#my favorite off-brand ice king
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orangeleftyart · 2 months ago
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Winter is approaching, time for me to start Mortimer Freeze-posting
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serialadoptersbracket · 7 months ago
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Round 4, Match 2: August vs. Simon Petrikov
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Submitted kids:
August: Hisoka Mikage, Chikage Utsuki
Simon Petrikov: Marceline Abadeer, Finn the Human, Fionna the Human, Jay Mertens
Propaganda under the cut!
August:
1. “august is the adoptive older brother of hisoka mikage and chikage utsuki. for context, these characters are all spies, and were invited into the organisation by august. (also known as misha sometimes). hisoka is december, and chikage is april! their collective group name in fanon is "gekkagumi."
the first interaction we see of him in game is him adopting hisoka off the street. he was a dying homeless child, and august invited him to join the organisation. at first he declined, but august kept coming back to him until he followed (despite chikage's protests about it) he fed fed hisoka gingerbread, and declared "we're a family now."
chikage was adopted before hisoka, but we only learned more about it later in the story. chikage was living in a "facility" when he runs into august who lives in the organisation.
despite their very harsh life, august really did everything he could to give hisoka and chikage the best life he could. he loved the idea of family, and always encouraged them to celebrate christmas and birthdays, and play games!
august had a cover job where he owned a candy store. despite it just being a cover, august loved it and had a genuine care for the children. he used to give away free sweets to the point his shop was actively going out of business, and whenever he saw a sad kid he'd try his best to cheer them up. people around the town came in just to talk to him, to the point where hisoka said when he was covering the shop for him, the first thing people would ask was "where's misha?"
in his shop, he also used to have a myth that if you wrote a wish on a certain brand of cookie's wrapper, the wish would come true. august spoke excitedly of the wishes kids would wish for.
events in the story lead up to august's untimely death. years later, hisoka runs into a kid who used to go to his shop. this child had wished to be a painter, and was now painting. he actually ended up in possession of a wrapper august wrote on which said "a happy family." however, the boy couldn't read japanese and didn't know what it said. despite that, he held onto the wrapper for years after august's disappearance. he also manages to draw a picture of him from memory. :((”
2. “he's so . gwahh he just wants to give them a nice family”
3. “please vote for august!! he is such a kind soul who shows so much generosity and selflessness despite the cruel circumstances he was stuck in.”
Simon Petrikov:
1. “My guy saw a child (or young adult) in trouble and said is anybody gonna be a supportive figure in their life?' and didn't wait for an answer”
2. “cant stop won't stop adopting kids. constantly implied that he's wanted to be a dad forever (Marcy, him being so upset about making a little girl cry, calling out the Vampire King on being a bad father, etc) and the realest real to ever real. you agree.”
3. “SIMON SWEEP PLEASE man has not gone through 1000+ years of Ice King Shenanigans to not be voted the best father”
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astoundingbeyondbelief · 11 months ago
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Kaiju Week in Review (February 11-17, 2024)
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Warner Bros. unfurled the second trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which seems to be going over much better than the first. There are multiple glimpses of the ice Titan Shimo throughout, and an even briefer look at Mothra reflected in Jia's eye. (My favorite shot, of course, is Kong decking Skar King as he's holding out Suko like a wriggling shield.) The rough shots from trailer #1 still look rough, but at least the new footage is more impressive.
The new issue of Empire (how fitting) has a short article on GxK—the big revelation there is that Godzilla Evolved is pink simply because that's director Adam Wingard's favorite color. Collaborations are also popping up. Circle K is offering a movie-branded sandwich, chocolate bar, and Froster drinks/cups. Godzilla and a seriously wizened Kong are also entering the mobile game Lords Mobile.
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I don't know much about Oscar politicking, but Takashi Yamazaki's strategy of bringing a model Godzilla with him everywhere he goes seems like a winner. Both appear in the "class photo" taken of all the nominees at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon. At the same event, Yamazaki and Godzilla met with Steven Spielberg, who told Yamazaki he had seen Godzilla Minus One three times. Posting their photo together on Twitter, Yamazaki said he had "met God."
Toho's English Godzilla YouTube channel also uploaded a six-minute video on Minus One's VFX, with a focus on the various ways the production was able to shave off costs. Officially translated behind-the-scenes featurettes for Toho Godzilla films are a rarity, a sign of how badly they want that little gold statue. It's worth watching just for Yamazaki scooting his chair around the office.
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Shout! Factory's onslaught of old Toei tokusatsu films on its streaming service turned out to be a prelude to offering them all on disc. The Classic Tokusatsu Collection Blu-ray set includes Planet Prince (1959; called Prince of Space), Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961), Watari the Ninja Boy (1966), The Golden Bat (1966; called Golden Ninja), Magic Serpent (1966; called Dragon Showdown) , Ninja Scope (1969), and Terror Beneath the Sea (1966). None have ever been released on English-friendly Blu-ray before; some haven't even made it to DVD. The set is $70 and limited to 2,500 copies.
Major caveats seem to accompany every English-language release of vintage tokusatsu these days, and unfortunately this set's no exception. Despite the existence of English dubs for at least some of these films (two of them riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000), only Terror Beneath the Sea is dubbed; the rest are Japanese-only. And the dubbed Prince of Space well-known to MiSTies was actually an amalgamation of Toei's two Planet Prince films, only the first of which is present here. (Even the first film seems like it's going to be in upscaled standard-def, going off the streaming version.) No special features in the production description either, although one person who got the set early reports that at least one trailer is included (for Invasion of the Neptune Men).
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IDW has announced still another Godzilla miniseries, Godzilla: Skate or Die. First-issue description:
It's Australian skater punks versus Varan and the King of the Monsters in this thrilling debut issue by writer/artist Louie Joyce (A Fistful of Pain)! Four years ago, four best friends and die-hard skaters found the perfect location for a DIY skatepark. After months of hard work, they created the world’s sickest spot that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives… That is, until the ferocious Varan appeared in the middle of central Australia and started making a beeline for their beloved park. Why is Varan on a rampage? Why did Godzilla just appear off the coast? What does their beloved skate spot have to do with this? And most importantly…what are these punks willing to do to save it?
Sounds like there's a lot of author appeal here, as Joyce is Australian and calls the tale "inspired by all the amazing DIY spots I've had the privilege of skating[.]" And a meaty role for Varan is a pleasant surprise.
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Perhaps inspired by the success of Troll on Netflix, we've got another Scandinavia giant monster movie on the way. Kraken will be directed by Pal Oie (Dark Woods) from a script by Vilde Eide. No cast yet, but here are the plot details divulged by The Hollywood Reporter:
[T]he thriller will follow Johanne, a marine biologist who encounters several strange occurrences while researching a fjord, including the brutal deaths of two local teenagers. “At the bottom of Norway’s deepest fjord rests a mythical monster as large as a mountain, with a myriad of arms ready to crush and devour anything they can grab,” the film’s synopsis reads.
Krakens are certainly having a moment in giant monster stories right now, between Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and the three that somehow wound up connected to the Monsterverse. (To wit: Na Kika was originally called Kraken, the unnamed antagonist of Skull Island bore the same name internally, and the guardian of Atlantis in the Justice League crossover comic is a Kraken as well.) This seems like a more back-to-basics approach.
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gunterfan1992 · 1 year ago
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Episode Review: "Destiny"/"The Winter King" (Fionna & Cake, Eps. 5–6)
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Airdate: September 14, 2023
Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang
Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Sonja von Marensdorff
Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)
One of my favorite moments from Adventure Time comes at the very end of season four's "The Lich" when we are introduced to "Farmworld" for the first time. When the episode aired, this reveal was positively huge, adding as it did a brand new reality to the already complex world of Ooo. The show would go on to expand our understanding of Farmworld in the season five premiere "Finn the Human"/"Jake the Dog" and the season seven episode "Crossover," but even with all those episodes, I never could shake the feeling that there was so much more the series could have done with Farmworld. You can thus imagine my surprise when I learned that Fionna and Cake of all people would be journeying to this strangely normal alternate dimension!
"Destiny" picks up with Fionna, Cake, and Simon landing in Farmworld, roughly 10 or so years after the events of "Crossover." Following the destruction of the Farmworld crown, things returned to their (post-apocalyptic) normalcy, and Ice-Finn (or, as the people in Farmworld call him, "The Snow Man") has grown into a strapping Man-Finn who is busy raising three children (his wife, it seems, has died). One of Finn's kids, Jay, overhears Fionna, Cake, and Simon asking around about the Farmworld crown, and so he steals them away to meet his father. Once Man-Finn discovers what it is Simon and Co. seek, however, he bids them to leave. Going against his father's wishes, Jay sneaks Fionna, Cake, and Simon to the crater where the Farmworld Bomb had detonated, where they all discover the charred remnants of the crown. At this point, Jay reveals that previously when visiting the crater, he had discovered one of the crown's jewels. The final act of the episode is a sees Fionna, Cake, Simon, Man-Finn, and Jay square off against the Destiny Gang and Scarab, who we learn has been trailing our heroes this whole time. After securing the jewel from Big D's turncoat daughter, Simon fuses it with Prismo's remote, zapping himself, Fionna and Cake to another reality just as Scarab stabs(?!) Man-Finn in the head.
First and foremost, I must stress that "Destiny" feels very much like an episode of the "original" Adventure Time. This is likely a result of the Farmworld setting: as a world, it is overflowing with an absurdist energy and out-there characters (e.g., Big D!) that I intimately associate with the adventures of Finn and Jake. And let me know emphatically state: This is not a bad thing. Not at all. I love how the producers have been able to weave the Adventure Time "feel" into something new. It is like meeting an old friend after a long time apart (only for that old friend to get stabbed in the head by a space-god).
OK, but seriously… did Farmworld Finn die? I hope note. If he did, that would mean that Jay's actions were directly responsible for his father getting killed. That's pretty dark. And considering all the bad dads in the Oooniverse, it would be nice if one of the good ones was allowed to live a (relatively) happy life.
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Airdate: September 14, 2023
Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang
Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jim Campbell, Lucyola Langi, Nicole Rodriguez
Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)
After zapping away from Farmworld, Simon, Fionna, and Cake teleport to a reality ruled by the "Ice Prince"—an alt-universe Simon Petrikov who has somehow managed to avoid the madness that plagued Ice King. Simon quickly tells his fellow Petrikov the group's goals, and the Ice Prince gallantly agrees to help them by duplicating his own crown. Things are going swimmingly until the evil "Candy Queen" swoops in and snatches away both Simon and the Ice Prince. Fionna, Cake, and Ice Prince's guards dart to their rescue, brutally (but humorously) massacring dozens of hideously mutated candy citizens. Fionna and Cake rescue Simon and the Ice Prince, but once Fionna and Ice Prince share a kiss, the awful truth is revealed: Ice Prince is not some gentleman who overcame the madness of the crown through sheer will. No, he was a self-centered "wad" who used magic to deflect his madness onto the poor Candy Queen… who, as we quickly learn, is just an alternate universe version of Princess Bubblegum. Thanks to fairy tale logic, Fionna's kiss breaks Ice Prince's magic spell, which causes his crown to lose power. He subsequently crumbles to dust and everything he has created melts away.
So far, of the episodes we've gotten, I think "The Winter King" has been my favorite, largely because of the way it explores Simon's psychological character.
One thing that made Ice King’s story so tragic was how Simon, in his original form, was fundamentally a good person, buried deep within the mind of an outwardly "evil" wizard. "The Winter King" neatly conveys the opposite of this situation by showing us an Alt-Simon who, while outwardly "good," had long ago squandered his sense of morality for selfish gain. Not to get too analytical, but all of the good/bad talk reminds me of what the psychologist Carl Jung called the "Shadow." Put in simplest terms, the Shadow is a part of the unconscious human psyche in which repressed, rejected, or unrecognized aspects of the Self are contained, far from the light of conscious thought. The Shadow tends to seal away attributes of the Self that we wish to downplay or dismiss, making it "the home of the suppressed monsters of our inner world," in which "the energy of [our] dark side" bubbles (to quote Christopher Vogler). Furthermore, the Shadow exists as the inverse of our conscious Ego (meaning that, as Jung put it, "when one tries desperately to be good and wonderful and perfect, then all the more the shadow develops a definite will to be black and evil and destructive"). And because it is unconscious, the Shadow eludes easy detection. Nevertheless, its contents can often be ascertained by keeping an eye out for psychological “projection,” wherein a person denies their own foibles and instead recognizes those defects in others.
Now consider this topic in relation to "The Winter King." Let us start with Ice King, a hyperbolically crazy and "evil" wizard. I would argue that Ice King is a textbook of Simon's Shadow made manifest: He is everything that Simon consciously does not want to be brought to the surface in its entirety. The tragedy of Simon is that, while he doesn't often talk about it, he knows deep down that Ice King, while corrupted and warped by the crown, was an aspect of himself. In fact, this entire series feels very much like Simon’s journey to fully recognize his own Shadow.* And the fact that he starting to do this despite it being a painful process is, in my opinion, the clearest evidence of his ethical/moral character. Conversely, Alt-Simon is not like this. When presented with his Shadow, he does not choose to begin the painful recognition process. Instead, he projects it onto an innocent person; he builds up an elaborate "nice king" persona while literally condemning someone for his own sins. It is important to note that psychological projection is a pretty normal occurrence and thus not a surefire marker of "evil" or anything like that. What makes this instance of projection so bad is that Alt-Simon does this fully aware that it will cause someone to suffer for crimes they did not commit. Alt-Simon is like the "pious" archbishop who burns the "evil witches" at the stake all because he cannot come to terms with his own inner demons.
Now that is messed up!
But you know what isn't messed up? The voice acting in this episode. I do not say this to be hyperbolic: "The Winter King" may very well be Hynden Walch's finest performance to date. Her take on the Candy Queen is truly horrifying in a decidedly blursed way. So fundamentally different is her performance that at first I thought it was someone else! Also stealing the spotlight in this episode is Brian David Gilbert, erstwhile writer for Polygon and maker of many a wacky YouTube video. Gilbert's Ice Prince exudes the perfect amount of over-the-top flamboyance and faux chivalry. Both Walch and Gilbert get a song apiece in this episode, and both do a stellar job. (As an aside, have we ever had a true-blue PB song? Does the Candy Queen's song count?)
Oh, and as a quick aside: "The Winter King" features a few short scenes set in Fionna's non-magical world that follow Marshall Lee and Gary Prince as the latter tries to bake something that will earn him greater renown. Going into these scenes, I thought I would have found them a bit dull, but they were quite endearing. It's obvious that these scenes are a way for us to explore how Marceline and Bubblegum got to know one another, but from the parallax angle of a genderbent world, and I am here for it!
Final "Destiny" Grade: A
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Final "The Winter King Grade": A
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* My Prediction: Simon will attempt to become the Ice King, only to realize that a full-on transformation is not just necessary but ultimately dangerous. Recognizing one's Shadow does not mean you become synonymous with; it simply means that you know it's there.
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yiga-hellhole · 1 year ago
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FINE ill be the one to ask you for ghirazant. midzelink. kohga/sooga. AND HMM king daphnes and gan
tumblr is HOMOPHOBIC and CRASHED IN THE MIDDLE OF ME WRITING THIS. well LET'S TRY AGAIN! shoutout TC for daring to ask the obvious and enabling this tirade. HERE WE GOOO
GHIRAHIM/ZANT
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predictably a BINGO!!! there is so much to be said about ghirahim and zant. they're interesting to me in that they're polar opposites in a kind of ice-and-fire situation, but also have enough in common. such as, devoting themselves to buff dilves like they're gods, and throwing 24 dead 156 injured catastrophe level tantrums when mildly inconvenienced.
i think they're both deeply lonely people at the end of the day, in that they're isolated in their cause in their respective games, preceded by years of loneliness before the events of said games. sure, they'd piss each other off tremendously at the start, but once they warm up a touch, that kind of penchant for devotion could easily evolve into an obsessive love. once they stop clawing each others' throats out, that is. there's so much more i can say about them but i've probably already said it before in my GHIRAZANT PROPAGANDA tag or, wel... my 50k+ word fanfic LOL
MIDNA/ZELDA/LINK
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the "fucking the same guy" box is killing me because. yeah, lol, link
despite midzelink being one of my favorite ships, this is a surprisingly barren bingo. it's just because i see them as young adults goofing about being silly and having a healthy relationship. there's no obsession there's no hatred and there's no tension. just a good time!! moreso i imagine it as midna having two hands - she had a deep bond with zelda since childhood, and grew to cherish link during the events of twilight princess. zelda and link, despite being tied by soul, meanwhile... have no chemistry whatsoever. they're perfect strangers. zelda in this game is strict and a little cold, while link remains a goodball, he's not the brand that knows how to crack through that surface. midna is dating both of these nerds while they're basically just roommates. it's hilarious to me.
KOHGA/SOOGA
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yiga husbands are so dear to me. i should have ticked the "theres no way this will end well" box but i'm in denial. unfortunately also kind of a barren bingo. kohga is just endlessly fond of his right-hand man and best lackey, and appreciates the ol' guy's huge muscles, but sooga... he's got some stuff going on. he's obsessed. he's devoted. he's not normal about that old man. the second he gets over his complex where he feels like he needs to treat kohga as his superior, rather than a boyfriend/husband, they'd be unstoppably married. make that old freak understand how you truly love him, and stop putting up walls!!!!
KING DAPHNES/GANONDORF
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BEHOLD ONCE MORE THE GLORIOUS DIVORCE BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!
they have far more married energies than rauru and ganondorf. they might have even forgotten to get divorced way back in the day, the paperwork is still under the way but then the whole world got drowned. the difference is that rauru and ganondorf, it's too obvious they went straight to tussling. with daphnes and nando there's this air of having spent days in negotiation chambers trying to intimidate each other into giving up their terms. do you see it? do you see it?? delicious. i love old man yaoi
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gorillaxyz · 10 months ago
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while scowering old accounts i found this... feel free to do it yourselves! its like 20 years old i think YEAH the post i got it from is 20 years old
Name: Pippa
Sex: female
Age: 17
Screen name: screamgender/screamgenders/gorillaxyz
Meaning: i love the movie scream... and the band gorillaz
Status: single
Pets: 2 lovely cats and a dog
Writing Hand: right
BODY ILLS AND SKILLS...
Nervous Habits: running hands through my hair, picking at my skin, cracking knuckles and fingers
Do you bite your nails? when i was a kid i did it so much but not really anymore...
Can you raise one eyebrow at a time? NO but i practice all the time
Can you blow smoke rings? nah
Can you blow spit bubbles? i think so
Can you flare your nostrils? not on command -_-
Can you cross your eyes? yes
Tattoos? not yet
Piercings? ive had my ears pierced twice but only bc the first holes healed
Do you make your bed daily? hell no lol
CLOTHES...
What goes on first, underwear or socks? underwear obviously...
Which shoe goes on first? whichever i find first
What jewelry do you wear 24/7? NONE sadly... i used to wear a cross all the time but its annoying taking it off and putting it back on for showers n stuff...
What's sexiest on a person? ummmmmmmmmm -_- good sense of humour i think
Favorite Piece of Clothing: my phase 3 shirt with murdoc looking like hes trying to lick my armpit
Pajamas: usually none... im an underwear warrior
FOOD
Have you ever eaten Spam? NEVER HAVE NEVER WILL.
Favorite Ice Cream? vanilla or raspberry ripple
How many cereals in your cabinet? a few different kinds but i hardly everrrr eat any myself
What utensils do you use to eat pizza? my hands ..
GROOMING...
How often do you brush your teeth? twice a day
How often do you shower/bathe? depends, but usually every other day
How long does your shower last? 15-30 minutes. it depends
Hair drying method? errmmmm... towel if i remember to before putting it in the washing basket. but usually just air
If that fountain of youth existed, would you drink it? probably
Do you swear? more than id like to
Do you ever spit? when im brushing my teeth yeah? lol
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE...
Animal: CATS AND MEERKATS theyre adorable.
Food: ice cream
Month: june.. summer... murdocs birthday... it is the BEST month
Day: i like saturdays and wednesdays. but date... prob 22/10
Cartoon: i like disney cartoons :)
Flower: big daffodil fan
Shoe Brand: thog dont caare
Subject in school: DRAMA
Color: purple
TV show: prob im alan partridge...
Movie: the lion king & spider-man 2
Holiday: CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Book: the invisible man
Vacationing Spot: THE BEACH!!!!!!
TV Station: Comedy Central and Cartoon Network
IN AND AROUND...
The CD Player: NONE ANYMORE :(
Person you talk most on the phone with: prob my sister i dont really phone anyone
Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows and mirrors? YES all the fucking time
What color is your bedroom? light lavenderish grey
Do you use an alarm clock? yes... sadly....
Name one thing you are obsessed with: murdoc niccals
Have you ever skinny-dipped with the opposite sex? no lol
Ever sunbathed nude? no............
