out of the corner of your eye, Flashfire duels with the other assailants, sending flames and smoke everywhere.

You stand up, steadying yourself with the car door mirror. Before he can land another hit on you, you swing your heeled boot between his legs and kick him down, making sure that his head lands hard against the streetlight. Luckily, your aim is good. He slumps down to the pavement, unconscious.

Cameras flash, reporters swarm you. Flashfire appears beside you as police officers begin hauling the criminals away. Someone thrusts a microphone between you two, and the barrage of questions begin.

“Flashfire, what are you doing in Seoul?”

“Heart, how did it feel to take down the criminal the Prince of Shadows didn’t?”

“Flashfire, is it true that you’re switching to SeoulHero?”

“Heart!” “Flashfire!” “Heart!” “Flashfire!”

Somehow, you manage to answer everything with grace. The years of media training have worked wonders for you, and you smile through the painful healing, hoping that you’re looking into a camera. It’s hard to tell if the white light is from yourself or the reporters. Next to organs, bones hurt the most. Flashfire has put an arm around you, and you’re grateful that there is something to stabilize your shaking form.

“Heart!” someone shouts, their voice sounding too familiar for a stranger. You squint and focus on the person, suppressing a choke when your vision clears a little. Beneath the strawberry blonde wig and the circular glasses, is the face of a woman you know all too well. Jihyo gives you a big, bright smile before bringing her mic to her lips. “Can you confirm the recent rumors that you and Flashfire are a couple?”

She holds up her phone, a picture of you and Flashfire sharing a table yesterday at the SeoulHero café. That’s why she had you arrive in civilian clothes.

The cameras capture your shocked face and Flashfire’s equally as stunned one. Another flurry of questions start. His hand feels hot against your arm, and you wriggle out of his hold.

“That’s all the time we have for questions today,” you say into an outstretched mic. Jihyo won’t stop smiling at you, and every part of you burns with embarrassment. “Thank you.”

You can’t fly, so you have to settle for briskly walking back to the car you arrived in. With your partially obscured vision, you twist your ankle as you stumble over a dip in the street, and a dual pain shoots up your leg. Flashfire, who shadows you even though he came in a separate car, guides you the rest of the way when he hears your frustrated growl. SeoulHero’s “security” team tries to prevent the crowd from following, but you know that SeoulHero’s news crew will be allowed to get up close.

“Can you comment on the rumors?” “Flashfire, is this true?”

Everyone keeps their distance from Flashfire but eagerly flock around you. As much as you would love to push past them, you can’t do so in fear of them retaliating. Headlines of “SweetHeart of Seoul Not So Sweet After All?” flash behind your eyes. That would be more than two weeks of probation.

After a delicate dance with the paparazzi, you duck inside the waiting car. Flashfire slides in beside you and slams the door shut. Moments later, Jihyo, now with her usual brown bob, gets into the front seat.

“Drive,” she commands the chauffeur.

“What was that?” you explode. Thank goodness the windows are tinted, so no one can see how angry you are.

“That was the Hero Face launch being saved. Oh, and such a great move, Flashfire, putting an arm around her. Really sold the idea.”

You whip towards him, the seatbelt catching you mid-turn. “You knew about this?”

“I didn’t. That’s a breach of contract,” he says to Jihyo, but she doesn’t seem to care.

“You should have read it more carefully then. You’re on loan to us, so you’re under our jurisdiction as long as it doesn’t harm your public image. I got approval from Busan Defenders just in time too. Thank goodness I had the foresight to pack that wig.”

“I’m the Bad Boy of Busan,” he says. “Any non-work connection I have to the SweetHeart of Seoul—”

“Is going to make your numbers go up. People love a good romance.”

“And what about me?” you fiercely say. Is that a headache or your skull still being repaired? “They’re going to think I’ve been ‘corrupted’ or whatever. I’ve done so many stupid things to uphold this good girl image that you imposed on me, and you just destroyed it in two seconds. Fantastic job, Jihyo.”

She shrugs, typing away on her phone. “Did I? Bad guy, good girl—that’s the kind of romance people love. Hashtag HeartFire. Cute, isn’t it?”

The only sound is of the asphalt crunching beneath the tires. You’re bubbling with rage, Flashfire is staring out the window with an unreadable expression, and Jihyo is busy fueling the flames of a nonexistent relationship. With nothing kind to say and the threat of probation looming over your head, you keep your mouth shut. Instead, you focus on the wrinkles of your white over-the-knee boots.

The house always wins.

You and Flashfire have been forbidden to leave company grounds until the party tomorrow night. Not for your own protection but because there will be more buzz if you do, and that would interfere with the launch.

Fortunately, your apartment, a housing accommodation by SeoulHero, is on company grounds, so at least you can weather the PR storm from the comfort of your couch. You flip through the channels, reaching for another handful of Flashfire Hot Chips whenever you see a report about the world’s fakest romance.

“How are you so calm about this?’ you ask, dusting the crumbs off from your hoodie.

Since Flashfire’s temporary living quarters are two floors above you, he has decided to accompany you while you fume. He brought snacks as well, which is why you let him in in the first place. “This isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“They went behind your back and made your private life public. Sounds pretty bad to me.”

“It’s just a PR stunt. It happens all the time, and this isn’t even real. Why does it matter so much to you?”

Of course he doesn’t care; with the number of alleged one-night stands he has had and the string of broken hearts behind him, he has scandals aplenty. This is just a Flashfire regular. However, your record is so clean, it sparkles. Jihyo scrubbed all the “unpalatable” bits from history and made sure that you would be perfect, flawless Heart.

“It’s a betrayal of trust, for one,” you tell him instead as you rip open another bag. “Secondly, I don’t like being a pawn, especially for something I couldn’t care less about.”