Window seat or aisle? Window... but i always let whoever im sat with have the window seat if they want it bc im chivalrous like that
LA LA LAND...
What's your favorite sleeping position? curled up in a ball under the covers
What kind of bed do you like? THE BIGGER THE BETTER
Do you sleepwalk? i did once years ago
Do you sleep with a stuffed animals? yeah
WHICH IS BETTER...
Coke or Pepsi? coke
Apples or Oranges? apples
One pillow or two? two
Deaf or blind? deaf
pool or hot tub? POOL
Blondes or brunettes? brunettes
TV or radio? TV
Tic-Tacs or Certs? tictacs... never heard of certs
Snooze button or jump out of bed? snooze usually but i jump oput sometimes
Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset
Hamburger or Cheeseburger? cheese burga
Morning or night? night
Indoors or outdoors? outdoors
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? christmas day
Cake or ice cream? ice cream
Bert or Ernie? bert
Spicy or Mild? spicy
Spearmint or Peppermint? NEITHER
Call or Write? call
Peanut Butter or Jelly? jam.
Bath or shower? Shower... only bc easier... sigh
Book or Movie? book
Green or Red apples? red
Rain or Snow? snow
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honolulucarrental · 2 days ago
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5 Iconic Hawaiian Foods and Where to Find Them in Honolulu with a Rental Car
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Hawaiian cuisine brings a blend of rich flavors, fresh ingredients, and cultural significance that will leave your taste buds longing for more. To savor these delicacies, having a rental car allows you to explore Honolulu’s food scene with ease. Here’s a guide to five iconic dishes and the best spots to find them.
1. Poke Bowls at Ono Seafood
Poke, a mix of fresh fish and savory seasonings, is a must-try. Drive your car rental to Ono Seafood, located near Kapahulu Avenue, to taste some of the freshest poke bowls in town. Their ahi poke is highly recommended, offering rich flavors in every bite.
2. Plate Lunches at Rainbow Drive-In
Plate lunches are a quintessential Hawaiian meal. At Rainbow Drive-In on Kapahulu Avenue, you’ll find hearty portions of rice, mac salad, and a protein like loco moco. With a car rental Honolulu, navigating to this local favorite is simple and quick.
3. Malasadas at Leonard’s Bakery
Leonard’s Bakery, famous for its warm, sugary malasadas, is a must-visit spot. These Portuguese-inspired treats are soft and filled with sweet goodness. A quick drive in your rental car ensures you won’t miss out on this iconic dessert.
4. Shave Ice at Waiola Shave Ice
No Hawaiian trip is complete without sampling shave ice. Waiola Shave Ice near King Street offers finely shaved ice topped with tropical syrups. Use the cheapest car rental Honolulu to visit this spot conveniently and cool off with a refreshing treat.
5. Kalua Pork at Helena’s Hawaiian Food
For traditional Hawaiian flavors, head to Helena’s Hawaiian Food. Kalua pork, cooked to tender perfection, is a highlight of their menu. The location is a bit off the beaten path, so having a cheap car rental Honolulu is perfect for reaching this hidden gem.
Why Choose Us
Our fleet includes well-maintained vehicles from brands like Toyota and Honda, ensuring a comfortable ride.
Affordable pricing with no hidden charges makes us the top choice for travelers on a budget.
Convenient pick-up and drop-off locations make starting your food adventure hassle-free.
Friendly customer service assists you with all your car rental needs.
GPS-equipped cars help you locate popular food spots with ease.
Flexible booking options ensure you have a stress-free experience, no matter your plans.
FAQs
1. Where can I park near Leonard’s Bakery with a rental car?Leonard’s Bakery has a small parking lot, and nearby street parking is available for visitors with a car rental.
2. Can I reach Waiola Shave Ice without public transportation?Yes, with a cheap car rental Honolulu, you can easily access this location without relying on public transit.
3. What’s the best vehicle for exploring food spots in Honolulu?Compact cars like the Honda Civic are perfect for navigating city streets and finding parking at popular eateries.
4. Is parking available at Helena’s Hawaiian Food?Helena’s offers limited parking, but nearby options make it convenient for visitors with a rental car.
5. Can I extend my car rental if I want to explore more food destinations?Yes, we offer flexible extensions for those who wish to continue their culinary journey across Oahu.
6. Are GPS systems included in all your vehicles?Many of our vehicles come with GPS, ensuring you can locate iconic food spots without getting lost.
Contact Details
Honolulu Affordable Car RentalAddress: 1491 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96814, United States Phone: +1 (808) 638-1888Plan your ultimate foodie adventure with the cheapest car rental Honolulu options. Enjoy every bite and every mile of your journey with us!
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naturecoaster · 4 months ago
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Rebuilding Crystal River after Hurricane Helene Gives Hope
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Story and photos by Tom Craig Crystal River was inundated by an overwhelming surge of water caused by the winds of Hurricane Idalia. That water inundated businesses on US 19 to the Gulf of Mexico, as noted by headlines of August 30, 2023. On September 30, 2024, those headlines could be exactly the same - except Hurricane Helene had a different name, and this time the water intrusion in the coastal community was worse!  On Monday, September 30, 2024, I visited the waterfront, and at least two Crystal River restaurants were open for business. Most of the City of Crystal River still had no power. There are closed roads, service trucks partially blocking roads, and huge piles of roadside trash comprised mostly of couches, mattresses, carpets, and furniture. And of course, storm debris including of huge trees, branches pieces of fencing, drywall, and roofing material lined most of the downtown streets - just about a little of everything. Then there are the disaster tourists taking pictures of what they’ve been seeing on the news for days. Of course, I have to add myself to that list because I am here amidst the ruins. I happened to be in town for an interview, so I thought I’d take a quick ride around and talk to some of Crystal River’s displaced employees and businesses.  Crystal River Restaurants Quickly Work to Rebuild and Welcome Guests after Hurricane Helene Tom Craig was in Crystal River for an interview and stopped at several downtown restaurants affected by Hurricane Helene's massive storm surge. The Tipsy Tarpon and Crackers were open for business when I arrived around noon on Monday. Granted, they were in different states of readiness and offering limited menus, but customers were being served!   Chris Kofmehl, owner of the Tipsy Tarpon said, “I don’t really have a lot to say, but we’re familiar with Crystal River so we built the Tipsy Tarpon. (which is surrounded by water on three sides) so that the water just kind of flows in and flows out.”   “We just came in after the storm and pressure washed the whole place. We brought all of our equipment back and hooked it back up and we’re open for business,” Chris shared.  Eddie over at Electrix, an electrical contractor based in Inverness, said, “Most of the work, like some 30 of my customers in the Crystal River area are dealing with, is underground wires and junction boxes inundated by water. We are replacing panels, pulling the conduit and wires, drying them off, - sometimes we have to replace everything - and reconnecting them back to the service panel.” Chris continued, “We are from the area, we know Crystal River, we know about storm surge. All of our stuff (electric supply) comes from overhead up there (pointing to the transformer up above) and our panel is built up to code. It is well over our heads at 15 feet in the air, so the water didn’t get near any of it. And all our electric is all brand new, so it’s up high. Our kitchen is mobile. We pulled out our kitchen and our ice machines, which are on wheels, before the storm. And that’s pretty much it.  After the storm, we pulled the kitchen back in, hook it up to the electric, roll the ice machines into the bar area, stock the snacks and drinks… And we’re open for business!”  Crackers is also open for business. Granted, their food is being served from a food truck and they are using generators to run power to the bar outside, but there are customers sitting at the bar. The customers walk over to the food truck, buy what they want, and bring it back to the bar outside. They are enjoying the outdoor dining area with its tremendous view of Kings Bay.  Equipment, walls, and more are being quickly moved out of The Crab Plant in this photo. Work like this is going on throughout Gulf Coast businesses that were flooded by Hurricane Helene. Local Favorites Hit Hard by Helene - Kane's Cattle Co., Bayside Craft Kitchen and The Crab Plant are Already Cleaning and Repairing Equipment to Reopen Kane‘s Steak House, the Bayside Kraft Kitchen (formerly Charlie’s Crab House), and The Crab Plant were closed.  Kason Sundberg of Lollygaggers and Rise and Dine, both on US 19 in the shopping plaza across from the Crystal River airport, and Kanes Cattle Co. steakhouse in downtown Crystal River, was in Kane’s with another worker, preparing the restaurant to be cleaned and restored. He had already cut all the drywall above the surge line and removed it. He pulled out all the equipment that he could move into the parking lot. Three huge trucks were ready to take all the equipment out that had been submerged in water. Then Kason would be waiting for equipment, and movers to remove and return all of the fixed equipment.  Kason said, “It’ll have to be a while. Right now, we’re mediating any mold and any damage.  We haven’t seen any insurance adjusters yet.” Like many homeowners, business owners must wait for the insurance adjusters to assess the damage before it is deemed irreparable or unusable.   “I’ll be up and running here as soon as we can. I will be bringing our staff and a partial menu from Kanes to Rise and Dine and we will be serving dinners out of there.”  At Crackers, the outdoor seating area is open. I walked through the parking lot, past all the kitchen equipment and the food truck, into the outdoor dining area. Devon, a server at Crackers said, “We’ve been busting our butts for three days, but everything is coming bright and shiny.” Kyle Garrick, General Manager of Crackers said, “We will be fully open Thursday or Friday. Technically we’re open now, because we’re serving beer and food with a food truck. We have no power right now. We’re running on generators.”  The indoor seating is closed except for employees clean every nook and cranny, removing the wet drywall and structural elements. They are working very hard going over the inside seating area with a fine-tooth comb and placing anything of value to be assessed for damage and waiting for the insurance adjusters. All of Cracker’s kitchen equipment is in the parking lot and there are fans running everywhere.  I asked Kyle if he’d seen an insurance adjuster yet. He replied, “No.”  To be fair, if you saw what I saw, and that is just a little glimpse of the entire Gulf Coast, the insurance adjusters are surely overwhelmed.  At The Crab Plant all of the material from inside their store that was wet and could become moldy has been put out in the parking lot in piles. Like all the others, hoses and fans, cleaning equipment, and piles of drywall and damaged materials had been moved from inside the restaurant.  A group of three people came out of the restaurant when they saw me in the parking lot and asked if they could help me. I told him who I am. A writer from the naturecoaster.com.  “We’re blessed, we’re fortunate.” said one of The Crab Plant management team on Kings Bay.  Open for Business: Get out and Support these Establishments I asked, “How soon do you expect to reopen?” Candy replied, “As soon as we can. It’s a lot of work and we want to do it right.”  Another manager said, “One week and we should be open.”  I didn’t visit all of the restaurants in Crystal River. The Plantation on Crystal River, Oysters, Seafood Sellers and so many more… It’s not easy to get out and around because of the cleanup. I was just able to touch on the surface of what’s going on in Crystal River - and the many communities and cities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Everyone I spoke with on Monday, September 20, 2024, inspired my confidence. The people I spoke to assured me they’re opening up as soon as they can. They are doing an amazing job getting their establishments “bright and shiny” to safely serve food and drink, as Devon said. Meanwhile, we are anxiously awaiting our beloved Crystal River to return to the way it was before the storm.  Read the full article
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emo-pop-punk · 5 months ago
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Hi! I am Rain! I pretty much update and rearrange this post daily! 😜 I mainly post about music, but also anything relevant to my favorite music-based subcultures!
Absolute, longest-held favorites:
Paramore
Fall Out Boy
Other favorite bands/ artists that I listen to constantly:
Set It Off
Sarah and the Safe Word
The Funeral Portrait
Marianas Trench
Waterparks
All Time Low
My Chemical Romance
As It Is
The Cab
The Used
Cobra Starship
Panic! At The Disco
Bring Me the Horizon
Blink-182
Dark Divine
With Confidence
Patent Pending
Bowling For Soup
Simple Creatures
Nine Inch Nails
TX2
Machine Gun Kelly
Plain White T's
Currently trying to get into, but it seems like I really like them:
Green Day
Cartel
We Were Sharks
Hawthorne Heights
Moose Blood
Magnolia Park
Simple Plan
Hot Mulligan
Meet Me @ the Altar
Neck Deep
Real Friends
Used to listen HEAVILY, but haven't in years:
Evanescence
Linkin Park
I've VERY familiar and I like some (or a lot) of their songs, but never got intensely into them:
Pierce The Veil
Sleeping With Sirens
Twenty One Pilots
I really respect them as a band, but I have never really listened much, aside from a few songs (maybe I should give these another chance soon?)
Mayday Parade
The Maine
I'm interested in listening to these more at some point in order to form an opinion:
(In approximate order of interest.)
This indicates I haven't been too into their sound, the last I checked, but I haven't given up. I will circle back to them. Though, if they are on this list, then they have at least a few songs that I REALLY enjoy!
Taking Back Sunday
Boys Like Girls
Between You & Me
You Me at Six
The Starting Line
Ice Nine Kills
The Wonder Years
Something Corporate
Sugarcult
The Offspring
Brand New
Anarbor
Artist Vs Poet
The Audition
Stand Atlantic
Grayscale
I Prevail
The Academy Is...
Cute Is What We Aim For
Go Radio
State Champs
AFI
Sum 41
We The Kings
Alkaline Trio
Forever The Sickest Kids
Hey Monday
Hit The Lights
Lit
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Saves The Day
Say Anything
We Are the in Crowd
Trash Boat
Jimmy Eat World
The All-American Rejects
New Found Glory
A Day To Remember
Good Charlotte
Yellowcard
Yes, I know that there are a few bands on here that are neither emo, nor pop-punk! 😝 I have an intense genre preference, but I occasionally enjoy other things!
Feel free to talk to me about these or pressure me to check any of them out sooner! 😜 I know it is kind of ridiculous that I've never really listened to some of these bands!
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ataraxiaspainting · 6 months ago
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List some facts about yourself! Don't be shy! :D
OMG ANON... THANK YOU SO MUCH! i hope you always sleep comfy, and nothing ever gets in your eyes!
-> somehow i managed to get through high school in one of the top scholars' programs, become popular, and even have my own fanclub that was recognized by even the principal. it was called "the aya fanclub society" and three of my best friends were the president, queen, and king respectively. ah. those were the days. making even the straightest girls gay for me. i never really dated anyone though? i think i'm just too picky when it comes to relationships, despite everyone wanting a piece of me back then lol. i felt like hannah montana having a double life.
-> i'm a the creme shop fanatic. i love cute stuff and their products are very good on my skin! i often also find them discounted so i can save a little coin. i've never really had a breakout ever since i started using the brand two(ish) years ago. (please do not use their products if you are allergic though!)
-> my favorite shirts ever are this mindflayer shirt i got off amazon AND OFFICAL MITSKI MERCH I GOT AT HER CONCERT THIS YEAR! my older sister spent a fortune, but she was happy i was happy. smiles are worth more than gold sometimes.
-> as a thirteen-year-old i had really big crushes on the dilf type characters from DC. deathstroke. ra's al ghul. vandal savage. lex luthor somehow???
-> my comfort movies are la la land, batman (1989), the aristocats, legally blonde, the wailing, the lego batman movie, heathers: the musical (even though it may not count as a movie), little women (2019), coraline, kubo and the two strings, kiki's delivery service, howl's moving castle, and ponyo. horror/thriller movies always somehow influence my life EOFNORNFCRORNFRK.
-> i actually dislike sweetened drinks. my friends are always shocked when i tell them that. i like my coffee black. i like my tea unsweetened with no milk or anything. one of my online friends said "you not liking sweet drinks goes against everything i know about you" and i think that sums up the effect pretty well. i... also don't really like chocolate or ice cream. sorry.
-> my favorite colors are black, pink, and green! as for my least favorite... yellow, orange, and brown. just... no.
-> i play multiple instruments! electric violin, acoustic guitar (a gift from my late grandpa), and some piano. i also am a black belt in tae kwon do... if that counts for anything o-o
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blue-eyed-bloodstains · 2 years ago
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1657
Most hated childhood nickname: not nickname but when I was a kid I’d have so many people “slip” and call me Megan when my name is Morgan. it used to drive me insane, but as I got older I got over it and just laugh it off like “yeah don’t worry about it, happens all the time”
Age you were when you hit your current height: oh lord I was always the tallest in class so I never had a growth spurt really, it was just gradual until it stopped and not exactly sure when I stopped...maybe early teens after I hit puberty
Speaking of height, how tall is your crush/sig other? I’d say my fiance’s about 5′9″, 5′10″, only a few inches shorter than me
Your first favorite color, and how old you were when you liked it: I have no clue lol most likely blue that’s always been a favorite 
FAVORITES
Favorite kind of cheese: provologne, mozzarella, pepper jack
Favorite TV show you love to hate: Jersey Shore! Jersey sucks enough as it is, and they just made it 1000+ times worse ugh
Favorite kind of hot beverage: coffee even though I practically live on iced coffee lol 
Favorite chord (I’m a music major, I had to put this one in): umm not sure, I can’t remember how to read sheet music
Favorite musical instrument: acoustic guitar and drums
Favorite brand of toothpaste: doesn’t really matter, long as it’s minty
Favorite kind of sandwich: BLT
Favorite method of travel/transportation: driving
Favorite means of expression: as many fucks and curses as possible XD
Favorite Broadway musical: not familiar with broadway at all really, went to see The Adams Family for a senior school trip and I’ve wanted to see The Lion King on broadway all my life but other than that I’m clueless 
WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU…?
Ate something you hate? I’m not real picky with food so I don’t really hate much...however I’ve never been a fan of spicy food and as I got older I developed several health conditions to where it literally pains me to eat anything spicy or too acidic so there’s that. I’ll push it sometimes, but I try to get it as mildly spicy as possible
Did someone a favor? can’t remember
Felt like you’d really accomplished something big? been a long time...
Missed your parents? meh I mean sometimes I do but I talk to mom everyday and I keep in touch and live a state away which is only a 2 hour drive away from my dad and stepmom and visit on occasion and check in through text/call so...
Spent longer than two hours talking to the same person? a lot of the time with mom, especially added together given there’s multiple calls every day
Wrote/recieved an actual letter (not a bill, not an email)? not sure, usually write in and receive cards for bdays/holidays
Felt like everything was going really really well? ha! yeah that’s a definite lonnnnng ass time!
Felt like you’d failed? I constantly do on a daily basis. 
Stopped to smell the roses– literally? last time he got me my white roses for our anniversary or my bday which was last year or two years ago
Spent way too much money on something totally dumb? DoorDash always adds up quick lol considering we/I order every night
Enjoyed doing homework? when I was still in school, I never minded homework for the most part. I know I’m weird :P
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ultimatelytired · 2 years ago
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Siblings
word count: 15,200
Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Robin Buckley x Female!Harrington!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic Occupation: University Student Ability: N/A
Keys:
[F/N]: Female Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color [F/S]: Favorite Song [F/F]: Favorite Flavor
Warnings: slight angst, misunderstanding
“Siblings” pt.2, pt.3
I didn’t mean to make it this long, jesus christ.
that is all.
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“Why the fuck did it take you so long to come get my ass, dipshit?”
“I wasn’t that long, you’re just overdramatic.”
“I’m overdramatic? Weren’t you the guy that cried to me that they didn’t have your branded hairspray and that you wouldn’t use some off branded knock off because it wouldn’t have the same effect in your hair like the original?”
“Hey…! You swore you wouldn’t bring that up.”
“You’re such a child.”
[F/N] Harrington, the elder sister of Steve Harrington. There weren’t many things that tore the two apart appearance wise, other than the fact that [F/N] was a woman, but they definitely shared the same eyes. [F/N] was away for University in another state and came back for summer break to visit her favourite brother and the shitty little town they both grew up in. Seeing her brother made her very happy, when they both saw each other after she got off her plane, they both jumped each other and couldn’t stop hugging each other while they both wore the biggest grins. [F/N] was telling Steve everything that’s been going on in the state she was studying in, telling him all the friends she’s made and how much better it was in comparison to Hawkins, telling him he’d like it if he was planning on leaving Hawkins any time soon.
Steve in return told his sister everything she missed out while she was out of Hawkins, though he was smart enough not to bring up anything revolving around the Upside Down. She was stunned to hear that he made friends with children that were about five years younger than him, this earned her a smack to the arm when she said that because they weren’t that young… maybe they were, but that’s not the point. She was more than happy that he was managing on his own, he even got a job scooping ice cream at the new mall Hawkins had called Starcourt, she definitely wanted to see that later.
“So,” she started, the two of them sitting across from each other at the dinner table as Steve served her some food “still single?” she snickered to herself when he jolted in his seat, he then glared at her and threatened her with a spoon, to which she raised her hands in defence.
“You… be quiet you.” she shrugged and started eating, he lets out a sigh and starts picking at his food “After Nancy and I broke up, I’ve been having some trouble finding a new girl I want to spend my time with, I can’t seem to be able to find the one, you know? I’ve been flirting with girls that come and order at the store, but it never seems to work anymore. Maybe I lost my touch, or…” he trailed off when he heard snoring, he deadpans and looks over at [F/N] to see she was resting her face on the palm of her hand as she snored.