“We’re heroes.” His bravado fades, a sigh hanging onto his lips. “That’s the price we pay if we want to save the world.”

“You’re jaded.”

“And you’re new to this. It’s your, what, third year?”

“Three years total but second professional year.”

It’s been three years since you went to the SeoulHero Company’s auditions with a backpack full of weapons. By the time you got to the homemade Molotov cocktail, they were already gathering papers for you to sign. A year of internships later, you made your grand debut as Heart.

His lazy smile is faraway, clouded with something you can’t discern. “Well, it’s going to be my seventh. You’ll get used to it.”

You remember seeing articles about Flashfire’s early debut. He was still a teenager but a prodigy with masterful control of his superpowers. Busan Defenders signed him immediately.

“It’s to drum up interest for the thing, so it’s not going to be forever,” he continues. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll deny it at the party, say you were telling me about Seoul—”

“Which was what we were doing anyway.”

“—since I’m covering for Prince. Easy, right?”

It does sound easy. Just a “no” would destroy the narrative, and you would be free from one less restriction. But you shake your head, crumpling up an empty bag in a vain attempt to quell your disappointment. “Thanks, but I’ll be put on probation for a whole year if you do. It’s one night, right? I can handle it. Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

Flashfire doesn’t seem to believe you, but the truth is, you don’t believe it either. Jihyo’s plans are never so simple.

Hero Face’s party officially begins at six o’clock, but since you’re one of the guests of honor, you’re allowed to be late. Hence, why you are still being made presentable at seven.

Momo, your makeup artist since your inception as Heart, is dusting your cheekbones with the Brand New Specially Formulated Hero Highlighter, and Jeongyeon, Prince’s usual stylist, is hairspraying your hair into oblivion. Meanwhile, you’re doing your best not to make too many faces. According to your phone, there is currently a four-car pileup on the highway. You should be there.

“Seven thirty,” Jihyo reminds everyone in the vicinity. “If anyone is late, you will be fired. And Heart, if you try anything tonight—”

“I know. Probation.”

“No, even worse. I’m going to make you go to every single promo event we have.” Despite her icy words though, she sweetens her tone when she directly addresses you. “Just grin and bear through it, okay? I know I’ve been hard on you lately, but my own promotion is counting on this. Please don’t ruin it for me.”

You feel a twinge of guilt, but it quickly shrivels up when you remember all the things she ruined for you, namely not being able to drink your favorite brand of soju because of a sponsor conflict. “You got all the buzz you needed for the launch party. What else do you need? Me to kiss Flashfire?”

“That would be perfect, yes.” At your glowering expression, she rolls her eyes. “Mostly kidding. Just stay until the press stuff is over and don’t do anything dumb. Stick with Flashfire all night and pretend to be excited. If anyone asks, you two are dating.”

“I’m not going to lie about the relationship,” you lie, “so you better keep those mics and cameras away from me.”

She stands up straight and flips her bob back, looking down at you in the makeup chair. A smug smile curves across her face, and you know she has seen right through your words. “Heart, don’t try to threaten me. Leave that to the villains. You’re too good for that.”

After she walks away—probably to yell at some unsuspecting intern for breathing too loudly—Momo sympathetically pats your shoulder. “Don’t waste your energy on her. She’s not worth it. Let’s get you dressed now.”

The stylists put you in a creamy pink dress with puffy sleeves and a long flouncy skirt. It’s more romantic than your usual ensembles, but this is what Jihyo is trying to sell. Your only consolation is that they at least didn’t give you a sweetheart neckline.

As Sana helps you into your heels, Jeongyeon arranges the tendrils of hair around your forehead, mumbling to herself as she does so. Seven thirty is fast approaching, and you have to get down to the party in SeoulHero’s main lobby by then. Someone hands you a pearl-handled clutch, and you mindlessly drop your phone in. According to one of Sana’s long ago fashion lectures, a good look isn’t complete with a good accessory. Sana also says that no, an opaque veil does not count, and no, she can’t hide your pretty face like that.

“Done,” Jeongyeon breathes, practically pushing you to Flashfire. He’s been lounging on a couch for the past ten minutes. Unlike his typical outfits, his black suit jacket is actually buttoned up tonight, revealing only a thin triangle of skin instead of his whole chest.

“Should we get going before Jihyo yells at us?” you say in lieu of a greeting. “You look nice, by the way. Less… scary.”

Though he shrugs at the compliment, a hint of a blush appears on his cheeks. “I like it a lot better than what they usually put me in. Do they only let you wear pink?”

Your hero costume is pink and white, and that color scheme stays for all your company-selected outfits. “Gotta stay on brand.”

“Don’t I know it. You look pretty though. Pink’s your color.”

“SeoulHero certainly thinks so too,” you say, not even bothering to hide your derision. “Let’s get this over with.”

However, from the shadows, Jihyo springs upon you two right before the elevator doors close. “Flashfire, put your arm around her, and Heart, before you say anything, I was going to make Prince do this with you too. Don’t ruin this for me, and I won’t ruin it for you. Have fun and remember: face, heart, and soul.”

“Face, heart, and soul,” you hollowly repeat back. You press the ‘CLOSE DOOR’ button, and the doors mercifully close.

The ride down is quiet, with only the soft intermittent chimes of the floor numbers disrupting the silence. Flashfire hovers his arm around your waist, waiting for you to give him express permission. On the third floor, you say, “Go ahead.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s just for a little bit.” You sigh and smooth the skirt of your dress. “I trust you.”

The doors open, revealing the crowd of media personnel and guests that have been invited. The bright lights leave no one in the shadows and nowhere to hide. Numerous cameras capture the opulent party and its attendees. From the second you and Flashfire step out, all eyes are on his hand on your waist.