“… oh, you’re done bitching?”
“You’re unbelievable.” she scoffs, throwing her hands up.
“So are you!” she shouts with a laugh, pointing at him with her fork “You’re not in high school anymore, Steve. These girls aren’t going to fall for your one liners or your status as King Steve. Right now, you’re just the average joe Steve, the civil citizen scooping ice cream. You need to stop thinking with the mindset that every girl that you flirt with is going to fall head over heels for that bullshit, no offence. Just find a girl that makes you feel like you’re on cloud nine, makes you think that “god, she’s the one” and do everything in your power to make sure she’s yours.” she sighs softly when he sulks a bit, head hanging low as he processed her words.
“You’re right.” she smirks, bringing her food to her mouth.
“I know I’m right.” she chews on her food and points at him once more “You gotta treat a girl like a goddamn queen or else you’ll lose a fine piece of meat because you weren’t careful ” his face scrunched up at the way she was wording it.
“Why do you know so much about how to treat a girl?” she deadpans at him.
“I’ve had many relationships with girls, Steve, and I failed each and every one of them.” he pulled a face at that, nodding his head and then the two of them sat in silence for the rest of the night. Right, he forgot that his sister was a lesbian and the two of them together were the biggest flirts of Hawkins, but of course she kept her sexuality on the down low, Hawkins was the shit hole it was and simply didn’t like things that weren’t… normal. Sure, Steve was an asshole in the beginning of high school, but he loved his sister more than some stupid popularity to out his sister for liking girls more than men. Though because of her attraction towards the female population, the two of them would often gossip about which girls they found cute.
“I’ve got work tomorrow, so I won’t be able to entertain you.” she waves her hand to dismiss him.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just visit the Starcourt if I get bored.” he chuckles softly.
“Alright, stop by Scoops Ahoy if you wanna talk.” she salutes him.
“Will do.”
[the next morning]
“Why are you in the pool this early in the morning?” summer was always hot, even in the morning, so [F/N] was soaking in the Harrington pool on top of a float. She was probably going to soak in the sun for a couple minutes before doing a few laps around the pool when she heard footsteps, knowing that it was Steve, she chose to ignore him until he spoke up.
“Because it’s hot, dingus.” she hears him sigh, she then turned to get a look at him before squinting her eyes when she saw what he was wearing, she grabbed the side of her sunglasses and pulled them up as she looked him up and down “What the fuck are you wearing?” he grumbled under his breath when he saw that she was silently mocking him for his choice of clothing.
“It’s the uniform, I’ve got no choice but to wear it.” she snorts before pulling her glasses back down and laying back, moving into a comfortable position to sunbathe.
“Fucking loser.” he scoffed, kicking his feet.
“I’ve got work now, so I’ll see you later.” he turned to leave but stopped when he remembered something “The Starcourt Mall is pretty far out, so you’ll need to find your way there.” she raised her hand, not bothering to look over at him.
“Is my car still in storage?”
“Yes.” she snaps her fingers, dropping her hand into the water.
“Well then there you go.” he sighs but did smile a little when she waved him goodbye “I’ll see you later, Steve.”
“Bye, [F/N].” and with that he was gone, she inhaled through her nose before going slack on the pool float, what’s a few minutes napping in the pool? She shrugged and eventually lolling to sleep, later regretting it when she subconsciously turned and fell into the water of the pool, groaning as she resurfaced. She now found herself at a storage unit where her brother lovingly put her precious car while she was off at university, they would have left her car in the garage but they both knew that it would collect nothing but dust so they put it in storage once every few weeks someone would come in a check on it.
“Hey, look who’s back!” the owner of the storage unit exclaimed when [F/N] walked in, she waved her hand with a grin as she waved her hand to greet him “It’s nice to see you! How have you been?” she snorted softly, leaning against the front counter with a grin.
“I’ve been good. University has been kicking my ass lately, but it’s great to be back in the place I grew up in. I see nothing much has changed while I was gone.” this earned her a chuckle.
“Yeah, just the same old shit.” she nods to that and watched as he went through documents to pull out the one that has of her car, when he found it he lit up and separated it from the rest “Ah, here we go. Your car is in unit 83, I’ll have the key to the unit it just a bit.”
“Wonderful.” the moment they got to the unit and he unlocked it, she had the biggest smile on her face at the sight of her car “Oh baby, mummy’s back~” she cooed and quickly ran over to her car, throwing her arms over the hood off the car and hugging it as best as she could, the owner let out a chuckle as he watched her.
“It’s almost as if you care more about your car than your brother.” she laughed, waving her hand.
“Please, he’d do the same.”
“You’re right, it is a 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II.” she saved up a lot of money for this baby from all the part time jobs she had, allowance money their parents gave her and even birthday money, all so she could afford this beautiful son of a bitch she took pride in “Well, she’s all yours. She was well taken of while you were gone, so if I see even a scratch on her, I’ll have your head.” she winked at him.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” throwing a cassette tape into the cars stereo and pumping the volume to max drowned out all the noise as she drove through Hawkins, bobbing her head to the music of [F/S], shouting and hollering like she was a teenager again during her high school days. Oh how she missed those days, but there wasn’t anything she could do to have those days back, so she was making the best of the time she had now. She was now sat at a red light, drumming her fingers against the stirring wheel to the music as she waited for the light to turn green, that was until she heard the revv of a car so she turned her head to see a gorgeous blue 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, she couldn’t help but whistle at the sight of it “What a beaut.”  “Thanks.” she glanced at the driver, a blonde with sun kissed skin and the prettiest pair of blue eyes she’s ever seen… it’s a shame he’s a man because she definitely would have jumped him if given the opportunity “You new around here?” he shouted, she chuckled and leaned into her seat.
“Not really, just recently came back.” he nods his head to that “What about you? I’ve never seen you around.”
“I moved here last year from California.”
“What a mistake on your part.” he snorts at that.
“I agree.” he glanced back towards the light to see if it turned green yet and when it didn’t he spared her another glance with a smirk “I’m Billy, Billy Hargrove! I hope to see you again, mustang.” her eyes widened slightly at that, Hargrove? She remembered seeing that name when Steve would send her letters, she was pretty sure that Steve wrote he beat the shit out of him, Billy raised a brow when he saw her snort a little.
“Hargrove, huh?” pushing her sunglasses up, he narrowed his eyes on hers, where has he seen those eyes before? “The name’s Harrington, [F/N] Harrington. See you whenever, camaro~” she sent him a wink followed with a kiss, she let out a laugh at his shocked expression before flicking her glasses down then driving off when the light turned green. His reaction was priceless, Steve was going to love this. She now stood outside the Starcourt Mall, leaning against her car and whistling at the sight of it, pushing her sunglasses onto her head to take the full view of the mall. Now this was something Hawkins should be proud of, Hawkins was nothing but a hick town out in the middle of Indiana but this was definitely something to be proud of “I wonder where Hawkins got the money to pay for this.” she muttered before chucking softly, pushing herself off her car and walking towards the entrance of the mall, ignoring the lingering stares of the people around her.
She was even more impressed of the inside, everything was bright and vibrant, there was just so much to look at. What the fuck did she miss that Hawkins had this place made? She wasn’t going to question it anymore than she has to, now she wants to find Scoops Ahoy just so she can make fun of her brother. Looking for it was actually quite the challenge, having to ask a couple people then thanking them when they actually answered her. She stirred clear from boys because when she asked one they thought she was asking them out or something, she turned around immediately and asked the closest girl who was actually helpful. Meanwhile at Scoops Ahoy, a girl who just wanted the day to be over was leaning against the counter and waiting for the next unsuspecting customer to come up and make her day even more horrible for being indecisive.
“Just end me….” she groaned out, taking her hat off to run a hand through her hair before plopping it back on “Harrington! What the fuck are you doing that’s taking this long?” she shouted from the front counter, turning around to through the window open to view into the back where she found Steve looking through the freeze.
“We ran out of a specific flavor and I’m looking to replace it, alright? I just can’t find it, so cool it Robin!” he shouts back as he dug deeper into the freezer, she rolled her eyes then groaned when she heard the jingle of someone entering the store.
“Well, hurry it up! We’ve got customers and I’m having to do everything all by my…self.” she trailed off when she saw who exactly walked through the doors, god… she ain’t ever seen anyone more attractive in her life. [F/C] finally managed to find the shop and was practically dying from all the walking she had to do, she took her sunglasses off once more, throwing her hair back when some of her [H/C] locks fell over her eyes and safely tucked her glasses in her shirt. Robin continued to gawk at this very attractive girl, mouth agape as [F/N] pursed her lips and nodded as she looked around the store before finally locking eyes with Robin. Her body froze up when those piercing [E/C] eyes landed on her but she started sweating when [F/N] started approaching her, her breath getting caught in her throat when she was finally in front of her.
“Hi.” she greets with a smile, Robin swallowed thickly.
“H-Hi.” [F/N] couldn’t help but chuckle softly when the cute girl in front of her stuttered, she looked her up and down then raised a brow when she was wearing the same uniform her brother was wearing, but she looked cute in hers “U-Um, welcome to Scoops Ahoy. H-How can I— how can I help you?” Robin stared up at the slightly taller girl and watched as she looked at the variety of ice cream out on display.
“Hmm… could I just get two scoops of [F/F] please? No toppings.” she found it adorable how she couldn’t stop staring at her, absentmindedly as she nodded her head.
“O-Of course, coming right up.” she almost felt bad with how much this girl was trembling under her gaze, she felt like a predator watching its pray before feasting upon it, but she just couldn’t help it “Alright, two scoops of [F/F].” she said, standing up straight and handing the cone to [F/N], breath hitching when she felt her hand briefly touch hers when she took it.
“How much do I owe you?” [F/N] asks, taking a couple bills out of her back pocket to pay for her ice cream but was startled when Robin pushed her hand away.
“O-Oh! It’s on the house.” her eyes widened at that, she couldn’t hide the smirk that rose to her lips.
“Really?” Robin couldn’t mutter out any words and only hummed as she nodded, [F/N] chuckled as she started to put her money away “Okay, but I feel bad, so have this.” it wasn’t much but she kept a twenty and tucked it into Robin’s hand, she then turned and winked at her followed by a click on her tongue before walking away. [F/N] let out a hum as she at her ice cream, thinking back to the way Robin looked at her, before pausing “I completely forgot the entire reason I was there.” she let out a sigh as her head dropped… well, at least she got ice cream out of it. Meanwhile with Robin, her hand tightly held onto the twenty dollar bill to the point it was crumbled up in her hand, face a bright red as she tried to remember that lingering feeling of [F/N]’s touch.
“Her hand was so soft…” she sighed out dreamily, body going slack on the counter. This stranger had the most beautiful [Long/Short] [H/C] hair she’s ever seen, it looked soft to touch, even those eyes had her getting lost when they looked directly into hers. But, there was just something about her eyes that had her thinking, she’s seen eyes like those but she just can’t remember wher—
“I found it!” her day dreaming was cut short at the sound of Steve’s voice, her smile dropping when he came out from the back with a tub of ice cream “I found it.” he repeats.
“Yeah, I can see that.” he huffs at her tone.
“Grouchy much.” he says as he replaces the empty tub “Did anything exciting happen while I was in the back?” she pretends to think then shook her head.
“Nope, nothing happened.” he shrugged and took over the front counter, flirting with the first girl he saw and left Robin to think about the gorgeous girl she managed to see before Harrington.
[end of the day]
“Welcome home, Stevie!” [F/N] greets from the couch, muting the television and waving her hand as Steve walks in through the front door “How was your day at work, sailor?” he lets out a sarcastic laugh, collapsing on the couch beside her and throwing his legs over hers.
“Honestly, it could’ve been better.” she purses her lips, nodding her head.
“Too bad, so sad. Anyways-” he groaned, his head falling into the arm rest of the chair “I saw the cutest girl when I came into your store to see you, I got so distracted that I completely forgot that I came in to see you.” his head immediately perked up at the mention of a cute girl, to which she rolled her eyes at the sudden interest.
“Go on.”
“It was your coworker, I didn’t manage to catch her name.” his jaw dropped.
“You mean Robin Buckley?” his face cringed when hers lit up.
“So that’s her name, Robin.” her face dropped when she saw him gag, turning away and pointing into his mouth at the mere thought of her having an attraction towards the girl “Why the fuck you reacting like that, dipshit? Is it cause she’s your coworker and you don’t want your sister sucking faces with her?” he lets out a dramatic sigh, throwing his head back.
“No! What’s there to like about her?” she shrugs.
“I don’t know, you tell me. She’s your coworker, tell me about her.” he scoffs.
“Where’s the fun in that? Isn’t the whole point about being infatuated with someone is getting to know them? You’d be cheating if I were to tell you everything I know about her.” she raised a brow at him, watching as he had a triumphant smirk on his lips while crossing his arms.
“Does that mean you’re infatuated with her as well?” it amused her how face his face changes, she kept a straight face as he glared at her.
“Me? Infatuated with her? Pah! I wouldn’t even dream of it. She’s not my type, not even on the ballpark. I know what my type is, alright?” she rolled her eyes, moving to get more comfortable on the sofa.
“What’s your type again?” he scoffs at her.
“For your information, she’s still in school, and she’s weird. She’s a weirdo, and she’s hyper. I don’t like that she’s hyper, and she did drama! That’s a bad look, and she’s in band? No.” she scoffed when he starts shaking his head.
“It’s only been a day, and we’re having this conversation again. Steve, now that you’re out of high school, which means technically you’re an adult, don’t you think it’s time that you move on from primitive constructs such as popularity? Instead of dating somebody because you think it’s gonna make you cooler, why not date somebody you actually enjoy being around?” he slumps into the couch at her words then flinched when she slapped his leg “And besides, I don’t even think you’ve got a chance to be with her.”  “What’s that supposed to mean? You saying I’ve lost my game?” she narrowed her eyes on him.
“Steve, Robin Buckley is the gayest girl I’ve ever seen ever since being back in Hawkins, and it’s only been a day.” they both sit in silence for what seems like an hour before Steve finally processed what she said.
“She’s gay? But I thought that term was used for men.” she slaps a hand onto her forehead “So you’re saying she’s a lesbian? That she’s into girls?” she nods her head.
“Yes, you simpleton, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” she then points at him “Don’t even think about asking her either, Steve. Asking someone about their sexuality is like asking whether or not you want to live.” he pulls a face.
“Wha—”
“I’m serious! It’s either life or death, and I’d rather choose death.” he raises his hands.
“Alright, alright! I won’t say anything.” she nods her head when he understood, the two of them sit in silence until he speaks up again “So, you can just tell when someone isn’t straight?” she closes her eyes in mild disappointment.
“You know what, yeah, some people can. It’s called a gaydar, and you, my sweet little brother, aren’t exactly the straightest man either.” she took great pleasure in seeing the look of confusion cross his face before it changed to panic, she always had fun teasing him.
“No, no!”  “I’m never wrong, brother!”
[time skip: a few weeks]
“Great, just great.” Robin muttered under breath, if her day couldn’t get any worse, it just did. Not only was she late to work, but her bike decided to pop its tire, the bus was late and it was raining. It’s like god decided to pick on her that morning and he was fucking winning. She collapsed onto the seat behind her, her bag dropping onto the ground as her face fell into her hand, she just wished the world would just give her a break, give her something to look forward to “Please, god, just give me one good thing.”
“Buckley?” she heard, her head shot up and she didn’t know whether she should thank god or kill him when she saw [F/N] looking at her through the passenger side window of her Mustang “You good? You look like you’re having a shitty morning.” Robin, who hadn’t realised she was tearing up, hurriedly wiped her tears and hoped [F/N] hadn’t noticed them.
“It could be worse!” she answers, only to flinch when lightning struck followed by the sound of thunder, [F/N] chuckled softly when Robin deflated “I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.” she mumbled softly, [F/N] nods her head as she leans back into her seat before looking back at her.
“Need a ride?” Robin’s head perked up.
“What?” 
“I’m asking you if you want a ride to work? I was on my way to the Starcourt Mall to watch a movie, so it wouldn’t inconvenience me.” she pressed her lips together when Robin raised her hands whilst shaking her head to reject the request.
“No, no, I’m fine. Thank you for offering, but I think I’d be much better off taking the bus instead. I just don’t want to dirty your car, I mean, it’s a very nice car and I think I’ll make a mess. I mean, I’m wet and if I get in your car, I’ll wet the seat. Besides I’m already late and you have a movie to catch, so I think it’ll be better if I just wait.” [F/N] deadpans when Robin started to ramble, what started off of her not wanting to dirty her car somehow turned to how she can dodge the raindrops. Man, when Steve said she talks a lot, this was not what she imagined.
“Get in the damn car.” she says, stopping Robin mid sentence but evidently making her nod.
“Yes, ma’am.” she laughs when Robin picks up her things and hurries over, thanking [F/N] when she opened her passenger door. When Robin was in her car, she rolled up the window and waited for her to fasten her seatbelt, she looked her up and down and noticed that she was shivering even under the hoodie she was wearing so she graced her with the warmth of her cars air conditioner “Thanks.” her face flushed when [F/N] winked.
“No problem.” Robin jerks back when [F/N] shifted gears then slammed her foot on the gas, smirking softly as she drove through the rain to the Starcourt Mall. The two sat in silence as music played through the cars sound system, [F/N] bobbing her head while tapping against the wheel.
“Um, [F/N]…” she lets out a hum, letting Robin know she had her attention as her eyes concentrated on the road ahead of them “This is probably the first proper conversation we’ve actually had where it isn’t me asking for what flavor of ice cream you want, but can I ask you something?” she hums again.
“Sure, what is it?” Robin bites her lip, she was really risking a lot asking her this.
“A-Are you… seeing anyone?” [F/N] purses her lips at that, Robin flinching softly when [F/N] spared her a glance.
“No I’m not, why? You making fun of me?” Robin quickly raises her hands, shaking them and her head to deny the thought,
“N-No, not at all!” [F/N] was still looking at her, waiting for her to explain why she asked “Um, I was asking because, uh… Steve? Yeah! Steve wanted me to ask you if you were single?” that smirk she wore on her face quickly washed away into a look of confusion.
“Steve Harrington asked you to ask me if I was seeing anyone?” she nods her head, fully confident that she bought the lie. She found it very amusing that both herself and Steve have failed to inform Robin that they were siblings, and as much as she wanted to tell her the truth…. she found it more hilarious to see how long it’ll take for her to realise they were in fact related.
“Yes.” she confirmed, [F/N] licked her lips.
“Well,” she starts, shaking her head in mild amusement before shrugging her shoulders “tell him h-he’s weird for asking.” [F/N] lights up when she heard Robin giggle.
“I’ll make sure to tell him.” they both then laugh together, Robin dreads the moment [F/N] pulls up to the mall, knowing that their time was cut short and she knew she didn’t have the confidence to strike up a conversation with her again. She hadn’t even noticed [F/N] stepped out of her car until her door was opened, she looked up and saw [F/N] holding her hand out to her while her other held an umbrella.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” Robin’s hand hesitated a little but eventually she managed to take her hand, [F/N] helped her out of the car then held the umbrella over her head as she waited for her to collect her stuff, when she did she kicked the door closed then locked her car “Come on, lets go.” as they were walking to the entrance [F/N] noticed that Robin kept some distance between them and her shoulder was getting wet, she lets out a hum at that. Robin wasn’t paying attention to [F/N] as they walked together but she jolted up when [F/N] placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close so now they were shoulder to shoulder.
“W-Wha—”
“Your shoulder was getting wet, and there’s plenty of space under the umbrella.” Robin couldn’t look her in the eye as [F/N] side eyed her with a soft smirk on her face “I’m not gonna bite.” she has to hold back a snicker when she saw Robin’s face flush red, she can only imagine what’s going on in her head. When they were finally under the shelter of the mall, [F/N] had her back to Robin as she shook her umbrella dry of the rain while Robin’s hands clutched the sleeves of her hoodie.
“Um, thanks for the ride, [F/N].” hearing this caused [F/N] to look over her shoulder at Robin.
“Don’t worry about it.” she reassured, when her umbrella was dry enough she closed it then threw it over her shoulder and turned to face Robin once more “If you don’t have a ride home, do you want me to drop you off?” Robin’s head perked up at that.
“Huh? You want to drop me off home?” she nods.
“Well, yeah. Don’t you finish until the mall closes? That’s pretty late, and I don’t like the thought of you walking home at night. Besides, I highly doubt Steve is gracious enough to give you a ride home.”
“You don’t mind?” she shook her head.
“Of course not, in fact,” Robin watches in confusion when [F/N] pulls out a small notebook and pen and starts writing something down, when she was done she tore it out and handed it to her “call me if you ever need a ride or if you just wanna talk.”
“Y-You’re giving me your number?” [F/N] nods with a chuckle.