Lia, a reporter from SeoulHero, has been waiting for this orchestrated moment. “And here with us now are two of the world’s greatest heroes. Heart, Flashfire, you two look so amazing tonight. I have to ask, are you wearing Hero Face?”

You answer her preplanned questions with ease, embellishing your love for the Clinically Proven Enhanced Formula Dewy Foundation. Flashfire, who has been briefed, gets a few softball questions about the launch and his career. He holds you gently the entire time. His hand burns in a way that is unrelated to his powers as you wait for Lia to ask your least desired inquiry.

“You two are looking pretty cozy together,” she says, even though there is a noticeable gap between you and Flashfire, “and we all want to know: is HeartFire a thing?”

“I don’t know,” Flashfire says, looking at you. “Is it?”

Lia and Flashfire are waiting with anticipation, and about half the room is as well. “I don’t know either,” you finally answer. You give Lia a big, bright smile, reminiscent of Jihyo’s. “What do you think?”

The panic is clear in her eyes. “That adorable picture of two having lunch makes me think you are.”

She needs you to confirm it. You can’t outright deny it since that will definitely land you into hot water, so you keep smiling through your distress like she does and hope that she bows out first. Fortunately, Flashfire has found the way to get out of the situation.

“Is that IU?” he says with perfect incredulity.

Even though you know IU respectfully declined the invitation, you are still fooled and look towards the entrance like everyone else. In the meantime, Flashfire practically pushes you out the clutches of the media as they start swarming the glass double doors.

“Thanks,” you say once you two are hidden behind one of the giant ice sculptures commissioned for the event.

“That’s what heroes do.”

You laugh at his overly serious tone. “We can’t do that for all of the other interviews though. What are we going to do?”

Flashfire rolls his shoulders back and glances at the dispersing herd of reporters who are certainly upset that IU isn’t actually here. “They don’t call me the Bad Boy of Busan for no reason.”

After more interviews from different news outlets where Flashfire essentially dodged the question by creating various distractions and after several thousand pictures, you and he head to the penthouse level where the real party is taking place. To your relief, there are no reporters, and the only cameras are those from the attendees. Most of the guests—investors, board members, other invited heroes and celebrities—have already arrived, drinking peach colored champagne as they airily laugh at witty jokes. The lights tint everything gold, and the bright city lights from below only emphasize how exclusive this party is.

“We’re free,” you sigh as you sink into a nearby couch. You think your face is going to be stuck in that simpering, smiling expression forever. “That was amazing.”

“Nothing I haven’t done before.” He also sighs. “You’re not going to get in trouble, are you? Your PR person sounded pretty serious.”

“I’ll be fine. She wanted publicity, we got her some. If you get into trouble, just tell her I made you do it. I’m so done with this.”

It’s almost sweet that he sounds concerned when he asks, “You’re not thinking of retiring, are you?”

“I’m just tired of the facade. I wanted to be a superhero to help people, not to sell random things. I know it’s part of the job, but I wish that it wasn’t so much of it.”

There’s another round of silence. A waiter comes by with a tray of champagne glasses, but you shake your head when he holds it out to you. Flashfire takes one, sips on it for a second before making a sour face and setting it down. Your clutch resting on your lap keeps vibrating with phone calls, no doubt from Jihyo.

“Shouldn’t you answer that?” he says.

One look at the screen confirms your suspicions—sixteen missed calls and a slew of messages you have no intention of looking at. You power off your phone, but not before you spot the news alert of a jewelry store break-in on the other side of the district.

With a renewed sense of spirit, you stand up, pushing back the unfamiliar pink skirt at your legs. “You wanna do some hero stuff?”

It’s an easy mission, one that you and Flashfire complete within a minute of arrival, since none of the thieves have powers. After the police arrive, you pluck pieces of glass shrapnel from your arm, barely wincing when you break the repaired skin. Still fascinated, Flashfire stares.

“It’s not that exciting,” you remark as you pull at the last remaining visible one. You’re going to have to dig through with tweezers and scalpels later for the smaller fragments.

“Yeah, to you. You’re practically invincible.”

You shrug. The remnants of the store’s broken window crunches with the sidewalk beneath your boots as you start walking back to the company car you borrowed. Technically, you don’t have permission to use it, but the newly hired employee at the garage doesn’t know that.

“Patrol?” you suggest. “Unless you want to go back to the party. I have to drop off the car back at the garage anyway.”

“We’re patrolling on foot?”

“I always do.”

He contemplates it for a second. “Yeah, let’s go.”

The two of you somehow manage to avoid Jihyo and her horde of interns when Flashfire returns the car and while you scrape through your skin for remaining shards. Your party outfit and phone are somewhere on your living room floor, haphazardly covered with a throw blanket in case someone, namely Jihyo, comes searching. After all those calls and messages, she must be.

But you fulfilled your end of the bargain: you stayed until the press interviews finished. You have no idea what Flashfire’s contract entails, but he didn’t seem too bothered by your suggestion. That might be because of who he is though and not necessarily because of a legal obligation.

You weave through the streets and alleys with efficiency, stopping to wave at gawking passersby. Less than discreet phone cameras take pictures of you and your PR stunt. When a teen girl asks you why you aren’t at the Hero Face party, you loudly reply that herowork is more important. Someone nearby whistles in agreement.

The girl mercifully asks Flashfire, “Did Heart make you come with her?” instead of “Are you dating Heart?”

You look at him with the same question on your face. He willingly came, but if he wants to keep up his persona, he’ll say otherwise. A similar concern must have crossed his mind since he replies, “Don’t forget that I’m a hero too,” not quite answering the question.

It’s a satisfactory response for them.

“We have to keep moving, but thanks for coming out to say hi,” you tell them. You take long strides forward, Flashfire following behind, and a path opens. Some thank you for your work, and a sense of fulfillment wells up inside you. This part of being a superhero you love—the people’s joy and their warmth.

“They really love you,” Flashfire remarks as he glances back. A few curious stragglers lurk by, but they’re too shy to approach when two heroes are walking side by side, their steps purposeful and their eyes watchful.  “I think that man almost fainted when you smiled at him.”

“They love you too.”

“Not in the same way as you. Is this your usual route?” he abruptly asks. Dressed in his tight-fitting all-black costume, he’s difficult to make out beneath the shadows of the tall buildings.

“It changes every time,” you answer, “so no one knows my patterns. Jihyo wanted me to stick to one for publicity, but screw that. How do you do it in Busan?”

At the mention of his home city, he brightens a bit. “I stick with one route in the day, mostly so I get lunch at this deli. They’ve got the best bulgogi in the world. The grandma that runs it always gives me some extra.”

“The perks of being a superhero, getting free food,” you say, thinking back to the café. The scent of grilled meat wafts out from a Korean barbeque joint, and as if on cue, your stomach growls. “You wanna get dinner at the SeoulHero café when we’re done? They’ve got the best chicken sandwich in the world.”

“Yeah. We can finally go on that date everyone thinks we were on.” He sighs. “You know, my mom called me that night and asked me if it was true. ‘If it can’t be IU, then Heart is just as good.’”

The comparison makes you wince, but you make a noise of acknowledgement.

A small scuffle in an alleyway catches your eye, but Flashfire beats you to the scene first, illuminating the dim corridor with a flickering flame in the palm of his hand. The harsh light reveals two waitstaff wrestling a giant trash bag into an already full dumpster. They nearly drop the bag in an effort to say a greeting.

“Keep up the good work, gentlemen,” Flashfire says before extinguishing his fire. When he steps back onto the main sidewalk, he furtively glances back. “Are you a little disappointed that it wasn’t a fight?”

“How very on-brand of you to say that,” you tell him even though you wished it was as well. You want to feel useful, like being a superhero nowadays isn’t all just appearances and fake dating.

“Well, it wouldn’t have been on-brand if you said it.”

You laugh, and for a few glorious seconds, you feel a little lighter. Meanwhile, Flashfire looks pleased with himself that he elicited something other than exasperation from you. The moment of unfiltered happiness, however, disappears when a black car pulls up to the curb and rolls down its tinted windows.

Sitting in the passenger seat is your current bane of existence. “Get in the car, Heart. A rep from Chiffon just called and said they’re interested in you being on next month’s cover. Their editor-in-chief is at the party, so you need to go back now.”

There are too many people around for you to spit a retort back. Flashfire looms underneath the street sign, waiting for you to take the lead.

“I’m not done with patrol yet,” is all you can get out.

“Flashfire can handle it.” When she sees that you’re standing steadfast, she adds in a whisper, “Look, once I get promoted, you won’t have to deal with me anymore, so just go back to the party and talk with her for a while. Then you can do whatever you want. Call off the relationship, drop that soju sponsorship, whatever. I’ll even let you change your hero costume to whatever you want. I know you hate it.”

In an equally low tone, you reply, “And no more threatening me with probation either. Or putting me on probation, for that matter.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

“We’re adjusting my contract to reflect that.”

“Fine. Now get in before she decides you’re not worth her time.”

You step backwards, aligning yourself with Flashfire, who looks amused at this turn of events. “I’m finishing patrol first. I’ll be at the party later.”

“You can handle it,” Flashfire cheekily says to Jihyo before starting down the block. “Let’s get a move on it, SweetHeart. The world needs some saving.”

You run after him, hiding the triumphant grin you have on.

You’re not a liar, so you returned to the party and chatted with Chiffon’s editor-in-chief, a woman dripping with jewels who did not seem too perturbed that you arrived in your costume instead of formal outfit. Now you’re splayed across your living room couch, dressed to the zeros in sweats. The TV plays reruns of a bad drama. You watch with glassy eyes as the CEO’s superpowered wife intentionally freezes his phone.

The editor-in-chief was kind. She also asked enough questions to warrant you feeling like you were being interrogated. How Flashfire answered everything with an air of nonchalance, you have no clue. All you can hope for now is that she likes you enough to have you on the cover of her magazine. Then Jihyo can leave you alone forever.

The loud chime of your doorbell snaps you back into reality. You pad across the foyer and open the door, revealing a smiling Flashfire holding a bag from the café. He offered to pick up dinner after noticing how sullen you were on the elevator ride down, and you readily accepted.

“I didn’t know you could look like death with your powers,” he teases. He shuts the door behind him and follows you to the dining area.

You’re far too interested about what he brought back to say something snarky back. You peer into the bag and retrieve your favorite item, sighing with pleasure when you realize that he got your order correct. “How’d you know about the pickles and sauce?”

“I asked the head chef to give me two orders of whatever you like. You know they have a framed photo of you in the kitchen?” He takes a bite out of his sandwich. “Mm, this is good. It’s got just enough spice.”

The aforementioned framed photo was a joke to celebrate your status as the café’s most beloved customer. You signed the back of it, calling it an investment for the chef.

“You want to go out on the balcony?” you ask. “It tastes better when you’re cold.”

When he nods, you slide open the glass and step out onto the polished wooden slats. As expected, they’re freezing, and you hold your warm sandwich even tighter. If you squint a bit, the traffic lights and lit-up windows are excellent replacements for stars.