“Yeah, why? Don’t want it?” she teased and pulled the piece of paper back, laughing slightly when Robin quickly snatched it back.
“No, I want it!” Robin now had the biggest smile on her face as she clutched the small piece of paper “No take backs!” [F/N] only nodded.
“Alright, then I guess I’ll see you tonight.” she nods then scurries off to get to Scoops Ahoy, finally god has graced her with one good thing. [F/N] smiled as she crossed her arms while watching Robin run off, probably wishing that time would hurry up so the two of them could talk again.
“There you are, mustang.” she let out a whoa when she was grabbed by the waist and pulled into someone, she scoffed when she realised who it was and smacked him in the chest.
“Watch who you’re touching, camaro.” Billy Hargrove and [F/N] Harrington have established an… interesting relationship. The moment the two of them met again, it was on fucking sight. Billy didn’t hesitate to throw hands with [F/N] and she in return didn’t hesitate to fight dirty, she was angry at the blonde for nearly beating her brother to death so she returned all that pain tenfold, but he was definitely stronger than her in terms of strength. He didn’t pull his punches and the first punch to the face he delivered made her rethink her choices, though at the end of their fight, [F/N] had Billy’s neck locked in between her legs while he himself was holding her by the neck. When the two of them finally calmed down they both sat on the hood of Billy’s Camaro, all bruised and bloodied, while smoking a cigarette. They both sat in silence though [F/N] raised a brow when Billy held his fist out to her, she stared at it before bumping it with her own, and from then on the two of them have had a mutual understanding with each other. When [F/N] got home though, Steve was shocked to see her beaten up and when he questioned her, she just told him to not worry about it.
“So freckles there, that’s the girl you’re into?” he asks, he raised a brow when he heard her sigh and lean into him.
“Hell yeah, she’s just so fucking adorable that I can’t help but tease.” she let out a whoa when he shoved her off, she scoffed when he tucked his hands into his pockets and started walking over to the cinema.
“What’s there to like about girls? Men is where it’s all at.” she rolled her eyes, straightening out her jacket then following after him. Another reason to two of them got along, the two of them noticed that they were more alike than they let on.
“Ew, men.” they both stare at each other before bursting out into laughter, now walking beside each other as they made their way to the cinema to watch a movie. The people of Hawkins were always one for gossip, so when they spotted the two most attractive people of Hawkins together, they immediately let their minds begin to believe that they were a couple. The moment that rumour hit their ears they couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous claims and just let them talk, though, it was better than being labeled as queer.
“So what’s this movie about again?” Billy questions, pulling out a pack of gum to replace his need to smoke a cigarette, [F/N] hums at the question, squeezing her chin in between her thumb and index finger.
“If I remember correctly, it’s about some guy who goes into the past…?” she trailed off when she couldn’t remember the plot of the movie, he rolled his eyes at her piss poor description of the movie.
“That sounds like a dumb movie. Why are we watching this again?” she rolled her eyes, paying for both their tickets while he bought them food.
“I wanted to watch this movie alone, you invited yourself, remember?” he deadpans at that, the two of them later found their seats and continued to chatter through all the ads “Besides, the main reason we’re here together is so we can bother Stevie later.” he purses his lips, nodding his head.
“Now that’s something I remember agreeing on.” she scoffed.
“You’re unbelievable sometimes, Hargrove.” he snickers at her.
“Right back at ‘cha, Harrington.”
[at scoops ahoy]
“Hello and welcome to Scoops Ahoy, today I’ll be your captain, Steve Harrington.” Robin rolled her eyes from where she was, scooping ice cream for the nth time that past hour whilst Steve flirted with every female customer that came in through the doors. Her mood was slightly better than usual, Steve noticed this as well, telling by the way she had this soft smile on her face even despite getting yelled at by a mother for scooping the ice cream wrong. Scooping the ice cream wrong? How do you even do that? “You seem to be an awfully good mood, did something good happen this morning?” he raised a brow when he saw a wishful look crossed her face.
“This cute…” she paused mid sentence, looking up at Steve and hesitated to finish “guy gave me a ride to work this morning and he even offered to drop me off after I finish.” she felt like she threw up in her mouth saying that, turning away from Steve to let out a slight gag, Steve on the other hand furrowed his brows in confusion at her words. Guy? Didn’t his sister suspect that Robin was a lesbian? Though she also did say that people who weren’t entirely straight wouldn’t nonchalantly say their sexuality, so he just nodded.
“Do you like this guy?” he asked, leaning against the counter and waited for her response.
“… I’d like to say I do, he’s just so perfect.” his gaze on her softened a little, he remembered a time he had that same expression when he thought of Nancy. Now his heart got a little bitter at the memory, he shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts and gave her a grin followed by a thumbs up.
“You should shoot your shot.” he tells her, she shot up a this words “Do you think this guy is into you?” Robin pursed her lips, rubbing her hands together as she thought of the few short encounters she’s had with [F/N]. Whenever she started rambling without being aware of it, [F/N] never stopped her and just listened to her speak. [F/N] was often very sweet and kind with Robin, giving her little compliments and even putting big tips in the tip jar despite getting one small thing. Then that morning, she went out of her way to drive her to work in the piss pour rain and even drop her off home, going so far as to giving her her phone number to call her if she needs anything.
“Well, he doesn’t seem like he’s not into me.” Steve hummed softly when he saw Robin raise her hand to twirl a strand of her hair around her finger “I’m just scared that I’m looking too far into this, and that if I say anything, I’ll lose him.” she runs a hand through her hair, he nods his head and glances towards the door, when he didn’t see anyone coming towards the counter he put his attention back on Robin.
“Take this from someone who’s had plenty of people crushing on me, and vice versa.” she scoffed at him “You won’t know if they’re the one or not until it’s too late. I understand that it’s scary to confess your feelings to the person you’re in love with, but it feels a lot worse when you don’t say anything and you watch them go off with someone else without even trying. The thought of not saying anything when you could have is much more terrifying, and though you might lose them, it’s better than keeping those feelings to yourself.” she stared up at him in slight disbelief.
“Wow, that was the best thing I’ve ever heard you say, Harrington. Who knew you were capable of saying such good advice.” he rolled his eyes at her.
“Well, take it or leave it, I just want to meet the guy that’s got you all worked up in the future.” she pursed her lips at the thought of actually managing to score [F/N], maybe it was the look on Steve’s face when she pulls up with [F/N] by her side that makes her smirk.
“Whatever you say, Harrington.” they were both smiling at the end of their conversation, perking up slightly when they heard the chime of someone entering the store. Before they could greet the newest customer they were both shocked to see [F/N] walking in with Billy by her side, neither two noticed the shocked stares as they chattered about the movie.
“She totally had a thing for her son, right?” [F/N] questioned “I mean, I understand that she didn’t know that was her son, but imagine her surprise when so plus years later her son looks exactly like the guy she met all those years ago. Those should have set off some alarm bells.” Billy laughs at the assumption.
“No, it was the fact that she named her kid Marty. If I were her husband, I’d be pretty fucked off that my wife named our son after a guy she was attracted to.” she snaps her fingers, pointing at him.
“I know, right?” they both laugh together, they now stood at the counter with smirks on their faces, both individually staring at Steve and Robin. The two of them continued to stare at them in disbelief, [F/N] then leaned against the counter, hand resting down on it whilst her other was placed on her hip “Hi Buckley~” she cooed softly, Billy snickered softly when he noticed the tip of Robin’s ears flushed red, he then turned to Steve.
“Hi Harrington~” Billy said in the same tone [F/N] had, she noticed this and turned back to scoff at him, Steve then scoffed at the both of them.
“What are you two doing here?” Billy raised his hands in defence.
“Why the hostility, Stevie? Besides, this is an ice cream store. We’re here to buy ice cream, duh.” Steve sends [F/N], to which she just snickered with a shrug of her shoulders “Mustang here was in the mood for something sweet, so we came here.” she nods her head and pushes herself up so she was standing beside Billy again, crossing her arms and leaning her weight into one of her feet.
“Mm hmm, I just love the ice cream here.” she makes sure to wink at Robin at that, Steve looks between the two then notices the way Robin was bashfully smiling while trying to hide her red face behind her hair “There ain’t nothing more sweet then what this place has to offer.” whether or not that was directed at the ice cream or Robin, Steve just rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What do you want?” Steve was almost done with his sister flirting with his coworker while he was there, was this how Robin felt whenever he flirted with girls every five minutes? Man, this sucks.
“You first, sweetheart.” Robin flinches a little at the pet name Billy called [F/N], she awaits her reaction and her heart sunk a little when she saw her playfully roll her eye as she smacks him in the chest.
“Such a gentlemen.” he shrugged his shoulders, she then glanced at Robin and gave her a soft smile “Could I have my usual, Robin? I’d appreciate it.” 
“R-Right, of course! Coming right up.” whilst [F/N] was busy watching Robin with her order, Billy leaned against the counter and had a thoughtful look about what he should order, to which Steve was growing more and more irritated at the smug look on both of their faces.
“Hmm, how about two scoops of vanilla and chocolate?” Steve just nods, when Robin finishes with [F/N]’s order he goes over and makes Billy’s, growing slightly flustered with the way Billy just continued to stare at Steve “What’s the matter, pretty boy? Am I making you uncomfortable?” [F/N] glanced at her brother and noticed the way he tensed up a little, his usually pale skin turning a shade of pink.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Steve felt her gaze on him so he turned and lightly glared at her, it hardened when he saw her smirking at him as she ate her ice cream.
“Called it.” is all she says, he grumbles under his breath when he knew what she was talking about. The two of them were already eating away at their ice cream as Robin tallied up their total, when the estimated amount came back Billy slapped down a twenty dollar bill.
“Keep the change.” [F/N] snaps her fingers and points at Robin.
“I’ll see you after work, Buckley.” she winks at her before the two finally walk out, sparing the two one last glance before they finally left. Both Steve and Robin let out a breath they hadn’t realised they were holding in and fanned their faces, they then look at each other.
“… we never speak of this.”
“Never speak of what?” meanwhile, Billy and [F/N] were sitting a little ways away from Scoops Ahoy and watched the two spiral into both a lesbian and bi panic, [F/N] laughs as she threw her head back.
“Damn, it’s so funny watching him question his sexuality.” [F/N) says, licking at the melting ice cream that ran down her cone and onto her fingers “I appreciate you flirting with my brother, it makes my fucking day.” Billy chuckled at that, eating away at his own ice cream while remembering the flustered spectate he left Steve in.
“Don’t mention it, flirting with him is almost like a sport, and I just love winning.” they both laugh at that. Hours later and Starcourt Mall is finally closed, Robin let out a sigh as she walked out of the mall a little more exhausted then usual but her head perked up at the sound of loud music. A smile graced her lips when she saw [F/N] sitting on the hood of her car smoking a cigarette, bobbing her head to the music while exhaling the smoke circulating in her lungs, breathing it out and watching it blow away in the wind.
“[F/N]!” she jolted up from where she was at the call of her name, turning her head towards the entrance of the mall then smiling when she saw Robin rushing over to her while waving her hand, this made her smile softly as she pushed herself off the hood and go over to the passengers side, opening the door and bowing her head.
“Your chariot awaits, my lady.” Robin giggled softly, shoving [F/N]’s face away, causing her to laugh at the gesture.
“Real smooth.” [F/N] closes the door the moment Robin got in and hurried over to the drivers side, taking the cigarette from her lips and tossing it away before jumping in. She lowers the volume for Robin when she noticed her wincing at how loud it was before starting her car then driving off, she continued to bob her head to the music as she drove out of the malls parking lot before turning her head towards Robin but not taking her eyes off the road. She asks the girl she lives so she knows where to drop her off and pick her up on future occasions, upon telling her address, [F/N] smirks softly and changes gears then slamming down on the gas “You sure like driving fast.” she laughs at that.
“Hell yeah I do, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to drive my baby so I’m making the most of her.” at that she reached forward and gently caresses her dashboard “Besides, this isn’t even as fast as she can go. I’d go faster, but then I’d get pulled over. That Hopper guy is a real pain in my ass.”
“I’ll say.” Robin pats her hands against her legs and occasionally glances at [F/N], watching her tap her fingers against the wheel, mouthing the lyrics to the music and sometimes watching as her tongue poked out of her mouth to lick her dry lips.
“You know I feel you staring at me, Buckley.” Robin flinches at that and quickly turns away and faces ahead of them “You can keep staring, I don’t mind.” she chuckles when she could feel her grow flustered, it was always so fun teasing her.
“Can I ask you something?” she hums.
“You’re asking me a lot of things today, Robin. But sure, go ahead.”
“Um… is there anything going on between you and Billy?” this was enough to cause [F/N] to shoot forward, her once relaxed body tensing up at the thought.
“Me and Hargrove? Hah! That’s the funniest shit I’ve heard all day!” she laughed while throwing her head back “If this was because we walked in together acting closer than friends, or due to the fact that the people of this town have nothing better to do but spread false rumours, than you’re wrong. I thought I told you this morning that I wasn’t seeing anyone. Why? Was Harrington feeling threaten that I was with a guy that was more gorgeous than him?” she laughs again, she’ll have to bring this up to Steve, she glanced over at Robin and saw her raise her hands and shake her head.
“N-No, no! It isn’t like that!” [F/N] stared at her, slowing raising a brow “… alright, it’s kind of like that, but! You two looked awfully close.” [F/N] just shook her head, eyes looking back towards the road ahead of them.
“Rest assured, Robin, Billy is the last person I’d date, the same going for him. We’re nothing more than very good friends…” she trailed off at the end of her sentence, the two of them together were nothing but chaotic menaces that fed off each other’s tomfoolery.
“Oh, good, good. That’s good.” [F/N] shook her head, Robin was so obvious. Robin internally groaned when she saw [F/N] pulling up to her house, she almost didn’t want to leave because she wanted to spend just a few more minutes with [F/N].
“Do you have work tomorrow?”
“Huh?”
“I was asking if you had work tomorrow. Thought I’d ask just in case you needed a ride.” Robin swallowed thickly at the offer, her bike was still need of repairs and she didn’t really like the option of taking public transportation or bothering her partners for a ride.
“… you don’t mind?” she shook her head.
“No, and I told you before, if you ever need a ride, I’ll be just a phone call away.” Robin bites her lip at the thought of seeing [F/N] every morning and night instead of the few occasions when she came into the store, she can have longer conversations with her instead of the brief ones in the store, she can just spend some more time with the girl she really likes “So, you want me to pick you up in the morning?” she nods her head, clutching her bag to her chest.
“I’d like that a lot.” [F/N] smiled.
“Alright, then I’ll see you in the morning, freckles.” she had to hold back her laughter when Robin all but threw open the passenger door, nearly falling over in the process, before closing the door and rushing towards her house. [F/N] waited until she was in the comfort of her home before pulling out of her driveway and driving back to the Harrington household, then she was met with Steve staring her down like their disappointed mother “Now whaaat?” she groaned out, taking her shoes off and entered the kitchen.
“Why are you hanging around Hargrove?” she smirks at Steve.
“Psh, you sound like a jealous girl mad at her friend for spending time with the guy she likes.” she rolled her eyes when Steve threw his head back while throwing his hands up “Jesus, calm down. Billy and I have established a neutral but nice friendship… after I beat the shit out of him, and him doing the same to me that ended us both at a stalemate.” she then nods her head to him and proceeds to grab a drink from the fridge, watching as the shock in his face grow.
“Was that the reason you looked beat up weeks ago?” she shrugs, closing the fridge and opening the drink in her hands.
“No comment.” he groans, she then snickers “You never told Buckley we were siblings?” he gave her a confused look, sitting at one of the chairs by the counter.
“No? I thought you would have.” she laughs again.
“I figured, you know what she asked me this morning?” he raised a brow “She asked if I was single, when I asked why she was asking me, she told me that you told her to ask me.” now it was his turn to freeze up before bursting out into laughter, his laughter was contagious enough to get her to start laughing as well.
“Really? Ew!” she nods her head “Maybe we should bring this up?” they then look at each other, sharing the same devious smirk as they both shook their head.
“Nah,” they said in unison, the both of them laughter aloud once more “Oh! That just reminded me, I believe Robin was talking about you earlier this afternoon. If you dropped her off this morning, she was in a ridiculously happy mood to the point she was telling me that she might have a crush on this “cute dude that’s just perfect”, aka, you.” Steve chuckled softly when he noticed his sister’s face grow bright, leaning forward.
“Really? What else did she say?”
“I asked if she liked this guy, and she said yeah.” he hums when he saw [F/N] fall back against the fridge “But she’s afraid that you don’t like her the way you do, to which I understand, because she doesn’t know you’re a lesbian like her.” this caused her to smile at him.
“Ah, so you agree she’s a lesbian despite her describing that it was a guy that made her happy?” he nods.
“I saw the way she was looking at you, the way she thought about you. She’s definitely in love, [F/N].” between the two Harrington siblings, [F/N] was the more wilder sibling of the two. The moment their parents knew that there was no controlling her from her random spurs of violence (never at them or her sweet brother), they gave up on seeing her as anything more than a problematic troublemaker. She in turn loved to run free and do whatever she pleased, but she still thrived to be the best at Hawkins High School and going so far as to getting accepted in a top of the notch university in a different state. She was chaotic and always held her head high, a look of cockiness and pride seen on her face, but that was just merely a facade she puts up. Under all that arrogance was the sweet elder sister of Steve Harrington that loved him like any other sister would, the kind girl that grew up a little to fast when their parents did mother but neglect them from a young age. Steve saw that rare soft smile on her face when she thought of the fact that Robin liked her just as much as she did, it made him happy that his sister has found someone that makes her smile like that “You’re smiling.” that smile only grows as she raised her hand to cover her face.
“Shut up…!” she managed to say through a soft laugh.
[time skip: a few weeks later]
[F/N] was now trying harder, flirting with her at any given chance she could take, going so far as to taking her out to different places instead of driving her home. Robin wasn’t complaining at that, she was having fun spending more time with [F/N], heat rose to her cheeks when she remembered the time when a chill ran up her spine when a gust of wind blew past them. [F/N] obviously noticed this and removed the jacket she was wearing and offered Robin to wear it, she hesitantly took the jacket from her hands and put it on, reviling in the way it brought warmth to her body but also the way she could smell [F/N] on it. She was definitely not getting her jacket back any time soon, besides, it looked better on her anyways. Steve and Robin also had to put up with the fact that [F/N] and Billy always came by the store, whether it be to terrorise them through merciless flirting or just being straight up annoyances, it didn’t matter.
“Robin~” she all but jokingly groans at the sound of [F/N] singing her name, she turned her head to look over her shoulder and there she saw her, resting her elbow on the counter with her chin laying on the palm of her hand “Yoohoo, sailor~ you’ve got a customer in dire need of assistance.” she adds, twiddling her fingers in her direction to get her attention before dropping it down to her hip, Robin chuckles softly before striding over to her, resting her own hands on the counter and leaning forward.
“Why ahoy there, straggler. How can this sailor be of assistance?” [F/N] all but coos at Robin, she then pushed herself up so that she and Robin were eye to eye with each other.
“Are you busy this Saturday?” Robin perked up slightly.
“Why?” the woman opposite her takes a breath, lacing her fingers together and pressing the pads of her thumbs against each other.
“There’s a fair going on in the state over, I was wondering if you wanted to join me on Saturday. If you’re not busy, that is.” she gets a little nervous, rubbing the back of her neck the calm her down “I know it’s a bit of a drive, but I heard that it’s where the fun is at! I’d love to go with you, but if you can’t, I’ll just ask someone el—” she was cut off when Robin grabbed her hand, pulling her forward with an excited look on her face.
“Yes! I’d love to go with you, [F/N]! I’d love nothing more than to go with you!” she shakes her hand up and down, the bright shine in her eyes never disappearing “I’m not busy on Saturday, so I’d be happy to go with you!” [F/N] honestly didn’t think Robin would be this enthusiastic enough to go with her, so she lost her composure a little after Robin accepted her invitation before clearing her throat.
“W-Well, I’m glad you agreed to go with me! There wasn’t really anyone else I’d rather go with.” that’s a bit of a lie, she would have liked to go with Steve or maybe even Billy if Robin didn’t agree, but she was glad she did so she can have fun while being alone with her, maybe even pretend it was a date between the two of them “I’ll swing by your place around nine, alright? So be ready by then or else I’ll be honking in your driveway.” Robin laughs at that, shaking her head.
“Don’t! My parents will kill me.” she pulls Robin’s hands towards her and presses her lips on the back of her hand, lips still against her hand while he eyes glanced up at the red face girl.