A flash of orange catches your eye, and you look at Flashfire with confusion when he holds a large flame. It burns white for a moment and disappears. However, he seems pleased by what he has produced.

“What was that for?” you ask.

Humming to himself, he further peels back the sandwich wrapper. “Promise you won’t tell?”

“What’s to tell?” you first say and then add, “I won’t, I promise. Is it that secretive though?”

“It is when it deals with my powers. I use my own body heat to create fire, so my body temperature drops after. I have to be careful or else I’ll die, but you know, normal superhero things. And you said it tastes better when it’s cold, so I thought it would be best to make myself colder.” He pauses for a beat. “So what’s your drawback? If you even have one, that is.”

While you stay quiet, wondering if you should reveal it, Flashfire continues eating his dinner, the crunch of the chicken and lettuce intermingling with the sounds of traffic.

“Rapid regeneration hurts,” you finally say. “Even more so than getting injured. From least to most pain, it goes skin, muscle, bones, organs.”

His face is panicked as he remembers how he burned your wrist. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, I’ve been through worse. If we’re apologizing, I’m sorry about dragging you into my mess with Jihyo and being very not-Heart. PR stuff usually doesn’t get me this upset, but… yeah.” You fill your mouth with food before you can continue rambling.

“Your entire hero persona is about PR. I’d be pissed if my hero name had to fit the company slogan,” he muses. “I mean, I picked mine when I was sixteen, and it’s kind of dumb, but it’s mine at least.”

You hesitate at first, but soon, your hand moves of its own accord toward him. You raise your pinky finger up. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

He hooks his pinky with yours and presses his thumb against yours. “I’m very trustworthy. What’s this about though?”

Jihyo’s words to you from two years ago ring in your head, her voice as clear as day when she warns you not to tell the truth. It’s going to damage your reputation, she said, so keep your mouth shut. I’ll take care of everything else.

“I was allowed to pick my name,” you slowly begin. “Jihyo had been assigned to me when I first got accepted and told me I had to choose my hero name before the end of the internship period. I worked under Miss A during my internship, and because I was the rookie, I got all the undesirable jobs. One night, she sent me to the red light district in Miari to patrol, and there was a girl getting beat by a man in an alley. She was bleeding from her head and holding up her arms in defense. I stepped in to stop him, and he turned on me to ‘teach me a lesson for being nosy.’

“I told the girl to run, and she did. He didn’t chase after her. After a few punches, he saw that I wasn’t dying, so he summoned knives from his body. Turns out he had superpowers too. He started slashing and stabbing at me, and I couldn’t fight back that much since I was in so much pain. He started panicking when he realized that it wasn’t enough, and I’ll spare you the details. He cut out my heart. Then he ran off.

“I passed out.

“Miss A found me an hour later when I didn’t come back to company headquarters in time. I was healed, but I was still on the floor, unconscious. Apparently, she saw my old heart from the street and decided to check out the alley. I told Jihyo when I woke up that I wanted my name to be Heart. You should have seen her face. I think she started working on all those nicknames that morning. She told me she would take care of the rest, and when I debuted, I found out that she made up a fake story for my name.

“SeoulHero cleaned up the mess, and I found out later that Miss A got fired for endangering a rookie and because she wasn’t supposed to send me to red light districts. Their reasoning was that I was too young, but it was probably because they couldn’t have the next IU be associated with brothels. I’m technically not even supposed to be telling you all this.” You take a large bite, unsure of what to say next. Even with the sounds of the city, it’s unsettlingly quiet.

Flashfire offers you a wry smile. “If it makes Jihyo mad, it’s worth it, right? Heart, that’s hardcore. What happened to the guy?”

“Miss A handled him. It was her last mission before she got fired.” Your sandwich is gone, so you crumple up the wrapper into a tight little ball. Flashfire incinerates his and cups the dust between his hands before the wind can send it across the sky. Environmentally conscious. SeoulHero would love him. “Thanks for going along with everything tonight and before that too. You’re a surprisingly chill person for someone who uses fire.”

He punctuates your comment by unleashing a small, thin flame. It dances on his fingertip like a will o’ wisp, and he blows it out with a puff.

It makes you laugh, and you quickly add, “And for the record, I think Flashfire’s a pretty cool name, not dumb at all.”

He leans against the railing, his public persona melting away when he smiles a wide, gummy smile at you. “You really think so? Hey, did you know that we’re the same age? You can call me Jeongin. Can I call you by your name instead of Heart?”

How brazen, and how very Flashfire-like of him to ask. “Yeah, why not?” You introduce yourself to him as your true self, and a shy blush creeps up your cheeks. It’s been so long since you’ve been anyone but Heart.

“We’ll stay in touch, right? If you ever need to go scorched earth”—he makes a flame burst and pop in his hand—“I’m your hero.”

“I think I’m good, but thanks, Jeongin.”

His powers don’t hold a candle to the way he beams. It’s only when he leaves, saying good night with your name attached, do you realize that he’s one of the few heroes that knows your real name. It’s silly, but it makes you feel a lot better about your job, like you’re less alone in the red tape of the superhero business. You don’t think any other hero has seen you lose it like he did.

You go to bed that night with a lighter conscience and are ready to face whatever nonsense SeoulHero has drummed up for you the following day. When you finally power your phone on, bracing yourself for the early morning emails and hopefully a goodbye message from Jihyo, a horrifying news alert pops onto your feed.

SEOULHERO CONFIRMS THAT SUPERHEROES HEART AND FLASHFIRE ARE DATING.

Blood thrumming in your ears, you flick away the notification only for it to be replaced by a text from Jihyo, asking if you enjoyed her parting gift. You don’t reply. Instead, you dial Nayeon’s number, pace around your room, and plot the demise of your career. SeoulHero might not want you afterwards, but maybe another company will.