“Then don’t make me wait, pretty girl.” she winks before skipping out of the store, thankful that she didn’t trip over her feet in the process. She glanced back at Robin and grinned when she saw her jumping up and down on her feet with the biggest smile on her face, [F/N] in return pumps her fist with a victorious grin on her face “Nailed it.” the day [F/N] was taking Robin to the fair came a lot faster than she anticipated because now she found herself standing in front of her full body mirror, wearing her best outfit and styling her hair in a similar fashion to Steve’s. She caresses her cheeks as she continues to stare at her reflection, she was quite nervous to spend a day with Robin instead of an hour or two, honestly, she was very excited. She now sported a big smile on her face, tugging on her jacket then turning to grab her keys from her nightstand and out the door “Stevie! I’m gonna be gone for the whole day, so don’t expect me to be home until really late or maybe tomorrow!” she called out as she sprinted past Steve’s room, only to stop and back step and lean back to peek into his room.
“That’s alright! I won’t be home either.” she raised a brow when she saw he was also getting ready to go out, sporting on a nice outfit that looked similar to her own while he was spraying on some hairspray and lightly pushing his hair into place “Have fun, [F/N].” she continued to stare at him, raising a brow when she saw him smiling softly.
“You getting for a date, Steve?” she noticed him flinch a little, he glanced at her through his own mirror and saw her raising a brow, now leaning against the doorframe while crossing her arms “Did you finally find someone that would give you the time of day?” he lets out a hum, looking up in thought.
“Somewhat?” she was even more curious, she would have pressed for more information but she didn’t want to be late picking up Robin so she raised her hand, waving him goodbye.
“Well, have fun on your date!” she exclaims then rushed downstairs and out the door, sliding over the hood of her car to get to the drivers side and hopping in. The drive to Robin’s house was a cruise as she now parked by the curb outside her house, drumming away on her stirring wheel as music blasted through her cars speakers once more. She perks up when she sees Robin kick open the door to her house and rushes over to where [F/N] was parked, her heart hastened when she saw Robin hurriedly trying to tug her arm through the sleeve of the jacket she gave her.
“I’m not late, am I?” [F/N] shook her head, smiling softly as Robin took her spot in the passenger seat.
“Not at all, you ready?” Robin nods.
“Totally!” she and Robin share a big grin before letting out loud cheering as [F/N] drove out of Hawkins, Robin was rambling about different little things they could do while they were are the fair as music played in the background. [F/N] let Robin make her own cassette tape so she could play music that she liked whenever they went on little drives together, sometimes she would blend in songs they both liked and they would often sit in silence as music played. It was a three hour drive to the state over but they didn’t mind how long it was going to take, they were enjoying the sight seeing that was better than the boring old bland Hawkins. After a few stops to get gas and some snacks, they finally found themselves at the fair.
“And the worst part about all this was finding a parking spot.” Robin pats [F/N] on the back when she finally managed to find said parking lot, slamming her head into the stirring wheel after nearly fifteen minutes of no luck, almost getting out of her car to cuss out a guy who nearly rear ended her when she had to abruptly slam on the breaks when some other douchebag stole her spot.
“Well, all that matters is that we’re here.” she calmly said, [F/N] pushed herself up and took a deep breath to calm herself, she then faced Robin and smiled at her “Now that you’ve calmed down, let’s get out there and have some fun.” [F/N] chuckled and nodded her head.
“Alright, you’re right!” they smile at each other before getting out of the car, Robin closes the door and goes around to stand beside [F/N] after she locked her door, she starts walking off but paused when she saw [F/N] extend her hand out to her. She stared down at her hand then back up at her face and saw she had a sheepish look on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck, her own hand twitched before it settled down into [F/N]’s, who looked more than relived that she took her hand. The two of them were blushing as they walked hand in hand into the fair, sure they got a few funny looks here and there, but that didn’t matter to them at the moment. [F/N] laughed when Robin rushed ahead, dragging her along with her as she pointed at the few attractions with a big smile on her face. She nods to herself, bringing Robin here was definitely the right decision. Neither one of them were paying attention to the time and they spent most of the day going on the rides, playing some games while winning prizing or just simply lazing around eating food and talking about anything that came to mind.
“I’m glad you invited me to this, [F/N].” she looks at her before snorting when said girl was stuffing her face with a hotdog, she laughs as she hands her a napkin and her drink to help her swallow it down, when she calmed down she beamed at the taller girl “I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy myself as much as I did if I were with anyone else, but I had the most fun I’ve had in ages because I’m here with you.” [F/N], who’s face was still stuffed with food, blushed softly at the confession but smiled.
“Oh, I-I’m glad you’re having fun!” she internally face palms, cringing at herself. I’m glad you’re having fun? Jesus fucking christ! You could’ve said anything else, and you went with that. Wow, way to go, nice one, she shakes her head at herself then swallows her food before speaking “A-Anyways, I was wondering, in the near future, would you like to do something like this again? Just the two of us together? Whether it be hanging out by the quarry, or maybe eat out at the diner. I don’t know, and I don’t care, you can pick if you want. All I know is that I want to spend more time with you, Robin.” she then reaches down to take Robin’s hands into her own, rubbing the pads of her thumbs over her knuckles, smiling softly when she felt Robin tighten her own hands around hers, blushing a soft shade of pink.
“I would love nothing more than to do something like this again.” her smile grew bigger and Robin mirrored her expression, Robin then moves slightly to suggest something but [F/N]’s gaze went to a familiar face that was lingering in the crowd. She tried to keep her eyes on Robin but whoever caught her eye made her glance back so she tilts her head to the side to look past Robin and her brows shot up when she saw Steve, she would have left it at that but her eyes widened in shock when she saw Billy fucking Hargrove walking beside him and the two of them were laughing together, going so far as to Steve leaning into his side to calm himself. Steve’s sister wasn’t too far off when she questioned if he was going on a date, it was just a little hangout between him and Billy when the latter invited him to go out of state to some fair. He didn’t think much of it, he totally didn’t put a lot of thought into his appearance, not at all. He totally wasn’t having a great time having fun with the guy that beat the shit out of him the previous yeah, no way. So why is he laughing his heart out with the blonde to the point he had to hold his arm from collapsing to the floor, even Billy had to hold him up.
“Whoa there, pretty boy, can’t have you falling on me.” Steve rolled his eyes as Billy helped him up, he runs a hand through his hair but stiffened up a little when he felt like he was being watched. He looked around to find the gaze that had him frozen in place and when he did his face fell, there he saw his sister staring right back at him with her eyes widened and jaw dropped. She raised her hand and pointed at him while he shook his head and mouthed “this isn’t what it looks like”, Billy noticed his silence and looked at him to see him staring at someone, so he followed his gaze and he himself paused when he saw [F/N]. She looked at the two before shrugging and giving them a thumbs up, Steve’s face fell into his hands while Billy let out a laugh.
“Isn’t something wrong?” [F/N]’s gaze snapped back to Robin when she spoke, noticing she had a concerned look on her face and she was beginning to turn around, her face flushed up when [F/N] quickly grabbed her by the side of her face and turned her eyes back onto her, her hand still resting on her cheek.
“No, no! There’s nothing wrong, don’t worry about it.” when she realised her thumb was caressing into her cheek she yanked her hand back, Robin in turn placed her hand on her cheek to feel the lingering warmth of what was left of [F/N]’s touch “There’s still a lot of things we’ve yet to do, Robin. Lets go enjoy the rest of our day before it’s over.” Robin wanted to say more but was quickly yanked onto her feet and dragged off to ride the rest of the fair rides they have yet to try. A few hours later [F/N] was found leaning against a post as she waited for Robin, who had left to go to the bathroom, she laced her fingers together and cracked them over her head while letting out a yawn.
“[F/N]!” she nearly falls over when her name was called, she looked over and laughed when she saw that it was Steve speed walking over to her “What you saw before… there’s nothing going on between us, alright? We’re just hanging out like two friends!” she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and clearly not buying.
“Uh huh, that’s not what the Steve from before was saying.” he scoffed, crossing his own arms then stared down at him.
“What do you know about the Steve from before?” she rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the post to reach up and grab the collars of his shirt, neatly folding them out when they were messy.
“I know that in his eyes that he was having the best time of his life with the guy he previously hated. I know that he was smiling ear to ear like he used to when we were just children. I know that he’s slowly falling in love with Mister Billy Hargrove because he has the same look in his eyes like mine whenever I’m looking at Miss Robin Buckley. But I also know that he’s afraid to admit it because he hasn’t properly processed his sexuality like his dearest older sister.” she sighed softly when she noticed he was slowly processing her words, sigh, he always was a slow thinker. She takes a step forward, reaching up so one hand was on his shoulder while the other gently cupped his cheek and offered him a soft smile “I know it’s hard Stevie, I know, but you have me and maybe even Billy to help you through this crisis. I’ll be right there with you, to help you, every step of the way.” he weakly nods his head, leaning his cheek into the palm of her hand.
“I know, you were always there for me when I needed you most.” her smile grew  at the memories. She remembered the time when she was teaching him how to ride a bike, terrible decision on both of their parts, because it ended with Steve falling off and crying because he scrapped his knee. [F/N] carried him on her back to a neighbours house, to which said neighbour stood in slight concern because both children were crying. She remembered the time when he called her while she was in university and over the phone she could hear him trying to talk through tears, it was incoherent that she could barely make any words out but heard him blubber how his girlfriend Nancy Wheeler broke up with him. Oh, she could just imagine the look of heartbreak on his face when he poured his heart out to her, saying how he thought she was the one he was going to marry and spend the rest of his life with, only for her to rip his heart out and spit on it. How she wanted to go back to Hawkins that very moment just so she could comfort her brother, how he wanted to be held in her arms as she comforted him, how she wanted to beat the fuck out of that fucking Wheeler for breaking her brothers heart, but she held back for Steve “I know you would do absolutely anything for me.” she nods her head.
“That’s right, my sweet little baby brother.” he rolled his eyes at that but didn’t stop her when she pulled him down to press a kiss to his cheek “I love you, I love you very, very much! Don’t you forget it.” he laughs at her before proceeding to press his own kiss to her forehead then wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her up into a hug.
“And I love you too!” she laughs as she wraps her arms around his neck, letting him twirl her around before putting her down, but neither sibling let go just yet until they hear a soft gasp. [F/N] lightly pulls away, her hands slipping down to rest on Steve’s chest, and her eyes widened when she saw Robin standing a little ways away from them, a look of heartbreak on her face as tears swelled up in her eyes “R-Robin!” Steve stuttered out, knowing that look all to tell when he saw Jonathan and Nancy together in her room, and he knows the exact thoughts and feelings that were going on in her head right that moment.
“Robin, I swear, it’s not what it looks like!” [F/N] shouts out and reaches for her but the girl broke down into tears and quickly ran away, [F/N] didn’t hesitate to shove her brother off of her and quickly run after Robin. She usually would have apologised to people if she shoved past them or pushed them aside, but she could really give a rats ass at the moment as she ran after Robin, her heart breaking at the sight of tears running down her freckled cheeks “Robin, please! Wait!” she called out, this only made the other girl shake her head and let out a sob.
“No!” being a little athletic than the other, [F/N] easily caught up with Robin, wrapping her arms around her so she couldn’t get away. Robin obviously fought against her hold but couldn’t do much as the other was much stronger than her, so she was dragged into a more private part of the fair “Let go of me, [F/N]! Let go!” not wanting to hurt her, [F/N] does let her go but when she tried to leave she would move in front of her so she couldn’t leave.
“Robin, please let me explain myself! What you saw with me and Steve? There’s nothing go on between us, please, I swear there’s nothing going on.” she tried saying, but Robin wasn’t listening to her words and instead just shook her head,
“No! I heard you say “I love you” to Harrington! I saw you kiss him! In return, he did and said the same thing you did!” she raised her hands and pressed the heels of her palms against her forehead, gritting her teeth at the scene she stumbled upon. She was coming back from the bathroom, ready to enjoy the rest of her time with [F/N], only to find fucking Steve Harrington and [F/N] together. She didn’t think anything of it, she thought that it was nothing but a mere coincidence but then she saw the soft and tender look on her face as she coddled Steve like any other girlfriend would do when their boyfriend was upset. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw [F/N] press a kiss to his cheek and him doing the same thing, what hurt the most was hearing them say I love you to each other, nothing hurt more than watching the one you love very much look at someone else “Steve, that motherfucker, he was right! I wouldn’t know if they’re the one until it’s too late, and I guess that applies to right now!”
“No, Robin, it’s not too late.” [F/N] reassures, taking a step forward and wanting nothing more than to hold her but kept her hands back “Steve and I, we’re nothing more than—”
“The prettiest couple? Yeah, I’ve heard people talking. How about you and Billy? You said there was nothing between you two, but I’ve seen how touchy the two of you get. Sometimes you’re hanging off of him whenever I see you two together, or maybe when you and Steve are holding hands. I’ve seen all the signs, but I ignored them because of the way you looked at me, the way you talked to me! You were just leading me on this whole fucking time, and I fell for it! I fell for you, and this is what I get for trusting someone as beautiful as you…!” she takes a breath, threading her fingers through her hair and nearly yanking at them “I want to go home now.” [F/N] lets out a breath, shaking her head.
“How will you get home, Robin? We’re three hours away from Hawkins, I drove us here and you can’t drive! It’s also getting late and I don’t want you taking a bus all the way back to Indiana.” Robin scoffs.
“I’ll do what I want, so don’t try and stop me!” she yells “Maybe you can go spend the rest of the night with Steve, I bet he’ll love that very much.” she scowled when Steve suddenly appeared, clearly out of breath, behind [F/N] and placed his hand on her shoulder “Oh, look! Here he is now!” Steve shakes his head.
“Robin, please, you’re misunderstanding the whole situation.” he tried saying, he flinched back when she glared at him, tears rolling down her cheeks as she points at him.
“Shut up, Harrington!” she lets out another sob, holding her arms in her hands “I hated the thought of you stealing [F/N] from me! You’re just so perfect, you two are just perfect for each other! Steve Harrington who got all the ladies, who was the King of Hawkins High School that everyone wanted! I was so afraid that I’d lose her to you, and I guess I did, because I can’t fucking have anything!” her fingers did into the fabric of the jacket, her jacket, and she wanted to tear it off her body but didn’t want to lose the one thing close to her “I can’t have anything because I’m just fucking different!”  “Robin!” they both shout but she ignored them both, shaking her head but that didn’t stop them “Look at us!” she sneered at them when she did and through the tears she looked at them, she didn’t understand why the said that but as her vision cleared up she saw a bit of a resemblance that she never did see before. Now that they were standing together, the little moles and beauty marks Steve had along his neck and face, [F/N] had a few on her as well. They had a similar jaw line and nose, even their hair looked similar, but what was a dead give away were their eyes. She remembered when she first met [F/N], she remembered that her eyes reminded her of someone, and she couldn’t believe that that someone was Steve.
“Y-You…” [F/N] let out a breath when she noticed Robin was finally calming down.
“Robin,” she says softly, taking a step forward but not moving any closer when Robin flinched back “Steve and I, we’re siblings. Steve is my younger brother.” Steve waved his hand, nodding his head.
“Yeah, she’s my older sister that went to university.” Robin remembered hearing Steve mentioning that as well in a passing conversation but thought nothing of it, not really giving a shit about Steve at that point of time.
“My name is [F/N] Harrington.” she gently says, she and Steve look at each other and smile softly “We were the Harrington siblings, don’t you ever remember hearing people talking about us?” she scoffed, sniffling as she tried wiping away her tears.
“Y-Yeah, but I never got to see who the female Harrington was, all I knew was that she was a wild child that couldn’t be controlled.” [F/N] chuckled weakly at that, remembering being called that as well “B-But if you guys are related, why didn’t you mention this to me?” they both respectively wince.
“Honestly…” Steve starts, pausing for a second “we both kind of forgot.” Robin gasped and looked at [F/N], who guiltily glanced down at the ground while nodding her head, pressing her lips into a thin line.
“Yeah.” she mutters under her breath, Robin scoffs, throwing her head back along with her hands.
“Then what was going on between you two?”  “Steve was going through a crisis so as his sister I was comforting him.” this earned her a smack on the arm, she growled at him and smacked him back “I’m being honest! It’s the least we can do after we bamboozled her for as long as we did, dipshit!” he just rolled his eyes, Robin then watched the two of them bickering like siblings. Argh, how could she not see it? Now that she’s watching them, seeing them together side by side, it’s as clear as day that they’re brother and sister. She then starts to panic, remembering everything she was saying when she thought that Steve and [F/N] were secretly a couple.
“U-Uh, [F/N]…” he stuttered words caught their attention, Robin was now crying for a different reason, now at the thought that the friendship—the relationship she had with [F/N) was going to be damaged because of her foolish mistake of not hearing them out “what I said before, can you forget everything I said? I-I was being foolish and clearly I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you guys, and I’m sorry for my outburst. But just please, forget everything I said.” Steve reached forward, ready to apologise to himself but held his tongue when he saw his sister step forward. Robin was shaking her head, lips trembling and body ready to collapse at any given moment. God, she wished she could have just heard them out, now the both of them knew. They knew that she wasn’t like them, that she was just some queer that neither of them wanted to be associated with. She flinched, letting out another sob when she saw [F/N]’s shoes in front of her, and when she stuttered out another apology, she gasped when [F/N] grabbed her by the forearms and pulled her into a much needed kiss. Steve let out a huff, turning around and making sure no one was peeking in on them, but glanced back when he saw Robin’s eyes widen in shock before they gradually calmed down and fluttered shut. [F/N] was the one to pull away and though Robin wanted to avert her eyes from her gaze, she reluctantly met her eyes and saw nothing but love and reassurance swirling in those pretty [E/C] eyes.
“Why would I ever want to forget you ever calling me beautiful?” she shook her head, her hands sliding up from her arms and resting on her face so she could cup her cheeks “I’m so sorry that neither of us told you that we were siblings, I’m sorry I had you thinking so awful thoughts, I’m sorry that I made you cry. I’ll make it up to, I promise you that I won’t ever make you cry, that is unless they’ll be of tears of joy.” she says, wiping away the tears that stained her pretty little face, going so far as to leaning forward to kiss away the few stray ones.
“[F/N]…”
“I love you, Robin.” she confessed, reaching down to grab her hands once more “I love you and I want you to know that I would love it if you would be my girlfriend, that is if you’ll allow me to be your girlfriend?” she held her hands softly, not in a way that’ll keep her from jerking away, just enough to ground them both. Robin’s lips trembled once more, she then let out a weak laugh as she lifted her hands, that were still being held in [F/N]’s grip, and pressed them against her forehead and nodded her head.
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!” Steve smiled fondly upon seeing his sister let out a loud cheer, throwing her arms up then wrapping them around Robin and lifting her up, twirling her around in a similar fashion he did to her. Hah, the two of them really are sibl— his thoughts were cut off when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder.
“There you are, pretty boy.” twas Billy, having looked nearly everywhere for Steve, only to find him along with his sister and that Buckley girl in a corner away from prying eyes “What’s going on here?” he asked, Steve chuckled and cocked his head over to them, Billy hummed then raised both brows when he saw [F/N] and Robin share a kiss, a sweet and loving kiss.
“My sister got herself a girlfriend.” he nods his head, smiling softly.
“Good for her, now I don’t have to hear her bitching about freckles.” Steve rolled his eyes, smacking Billy’s arm with a laugh, the blonde pursed his lips, the way he did it was in a similar fashion to [F/N] doing it “Wow, like sister like brother. You two are so alike.” hearing this, [F/N] turned her head over to look at them and gave them a cheeky grin.
“You can say that again.” [F/N] now ignored the two boys in favor of her new girlfriend, she finally put her down and she stared down at her with nothing but love in her eyes. Robin blushed and didn’t hesitated to throw her arms around [F/N]’s neck, who couldn’t held by wrap her own arms around her waist, and together they held each others tight, as if they were going to disappear if they let go for just a second “I love you, Robin. Do you love me?” Robin giggled, moving just slightly kiss her temple.
“I do love you, female Harrington.” the both snort at that before pulling each other into another kiss, clearly the two of them were in love with each other.
Headcanons:
the rest of that night was spent with the four of them on a double date.
[f/n] and billy were being menaces all night long, shamelessly flirting with steve and robin with no remorse.
the two of them together were the biggest flirts and sometimes they said the most unhinged things of existence that earned them the cutest and most flustered reactions out of the two.
they high fived each other.
steve and robin started getting along better now that robin was basically dating his sister. she hated it mostly because now that she’s seen the resemblance in the two of them, she can’t be that big of a jerk to him because a. [f/n] loves her brother and b. it’s like she’s staring at [f/n] whenever she looks harrington in the eyes for more then five seconds.
she hates it.
nothing too drastic changed between [f/n] and robin.
she still picked her up and dropped her off at work.
she still took her out on nightly drives.
the big thing that changed was that [f/n] no longer had to hold back all the affection and love she was storing up in her heart that was meant for robin.
robin had to sometimes tell her no or calm down when [f/n] was expression a little too much pda, but the harrington didn’t care. she loved her girlfriend to bits, and she didn’t give two shits what this shitty little town had to say.
steve and [f/n] were now officially the disappoints of the harrington family.
they didn’t give a shit, not one.
what made it funny was whenever billy or robin mentioned they were dating a harrington, especially not mentioning which one, people would always assume the other one.
when robin told one of the few friends she had she was dating “harrington” they immediately thought she managed to hookup with steve, to which they congratulated her for such a success.
to which she just nodded her head and silently nodded with a “yeah, totally”.
she later told steve, [f/n] and billy and they all had a laugh about it. though it was definitely for the best for the four of them.