“Heart?” comes Nayeon’s sleepy voice. “Everything okay?”

“I need Flashfire’s number now, and every single news reporter you can get your hands on.”

“Why?”

“I have something important to announce.”

In case any of you wanted to see all the fake tweets I made for the banner:

[class1akids]

Loved everything about this chapter and basically the focus being on shouto after probably 2 years of nothing!

But I can't help but find quite disheartening and a little bit unbelievable about shouto coming out of these attacks fairly unhurt? Touya has been training these whole years so how did shouto in just a month somehow created a move that achieved touyas defeat in such a short time period? It's a little bit of a stretch but if it makes them talk i will take it

Shouto came out of the war too with not looking so bad. He had some surface burns and lost his voice but he got a pretty bad Jetburn to the face then too.

and still, he was back on his feet the following chapter.

So I think his body's fire resistance is partially from having the dual quirk and also, it's not like he wasn't subjected to Endeavor punching him with fire moves on the daily since he was 5. Sadly, he had plenty of time to build up his heat resistance.

I think it's just that in the war, Shouto approached fighting Touya on his turf where they couldn't be equal. In the air, relying only on fire, using Endeavor's moves Shouto stood no chance. So he knew since he woke up in the hospital that he can't beat Touya on firepower like this.

That's why he tried a completely different approach - bringing together all the technique and all the training he himself had also for many years to create a move that could bring out all of his power in a way where he doesn't just fight fire with hotter fire, but trying to do something to counter it (and not kill Touya in the process).

It's still up in the air what it is, and yes, it's based on the idea behind flashfire but adapted to Shouto's quirk. And as opposed to Touya, who brings out the flashfire in an instant, Shouto is charging his move slowly.

I think out of all the kids, Shouto had one of the best and most earned quirk progressions. He started out with S-level ice and the fire he added to the mix was powerful, but he had very little control over it. He worked for a year now to catch up with his fire, around 6 months since he unlocked flashfire. That's a much slower progress than let's say Deku mastering 3 quirks in 2 days.

But like I said - Shouto didn't start from zero. He has also been training for a very long time and was way ahead the pack already in the beginning of the school year. Not specifically Endeavor's moves, but he did train overall, his ice, building skills, resistance, quirk output, etc. He was already better than the average pro at the SF on half of his power. And he kept working a lot during his first year, including 3 months with Endeavor and BKDK pushing him.

The last month after the war I think was just dedicated to finetuning his heat-absorption techniques, and to develop Phosphorus which I don't think will beat Touya at being "hotter", but will do something to counter him (like seal the flames for example...). If you compare this to anything Deku did (3 days for Full Cowling, a week for Air Force, a week for Black Whip), Shouto's progress took much more time and feels earned to me.

And Touya still gets to be better when it comes to performing Endeavor's moves; we saw that during the war and I don't even exclude that he'll win this encounter (in the same way Shouto won Midoriya vs Todoroki - as much as it would pain me for Shouto to take another L), but it will knock enough sense into him that he'll go and help the heroes afterwards, leading to a W in the long game.

[calicostorms]

WIP Wednesday!!

Tagged by @merrybandofmurderers <3 actually have a small, tentative snippet from a DAI fic about my dorianmancer I've been working on! It'll probably go through some extensive edits if I do eventually post it :] not tagging anyone this week but others are welcome to tag me in their wip posts!

-

He isn’t sure what he expects upon cresting the hill, but another elven apostate fighting alongside a dwarf certainly isn’t it. 

The two seem to hold their own well against the shades at the very least, and finding others alive bolsters him in spite of the rift above his head that’s tugging the mark on his hand. He certainly hadn’t expected to find another free mage here, but another ally through the valley is good in his book. 

He spins his staff to dispatch the last of the shades in a swift flashfire spell from the clunky staff he’d found and the swirling rift above them flickers and extends outwards menacingly. A hand grasps his, thin but rough with the calluses of an apostate, and holds his hand up to the swirl of green in the air. 

The rift gets even bigger, wider as if to swallow him up, and for a terrifying moment Nydha can feel it pulling painfully at the mark on his raised hand before the rift snaps and collapses in on itself. 

“What did you do?” Nydha asks, holding his left hand close until the twinge within it subsides to the slower thrumming pain he’s grown used to since he awoke.

“I did nothing. The credit is yours.” The elven man releases his hand with an almost beatific smile, uncharacteristically serene considering the demons falling from the Breach far above their heads.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 351 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 陽炎を生じ かげろうをしょうじ kagerou wo shouji “It caused a heat haze”

2 見据えた景色を歪ませた みすえたけしきをゆがませた misueta keshiki wo yugamaseta “and distorted the scenery you focus on.”

1 オッケーオッケー話してたら オッケーオッケーはなしてたら OKKEE OKKEE hanashitetara “Okay okay, so my talking"

2 テンション戻ってきたわ！聞いてくれてありがとな！ テンションもどってきたわ！きいてくれてありがとな！ TENSHON modotte kita wa! kiite kurete arigato na! “brought back the tension! Thanks for listening to me!”

3 温度上昇が早い迷いが一切無い！ おんどじょうしょうがはやいまよいがいっさいない！ ondo joushou ga hayai mayoi ga issai nai! “He raises the temperature quickly, and he has no hesitation at all!”

1 赫灼熱拳‼︎ かくしゃくねっけん‼︎ kakushaku nekken!! Flashfire Fist!!

2 オールマイトが[ま]さか焦凍⁉︎ オールマイトが[ま]さかしょうと⁉︎ OORU MAITO ga [ma]saka Shouto!? “How could this happen to All Might, Shouto!?” (Note: This translation is a guess based on what I think was cut off in the scan.)