[f/n] goes out of her way to express her undying love for robin.
sometimes she gets a little insecure that she might be overdoing it, but seeing how robin never pushed away each gift she’s given her, or shied away from her affection, she believes she’s doing a great job.
the four of them would also often have double dates or shared date nights at the harrington household.
it was the biggest house and definitely better than their own rundown, shithole of a house they live in. and besides, billy and robin just love that harrington siblings give them so much attention.
[f/n] has totally threatened billy about being with steve.
steve is her brother. her brother that’s been neglected by both their parents to the point she’s had to fill in that role as somewhat as a parental figure so she knows just how touch starved and desperate for love he is.
billy understands where she’s coming from and wishes for her to have done faith in him, and though she does by how much her brother now sings praises about billy, she can’t help but give him a lecture.
to which billy listens carefully.
anyways-
sometimes billy and [f/n] would be arguing about who’s girlfriend/boyfriend was cuter. better. sweeter. and list every single detail that just made them perfect and why they love them so much.
said girlfriend/boyfriend are in the background telling them to shut up, sporting a nice little blush on their cheeks as they tried to stop themselves from smiling.
sometimes things would get physical but the two never had hard feelings and always laughed it off.
this earned them a smack across the head.
steve and robin, in the end, just love their wild, hotheaded, temperamental, violent lovers that will only be soft and gentle with them around.
billy and [f/n] in return love their sweet, quirky, fun loving lovers and would do just about anything to keep them from feeling anything but the amounts of love they have for them.
and when I mean anything; I mean anything.
hah! I’m kidding.
but don’t get me wrong, billy and [f/n] will fight anyone that makes their cuties cry.
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psycopath06 · 4 years ago
Text
Secretary Part 1: Volturi Kings x Neutral!Reader
A/N: The parentheses next to the quotes are the translation to any words that are in Italian.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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I had been working as the new secretary for the Volturi for a week now. I had been lucky with the few guards, that didn't have a stick up their asses, were nice enough to tell me what to avoid that would cause my death. The secretaries got killed for the stupidest of reasons.
   I only took the job because I desperately needed the money even if the job seemed sketchy. My family didn't help get me better off finacially but put me in even more debt. The immortality part was just a bonus to the job.
   I had manage to not piss the kings or the guards off thus far, but that could easily change with Caius' temper. He's been out for my head since the day he met me. Thanks to Aro and Marcus I have been able to avoid Caius' wrath for the most part. Aro and Marcus were neutral to me being there. They would tell Caius to stop threatening me whenever he saw me.
   It was late and I was going to be off duty in 15 minutes, so I got up to deliver the letter that they got in the mail. I had decided that giving them their mail before I was let off for the night gave me a better chance of survival, since the kings were also ready to retire for the night.
   I walked in to the underground Throne room and gave my best smile as to not get on their bad side.
   "Ah, young y/n has brought us something." Aro's eagerly said as he got off his throne and walked to the edge of the platform.
   "They should not have interrupted." Caius stated his hatred for me loud and clear to everyone in the room. Always had something to say about whatever I did.
   "They're new." Aro half-ass defended me.
   "Aren't they all?" Marcus rasped out. For once Marcus was doing something besides being depressed!
   I watched Caius smirk at the joke, smug bastard. I had to focus on why I was here as to not want to slap Caius.
   I stepped up on the first step and extended the sliver tray to Aro with the letter on it. They INSISTED that I use this stupid tray when I gave them letters. Surprisingly I wasn't that bother by the kings being vampires and didn't really fear them which was why I was comfortable being this close to Aro.
   Aro took the letter from the tray as he gave me when of his creepy smiles that I have gotten use to at this point. He opened the letter and started speaking Italian. "L'amore ci mantiene tutti giovani. Bella and Edward are to be married." (Love keeps us all young)
   Marcus once again spoke "What joy." Now the depression was back, it never went far from Marcus.
   "This is the Cullen's way of announcing her transformation? They mock us with their delays." Caius declared. Always the first to want to start a war with someone.
   Aro turned to look at Caius. "Patience, brother." He reminded him. Like Caius ever had patience in his life.
   Aro put the envelope on the tray, while Marcus and Caius began to stand from their thrones.
   "Though you do have a point," Aro's airy voice muttered, "The human did interput." He dropped his happy sharade at the end of his sentence as he gently brushed my face with his finger. By then, Marcus and Caius were by his side.
   I sighed, knowing this was the end of the line for me. I turned around and walked over to Felix and Demetri.
   "Alright, kill me now boys! I know you have been wanting to do it since you met me!" I exclaimed loudly, I just wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. Better a quick death than a slow one.
   Felix and Demetri looked over at Aro for approval but Aro only chuckled. "So easily willing to let us end your life. You're such a fascinating human." Aro fondly expressed.
   Then these motherfuckers just walked away while Aro was saying "Oh, I do love weddings."
   I just stared at the door they left out of. Why am I still alive? I questioned that as I headed back to my room, ignoring the bodies on my way out of the underground throne room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   The next day went like it normally would. Caius insulting me every second he got, most guards glaring at me, Marcus being depressed, and Aro's creepy tendencies.
   Everything was going well and I was about to leave early for the day until I got an email. The email was about a job application regarding my position as a secretary for the Volturi. Apparently someone sent this woman an email saying the position is open and she could start tomorrow. Now I did what any sane person would do when they realize they were about to get fired, which meant death. I went to the store, got some alcohol, got my favorite ice cream, got my favorite snacks, and enjoyed my last few hours of life.
   Sadly, at about one in the morning someone had opened my door to check on me. I was still awake, drunk, eating ice cream, surrounded by snacks, and binge watching my favorite show on TV all while crying out of my own self pity. Why did I take this stupid job?!
   "Carissimo? Why are you still awake?" (Dearest) That voice was Marcus. Sweet and slow as always. I was gonna miss that voice, no matter how depressed he could be.
   I laughed bitterly as I continued to eat my ice cream. "Like you care, you get to have a brand new secretary tomorrow!" I mockingly joked.
   Marcus gently grabbed my face and turned it to look at him. "You are unbelievably drunk and crying. Why are you this way, piccolo?" (Little one)
   I moved my face out of his hand. "Why do you care? I won't be your problem tomorrow." I growled angrily as I stabbed my ice cream with my spoon.
   Marcus had finally left after a minute of staring me down. Unfortunately, he came back with Aro and Caius.
   I could feel Caius trying to glare holes in my head with his stare as soon as he saw the state that I was in. Aro was immediately by my side mumbling something in Italian that I couldn't bother to translate.
   "If you're going to glare at me the whole time your here then leave." I said as I glared back at Caius. Something I never did since I met the kings. Mostly for fear of them killing me on the spot. What the hell did I have to lose at this point?
   "Caro, why are you drunk and crying?" (Dear) Aro's normal cheery voice was laced with concern.
   "What does it matter? I'll be dead in a few hours. Can't have one last night to enjoy being alive? Too much to ask from a bunch of vampires?" I grumbled angrily while finishing my ice cream. What was with all the sudden new pet names anyway? They normally call me by name, or rarely they say "human" just to mess with me.
   "Who told you that you were going to die tomorrow?" Aro calmly asked.
   I rolled my eyes and answered. "No one because no one has the balls to say it to my face that I'm no longer useful." I than look up at Caius again to glare at him. "You couldn't wait to get rid of me, could you?"
   I put my empty tub of ice cream on my nightstand, I would deal with it tomorrow. I am too drunk to be wondering the halls for the kitchen. Since the kings weren't going to leave any time soon, I made myself comfortable. Put my pillows against my headboard and wrapped myself in my blanket.
   Caius hadn't said a word since he got here and quite frankly, it was pissing me off. "For once the most feared king doesn't have a damn thing to say. Shocker." I snarked at him. Marcus and Aro were quietly chuckling at my antics, which made me turn my glare to them.
   "You're like an insufferable toddler when drunk." Caius snarked back at me. I tried to get up and punch him in the face, but Marcus cuddled me in his lap while sitting on my bed. I could enjoy this little bit of comfort from Marcus before I die. Punching Caius in the face would be a pleasure I could do before I died tomorrow.
   Aro just had to ruin the moment by trying to read my thoughts. I tried to move away but Marcus kept my arms in place so Aro could touch me. I huff at being ganged up on like this.
   After a minute, Aro pulled away and had become eerily quiet. That was never a good thing with Aro, someone normally died when Aro was quiet. Marcus was gently rubbing my back which was causing me to relax and finally fall asleep. The last thing I saw was Caius finally moving away from that stupid doorway.
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peachesandmilktea · 3 years ago
Note
Hi there!
I am a non-binary person with short hair that I dye myself and a taste in clothes that can be best described as tight pants/short and Giant shirt. I am a musician and a writer who loves long drives and cups of tea and iced coffee.
My favorite song is line without a hook by Ricky Montgomery (the version featuring mxmtoon is just 👌)
My kinks include voyeurism and exhibition, shibari, roleplay and idk how to phrase this other than being sexually dominating over a more socially dominant person
And I'd like to see a male character match please
Your writing is fantastic btw ☺️
Match-up Event Masterlist
Thank you so much!
I match you with...
𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫!
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Enji is the pragmatic kind of man, has never known romantic love and never will. Of course, he has no idea why his gaze lingers just a bit too long on your face when you sip your coffee in the morning, when you bite your lower lip while studying the report of one of his missions, or when you let out a relieved sigh at the end of the day when there is no more work to be done in his so busy agency. You're working for him, he tells himself, it's completely normal to care about his employees. But even if it were normal, the childish blush that creeps over his cheeks when you praise him on his work sure isn't. Damn.
He'll take you on road trips, long car rides every time he has to get away from the city for a mission. Buy you your favorite coffee without even asking you first; he notices, that's all. He doesn't talk much, doesn't ask many questions, but if his job as a pro hero has taught him anything, it's to be observant, and he'll make note of every little fascinating thing about you. The kind of tea you like. The songs you enjoy listening to. The brand of the pens you use when writing. You don't need to ask him for anything; he notices and provides, never asks for a thank you in return.
He might be the Number One Hero, but he'll leave you all control in the bedroom, attend to you on his knees and worship every word that crosses your lips. He looks good tied up in shibari, the ropes making his strong muscles stand out even more. It's fun bullying him then, but it's even funnier when you do it in his office, the door unlocked, when anyone and everyone can come in and see the supposedly strongest hero in Japan finding pleasure in the way you so skillfully abuse his body. Maybe we can even leave the door open next time, you taunt him, so that Hawks or Best Jeanist or even Mirko can see you like this. What would they think, then? That you're some kind of slut who gets off on being brought to his knees? He'll say no, just because he's playing a role, but you both know that's exactly what he is.
-------
Please tell me if you liked it ♡
Also I stole the bit of Enji liking praise from @bnhafanfiction bcs Hiro is the King of writing Endeavor and I just can't do it on my own. Check out the praise kink one shot here (AO3) it's amazing I swear.
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winterscaptain · 4 years ago
Text
spoiled.
Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader a joyful future fic
a/n: happy valentine’s day! 
words: 2.1k warnings: language, over-the-top valentine’s day shenanigans
summary: “the best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” - nicholas sparks. au!february 2012
masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | taglist | what do you want to see next?
Aaron leaves rather early in the morning, leaving you in bed complaining with only a kiss for your trouble. 
When you eventually get up, on track to be about fifteen minutes late to the federal building, you find a pair of post-its on the fridge. 
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Always the romantic. 
+++
The evening rolls around and finds you on the couch with Jess and Jack. 
“You gonna start getting ready?” Jess asks. “You’ve got a long night ahead of you.” 
You look over at her. “Wait. He told you what we’re doing?”
She nods. “Yeah. You have no idea. He hasn’t done a big Valentine’s Day thing since he surprised Haley in her senior year of college. He’s been looking for an excuse.” 
That’s terrifying. 
“Guess I better get ready then.” 
Jack’s got a funny little smile on his face, but you ignore it. You’re sure the Hotchner boys are in cahoots, but it’s not really worth it to try and wiggle anything out of him. 
You head to the master bedroom to get dressed, throwing off your slouchy day-off clothes in favor of something that can take you to a fancy dinner and whatever else Aaron has planned for your evening.
+++
You walk out of the apartment, hearing Jess lock the door behind you. When you reach the front of the apartment complex, Aaron closes the car door as he hops out, meeting you halfway to the sidewalk. 
“Hello, gorgeous,” he says, pressing a kiss to your cheek. 
He’s wearing a black button-up, black slacks, and his favorite pair of black oxfords. It’s a sharp look and one he knows you love. 
“You’re looking quite dapper yourself, sir.” 
The boyish grin on his face melts your heart and you take the arm he offers. Like a real gentleman, he opens the door for you and makes sure you’re inside before closing you in.
+++
The drive is quiet. You ask about the office once or twice, but it’s clear there’s nothing significant to report. 
“So...what are we doing tonight?” 
He glances at you out of the corner of his eye. “Dinner. And a few other things.” 
+++
When he says ‘dinner,’ he’s not joking. The restaurant is a high-end, no-prices-on-the-menu type of place. The lighting is low, the environment cozy and quiet. 
He must have planned this months ago. Reservations are like gold on Valentine’s Day. 
Aaron’s squinting at the menu across from you. It makes you laugh. 
“Need a flashlight and your reading glasses?”
“Shut up.” It comes with his own laugh, but he’s still squinting. 
You finally decide on something and order, trusting Aaron’s taste in wine. When the waiter leaves, Aaron reaches across the table for your hand. 
“Okay,” he says. You recognize his tone - it’s professional, like he’s starting a press conference. “No work, no kids, no serial killers.” 
You smile, waiting for him to give you a little more context. 
“How are you?” 
What a question. 
How often does the answer to that question not include work, kids, or serial killers? 
Not very. 
“I’m good.” You mean it. “I’m really good.” 
There’s a small smile on his face. “Why?”
Are you profiling me now, Hotch? 
Deciding to give him shit, you ask, “Why am I good, or is that a more general existential question?” 
He rolls his eyes and you relent. 
“Alright. Well…” You take a breath. “There are a lot of things to be happy about. You, for one thing.” 
“Me?” He asks. He looks genuinely surprised. 
Fool. 
“Yes, you.” You squeeze his hand. “You are my best friend and somehow - somehow - I’ve landed you as my partner. I am living out everything I dreamed of at twenty-five.” 
That pulls another smile from him. “Really?” Again, he looks genuinely surprised. 
Can’t believe I’ve never told this to him. 
Ridiculous
“Oh yeah. I can’t believe you never noticed. I had a huge crush on you - instantly. Derek gave me nothing but hell once he figured it out.” You pause. “Do you remember that time on the plane, really early on, when I woke up and everyone thought I had a nightmare?” 
Looking a little confused by your change in direction, and you don’t blame him. 
“I think so? I remember we all felt so bad.” He shrugs. “We all get them, of course - still do - but we were worried about you.”
“Right. So -” 
Aaron’s head tilts to the left as he interrupts you. “Did you say ‘everyone thought’ it was a nightmare?” 
Your face gets hot and you suddenly regret bringing this up at all. “Yeah. I’m getting to that.” 
With an embarrassed huff, you continue. “So, it wasn’t a nightmare.” 
“No?” The question comes accompanied by a frown. 
“No. It was a sex dream. About you.” 
You can tell he’s doing his best to hide his smile for your benefit, but there’s a threatening dimple that gives him away and you’ve simply known him too long for him to get away with anything. 
“Really?” His tone is neutral, polite, but you can hear the humor behind the apparently bland interest. 
“Yep.” 
“What - if I may ask - was it about? Specifically?” 
You take a breath and adopt the same kind of ironic professionalism as Aaron. “Well, now it doesn’t seem so notable, because i’m more than familiar with your, um, technique.” 
And it’s true. Though you hardly remember the details of the dream anymore - it's been years - you know that real life doesn’t even come close. 
Aaron pulls his hand from yours and steeples his fingers under his chin. He’s the picture of interest, so you continue. 
“The key points are as follows -” 
He holds up a finger, and you stop. “On second thought,” he says. “I think this recollection would be better served by a demonstration.”
You nod. “You’re probably right.” 
“I’ll pencil it in.” 
You grin at each other for a moment, the back-and-forth of it so deeply on brand you can’t help but steep in it for a second. 
“So,” he says, “as you were saying before…?” 
“Right.” 
Back to business. 
“I had a huge crush on you and could swear you were the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” 
Never one to forgo an opportunity to compliment him when he’s not actively swatting at you, you continue. 
“In the lecture you gave with Gideon and Derek, I knew you were in charge before you said anything. Even though Gideon had the years and experience on you, it was clear that everything came through you.” You attempt to explain the inarticulable. “There’s a kind of steadiness - one you still have - that radiates off of you.” 
The two of you sit in that for a moment. 
You continue. “And then, of course, when we met again I had to really focus on not making an ass of myself in front of Strauss.” 
He laughs. His laughter makes you laugh, of course. It’s so much higher than his speaking register, so delightful in its unexpectedness. 
“Okay, okay.” You stop, covering your face with your hands. “Okay this is cheesy. Promise not to laugh.” 
His eyebrows rise and he forces his mouth into something that only threatens a dimple once more. 
“When you shook my hand in Radner’s office, there was this crazy jolt of energy or something that just flew up my arm. It was wild. I’ve never been able to forget it, almost like a flashbulb memory.”
As promised, he doesn’t laugh. There is, however, a kind of wonder in his eyes when he replies, “You felt that, too?”
+++
After dinner (and dessert), Aaron takes your hand and ushers you into the car when you leave the lod. He doesn’t turn the way you expect. 
“Where are we going?” 
The dashboard casts a glow on his face. You can still spot a dimple in the dark. “You’ll see.” 
+++
Your disbelief only grows when you go deeper into the city and pull up to the Hay-Adams. The valet opens the door for you, while Aaron hands over the keys to his SUV. Once all the details are covered, you take his arm again and let him guide you into the lobby. 
It’s expansive. The Hay-Adams is, of course, one of the most historic buildings in the district and considered one of the best hotels on the East Coast by people who know of these things. 
Aaron confirms the reservation and gets the room cards before promptly finding the elevator and swiping in for the seventh floor. You look down, remembering your attire at the last minute. 
“Aaron, I don’t have my go bag.” 
He shakes his head, still looking forward. “Don’t need it.” 
You scoff. 
He doubles down. “Do you trust me?”
Stupid question. 
“Of course.” 
“Go with it. I’m trying to spoil you.” He turns and presses his lips to yours, taking your face in his hand. Against your mouth, he says, “Let me.” 
+++
The room is gorgeous - a one bedroom suite with a living room, balcony, and kitchenette, a huge couch dominates the center of the open living area, opposite an impressive television. Through the open door, you catch a glimpse of a king-sized bed. 
This must have cost a small fortune. 
As if reading your mind, Aaron takes your hand and tugs you forward. You land against his chest and he smiles at you. “Don’t think too hard. Come with me.” 
You follow him out to the balcony and the view takes your breath away. The White House, well-lit in the D.C. nighttime, sits right across the street. From here, you can see Lafayette Square - beyond it, almost the whole city. 
When you come back to yourself, you realize there’s an outdoor loveseat and a small table, holding champagne (on ice) and chocolate-covered fruit. 
Champagne, chocolate, fancy dinner… The whole nine. 
Spoiled indeed. 
Aaron sits, pulling you down beside him. He pours two glasses of champagne - mostly for show, and moves the bucket to the ground. The fruit goes off to the side table and his feet go up on the small table, crossing at the ankles. You curl up against him, tucking under his arm. 
“Do you like it? Too much?” 
You can hear the genuine insecurity behind his cheeky question. You press a kiss to the back of his hand. “I love it. It is too much, but it’s very thoughtful. You twist to kiss the underside of his jaw. “Thank you.” 
With that, the two of you settle in, quietly enjoying the company and the quiet. It’s cold, but with the outdoor heater, it’s comfortable enough that you don’t need your coat. 
“Okay.” 
Aaron sits up. “Yes?” 
“You asked, so it’s only fair. No work, no kids, no serial killers. How are you?” 
He pulls you over so you’re sitting across his lap. You rest your head on his shoulder, your hand smoothing over the soft fabric of his button-up before placing it over his heart. 
“I’m good,” he says. “I’m really good.” 
“Why?” You feel a little like a parrot, but you’re sure that’s what he’s going for. 
“I can’t...quite articulate how lucky I feel.” 
That’s relatable. 
“I’m happy to be here with you.” He shakes his head - a pensive gesture. “I never thought I could make it here again.” 
“Where?” You ask. 