1 ヘルスパイダー HERU SUPAIDAA Hell Spider

1 てめェは何者にもなれねぇよ!!! てめェはなにものにもなれねぇよ!!! temeE wa nanimono ni mo narenee yo!!! “You can’t become anyone either!!!”

1 ……そうだ…言う通りだよ… ……そうだ…いうとおりだよ… ......sou da...iu toori da yo... “......That’s right...it’s as you say...”

2 遠回り とおまわり toomawari “in a roundabout way.”

3 熱が ねつが netsu ga “The heat,”

4 中和されてる…⁉︎ ちゅうわされてる…⁉︎ chuuwa sareteru...!? “he’s neutralizing it...!?”

1 確り俺のことも見てくれてて しっかりおれのこともみてくれてて shikkari ore no koto mo mite kuretete “Now that I’m sure you’re also watching me,”

2 よかった yokatta “I’m glad.”

1 赫灼熱拳 かくしゃくねっけん kakushaku nekken Flashfire Fist

2 最高[...]が…‼︎ さいこう[...]が…‼︎ saikou [...] ga...!!! “The most[...]!!!”

3 これ以上関係ねぇ人たちの命を奪うな！ これいじょうかんけいねぇひとたちのいのちをうばうな！ kore ijou kankei nee hito-tachi no inochi wo ubauna! “Don’t steal any more lives of people who have nothing to do with this!”

1 [...]たちに[...] [...]tachi ni[...] “[...]they[...]”

2 "燐" "りん" “rin” “Phosphorus” (Note: This word is difficult to translate. Literally, it means phosphorus, but in this instance it potentially serves as a cultural reference to kitsunebi (“foxfire”) or other “will-o’-the-wisp” phenomena.)

Tagline 止めろ全身全霊で…‼︎ とめろぜんしんぜんれいで…‼︎ tomero zenshinzenrei de...!! Stop him with all your body and spirit...!!

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Wrath and Rage

Wrath x reader

Word Count: 1762

Summary: Wrath already had a queen when he was summoned to Emilia’s side. Needless to say she wasn’t happy about his absence. 

Note: He’s hot, and I had a plot bunny. don’t worry about it

You didn’t bother to hide the laugh that bubbled up from your throat at what your husband just told you. “So you got spooked and dropped your knife, is that it?”

Those golden eyes of his seemed to glow with irritation as he looked over at you. “Well, I don’t exactly want humans to know I’m around, now do I?”

This time you scoffed. “If some little witch managed to figure out that she’d just laid eyes on Prince Wrath himself based on that teensy little interaction, I’d want to meet her and shake her hand.”

“But the knife--”

“Is no indication of who you are on its own, and you damn well know it.” You slid your hands down the front of his shirt, fingers deftly opening it button by button. “Relax, my darling. You’ve been running around like a chicken with your head cut off about this whole Pride thing for so long. I’ve hardly seen you in weeks.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s a lie, and you know it.”

You did. The trips never took very long at all, after all, but you still missed him. Before this it’d been centuries since he’d been away from you in the human world for any real length of time. “Be that as it may . . .” You slid the shirt off of him and allowed your fingers to trail down the golden snake on his left arm, a mark that had an exact twin on your own skin. “All you have to do,” you kissed that shoulder, “in order to keep Pride’s whole search,” this kiss was to his neck, “a secret,” jaw, “is get it back before the little witch does anything stupid.” That last bit was whispered next to his ear.

Then his lips were suddenly on yours, as demanding as ever as he shoved you against the wall. He tugged at the laces to your pants while his lips moved to your neck.

“See what you miss when you’re--” your teasing voice cut off when the heat of his body suddenly disappeared, “gone.” You opened your eyes. Sure enough, Wrath was nowhere to be found. Anger flared through you, its presence making the shadows writhe around you.

The only reason he would leave like that would be a summoning, something out of his control. And the only person dumb enough to summon a prince of Hell would be that. Fucking. Witch. Rage, the emotion your power stemmed from, swelled throughout your body.

She will pay for this.

~

Little did you know that in the human realm, your husband was thinking something similar. 

The combination of Emilia’s staring and the searing mark that’d appeared on his normally-clear arm set his teeth on edge. It shouldn’t be possible, a second betrothal spell in addition to the already fulfilled one he had with you--willingly, he might add--; yet there it was. Moon-shaped and clashing with his color scheme.

Still, he didn’t let on to what it truly meant. Odds were good that it wouldn’t amount to anything anyway, especially if he had a say. And if it did . . . Heaven help the woman that had to face the ire of the Queen of House Wrath.

~

In your time spent forcefully separated from each other, you and Wrath found yourselves weaving a complicated web to end this stupid endeavor in your favor, not the way Emilia wanted. And as soon as she agreed to marry Pride, your victory was sealed. Hours before that, when he’d died in the human realm, Wrath explained fully what had been going on since the messengers that’d been frantically flitting between you two could only convey so much, and you’d spent the time planning the final pieces of this battle of wits.

And enjoying each other’s company, but that was neither here nor there.

When it came time for Wrath to retrieve her, you lounged on the bed as he dressed, crown and all. “You can’t kill her when we return,” Wrath was saying while you watched him.

Your eyes moved to stare hatefully where their mark of betrothal used to reside. “I am aware,” you bit out.

“Are you?” There was an evil little smirk on his face when he turned to look at you. “Because your shadow seems to have other ideas.”

Sure enough, when you glanced down you saw that your shadow seemed to be holding a knife. Always the cause of your bad poker face, that thing. With a flare of gold in your eyes, you brought the shadow back under control, and it resumed being a silhouetted version of you, nothing more. The frown that’d been on your face since this mess started though, that stayed stubbornly in place.