“In love, happy, facing a future that doesn’t scare me. My son is happy, safe...I wasn’t sure I'd ever have any of that again after losing Haley.” 
He pauses and you can feel a little sardonic smile. You don’t have to see it to know it’s there. His next admission, though, surprises you. 
“I accepted that I would be a bystander in your life a long time ago. I accepted that I would likely remain a widower, a single father. I knew you’d be around and that I would be your friend, but I made peace with the idea that I’d never have you right here.” He squeezes you twice, in time with his words. It makes you smile. 
He shakes his head and lets out a little laugh. “I’m not sure it’ll ever sink in.” 
You feel much the same, but it's kind of at once alarming and amusing to hear him so beautifully articulate feelings that so closely resemble your own. 
You lean back to look at him. “I’m glad you were wrong.”
He places a gentle finger under your chin and kisses you, long and languid. It’s a promise. After a little while, he leans back, brushing the back of his fingers over your cheek. 
“Me too.”
+++
tagging: @avengersbau @ambicaos @angelsbabey @arganfics @averyhotchner @bwbatta @capricorngf @cevanswhre @crazyshannonigans @criminalsmarts @deagibs @forgottenword @genevievedarcygranger @hotchsflower @hotchslatte @hurricanejjareau @joanofarkansass @kelstark @prentisswrites @little-blue-fishie @lotties-journey-abroad @mandylove1000 @missdowntonabbey @mrs-dr-reid @pan-pride-12 @popped-weasels @quillvine @qvid-pro-qvo @reidingmelodies @roses-and-grasses @shesbiochem4 @ssahotchnerr @ssaic-jareau @ssareidbby @starsandasteroids @stxrrywildflower @sunflowersandotherthings @sunshine-em @teamhappyme @this-broken-band-girl @ughitsbaby @unicorn-bitch @luciilferss @violet-amxthyst @word-scribbless @writefasttalkevenfaster @zizzlekwum @iconicc @avatarkorraswife @mooneylupinblack @ssworldofsw @nuvoleincielo @kaemarie23 @violentvulgarvolatile @abschaffer2 @ellyhotchner @rousethemouse @baumarvel @reidtomestyles @dreamsonthewall @jhiddles03 @willlemonheadsupremacy @infinity1321 @messyhairday-me @itsalwaysb33nyou @s-unflowxr @imlottiie @stummdummrumstehen @hqtchner @finnologys @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @hothothotchner @the-falling-in-the-danger @mac99martin @ssahotchner99 @vagabond-ing     @itsmytimetoodream @rebel-flying  @nuvoleincielo @rqgnarok @ssa-volturi @reidyoulikeabook @schlooper @itsmytimetoodream @bau-baby @ssagube @oreogutz @lexieshuntingsstuff @saintsmotels @hotchestie @marvelousmissmaggie @mosiacbrokenhearstf
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phantomrose96 · 4 years ago
Text
King
cw: heavy angst, non-canon character death, violent imagery, emetophobia
It’s pretty long, so heed the Read More.
...
Bakugou is sitting in the police station.
Time isn’t moving forward with him. It has a hand over his mouth holding him back, holding him down, beneath the surface of the unreal waters which suspend him. All sounds reach his ears muffled. The phone ringing, and the station hand answering. Chatter, officers exchanging details, Bakugou winces at the utterance of the word “explosion”. None of it is real. None of it can be happening to him.
He jangles the handcuffs on his wrist, and this attracts the weary attention of the station hands. The cuffs aren’t necessary. He is not going anywhere. He sits, and he stares forward, and his ears ring.
Bakugou has fucked up. Bakugou understands for the first time in his life the sensation of fucking up beyond repair. He is watching dreams evaporate in front of his eyes, staring forward unseeingly at the pallid white floor tiles around him. His eyes trace their lines. He does not see them. They are not real. He is not real. He has fucked up. He has fucked up.
Behind his eyelids, a single image burns. It is branded into his eyes. The scorched wick of a torso lingers there, shifting to a negative impression of itself with each blink. A torched wick, balanced on disembodied legs, falling forward. Falling forward. Falling forward. Falling forward again with each blink. It’s a sight he has no way to unsee.
His heart rate picks up. His breathing comes faster and shallower. He says nothing. He has fucked up. He has fucked up, and he can never fix this.
Because he is still, and because he is silent, no one pays him any mind.
A man walks into the precinct. He is just a bit portly, immaculately dressed in a suit and tie. He shrugs off the tweed overcoat, leaving just vest and undershirt and tie, and hangs it with familiarity on the coat rack by the entrance. He lifts his bowler’s hat in greeting, and overlapping responses greet him from the precinct office. “Fujimori” is uttered, affably. He extends a hand, and several workers shake it with a smile. A joke is cracked. A chorus of deep belly laughs follow. The man with the bowler’s hat – Fujimori – calms his mirth and asks one of the officers about his kids, and when the idle chatter ends, he asks where his client is.
Fingers point toward Bakugou. Fujimori lumbers over, with a confidence that reminds Bakugou of lions, his face at ease. Fujimori lowers himself to a squat so he is eye level with Bakugou.
“I’m Hiroji Fujimori. I’m a lawyer with U.A. You’ve had a hell of a day, huh, Katsuki Bakugou? Why don’t I help get those handcuffs off and get you home for some rest?”
Bakugou looks up. He hears the words, but his ears are still ringing, so he clearly has not heard them correctly. It sounded like the man said he was going home.
“Home?” Bakugou asks.
“Well, the U.A. dorms. Under protective custody but, I promise, you won’t even notice.”
“I’m not going home,” Bakugou responds. He isn’t sure it’s his own voice speaking, or his own lips moving.
“Oh? Got somewhere else you’re headed?”
“Jail.”
Fujimori lets out a deep laugh, the kind that rumbles his whole body. He fans himself briefly with the casefile in hand. “Right. Right right right, no one’s given you the run-down. Ease back those shoulders, son, you’re not headed to jail. Chin up! Try for a smile. This isn’t my first rodeo.” He offers a nod back to the officers. “Ain’t that right?”
There’s a chorus of agreement. Bakugou is looking, but not processing. His mind hangs on “not headed to jail.”
“…When am I going to jail, then?”
“Hopefully never! Not very becoming of a U.A. Hero to be doing time, hmm? Come on. There’s a car waiting out front for you. Let’s gather up your stuff and get you home. Bet you’re dying for something more comfortable than this chair, and these cuffs. Hell, I bet you want nothing more than a night in your own bed right now. Poor boy,” and Fujimori angles his head over his shoulder, “just how many hours have you lot kept him all tied up here, hmm? A touch reprehensible.”
Fujimori is wrong. Bakugou is not thinking about his bed or rest or sleep. Nor is he concerned with how many hours he’s been sitting at the precinct – though it’s been several. He has not thought about those things because time has not restarted. Because there is no future of his to consider with a bed and rest and sleep, not with the unfixable thing he’s done.
Bakugou says none of what he’s thinking. He’s uncharacteristically uncapable of trying. So he silently stands when Fujimori motions him to, and follows as Fujimori takes him back to the precinct desk, where Fujimori strikes up another amicable conversation with the officer in possession of the keys.
Back at the dorms, Bakugou showers off the smell of flesh that isn’t his own. He crawls into his U.A. bed for what he is sure is the last time. Hours pass staring at the ceiling, until Bakugou slips into dreams which play back his own last calamitous explosion to him a few dozen more times.
Fujimori is waiting for him the next morning, parked alongside the grass outside with the dew brushing along the footboard of his Mercedes. He is wearing a different suit today, a darker one, and he is holding two steaming cups of coffee, one which he offers to Bakugou. Bakugou takes it, though he isn’t sure why. The feeling of heat soaking into his palm is abhorrent.
“How’d you sleep?” Fujimori asks. His attendant opens the back-left passenger door for Bakugou. Bakugou stares. He does not answer, and he does not get in. Fujimori continues. “We’ll just be headed into the office for a few hours this morning. Some of my colleagues would like to meet you and hash over some details from yesterday. Might ask you to sign a few papers, if you’re comfortable with that.”
Fujimori gets in the back-right passenger door. The attendant takes the wheel. Once settled, Fujimori cranks up the AC and fans himself with the documents in his hand. He motions for Bakugou to get in as well. This time, Bakugou complies. Fujimori leans over and shuts the car door for him.
“You said you’re a U.A. lawyer?” Bakugou finally asks. He grips the coffee too tightly in his lap. He’s wearing his U.A. uniform, with the pants hitched up correctly. It’s what he was ordered to wear.
“Sure am. Going on 20 years this September. Y’know, I’ve got a son a little bit younger than you. HUGE fan of the U.A. Sports Festival. I get tickets and bring him every year. You were his top-ringer, favorite by a mile. Your victory over that Todoroki kid—
“Stop.”
“Hmm?”
“Stop.”
“Ah, sports festival a sour subject with you, son? As I recall you did end up restrai—”
“No. Stop being so casual. And friendly. Like this. Sports festival. Sports festival?! Like that’s ever going to matter again!” Bakugou’s voice builds toa  crescendo, pent up horror spilling from his mouth like a faucet. “It’s cruel, don’t you think, to make me talk about U.A. like I’m ever coming back.”
“Hey now, the way I see it you’ve still got another two full years at that school before they’re done with you.”
“If you think that then you don’t know what happened yesterday. What kind of lawyer are you who doesn’t even know—”
“I know your case file forward and back, son. I’m no amateur. In fact, I’m very very skilled at what I do.”
“Then you know that I k—”
“—Calculated an unwinnable risk, and acted under extreme duress, and fear for you own life, in the face of a paralyzingly dangerous situation. And I know that your actions were necessary to ensure the safety of yourself and all others in the area.” Fujimori raises his own coffee to his lips and drinks from it, leaving the both of them to ruminate in the whir of the A.C. “An admirable and heroic act, with a tragic but unavoidable outcome.”
Bakugou feels colder, in a part of himself untouched by the A.C.
“…It wasn’t like that,” he whispers.
“I assure you it was, boy.”
The car blinker clicks on. They hang a left. Bakugou fixes his eyes out the window, watching the world spin by him. There’s an anger like solid ice encasing his heart, the kind he cannot act on, the kind that paralyzes him in his seat, the kind he’d only felt once before – when All Might lost his power for him – that Bakugou had vowed to never feel again.
Self-hatred. Ice instead of fire. That is what makes it so paralyzing.
“…Why are you representing me?”
“Because U.A. requested that I do.”
“And why would U.A. care? This wasn’t a U.A. mission. This didn’t have anything to do with them.”
Fujimori turns and offers him a warm smile. His face is disarming, and gentle, and grandfatherly, and he extends a hand to pat Bakugou on the shoulder.
“Come now, I think you’re a sharp enough boy to figure out the answer to that question.”
Bakugou leaves the office numb again. His memories of the incident feel hazier now. They feel less his own. He’s been asked to hold on to someone else’s construction, to coddle it in his mind until he believes it is his own. He needs to sew it back into himself. And forget his own memories. And move on.
Six hours have passed since he walked into the conference room with Fujimori, met with a half-dozen other lawyers whose names and faces all escape him now. He’s been asked too many times to describe the villain’s face, to describe man’s dress and his expression and his body language. Bakugou no longer trusts any memory he has of face, and body, and dress, and name.
Bakugou does not remember what, precisely, the villain said to him. He does not remember how he said it or why. Or how the villain had used his quirk, or how many times, or how close to Bakugou. Bakugou knows with certainty the villain had smashed him into the pavement, because it is that white-hot rage he felt in response that is seared into the memory behind his eyelids, like an after-image in the wake of an atom bomb.
The missing details, the absent paint strokes in his memory, have been helpfully filled in for him. Bakugou has been informed by the half-dozen lawyers that the villain had attacked him first, and with such bloodlust and such aggression that Bakugou had acted purely, and only, in defense of himself. Bakugou has been informed that the contusions to the back of his skull, documented at the police station, and the abrasions along his arms and legs and back all constitute intense physical trauma, from the villain who struck first, against Bakugou who had every reason to fear for his life.
Bakugou has been informed that the villain was a scoundrel, a lowlife, a man with a record and no family and no ties to the community.
Bakugou ruminates on all these new elements he’s been told to graft into his memory, as the car vibrates beneath him and Fujimori makes idle one-sided chatter on their ride back to U.A. All these memories meld together, such that Bakugou cannot pick apart what is his own, and what is not. He stares into the blood-red setting sun over the horizon, and he realizes he never will be able to.
There were no witnesses. There were no cameras. The only other man, who might otherwise have had the chance to defend himself, is dead.
Bakugou showers again. He already showered this morning. Bakugou tells himself it is because he’s been out all day. He doesn’t let himself consider what about the outing has made him feel so unclean.
So he doesn’t think about it, and he scrubs off the phantom lingering smells of burnt flesh from his body, and towels off, and changes into sweats. Alone in his room, with the blood red of the setting sun eking through his window, Bakugou considers going right to bed. His eyes shift to the clock beside his bed. It’s 5pm, and he hasn’t eaten yet today.
Bakugou stands, indecisive, and moves to the door.
When he opens it, he sucks in a sharp breath. Todoroki is standing at his doorway, leaning ever so slightly against the wall, his appraising eyes roving once over Bakugou before he straightens up entirely.
“Move,” Bakugou says.
“Where did you go with Fujimori this morning?”
Bakugou balks, only for an instant. He shoves past Todoroki, and sets his focus on navigating to the dorm kitchen. “Who?”
“The lawyer. I saw from the window. You were talking to him. You got in his car. And you’ve been gone the whole day until now.”
“What do you care?” Bakugou picks up his pace. Todoroki matches it.
“Because it’s Fujimori.”
“I don’t know what that means. Fuck off and leave me alone.”
“What did he want with you? What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“Fuck off.”
“Tell me.”
Bakugou stops cold and whirls on Todoroki. He feels his hand twitch, but he thinks better of it.
“It’s from my work study. It’s confidential. I can’t tell you, and I wouldn’t tell you anyway. We’re not friends. You don’t demand things from me. Fuck. Off.”
Bakugou takes off again.
“Fujimori…” Todoroki trails off. He hustles to keep himself in lock step with Bakugou, flanking him, refusing to be shaken off. “Just tell me why it’s Fujimori then.”
“Again, I do not fucking know what that question means. Why the fuck do you expect me to know anything? Do I look like a lawyer? Go bug Deku, you clingy piece of shit.”
“Did I hear my name?”
Bakugou rounds the corner, Todoroki in tow, and he finds himself face to face with Midoriya. Midoriya has one eyebrow quirked, hair wet from his own shower, grasping a glass of water in his hands. Midoriya’s eyes flicker between Bakugou and Todoroki.
“What… are you two up to? Uh, something fun?”
“Good.” Bakugou grabs Midoriya by the shoulders, lifts him, and spins halfway around in place. He plants Midoriya back down as a human divide between himself and Todoroki. “Deku’s here. Go bug each other.”
Midoriya looks back and forth between Bakugou and Todoroki. Worry creases his brow. “Um, okay? Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Todoroki?”
Bakugou glances for a fraction of a second at the kitchen, and curses under his breath, and turns in place, and shoves past Todoroki and Midoriya. He stalks back to his room, where he slams the door shut and locks it. He throws himself onto his bed and buries his face in his pillow, not bothering with the lights.
There’s muffled chatter in the hall. There are footsteps pattering overhead. There is a world outside his room that has spun on without him.
The question ‘why Fujimori?’ sits like a rock in Bakugou’s chest, and he rips the pillow out from beneath himself, pressing it over his head completely.
It’s fully dark now. Bakugou has no intention of moving from bed.
It is 5:07 pm.
Bakugou remembers very few details from the incident, anymore.
His memories are more like wispy embers, and they burn, and they flash-ignite without warning. He remembers heat, humidity, sapping sweat dripping down his hairline and curving along his nose. Heaving breath like a swelling knife wound in his bruised chest cavity. The viscous wetness of blood mingling and running in spider veins down his cheek, to the corner of his mouth, where it painted his teeth and tasted coppery on his tongue.
He remembers rage, white hot, swamping his mind. He remembers uproarious indignation that anyone could fell him like that, crack his head open on the concrete like that, knock the air from his lungs like that, make him taste his own blood like that. He remembers his every breath being a wheezing effort. He remembers the sun searing him, blisteringly bright, when he could manage to pry his eyes open to the spinning sky above. He remembers a ringing that stole all sound from his ears.
Bakugou no longer knows anything past that. His memories aren’t his own. The ones that were are overwritten, or buried, deformed beneath the crushing weight of denial. But he hadn’t meant to. He knows he hadn’t meant to. It has to be that he hadn’t meant to.
A slamming at his door tears him from his hazy half sleep. Bakugou sits bolt-upright, and his heart is slamming in his throat.
“Yo, dude, you get dinner yet? I haven’t seen you like all day. What’s up?”
Bakugou blinks, bleary-eyed, and the clock at his bedside swims into view. It’s 8:47 pm.
Bakugou lays back down. His every nerve remains on fire.
“Go away, I’m sleeping.”
Bakugou can sense the hesitation at the door.
“Alright,” Kirishima answers, and his voice is careful. “Catch you tomorrow then.”
In the common area, Kirishima walks in with his fingers threaded through his loose hair, his motions agitated, and he falls onto the couch beside Midoriya.
“Yo, hey, Midoriya, you know Bakugou pretty well, yeah? Do you think something’s like, up with him?”
Midoriya looks up from his phone. Iida, sitting on the adjacent couch, slams his book shut with entirely too much force. “Bakugou had an excused absence from class today! I can confirm this, if you are worried he is shirking from his student duties.”
“Nah nah – I mean – maybe that’s part of it, I dunno. But it’s not just that he wasn’t in class but like, I haven’t seen him at all today. And I tried to go bug him just now but he shut me out.”
“Bakugou goes to bed early,” Iida continues.
“I know he does but like. I dunno. It’s different. It’s kinda reminding me of how he acted after Kamino.”
“I saw him earlier today, but just for a little bit,” Midoriya answers. “Todoroki was talking to him, then he told me to talk to Todoroki.”
“Why?”
“Um, I don’t actually know. Do you know, Todoroki?”
“I don’t know,” Todoroki answers from the floor, where he sits leaning against the couch Kirishima and Midoriya occupy. After a moment of silence, he adds in, “But it’s something bad.”
Kirishima straightens, couch springs straining beneath him. “What do you mean bad? What do you know?”
“He was with Fujimori.”
“Who’s Fujimori?” Kirishima asks. All eyes remain pinned on Todoroki, not a flash of recognition in anyone else’s face, not even Iida’s.
“He’s a U.A. lawyer.” Todoroki fidgets. “He’s… a specific kind of U.A. lawyer. I saw a lot of him, when I was very young. After Mom went away, I saw a lot of him, pretty much every day.” Subconsciously, Todoroki raises a hand to skim along the uneven skin of his left eye. “Dad was his client.”
“Oh, um, I met a couple U.A. lawyers after we rescued Eri.” Midoriya shoots a quick glance to Kirishima. “Me and Kirishima both. Bakugou’s doing a work study right now. Maybe it’s like… maybe something like Eri happened.”
Todoroki shakes his head. “You and Kirishima have not met Fujimori. Whatever U.A. lawyers you talked to, they weren’t Fujimori.”
“What makes you sure?”
Todoroki lingers in the silence. His lips part, but he says nothing immediately. He thinks long and hard on the words hanging behind his tongue. There’s a twitch along his mouth, some repressed fidget of hostility that comes slowly burning into his eyes.
“I’ve been told not to talk about Fujimori. My father has told me not to. But… I think I don’t care what my father told me.” Todoroki pushes off from the couch he is leaning on, settling toward the center of the carpet and turning in place, so that he completes a circle made of himself, Kirishima, Midoriya, and Iida. “I might still get in trouble with U.A.… But maybe I don’t care about that either.” Todoroki pauses. “Fujimori… Fujimori is a monster. Scum, the lowest and most disgusting sort of person humanity has to offer—no, not humanity. Calling human would be too generous. He’s a weapon, not a human.”
Midoriya scoots a fraction forward. His body leaks with uneasy tension. “And he’s… you said he’s someone who works for U.A.? U.A. hired him?”
“U.A. would be sunk without him,” Todoroki declares coldly. “And Fujimori… does not get involved lightly. And he would never be involved in the Eri mission, because U.A. wasn’t at fault for anything bad that happened there.”
“I…” Midoriya fidgets again, waxing uncomfortable. “I mean, um, not all the details of that mission were made public, you know. It um… that mission didn’t go as planned. I mean, I don’t… I’m not blameless, I think, for the things that went wrong.”
“Me neither,” Kirishima cuts in.
“Sir Night Eye—”
“I know Sir Night Eye died,” Todoroki responds, chillingly flat. His eyes appraise Midoriya once-over. “Did you kill Sir Night Eye?”
“No,” Midoriya answers. “Why would you even—”
“Then Fujimori was not your lawyer.”
Silence fills the room. A palpable dread sets in over them, like a blanket of fog, clammy and cold to the touch.
“What… do you think Bakugou did?” Iida asks.
“Something as bad as my father did to me and my mother,” Todoroki answers, and he does not hide the personal condemnation from his voice. “Or worse.”
Bakugou wakes at 6:15 am to another message from Fujimori. It requests Bakugou meet him outside once more. No dress code is specified.
Bakugou appears wearing the sweats he fell asleep in, leery eyes meeting Fujimori who stands along the same dew-swept section of street beside the U.A. dorms. Bakugou shifts furtive glances up and to the dorm windows, face racked with tension.
“People can see us from the windows,” Bakugou comments, curt.
“Does that worry you?”
“Yes. Todoroki knows you. Why the fuck does Todoroki know you?”
Fujimori lets out a good-humored chuckle. “Ah, Todoroki’s boy. Figures he may not be too fond of me.” Fujimori adjusts the suspenders digging into his shoulders. He is more casually dressed today. “Well then – here’s some excellent news for you: this will be very, very brief, so brief you don’t have to worry about being spotted with me.” Fujimori curls a smile, wide and self-satisfied on his flushed red face. “Would you like to hear another lick of good news?”
“What?”
Fujimori extends a hand, low and firm, an invite to be grasped and shaken. “All charges against you have been dropped. You’re a free man with a clean record, Katsuki Bakugou.”
Bakugou does not take Fujimori’s hand. He doesn’t so much as move. He feels as if the ringing in his ears is back. He feels again as if he’s misheard.
“…There hasn’t been a trial yet.”
“You’re right about that. We nipped it in the bud before it even reached that stage. That’s a fantastic development, because trials have their way of dragging their feet. For years, sometimes. You’re a fortunate young man.”
“How?”
“Hmm?”
“How did the charges get dropped?”
“Well I just compiled your case is all. Argued it before the district judge and the chief of police over a nice batch of chamomile tea I brewed early this morning, and they’re both exceptional, bright, reasonable men of conscience. Not one person in that room wanted to see a U.A. star’s future snuffed out before it could even begin.”
“I killed—”
“—And there’s a few weeks off, being offered to you too, courtesy of the U.A. President Nedzu himself. He wants you to take the time you need to heal from this trauma. There’s a therapist too, under U.A.’s direction, that we’d like you to meet with daily. Sorry, that part’s non-negotiable. But she’ll be good for you. You’ve been through a lot for a boy so young. Everyone just wants to see you succeed.” Fujimori steps closer, and he rests a heavy hand on Bakugou’s shoulder. “And most importantly, the events from that day are under gag order. No word of this will ever reach anyone outside that precinct or outside U.A.”
“The villain…”
“Pardon?”
“What happens to him now? With his—with the—with what’s left of him. …What happens?”
“That’s not for people like you or me to worry about. You, especially, my boy. Just focus on the happy news.” Fujimori retracts his hand, and he lumbers back toward his car. There is no attendant this time. He opens the driver’s side door and glances back to Bakugou from overtop the car. “There will be a few more meetings in the coming weeks that you’ll have to attend with my colleagues, and a few more things for you to sign, and just a few attestations. But no one will ask anything difficult of you from here-on out. The hard part’s over. Quite luckily, this may be the last you see of me.”
Fujimori tips his hat once more, and disappears into his car with the tinted windows. It’s nice—the car. It’s exceptionally too nice, and too proper, and too clean for a man like Fujimori.
The engine revs. Fujimori vanishes along with the car at the next left turn.
Bakugou is left alone in the cold clammy morning air, with the sun wicking at the grass-top dew drops mingling with the cuffs of his pants.
Time restarts for Bakugou.
Now, and only now, Bakugou feels the passing wind against his cheek, and the wetness at his ankles, and the cadence of songbirds characterized by their punctuation through time. Time is moving fast again, with him in the stream, spinning dizzyingly forward.
Fujimori is right, this news is good news, Bakugou understands that. There’s a future in front of him again. A hero path ahead of him. He can carry on. He can graduate from U.A. He can become the #1 Hero. He can surpass All Might.
Bakugou’s memory stirs.
He is stricken with the image of two eyes looking back at him, gray and befuddled, panicked and unsure. They are eyes which belong to a head, a head with belongs to a body, all atop legs too scattered to know where to run. The image is a quivering bit of prey in front of him, cowed into a quaking revolting shell. It is a thing filled with regret at the sight of the rage it spurred from Bakugou by daring to slam Bakugou into the pavement first.
Bakugou remembers pulling the pin from his gauntlet. He remembers doing it with revelry. He remembers the sweet, nigh-intoxicating high, the euphoria that came with the sense of complete command, absolute control, unchecked power, the drive to win, to win, to win.
He remembers the lock and jolt to his shoulder, now. The eruption of searing heat. The explosion ringing in his ears. And the quaking, shivering thing of prey, in a moment of panic, darting directly into the blast, when all common sense dictated that it should have darted away.
Bakugou now remembers the blast erupting into black smoke, with a smell so wretched on its wind that Bakugou had buckled on spot. Bakugou now remembers the feeling -- suddenly greasy, suddenly unclean with the blowback of the blast, suddenly sticky dripping sapping wet with—
Bakugou remembers the torched wick of a torso – with full context now, he sees it. Suspended in time. Atop legs that should not stand.
Alone now in the cold morning air, alone outside the U.A. dorms, Bakugou buckles at the waist. He doubles over, falls forward like the image so seared into his mind. He moves forward in time with the dismembered legs, both his knees and its knees hitting the ground. Bakugou’s palms strike the dew-strewn lawn, his legs sink into the wetness. He holds himself up a moment, on arms too trembling to command, with a heartbeat too slammingly loud in his ears, and he loses his stomach contents into the grass below.
Bakugou is in class that same day. He does not take any of the offered leave, even when Nedzu appears at his dormitory door that morning at 7:30, even when Aizawa pulls him aside at the classroom entrance to ask, in as few specifics as possible, if Bakugou really intends to be here.
Bakugou confirms both times that he’s fine, and that he’s going to class, and that he doesn’t want them to mention anything to do with this ever again.
In class, he pretends to not see when Kirishima tries to catch his attention. He pretends not to feel the cold lick of malice from Todoroki’s eyes probing his back. Hardest of all, he pretends not to notice Midoriya’s pleading look, that detestable, abhorrent disarmed expression of weakness and worry so characteristic of him.
The partners are presumably random, but Bakugou stares on with disgusted certainty that Midoriya’s been intentionally assigned to him for sparring practice. Each pair of students has been spread about in sparring rings around Ground Beta, ample room given between each location, such that no quirks, and no voice, could carry between any two. Only the loudspeaker affixed to the Ground Beta building issues commands to each group.
The round starts.
Bakugou squares his feet, crouched slightly, hatred burning cold in his eyes. Midoriya meets his gaze, and squares his own feet, and raises his own hands. A silent few seconds of tense nothing passes between them. Bakugou’s gauntlet-less hands itch.
“Dodge!” Bakugou barks across the makeshift arena.
Midoriya loosens his footing a fraction, confusion crawling back into his face. “You haven’t attacked me yet.”
“Well get out of the way before I do!”
“If you attack me, then I’ll dodge.”
“Well you better! Because I’m telling you to dodge!”
Midoriya blinks. Bakugou remains rooted in place. In a split second, Midoriya has bounced from his spot. He winds back a kick, the shimmer of green iridescent veins spawning like stream rivulets down his thigh, down his leg. He closes the distance between them, and Bakugou only stares back wide-eyed as Midoriya’s shin connects with his jaw.
Bakugou stumbles, face smarting, a white-hot lick of rage exploding like a cannon from within his chest. The anger swamps his mind and drowns all thought and leaves him only with the livid, licking, untamable desire to fire back.
He thrusts a palm out, arm locked in tight at the elbow, immaculately drawing Midoriya into his line of attack. Midoriya’s eyes go wide, but he is still in the air, still falling, and won’t get the chance to course correct until he hits the ground. Bakugou has the shot.
Bakugou does not take it.
Time slips around him again. Leaving him behind, knocking him at the ankles, as if he is standing knee-deep in a stream to which he does not belong. The force threatens to make him stumble. He simply stands, hand extended, the promise of an explosion sputtering behind his palm.
Midoriya lands, and Bakugou has left himself wide open.
Midoriya doesn’t take his shot either.
“Do you want to… maybe call off the fight, Kacchan?”
“No! Attack me again!” Bakugou yells, hand thrown out harder, though nothing bursts on his palms.
“I…” Midoriya hesitates. He looks around, and he lets the rivulets of power bleed away from his arms and legs. He loosens his footing, stands taller, lets the tension ease out of his body.  “You know, um… After we rescued Eri, I couldn’t really do much of anything for a few days. I couldn’t even use my quirk without having to focus way too hard on it.”
“I don’t care about your stupid mission. Attack me! Attack, you damn nerd!”
“Is it… something like that for you too, Kacchan? …Is it something worse?”
“Mind your own damn business! And get out of the way before I fire at you!”
“Todoroki isn’t being too kind with his guesses. …Kirishima refuses to believe what Todoroki has to say, if that makes you feel better. But I think I know you a bit better than Kirishima, actually, and I’m not sure what to believe.”
“What makes you think I give a single shit about what Icy-Hot thinks? Or what you think?”
“Are you allowed to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
“…How bad is it? The thing that happened?”
“’How bad?’” Bakugou mocks. “Not at all! Zero! Nothing! Everything got resolved this morning. Nothing’s happening. There’s nothing more to it. You can tell that to Todoroki, and tell him he can keep his prying eyes the fuck off me cuz there’s nothing more for him to see. And you can fuck off for good measure too.”
“Everything got resolved… because of Fujimori?”
“We’re still fighting. Shut up and dodge! Attack! Do something!”
“Because – what Todoroki said – is that’s what Fujimori does. He makes problems go away. No matter what. By whatever means necessary. That he’s U.A.’s ace in the hole. That U.A.’s spotless track record – its perfect reputation – for decades…” Midoriya trails off. Bakugou falters at the sight of Midoriya wiping at his own cheek with the heel of his palm. “Stupid of me, huh, Kacchan?” Midoriya says with a bitter laugh. “I just assumed U.A. put out perfect heroes, all perfect heroes. That every pro from U.A. was like All Might. That every pro from U.A. just… could never do anything wrong. I idolized all of them. Every single one of them, for being perfect heroes. I thought Endeavor was a fluke… I wonder how many Endeavors U.A. has made?”
Bakugou lets out a strangled noise. He thrusts his right palm out with force, and he fires off a blast that lights and catches, erupting outward, hurdling toward Midoriya. Midoriya dodges it with hardly any effort, a simple step to the right and the blast does not so much as lick him. Midoriya doesn’t bother striking back just yet.
“What about you, Kacchan? …It wasn’t as bad as Endeavor, was it?”
“No—it—aggh! I told Icy-Hot it wasn’t even about me. My work-study—it’s just because my work study—”
“With Moonshot, yeah?” Deku curls a hand. He lets a wick of electric green static burst in his palm, which whips his hair with its ebb and flow. “Your work study is with Moonshot right now. Moonshot’s office is small. She only has herself and three sidekicks, and none of them are U.A. graduates. You’re the only person from U.A. working there.”
Deku strikes. His attack clips Bakugou’s left side. Bakugou bears it, not so much as a noise escaping his lips. He side-steps, ducks, and slams Midoriya beneath the ribcage with enough force to knock the wind from Midoriya’s lungs.
“You always think you’re helping, you damn fucking nerd. You’re not helping! You’re just prying into shit that doesn’t concern you. It’s over. It’s done with. And I can’t talk about it anyway! So shut up, before I make you shut up.”
Midoriya pulls in a few wheezing breathes. He coughs, and straightens, and speaks along a rasp.
“Actually… I don’t even think I’m trying to help, Kacchan. I want to help you. I always do. You know that. …But I’m afraid this might be something I can’t help with, or can’t bring myself to help you with, if Todoroki is right.”
“Icy-Hot knows nothing. He’s full of hot air and conspiracy theories, and it’s none of his business. Whatever he thinks happened is wrong, and he should shut the fuck up about it.”
“Are you sure he’s wrong… King Explosion Murder?”
“Shut up.” Bakugou’s palms crackle, and he squares his feet again. “Shut up and di--… Shut up and fight me.”
Bakugou doesn’t wait for a response. He throws himself right into the fray, with the one and only goal of firing his explosions off in quick enough succession to prevent Midoriya from getting another word in.
“Sensei! Sensei Sensei!”
Aizawa pauses at the sound of pounding mechanical feet hitting pavement, the rumble of vibrations shaking the ground, and fence, and rubble near Ground Beta. A wetness has stirred in the air, the threat of an impending thunderstorm.
“Iida, I was just coming to collect eve—”
“There’s a fight! Uh—well of course there are fights as this is a sparing match exercise but there is a fight which is not part of the designated sparing activity I mean! I’ve come to report an incident of student violence which I witnessed! I saw it happen and promptly came to find an authority figure and luckily you’re right here but I request you accompany me back to the meeting grounds where—”
“Who?”
“Bakugou, and—”
“Midoriya,” Aizawa concludes.
Iida shakes his head, frantic, spinning on spot and motioning Aizawa to follow as his suited legs take off once more. “Not Midoriya! Todoroki…”
Aizawa falters, and then he picks up his pace to match Iida. He steels himself, and it takes no longer than 20 seconds of threading through rubble for the two of them to round the corner, and enter the scene which had already announced itself with the rising cacophony of voices from 30 feet out.
With a split-second glance, Aizawa gleans three immediate pieces of information from the gaggle of 19 assembled students standing at the center of the training ground. 
One, that Bakugou has been knocked down to the pavement, soles of his shoes, seat of his pants, and palms of his hands flat to the ground, left cheek split and leaking blood, with a creeping redness threatening to swell many times over in size across the breadth of the wound. 
Two, that Midoriya has grasped Todoroki from behind, his arms looped up beneath Todoroki’s armpits and locked in place in a forceful attempt to restrain Todoroki, who’s lashing against the hold. 
Three, that Todoroki’s right fist is split and bleeding, and he is staring down at Bakugou with the spark of murderous intent in his eyes.
“Tell me what you mean by ‘It’s been resolved’. It’s over? Meaning Fujimori already— What did you get away with? I think I know. I think I know what you did. So tell me I’m wrong. Tell me what that scumbag let you get away with.”
Bakugou says nothing. He raises his left hand to his cheek, pressing lightly. A heavy raindrop falls from above, landing with a patter on his cheek.
Todoroki pulls against Midoriya. “Answer me!”
“Todoroki!” Aizawa shouts. He marches forward, eyes alight with his quirk activation, though there is no need for it. Neither boy has used his quirk.
“This bastard’s been meeting with Fujimori.” Todoroki thrusts a hand out, index finger extended, sharp in its accusation as he turns bodily to Aizawa. “And whatever he did, he got off scot-free this morning! He’s bragging about it!”
“Todoroki. That’s enough.”
“He needs to tell us!” Todoroki challenges. A rumble of thunder affixes itself along the end of his words, as if chorusing agreement. “How can we be comfortable calling Bakugou a classmate until we know?”
“Midoriya, you can let him go. I’ve got this under control.” Aizawa’s eye flicker to Midoriya, who blinks, and hesitantly releases his arms from Todoroki.
Todoroki looks between Aizawa and Midoriya, his confidence wavering. “Sensei, you know who Fujimori is. You have to know who he is. You’ve been at U.A. long enough.”
“Yes, I know who Fujimori is. He’s a U.A. employee. Not a villain.”
“Then you don’t know who Fujimori is.” Todoroki counters. He thrusts both hands out. “He’s the reason my mom—he’s the reason my dad—he’s the reason I—” Todoroki catches himself all three times, unable to, or perhaps forbidden from saying more. 
He backtracks, calms himself, a glint of desperation lighting in his eyes. Todoroki turns in place, bodily facing Bakugou once more. “Just defend yourself. Just tell me what happened. If you’re innocent then clear your name, and just tell us what Fujimori wanted with you! Why can’t you do that? Why?”
“Todoroki that is enough. This is not like you, and it is not acceptable,” Aizawa growls this time. He stalks forward, using himself as a means of separation between the boys, and he grips Todoroki by the shoulder. “I think you’re letting your personal feelings get in the way of common rationality. My office. With me. Now.”
Todoroki appraises Aizawa, and then his eyes go wide. A few more heavy drops leak from the blackened clouds above. They plick across Todoroki’s face, riding his expression, loosening with shock. 
Todoroki opens his mouth, and the energy has been sapped from his words.
 “…You know. You know what it is, don’t know? You’re part of this. You really are okay with this.” 
“Not another word until we reach my office, Todoroki. If you defy me, I’ll consider it grounds for suspension.” Aizawa turns in place, and he surveys the rest of the class with deathly cold eyes. “Midoriya, Iida, take Bakugou to Recovery Girl’s office. Everyone else, get back to the dorm. I don’t want to hear a word about this by tomorrow morning, understood? The threat of suspension extends to all of you.”
There is a palpable unease in the air that rides along the rumble of the clouds. The rest of the students nod, Uraraka and Asui with a prick of tears at the corner of their eyes. Wordlessly, Iida extends a hand for Bakugou to grab, and lifts him from the ground. 
Kirishima throws one last worried look in Bakugou’s direction as the skies fully open. The class is caught in the downpour, the scenery effaced by a thick sheet of heavy rain. The three boys vanish from view, and Kirishima raises an arm overtop his head for cover, and he joins the others headed back to the dorm.
Class begins wordlessly the next day. No one dares to mention it, but everyone has noticed Todoroki’s empty desk. The threat of suspension, of following in Todoroki’s footsteps, cows everyone into compliance. Bakugou sits stiff in his own seat, his insides too mangled, his dreams too riddled with his haunting memories playing on repeat to afford him more than a few moments of uninterrupted sleep the previous night. He feels full of cotton, his stomach in knots, his brain too much a hazy mess to make sense of what’s unfolded. His jaw has swollen, hot to the touch.
Aizawa enters, his face blank and tired. He shuffles a few papers and greets the class with a monotone Good morning. Most voices echo the greeting back, but quieter, mumbled. Only Iida seems to muster the energy for a proper greeting. The downpour from the previous day has lightened, but not vanished. It plicks against the muted gray windows, sealing in the atmosphere.
“The bin for your English essays is now on the front table. Present Mic says you may turn them in any time between now and Friday. Late submissions will not be accepted.” Aizawa shuffles the papers in his hands. “Also, we have another announcement.” Aizawa nods to the doorway. Faces turn.
Shinsou stands at the entrance, face drawn into a bit of a grimace. He rubs at his neck and looks away. “Um… Hi. I’m Hitoshi Shinsou. Some of you already know me.”
No one answers him, because the class already knows Shinsou, and they’re all weary of what answering him may lead to. On a different day, friendliness might have won out over fear. Today, no one can muster the optimism.
“He’s transferring into 1-A starting today. Please extend a warm welcome.”
Silence beats around them. Iida manages a clipped greeting. A few more students nod. Bakugou watches it all unfold from his hazy fog.
Shinsou is no more lively in his acknowledgement of his introduction. He looks away, hoisting his bag on his shoulder, and shuffles down the aisle. He reaches Todoroki’s seat, and places his bag atop it, and sits down.
Midoriya’s chair screeches backward. He is standing, his face a mask of concern. “Uh, Sensei, Shinsou, um, that’s Todoroki’s desk. Todoroki sits there.”
“Todoroki has decided to transfer to Shiketsu High School, effective today,” Aizawa states simply. “Sit down, Midoriya, and raise your hand in the future if you wish to speak.”
Bakugou feels the ripple through the air. The potent unease. The prickle of disbelief that comes in just the form of a few slipped gasps, a few wide eyes swinging to Todoroki’s seat, and then swinging over to him, as if staring at him may reveal the answers they’re never allowed to know.
The haze in Bakugou’s brain won’t let him think. It’s made worse by his own shock, and his own disbelief, and his own gnawing discomfort in his gut when he looks over, and finds Todoroki absent from his seat.
It’s Kirishima’s pained eyes that he accidentally meets in the process.
“Bro… what’s happening?” Kirishima leans across the aisle. He speaks as quietly as he can for someone suppressing shock. “Please man, please just tell me it isn’t anything bad. Tell me Todoroki was wrong. Please dude. Please, I just gotta know you didn’t—”
“Kirishima!” Aizawa barks from the front of the room. Kirishima goes stock-still, spine stiff, head snapping forward to face the teacher. Aizawa turns to face the board, and he grabs a piece of chalk, snapped at the midpoint, and begins to write textbook page numbers on the board. “Not another word on the topic. I thought I made myself clear yesterday, or would you like to be an example?” Aizawa turns, and lifts an eyebrow in Kirishima’s direction. Kirishima, white in the face, shakes his head. “Good. I didn’t think so. Now be quiet. Class is starting.”
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