Wrath took that as his cue to sweep closer elegantly, fingers trailing lightly down the golden body of the snake on your arm. “I swore to you the day we married that no one would ever come between us, did I not?”

“You did.” And Hell if your voice didn’t sound sullen despite yourself. You wanted to be unbothered by this. Truly, you did. But it was just so . . . unsettling to hear that someone had (however ignorantly) tried to steal him from you.

His free hand drifted over to grab the crown that still rested on the duvet. Your crown. The match to his own with spikes sharp enough to kill a man if you so chose. “Have I ever given reason for you to doubt that vow?”

“You haven’t.” That was true. A demon like Lust might have warranted such a fear, but Wrath was another kind of beast, an honest one. At least when it mattered. Mattered to you, that is. A warmth settled in your chest as your fingers moved to lightly hold his.

“Then why are you doubting me now?” his lips were pressed to your temple and he placed the crown on your head as he murmured the question.

Moments like this you remembered why you married him with perfect clarity. For the first time since he was stolen weeks ago a heat other than rage burned through you like a flashfire. “It’s not that I doubt you,” you said, turning so you could see his fierce, golden eyes. “It’s that I hate her.”

“Soon enough she will be Pride’s problem,” he soothed, “not ours.”

“Good,” you snarled before sealing your lips against his.

~

If Wrath’s lips were swollen suspiciously when he stepped out of the shadows to bring her to Pride, Emilia couldn’t work up the courage to comment on it. She was already in this mess with these demons so much deeper than she ever expected; she didn’t think her heart could take the stress of picking that particular fight on top of everything else. Besides, they weren’t bonded anymore; it wasn’t any of her business who he did or didn’t kiss.

Still, for some reason her heart stung at the thought of him with someone else after all they’d been through together.

But then they were bantering like it was all normal.

And then she was trying to scream in agony as it felt like someone lit her soul ablaze.

And then they were standing in a throne room steeped in black and gold and red.

This wasn’t House Pride, she realized abruptly. These were Wrath’s colors through and through.

“You’ll have to forgive the brief stop here,” a woman’s voice called Emilia’s attention to the front of the room. She was beautiful. Leather pants, a billowing shirt, boots that looked artfully worn-in, all steeped in nothing but black. The only spot of color in her wardrobe was the golden crown atop her head. A flash of gold on the back of her hand drew Emilia’s attention. “A prince of Hell like my husband can only travel directly from the human realm to his home. An envoy from Pride awaits outside to escort you to your Betrothed.”

Emilia’s ears started and were still ringing at the word ‘husband’ by the time she finished talking. The gold she’d noticed on her hand. It was an exact copy of the snake she’d seen on Wrath’s body the night she summoned him. Confusion lanced through her. “What--”

You laughed, cutting her off. This was rich. “You never stopped to wonder what the mark on his other arm was?” You rose from your seat, shadows coiling around your feet menacingly. “You’re dumber than I thought.”

Emilia could only stare at the approaching figure, alarmed by the casual display of power as well as the pitch black veil surrounding her that was every bit as threatening as the black and gold one around Wrath. She had to fight to retain any form of dignity and stay carefully neutral-faced when Wrath’s hand settled on the woman’s lower back in a display so casual it couldn’t have been faked.

“How terrible to meet you,” you scoffed. “You can call me Rage.”

A fitting emotion for such a terrifying queen, Emilia supposed.

“I think it goes without saying that if I ever see you lurking around my husband again, not even your betrothal to my brother-in-law will save you.”

Said husband had a look of evil smugness on his handsome face that made Emilia recoil a little. Then a thought occurred to her. “If you already have a queen, then why--”

“Was everyone pushing me to make it official with you?” Wrath cut her off, one eyebrow arching. “That answer is quite simple if you think about it.”

“Which is exactly why she hasn’t figured it out,” you smirked. “They don’t like me because I’m not intimidated by them just existing as princes of Hell.” You turned to face Wrath, loving the automatic way his eyes trailed over your form heatedly. He’d been worked up since the two of you dressed; there hadn’t been time to burn off some of the aggression that danced within both of you. “ Now,” you addressed her even as your hand moved to cup his face, thumb skimming along his cheekbone appreciatively, “you’ve robbed me of Wrath here for quite long enough on top of forcing me to singlehandedly deal with the idiocy of lower demons. You’re lucky I don’t kill you for the former, and I hate you even more for the latter, so kindly get the hell out of House Wrath.”

You didn’t spare the girl a glance as a guard moved to escort her out. No, you only had eyes for your husband . . . at least until your eyes closed when you dragged him down for a bruising kiss.

[wolfcrunch]

I feel you'll need as much positivity to outweigh the takes coming for the next couple weeks. I love the little things this chapter. Like how tiny Bakugo and Deku look. Shoto using Flashfire Fist and teaming up with Nejire of all people. Iida priotizing Bakugo despite his dislike towards him and sort of complying with Deku's request from last chapter. Nejire being a fucking boss against Shigaraki in general.

this was brought up in my server, but i love how tiny shigaraki himself looks when machia grabs/catches him. its that one *gently holds* image. it fits PERFECTLY

but yeah!! amidst all the todoroki stuff, there was still some other smaller moments that were really nice to see. todoroki and nejire teaming up for a combo move was unexpected and welcoming tbh, even tho they;re characters who have never really interacted before. especially for nejire, she needs a bit of spotlight. she finally got to show off a bit...and seeing how todo can use his quirk is also good.

and iida with bakugou as well! bakugou finally, hopefully, going to get help...poor deku cant leave yet tho